Life in Another World With Narration

5 – Saint Sistina

In a room where a purple demonic aura was subtly rising.

At the end of a giant throne, a small girl with black hair and red eyes was swinging her legs.

Her name was Versela, a high-ranking demon who ascended to the position of the 5th Demon King after her predecessor was defeated by the hero.

Versela’s residence, the Demon King’s Castle Kutranuktus, was a realm full of powerful monsters.

A terrifying place where even ordinary adventurers couldn’t step foot in.

But even there, Versela trembled with anxiety.

“Ugh… The hero hasn’t been found yet…”

She muttered, biting her lower lip.

The memory of her father, the previous Demon King, being defeated by the hero was still vivid.

A Demon King is always defeated by a hero.

And in a world that has found peace, a new Demon King appears.

This cycle had been repeated four times already.

As soon as one becomes a Demon King, they must wait for the day a hero comes to kill them.

Versela was terrified of this fate.

The previous Demon Kings didn’t just sit and wait.

They prepared by fortifying the Demon King’s Castle and gathering powerful monsters.

But such methods never stopped the heroes.

Heroes are beings who appear to defeat the Demon King, blessed by the Goddess.

No matter how many powerful monsters the Demon King summons or what traps and barriers are set up, it’s useless.

“I won’t end up like my father.”

Thus, the 5th Demon King Versela decided that confronting the hero with force was pointless.

Her cunning plan was to find and kill the hero before they could become strong.

Versela sent monsters, disguised with transformation magic, into the human world to find out how the hero appears.

The churches worshiping the seven Goddesses hold regular meetings, where they select a saint through oracles.

The chosen saint receives revelations from the Goddess to find the hero.

That’s how the hero comes into being.

Heroes are not strong enough to confront the Demon King from the start.

An ordinary-looking young man from a rural village could be a hero.

But once the hero starts adventuring and gaining experience, they grow stronger at a terrifying pace.

Strong enough to defeat even the Demon King.

Versela knew she couldn’t win against such a powerful hero.

So, decades ago, she sent a high-ranking demon known as the Lord of Deception, Xavier, to a human village.

Xavier, disguised as a young boy, entered the

church as an apprentice priest, gained the trust of humans, and eventually became the bishop of a diocese.

Moreover, with a saint being chosen in Xavier’s diocese, finding the hero was thought to be a matter of time.

But no news came, even after a long time.

The saint hadn’t found the hero.

Versela could have waited longer, but she lacked patience.

Ultimately, she ordered Xavier to kill the saint, hoping the next one would find the hero more quickly.

* * *

That very evening, after convincing Saint Sistina in the back alley of the general store.

I hurriedly prepared to leave the town.

Considering Bishop Xavier’s plan could be executed at any time, it was too risky to stay in the church.

Even knowing the bishop planned to kill the saint, there was no way to deal with it at the moment.

The best option was to flee.

Fortunately, Sistina was more proactive about the escape plan than I expected.

Since she originally wanted to quit being a saint, a clear motive made her decision easier.

After getting Sistina’s agreement, we decided to execute our escape that evening.

Being originally a beggar, I had nothing in particular to take with me, so I secretly left the church and waited at the entrance of the town.

After a while, Sistina appeared, dressed in a long robe with a hood, just like when we met in the back alley of the general store.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No, I just arrived.”

Sistina still seemed somewhat anxious.

“Do we have enough money for the carriage?”

At my question, she quietly nodded and showed me a heavy-looking purse.

“Then let’s go.”

I hurried with Sistina to where we could catch a carriage.

* * *

The carriage slowly moved through the thick darkness.

I expected we would need money, but I didn’t anticipate being charged so much extra for a night departure.

I barely managed to persuade the coachman, who was reluctant to travel at night, with money.

Luckily, we could solve it with the money Sistina had.

Our destination was a city called Kovel.

Since I barely knew the geography of this world, Sistina chose the destination.

Kovel was a trading city, also known as a free city.

Sistina chose it because there were no churches there.

“It feels strange.”

Since the carriage was designed so that the inside couldn’t be seen from outside, Sistina took off her stifling hood and spoke.

“It’s a matter of life and death, so we have no choice.”

—

“That’s true. Now that I’ve fled the church, I’m no longer a saint.”

Sistina said with a bitter expression.

She got what she wanted, quitting as a saint, but not in the way she had hoped for.

“Thinking back, Bishop Xavier’s behavior was odd.”

“How so?”

“Yes. Since I wasn’t receiving any revelations, he once came to my house. He was a bit pressing, asking if I was praying properly at home and suggesting that I might consider receiving training again at a holy site.”

“That must have been troublesome.”

It seems Bishop Xavier was quite anxious.

“From now on, please call me Tina.”

Sistina looked at me and said.

“Tina?”

“It’s better to hide my identity. Otherwise, Bishop Xavier won’t just sit idly if he finds out the saint has suddenly disappeared.”

True, changing her name would be wise to avoid any inconveniences as we start a new life.

“What will you do once we arrive in Kovel, Tina?”

I immediately started using her new name.

Tina, still not used to being called that, replied with an awkward expression.

“I need to find a job. Kovel has many opportunities, so it should be fine. What about you?”

She asked me in return.

I wanted to say I’d become an adventurer! But then I remembered the expensive swords at the weapon shop.

To even step into the guild, I’d need basic equipment and to learn swordsmanship.

Thinking about it, being an adventurer in this world also seemed to require capital.

Well, what can I do? Now that it’s come to this, I need to earn some money somehow.

“I’ll also have to find a job.”

“Figures.”

“And then I’ll save up to become an adventurer.”

I couldn’t give up on my dream.

* * *

The free city of Kovel.

Upon arriving in Kovel, Tina and I wished each other luck and parted ways after a brief farewell.

We both had reasons to flee the church, but there was no reason to stick together in a new city.

“Yunoa was regretful for missing the opportunity to be with a beauty like Tina. Despite the obvious need for capability to be with someone like her, Yunoa was naive to have such thoughts. Now, all he had left was a little silver and his useless self.”

As soon as I was alone again, the narration mercilessly ridiculed me.

“Well, that’s true.”

I wasn’t particularly upset.

The narration was right, after all.

It was almost a personal attack, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t wrong.

My life before being reincarnated in another world could be summarized in two words: NEET, hikikomori.

Escaping reality, I chose to be reincarnated in another world.

I never thought it would actually happen.

I imagined that in another world, just breathing would lead to a cheat-like life where everything goes well.

But living here turned out to be just as hard.

In fact, with more life-threatening dangers, it might be an even harsher world.

Initially, I couldn’t accept that and couldn’t contain my anger at the narration’s harsh words.

Every time I tried to do something good, it appeared to remind me, ‘Remember, you’re just a useless trash.’

But after working hard cleaning the church daily and sleeping in an uncomfortable storage room, I gradually realized something.

The words of the narration were uncomfortable truths.

It took me a long time to accept and acknowledge them.

But there’s one thing I did achieve here.

I saved a saint’s life, albeit with the help of the narration.

I think I can take pride in that.

“Now, let’s earn some money doing whatever I can.”

I stretched and looked at the bustling scenery of Kovel, the free city.

Despite everything, I felt like I had just arrived in another world.

“Yunoa reflected on how he had lived like trash and had a moment of self-reflection. But such thoughts alone won’t change anything.”

Yeah, I get it.

Just do something.

With that resolve, I stepped into the streets of Kovel.

I was determined to make the narration one day sing my praises.

* * *