Chapter 10: The Legend of the The Saint! A Misunderstanding Great Combo HIT!

Chapter 10: The Legend of the Saint! A Misunderstanding Great Combo HIT!

Afterward, Mima ordered Tomoe, Kanaya, and Kanaho, who were in the room, to keep secret the fact that one of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Phoenix Staff, had been revived, and then sent the three out of the room.

Mima and Sougi continued to supply magical power to Maria.

And then, the two were astonished and terrified

By the sheer magnitude of Maria's body as a vessel for magical power.

Mima, the head of the Madozono family, one of the three most powerful family of the Exorcists, possesses dozens of times the magical power of an average Exorcist.

Sougi, who serves Mima, also possesses abundant magical power, though not quite as much as her mistress.

Even with both of them pouring massive amounts of magical power into her, Maria's young body shows no sign of being filled with enough magical energy.

It's as if they're trying to fill a bottomless tank with water.

It goes without saying that the cause of the thousand-fold cheat magic power is the result of the Goddess Lukimister haphazardly assigning reincarnation benefits.

The total amount of magic power Maria possesses, even at this young age, is so absurdly vast that it could shatter the world's concept of "Exorcists."

However, in the original scenario, Tomoe was supposed to slowly pour the magic power into the Phoenix Staff over the next ten years or so, like filling a pond with a ladle, but Maria managed to recharge it in just over ten seconds.

Even her thousand-fold cheat magic power was completely depleted due to the sheer volume of power she had to recharge.

Maria's "vessel" absorbed the magical power poured in by Mima and Sougi like cotton soaking up water, but it was far from being full.

Mima and Sougi gazed at the lying Maria with eyes filled with something close to awe.

They couldn't believe it.

The being before them, a young girl with a terrifying magical "vessel"...

"It seems she's finally stable at the moment. Now, let's wait for Maria-ojou-sama's own regenerative magical power to fully recover."

After taking Maria's temperature, Sougi suggested this to Mima.

Mima nodded to Sougi and released her hand from Maria.

She straightened Maria's loosened nightclothes and covered her with the blanket.

Then, she gently touched Maria's cheek.

"...It was written in the letter Mami nee-sama left me.

It said that Maria possesses extraordinary magical power, enough to leave her name in history.

Well, she is from Madozono, and she is my Onee-sama's daughter. I thought she would possess the greatest magical power, but... I never imagined it would be this much..."

"Madam, could it be that Maria-ojou-sama is..."

"Yes... there's a high possibility that she is a Saint... But we don't know for sure yet..."

As Sougi prompted her to consider the matter, Mima's expression clouded over, and she nodded.

The Saint.

A legendary being who, in the great war against the ancient "Kaima," guided all the "Exorcists" and brought victory to humanity.

If that's the case, then shouldn't it be something to rejoice about if Maria is the "Saint"?

However, the expression on Mima's face was somber.

Sougi spoke hesitantly, but firmly.

"The legend said; 'When a great evil Kaima appears that seeks to engulf the entire earth in darkness, the Saint will also appear and, with her command, destroy the Kaima.'

If the legend is true, then in the age when the Saint descends, a terrifying evil will manifest, one that is so powerful that the Saint's immense strength is indispensable...

That means, if Maria-ojou-sama is truly the Saint, then maybe, the Great Kaima is on it's way of resurrection. Or perhaps... it has already manifested...."

"Yeah... I understand. That's probably why the Phoenix Staff returned to the hands of the people of Madozono, and took shape again."

"Yes. According to the legend, a 'Saint' possesses the 'power' to perceive and understand the true nature of things and events through spiritual insight. It seems that Maria-ojou-sama saw through Tomoe-ojou-sama's 'Sacred Treasure' that was dormant within her, the one meant to counter the great Kaima, at a single glance."

Regarding the revival of the 'Phoenix Staff,' our beloved masochist, acting on her knowledge of the original work and her perverted gentlemanly spirit, jumped the gun and accelerated the schedule by more than ten years.

However, Mima and Sougi's deductions were not wrong.

If Maria is a 'Saint,'

The existence of a great evil Kaima that will bring a catastrophe of annihilation to humanity is approaching...

This conclusion, which could only be reached from a series of deductions, was the reason for Mima's somber expression.

A heavy, bleak anxiety weighed heavily on her hearts.

"To burden Onee-sama's daughter with such a heavy fate..."

A sigh escaped Mima's lips, accompanied by a profound sense of sorrow.

"The Saint shall destroy the Great Kaima with her life."

According to the legend, the Saint is destined to destroy the Kaima in exchange for her life.

How could I possibly force such a sacrifice upon Onee-sama's beloved child?

There's no way I can do that!!!

While it's true that Exorcists make a living by risking their lives fighting the evil Kaima, that doesn't mean sending them towards inevitable death.

She wants to raise Maria, the only remaining child of her beloved, missing sister, in a happy life.

No, she MUST raise Maria in a happy life.

Mima made this firm resolution.

Needless to say, this was an emotional shift not present in the original game's narrative.

Originally, Mima's role in this world was that of a terrible, abusive parent.

However, the prerequisites for this were completely shattered by the letter handed over by the reincarnated Maria and the resurrection of the Phoenix Staff that had been dormant within Tomoe's body.

In addition, her mistaken belief that Maria might be a Saint stemmed from Maria's thousand times cheat-like magical power.

Her self-sacrificing actions, seemingly driven by concern for Tomoe, appeared to possess saintly qualities, and this, in particular, deeply moved Mima.

On just one day after meeting the reincarnated Maria, Mima was already beginning to develop into a loving mother.

"We already defeated that old man. This generation for Maria and Tomoe will begin. The current Madozono family should be freed from those dreadful fate."

"Yes. Even if Maria-ojou-sama were truly a Saint, the number, armament, and training level of modern-day Exorcists are different from those during the ancient war.

If we... If we mobilize the combined strength of the Three Great Families of Exorcists to help Maria-ojou-sama, I believe we can forge a future different from that of the legend."

"The Three Great Families... yes, I suppose... that's one option we must consider..."

Mima nodded, though hesitant, at Sougi's advice.

There was a rift between the Three Great Families of Exorcists, a relationship that could almost be described as hostile.

"...I know you're not keen on this, Madam, but if you speak to the 'advisor' about Maria-ojou-sama's situation, I'm sure both the Renbadera and Hashiguro families will take care of things for you."

"I certainly don't want to bow my head to that old woman."

At Sougi's next words, Mima gave a wry smile and shook her head slightly.

Then she moved the hand she had been resting on Maria's cheek to her forehead.

"But it's for this child's sake. I can't let my own convenience get in the way, can I?"

"Madam..."

"In any case, it's not like things will change today or tomorrow. Tonight is still just the first night that this child has become a member of our family.

I never thought that her first day would turn into something as big as the revival of the "Sacred Treasure."

After another wry smile, Mima stroked Maria's head.

"First, we must heal this child's heart, which has lost her mother. Get plenty of rest, Maria..."

As Mima continued to gently stroke Maria's head, the smile on her face was truly that of a loving mother.

In the original story, Mima remains a toxic parent throughout, in every route, without ever reforming, and like Maria, suffers a tragic fate and is ruined.

However, Mima's toxic parenting tendencies were completely shattered on the very first day after meeting the reincarnated Maria.

Mima's fate changed with a tremendous rocket-like start.

And from that day forward, the fate of the world also began to change in an unknown, unexpected direction.

Unaware that her own lighthearted improvisation had caused such a change, Maria endlessly replayed the pain she had felt before fainting in her dreams, and slept soundly and peacefully.

Annoyingly, her sleeping face belonged to an exceptionally beautiful young girl, so to onlookers, it looked like nothing more than "The Peaceful Rest of a Saint"

That's it.

AN:

The misunderstandings just keep piling up...

It's a classic "villainess" trope, isn't it? (゜∀゜)