The Excommunicated Saint Wants to Lose

At the foot of Mount Elpub.
Several magicians in purple robes were standing in an orderly manner.
Is some important guest coming?
Unlike their usual unkempt appearance, focused solely on magic research without even washing, everyone looked neat.
The front of the line was reserved for the neatly dressed Tower Master.
Beside her was a blonde girl adorned more strikingly than anyone else.
“Breni, are you sleepy?”
Riella gently brushed aside Breni’s bangs as she leaned on her.

“Yes. I’m so tired.”

Eyelids blinking blankly.
She looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.

“Let’s hang on a little longer.”

But with an important meeting ahead, she had to forcibly keep her awake.

“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m a hero, so I have to endure!”

Facing such a pure heart naturally brought a smile.
She was a grateful child who helped regain a genuine smile, not a fake one.

By now, she was almost like family.
Suddenly appearing and settling in the middle of her life, she had become an irreplaceable precious existence.

A meeting that became a turning point in life.
When chatting with Breni, energy would arise no matter how tired she was.

But sometimes, without realizing it, she would overlap and compare her with the deceased Erin.

Cheerful personality.
Outstanding talent.
A young sage.
She felt guilty because there were certainly many similarities.
Wondering if she simply wanted someone to replace Erin.

“I have something I want to ask.”

Riella broke free from her thoughts and focused on the soft voice.

“What are you curious about?”
“Will it be hard to meet Clitia from now on?”

It was a question that brought a bitter smile.
Even the point of following Clitia closely was the same.

“Why did she rush like that?”
“I don’t know either.”

Her expression suddenly hardened and she left in a hurry.
It was the first time seeing such a serious look, so she couldn’t even ask what was wrong.

“I already miss her.”
“You’ll meet her again.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Honestly, it was hard to be certain.
Living like this, desiring defeat, you never know when you might die.
“Then I’ll have to train hard in magic until we meet again!”
But rather than being honest and making her depressed, a lie was better.
Breni’s brightened expression assured her it was the right decision.
“They’re coming.”

At that moment, the vice tower master standing far away brought news that the awaited guests had arrived.

The precious guests finally arriving.
Riella straightened her posture and practiced her expression.

After some time passed.
One human and one orc arrived at the foot of Mount Elpub.

“Welcome to our magic tower.”

Riella greeted with a bright face while discreetly observing the hero.

Bright red long hair and platinum eyes.
Seeing her in person, she somewhat understood the fuss made by various people who had witnessed the hero.

“Pleased to meet you, Tower Master. I am Selen, the hero.”

Even her voice was refreshing.
Not just pretty, but also filled with firm will.

An extraordinary person.
Only after realizing this did she sense the upright strength that was hidden by her beautiful appearance.

Trained body, mana, holy power, nature’s scent.
All elements were evenly mixed and in harmony.

‘Thank goodness.’

Unlike the previous generation, a proper person.
A hero worthy of entrusting Breni to.

“Nice to meet you. But who is the person next to you?”
“He’s an adventurer named Giff who’s temporarily accompanying me.”

Riella admired inwardly without showing it.
Isn’t Giff the S-rank adventurer famous by the nickname ‘Storm Winter Wolf’?

“I’m embarrassed to say I’m still unskilled in using aura, so I’m receiving guidance from Giff-nim.”
“I see.”

If only Clitia could see this.
She had already become accustomed to looking for opponents who could defeat her friend.

“Breni, greet them quickly.”
“Who are they?”

Breni bowed her head slightly, looking puzzled.

“Could it be that person?”
“Yes, this child is the sage.”
Eyes full of curiosity.
Selen approached without hesitation, taking big strides.
The first meeting between the hero and sage was finally about to begin.

“Sage-nim, I look forward to working with you.”
“……”

A hand with traces of effort engraved all over was extended forward.
But Breni, who should have grasped it in return, had already hidden behind Riella.

As expected, due to her extremely shy nature, it was difficult to become close immediately upon first meeting.
Perhaps they needed time to get closer to each other.
“I’ll escort you to the tower for now.”
The sound of snapping fingers.
A large magic circle appeared in the air and simultaneously emitted a strong light.

And the next moment.
Everyone nearby found themselves in a large room with a comfortable atmosphere.

“This is our tower’s resting space. Please have a conversation.”
“Understood.”

Selen, who had been looking around curiously, nodded vigorously.

“Breni, stay with this sister.”
“Okay…”

She looked gloomy, which was worrying.
But the hero seemed like a good person, so she would probably open up soon.

Riella tried to shake off her worries and sent everyone except the hero and sage out of the room.

“Everyone, please go attend to your duties.”
As the magicians returned to their research labs, only Riella and Giff remained.

“It feels like I’ve put down a burden.”
“I’m still anxious.”

Their feelings were different, but their positions were similar.

“Now we just need to watch and see how they do on their own, right?”
“I suppose so.”

A companion has joined the hero.
With this, the ‘hero party’ was officially formed.

Though it’s just two people for now.
They shouldn’t interfere with the journey to carry out tasks in place of the sunlight.
From now on, cheering was all they could do.
“I should rest a bit.”
“Would you like a tour of the tower before that? I’ll guide you.”
“I won’t refuse.”

Riella engaged in light conversation with Giff as they moved.

“How did you come to teach the hero?”
“A friend asked me to.”
“Sounds like a good person.”
“Though his personality is bad, he’s not a bad friend. He may not look it, but he’s more devout than anyone.”

Somehow, the description felt familiar.

“I have such a friend too. He said he’d help the sage grow and even wanted to fight directly.”
“……”

For a moment, no words were exchanged.
A thought suddenly occurred.

“Could it be Clitia?”
“Do you mean that strange person who said he’d conduct mental education for the entire hero party?”
“The former saint with a taste for fighting to lose.”
They discovered a common interest that was easy to talk about.
The two let out a chuckle.

The western part of the continent is land abandoned by the empire and other countries.

The left side of the Great Mountain Range, which includes Mount Elpub where the Purple Magic Tower is located.
It was virtually neglected as it was difficult to interact with and unsuitable for residence.

However, that’s only from the human perspective.
In reality, various animals, plants, and monsters lived there just fine.

An unpolluted ecosystem.
Although a bit rough, the natural environment was preserved as it was.

So it was common for some to migrate here intentionally.
Elves and fairies.
Mostly races that ached at human behavior destroying landscapes.
A vast land where nature lovers gathered.
No countries exist.
There are only countless small communities formed by like-minded individuals.

That’s probably why the corpse locust swarm could increase its numbers so much.
The damage likely grew because it’s such a vast area that communication between communities is difficult.
-Keep going straight ahead.

I moved silently, following the guidance of the Sun Catcher acting as navigation.

Grass grown to knee height and muddy, squelchy ground.
It was uncomfortable to walk, so the speed wasn’t very fast.

Why did we have to pass through a place like this?
I swallowed my complaints, knowing the Sun Catcher’s guidance wouldn’t be wrong.

-Clitia-nim.
“What?”
-Do you really think it’s that person?
“I’m not sure.”

The owner of the malice desperately searching for me.
He even uttered the outrageous words of intending to bring down the goddess.

I rushed here to the west in surprise, but I was still skeptical.

“The host of a corpse locust is just a corpse, right?”
-That’s right.
“Then there’s no way a sense of self could remain.”

The malice was sent by the leader of the corpse locusts.
In other words, that creature was the one who sent the horrible love letter.
“It’s too strange.”
-Exactly.

How could a mere insect monster know and search for me?
An absurd conclusion had been reached.
It was unreasonable based on rational reasoning.
Therefore, we had to branch out in a different direction.

“We’ll know everything when we meet directly.”

Let’s just confront it.
No matter how much we speculate, it won’t be as solid as the answer obtained by actively running around.
“Can I start?”
-It’s nearby. You can begin right away.

I immediately lowered my body and gathered mana.
Aura radiating upwards as if burning red.
I also imbued it with strong fighting spirit that could be felt from afar.

Soon, presences approached from all directions.
Along with a stench that assaulted my nose.

“Come on.”

Walking corpses revealed themselves.
My field of vision was filled entirely with rotten bodies.

A quiet atmosphere.
Despite numerous individuals appearing, there was no sound.
They just glared at me, pressing with suffocating silence.

There were dogs, horned monsters, and even elves.
Each showing off various charms.
Perhaps corpse locusts are monsters faithful to individuality rather than trends.

“Stop staring.”

I surrounded my entire body with the aura I had been emitting.

“I’m here to exterminate pests.”

As if taking my words as a signal, they all rushed in at once.
A pitiful offensive.
I smashed the first corpse to reach me with my foot and jumped up.

I had no intention of dragging out the battle.
It was annoying to deal with them one by one.
I compressed aura into both feet and landed on the muddy ground.

A fierce red wave rose.
Aura spread in all directions along with the mud.
The entire area was swept away cleanly.
However, many corpses were still standing because they were far away.

If they were ordinary monsters, they would have been scared and run away.
But being creatures that think numbers are everything, they rushed at me again.

The same situation as before repeated.
The flow of red aura continued to sweep through all directions.
One last time.
All the numerous corpses crumbled, and eventually only one remained.

“Hey, tell your leader.”

I spoke while pressuring a corpse locust that had taken over an elf’s dead body with aura.

“Clitia is here.”

A frontal breakthrough.
Roundabout methods didn’t suit my temperament.
If someone said they were looking for me, I had to stick my head out personally to be satisfied.

“……”

Black smoke leaked from the pressed corpse.
Visualized malice.
It was evidence that its viciousness far exceeded the normal level.

-The leader individual is sending will again.
“Interpret it.”
-You’re a fake. My Clitia isn’t like that.

It was nonsense that made me dumbfounded.

“Get ready to be beaten.”

After disposing of the individual used as a messenger, I started moving again.

-This time, go northwest.
“Okay.”

Hit and run.
It was an effective tactic when fighting overwhelmingly numerous enemies.
“Oh warm sun, there is an arrogant soul that claims it will bring you down. Please grant me the power to punish strictly and the courage to bestow mercy.”
I continued advancing according to the Sun Catcher’s guidance.
A meeting that would certainly not be pleasant was waiting for me.