Chapter 4: Saint of Holy Smite, Marianne Highrendine

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For the first time since she was born, she wanted to support a single person. If her love did not reach him… If he could not be saved… Then she felt there was no meaning in continuing to live. Behind the shell labeled 【Saint】, Marianne Highrendine was nothing more than an ordinary woman who loved one man.

Marianne was an orphan. She did not know her parents’ faces, nor did she know love but instead, she was raised by a sister who loved her in their place. Life at the orphanage was never materially rich, but it was never spiritually poor. That was solely because there was a mother who poured out love without restraint.

She treated the children gently so as not to hurt them, firmly taught them that wrong things were wrong when they crossed the line, and after scolding them, she always explained just how deeply she loved them.

Thank you for being born.

Thank you for coming to me.

Every child in the orphanage grew up without knowing parental love and carried wounds in their hearts. They could not trust adults and were deeply afraid of being hurt themselves. It was not an easy thing to do to continue saying and proving through action that one loved orphans who were not even one’s own children. 

One night, Marianne woke up and went to relieve herself. Afraid of walking through the darkness, she hesitated, wondering if she should ask the sister to accompany her, and timidly headed toward the common hall. That was when she saw it.

The sister—her mother—hugging herself tightly as she drank herbal tea. The orphanage’s herbal tea was picked in the morning and used throughout the day, so the later it got, the thinner the flavor became. At that hour, it was no different from plain hot water. When Marianne called out to her, her mother flinched, her body visibly trembling, which surprised her.

“Si—Sister… I’m sorry. I needed to go to the toilet…”

“Oh my. Did you get scared?”

“…Yeah.”

“That’s fine. Let’s go together.”

She said nothing more. As if nothing were different from usual, she accompanied Marianne to the toilet and tucked her into bed. As far as Marianne knew, the children never ate until they were full but they never starved. That was because the sister gave them her own portions as well.

Marianne did not know her parents’ faces, nor did she know love. But she did know what a mother was. She was able to know a mother’s love. That was why she wanted to pour that love into someone else just like her and chose the same path her mother had taken.

Unconditional love for those who are unloved.

She believed that this was what she, raised with such care in the orphanage, could return to the world. However, that path was by no means an easy one. Though she was entrusted to a priest said to be an acquaintance of the sister, Marianne—of low status and unable even to read or write—was treated roughly.

Her sleeping space was cramped, and she owned almost nothing. Her meals and clothing were guaranteed, but even that drew resentment from the other girls. The Church did not run on ideals alone. It received massive donations from nobles and even conducted businesses that could not be made public.

Despite scraping together money to carry out charitable work—operating orphanages and soup kitchens across the world—they still had to raise a single girl who contributed no money, had no patron, and could not even read or write. At least, that was how the other girls saw it.

Every one of them was a noble’s daughter there for prestige, or someone with strong backing through a famous sister or bishop. Because they paid money, they believed they had the right to receive support. The Church could not stop such claims and reluctantly accepted them. They could not afford to have donors withdraw their contributions in anger. If that was the case, then better that everything be concentrated on a single girl with no backing at all…

In short, Marianne grew up enduring bullying while undergoing her training as a sister. Even so, she did not break. She knew that the world was full of injustice and unavoidable fear. She understood how difficult it was to live with no one to protect you. Then this experience could be used to save even more children. It was a way of thinking born from growing up with a certain resignation in mind.

No matter how much parental love one had, there were things reality would never allow. To Marianne, who had learned that lesson, everything was a trial. She never believed she could easily become like her mother. And so, when she was conveniently expelled from the convent under the pretext of registering as an adventurer and honing her healing abilities in the field…

She never imagined she would encounter something so miraculous.

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“It has been a long time, Marianne. My beloved daughter. You have done well to return.”

“It has been some time, Your Eminence. I am glad to see you are well.”

The day after embracing Finn, Marianne visited the royal capital’s cathedral. Once, she had not even been permitted to return but now she stood as an undisputed Saint. Not only that, she ranked among the upper echelon of the fewer than ten Saints in the world. Anyone who tried to treat her as they once had would be erased immediately. Naturally, those who had bullied Marianne were no longer here.

They had either returned to their family homes or disappeared somewhere before they could speak out of turn. Only the Cardinal knew where they had gone, and Marianne had no desire to know.

“Five years since we cast you out into the Adventurers’ Guild. I never imagined you would rise to become a Saint… But you have polished yourself well.”

“I was blessed with good companions.”

In truth, Marianne during her convent days had been far from impressive. Girls from noble families were accustomed to handling mana from an early age, and those with Church connections had already learned such techniques beforehand. Since she had to start  from learning how to read and write, it was inevitable and unavoidable that Marianne would be labeled as a failure.

“Do you not wish to take revenge on those who abandoned you?”

“Why would I? There is no need.”

To Marianne, her circumstances had simply been unavoidable. Certainly, had others been kinder, life might have been easier. But that would mean forcing charity upon others. She knew how difficult it was to offer charity. Knowing how much resolve the sister she loved as a mother had possessed, she could never say such things lightly.

“At that time, I had no talent. I only had the foolish wish to save the unfortunate. That outcome was inevitable.”

What she did was something she chose herself. She would not force others. Even the unconditional love she gave was because she wanted to give it. Just as she had been loved by her mother, she wanted to love someone and save even one person.

“…They were not good days, were they?”

“I have nothing to feel about that. More importantly, Your Eminence…”

To Marianne, the past was the past. If it no longer mattered to who she was now, then there was no reason to dwell on it. She cut off the Cardinal’s troubled expression and stated her purpose.

“I would like to borrow your power. Specifically, I want you to take the Second Princess under your wing.”

“Charlotte, the Second Princess? It is true that she is isolated… But…”

“It’s possible, isn’t it?”

“It is. But why?”

The Cardinal narrowed his eyes and let out a low sound from his throat, his tone completely changed from before.

“In terms of succession, the Crown Prince’s faction is overwhelmingly dominant. Aside from the Second Prince, all the siblings belong to the Crown Prince’s faction, and the Second Princess has no faction at all. She has no ties to bureaucrats, the military, or even regional factions. She is merely a princess. Taking her in is possible, but there is no benefit.”

“There is benefit.”

“What is it?”

“I will… No. The Gold-ranked adventurer party 【Dawn】 will join the Second Princess’s faction.”

“…What!?”

The Cardinal sprang to his feet without thinking. Marianne, however, continued with a gentle smile.

“‘A royal closely associated with a Gold-ranked adventurer party’—that alone gives her sufficient value, doesn’t it?”

Marianne was one of fewer than ten 【Saints】 in the world. To the Church, she was an invaluable asset and one that could not be handled lightly. Calling her the Church’s strongest widely deployed military asset would not be an exaggeration, and even a Cardinal could not freely command her. If she were to take offense and move to another faction, it would spell immediate downfall.

Even now, Marianne served more than well enough as a Saint. Compared to Saints who did not listen at all, she deserved full marks. From the Cardinal’s perspective—having seen so-called Saints who openly chased men and dismissed charity altogether—Marianne contributed more than enough already.

From our side, gaining not just a Saint but an entire party is an overwhelming advantage. What exactly does she want…?

Cardinal Hector Highrendille was ambitious, but not a depraved villain. He avoided underhanded tactics whenever possible, and the network he built was forged through personal effort and honest labor. The sister who raised Marianne was not famous, but he recognized her as a rare individual capable of truly loving children and maintained correspondence with her. That was precisely why he wondered…

Why would Marianne, who had embodied the very ideal of a Saint, seek ties with the Second Princess?

Does she intend to ingratiate herself with the royal family? But why? The Crown Prince is not unattractive, nor is he incompetent…

Would a woman who had cast aside herself for universal love now desire a man of such modest stature? Compared to the title of Saint, even the king of a nation was insignificant. Though Hector and Marianne stood as father and daughter in name, it was only an adoptive relationship. He had adopted her simply because minimal connections were useful for registering as an adventurer. Neither of them truly thought of the other as family.

That was why he could not understand… What the 【Saint of Holy Smite】 truly sought.

“…There is just one thing I want to ask. If you answer this, I will permit drawing the Second Princess into our fold.”

“What is it?”

“Marianne. What do you wish to gain?”

He was not unwilling to cooperate within his means. There was no doubt his rise to Cardinal was due to Marianne’s achievements. What she desired was not unreasonable. So he was willing to accept it. But without knowing her purpose, it was difficult to align their path.

With that thought, he asked and as Marianne was questioned, her smile deepened further, and immense magical power seeped from her body.

“──!?”

What!? What did I step on!? Was asking that a mistake!?

As cold sweat poured down the panicking Hector, Marianne opened her mouth, her expression still filled with benevolence.

“Your Eminence. I have not changed at all. What I wish for has always been the same. Unconditional love for those who are unloved. There is simply someone to whom that wish does not reach. Someone very close… Yet very far away. I realized that at this rate, I could not save him.”

Marianne stopped for a bit before continuing. 

“So… I will save him. As a Saint. As Marianne. And as a woman. I will stake my entire being and use everything I have…!”

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T/N: Hector’s last name is ハイレンディール (Highrendille) while Marianne’s last name is ハイレンディーヌ (Highrendine). They’re different by one character. Not sure if it’s intentional or typo tho.