"Is. By the grace of the Goddess, I appoint you as the direct Holy Knight of Her most radiant child, Saintess Ariana Astraea."
In front of Saintess Ariana, I knelt on one knee, waiting silently.
Standing beside Ariana, the previous direct Holy Knight was appointing me as his successor.
I'd probably be following him around for a while to receive the full handover.
"Infused with the Goddess's grace, I bestow upon you the surname 'Adonis.' Is Adonis, do you accept?"
"It is my honor, great predecessor."
The predecessor's sword tapped both my shoulders lightly. Then Ariana drew near.
"Blessings upon my sword, blessings upon my shield."
-Saaaa...
A sacred golden energy enveloped my entire body.
'So this is the blessing.'
They said direct Holy Knights receive blessings from the Saintess, and now I could truly feel just how incredible it was.
'Power is overflowing.'
In the game, the blessing's effects were surprisingly straightforward.
You grew faster, could fight longer, and had a more resilient mental barrier.
But for someone like me, who trained and exercised without fail every single day, there was no better buff.
I rose to my feet and turned toward the Holy Knights watching us.
"Is Adonis! As of today, I proudly declare under the Goddess that I have become the Saintess's direct Holy Knight!"
-Clap clap clap clap clap.
The Holy Knights sincerely congratulated me on my appointment, and the sound of applause filled the grand cathedral.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
-Click. Click.
As her direct Holy Knight, I matched Ariana's footsteps at her side.
My height had already surpassed 180 cm, so our strides naturally differed quite a bit.
We walked for a long stretch down the grand cathedral's corridor until we arrived at Ariana's private quarters.
'Do I just stand guard here now?'
I hadn't completed the full handover yet, but I knew the basics.
1. When the Saintess enters her private space, stand watch at the door.
2. Even when she sleeps, always keep her weapons ready nearby.
3. Be ever vigilant to ensure the Saintess never falls prey to impure desires.
4. Lust or love toward the Saintess is forbidden.
5. Serve only the Goddess and the Saintess.
I'd thought they might give me the first day off since it was my first, but sadly, medieval mindsets didn't work that way.
So, stand guard at the door it was.
I'd just turned to take position beside the door when Ariana, after entering, left it ajar.
I reached out carefully to close it, and she softly called my name.
"Is, would you come in for a moment?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes, ma'am."
I was caught off guard for a second, but recalling our past conversations, I nodded immediately.
'Of course, she has a lot to discuss.'
-Click.
As the door shut, Ariana turned to me, her expression visible.
A bright smile, as if she were genuinely delighted.
Seeing that smile made a fatherly grin creep onto my face unbidden.
"Is, I knew you'd be the one to become my direct Holy Knight!"
"Haha, I am grateful for your faith in me, Saintess."
Her face screamed absolute trust—no trace of doubt, 100% trust written all over it—and I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"This is all thanks to your grace, Saintess."
If Ariana and the other Holy Knights hadn't recommended me for the position, I never would have become one so quickly.
I offered my thanks with that sentiment implied, but Ariana shook her head.
"No, this is all the result of your hard work, Is. I didn't do anything."
"Come on, how could there be no credit to you—"
Ariana and I went back and forth for a good while, each insisting the other deserved the praise, until we both realized the situation and burst into laughter at the same time.
"Hahaha!"
"Ahaha! See, Is really is different!"
We hadn't even talked that much, but she treated me warmly, like a childhood friend.
"Hahaha, haa... Your kindness leaves me at a loss, Saintess."
"Heehee, no need for formalities. I've been putting up with quite a bit from the Hero lately..."
"...Pardon?"
Hold on a second.
What did she just say?
"Saintess, what was that just now...?"
"Hm? Oh! Sorry. Saying I'm 'putting up with' him isn't appropriate for a Saintess, is it? I've been so stressed lately that it slipped out..."
"...Stressed?"
I couldn't let that slide. I asked Ariana about the Hero.
With a new direct Holy Knight appointed, this was around the time the protagonist and Ariana would start meeting in earnest.
The protagonist Hero had been summoned by the Holy Kingdom's people, and it hadn't been long since that monumental meeting between Hero and Saintess... yet she was using the word 'putting up with'?
All my questions were answered by Ariana's response.
"The Hero... Ruin has been throwing tantrums with the higher-ups in the Holy Kingdom. Claiming that I'm... his, as the Hero, and demanding they bring me to him right away."
"...What in the world."
The protagonist of this world was from a game with high freedom—you could customize him pretty freely.
So his appearance wasn't fixed, and I'd assumed there wouldn't be any issues with the protagonist himself...
'But his personality is that?'
I'd never imagined the protagonist could have such a rotten personality.
"No, no, didn't you say he was the Hero? A Hero should have a noble character..."
"I thought so too, but apparently not... His skills are decent, but his personality... ugh, it's the worst."
"..."
'We're screwed.'
As obvious as it sounds, you couldn't save the world solo in this game.
You'd encounter mechanics requiring two or more people, and moments where the heroines' trust got you through crises.
So the protagonist had to build affinity with as many heroines as possible, forge bonds, and use that accumulated power to defeat the final boss...
'He must've triggered the total trash route.'
Even with Saintess Ariana—the easiest heroine to win over, where any good influence raised her affinity—she was reacting like this.
Treating her like his property? With that personality, easy routes were probably impossible.
When you piled up misdeeds and bad reputation, the only ones whose affinity you could raise were low-stat NPCs closer to background characters or outright criminals.
And the end of that route...
'The Hero's Demon King transformation.'
Doom.
In a game, becoming the Demon King was something you might try for fun now and then. But from the perspective of someone dropped into that world, the protagonist felt like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
The thought that the world would be destroyed by a Demon King protagonist if I didn't act fast made cold sweat trickle down my back unbidden.
"Is?"
Oh no.
"You're sweating... You don't look well..."
"Ah, no. It's just... Becoming your direct Holy Knight and standing before you has me nervous."
"Is that so...? You can treat me casually, you know."
"No, as your shield and protector, how could I dare."
I thought I'd smoothed it over, but Ariana's eyebrows tilted about 25 degrees, and she pouted.
"Saintess?"
"I'll keep this up until you think of me casually, Is."
"Ahaha..."
As expected of the easiest heroine to approach.
We'd barely talked for a cumulative hour, and she was already being this adorable.
'What a piece of trash protagonist.'
Ariana's happiest ending was marriage to the protagonist, so somehow, I had to rehabilitate that guy.
I'd been tempted to give up since I lacked confidence, but after seeing her just now, I resolved myself.
Saintess Ariana Astraea.
Her dream was to marry a cool, righteous Hero straight out of a fairy tale.
'Not sure if it'll work... but I have to try.'
Normally, I'd just help them meet smoothly, but somehow the difficulty had spiked.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In a guest room of the Holy Kingdom's Papal Palace.
"High Priest Lib, what should we do...!"
"His antics are getting worse by the day!"
"Ahh, Goddess, save us..."
"N-Now, everyone, calm down. This must be a trial from the Goddess, right? Surely this hardship is a test from Her..."
Several high priests and regular priests were discussing gravely.
Lately, there was one massive headache for everyone in the Papal Palace.
"How can the Hero act like such a scoundrel?!"
It was the Hero, Ruin.
A few days ago, he'd started throwing fits, demanding 'his' Saintess be brought to him. To prevent the world from learning the Hero was such a brute, the Pope had ordered Ruin housed inside the palace.
In the break room where the priests had gathered to discuss solutions...
-Bang!
Someone kicked the door open as if to break it, storming inside.
A handsome young man with black hair and striking red eyes.
But with the worst personality imaginable.
"Fuck, I hear some dude's been assigned right next to the Saintess?!"
The Hero, Ruin.