-Shunk!
"Gaaahk!"
The last goblin had been cleanly dispatched.
-Crack.
"Ah, it broke."
As if his work was done, the moment he took down the final goblin, his sword shattered as well.
Well, it was a bent, hook-like failure of a blade to begin with. It had held out impressively long.
-Wobble.
"Whoa."
Apparently, it wasn't just the sword that had reached its limit. He lost his balance and toppled over.
"Is!"
Seeing the nuns rushing toward him in a panic, he closed his eyes with a sense of relief.
He was sleepy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Ever since the miracle of acquiring Holy Power.
His life had changed quite a bit.
First off, though most of his Holy Power had drained away, he could still use a certain amount.
"Is, if you push yourself too hard..."
"I'm fine. This is nothing compared to my usual workouts."
Holy Power enhanced the efficiency of his regular training, filling his body with lean muscles as a result.
Second.
"Stella Nun, have I memorized it all...? Nun?"
"...Ah, yes! Then let's recite the passage once more today!"
With the help of the nuns (mostly Stella Nun), he was living a devout life.
Praying every day, memorizing scripture, learning to temper his desires.
Sometimes Stella Nun would zone out staring at him—probably amazed to see him wielding Holy Power.
The child she had taken in had awakened to it, after all.
And so, day by day, he lived piously, and the day of his coming-of-age drew near.
Half a day until he turned fifteen.
"Is, tomorrow you'll be an adult, huh?"
"Haha, it feels kinda surreal."
Experiencing adulthood for the second time, no less.
Misinterpreting his words, Stella Nun placed a hand on his shoulder and flashed a bright smile.
"It feels like just yesterday you barely reached my shoulder, but boys sure grow fast."
"Hahaha, that's all thanks to you nuns."
Maybe because it was the eve of his coming-of-age, emotions welled up, and he bowed his head to Stella Nun.
"I-Is?"
"Stella Nun. Thank you for taking me in back then. Without you, I would've died in the slums or become a villain who harmed countless people."
"Is..."
"I mean it from the bottom of my heart, Stella Nun. Or rather..."
Stella sis.
"Is!"
Overcome with emotion, Stella Nun threw herself into his arms.
"You little rascal! It feels like just yesterday you were spewing vulgar curses!"
"Haha... I was just a kid back then."
With old stories coming up one after another, he and Stella Nun spent some time reminiscing.
And so, four hours until his coming-of-age.
He was repairing a weakened section of the cathedral when he spotted three figures approaching from afar.
'Who are they?'
Their outfits were entirely pure white...
"Huh?"
For a moment, he thought his eyes were playing tricks.
Three people in pristine white attire.
The two on either side wore spotless white armor and exuded a solemn aura, while the woman in the center wore...
'The Saintess.'
A Saintess in pure white holy robes.
The purest woman, and the most wounded heroine.
The fragile-hearted heroine who gazed at villages swept away by the sudden Monster Wave and blamed her own powerlessness.
Ariana Astraea.
She had come to their cathedral.
"Wh-what..."
Speechless, he could only watch as they approached.
He hadn't expected her to appear so suddenly, and her real-life beauty as the first heroine he laid eyes on exceeded his imagination.
'Worthy of being called the Child of Stars.'
Her silver hair, tousled by the waves, resembled an aurora in the sky, and her blue eyes shimmered with starlight.
But her beautiful face was streaked with tears.
"Ah..."
He understood why she had come.
The so-called 'Wave' of monsters that had crashed like a tidal wave wasn't just local to their area.
It was a global phenomenon.
The victims were numerous, and as the Saintess, she had been visiting each affected site to pray for their souls.
As for why she had only just arrived now...
'She must've visited so many places.'
She would have gone everywhere the disaster struck, so it naturally took time.
"..."
It hit him anew just what he had accomplished.
Among the villages hit by the Monster Wave in the game, only one survived.
The protagonist's village.
But right now, he had endured the Monster Wave from a cathedral right next to the slums, in worse shape than any village.
Two places had survived now.
Of course, the protagonist had protected an entire village while he had only safeguarded one cathedral, so there was a clear difference. But for someone who wasn't the protagonist, it was more than enough.
He hurriedly set down his tools and spread the word inside the cathedral.
"The Saintess! The Saintess is here!"
"What?! The Saintess?!"
"Wh-why would the Saintess come here..."
"I heard she's been touring the sites hit by the Monster Wave from before. Maybe that's it?"
The nuns, the children taken in by the cathedral, and even the unmotivated Holy Knight sent from the Holy Kingdom in place of the useless fat one.
Everyone sprang into action to welcome the Saintess.
They all lined up neatly (the children excepted) to greet her.
"W-Welcome, Saintess! To meet the goddess's most radiant child..."
The Head Nun stepped forward first, but for some reason, the Saintess's gaze stayed fixed on him.
Though his own gaze on her was the same.
'Wow, she's really pretty.'
If he hadn't learned to control his desires, some cheap exclamation might have slipped out.
But with Holy Knights on either side and his cathedral folk present, they couldn't just keep staring at each other.
One of the Holy Knights beside the Saintess called to her.
"S-Saintess?"
"Ah... Sorry."
Only then did she shake her head and meet the Head Nun's eyes.
"I am the Saintess, Ariana Astraea. The reason for my visit today is..."
Her face darkened in an instant.
"...to pray for the victims of the 'Monster Wave' incident two years ago."
"Ah..."
The Head Nun's expression grew somber as well.
"As expected of the Saintess. We are grateful for your grace."
Naturally, the two withdrew for a private talk, leaving the cathedral folk and the two Holy Knights.
While the Saintess and Head Nun spoke briefly, one Holy Knight addressed them.
"It seems many survivors here—truly fortunate. If it's not too much trouble, could you explain what happened?"
"Ah, about that..."
Stella Nun immediately recounted everything from that time to the Holy Knights.
Every detail, from one to ten.
After finishing, Stella Nun clasped her hands to pray for the deceased useless Holy Knight, but the Holy Knight urgently stopped her and asked,
"W-Wait a moment. So the only casualty in this cathedral was... a single 'one'?"
"Yes. Sir Jenkins was weak, but he volunteered to rush out and protect us."
Stella Nun seemed to believe that Holy Knight had sacrificed himself. For the record, the bastard had gone out alone to take a dump, gotten caught by goblins, and died.
Not that he said that to anyone else.
Anyway, after hearing the nun's story, the Holy Knights exchanged meaningful glances before approaching him.
"Is, correct?"
"Ah, yes. I'm Is."
"Is what the nun said true? About... the Holy Power."
"Ah... It's gotten incredibly weak since that day, but I can still use it to some extent."
For the curious Holy Knights, he conjured a golden glow of Holy Power atop his hand.
The Holy Knights recoiled in shock before excitedly placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Is—no, young Is. Have you ever thought of becoming a Holy Knight?"
"Pardon?"
A sudden scout offer.
Dazed as he stared at them, the Saintess pushed through the Holy Knights and stood before him.
"Is?"
"Ah, yes."
The moment his name left her lips, something welled up inside him, but he kept his composure.
"You... protected everyone here..."
The Saintess looked up at him with teary eyes.
She was probably already an adult, but as a soon-to-be adult male, he was taller.
'Wow, what a view.'
A beautiful woman was beautiful even from above.
Gaining yet another life lesson, he focused on her words.
Not missing a single one.
"First of all... thank you. For protecting in my stead those I failed to save due to my shortcomings."
He waved off her thanks with a hand.
"No, no. This is all the goddess's grace, isn't it?"
In truth, the goddess had answered his plea, saving them. Otherwise, their cathedral would have been smashed like everywhere else.
At his words, the Saintess paused before fixing him with a deeply serious gaze.
"Is, have you ever considered becoming a Holy Knight?"
"...Pardon?"
Two back-to-back invitations to become a Holy Knight left him flustered.
But the Saintess seemed utterly sincere as she grasped his hand and continued.
"The requirements to become a Holy Knight are two: faith and a sturdy body. From what I see, you fulfill both perfectly. Faith strong enough to receive the goddess's grace, and a sturdy body honed through battle with the goblins and ongoing training."
Her grip on his hand tightened.
"Please become a Holy Knight. And..."
Become my personal Holy Knight.
Her final words were more than enough to stir his heart.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After praying for the useless Holy Knight's soul and handing him some kind of token, the Saintess and Holy Knights departed.
Once they were gone, everyone celebrated his impending adulthood, time passed, and they all retired to bed.
Lying on his bed in his room, he wrestled with a whirlwind of thoughts.
The cathedral's fate, altered because of him.
The Holy Knights' interest in him.
Himself, on the verge of adulthood tomorrow.
And...
The Saintess's invitation.
For him to become a Holy Knight.
Her words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
Holy Knights were the goddess's sword and shield, trained in the Holy Kingdom to pursue justice and vanquish evil.
Becoming one was a dream come true, but he had reasons to hesitate.
First, his past of defiling the gods. Second, having to leave this cathedral for a long time.
His mind a tangled mess, he stepped outside to gaze at the night sky. Someone quietly approached his side.
"...Stella Nun?"
She smiled kindly and hooked her arm through his.
"Is, you look deep in thought."
"...Yeah. Kinda."
"Is, are you going to become a Holy Knight?"
"...Dunno. Honestly... I'm not sure. I'm becoming an adult soon, so I should find work and strike out on my own. Becoming a Holy Knight sounds great too. But..."
"You don't want to leave us?"
"...Yeah. Pretty childish, huh."
Embarrassed, he covered his face with his left hand.
But Stella Nun denied it.
"No, that's not childish at all. It's only natural for humans. Even I don't want to be parted from you, Is."
"Stella Nun..."
Looking at her with moved eyes, she turned her head away shyly.
"Ahem... Is. It's been quite some time since you started living in our cathedral. The little kid who didn't even reach my shoulder now looks down at me, those reed-thin hands have grown strong and reliable. And now... you're becoming an adult."
He barely held back tears at her words.
But he couldn't hold them at the final one.
"I'll let you go now, my dear Is."
-Mwah.