(T/N: Author switches between third and first person perspective very frequently, please be aware)
"Ugh... where is this?"
I opened my eyes in a haze.
It wasn't my familiar room, but a... completely strange place.
"Your Highness Saintess! It’s too late! We have to go now!"
A slightly androgynous female voice reached my ears.
The woman appearing before me was over 1.7 meters tall, with a broad longsword hanging at her waist.
Her heroic face was as smooth as congealed fat, her skin delicate. She wore silver armor over her chest, but her waist was left unprotected, seemingly for ease of movement. A fauld was wrapped around her lower waist, and she wore combat boots. With a ponytail tied behind her head, her entire presence exuded a sense of sharp intensity.
"You are..."
Before I could finish, she grabbed my arm.
"Are these... my hands?"
Lowering my head, a wide white sleeve with gold-trimmed edges came into view, and the hand being held was the very one extending from that sleeve.
"Wait a minute! Who are you! Where is this! What are you all doing!?"
This triple-question straight from the soul caused the grand, brilliant hall to fall into a dead silence.
The previously panicked nuns froze in place, looking at each other in bewilderment.
The female knight before me also stared at me with a face full of astonishment.
"Your Highness Saintess, this is Brilliant City! I am your Guardian Knight, Hilda. Please stop joking, Your Highness. There is no time left. The demon army is already at our gates! If we don't leave now, it will be too late!!"
Demon army?
Your Highness Saintess?
At the gates?
Wait a second, why does all of this sound so familiar?
I vaguely remember... isn't this the setting from that 18+ masterpiece 【The Holy Maiden’s Tragic Ruin】 that I just bought through a proxy from Japan?
Wait.
Hold on just a minute!
Could it be...?
I glanced at the nuns behind me. Since they were calling me the Saintess, I should have a great deal of authority.
"Bring me a mirror."
"Your Highness, why do you need a mirror at a time like this?"
Anxiety was written all over the female knight's face. The demon army had somehow broken through the border blockade and appeared right before the city, giving no one any time to react.
Currently, the defenses of Brilliant City were hollow. If they didn't leave now, there would be no chance left!
Hilda suspected that Duke Simmons at the border had already defected to the enemy. Otherwise, how could such a massive army enter the territory without a single word of warning?
As a Guardian Knight, it was her duty to protect the Saintess. As a holy knight, she could not allow the pure Saintess to fall into the hands of the demon army.
She knew exactly how terrifying the demon army was from their endless methods of torture.
Especially toward women!
Whether they were elves, dwarves, humans, or any other race, once they fell into the hands of the demon army, they would suffer inhumane humiliation!
They might even be transformed into shameless... indescribable beings using all sorts of unknown potions by the demons!!
No matter what, Hilda did not want to see that happen. She had even prepared herself mentally to kill the Saintess with her own hands and then commit suicide.
'I must never let the Saintess fall into the hands of the demon army!!'
That would not only be an insult to a Guardian Knight but also a massive blow to the entire Holy Church!
Watching the Saintess stare blankly into the mirror, Hilda had no idea that the 'Saintess' she respected had already been replaced.
"Is this... me?"
The girl in the mirror had her small mouth open in surprise. Looking at the angle of that opening, the demon army would probably be very satisfied—at least those orcs would be.
"Your Highness Saintess, what on earth are you looking at!?"
Hilda asked anxiously. At this moment, every second counted, yet the Saintess was completely unresponsive.
No one knew what the Saintess was trying to do at such a critical juncture.
I reached out and lightly touched the cold surface of the mirror, and the girl in the reflection mirrored the movement.
Two slender, porcelain-white fingertips met at a single point on the glass.
Her silver hair cascaded down to her waist like a galaxy of stars, while her red eyes shimmered with faint ripples of light. With a high-bridged nose and thin, rosy lips, this perfect maiden’s face possessed both the delicate beauty of an Eastern painting and the defined features of the West.
The girl in the mirror looked as if she had been meticulously carved by the Creator himself, like someone who had stepped out of a painting. No matter the angle, she was utterly perfect.
'If this was my wife, I could die happy.'
An intense urge to pull her into my arms and cherish her welled up inside me.
But logic told me that this was a mirror, and the perfect girl reflected in it... was me.
"Your Highness Saintess?"
Hearing the call in my ear, I finally snapped out of my daze and looked at the female knight beside me.
The knight’s face was filled with anxiety; she had clearly reached her limit, and her voice rose unconsciously.
"Your Highness Saintess!! Now is not the time for jokes!! The demon army is at the gates! If we don't escape now..."
At this point, Hilda found herself unable to continue. She didn't want such filthy words to reach the Saintess's ears.
However, even though she stopped speaking, Luo Li suddenly realized everything. Vague memories began to surface clearly in her mind.
'This face... it's that game... Isn't this one of the Seven Saintesses from the game!?'
Luo Li was struck with horror.
【The Holy Maiden’s Tragic Ruin】
This was an eroge hailed as a masterpiece, widely circulated among degenerate players.
It was undeniable that 【The Holy Maiden’s Tragic Ruin】 was indeed a masterpiece. The plot and character designs were of a quality never seen before!
The player's goal was to lead the demon army, conquer the seven kingdoms, and capture the seven saintesses!
And this face belonged to the one who best suited my tastes among all the saintesses.
Her name was Luo Li Saint Sariel.
What kind of 'surprise' was this!?
In this kind of life, there was only 'shock' and not a single bit of 'joy'.
I would rather kill myself than be tortured in every possible way by demons and turned into a shameless, indescribable thing!
'No, I can't stay passive like this! I have to find a way. If things follow the original plot, I'm going to be pinned down in front of the city by the demon army and treated like this and that in public! The plot... right, the plot!'
As she recalled the details, Luo Li finally calmed down. She habitually rubbed her fingers together as she sorted through the progression of the story.
This movement was an old habit, but now her fingertips lacked their former roughness, feeling smooth and delicate instead.
'The demon army... I remember this part of the story. The demon army didn't bring any supplies or rations. They came here directly through the Great Desert. They can't maintain a siege for long!!'
Luo Li looked up at the Guardian Knight before her—Hilda.
In this battle, after the Saintess was captured due to the 'surround three and leave one open' tactic and subjected to various unspeakable acts before the city gates, the knights' pride was shattered, and they eventually all committed suicide.
Hilda was also captured and eventually broken into a tool for demonic beasts!
No, I can't leave the city. If I go out, I'm dead. I have to take the future into my own hands!
Luo Li pondered for a long time, her heart prepared to burn her bridges. She had to fight for it no matter what. Even if it really didn't work out, she couldn't fall into the hands of the demons!
"Guardian Knight Hilda."
"Yes!"
Suddenly called by name, Hilda looked at the gaze that was completely different from the usual pure look. Though the Saintess was smiling, her eyes were sharp, causing Hilda to unconsciously stand straighter.
"Inform the City Defense Force to seal the West Gate! God is with us. If we abandon the city and flee, forsaking the God we believe in, how can we pray for His protection? Hilda, I believe in you, and I believe the other knights can protect me and the God we serve!"
Even facing the situation where the demon army was at the gates, the Saintess remained composed, which ignited a spark of hope in Hilda’s heart!
At that moment, her resolve became firm!
No matter what, they could not lose this battle!
Otherwise, how could they face the God they believed in? And how could they face the Saintess who trusted them so much?!
"Yes, Your Highness Saintess! As your Guardian Knight, I, Hilda, will protect Brilliant City and you, even if it costs me my life!"
The surrounding nuns all knelt on the ground, their faces filled with reverence.
One had to admit, the psychological resilience of the Holy Church's Guardian Knights was truly excellent. Regardless of her actual strength, Hilda went to execute the order without hesitation the moment she received it.
Watching the departing back of the Guardian Knight, Luo Li let out a long breath and turned back to look at the nuns who were still busy packing.
"Drop what you're doing and come here."
The nuns looked at each other but eventually put down their belongings.
They were at a dead end now; even these powerless nuns had to be put to use.
But just as the confused nuns walked over, a sharp and unpleasant voice echoed from a distance.
"What are you doing?! Who told you to stop?! Hurry up and pack the luggage to get the Saintess out of the city!!"
Rate on N.U.
