The day after we spent the night at the forest witch’s house, we came to a small grave in the woods. Melissa-chan had already gone home, so it was just the three of us.

The name Mary is inscribed on a well-maintained gravestone, and the year of her death is roughly 500 years ago.

What?! 500 years ago?! That means the forest witch is…..

“I’ll give it a try.”

Anna’s words interrupted my thoughts.

“Please”
“Yes”

Anna kneels before the gravestone to pray, then chants beautifully, almost as if she is singing.

“The ice embraces the past. The snow filled with the memories of the past. My sacred ice. In the name of Anastasia Clynel von Ramslett, I command. Release the spirit of Mary, who is imprisoned in the forest of evil, and lead her to the presence of my Goddess. Holy Ice Funeral.”

As Anna stood up, countless large snowflakes appeared around her and began to drift, glistening and shining. They slowly flew away as if attracted to the tombstone, and soon the entire tombstone was covered with ice.

But Anna’s magic does not end there. With the tombstone at the centre, the ground was also covered in ice, its range gradually expanding, and the next moment–.

With a crack

Anna’s ice shattered into pieces with a loud noise, disappearing without a trace as if it had never been there.

“Ah……”

Anna stumbled and almost fell, so I rushed over to her and held her in my arms.

“Anna? Are you okay?”

Anna nodded slightly while breathing heavily.

Oh, thank God.

“Huh? Um?”
“……Unfortunately, it seems you are not strong enough. Saint of Ice.”

The forest witch said this, lowered her face, and then shook her head slightly.

“……Kuh”

Meanwhile, Anna’s face is twisted in frustration.

“Anna. If you don’t have enough magic power, you can use ice magic stones. We can go to the Lurden Store, and they’ll process it for you, and you can get the magic stones from the Blizzard Phoenix.”
“…..Yes. That’s right.”

Anna smiled with some relief when she heard that, but the forest witch’s next words made Anna’s expression cloud over again.

“No, I don’t think so. If you use ice magic stones, there is a high possibility that you will be consumed by the magic power. A saint is not something you can become by obtaining a blessing only.”
“Eh……”
“According to legend, saints in the past always served God. It seems that you have a certain amount of magic power, but I must say that your abilities as a saint are severely undeveloped.”
“…..”
“I can’t tell you to leave right now, with all your powers exhausted. I’ll let you stay for the night, but please leave these woods tomorrow. I want to save Mary’s soul, no matter what. And for that, I am running out of time.”

The forest witch said that to us, and we had nothing to say in return.

It’s true that Anna never really honed her powers as a saint. She refused to join the church, chose to marry me and live for her people in this secular world.

I love Anna with all my heart, and I want to support her.

But what if Anna had to leave this common lifestyle and join the church to gain the powers of a saint?

Will I be able to send her off with a smile?

“Allen?”
“Ah….”

Perhaps such conflict was showing on my face.

“I-It’s okay. If it’s about God, it’s the church, right?”

Anna sighed deeply when I asked her that.

“Allen, I will not go to the church.”
“Eh”
“Ah, I knew you had that in mind. You are my spouse, the new Duke of Ramslett, right?　I’d like you not to show such worries on your face.”
“S-Sorry.”
“I have decided to spend my life with you. Even if I am not strong enough as a saint, I have no intention of going to church.”
“Anna……”
“Allen. I have learned from you. If you have faith and keep trying, you can change your fate. Allen, you have saved my people, and most importantly, me, from such a crisis.”
“That was–“
“Allen. I will not give up. After all that you have done for me, I will do my best to live up to it as your wife.”

The expression on her face shows signs of deep fatigue, but there is a strong light in her eyes.

“Anna…..”
“Allen…..”

As we stood there staring at each other, I heard a cough.

“Ah, sorry.”
“…..No. It’s good for a couple to have a good relationship. Come on, let’s go back.”
“Yes.”

Thus, having failed to free Mary-chan’s soul, we were taken care of for one more night at the forest witch’s house.

And the next morning we came again to the spring where we had landed to leave the forest behind.

“I will not give up. I will save Mary-chan’s soul.”

Anna declared, but the forest witch looked resigned.

“…… I’ll be waiting without expectations”
“I am Allen’s wife. I always keep my promises.”
“……I see.”

The forest witch smiled vaguely as she said that.