Saintess Hestia had virtually no interaction with men due to her special position. Because the title of “saintess” was held in such high regard within the church, most people frowned upon the idea of her forming relationships with ordinary men. The church leadership also treated her like a prized commodity, putting great effort into raising her to be noble and beautiful.
Her enrollment in the academy was an exceptional case. Tired of her caged life within the church, Hestia had earnestly pleaded for the opportunity and was only granted permission under the condition that her interactions with men would be strictly limited.
In truth, the church was fully aware of her dealings with men.
They knew that she had developed an interest in a man named Pollo Halos and was receiving romantic advice from Mars Noctus. However, they chose not to interfere.
Pollo, being the son of Count Halos, who was an imperial hero, was deemed a worthy match for the saintess due to his looks and abilities. Mars, on the other hand, was dismissed as someone unworthy of the saintess’s interest, both in status and appearance.
Indeed, at the time, Hestia only showed affection toward the handsome Pollo and maintained a strictly businesslike relationship with Mars and all other men.
At least, that was how it had been….until everything changed.
After her maid Eris betrayed her and exposed the church’s disgraceful conduct, Hestia, who had endured severe torture, began to develop a fear of men. This was likely a trauma response from those who had tortured her.
With the church officials stationed at the academy having returned to clean up the internal mess, Hestia was now left almost entirely on her own.
In that solitude, Hestia was finally able to reflect on the emotions she had once felt.
The feelings I had when I first met Pollo Halos… could that really be called love?
Hestia, who had lived her entire life with nobility and grace.
The people around her constantly urged her to find a match befitting her, insisting that she meet a man worthy of her value.
Having grown up with such advice, Hestia came to believe, if only inwardly, that Pollo Halos, with his striking looks and as the son of the man hailed as the world’s strongest, was the right man for her.
But that wasn’t love. No warm or fluttering feeling stirred in her heart.
It was more like shopping for a jewel she thought would suit her best.
Though she had lived a life revered as a noble and untouchable figure, in hindsight, she realized she too had been a shallow and self-centered person, judging everything only by appearances.
To be honest, when Mars came to rescue her, she had been quietly trembling with fear.
What were his intentions? What if he found out she was no longer of use? Would he abandon her without a second thought?
Caught in a whirlwind of terrifying assumptions, she waited for his answer.
– Why did you save me?
– …No reason.
No reason.
Some might criticize that as a careless and insincere answer, but Hestia simply couldn’t see it that way.
The look on his face as he spoke. It was so casual as if it truly was the most natural thing in the world to do. He seemed to say that he didn’t even know why himself, only that he somehow felt he had to.
Having spent her entire life surrounded by people who only sought to benefit from her status, the saintess found his honest and unreserved emotions utterly shocking.
After saving her, he asked for nothing in return and simply treated her as he always had. For some reason, that made her pay more attention to him than before. Something in her had changed.
Still, she was only human. She had already noticed that the princess and the noble lady had also started looking at Mars the way she did.
She didn’t know exactly what had happened between them, but from what little she had heard, she could guess the emotions they might be harboring.
But who am I to…
Having once lost everyone’s trust and been cast out, the saintess reminded herself that the last conversation she’d had with him had ended in an argument.
So she tried to dismiss the feelings she held as nothing more than admiration or gratitude.
The thought that she might want to stay by his side just because he had once saved her life felt far too shameless.
But—
“Here, say ah~”
Who is that woman?
During a village visit as part of a volunteer group, she felt a surge of deep discomfort at the sight of an unfamiliar woman clinging to Mars.
It wasn’t just the immorality of the act. Flirting with a younger man despite being married…that bothered her.
What stirred within Hestia was something darker.
She, who had held herself back out of guilt, couldn’t understand why someone with no connection to him could so freely approach him.
A nameless anger began to build inside her.
And then, that anger finally—
“If you agree to be mine, I’ll let you do whatever you want with my body~.”
Zzzzap!
“You slutty bit*h!!”
It erupted in the form of divine punishment. A punishment called “cracking a pot”.
Well, divine punishment or not, in the end, it was nothing more than a tantrum born of a bruised ego.
***
“Wow……”
I let out a brief exclamation as I watched the saintess slam her staff down on Lilia’s head.
I couldn’t quite tell why, but the saintess’s face was beet red, and she was still panting furiously. Her shoulders were heaving as if her rage hadn’t yet subsided.
“Um… Saintess?”
“Huff, huff… Y-Yes?!”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Oh, that was scary. Her sharp glare whipped toward me like that of a wild beast, and my attempt to calm her down instantly failed.
Fortunately, maybe snapping out of it at the sound of my voice, she hastily hid her bloodstained staff behind her back and forced a smile.
But since the staff was taller than she was, the red-stained ornament at the top couldn’t help but stand out.
“Ugh… You crazy bit*h!! Have you lost your mind?!”
Still reeling from the unexpected blow, Lilia staggered as she clutched the spot where she’d been hit while glaring daggers at the saintess.
She didn’t seem like the combat type at first glance, but maybe she had some sort of ace up her sleeve. As her injuries healed almost instantly, she looked like she was already thinking about how to take the saintess down.
“What the hell? You mad because I was feeding him? You wanted a bite too?”
“Wh-What?! How dare you say such a thing?!”
“I guess there’s no helping it. Fine, I’ll give you a bite and lend him to you, so just take your friends and go back—kyaaa!!”
“Are you really a married woman? What kind of baroness is filthier than a street whore?”
Lilia barely managed to dodge the spell cast by the noble lady, who had been scowling from behind, and let out a scream. Her clothes were a mess from the series of events, her hair disheveled, and any trace of her former beauty was hard to find.
“Ugh…! That’s it! I can’t take this anymore!!”
Uuugh…
Uwooooh!!!
The village men, who had been dazed by her words, and the servants who’d come running at the commotion all began acting strangely. As if drugged, they suddenly started to go wild.
“Fufu, you know how they say people in love become stronger? Those under my charm gain a huge physical boost. Watching them lose themselves to lust and go berserk is quite the entertainment—”
“Excuse me, Saintess. Why did you rush in and attack just now? Your intentions behind that attack seem very suspicious.”
“Th-That’s…?”
“How strange… Didn’t the Saintess say she wasn’t interested last time? If that’s the case, there should be no reason for her to act, even if he’s taken by someone else.”
“That’s because… I thought I might lose someone I owe a debt to…”
Despite Lilia’s bold declaration, the three women simply continued whispering among themselves.
From what I could gather, they were criticizing the Saintess for taking the initiative and attacking Lilia…
But still, was there really a need to press her this hard?
“Are these bit*hes ignoring me?! Men!! Show those women what you’re made of!!”
Uwooooh!!
Grrrrgh!!
“””Get lost!!”””
…Uwooh.
Uuugh…
“Wh-What? Why are you backing off?! I said do as I say!”
As I watched the men, who were getting ready to pounce at Lilia’s command, I began thinking of a way to subdue them without causing injury. Then, annoyed by their conversation being interrupted, the women lashed out fiercely at the village men under Lilia’s control. At that, everyone flinched and slowly began backing away.
According to Lilia, they were supposed to be under her mental control due to her ability, and yet they acted like that…
“Could it be because they felt their lives were in danger?”
“Their lives?”
“Yeah. Even if they’re being controlled by lust, people still value their lives. I think they instinctively sensed that approaching those three might get them killed.”
It was true. The energy coming from our female members is no joke.
Actually, ever since Lilia tried to seduce me, they’ve been like this. I guess Lilia’s shameless behavior really rubbed them the wrong way.
“Y-You useless bastards!! I’m the one you should be serving!! Do as I say, now!!”
“…Shouldn’t we take her down first? She might try something again with that strange power of hers.”
“I agree. And honestly, I didn’t like how she was acting, especially for a married woman. This is perfect timing.”
“Damn it… Because of that woman!”
With cold, sharp eyes, the three women began walking toward Lilia. In a panic, Lilia turned to us and shouted for help.
“Hey! You two guys over there! Protect me right now!!!”
Vwoooom—
“Huh?”
“What?”
An intangible energy brushed past us, and the sensation rippled through our entire bodies.
But…
“It’s definitely a strange kind of energy… but mental attacks don’t really work on me. …By the way, why are you okay?”
“Uh…? Oh, well, who knows?”
Unfortunately for her, the power she used on us had no effect whatsoever.
“Huh? Th-That can’t be…?”
And so, Pollo and I ended up witnessing the bizarre sight of Lilia being surrounded and relentlessly beaten by the three women for over thirty minutes.
Honestly, I did want to stop them, but the women hitting Lilia had this lifeless look in their eyes… so I decided to wait until they calmed down.
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