I Tamed the Black Duke as a Terminally-Ill Saint (3 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2

I just blinked my eyes stupidly.

Each of them held pickaxes and lamps and wore thick hats, looking almost like….

“Miners?”

One of the miners forcibly grabbed my hand and pulled me along.

“You’ve finally come to your senses. Let’s hurry.”

Where to? Outside?

To my dismay, the direction they pointed was even darker and deeper into the mine tunnel.

“No way am I going there, not even if I die!”

Instinctively sensing danger, I started running in the opposite direction.

“Saintess, where are you going! Stop right now!”

I ran and ran.

My feet quickly began to throb with pain, but I had no intention of stopping.

The problem was….

“Huh… h-haah… huuuhhh…”

That even running had become agonizing.

“Isn’t it supposed to be painless in dreams? Why does it hurt so much!”

There was no dream worse than this.

Naturally, my pace slowed, and before I’d gone far, I was caught by the furious men.

“Why is our ever-so-obedient Saintess acting like this today?”

The burliest man muttered darkly, and the man right beside him immediately replied.

“She must’ve inhaled some hallucinogenic gas. Seal off the passage we just came through.”

“Hmm….”

The first man stroked his chin.

“This is troublesome. We don’t have time to wait for her to calm down. We’ll just have to force her in.”

“What… what are you doing!”

I screamed, but the man didn’t even blink as he grabbed my arm and dragged me back the way we’d come.

In other words, toward that dark, musty corridor.

He shoved me forcibly into the narrow passage—just wide enough for one person—and then gave me a shove on the back.

It was as if he were treating me like an animal, not a person.

“Go on ahead. You know full well it’s a nuisance that we’re being delayed because of you, Saintess.”

“……”

I clenched my teeth.

A narrow tunnel with not a speck of light.

They didn’t even give me one of their lamps.

“I don’t want to go in.”

I hated it—whether it was a dream or not, I hated it even more if it wasn’t.

I stood rigidly still, not moving an inch.

“Why is she acting like this today?”

“Must’ve been some potent gas… Just slap her on the back of the head. That’ll snap her out of it.”

My blood ran cold.

“I can’t let them do that again!”

It was already unfair enough that I’d been dragged here against my will—I didn’t want to be shoved into darkness while getting smacked on the head.

I spun around and bolted through the gap between the miners.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A mocking voice echoed through the narrow cavern.

Though someone merely gave me a slight push on the back, I lost my balance and collapsed onto the floor.

“Ouch….”

My whole face stung—I must’ve hit my chin when I fell.

I gritted my teeth.

“I have to get out of here somehow. Somehow…!”

But how?

Even breathing felt exhausting—escaping from several grown men was impossible.

“Please…”

I prayed earnestly.

“Please, please… let a miracle happen so I can get away. God, please!”

Just then.

My shivering, ice-cold body suddenly calmed.

At the same time, a full, surging emotion rose deep within my chest.

“Lox.”

My tongue shaped the word smoothly, as if moved by another being entirely.

“Lox.”

I unconsciously repeated the word.

“Lox!”

As if that single, insignificant word could somehow save me.

At that very moment,

a blindingly white light flooded the pitch-black space, bright enough to dazzle my eyes.

“What… what is this!”

“Damn it, I can’t see anything!”

“Shut it off! Turn it off right now!”

It was a miracle—an opportunity delivered like fate.

Stunned, the miners momentarily froze, and I shoved past them, stumbling toward the exit,

still shouting the magic word “Lox” over and over.

Because of it, they couldn’t seem to catch up to me.

How much time had passed?

A brilliant blue sky, bright enough to sting my eyes, welcomed me warmly.

My joy at finally escaping that dreadful place lasted only a moment.

Then I spotted a sign I simply couldn’t believe.

My eyes widened involuntarily.

Kaesi was an extremely familiar name.

And for good reason—I’d seen it more than ten times in “Leodel.”

“As long as it’s not some backwater like Kaesi, I’m fine with it.”

“……”

“Sorry, Saintess—I don’t mean to insult your hometown.”

“……It’s fine.”

I swallowed hard.

I thought I finally understood the nature of this dream.

“What the hell—my dream’s even set in Leodel.”

In hindsight, it made sense.

To defeat Altair, I’d cleared the same game over and over without rest.

Thanks to that cursed system that wouldn’t let me skip dialogue, I’d memorized even the tiniest lines.

“…Of all places, Kaesi.”

Leodel was famous for its vast, breathtaking maps and stunning visuals.

Yet out of all those maps, I had to end up in Kaesi.

“Kaesi…? It’s just a desolate mining village that only exploited Angelica.”

Wait.

I froze for a moment.

Those men had clearly called me “Saintess.”

In Leodel’s lore, there was only one Saintess—Angelica.

I gulped hard.

“Could it be…?”

Near the sign, I saw a small well—likely dug so miners could drink whenever they were thirsty.

I leaned over and peered into the well.

“……”

My mouth went completely dry.

Though clearly a woman in her early twenties, my reflection showed a frail, frightened girl.

Silvery hair gleamed white in the sunlight, sky-blue eyes were clear and wide, my nose was straight, and my stubbornly pursed pink lips completed the picture.

It was unmistakable.

The most useless, worthless, utterly burdensome character in

—

the Saintess Angelica herself.

[Wasted how many potions trying to keep Angelica alive, and she dies right after Act 2 ends. I knew she was frail, but was she on a timer from the start?] [Didn’t you know? No matter what you do, she dies—best to just leave her alone.] [If you leave her alone, she’ll just lie around sick and give the whole party a depression debuff—how can you just ignore that?] [Just feed her enough potions to keep her barely alive and carry her along. Her skills suck anyway—no point leveling her.]

I recalled a pitiful newbie’s post I’d once felt compelled to reply to, despite being busy.

That was right.

Angelica was a legendary nuisance—no matter how hard you trained her, her terminal condition would kill her; yet if you neglected her, she’d fall ill and debuff the entire party.

Her abilities were so weak that every player avoided her, but since the story forced her into your party, you had no choice but to drag her along.

“…Of all characters, it had to be Angelica. Seriously, worst dream ever.”

If I’d at least dreamed of being a healthy character, I wouldn’t be clutching my chest and side, rolling on the ground just from running a bit.

I walked slowly, careful not to overexert myself.

Normally, I should’ve played the obedient Saintess and waited patiently for the protagonist’s party to arrive in Kaesi—but I had zero intention of doing that.

“Angelica was nothing but exploited here in Kaesi.”

And their method was far from ordinary cruelty.

Kaesi’s mines were famed for their rich rare minerals—but equally notorious for their toxic gases.

In any other village, they’d use canaries—sensitive to gas—to protect the miners’ safety.

But Kaesi…?

“They used Angelica instead.”

There was only one reason:

Canaries were expensive, and Angelica, though frail and prone to fainting, wouldn’t die thanks to her faint holy power.

Calling her a Saintess was generous—she was treated worse than an animal.

I bit down hard on my lip.

Truthfully, I’d never deeply considered Angelica’s past.

From a player’s perspective, controlling the protagonist, she was just an annoying burden.

But now, experiencing it firsthand—even if only in a dream…

“She really lived a miserable life. That’s why she clung so desperately to the protagonist when he saved her.”

Even in a dream, I wanted no part of her situation.

I arrived at a structure that looked less like a temple and more like a crumbling ruin.

Having explored Kaesi’s map many times before, I knew exactly where everything was and didn’t lose my way.

“Let’s see… altar, holy flame. There’s one more thing I need.”

I searched the temple thoroughly for the item essential to Angelica.

“Found it!”

A small rosary glinted between two pillars.

It was a holy relic as feeble as Angelica herself—but better than nothing.

What happened in the mine had been pure luck.

Normally, a cleric needed such a relic to use their skills.

I slipped the rosary onto my wrist and took a deep breath.

“…Lox.”

Bright light flared up.

“Easy. So easy.”

I smiled faintly.

Now I had no more business here.

I knew all too well that aside from the relic, this place held nothing but moldy bread, a threadbare coat, and a musty blanket.

Just as I was about to leave immediately, I hesitated briefly.

“…Better take a precaution—just in case.”

I’d just crawled out of the ivy-choked temple entrance after setting that “precaution” in place,

when I found a group of miners standing silently at the entrance, arms crossed.

The one wearing the Guild Master’s badge on his chest spoke up.

His voice was openly mocking.

“Where do you think you’re going, Saintess, leaving your work halfway?”

“……”

I gripped the rosary tightly.

Angelica’s abilities truly were pathetic—aside from the basic cleric skills of kindling the holy flame and casting blessings, she only had three usable skills upon joining a party:

“Lox” to create light, “Atine” for minor healing, and “Setun” to briefly put one person to sleep.

If only one person had come after me, I could’ve used “Setun”—

“But this calls for a direct approach.”

I stared straight at the Guild Master. Surprised by my unexpectedly cold gaze, he stiffened visibly.

“What business is it of yours?”

My clear voice rang out, and his face twisted.

“What… business? Haven’t we taken good care of you all this time, Saintess? Don’t we deserve your gratitude?”

“Exactly!” voices chimed in from around him.

“And yet you attacked the village elders and ran off here. We’re truly disappointed in you, Saintess.”

Oh, please—what nonsense.

After treating Angelica like a slave all this time.

“Then it’s a relief—I won’t need your ‘care’ anymore.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I didn’t waste words.

With these people, no explanation or excuse would work—just a clear declaration would suffice.

“I’m leaving Kaesi.”

For a brief moment, silence fell.

And then….

“Ha! Ahahahaha!”

The Guild Master burst into laughter, as if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world.