Chapter 34

※ Contains some graphic descriptions. Please be cautious if you are sensitive to such content.

Mikaki was an ordinary high school girl, just like any other.

Her appearance, academic performance, and athletic ability were all average.

She was aware of her ordinariness, yet she longed to be "special."

She wanted to be someone special to someone.

She wanted to achieve something special.

But she lacked the ability and effort, and ended up being just one of the crowd.

Disgusted with her own life, she easily strayed from the right path at the urging of a friend.

Walking through the night city made her feel special.

She was praised simply for being young.

She received large sums of money just for having meals with people, and used that money to make her appearance even more flamboyant. As a result, all her old friends disappeared.

Instead, she began to move with people who dressed similarly, and she started to stand out at school. Some people frowned, but it was fun because she felt special.

In the midst of such a daily life.

On this day, Mikaki, who had been out in town until midnight, suddenly felt as if someone had called her, and she stopped.

"Hey? Did someone call me?"

When she turned around, she was instantly enveloped in light.

She closed her eyes tightly due to the intense light.

(I don't want this, I'm scared...)

Feeling as if the air had changed, she cautiously opened her eyes and saw an unbelievable scene.

It was a beautiful and luxurious place, like a European castle.

At her feet was something that looked like a magic circle.

And in front of her, many people were bowing to her.

"Huh, what?"

She asked involuntarily, and a man dressed like a game mage said respectfully,

"The summoning was successful. This lady is the Holy Maiden."

"Holy Maiden? That means..."

Looking at the people in front of her, none of them seemed to be Japanese.

"Holy Maiden, may I have your name?"

"Um, it's Mikaki."

"Holy Maiden Aki. Please, save this world."

Upon hearing the story, it seemed that Mikaki had been summoned as a Holy Maiden.

She knew there were novels like this, but she never thought it would happen to her.

However, the joy of being a "special existence" outweighed her confusion.

She was taken to a place like a cathedral and tried various things, but she could easily use the power of the Holy Maiden. Some of the priests were so moved by her appearance that they even shed tears.

She also met a handsome young man with a well-defined face, something she had only seen on TV in her original world.

The one with golden hair was Clarence, the crown prince of this country. The one with silver hair was Noah, his cousin and the son of a duke.

Both were so handsome that she could stare at them forever.

As a Holy Maiden, she should probably be paired with the crown prince. But the duke was also hard to give up. Either way, she thought they would be happy if she, as the Holy Maiden, wanted them.

When the topic of defeating the Demon King came up, she wasn't afraid.

She was even happy that it followed the template of a Holy Maiden summoning. To Mikaki, the Demon King was just a means to become even more special.

However, when she was introduced to the hero, Alec, she realized she wasn't the main character.

He was the one who was truly "special."

With his radiant, luxurious golden hair and clear, sky-blue eyes, Mikaki was entranced by him until a sister called out to her.

The power to defeat monsters that even a group of strong adventurers couldn't, with a single blow. That was truly the power of a hero.

But he didn't get lost in such power; he fought to save as many people as possible.

A face that made everyone gaze in awe.

Overwhelming power.

And a noble heart.

He was the one and only, special existence.

After learning about the hero, she thought the Holy Maiden should only be with the hero.

But when she actually met him, she realized it was impossible.

Being with him made her feel like a fake, and it was painful.

She was irresistibly drawn to him, but when he looked at her with those blue eyes, she felt small and insignificant, and it was unbearable.

In this world, a Holy Maiden from another world is summoned only if a Holy Maiden is not found when a hero is born.

So Mikaki was not a real Holy Maiden.

She was just a substitute, and every time she saw the "real" hero, Alec, she was reminded of this.

She often directed her frustration at the sisters around her. They repeatedly apologized and shrank back, thinking it was their fault for upsetting the Holy Maiden.

This only made Mikaki more arrogant.

Even after setting out on the journey to defeat the Demon King, she was plagued by inexplicable anxiety and inferiority every time she saw Alec or spoke to him.

"...I'm special. I'm the Holy Maiden."

The words she whispered with a racing heart became something she had to convince herself of. That's when she noticed someone looking at him the same way she did.

A fellow party member, a swordsman named Eider.

He was just like her.

He longed to be "special" and thought he had finally achieved it, only to be confronted with the "real" thing and feel despair and jealousy.

When she talked to him, she learned that he was from a small village in the mountains.

As a child, he was bullied by his childhood friends and vowed to take revenge, which led him to take up a sword. He had the talent and was able to gain fame without much effort.

He was finally chosen for the Demon King's defeat and thought he was no longer just a villager. He thought he was a special person.

Until he met the hero, Alec.

Realizing they shared the same feelings, it didn't take long for Mikaki to open up to Eider. They were similar in how they lashed out at weaker people when plagued by inferiority.

Eider would gain the title of Sword Saint after defeating the Demon King.

As a Holy Maiden and a Sword Saint, they would be well-matched, and being with Eider made her feel no inferiority and was very comfortable.

But Eider had a fiancée in the village.

"Why did you get engaged to someone from that village when you said you hated the villagers so much?"

"Rane was the most beautiful girl in the village, and everyone was in love with her. So, I took her first."

That reason made sense.

Mikaki had also once approached a male student in her class who she wasn't particularly interested in, just because he was popular. She enjoyed the sighs and envious glances of her classmates for a while but eventually broke up with him when she got bored.

"If you break up with her publicly, you'll feel much better."

"Eh, with Rane?"

Seeing a hint of lingering affection, Mikaki felt frustrated with Eider for the first time.

"Yes. If you marry a girl from a small village, you'll just become an ordinary man. You're going to get the title of Sword Saint. You should marry someone more special."

Mikaki and Eider were similar.

She knew exactly what words would make him jump.

"For example, the only Holy Maiden in the world."

"Aki..."

Eider's gaze became heated.

"But Aki, you're with Alexis..."

The hero, Alec, had been named Alexis by the king. A short name that didn't seem fitting for a hero. But he himself disliked the name, and Mikaki and Eider deliberately called him that.

"I prefer you to Alexis. I choose Eider."

A man who harbored inferiority towards the hero would not hesitate to jump at those words.

Thus, Eider became Mikaki's fiancé and announced their marriage to the entire village without even informing his fiancée of the engagement's dissolution.

The villagers, fearing the power of the Holy Maiden and the Sword Saint, isolated her.

"I want to see that woman's despairing face. It was a good idea to invite her to the wedding."

Mikaki laughed happily after hearing the story from Eider's father.

The villagers also invited her to the wedding to show that Eider, whom they once despised, had risen so high and was now in a different world from them.

Even the arrogant son of the village chief was cowed, and they laughed together at the sight.

All that was left was to see the face of the woman who had been dumped by her fiancé.

But the woman appeared at the celebration held at the castle, escorted by Alec.

(Why is that woman with Alexis?)

Moreover, the Rane she met for the first time was the type of clear and pure beauty that Mikaki hated the most.

Alec treated her politely, and because of his attitude, people around them praised her. She was already on good terms with the crown prince.

"...I don't like it."

She tried to belittle her with lies, but it didn't work on Alec. Not only that, but he left the celebration with her, leaving behind terrifying words.

(I am the only Holy Maiden in this world. I can't lose my power.)

She didn't accompany him when a dragon appeared in a neighboring country and Alec set out to defeat it.

No matter what he said, the power of the Holy Maiden resided in her.

She intended to help him when he was in trouble, as he would surely struggle against the dragon. She couldn't forgive him for refusing to let her accompany him.

(If I'm not there, he can't defeat it. Why does he say it's dangerous for me to come?)

From his attitude at the time, she didn't think he was concerned about her.

Not knowing the reason, she forced Rane to apologize at the next celebration and made her promise never to return to the castle, but it didn't make her feel better.

The only way to make Alec recognize her power was to defeat the dragon.

Thinking this, Mikaki set out for the neighboring country with her husband, Eider.

She had received many polite invitations from the king, so of course, they went to the capital first and were warmly welcomed. The young and handsome king made Eider jealous, which felt good.

(I'm right. If I defeat the dragon with my power, Alec will recognize me too.)

That's what she thought.

Finally, when they arrived at the site of the battle with the dragon, it was more chaotic than she imagined.

The place that was once a town was now a pile of rubble, and the temporary quarters for the injured knights were filled with exhausted sisters running around.

The strong smell of blood and the dusty air from the collapsed rubble made Mikaki frown.

The battle was taking so long because the neighboring country's king had also sent his own knights to fight. While protecting them and moving the injured knights to the rear, the dragon had time to recover.

If it had been just Alec and the great mage Ried, the battle would have been over by now.

Alec, who had been fighting for days, was injured in several places, but the light in his eyes was strong and showed no sign of dimming.

He didn't get frustrated with the knights who were hindering him but showed concern for them.

"Aki, why are you here?"

When Alec noticed Mikaki and Eider, his face turned serious.

"I told you it was dangerous."

"But you can't defeat it without me, can you?"

She said this in a deliberately exasperated tone, but Alec didn't seem to care.

"I'm the Holy Maiden. You don't need to worry about me. Eider and I will go see the dragon. Check on the injured and treat them later."

"...Alright."

She knew he wouldn't object if she said she would treat the injured.

So, as she had discussed with the neighboring country's king, she separated Alec from the scene and approached the dragon with a few knights who didn't know the plan.

(To minimize casualties, the battle will take longer. It's better to win with minimal casualties.)

The king of the neighboring country was also anxious about the prolonged battle and wished it would end quickly.

She proposed a plan to use low-ranking knights as decoys and defeat the dragon with Mikaki and Eider while the dragon was distracted. Knowing Alec would object, she found a reason to keep him away.

This way, the dragon would be defeated by the noble sacrifice of the neighboring country's knights and the Holy Maiden and the Sword Saint.

"Come on, let's go to the dragon. Don't worry, my barrier will protect us."

Of course, she didn't cast any barrier.

They believed her and cautiously approached the dragon.

"Hurry up. I won't cast healing magic on those who hesitate."

Threatening them, they mustered their courage and ran to the dragon.

"Eider"

Mikaki called her husband's name, intending to take advantage of the dragon's distraction to strike.

But.

"Eh?"

The magic to weaken and bind the dragon didn't work.

The dragon, sensing the threat, turned around, and its red eyes caught sight of Mikaki and Eider.

"Aki, what's going on?"

"I, I don't know. The magic suddenly stopped working..."

Suddenly, she remembered Alec's words.

Now that the Demon King is gone, the power is not constant. If you keep doing evil deeds, you will lose the power of the Holy Maiden.

(It's a lie. That can't be. I'm a special Holy Maiden.)

Panicking, she tried the magic multiple times, but it was all useless.

A terrible scream rang out, and she looked up to see Eider's hands being torn off by the dragon.

"Ahhh"

She screamed and tried to run away.

If she could just run a little further, Alec would be there.

He would surely save her.

But a sharp pain shot through her lower body, and she screamed.

She couldn't run anymore, and the pain was intense.

Her consciousness began to fade.

"I am..."

She wanted to say she was a special Holy Maiden, but she couldn't make a sound.

◆ ◆ ◆

A terrible scream echoed, and Alec stopped in his tracks.

It was when he was gathering the neighboring country's knights who wanted to be treated by the Holy Maiden Aki in one tent.

Realizing it was a woman's scream, Alec started running.

"Hey, Alec. That was..."

From another tent, his mage companion Ried ran out.

"Probably Aki's voice. She must have approached the dragon."

"I had a feeling she was up to something, but I didn't think..."

She might have thought she could easily defeat the dragon with holy magic, but this dragon could heal its own wounds easily. It wasn't an opponent to fight recklessly.

Moreover, it was a man-eating dragon.

When he rushed to the scene, it was a sea of blood.

The only survivor was Eider, but he was rolling in pain, having lost both his hands.

"Ried, take care of Eider."

"Eh? What about you?"

"I'll hold it off here."

He couldn't let more people get hurt.

Alec confirmed there were no other survivors and faced the dragon with his sword.

Aki had lost her holy attributes due to her corruption but still had her magic power.

The dragon, having consumed Aki's abundant magic power, roared with a voice that shook the ground.

"Evacuate quickly. It's too late."

"...Alright."

Ried restrained the struggling Eider and used a teleportation spell to move.

After confirming his companions were safe, Alec gripped his sword again.

He had a feeling this would happen.

That's why he didn't let Aki get close, but she never repented until the end.

He never thought she would try to defeat the dragon in his absence, using multiple knights as decoys.

He never thought a Holy Maiden would fall so far.

The lost Holy Maiden.

The Sword Saint who could no longer wield a sword.

And the dragon, now even more ferocious.

The situation was the worst it could be.

But he had no intention of losing.

He had to return to the place where his dear sister and Rane were waiting.

He suddenly remembered the dresses they were supposed to receive.

The light purple dress would surely suit Rane.

"I have to go see it."

Muttering this, he gripped his sword again.

It would surely be over soon.

※ It ended up being about twice as long as I expected.

Don't worry, Alec will return calmly.

It's not a flag!