Maria, a former saint, and her bodyguard, Hamil.

Their reasons for stepping through the door were different.

Maria was a girl who always wished for the peace of others.

She was a true saint—not just in title but in nature—gentle and willing to act for the sake of others.

Thus, the reason she opened the door at Ivy’s request was very simple.

Maria had visited a port town as a member of the Savior’s group, healing wounded adventurers and knights.

Yet, there, she found herself gnashing her teeth at her own limitations.

It wasn’t the first time she had witnessed lives she couldn’t save.

She understood that humans had limits and that only the gods could save everyone.

Still, the sorrow she felt was as strong as ever.

And for the first time—unlike when she had served as a saint in the Holy Land of Celie—she felt an overwhelming sense of urgency.

The cause was clear: Ivy and Bruno, both possessing healing magic surpassing her own.

She began to wonder—

Did she still have room to grow?

Could she save even more people?

And just as these thoughts grew too strong to suppress, an opportunity appeared.

Without hesitation, Maria took it.

As for Hamil, her reason was far simpler—

—To walk alongside Maria.

That was all.

No matter where it led, even into magma or the depths of the sea.

Thus, no amount of danger could deter her.

Hamil was previously an assassin.

She was a member of a certain organization and had successfully killed her target, but she made a mistake and was counterattacked, nearly dying.

It was none other than Maria who happened to pass by Hamil as she was on the verge of death and came to her rescue.

Encouraged by this pure vitality, Hamil decides to walk the path of light.

He then left the world of darkness and vowed to live with Maria, who had saved him.

Maria and Hamil.

A former saint who was unable to let go of her goodness, and a dark warrior who decided to walk alongside her.

And so, Maria and Hamil stepped forward—toward the trials that awaited them.

"This is..."

The place Maria arrived in was a space she had never seen before and she couldn't even begin to describe it.

The world itself seems to have lost all its color, and a pure white space spreads as far as the eye can see.

The clear blue sunlight pouring down gave the place a warm feeling rather than an inorganic one.

"Is this... the sign of a barrier magic?"

Maria, who had worked as a skilled magician in Célie, was able to sense a dense magical energy emanating from the space itself.

It was a magic power of such incredible quantity and density that even resisting it seemed foolish.

And that magical power is moving in a directional manner, concentrating towards one place.

Maria walked to the place as if she was being drawn in.

What stood there was a white temple.

Although it is pure white, just like the background behind it, it is clearly visible and distinct, likely due to the high level of holiness that the temple embodies.

The temple was enveloped in a sacred aura that monsters and those with evil intentions could not even touch.

As Maria approaches, she notices several figures there.

"Oh, so you've finally come?"

"Hmm, your magical power is low..."

"The world has become slack recently, but back when I was still active..."

There was a woman with red hair reaching down to her waist, a woman with short cropped blue hair, and a brown-haired woman with a kind-looking fox-like face...there were nearly ten people in total, all of them women.

And they're all incredibly beautiful.

Also, the aura emanating from their body was anything but ordinary

Each one of them was a seasoned magician, and before their overwhelming power, Maria couldn't help but feel her throat tighten.

『Mii!』

At that moment, a translucent Ivy appeared.

It seemed that, thanks to her thoughtful arrangement, Maria was going to be taught by them.

“First of all, where exactly are we……?”

“This is the dimensional rift… Simply put, it’s one of the many worlds that exist on the boundary between life and death.”

Even after the explanation, it still didn't quite make sense.

But the reality before her eyes was undeniable.

Ivy had gone out of her way to connect Maria with these people.

If that was the case, she had to meet their expectations no matter what.

As she steeled her resolve, a familiar word reached Maria's ears.

“I am the Third Saint, Misery. Leave the sacred magic combat techniques to me!”

“I am the Sixth Saint, Henaria. When it comes to barrier magic, I am second to none…”

“W-wait just a moment! Could it be that you are…”

Maria interrupted in a fluster, and all of them nodded in response.

Seeing their reactions, Maria finally understood the true reason why Ivy had brought her here.

“Yes, we are—the Saints of ages past. Thousands of years ago… before the country you belong to even existed, we were true Saints who did not rely on faith, but on power to make our existence known to the world.”

“The real… Saints…”

The legends of the Saints had been passed down as folklore in various places.

Hearing them, Maria had often wondered if she could become such a Saint herself.

“We have long grown tired of idly spending time in the dimensional rift. Besides, the era is changing, and our role is coming to an end.”

“If that's the case, isn’t it only natural to want to pass down our techniques to someone? It wouldn't be a sin to do at least that much.”

Maria was still an immature Saint.

Or rather, according to them, she wasn’t even a Saint yet.

Even being told this, Maria didn’t particularly mind.

That was because she couldn’t sense even the slightest hint of contempt from these Saints toward her.

On the contrary, they gazed at her with eyes as gentle as a mother watching over her child.

“Rest assured. We are here for you.”

“We will train you into a warrior who will never fall behind your comrades.”

“A…aah, thank you very much!”

Though she never particularly wanted to be a warrior, she was in no position to be picky now, and so Maria began her training under the Saints.

Thus, Maria found herself in the dimensional rift, learning directly from the Saints of the past, inheriting their techniques—

“Lady Mariaaaa! Lady Mariaaaaaaaa!!”

Hamil, who had arrived on the other side of the door, was in a state of near hysteria.

From an outsider's perspective, she looked completely unhinged as she swung her needle wildly, calling out Maria’s name over and over.

Up until the moment Maria opened the door and let her in, she had maintained her composure, but the moment Maria wasn’t by her side, she became utterly useless.

Absolute devotion could be a double-edged sword.

“Haa… haa… Alright, I’ve calmed down a bit.”

After spending time screaming and taking out her frustration on inanimate objects due to the stress of Maria’s absence, she finally managed to settle down—just a little.

Still on the verge of losing control again at any moment, Hamil decided to take a proper look at her surroundings.

“This place… is it inside a castle?”

It seemed she had arrived inside a dimly lit, brick-built warehouse.

Thanks to the mounted lamps faintly illuminating the area, she could make out her surroundings, but it was still dark enough that even a few steps ahead was uncertain.

“Hmm… not a single scratch anywhere.”

Hamil had rampaged violently in her distress, enough to embarrass herself, yet the room remained completely unscathed.

Apparently, it was quite sturdily built.

As she walked along the wall, she noticed something hanging there.

Taking it in her hands, she found it was a straight sword in its scabbard.

The hilt was masterfully crafted, adorned with magic stones, yet it fit in her hand without discomfort—a masterpiece that showcased the skill of a true artisan.

However, a dark aura seeped out from the scabbard.

And merely gripping it through the scabbard, the sword whispered directly into Hamil’s mind.

『Hate… Resent…』

“I see, a cursed weapon…”

A cursed weapon was a type of magic item born from the lingering grudges of the dead.

Because human malice was infused into them, they often possessed immense power.

However, precisely because of the strong emotions sealed within, handling them was difficult, and those without resistance would be unable to wield them.

Many even fell prey to possession, becoming mere puppets of the cursed weapon’s will.

Yet, Hamil showed no particular concern.

She simply grasped the hilt firmly and drew the sword from its scabbard.

“Hmm, not bad.”

As she swung the sword, she tested its balance.

Her current weapon was a massive white needle crafted from a monster’s fang.

But in truth, this needle itself was a cursed weapon.

Furthermore, the black armor she currently wore, streaked with vein-like red lines—was also a cursed weapon.

Hamil possessed a unique constitution that allowed her to suppress the curses within cursed weapons.

In fact, this ability was the very reason she had been recruited into an assassination group.

As a result, her fighting style always revolved around the use of cursed weapons.

Due to their extreme traits, she had switched between many weapons—countless times.

Thus, she was capable of handling almost any weapon with ease.

Continuing her search, she opened a treasure chest in the corner.

Inside, she found a terrifyingly ominous cleaver—even for someone like her, who had seen dozens of cursed weapons.

“So this is an armory for cursed weapons? Quite the eccentric choice…”

Storing cursed weapons was no easy feat.

They often sought out new hosts and escaped on their own, or resonated with each other, causing unpredictable, catastrophic events.

Because of their unstable nature, utmost caution was required when handling them.

However, this armory was remarkably well-balanced, with each weapon carefully placed to prevent interference.

Clearly, it had been constructed by someone with profound knowledge of cursed weapons.

『Mii!』

As Hamil examined the weapons, Ivy appeared before her once more.

Following Ivy’s lead, she arrived at a seemingly ordinary wall.

However, upon closer inspection, a faint chill seeped from it.

She meticulously examined the bricks—

Clunk!

Pressing a hidden brick, a secret passage revealed itself.