The Demon Saint is Missing, so I Ran to Another World

Greg Santos (Part 2)

***In some grassy plains somewhere in Chersea...***

"Looks like Kuro got your arm good, Umberto."

"Yeah, it's really...argh! Careful with that! It's painful!"

"I guess only the Human Saint can heal this kind of wound."

"Don't fuck with me, Your Holiness; I'd rather have it amputated than rely on that woman!"

"Hmm...that's quite a statement, huh? Even when your arm is swollen," the Saint of the Flame, Seirna, smirked as she gently let go of Umberto's arm. "Well, if you die, I can always resurrect you."

"I shouldn't have helped you when you approached me," he countered. "You can't even heal my injuries, Your Holiness!"

"My authority is over life itself, not healing injuries," Seirna couldn't hide the irritation in her voice.

"Oh yeah? Then why won't you resurrect my family?" the former prince of Amaranth jested.

"Their spirits have departed to the otherworld, Umberto," the saint countered. "You can't make me go there and fetch their souls! My god-power has its limits!"

"Tch. Useless saint, just like the others."

"I heard that."

Umberto let out a hearty laugh, while Seirna watched beside him, a little annoyed. Nevertheless, as she could see inside his thoughts, she knew that the former prince didn't mean what he said. His goal in helping her was different, anyway. Although he had fought against the Human Saint before, Umberto's concern for humans, his people, never changed...that's why he served the Emperor in the first place! He shared the Emperor's belief that only a unified humanity could stand a chance against the other races—especially the demons, when the time for conflict comes.

"The Knights wanted me to come back and observe the Human Saint," Umberto revealed.

"Yes. The Lord Gaius never gave me any guidance as of late, so I guess he would ask the same of you."

A round of silence. Umberto spoke nothing for a while; likewise, Seirna was waiting for him to say something. But then, the former prince sighed, and broke the ice...

"Your Holiness..."

"I'm telling you, the Lord Gaius may like him, but I'll never forgive that black-haired man from another world for what he did to me."

"Well, I don't know," Umberto chuckled. "The Lord Kuro of Arles is a formidable enemy; I could tell that he's a person worthy of my respect."

"What, he just defeated you a few times, and you're liking him already?"

"That's not it, Your Holiness. Have you noticed? That man has already united two realms under his name, and here we are working under the shadows to protect them, because the Lord Gaius told us so."

"What are you trying to imply, Umberto?"

"I think, if the circumstances are different, we would have been great friends."

"Pfft," Seirna couldn't keep herself from laughing. "Alright, I understand that you're respecting your enemy. Nevertheless, it is different for me; I'm only here because the Lord Gaius said so. Under a normal situation, I would've killed him."

"Well, it's not my business to know your reasons, Your Holiness," Umberto then turned away from the saint. "As for me, what I'm trying to say is that, this man...the Lord Kuro of Arles, may be the person this world needs after the Lord Gaius. I'm just concerned that we may be barking at the wrong tree."