Prologue – Chapter 7

Chapter 07 Birth of Saint Iris and Hero Louis

The saint in question was inside the cathedral, in front of a statue representing the Holy Goddess Admis.
Unlike the front of the cathedral, which was overflowing with a large number of believers of the Grand Sacred, the inside of the cathedral, which had been cleared of people, was cut off from the commotion outside and quieted down.
In the innermost part of the cathedral, the saint stood by herself as if to welcome Louis and the others.
 
"- I’ve finally able to meet you."
 
she was a beautiful girl
She has silver hair, the color of God, and amethyst eyes that ignite deep intelligence.
Her long eyelashes are pretty and her pale pink lips form a small arc.
I wonder if her height is around 160.
She wears a priestess dress embroidered with gold, and her appearance, which reveals her terrifyingly well-equipped face, makes her aptly called the beloved child of the goddess. Coupled with the location of the cathedral, it made her think of herself as a goddess herself.
 
With a voice resembling the sound of a bell, she said.
 
“My name is Iris Shenfid.
"I’m Louis."
 
Louis, who had been briefed beforehand that he didn't need to kneel, stood in front of her and simply replied.
The first impression Louis had of the saint was that it was too ephemeral.
 
--Saintess Iris
 
Standing at the forefront of the anti-demon race, she has defeated even the devils, and can be called the ultimate fighting force among the genuine human race.
Her existence can be said to be the last hope left for humanity, and she says that there are many soldiers who devote themselves to fighting the demons with her existence as the pillar of their heart. 
But her appearance was too far removed from that of a warrior.
First of all, her beautiful appearance.
Her skin didn't have a single scar, the usual medal for the battlefield.
On the contrary, her skin, which doesn't even show any stains, maintains a tension that makes it seem like it's going to tremble when you poke it.
Her long silver hair with her fantastic color stretched down to her waist.
Her hair, which was not tied up above her head and was simply let down naturally, was haloed by the sunlight shining into the cathedral.
Her whole body was wrapped in the priestly robe of the Great Holy Church.
The priest's robe with gold embroidery on a white base is one that you can tell at a glance that it's sacred.
The only thing he could see except for her face, is her fingertips which were thin and long. 
Louis unintentionally scowled at her thin fingers, as if she would break after using a sword with one swing.
And her body was voluptuous enough to be seen even over the thick Shinto priest's robes where lines were hard to come out.
Her waist that draws a gentle curve, her chest robe that sticks out, her belly is hidden by the priest's robe, but her lean face, considering her height, it was thought that her proportions were surprising.
In general, she is not suited for fighting, and she has a fragile appearance that would make people nod when introduced as the daughter of an aristocrat.
When she hears his name, Louis, she gives a nod in return, and her eyes narrow slightly in confusion and turn to the other person.
 
"... what about those people?"
"It's Claire."
"Are you… perhaps his attendant...?"
“I’m just a childhood friend. I was specially let in by someone from the church.”
 
Iris seemed troubled by Claire, who naturally followed him.
In the cathedral, where other than the saint, Iris, are all church officials, the presence of her, who is neither a saint nor a hero, looks strange.
However, she probably agreed with Claire's explanation. Once Saint Iris acknowledged Claire's presence, she turned her gaze back to Louis.
“Thank you for coming all the way from the distant Kingdom of Satasha to here in the Holy Kingdom of Sera, Hero-sama……and your attendant.”
Saying that, Iris lowers her head.
The Holy Kingdom of Sera is located to the north of Louis' Satasha Kingdom, which is located in the southwest of the western continent.
These two countries are adjacent to each other on the map, but it took a week to get here because Louis's village was located in the western part of the kingdom.
Louis was captivated by Iris' smooth and flowing silver silk hair as she bowed her head and thanked him.
“I have heard that the bishop has already told you the general story… Please come over here.”
"……this is?"
Raising her head, Iris once approached the podium behind her and picked up the item that was placed on top of it.
And when he approach her, holding it up respectfully, she presents it to Louis in her hands.
 
It was a single sword.
It's about 1m long. It has a guard and a grip, and is wrapped in thin cloth to hide the blade.
 
"This is the holy sword."
"……Holy sword"
 
It was one of the names I heard in the bishop's story.
A single straight sword said to have been wielded by the hero during the Great War long ago.
The sword is said to have been handcrafted by the Holy God Admis.
……At this point, Louis was still hesitant.
He didn't even know about the situation outside the village. And the suspicion why he was chosen by humanity who are being pushed to the brink as the hero who will appear to save them.
Besides, he wondered what he could protect as a hero.
However, such thoughts vanished when he was actually in front of the saint and the holy sword.
(When I think about it, I became strong to protect someone)
This woman is also fighting to save people.
And you can also gain the power to protect people.
When Louis looked at the saint as he was probing her, she nodded slightly.
Seeing that nod, Louis gently took the hilt of the holy sword she holds.
"...!"
In an instant, my vision was filled with light.
However, Louis, who reflexively covered his eyes, narrowed his eyes at the gentle light that shined brilliantly but didn't feel dazzling.
The holy sword that Louis held in his handle, its blade was enveloped in a warm light.
Seeing that the radiance of the holy sword that emitted an explosive light gradually subsided, Louis turned his gaze to the saint.
The saint looked back at Louis's gaze that was directed at her and said.
 
"--It looks like you've been safely chosen as the holy sword. With this, Louis-sama has been proven to be a hero."
 
The light emitted by the holy sword is the light of demon destruction.
The holy attributes handled by the priests of the Grand Sacred religion are close to miracles that humans can wield by borrowing even a small amount of power from gods.
However, this holy sword was inspired by God itself, and its essence is the power of the Holy God Admis.
As an amateur Louis could understand, the light emitted by the holy sword was divine, and its brilliance was filled with overwhelming power.
 
“Would you please wield your power to save humanity?”
 
Iris asked Louis who was fascinated by the brilliance of the holy sword.
When Louis looked up, Iris's eyes greeted him with a sincere gaze.
Her eyes said What do you want to do with that power?
 
"If this will save someone."
 
Louis naturally answered yes.
The initial suspicions and hesitation had already disappeared from his mind.
"I see"
The saint's eyes narrowed dazzlingly upon receiving Louis' straight answer.
--I won't make anyone sad anymore.
The scene was filled with the sacredness of being displayed in one scene of the story.
 
A holy maiden who bestows a holy sword, and a hero who carries a holy sword with his new mission in his eyes.
If there were other people here, they would have bowed unintentionally. The glittering figures of the two are illuminated by the light that shines through the stained glass decorated in the cathedral.
 
 
"... Haa..."
 
It's a secret that she let out a sigh of resignation in front of the two, who were looking forward to a new beginning.

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