# 22. The Last Companion. The Saint Loves Holy Water (2)
The holy water created by Estia's unique constitution brings intense happiness.
It causes the brain of whoever drinks it to secrete dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure.
It's as if drug-like components are contained within Estia's divine power.
"Ah, ahhh... I, I feel so goooood..."
Her heart pounds intensely as if burning with fire.
She's so happy she forgets where she is.
The sound of her rapidly beating heart echoes in her ears.
Rolling on the floor in ecstasy, Estia was swimming in a whirlpool of joy.
She had no intention of escaping the whirlpool; rather, she seemed to be diving deeper into its core.
"Heh, hehe... Ju, just a liiittle mooore..."
Since there's no cup...
She'll drink directly.
Estia sucked on the fingers of the hand producing holy water.
Concentrating as if not to miss a single drop.
Since there was a set amount of divine power per day, she had to treasure it.
Gulp.
The holy water slides down her throat.
Along with the feeling of a lifetime's worth of happiness rushing in all at once.
The objects around Estia began to look strange to her eyes.
It was a hallucination.
"The beeeed... is opening its mouth...? The windooow... has bars..."
A feeling as if seeing visions of the past.
Inside those bars, there used to be lots of friends...
But now only I remain...?
Though it was a sad past, Estia was smiling brightly.
When she drank holy water, she couldn't help but smile even when she wanted to cry.
"I miss my frieends... I'm jealous..."
Since they believed in the Goddess, they must have gone to a good place, right?
If they were alive, I would have shared this happiness with them.
Such a shame.
Estia's friends who were dragged away by the cult leader never returned.
A friend who received an injection in the basement died coughing up blood.
Amidst the terror of disappearing one by one, Estia survived until the end.
However, even after being treated that way by the cult, Estia had no intention of escaping.
Because.
"This iiis heaven... This is paradiiise..."
There's no reason to escape.
If I'm happy and people are happy, that's good enough.
"Heh, hehe..."
Estia let out uncontrollable laughter, giggling away.
Even if there were hard times in the past.
With the Goddess's blessing, Estia was always happy.
A saint who uses holy water like drugs.
This will be the last kidnapping of my life.
The Church of the Goddess located in the center of the capital.
Its size was no different from a building in South Korea.
*'I have to find the saint in a place like that...'*
This won't be easy.
Invisibility magic won't work like when I kidnapped from the Cecilia family last time.
The Church is a group of religious people who follow the goddesses.
They, who use divine power religiously, don't like theoretical mages who use magic.
Therefore, they've installed a barrier that blocks magic throughout the entire church.
Which means?
"I have to solve this with physical prowess..."
There must be tons of manpower inside the church.
Is that even possible?
Still, since Minerva set this as a problem, it can't be impossible.
"I'll know if it's possible or impossible once I try."
I took out a white mask from my subspace pocket and put it on.
It was the same mask I wore when I kidnapped Saten last time.
In that state, I left the alley and boldly entered the church.
Then, a believer wearing religious robes popped out.
"Welcome, our Church of the Goddess welcomes believers... Huh, a mask...?"
"..."
The believer who faced me wearing a mask stiffened their expression and blinked in confusion.
It's understandable they'd be surprised.
Some crazy person suddenly entered the church wearing a mask.
The believer restored their expression and said.
"Ahaha, in our church, mask-wearing is prohibited for identity verification. I'll hold onto your mask, so would you please remove it?"
"Why should I?"
"...Pardon?"
I spoke boldly.
As if there was absolutely no need to remove the mask.
The believer seemed rather surprised, and I spoke to them as if there was no problem.
"Why should I, a Grimoire member, remove my mask? Do you want to die?"
Hide your identity if you can hide it.
And if you're not caught, pin it on someone else.
The knight orders that must be chasing me who kidnapped Saten.
To confuse them, I disguised myself as a Grimoire member.
So the investigation net won't close in on me.
I whispered in the frozen believer's ear.
"The goddesses can go fuck themselves. This place is now ruled by me, a Grimoire member."
Hide myself in the chaos.
And so began the kidnapping of the last companion of the Hero Party.
Saint Estia.
"What? An intruder from Grimoire has appeared...!?"
At those words, Holy Knight Eric jumped up from his seat.
According to the believers, a battle was taking place in the church's main hall.
"Grimoire. Where do you bastards think this is...!!"
Enraged, Eric hurried toward the main hall.
Determined to punish those heretics.
However, when Eric arrived at the main hall...
"Wh, what is this. Two holy knights were defeated...?"
Two holy knights were already collapsed on the floor.
Though they were holy knights who had received harsh training since childhood, they were helplessly defeated before the kidnapper.
"...Damn it. Which way did that heretic go?"
"He went that way!"
At those words, Eric moved his heavy body, running with clanking armor sounds.
*'Today is the day of offering collection, this is bad.'*
The day of offering collection.
The day when offerings are collected from citizens and holy water is distributed according to ranking.
Some citizens offer their entire month's salary, while others even take out loans to make offerings.
Since it was the cult's important source of money, today was an important day.
Meanwhile, Lee Jun-woo, unaware of this fact, had hidden in the auditorium.
*'There are many ordinary people gathered here too, is it an afternoon service?'*
I should hide here to shake off the pursuit team.
Lee Jun-woo changed his mask and clothing for a moment.
Then he sat in an auditorium chair like an ordinary citizen.
"Wh, where did that bastard go?! Find him immediately!!"
"Yes!!"
The holy knights seemed busy, but it had nothing to do with Lee Jun-woo.
At that moment, a figure who appeared to be the 'cult leader' appeared on the distant platform.
He seemed quite heavy and had a greedy face.
He shouted toward the citizens in the auditorium.
"Now then- everyone who attended today's afternoon service- welcome-"
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Mechanically regular applause echoed through the auditorium.
Lee Jun-woo didn't understand the eeriness of it, but he had no choice but to clap along.
*'It's too rigid to be a service, and people's expressions are strange.'*
Expressionless and seemingly empty-minded.
And their gazes were all fixed not on the cult leader, but on the box behind him.
The identity of that box was probably 'holy water'.
It must be that.
*'They're selling holy water to ordinary citizens and addicting them to it like drugs.'*
The future me I saw must have been addicted to holy water and guarded the saint.
If you guard me, I'll give you holy water.
Something like that, probably.
Lee Jun-woo confirmed that the surrounding holy knights had disappeared.
There was no longer any reason for him to remain in the auditorium.
*'My goal is the saint. Saving these people doesn't help me.'*
There's no way to save them anyway, and even if saved, they'll want holy water again.
To structurally save them, the production and supply of holy water must be stopped.
Therefore, by kidnapping the saint who is the producer, this terrible situation can be prevented.
*'I've somehow gained justification.'*
Justification for rationalization.
A very good situation.
Lee Jun-woo looked around and stood up from the auditorium chair.
He didn't know the saint's location, but that wasn't important.
[Lee Jun-woo has confirmed the cult's corruption! The cult are very bad people! We should punish them, right? Then, where could the saint's location be?]
[1. She's on the top floor.]
[2. She's in the basement.]
Because Minerva would tell him the saint's location anyway.
After checking answer choice 2.
The saint was on the top floor.
And one more fact he learned.
*'This crazy church...'*
Inhumane experiments were being conducted in the basement of the Church of the Goddess.
In the church's basement, they were confining children without parents and conducting experiments under the guise of salvation.
The content of those experiments.
Was something only those who had given up being human could do.
"St, stop that bastard-!! Don't let him get near Lady Estia-!!"
"..."
Somehow breaking through the holy knights' security.
I finally arrived at the top floor of the church.
Holy knights were charging with divine power wrapped around their swords, but they weren't really my match.
"You guys have less sword talent than the Hero."
"Wh, what...!"
A movement trying to cut my left arm.
To me, who had been active in the Adventurer's frontline party, the holy knight's movements were slow.
In cities bordering demon territory, there were plenty of guys showing such movements, and with such movements, they'd 100% lose their lives.
"Just because the Demon King isn't invading, the capital is too complacent. You can't protect the church with this level of skill."
"Kyaaak...!!"
Thud-
I didn't take his life, but the holy knight collapsed on the floor clutching his arm.
He seemed to have lost his will to fight and didn't charge anymore.
"If you won't fight, move aside."
"Y, yesss...!"
Scurry-
The holy knight quickly disappeared.
Behind him, a small door was visible.
Probably, as I expected, the saint would be there.
Hearing someone approaching from behind, I quickly opened the saint's door.
What I saw was...
"What the hell is this."
"Heh, hehe... A maaask...? The mask is talkiiing...!"
Estia pointed at me and shouted.
Drooling from her mouth, Saint Estia wore a happy expression.
Is this the same woman I saw this morning?
Where did that benevolent appearance go?
I don't know if I should say this, but she had quite a vulgar expression.
*'...Let me just close the door first.'*
Since a strong presence is approaching from far away.
To buy even a little time, I closed the door.
Bang-
And I asked the saint who seemed out of her mind.
"You make holy water yourself and take it yourself?"
"Heeeh...? I, I don't knoow...! Hihi!"
"I'm asking if you took holy water of your own will."
"Aah, thiis...? Of course I took it myseeelf...!"
Saint Estia couldn't even pronounce properly.
She created white holy water from her hand and held it out to me.
"Mask... wanna drink thiis too...?"
"I'm fine. I don't need to drink that."
I saw that in the future, how could I drink that?
Absolutely not.
More than that, time is of the essence now.
There was no more time to talk with the saint.
*'Holy Knight Eric. That guy would be a bit annoying to deal with.'*
Eric, who appears to be the leader of the holy knights.
That guy clearly has deep experience, and it would take too much time to beat him, so avoiding him was the best strategy now.
If more time is wasted here, the knight orders who received reports will come here too.
Especially the Black Crow Knights.
Their swordsmanship was troublesome to deal with.
"Estia. Stay still. Or rather, you can't move anyway, can you?"
"Uh, uhhh...? What are you dooing...? Yooou...? Why are you tying meee...?"
Estia tilted her head and looked at me with hazy golden eyes.
Then, she brought her nose to my clothes for a moment, then shouted in surprise.
"You, maaask...! You're that guy from back theen...? I wanted to have you, and you came! Hihi!"
"...You wanted to have me?"
"Mmhm, you look strong, and since you're the Goddess's apostle you seemed really strong... If I soaked you in holy water for 10 days, you could have been reborn... It was a shaaame..."
"..."
That wasn't information I particularly wanted to know.
Talking with Estia any further seems meaningless.
I tied her up with rope and bound her to my back.
So she'd never fall off.
As I completely pressed her and myself together, with a crash-! sound, Holy Knight Eric appeared.
"You masked bastard...!! How dare a heretic come here...!!"
"Is there a law saying Grimoire members can't pray?"
"You piece of trash. Playing word games."
Eric was furious.
His gaze was directed only at Estia, and he seemed to be worried about her.
The eyes of someone worried about Estia who handles the church's money.
And eyes that seemed to hold abnormal, ugly desires.
He seemed to have both simultaneously.
"For a holy knight, you're quite ugly. Is the basement your taste too?"
"You saw that too. Then I can't let you live. And Lady Estia and I are the Goddess's revelation. For our happiness. She will bestow blessings. I'm just waiting for the right time."
Bullshit.
For his own happiness, more like.
For a holy knight who should maintain purity to preserve divine power after swearing to the goddess.
This Eric bastard was already filthy beyond filthy.
Such a vile Holy Knight Eric extended his sword forward and shouted.
"Now stop interfering between us and get lost. We will nurture our feelings for each other."
"The age difference looks over 30? Are you serious?"
"In my love, age difference doesn't exist."
"Crazy bastard."
That insane criminal bastard.
The feelings he harbored for the still-young Estia were disgusting and vile.
Such disgusting Eric began approaching me with divine power wrapped around him.
"There's nowhere to run. Heretic. Give up now."
"You think I can't escape?"
"Of course. This is a dead end. Even if you beat me in a fight, reinforcements will arrive so you can't survive. You're just a rat trapped in a rat hole."
"Hmm, really? But you're wrong about one thing. This isn't a dead end."
"What?"
"There's an escape route right here."
Right behind me?
The church's height is considerable.
Falling would lead to instant death, and the body would be shattered to pieces by gravity.
However, I chose.
To use that window as my escape route.
"Uhhh...? Hehe, trashy Eriic...? Byeee~"
"Wh, what are you doing...!! D, don't go, Estia-!!"
With Estia tied to my back.
I ran at full speed toward the window.
Crash-!!
"Waaah~ I'm flying in the skyyy~"
"...Be quiet. I can't concentrate."
Glass shards embedded in my flesh causing pain, but it didn't matter.
Falling to that ground would be more painful.
I had to endure the pain and use magic.
I couldn't use it inside the church, but I could use it here in midair.
I raised my magic power and simultaneously shouted toward the void.
"Transport me and Estia. Location is Lee Jun-woo's house. Coordinates are..."
I drew a map in my head and calculated the coordinates.
Without a single error, I concentrated as much as I could while falling.
And at that moment.
Our bodies were enveloped in magic power and disappeared.
The saint, the last companion of the Hero Party.
I finally succeeded in kidnapping her.
And all four Hero Party members were now gathered at my house.
*'More than that, what I'm most worried about is...'*
Probably Hare, who would have a fit seeing Estia.