Running Away From The Hero! (Remake) #Chapter 278 - Read Running Away From The Hero! (Remake) Chapter 278 Online - All Page

Chapter 278

278

Side Story – Memories of a Princess (51)

#66 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Saintess

“Why are you stopping me?!”

I glared at the holy knights holding me back. I had to judge that wicked follower of the evil god right now. Such a vile being must be removed from this world immediately.

“He’s a key figure in the Empire, a close aide to the First Princess!”

“You must restrain yourself. If you kill him without solid proof, we don’t know what might happen.”

“Please, control yourself.”

No solid proof? No, there was definite proof. What better evidence than that wooden stick?

“Bring the stick. Now.”

“Your speech is changing again, Saintess!”

“Please stop, Saintess.”

“Please, uphold the dignity of our church.”

“Please…”

Some were trying to calm me down, some were desperately pleading. Others were trying to reason with me, while some just silently blocked my path. Among all these people, none were on my side.

“Sigh…”

I couldn’t help but sigh. If only they had experienced it themselves, they would understand. Why couldn’t they see what I saw?

“Ah…”

Then, it dawned on me. The reason for our differing opinions was simple: they hadn’t felt the same pain I did from that cursed weapon.

“Fine. If that’s what you all believe…”

“Do you understand, Saintess?”

“Let’s present the evidence, then.”

“What?”

I pushed past the holy knight blocking my way and headed to the tent the Empire had lent us. The knights who had tried to stop me realized I wasn’t heading towards the vile person and followed me closely.

In the tent, I retrieved the cursed weapon I had taken from that wicked being. It looked like an ordinary wooden stick, but its malevolent power was undeniable, even to me, the Saintess of the Church of Peace.

“Of course…”

This ominous feeling, the stick fitting perfectly in my hand—it was uncanny.

“That won’t serve as evidence, I told you, Aaaaah!”

Without hesitation, I swung the stick at the doubting holy knight.

“Aaaah!”

Even though I was now the Saintess, I was a former candidate for a holy knight just three years ago. If I hadn’t become the Saintess, my talent would have made me the youngest holy knight of the Church of Peace.

“Saintess!”

“What are you doing?!”

As three knights writhed on the ground in pain, the other knights stared at me in shock.

“I am bestowing faith upon the unfaithful.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I learned the truth when I struck myself with this vile weapon.”

“No way…”

One of the knights seemed to understand what I meant.

“Yes, exactly.”

“What are you talking about?”

The other knights still didn’t get it.

“The Saintess… intends to…”

“Indeed. I plan to…”

Shlick—

Holding the stick, I felt as if I hadn’t missed a day of practice. Was this also the weapon’s power?

No, that wasn’t important now.

“I plan to beat the faith into you all.”

“Everyone run! The Saintess has gone mad!”

I struck the knight who understood first. Screams filled the air as more knights were hit, and soon everyone was either fleeing or trying to defend themselves.

“Peace be upon you, grant me strength to protect the world.”

A short prayer. That was enough to make me feel lighter.

Invocation.

With this ability, one can borrow divine power through prayer, and those who can’t use it aren’t considered priests. Using invocation signifies that one’s prayers reach the gods, and not being able to use it means a lack of faith.

Invocation grants power proportional to one’s faith, and my faith…

Thud!

“Run away! Aaaah!”

As one of the strongest in the Church, alongside the priests traveling with the Hero, my invocation was powerful.

“Everyone, repent and be saved!”

“Stop her!”

“Argh!”

“She’s unstoppable! She’s the Saintess! Run!”

Some knights tried to stop me while others fled. But anyone hit by the cursed weapon fell immediately.

Within a short time, I had subdued everyone and stood triumphantly, holding the stick.

“Do you still think there’s no evidence?”

There was no response. The knights on the ground only groaned in pain.

“Your faith is lacking.”

What distinguishes a knight from a holy knight? Many answers might come to mind: skill, affiliation, mindset, or their protector. But my view is different.

Holy knights and knights are essentially the same. Just as knights swear loyalty to their lords, holy knights swear loyalty to their gods.

The holy knights of the Church of Peace must protect all that exists in the world, as the gods’ people.

“To protect the world, holy knights must heed the world’s cries.”

“Argh!”

I swung the weapon at a groaning knight on the ground.

“They must detect the world’s threats faster than others.”

“Aaaah!”

Another knight screamed as I swung again.

“Please, have mercy!”

“Remember your mistake and repent!”

“Kill me…”

“I’m sorry, Saintess. I’ll never doubt you again, please have mercy!”

After an hour, with all the knights down, I finally sat down and sighed.

“Have you repented?”

“Yes…”

“The Saintess is right…”

“I understand…”

The knights’ hollow eyes now reflected the truth.

“That man is…”

“An evil being…”

“He must be eliminated…”

“An apostle of the evil god…”

It was a moment of triumph. My efforts had paid off. The knights now saw the truth.

“Let’s execute the sentence tomorrow.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

“As you wish…”

Finally, the vile being would be eradicated.

#67 Their Situation: The Situation of a Certain Villain

“I will judge this vile being!”

The Saintess returned. This was similar to yesterday, but something had changed.

“Uoooo…”

“Kill him! Kill the vile being!”

“He’s definitely an apostle of the evil god!”

“Kill him! Kill him!”

“He must not be allowed to live!”

The holy knights who had previously restrained the Saintess were now advocating for my execution.

“What do we do, Ast? The holy knights have discovered your true nature.”

“…Your Highness, I’m really going to die at this rate. Can we stop joking?”

What is this princess relying on to joke around like this? Surely, she doesn’t mean it won’t matter if I die, right?

“Your Highness, you wouldn’t really abandon me, would you?”

The princess before me wasn’t just a wicked noble but a truly wicked royal. Rumors had said that those working under the princess couldn’t last a month, and only a handful had survived three months.

The epitome of an evil royal!

“Hmm… I need to think about it.”

“Your Highness!”

Her wicked smile made her look like a true evil royal. I couldn’t trust her at all.

Fine, the old saying goes that if you trust someone, they will stab you in the back. I should trust myself, not her.

“Objection!”

I declared, hoping to reverse the trial.

Yes, even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits, you can survive. Though I had never seen someone survive a tiger’s den, the saying existed for a reason.

“We do not accept objections from an evil being.”

“What?”

My attempt to turn the tide was immediately dismissed by the Saintess.

“Shouldn’t I be allowed to speak?”

“We should not let evil beings speak. I grew up in the church from the age of four, and I know this.”

“What do you know…”

“Evil beings are excellent speakers. They turn nonsense into truth. They are skilled at deceiving others.”

“Oh…”

The princess and Sir Lea looked shocked as if wondering how she knew this. I was probably making a similar face.

“In the church, we are educated to become righteous people to fulfill the will of the gods and maintain world peace. But evil beings change people through their deceptive words. Hence, I will not let you speak.”

This was absurd. To demand my execution without allowing me to defend myself was outrageous.

Yet, there was nothing I could do.

“The Saintess is so firm…”

“Has she ever been like this before?”

“But if he made that cursed weapon… isn’t she right?”

The other church members were just as taken aback by the Saintess’s resolute attitude.

Why was she using such determination against me? Because I hit her with a bat? I didn’t even hit her myself!

“She won’t let me speak!”

“Keep your evil mouth shut!”

“Oh…”

Her intense spirit made me fall silent. If I were an innocent person, I would be speaking up out of sheer frustration, but I had too much to hide.

“You spoke so well before. Why so silent now?”