The Saint Who Chased the Dragon in Her Heart

"Hmm, I can still drink. Hey, come dance with me... Hmm hmm hmm!?"

A groggy voice echoed through the long, dark night. On the bumpy carriage, Rovi looked helplessly at the Maiden Emperor, who was completely drunk and practically curled up in his arms like an octopus.

Upon arriving at this last provincial capital, as always, the first thing to do was to hold a grand banquet, Nero Claudius's favorite pastime.

Nero, as always, loved lavish displays of power. Fortunately, Rome was now a strong nation, and with Rovi's diligent governance and increasingly solid foundations of rule, the ruler's extravagance did not affect the common people. Otherwise, this would have been a sign of a doomed monarch.

But at least for now, it doesn't affect anything, and Rovi doesn't intend to force a correction—after all, Nero only harmed the upper-class nobles.

Of course, Nero would look like this at every banquet.

Her drinking habits are really not good.

When she's drunk, no one can get close to her except Rovi. Or rather, when she's drunk, she likes to stick to Rovi and find opportunities to be intimate with him.

"Why isn't the performer saying anything, hmm?" Seeing that Rovi didn't speak, the girl, who was nestled in Rovi's arms and had a flushed face reeking of alcohol, suddenly raised her head and brought her face closer.

She wriggled her body, twisting her slender waist and turning her body to face Rovi directly. Her full, delicate body pressed against him, and her bent legs landed on either side of Rovi, who was sitting in the seat.

Her face, which she propped up, was slightly higher than Rovi's, and her long, golden hair swayed in front of him.

Nero tilted his head, his emerald green eyes filled with a dreamy look.

She lowered her body slightly, as if searching for something, and finally slumped against his shoulder, making a soft, panting sound.

With eyes closed and eyelashes fluttering, she drifted off to sleep.

"Hmm? You seem to be feeling quite comfortable?" Before Rovi could react, a voice that sounded like a smile came from the other side of the carriage.

Athena Ainsworth, who had not participated in the banquet but had been waiting in her carriage, tilted her head.

She held a book in her hand, her silver hair cascading down her crimson eyes behind a pair of glasses. Her classic long robe had long been replaced with an elegant evening gown, the black skirt swaying in the wind, revealing her legs encased in black stockings.

The Third Magic User, after changing her clothes, appeared elegant and intellectual. Her gaze as she looked at Rovi was ambiguous, as if she were smiling but not smiling.

"You saw it too... There's nothing we can do about it, isn't there?"

Rovi pointed to Nero, who remained motionless.

"Saying there's nothing you can do... you're just planning to wait for me to help you, right?"

Ainsworth raised her delicate eyebrows.

"You don't have to help."

"How could that be? I know it's unavoidable, but... I still don't want other women to touch you!" Ainsworth slowly closed the book in her hand, stood up, and reached out to pull Nero out of Rovi's arms. "Don't forget, I'm very jealous, you know?"

"I can't tell."

"That's because you have too many women around you, and I can't beat them all!" The goddess's human form appeared extremely frank.

It's realistic that if you can't beat someone, you can't be jealous.

Rovi couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't laugh, I'll become stronger soon. The Third Magic represents the future. Once I master it completely, I can become stronger infinitely and eternally!"

The silver-haired, red-eyed girl snorted.

The humanoid Goddess of Wisdom is petite, but compared to Nero, who is only one meter tall, she is still considered tall.

Ainsworth placed the bag on the seat.

Nero only twitched slightly before falling silent.

"The power of Minerva, the goddess who symbolizes the moon..." Rovi raised an eyebrow.

The moon is not only a representation of 'night', but also a kind of 'dream'.

Rovi didn't investigate further, nor did he like to delve into the secrets of those close to him. He simply guessed that the girl was using the power symbolizing the moon to appease Nero and prevent him from resisting.

"No." Ainsworth Minerva reached out and picked something up from Nero's body.

She held a strand of black hair between her fingers. "I used this... your hair."

She will only feel at ease when she senses your presence.

"Really..." Rovi paused, looking at Nero's peaceful sleeping face, and couldn't help but smile.

As he laughed, he found the girl sitting in his lap.

"This position is definitely right for me."

She raised her head as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "What do you think?"

"She's asleep too."

Sure enough, on the other side, Merlin, the First Apostle of Rovi's personal bodyguard who had always served as his assistant, was indeed asleep.

She gently closed her eyes. Of course, Albion, the first dragon, didn't need to rest, but at this moment, Merlin was using a human Spirit Origin, so she naturally felt sleepy.

Although this weariness was not something she could suppress or ignore, she did not deliberately suppress this vital energy.

So Rovi leaned down and, without hesitation, kissed Ainsworth's moist, crimson lips. His outstretched hand supported the girl's slender waist and hooked around her legs...

The carriage swayed and bumped along the way. After the banquet, they naturally returned to the palace that the provincial governor had prepared for the emperor.

A gentle evening breeze drifted in through the window, and the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the night.

Merlin, sitting on the dome of the carriage, looked at the small, swaying carriage with a puzzled expression, her delicate face showing a hint of confusion.

As they approached the palace, someone outside the carriage announced, "Lady Martha wishes to see you, Your Majesty."

Rovi stopped his tender moment with Ainsworth, turned his gaze to the side, and nodded.

Martha was sent by him to 'missionary' mission and build schools.

He knew, of course, that the girl who had received the revelation from the Chaos Core was in this city.

"Martha? Sounds like another woman?"

"Don't worry, this one can't beat you."

"Hmm? What's there to be worried about... Never mind, you go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

Why do they seem like an old married couple?

As Rovi Wei stepped out of the car, he was still savoring the words of the Third Magic User and the tender moments he had shared with her.

The city was unusually quiet as night fell; the streets were silent, with only the imperial guards standing around the carriages to protect the emperor.

Rovi the direction indicated by the guards, towards Martha's residence, before even getting close, he heard a deep, reciting voice:

"The Lord said from heaven that He should let all people know that His will is for all people to be the masters of their own spirits, and that all people should respect themselves as they would the Lord in heaven."

"The Lord was betrayed when one-third of the angels in heaven turned away from Him. But the Lord forgave them. The Lord said that all things have good and evil, and only by distinguishing between black and white can people know which way to go to find the light."

"Even the Holy Son has been betrayed. Roman nobles, for their own benefit, openly opposed the saint who was changing the world for the people with a third of their soldiers."

At the end of the street corner, Martha, who had been waiting for a long time, slowly opened her eyes. There was no doubt that the voice just now came from her mouth.

She smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it's been a long time."

"How is it? What I've compiled about your deeds?"

"What are you talking about?" Rovi said, somewhat amused. "It's just a centralization of power that doesn't even qualify as a suppression of a rebellion."

"But it has already demonstrated your wisdom to the fullest." Martha blinked and said, "To subdue the enemy without fighting...you said that yourself, didn't you?"

"This is a quote from an Eastern philosopher." Rovi wouldn't stoop so low as to plagiarize someone else's famous saying.

Martha simply smiled and said, "Others may just say it, but you really did it."

"You didn't come to me just to tell me this, did you?" Rovi looked Martha up and down. "You haven't changed much."

Although it had been a while since I last saw her, she hadn't changed much. Her long purple hair, tied with a white bow, cascaded down, highlighting her pretty face. Her chest was slightly exposed, revealing her fair and rounded breasts. White fabric covered her waist, but left the middle exposed, revealing her smooth and warm skin. The draped fabric concealed her thighs, and her calves were covered by red silk. Her boots lightly touched the ground, and she wore a layer of cold gray armor on her arms. Her hands tightly gripped a long spear shaped like a cross.

The saintess remained sacred and pure, yet she also possessed a touch of heroic spirit.

Seeing Rovi scrutinizing her, Martha blinked, then lowered her eyes and looked herself up and down as well. "What could have changed?"

"During this time, following Your Majesty's orders, I have been traveling to various places to convey Your Majesty's wishes..."

She was about to say something when she suddenly heard a crisp, clear voice from not far away. "Sister Martha."

Martha froze for a moment. Rovi looked over and saw a girl skipping over, ignoring Martha's frantic pleas and attempts to silence her. "Sister Martha, those guys in the underground city are being naughty. Should we go beat them up?"

"Hmph, how dare they question my words, elder sister? I'll tell them to ask around; who doesn't know the formidable reputation of Elder Sister Martha?"

Why does it sound like... like a female gangster boss?

Rovi chuckled, "Is this your way of proselytizing?"

"Um...cough cough cough, this is the only way to deal with these people..." Martha's face flushed slightly, but she remained calm despite her frantic state. "When dealing with those low-class thugs who don't want their children to receive an education, often, fists are more effective than words."

"Indeed." Rovi looked at Martha's arm, which was covered by armor, with deep agreement. "After all, it's a fist that has beaten up a dragon."

The saintess before them had once tamed the raging Tarasque.

Hmm... physical taming.

"Huh? Who is this?" The little girl tilted her head, puzzled.

Martha sighed and turned around, "And this is..."

"I'm Martha's friend, I've come to visit."

"A friend?" The little girl's eyes lit up slightly. "Martha's friend, and she's pretty too..."

Rovi touched his face.

Martha waved her hand, knowing that since Rovi didn't want to reveal his identity, she wouldn't say anything either, "Alright, I'll talk to my friend. You can go now!"

"Yes—by the way, Sister Martha, can I read that book you lent me a little longer?"

"It is possible."

"That's wonderful! Martha, Sister Martha. Reading and writing is so enjoyable! I will definitely follow what's written in the book and strive to become a Roman ruler who governs a region and protects the safety of its people!"

The excited sounds faded into the distance, and the little girl skipped away joyfully.

"It seems your school is doing quite well." Rovi watched the departing figure. He could see that there was no confusion in the child's eyes, something that children from ordinary backgrounds usually lacked.

He couldn't help but nod. "Thank you for your hard work, Martha."

"It is what I should do!" Martha smiled from the bottom of her heart, "To spread the gospel of God and to free people from the suffering of ignorance, this is what I hope for—"

"Your Majesty surely doesn't know what they are originally like, does he?"

"When I first arrived, the children of the city's underprivileged knew nothing. They didn't know how to read or write, they didn't know what the real world was. They were trapped in survival, trapped in the present, and unable to know their future."

"They may die tomorrow, or the day after. The people at the bottom of the city come and go without knowing why they live or what they are living for."

"But now, they know, they have learned to read and write, they know the vastness of the world, and they know their goals for the future."

This is the difference between educated and uneducated people.

It's not about accumulating knowledge, but about setting a 'goal'.

They had a goal.

But it wasn't just them... Martha, too, had a goal.

"Perhaps this is the ideal journey I've been searching for." Martha smiled sincerely. "I too have struggled. It was your enlightenment that helped me understand myself. I've also wished that everyone could be like me, but before, I didn't know how."

"I once banished the Tarasque, as you know. At that time, I was hailed as a saint who tamed the dragon, but only I know that I did not actually change anything. I banished the dragon, but people's lives did not improve. They remained impoverished and confused."

"I don't know what I did; I feel like I didn't do anything."

"Now I know why I did nothing."

"Because I have only banished the dragon of reality, but not the dragon of their hearts. The dragon of their hearts still occupies their consciousness, preventing them from recognizing themselves, finding their goals, and becoming the spiritual dragon they have described!"

"And that is what I will be doing from now on."

She slowly knelt before Martha Rovi, clutching the Cross Spear in her hand, and said, "Witness my vow, my sworn brother!"

This is an insight she gained during her missionary work.

My true and genuine thoughts.

She has grown up and is more determined in her original idea.

She preached for salvation.

Instead of saving people for the sake of missionary work.

She is a saint who drives away the 'evil dragon'.

From this day forward, she will continue to walk this path with unwavering resolve, "This is the will of the soul."

"The glory of the 'Chi' will shine eternally upon the earth!"

Martha, who had served the saint, swore an oath before him, saying, "You are the saint in the hearts of all people, you are the righteousness in the hearts of all people, and I will follow your will forever."

'She said: The path you firmly believe in will surely be illuminated by light in the future.'

'All people will receive the gospel of thyself through you.'

' The Book of Gospel '

The next day, as the sun rose, with a "snap," Rovi slowly closed the Book of Gospel in his hand and couldn't help but rub his temples.

After the exchange, it was time to part ways.

After Martha explained her ideas to '', she left.

This Book of Gospel, however, was a book composed of Rovi's words, which Martha herself had written and given to him after their conversation the previous night.

But its content is really... a complete mess.

Or is it a way of writing that uses filters?

The content must be so refined that even Rovi himself would hardly recognize it as himself.

But it's alright.

He slowly put the book away.

At the very least, the religion Martha established was one that allowed all people to be their own spiritual guides.

This is philosophy, not faith.

"Now that we've made our choice, let's stick to it without wavering!"

"Yes, oh!"

Martha had already gone far away, heard the revelation of 'o' and smiled, "I will chase the dragon all my life, until one day I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

"Pure and holy, supreme and true, omnipotent and just..."

"My ''."