I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

With the constant threat of beast and monster attacks now behind us, we could sleep soundly in our room.

You only realize its value once you lose it—adequate sleep was an incredibly precious thing.

Looking back, having to keep watch with just the two of us on the road was too harsh.

I vowed to acquire proper travel gear for our next journey.

Something enchanted with magic.

Anyway, with my fatigue gone, I started my day with physical training.

Staying cooped up in a room, even as a patient, didn’t suit my personality, and physical fitness deteriorates if not maintained daily.

As long as I had a good environment to eat and rest, my body would continue to grow.

There happened to be a suitable open space near my lodging, which I used as a training ground.

With the environment set, there was no reason not to put in the effort. Even now, my future enemies wouldn’t be slacking off.

‘Even as a Swordmaster, I can’t afford to be complacent. I must treat this as just the beginning.’

The original novel of this world was a reverse harem story.

This meant it prioritized character appeal, with various male leads surrounding the female protagonist like trophies.

Each one bore grand titles like Archmage and Sword Saint.

Knowing I’d eventually face such adversaries, I had no time to rest.

I had to surpass even the original Razen.

After running for a while, I was drying off after a wash when I heard a slightly annoyed voice behind me.

“I knew it. I told you to rest until I got back.”

Sirien was glaring at me with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

Her cheeks puffed up slightly, as if she were about to sulk.

I expected some scolding, but I didn’t think she’d get mad so quickly.

“This is nothing, really.”

“But you promised me. You could’ve waited to run until after your treatment.”

“The morning air was just too refreshing.”

“Ugh!”

Sirien pouted at my nonchalant answer.

Her small hand slapped my back with force.

The sound echoed crisply, and my back burned with pain.

“That’s your punishment for not listening.”

“Your hand’s gotten quite strong, huh?”

“If I hit lightly, you wouldn’t even pretend it hurt.”

“Ahem.”

Even when she was furious, she used to throw soft punches.

Now she’d grown enough to deliver a slap that actually hurt.

It seemed I’d raised a beast.

Well, Sirien’s worries weren’t baseless. My body still had traces of poison.

After moving around a lot, I felt some discomfort in my limbs.

I got out of breath quickly, and my body didn’t move quite the way I wanted it to.

But it wasn’t too bad. At this rate, I’d be fully healed in a few days. Maybe even by tomorrow.

It made sense, given that the Church’s saintess had used all her divine power to heal me.

Though Hibras’ divine power was not well-suited for healing, sheer quantity could overcome inefficiency.

Just like this.

“Hibras, grant me your light.”

After a bit of a tussle, I sat with my back to Sirien.

With a calm prayer, she placed her hands on my back.

Starting from where her hands touched, a warm energy spread through my body.

The divine power entered me slowly, like ink spreading in water, meticulously healing every part it touched.

Both mana and divine power carry the will of their users.

Sirien’s divine power was this careful and thoughtful because it reflected her personality.

“I can feel that most of the wounds are healed, but... it’s still not complete.”

“Considering I was hurt by such a monster, this is a quick recovery. It’s fine if the treatment takes a bit longer, as long as there are no lasting effects.”

“Yeah. That should be okay. They said it was partly turned into a curse because the spider’s lingering thoughts were so strong.”

“That’s kind of creepy.”

Sirien poured her divine power for over ten minutes before finally lifting her hands.

By then, my body was filled with warmth. She tapped my back gently.

“All done! How do you feel, any better?”

“Thanks to you. I feel much better than before.”

“Hehe. I’m working hard on my studies.”

Her lips curved into a gentle smile. Lately, Sirien seemed even more susceptible to praise than before.

She couldn’t hide her happiness, even while brushing aside her hair bashfully.

Sirien stood up first and grabbed my arm, pulling me along.

“Let’s go outside now! I haven’t had a chance to explore this place yet. I’ve been wanting to look around with you!”

* * *

Within the Sanctuary of Hibras, there were about ten people living there, including us.

In truth, it wasn’t much of a properly organized Church.

The only one continuously handling Church affairs was the guardian, while the rest were practically civilians.

It was more like a small village with a few devotees.

Even those involved in the Church’s work had only recently started to put things in order.

Due to a lack of personnel, one person often took on multiple roles.

The woman in front of us was a prime example.

“We met briefly yesterday, right? This is Melissa. She’s currently our only nun and will be assisting me exclusively. She’ll also help with Razen’s duties.”

“I’m Razen. Please take care of me, Sister.”

“Please, speak informally. I heard you’re from a noble family. I’ll do my best to serve you wholeheartedly.”

“Melissa also prepares our meals. That soup we had yesterday was her doing.”

“Oh, it was delicious. Thank you.”

Melissa had a quiet demeanor, appearing to be in her early to mid-forties.

A gentle smile played on her lips, accentuated by the wrinkles around her mouth.

Yesterday, she had worn a devotee’s robe, but today she was in a nun’s habit.

The habit showed no signs of wear, likely made after Sirien received her blessings.

It seemed she had only just finished sewing it in time to wear it today.

After the brief introduction, Melissa continued to walk around, cleaning various parts of the building.

Sirien and I headed to the dining hall, where she grabbed an apple. We walked leisurely, munching on the fruit together.

“This is the vegetable garden. Bigger than it looks, right? They say it’s maintained by everyone here.”

The vegetable garden looked much like the ones I was used to seeing.

A low fence, barely knee-high, marked the boundaries of the plots. Tender green sprouts peeked out from the carefully cultivated soil.

Sirien crouched down and gently touched the leaves of a sprout with her fingers.

“You know, it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen such tiny sprouts. The garden at home only had fully grown flowers.”

“But they did plant new ones every spring in the back garden.”

“Yeah, I saw that last spring. So, it’s been a year since I saw new sprouts. They’re so cute and tiny now, but they’ll grow so big by autumn.”

It seemed Sirien had forgotten that she herself was once very small, and even now, she wasn’t very big.

It was a strange feeling, like watching a child who thinks they’re already an adult.

Given the stinging pain in my back from earlier, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

She caressed the sprouts gently, as if afraid she might harm them. Once satisfied with her exploration of the vegetable garden, she stood up.

Next, we headed to the temple, the most splendid place in this secluded area.

It was where we had gone for the baptism yesterday.

The temple’s interior wasn’t much different from what we had seen, but it was my first time entering the sanctuary and prayer rooms.

They were quiet, modest spaces without much adornment.

I didn’t think I’d be visiting them often, so I just took it in with my eyes. After offering a candle with Sirien, we returned.

“This is fun. It feels like we’re on an adventure.”

“Haven’t we had plenty of adventures? Aren’t you tired of them by now?”

“Ugh. Those weren’t adventures. Adventures should be fun.”

“Like in the fairy tales?”

“What’s wrong with fairy tales? I like them. Anyway, Razen, you’ve always been like an old man.”

My eyes widened.

An old man? You’re just a kid!

I swallowed the retort that rose to my lips.

As a transmigrator, the last thing I wanted was to argue with a child over something like this.

It was, in my opinion, far too undignified.

On our way out of the temple, we encountered a child.

The child’s name was Luan.

At most, he was about eight years old, with a bright and innocent face typical for his age.

His expression was full of mischief, making him seem like he could cause as much trouble as Terion.

I was surprised to see a child in this place, but even more surprising was how cheeky and impolite modern kids could be.

After a brief greeting, the first question out of Luan’s mouth was this:

“So, what’s the relationship between you two? Are you dating?”

“W-w-wha... what?”

Sirien was at a loss for words.

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