The Excommunicated Saint Wants to Lose

The hero is the representative of the goddess.
It was a setting that borrowed a common cliché, fitting for .

Needless to say, the honor of carrying out the sun’s will in her stead doesn’t come to just anyone.
A suitable candidate personally chosen by the goddess.
The hero was an appointed position, not one to be claimed.

However, it wasn’t only the hero who was chosen.

The great warrior who fights using aura as naturally as breathing.
The guardian who freely controls spirits.
The sage who is proficient in magic and wise.
The saint with deep and vast holy power.

The hero party members, each handling different powers, are also chosen by the goddess.
Of course, it wasn’t a random selection of just anyone, but a decision made after careful consideration.

As a result, only extraordinary people gathered in the hero party.

Exceptional individuals with unique characteristics that set them apart from ordinary people.
The hero party I belonged to was also composed of nothing but unusual individuals.

This hero party would be the same.
Just look at Selen, the hero, who has an absurdly outstanding talent.

The newspaper articles were making a fuss, saying that this time they could surely kill the Demon Lord.
I also secretly hoped for that.
If they could defeat the Demon Lord, they would more than overwhelm someone like me.

‘How can I wait until they’re fully grown?’

My heart keeps fluttering.
It’s the first time since my excommunication that the future has felt so bright.

I took steps forward, trying to gather my excited, softened mind.
The hero’s movements were detailed in the newspaper articles, so it was clear where I needed to go.

‘It must be a time when their spirits are high.’

The hero was currently on a journey to meet her companions.
It was more for romance than efficiency.
Despite the convenient method of designating a meeting place and gathering there, the hero had to go around personally.

It was a troublesome but tradition-like futile activity.
It had become a kind of annual event that people enjoyed and liked, making it difficult to refuse.

Anyway, the first companion the hero was trying to meet was the ‘Sage’.
A magician belonging to the Purple Magic Tower.

I knew that she had stopped in Serda for a rest on her way to meet them.
Because it’s the only city on the way to the mountain range where the Purple Magic Tower is built.

She wouldn’t stay long, so there wasn’t much time left.
I had to meet her somehow within today.

As I kept walking, a low purple tower soon came into view.

The Serda branch of the Purple Magic Tower.
The hero was currently learning magic there.

She could have rested comfortably for a day, but she didn’t.
A diligent attitude, striving to improve further.
She had already won once against Liam, the previous hero.

That guy only quickly developed his ability to be lazy.
Yet in actual battles, he flew around freely, so later even I gave up and left him to his own devices.

…Why do I keep thinking about the past?
I shook off these idle thoughts and continued walking silently.

As I got closer to the Purple Magic Tower branch, the streets became more crowded.

People laughing and chattering like at a festival.
The lively energy was so palpable that even I felt good for no reason.

It was a common sight in cities where the hero stays.
The desire to see even just a glimpse of her face accumulated, resulting in this sea of people.

But hadn’t they said that all of Serda was in chaos because of me?
Somehow, everyone seemed far from anxious.

It seemed that danger isn’t well perceived unless directly experienced.
Or maybe the hero’s presence was making everyone’s hearts stable.

Either way, it wasn’t a very good situation for me.
The only ability I had was aura control.
I wasn’t good with advanced techniques like concealment or disguise.
How should I meet the hero secretly?
For now, there were many people wearing robes besides me, so I didn’t stand out much.
But there were too many people gathered, making it difficult to move around freely.
By the time I reached the street near the Purple Magic Tower, I couldn’t do anything at all.
The heat was like being at a popular singer’s concert venue.
Some magicians from the tower were trying to control the situation, but there were limits.
I was starting to get fed up.
Maybe I should follow the hero when she leaves Serda?
It would be troublesome, but it seemed like a good decision in many ways.
Just as I was thinking that and about to give up.
‘…There.’
I suddenly felt it.
An incredibly pure holy power.
It wasn’t a priest or clergy from the order.
The infinitely pure holy power unique to the hero.
It was proof of being the goddess’s representative.
The hero was among the crowd.
But no one else had noticed.
Detecting holy power within the body is impossible for ordinary people.
It was a skill that only someone like the Pope or a saint could use.
I don’t know how she managed to get out without being noticed, but I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
I quickly looked in the direction where I sensed the holy power.
And immediately found the hero.
A suspicious figure hurrying along, covered in a robe.
Anyone who saw her would think she had committed a crime.
She was still a novice indeed.
Isn’t that practically begging to be suspected?
The hero carefully looked around and headed towards an alley.
I hurriedly followed, afraid of losing her.
Somehow, I ended up looking like a stalker.
It felt strange, but I couldn’t give up now.
When I entered the alley the hero had gone into, a quiet atmosphere enveloped me.
“Hello.”
Soon after, a young voice greeted me through the still air.
As if she knew I would come.
“Did you lure me on purpose?”
I asked the hero, who was standing confidently, looking in my direction.
“That’s right, Excommunicated Saint Clitia.”
She had seen through my identity.
It seemed she had reached a higher level than I expected.
“You’re doing something dangerous.”
“It’s better for my life to be in danger than to leave you among the crowd.”
Moreover, she even had the righteousness to think of the people she needed to protect before her own safety.
I was satisfied.
It was a hero’s mindset that Liam didn’t have.
“But what will you do? I could just ignore you and go kill all those people.”
I deliberately provoked her.
The hero shook her head resolutely.
“No, you won’t do that.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you wouldn’t pass by a strong person.”
“……”
I barely managed to stop my lips from curling up, unable to read the atmosphere.
“Isn’t that why you followed me?”
“…Are you saying you’re strong?”
“I’m not. But I am at least a hero with the ability to confront you.”
This is bad.
It hasn’t even been a minute since we met, but I want to praise her endlessly for being so admirable.
“Stop your evil deeds of taking out the emotional wounds inflicted by the Demon Lord on innocent people.”
She misunderstood my purpose, but… such a setting wasn’t bad either.
“What will you do if I refuse?”
“I’ll face you. I’ll stop you even if it costs me my life.”
That’s what I wanted to hear.
“Alright. Follow me.”
It was finally time to implement the education.

The hero party must defeat evil.
When it was a game, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
If you just raised your level, even the final boss, the Demon Lord, would feel trivial due to the lowered difficulty.
However, the mission and duty of the hero party faced as reality, not virtual, was terribly heavy.
The majesty of the Demon Lord experienced firsthand was on a different dimension from viewing through a monitor.
Overwhelming power that left no room for resistance.
Even now, just thinking about it made my body tremble uncontrollably.
Moreover, those called the ‘Public Enemies of Humanity’ also threatened peace in their own ways.
Each one was a strong opponent comparable to the Demon Lord.
Therefore, the hero party couldn’t be satisfied with mediocre strength.

If they became complacent with their current state, they would eventually hit a wall.
Just like my companions and I did.

Thus, what the hero needed was mental training that would inspire endless effort.
“This place should do, right?”
I arrived with the hero at a lush forest near Serda.
I wanted to teach various things on the way, but I held back.
Right now, I am the infamous ‘Excommunicated Saint’.
I must teach with my body, not my mouth.
“I’ll let you attack first. Give it your all.”
I acted relaxed, as if I didn’t even consider you a match.
Because moderate anger helps improve performance.
“…Oh sun, I shall be your sword.”
Holy power.
A sword made of holy power appeared in the hero’s hand.
“Pyrite.”
Spirit arts.
A fire spirit in the shape of an eagle appeared above the hero’s head.
“Body Enhancement.”
Magic.
Complex magic circles were drawn in the air around the hero.
“I will stop you!”
Before the words even reached my ears, the sword rushed towards my neck.
A universal weak point shared by most living beings.
It was a good attack.
But the opponent was me.
“Is that all?”
I glanced at the sword that had stopped at my neck and smiled slightly.
“How…”
“Do you think you can catch the Demon Lord like this?”
The hero was too flustered to react.
She still had a long way to go.

“It’s my turn.”

I threw my aura-clad fist with all my might.

A heavy impact.
The hero, hit directly in the abdomen, flew back and crashed into a tree.

“Ugh…”
“Shall we continue?”

Indeed, mental education was best done physically.