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Chapter 148: The Misaligned Act 4
Saintess, Acrede Seong Narea.
The reincarnation of Narea appeared as an uninvited guest.
‘Is she out of her mind?’
Not long ago, there had been an operation to assassinate the saintess.
And yet, she was moving outside the Holy Kingdom without fear?
She was insane.
But since she was already here, there was no helping it.
I quickly made my way to the room where Iris and the saintess were.
A private guest room in the women’s dormitory.
Here, a male visitor wouldn’t be an issue.
The maid, who was exclusively assigned to Iris and was known for her discretion, opened the door.
As I stepped inside, a familiar face came into view.
The moment I entered, I could feel a startled reaction from within.
There, sitting with a visibly withdrawn posture, was Acrede.
As always, she hid her fearsome weapons well, making her appear like a small, timid animal.
Soon, our eyes met.
A nervous smile formed on her lips.
“Oh, uh, wow, it’s been a while.”
Her emerald-green eyes sparkled, as if she had just met her savior.
I quickly grasped the situation.
‘Right now, the one in control is Acrede.’
Acrede had two souls within her.
One was Acrede.
The other was her past self, the saintess Narea.
Currently, the body was under Acrede’s control.
And that fact put me in a difficult situation.
‘I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.’
I silently observed Acrede.
She was a passive individual.
She had always left the duties of a saintess to Narea.
She disliked standing out or being worshiped.
Because of that, she let Narea handle most of the responsibilities of the saintess.
As a result, Acrede became even more withdrawn.
She especially struggled with talking to people she didn’t know.
And now, sitting across from her was one of the most influential figures in the Hysirion Empire—
The Third Imperial Princess, Iris Hysirion.
With Iris watching her closely, Acrede shrank even more.
Then I appeared, someone she was at least somewhat familiar with, so it was natural for her to express relief.
Normally, Narea would have handled all of this.
But now, there was no sign of Narea emerging.
I wasn’t ignorant of the reasons behind this.
However, two major issues complicated things.
‘First, the timing of events is moving too quickly.’
The incident where I rescued Musika from the Abomination.
The Autumn Demon Dungeon event occurring sooner than expected.
The sequence of events was diverging from the main storyline.
And to be honest, this wasn’t a good change.
‘My strength lies in knowing the scenario.’
I had been guiding the world along the story I knew.
If things strayed too far, I might lose control of the narrative.
‘The second problem is Acrede herself.’
I looked at Acrede with a complicated expression.
She tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the meaning behind my gaze.
Fine.
In the end, I was always the one pushing the scenario forward.
‘No point in overcomplicating things.’
This issue was originally supposed to arise around the end of the Winter Demon Dungeon arc.
It was also the reason I had been trying to acquire newly developed equipment.
But first, I needed to confirm the situation.
“Acrede, did something happen to Narea?”
I pulled out a chair and sat down as I asked.
As expected, Acrede’s eyes widened in shock.
“H-How did you know?”
So it was true.
Something must have happened to force her to leave the Holy Kingdom and come all the way to Zerion Academy.
Meanwhile, Iris took a leisurely sip of her tea.
Even in this situation, she remained utterly composed.
“Iris, how did you end up with the saintess?”
“Who do you think the contact Duke Whitewood mentioned was?”
So it was Iris.
It seemed Duke of Whitewood had paved the way, knowing about the connection between me and Iris.
Whitewood was likely using this opportunity to put the saintess in debt to the Empire.
After all, while Duke Whitewood was a hero, she was also a noble of the Empire.
Her goal was always the Empire’s prosperity.
So, of course, she had arranged things to benefit the Empire.
“I see. I didn’t know.”
“It’s thanks to Hannon. If it were just me, I wouldn’t have been able to establish personal contact with the saintess.”
Iris said this with a charming smile.
“It also lets me keep an eye on the new women gathering around my little brother.”
She made it sound like I was some kind of irresistible man.
Sorry, but it’s just that the people around me are unusual.
It’s not like I’m doing anything.
If I kept talking to Iris, it would only make Acrede, an outsider to this place, even more withdrawn.
It was time to turn the conversation back to her.
“So, Acrede, please explain the situation in detail.”
The reason Acrede was moving instead of Narea.
Acrede parted her lips, ready to explain.
“Um, well…”
She stole a glance at Iris.
She wasn’t sure if she could speak freely in front of her.
I looked toward Iris.
She finally stood up and leaned down toward my ear.
A sultry voice whispered into my ear.
“The saintess seems to be carrying a dangerous weapon. If you skip over this, I’ll be mad.”
How did she even know that?
The Empire’s intelligence network was terrifying.
“What do you take me for, Iris?”
She tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand.
Her ink-black hair slid down over her pale face.
“…A beast?”
More like a favorite stuffed animal.
I raised an eyebrow, and Iris smirked as if she were joking before leaving the room.
She was getting more playful by the day.
“Now, feel free to speak.”
At that moment, Acrede pulled at the fabric over her chest.
A moment later, something heavy fell out with considerable weight.
So that’s what Iris meant by a “dangerous weapon.”
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For a moment, I was dumbfounded.
Then, I quickly regained my senses.
“Phew.”
Acrede let out a relieved sigh.
Then, as if embarrassed by my gaze, she cleared her throat.
“I don’t know how Narea endures this every day. I feel like I’m suffocating.”
I had already seen Acrede’s chest before.
So, at this point, she must have decided there was no point in hiding it from me.
‘Did she send Iris away…’
Simply because her chest was too tightly bound?
If I were just an ordinary man, I would have been completely entranced right now.
It's always best to be in a comfortable state.
Acrede shrank under my gaze, expressing her apology.
“...Do I look strange? It's unsightly, isn't it?”
There are only a few people in this world who would dare call that unsightly.
Most would simply be left speechless in front of such overwhelming mass.
It must be because she is a Saintess that she can maintain such a shape and size.
An ordinary person would never be able to sustain it; gravity would take its toll and ruin it.
“No, you possess an outstanding weapon.”
“O-Oustanding? This is the first time I've heard that... It doesn’t suit a Saintess at all.”
Acrede slightly pressed her chest together, revealing a dejected expression.
Don’t do that.
My eyes keep getting drawn in.
If even I, who lacks sexual desire, am struggling like this, how must others feel?
“All the past Saintesses were slender. I'm the only one like this, and it’s always been embarrassing.”
Indeed, as she said, the past Saintesses were all slender with a svelte physique.
However, unlike them, Acrede was different.
Since she shares the same title, that difference must weigh on her mind.
“Acrede, first of all, straighten your chest.”
“C-Can it be straightened?”
“No. I meant, correct your posture.”
Because of her large chest, Acrede tends to hunch slightly.
Normally, Narea would help her maintain good posture, but Narea wasn’t around right now.
If left unchecked, the Saintess might end up with a hunched back.
“L-Like this?”
As Acrede straightened her back, her chest lifted along with it.
As a result, the dress that had originally fit snugly now looked loose and baggy, but that was fine.
Just by correcting her posture, Acrede’s natural grace emerged.
The divine aura that enveloped her entire being as a Saintess naturally began to flow out.
“Right now, you look more like a Saintess than anyone else in my eyes. No matter what the past Saintesses looked like, you remain a Saintess, unchanged.”
Acrede had low self-esteem as a Saintess.
So, when I reaffirmed her value, her lips quivered slightly.
She must have liked being acknowledged.
“Ah… Hehe, normally, Narea takes care of everything. I just stand in the background and watch, so this actually feels pretty nice.”
“Yes, then let’s talk about Narea now.”
Something must have happened to Narea.
It was time to hear about it properly.
“…It happened right after I returned to the Holy Kingdom.”
After being attacked by Cardinal Centriol,
Acrede had immediately returned to the Holy Kingdom.
Then, one day, when she woke up as usual to go about her duties as a Saintess—
She was alone.
“Narea disappeared from inside me.”
Acrede had felt her heart sink.
Narea had been with her ever since she was five years old—a second personality, another version of herself.
Losing Narea was like losing a lifelong friend.
More than that, Narea had taken on the role of the Saintess in her place.
Since Acrede was timid, Narea had no choice but to step forward for her.
Now that Narea was gone,
Acrede had no idea how to fulfill her duties as a Saintess.
And worst of all, she had no one to confide in.
After all, no one knew about her dual personality.
Then, just one person came to mind.
‘That would be me.’
The only man who knew about Acrede’s condition.
The one who also knew about the reincarnation of the Hero and had ties to the Duke of Whitewood.
‘Acrede even saved me, creating a debt between us.’
It finally dawned on me why Acrede had rushed to the Demon Dungeon to heal me.
‘She must have come seeking my help to find Narea.’
But since I was unconscious for a long time, she had lost her chance to ask.
That must be why she had come to me now, albeit belatedly.
‘Moreover, Acrede knows that I am hiding my identity.’
Her choice to conceal my bandages had been entirely her own.
It was a subtle yet clear sign of her cooperation with me.
If she used my hidden identity as leverage, I would have no choice but to help her.
‘…Does she know that?’
I glanced at Acrede.
She simply looked at me with innocent eyes.
With Narea, I could expect some level of cunning, but Acrede was different.
She probably hid my identity simply because she thought I would struggle otherwise.
For that, I was grateful.
“I… I can’t do anything without Narea.”
Although Acrede had lived her daily life, she had never truly acted as the Saintess.
Since Narea had handled everything, she was afraid of making a mistake and being condemned.
This was all the more reason for her to flee the Holy Kingdom.
“B-But I didn’t just run away blindly! I sent an official document to Zerion Academy, stating that I would be treating the wounds of the Heroes. The document is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, though.”
Acrede wore an awkward smile.
She must have come ahead of time, hoping to find a lead on Narea even a day sooner.
I understood what she was saying.
“Narea’s disappearance has a simple explanation.”
So, I decided to help her understand the situation.
“Do you remember being stabbed by Cardinal Centriol’s sword that day?”
“O-Oh.”
It wasn’t Acrede who had been stabbed—it was Narea.
“Centriol’s sword must have been imbued with a mystical power.”
A mystical power known as Soul Hunter.
It originated from a large communal grave.
Normally, Acrede and Narea should have been one soul.
However, because of Acrede’s sacred body, their souls had split into two, existing separately.
The Soul Hunter could only take one of the two.
Thus, it had taken Narea’s soul.
I never expected Centriol’s sword to have been imbued with it.
As I said before, the scenario had been derailed.
Originally, this was supposed to happen much later—near the end of the Winter Demon Dungeon arc.
The cult of Mysticism, having failed to kidnap Acrede, would send a second assassin.
That assassin was supposed to wound Acrede.
Yes, the one who was meant to be injured was Acrede, not Narea.
And it was Acrede’s soul that was supposed to disappear.
Afterward, Narea would come to Zerion Academy, seeking help to retrieve Acrede.
That was how the story was supposed to unfold.
Act 4, Scene 6—after the Winter Demon Dungeon.
Act 4, Scene 7.
However, due to my and the Whitewood’s interference, Narea had been attacked instead.
Centriol’s sword must have been imbued with the same mystical power that was originally meant to harm Acrede.
Failing to account for that was my mistake.
‘The scenario has gone completely off track.’
I looked at Acrede with a complicated expression.
She awkwardly smiled as our eyes met.
That smile was far from reassuring.
Narea was supposed to play a key role in this arc.
Instead, I was left with the timid and inexperienced Saintess, Acrede.
Already, I was worried about how this scenario would unfold.
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[Translator - Night]
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