"Demons!? The Saintess of this generation is a demon!?"
Even the god sounded shocked—the idea that the Saintess carried demon blood clearly caught her off guard.
"Not a full demon. She's a half-demon, born from a human and a demon."
Just in case the god misunderstood Alice as a pure demon, I corrected her immediately.
The god fell silent. A long pause followed before she finally spoke again.
"...I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but she was probably chosen based on her personality."
So it was based on personality. Then what did that make me? I had never really seen Alice perform what people would consider "Saintess duties," but judging from her everyday behavior, she definitely fit the typical image.
"She does match the common image of a Saintess. But just to confirm, what kind of personality did previous Saintesses have?"
"Innocent and kind, helpful, optimistic, positive and forgiving."
To me, all of that just means being stupid, asking for trouble, clingy, and downright irritating.
Let me clarify what "forgiving" means in this context. It meant forgiving even those who were deeply sinful and showed no remorse.
All I could think was: please don't let me encounter someone like that—someone who keeps hurting themselves in the name of kindness. It was unbearable to watch.
I'd seen this kind of character too many times in long-running dramas. At first, you wonder when they'll finally wake up. After a while, you start wishing the character would just disappear entirely.
Alice did have some of those traits—naivety and persistence—but she hadn't yet reached the point of self-destructive kindness. So I answered honestly.
"I'm not sure if she has all of them, but I think she probably does."
"So the Saintess is still the same as always. But then… why don't you like her?"
"Why would I like her?"
"Those are all her strengths. Don't you feel that she's a good woman? That you'd want to be with her?"
"Not at all. If anything, I feel like once the Demon King is defeated, I'd rather never see her again."
"What exactly about her bothers you?"
"First, the person I like is waiting for me back home. Second, everything she does irritates me."
I wasn't exaggerating. My impression of Alice had always been in the negatives—so far below zero that it would never turn positive.
But instead of pressing further about Alice, the god suddenly shifted the topic.
"So you have someone you like. You said she's family… is she your wife?"
"Not yet."
"Your girlfriend?"
"No."
"Then what? Just a friend you live with? Wouldn't your parents find that strange?"
Ah. So she misunderstood earlier and assumed I had parents because I rejected the "all Braves are orphans" idea. I figured I might as well explain.
"When we were six, demons attacked our village. We were the only ones who survived. After that, we had no one else—we became each other's family."
"Then why not take it a step further? She probably likes you too. Isn't what you're doing just playing with her feelings?"
"Don't say things like that. I have a plan—a goal. Ever since that day, I've wanted to take revenge on the one who led that attack. Once I've done that, I'll confess to her."
I shot back immediately. I wasn't playing with Lina's feelings, and I certainly wasn't enjoying some vague, ambiguous relationship. If anything, I'd been clear about my intentions.
"And what if you never find the revenge target?"
"I've thought about that. I've set a limit—before I turn twenty."
"You really are different from the Braves of the past. You don't just think about the present."
"Can you stop saying that? You're making me sound like some kind of anomaly among Braves."
She'd said it three times already. It was getting irritating.
"Isn't that true?"
"If you don't like it, go complain to the Goddess of Fate."
"How could I possibly question Lady Fatelis's decision? I might not even be allowed to reincarnate."
"Then what—another hundred years stuck here?"
"That would be the lightest punishment. I scare my existence was erased entirely."
"...That serious, huh."
"Let's not talk about such terrifying things. So, what exactly does the Saintess do that annoys you?"
She changed the subject fast. I couldn't blame her—getting erased was no small matter. As for Alice… that was a long story.
"It's hard to explain. Let's just say she's a handful. Compared to those "virtues," I'd rather she just be well-behaved. I don't want to constantly remind her to watch out for this or be careful of that."
"Sounds like a lot of work. But when the Saintess is in trouble, isn't the Brave supposed to help her?"
"I don't have that kind of time. I just want to finish everything as quickly as possible and go home. I don't want to waste even a second."
"I didn't realize you were in such a hurry… and here I was, keeping you here to chat. I'm sorry."
"If you're satisfied, then hurry up and leave."
"You really can't be a bit more polite, can you? Fine, fine. Thank you for talking with me at the end—I'm happy. I'll be going now… you anomalous Brave."
"That last part was unnecessary!"
As I snapped back, the god revealed her true form and vanished.
I stood there for a moment, then pulled out my pocket watch.
2:41 PM.
We really had talked a lot.
After that, I stepped onto the teleportation circle and left. Just like before, the light resembled a starry sky—exactly the same.
When I emerged, I immediately felt eyes on me.
"What was that just now? That light—was I seeing things?"
"I've never seen a black teleportation glow before…"
"Who was that guy? I've never seen him around."
Being the center of attention was something I could never get used to. I quickly walked away from the dungeon entrance and headed toward our meeting point.
When I reached the grand clock tower, I saw Jacob and the others already waiting. I called out to them right away.
"Hey—you're early… huh? Why do you all look so serious?"
As I got closer, I noticed that every single one of them looked uneasy. Even Ethefelis, who was usually expressionless, seemed off.
"Karen, listen carefully."
"Please say."
Jacob stepped forward immediately, grabbing my shoulders. His tone was unusually grave. I straightened up and responded politely.
"The Brave has appeared."
"Did the Archbishop finally run out of patience and decide to make it public?"
That was the only explanation I could think of. I'd been hiding my identity this whole time. If it was suddenly revealed, no wonder everyone looked so tense. The capital must be in chaos.
But Jacob shook his head.
"No. The Brave isn't you. It's someone named Bell, from Bartletis."
"What!?"
I couldn't stop myself from shouting.
The Brave… wasn't me!?