Bonus: The Fallen Saint and the Witch’s Error

(Tink~)

With a soft clink, a teacup was slowly placed onto a saucer, echoing through the silent room.

"...."

In the world of Ky'lar, within her mansion, the witch Noelle Nostrade enjoyed a moment of calm. She was a witch of only twenty-five years who, aside from her vast magical powers and knowledge of the craft, possessed no pretentious air, being simply an ordinary woman for her age.

"Haah~"

However, regardless of Noelle's personal opinion, the reality was that with her long, neat brown hair, she possessed a generous and assertive bust, round and firm legs—sturdy and thick despite her lack of athletic skill—and a well-toned waist that exuded a sexual appeal, making her the envy even of her peers.

(Knock, knock)

But at that moment, shattering Noelle’s tranquility, a loud knock echoed at the mansion’s main door.

(A visitor...?)

Noelle’s life would have been perfect, and as time passed, she would have been remembered as one of the most beloved figures in the history of the world of Ky'lar...

(... I wonder who it could be.)

Unfortunately, her fate, her legacy, and her very existence were about to be cruelly twisted by the single mistake she was on the verge of making.

(It’s unusual for me to receive visitors... and what is this presence...?)

Surprised by the sudden visit, Noelle tried to decipher who it was by sensing their magical power...

(... I sense nothing.)

But she was unable to determine any trace of magical power from her unexpected visitor.

(I don’t want trouble, so please give up and go back home.)

Because of this, being cautious, Noelle cast a spell to shut the door and reinforce the mansion’s defenses, fortifying it so no one could enter, allowing her to deal with the visitor appropriately.

(Grrr...)

However...

(No way... I thought I had sealed it correctly.)

The door that was supposed to be reinforced and sealed swung open easily, as if nothing had happened at all.

"What...?!"

Finally, as the door swung open, Noelle couldn't believe her eyes upon reaching the mansion's entrance, exclaiming in surprise.

"Holy Zarina...?!"

One look at the visitor’s appearance was enough for Noelle to understand how her spell had been broken so easily upon recognizing her.

"Why are you here?"

From the doorway that had admitted an unexpected guest, a petite girl in a white robe appeared.

"I was certain you were missing... so, why are you here?"

After stepping inside, the girl removed her hood and brushed back her long, blue hair.

"...."

It was her, Zarina, a girl who appeared even younger than her biological sixteen years suggested, being both a saint and a renowned figure.

"Why aren't you saying anything, Zarina?"

However, Zarina's sudden appearance wasn't the only reason Noelle was taken aback...

"If you suddenly pull something like this and have no excuse, I will consider you an enemy and eliminate you."

Holy Zarina had vanished suddenly a month ago, worrying everyone in the Sacred Kingdom and even Noelle herself, as she hadn't been seen—or even sighted—despite the extensive efforts put into finding her.

"...."

Because of that, Noelle kept her guard up as she watched the "missing" Zarina, who remained silent, staring fixedly at her with her hands clasped together.

"The divine protections of saints... they are troublesome."

Seeing that Zarina still wouldn't respond, Noelle unleashed a powerful fire spell upon her...

"Attacking you while you always defend yourself like that."

But when the spell silently struck her and the smoke dissipated, Zarina emerged unscathed.

"...."

Noelle’s magic was naturally powerful, belonging to a superior category. However, saints were beings blessed with divine protections by the gods that acted as innate talents—ranging from elemental immunities to combat or perception skills—operating as personal physical laws granted by the gods with whom they shared compatibility...

"Lady Noelle, I have something to tell you."

And among the saints, Zarina had been blessed with perfect compatibility with all kinds of gods, giving her body access to every divine protection she had received.

"No, I have nothing to say. Please, go home."

For that reason, being aware of the absolute disadvantage she was in, Noelle opted to end the dialogue, sensing that something was wrong...

"It doesn't work like that..."

Unfortunately, she made that decision too late, as a new figure emerged by the door, sealing her fate.

"Hey, big brother, let's hurry up. I'm tired of waiting."

The tense standoff between Noelle and Zarina was broken by the interruption of the new intruder, who spoke with a smile from behind Zarina.

"This confirms it for me... who are you? I thought you’d been behaving strangely for a while now, so why did you come here?"

At that moment, hearing the man refer to Zarina as "big brother," Noelle frowned and turned her attention toward him.

"Hey, hey, hey! You ruined everything. This woman hadn't even noticed yet."

But then Zarina herself, closing her eyes in exasperation, turned toward the frivolous man.

"I’m sorry, Brother! But why don't you just take her already?"

In response, the man—being scolded by the girl in a tone that didn't match her appearance at all—backed away while apologizing.

"You know... do you know how much it cost me to dominate this body? Try to use your head more."

Hearing every word of their conversation, Noelle was on high alert, watching both "visitors."

"Hey, you’re leaving me out of this. Who are you? No, I’ll rephrase my question... who are you, disguised as Zarina?"

Finally, Noelle, with her gaze fixed on both of them, summoned her staff and pointed it as she asked...

"Ahh, my plans have gone wrong, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Hey, Noelle... who do you think I am?"

In response to Noelle's cold question, Holy Zarina, combing through her beautiful hair, sighed deeply and asked a question in return, as if she had given up on something.

"Huh? You are a fake Zarina. I’ve spoken with the real Zarina before, but what is with the way you talk? She doesn't act like this at all."

Frowning at the strange and unpleasant question, Noelle replied with her staff raised high.

"Hmm, so you think a fake saint could do something like this?"

However, when "Zarina" extended her hand toward Noelle...

"What? I... I can't move...?"

In response, Noelle had used magic to create a barrier, but it was easily bypassed by "Zarina's" magic, leaving Noelle immobilized.

"No one can defeat the magical power of a saint, not even the Great Witch!"

Noelle had lived ten years longer than Zarina, possessing accumulated magical knowledge and refined powers that had earned her the title of witch; yet, despite that, she still couldn't match the magical strength of Zarina as a blessed saint.

"Eso es tan estúpido... ¡¿Quién eres realmente?!"

A victim of the situation, Noelle shouted in confusion after being immobilized.

"What do you think, Lady Noelle? This is Zarina’s power."

Although she had been on guard, she never imagined something like this would happen.

"Your way of speaking..."

At that moment, Zarina’s tone changed completely; she now spoke with modesty and courtesy, even altering her behavior.

"Well, if I wanted to, I could pretend to be Zarina—or rather, become Zarina. But since it’s a bit tedious, I prefer not to act unless necessary; it’s easier this way."

Zarina, who until then had behaved like a crude man, made an instantaneous shift, releasing the aura of a true saint.

"What do you mean...? It seemed strange to me. I can’t believe the magical powers or the aura you use were fake. I was also surprised you could enter this mansion and that you possess a Saint’s divine protection. But I can’t believe you are her... Wait a moment..."

The sweet and affectionate smile that "Zarina" gave her at that moment terrified Noelle, who, speechless, set her prodigious brain to work in search of a solution...

"Now that I think about it, you told that man earlier that you 'took possession of the body,' didn't you?"

Thus, she reached a fatal conclusion.

"Ah, you heard me correctly."

Upon hearing the confirmation, Noelle tilted an eyebrow, expressing her thoughts as she sought the root of the situation.

"Someone else has taken over Zarina’s body. I’d say you’re one of that man’s allies."

Coming to an answer that was cruelly...

"Ding, dong! That was a great guess. But even if you had been right, it would have been too late. No, the moment I managed to seize this saint's body, your defeat was practically confirmed."

AFFIRMED.

"Incredible, big brother! You predicted this woman's reaction perfectly."

At the words of "Zarina," who stuck her tongue out at Noelle with a triumphant look, the man beside her praised her.

"Idiot! It was your fault for sticking your nose in from the start!"

Zarina’s body might have looked cute at first glance, but her actions were brazen.

"Ahh! I’m sorry, Brother~"

Because of that, the frivolous man behind her could only nod submissively.

"My intention was to pose as the original to make her lower her guard... Well, I guess everything turned out fine in the end."

Noelle, having seen and heard the conversation between "Zarina" and the man, was convinced that everything was happening exactly as she had predicted.

"What the hell are you doing, Zarina! It’s pathetic that you’re a saint and yet these guys have dominated you."

"It’s terrible, Lady Noelle. I don't want to use my body either..."

"Don't try to imitate Zarina! You must be reading her memories or something."

"Well, don't say that, Noe~. It also took a lot of effort for me to dominate this body."

With that, "Zarina" pointed at herself and, with her cute little mouth, revealed the method used to seize the bodies of others. He explained how he had acquired a treasure from the now-fallen Valerius Empire that allowed him to take over others' bodies, using the body of a young priestess first to get close and gather information on Zarina, eventually taking her body as well.

"And that is how we arrived at where we are now."

"It’s terrible... So, what is your goal? You went through the trouble of obtaining a Saint’s power and restraining me. But there are no magical artifacts in this mansion that you could want."

Defenseless, Noelle showed a final sign of resistance against the invaders before her...

"We don't want a magical tool. Our goal is you, Noelle."

But after hearing Noelle's words, "Zarina" pointed a finger directly at her in response...

"Me...? What about me?" she asked, left in utter confusion.

"Don't you get it? In short... would you give me that beautiful body, Lady Noelle~?"

With a wide, twin-like smile on her face, "Zarina" repeated the outrageous demand.

"You’re mocking me again... Stop it and tell me your real purpose!"

However, such a response only infuriated Noelle, who barked back while searching for a way out of the situation.

"No, I’m not lying. I’ve wanted your body from the very start."

"What? What do you mean by 'from the start'?"

"From the beginning. I knew about you, Noelle. Ever since I mastered the power of the artifact, you have been my target."

"Wait, I don't understand. Zarina has stronger magical powers than I do, you know?"

For the first time in her life, Noelle was baffled by the man's purpose, which she couldn't comprehend at all.

"This magical power is incredible, and the Saint’s divine protection is useful, but I had to do all of this just to subdue you."

"I still don't understand. Why would you bother weakening yourself? If there’s a spell you want to use, I’ll give you a grimoire. You should be able to use it with Zarina's body."

"Begging for your life is disgraceful, Noelle."

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just wondering."

Even facing her imminent fate, Noelle could not grasp it...

"That’s why I seek your body. Of course, there’s no other choice but to take such a lewd body!"

Why would someone cast aside great power for such a banal reason?

"You see, I'm satisfied with playing with women."

Noelle looked at "Zarina" with pure scorn.

"I take any woman I like and I violate her."

Her gaze was so cold it wouldn't have been surprising if she had acted and unleashed another blast of fire magic.

"It was also pleasurable to hear them cry and beg for forgiveness. I did what I wanted, lived how I wanted. I was so comfortable I even got bored. That’s when I obtained this power. I took the bodies of all kinds of women. I enjoyed them all, but I wanted to have even more fun."

With delight, "Zarina" spoke of his atrocities using the saint’s body.

"Noelle... I wish I could take that body. Those large breasts, that firm rear, those plump thighs. I want them all to be mine. What did I have to do to achieve that? That’s why I took this Saint's body. With this much magical power, I can't lose to anyone."

Upon hearing the reason someone would abandon the power many would kill for...

"... That is stupid."

Noelle felt her energy drain away as she listened to words filled with such pure, raw desire.