The Protagonist of a Romance Fantasy Only Likes Me - Chapter 26

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

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◈ The Protagonist of a Romance Fantasy Only Likes Me ◈

Chapter 26: Saintess Marigold. (10)

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20.

Lancel wrote a short letter.

[Lancel Dante, killed by the pilgrimage party. Please make it a martyrdom.]

This would be the last thing he needed in this iteration. The very person who would understand those words had come to him of their own accord.

It was a time when Lancel’s name could be heard anywhere in Rodnis, the imperial capital. News of his death would come as quite a shock. There could be no better timing than now.

Lancel turned to the second page of his will. This time, it had a different recipient.

‘Mary.’

* * *

“You’re so pretty! So pretty, Miss Mary!”

“How can your skin possibly be...?”

Marigold lightly scratched her cheek at the maids’ voices surrounding her.

They had already kept her seated for an hour, dressing her up.

The reason was simple. While thinking about Lancel, who was probably lying in bed right now, Marigold had absentmindedly murmured to herself.

“I wonder when he’ll recover. He said we should go on an outing...”

The sharp-eared maids had not missed those words.

They immediately seized Marigold, making a fuss that they had to find out how to dress her for an outing in advance.

Of course, that was only an excuse.

The maids had been dying for a legitimate chance to dress Marigold up.

“If Young Master Lancel asked you to go, that means he has feelings for you, Miss Mary.”

“U-Um.”

“That’s right! Why else would he say something like that? Be confident. While you’re at it, just go make one!”

“W-What are you saying we should make...?”

“Well, you know.”

At the maid’s whisper, accompanied by a lecherous grin, Marigold flinched and covered her face with both hands.

“I-I’m not even sure whether he suggested the trip with that in mind...”

“Young Master is a man. Of course he has thoughts like that. Maybe that’s all he’s thinking about.”

“W-What?”

“That’s what men are like.”

Marigold quietly smoothed down the hem of her dress.

“Once the tournament is over, should we go somewhere? Far away. It would be a trip, I suppose.”

Lancel’s voice replayed clearly in her mind. She had decided not to expect too much from what it meant. If she was mistaken, she would only feel foolish.

Still, the thought of going on a trip with him made her excited.

“Miss Mary. You know, right? Make it a done deal.”

“...!”

Her heart pounded as Marigold needlessly fixed her hair.

They were going on an outing. A smile naturally formed on Marigold’s lips. She felt as though she could not stop her face from softening.

‘A trip to the sea. Just the two of us.’

Then it happened.

Bang!

“M-Miss Mary! Miss Mary!”

Someone burst through the door, panting.

Normally, Hestie would have demanded that anyone knock, but this time she could not say a word.

What the messenger said next shocked everyone in the room.

“Lancel...!”

Marigold’s face went cold.

* * *

An unexpected scuffle was underway at the Saintess Church in the imperial capital.

News had spread that Saintess Churches were being torn down everywhere, so the believers had formed a human barricade to protect this one at least.

They were barely managing to guard the entrance from the pilgrimage party as it shoved its way inside.

“How dare you! Do you know where you are? Who are you to decide whether our church stands or falls?”

“It is an order from the Imperial Household! Move aside at once, or you will be treated as traitors!”

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

An Imperial command held terrifying meaning for them. Treason, moreover, was the gravest crime a person could imagine in this Empire.

“Move! Stop blocking the way!”

They were slowly pushed back.

No matter who they were, they did not have the nerve to defy an Imperial command.

All they could do was make themselves as much of an obstacle as possible. Even that was utterly futile. With a Thud!, they were shoved aside one by one.

Just before the way into the Saintess Church was completely cleared.

“All members of the pilgrimage party, halt!”

“Who the hell...!”

The pilgrimage party knights irritably turned around, then suddenly froze.

“Y-His Highness the Prince?”

Before them stood the Imperial Court Knights in ornate armor.

At their center, Fourth Prince Serild sat atop his horse.

“The Church of Martyrdom’s decision to revoke recognition of the Saintess Church has been overturned. This is the Imperial Household’s decision. From this moment onward, all acts that harm the Saintess Church will be punished as defiance.”

“...!”

The crowd stirred at the news that the situation had reversed in an instant.

“And.”

The Fourth Prince’s eyes turned cold.

“From this moment onward, all clergy members of every denomination are to prepare a martyrdom rite for Lancel Dante, holy knight of the Saintess Church.”

His low voice rang out.

21.

Fourth Prince Serild stood before a curtain.

The Emperor’s figure was visible as a shadow behind it.

“Did you say he died?”

A woman’s voice flowed from behind the curtain.

“He is still alive.”

“So he is nearly dead.”

“They say he will not survive the night.”

“Is that so?”

The Fourth Prince looked crookedly beyond the curtain.

“You supported the pilgrimage party so wholeheartedly, and look where that got you, Sister. Didn’t I tell you? Priestess Mary’s power is real.”

“Do not misunderstand. I never doubted you. On the contrary, I believed it was true. That was why I struggled so desperately to stop it until now.”

“Then why not make the Saintess Church ours?”

“If we did that, we would only be helping an idol come into being. People who are as clumsy, foolish, and false as the Church of Martyrdom are much easier to control.”

The Fourth Prince snickered.

It was practically blasphemy.

The Imperial Household was disparaging the denomination it had recognized, calling it cheap and worthless.

“Haah, what an unbearably troublesome world. Nothing goes right. Who exactly is this Lancel fellow, anyway?”

“Viscount Dante’s son. The Empire’s greatest swordsman. The winner of the knights’ tournament. Saintess Mary’s holy knight. And... the pitiful saint who will be martyred by that senseless and immoral pilgrimage party.”

The Fourth Prince spoke again.

“By tomorrow, the rumors will spread across the Empire. What will you do?”

A quiet laugh came from beyond the curtain.

Whether she wanted it or not, the conclusion had already been reached. The person behind the curtain was not foolish enough to deny even that.

“Declare the Saintess Church a denomination recognized by the Imperial Palace, and hold a martyrdom rite for Holy Knight Lancel Dante.”

A smile spread across the Fourth Prince’s lips.

“For the Imperial Palace to extend its hand to a denomination first. The Empire’s future is bleak.”

“Indeed. Thanks to someone.”

The figure behind the curtain paused.

As though remembering something forgotten, she turned back toward the Fourth Prince.

“Duke Mayril Dun made a serious mistake this time. Incompetence is a graver sin than immorality. I suppose he should pack his things and leave for the provinces.”

“...One of Rodnis’s Eight Great Ducal Houses is falling.”

“Stars must set beneath a rising sun.”

Reciting the verse, the figure behind the curtain made a gesture.

It was an order to leave quickly, because she was in a foul mood.

* * *

The Fourth Prince quietly ran his fingers over the letter in his pocket.

What returned to the one who had offered help was a will.

[Lancel Dante, killed by the pilgrimage party. Please make it a martyrdom.]

A short message.

But its meaning was clear.

Lancel Dante had been found collapsed in an alley, stabbed by a sword.

The Fourth Prince briefly took out the Saintess Church rosary hanging around his own neck and looked at it.

“Lancel Dante. I would have liked to know more about you.”

In the distant plaza, lanterns rose one by one, embroidering the night sky.

All clergy members had stopped their work and were gathering at the Saintess Church.

The crowd honoring the dying holy knight, Lancel Dante, would likely become a sea of people.

A martyrdom rite grander than the death of most royals was throwing Rodnis, the imperial capital, into turmoil.

Until the moment Lancel Dante was finally martyred, this festival would not end.

22.

Tenacious.

Lancel felt that his life was tenacious. He was still alive. He felt as though he would die soon, but his life truly clung on stubbornly.

‘I don’t mind dying, but I hate the process.’

Lancel Dante’s breathing slowly faded.

Countless believers watched him as he lay on the church dais.

“P-Priestess Mary, you’ll fall if you keep going like that.”

Not long after, someone staggered up onto the dais.

Despite her sudden appearance, no one stopped her.

Instead, the people around her helped make sure that she, unable to see, would not fall.

“Lancel...!”

Marigold.

“Lancel!”

She cried out in a broken voice and rushed into the dying Lancel’s arms.

As though she could sense Lancel lying there through the air, through her skin, through every one of her senses, Marigold immediately pulled him into her arms.

==========

Fame Event: All of Marigold’s dismantled churches have been restored.

※Current churches: 180 existing churches and 19 new churches, for a total of 199.

==========

“Lancel, Lancel...”

Marigold’s shoulders trembled as she felt Lancel’s cooling body. He was dying in her arms.

Lancel wrapped an arm around her back one last time.

Already standing on the boundary between life and death, even this required him to draw out every last bit of strength he had.

“I... I won’t be needy anymore. Don’t leave me behind, Lancel...!”

Amid her muffled sobs, her body began to shine.

Whoooosh!

“Th-That...”

Every clergyperson awaiting the martyrdom rite stood frozen.

Radiance spread outward from Marigold.

At first it was gentle, like a bonfire, but soon it became a brilliant pure white and engulfed everything around her.

The light was intense enough to make the dark church as bright as day.

It was not light that merely looked beautiful.

The bodies of those touched by the spreading net of light began to tingle. Their large and small wounds were healing in an instant.

From minor scratches to old scars, everything vanished cleanly.

Awe filled the eyes of all who witnessed the miracle.

“...The Saintess.”

The Reborn Saintess.

Marigold.

The presence of a real idol.

A true existence beyond denominations and ideals.

The clergy could not help but kneel one by one and bow their heads before her. Mary was real. She was the embodiment of the Saintess, divinity descended into this age. No one would be able to deny that now.

==========

Fame Event: The two hundredth church has been built!

※Marigold’s Karma has decreased by 1 point. Her Karma has reached 0. The mist obscuring Marigold’s world has lifted, and at last, she sees the light!

==========

Marigold’s cloudy silver eyes gradually regained their color.

Clear emerald light slowly filled her pupils.

‘Right. That was their color.’

Through his fading consciousness, Lancel looked into her brightened eyes.

Perhaps because it had been so long since he had seen them, those distinctively green eyes seemed especially welcome today.

“Ah...”

Marigold stared wide-eyed at Lancel. She surely felt as though she had been born anew.

‘I told you I’d make you see again.’

Lancel murmured those words in a faint voice that seemed ready to break. A satisfied smile naturally appeared on his face.

‘Ah, I’m dying.’

Was this as far as he went?

No matter how much Marigold’s White Magic had improved, it was not enough to heal injuries this severe.

They were wounds inflicted by a pilgrimage party knight.

Of course, Lancel had been the one to start the fight.

But no one remained who knew that.

‘I left a letter, so surely it won’t be another bad ending?’

Lancel felt his consciousness fading. Marigold’s face, streaked with tears, was his final memory.

‘Marigold.’

Three lives since the day she went blind.

Twenty-three years.

The eight-thousandth night.

Lancel had finally made her see again.

And so, ten years passed.

[Play Time: 10 years, 0 days]

Marigold has turned 25.

She has no marriage partner.

Achievements acquired.

▶ White Magic Awakening +30 points.

▷ Black Magic Awakening +20 points.

▶ Reborn Saintess Title +50 points.

▷ Evil God Title +50 points.

Total score: 150 points. Points remaining until Inheritance of Memories: 500/1500.

[Bad Ending 9. Evil God Marigold’s Skeleton Soldier]

The ending has been added to the Album of Memories.

Viewing album.

We will meet again.

Hope and happiness welled up within Marigold as she read the last sentence of Lancel Dante’s final words.

At last, she became certain that every one of her actions had been right.

‘Yes, we will meet again.’

Marigold walked down into the church basement.

She passed through a cavern and stood before a dark altar.

‘Today is the day!’

Clatter.

The two hundred bones she had carefully preserved trembled atop the altar, then merged into one. It rose firmly onto two legs.

Congratulations! Marigold has finally mastered Beginner Black Magic!

Marigold caught a familiar scent from the Skeleton Soldier.

‘Lancel.’

The person who had been everything to her.

‘Now, let’s go on an outing together, Lancel.’

The person who had made her see again.

‘The day when the roof, walls, pillars, floor, and foundation stones of this Empire that caused your death all turn to ash and disappear.’

Marigold tightly embraced the two hundred bone fragments walking about without muscle or skin.

Old memories came to mind. A warm afternoon in the fallow fields, riding on horseback.

She felt happiness overflowing within her.

‘Let’s go on an outing... together.’

[Evil God Marigold’s Skeleton Soldier - fin]

Would you like to restart the game?

“Fucking terrifying.”

Lancel could not hide his shock at the ending he had never imagined.

‘Uh... how did this happen?’

He had naturally assumed that she would be praised as the Reborn Saintess and spend the rest of her days living in luxury. Given how things had been going, that seemed like the right ending.

But this strange girl had gone and done something bizarre again.

Since her Karma had not risen, it did not seem as though she had done anything truly terrible.

“More importantly, why did she turn me into an undead?”

Lancel, who had suddenly become a Skeleton Soldier, wiped away cold sweat.

That was just desecrating a corpse.

She truly had a talent for startling him in all sorts of ways.

‘Marigold, when exactly are you planning to become happy?’

What should he do?

What on earth should he do?

“Hmm.”

After much thought, Lancel reached a conclusion.

“Can I take some time off?”

Yes.

This iteration, he would just spend his time recuperating.

‘Honestly, I’ve suffered too much, haven’t I?’

Even Lancel, who had time to spare, sometimes wanted to rest.

And this was one of those times.

‘I’ve decided. This time, I’ll just enjoy seafood and live a gourmet life. I’ll take a sabbatical somewhere with clear water and fresh air! Goodbye, Marigold. See you later, Marigold.’

And so, Lancel boarded a train.

“Everyone, look over here! Mary’s bet-your-money, win-more-money game is back again today!”

On the street of a village where the train had stopped, Lancel heard a familiar name and pricked up his ears.

‘...No way. It must be my imagination.’

It had to be.

Or perhaps it was someone with the same name.

Mary was not exactly an uncommon name.

“You bitch! Are you trying to scam me?”

“W-What are you talking about? How did I scam you?”

“Hah! I saw you switch out the dice just now, and you’re playing dumb?”

“You’re picking a fight just because you lost money! Ptooey!”

“Y-You...!”