A single person stood atop the execution pyre, and the hundreds gathered below dared not make a sound.
This was the terrifying presence forged by the Crimson Knight through countless battles.
Like a phantom drifting across the battlefield, he slaughtered enemies without mercy.
Whether you were a mere soldier or a high-ranking general, before him, there was not even the faintest hope of survival.
HolySimp999-[Is this guy really just a nameless Heroic Spirit?!]
Blorbo-[You don't believe it? I don't either! He's supposed to be "nameless," yet he's more powerful than any of the famous ones!]
SinMommy-[So badass! Absolutely dripping with dominance!]
EverydayNerd-[Seriously though, why is there no record at all of such an overwhelmingly powerful Heroic Spirit?!]
…
"How romantic! Saintess, just say yes already and elope with him!"
Kirina bit her lip in excitement, her flushed cheeks glowing.
A man that strong and domineering—that's the kind of guy who makes a girl feel safe.
Compared to him, the shut-in back at home always looked half asleep and lazy. If they ran into danger, would she have to protect him instead?
But then—
Before the eyes of the crowd, before the eyes of countless viewers—
The saintess gently shook her head.
"I will not be deceived again, nor will I allow myself to be betrayed. The fact that I can no longer hear the Lord's voice… means the Lord has already abandoned faith in this country."
Jeanne's face, which should have been filled with despair, instead bore a soft and tender smile as she looked at the man.
"Nameless one, you've done nothing wrong. Let me bear this burden. Let my death awaken these ignorant people."
At that moment, the once divine and resolute saintess smiled like an innocent girl.
It was a smile so lovely, it made one's heart ache.
The nameless Heroic Spirit reached out to gently caress her golden hair, returning her smile with equal warmth.
"Jeanne, you've done more than enough. Once you become a Heroic Spirit, go live the life you've always wanted."
BOOM—
Just then, the flames roared upward, and the crowd of ignorant people erupted into wild cheers.
"No! I don't want you to die with me! Please, Nameless, live on!"
Jeanne's eyes brimmed with tears as she desperately tried to push him away.
But the man grasped her hand, his voice full of regret,
"Sorry. It's time I made my grand exit too."
The fire crackled like a demon from hell, engulfing them both.
The cheers of the ignorant masses turned into a terrifying vision of hell, leaving all who witnessed it stunned and horrified.
The nameless Heroic Spirit's body slowly scattered into countless points of light.
The crowd fell silent, stunned by the miraculous sight.
But it didn't end there—
Even the saintess began to change.
In the middle of the blaze, she broke free from her bindings and sliced open her palm. Then she knelt, hands clasped together, eyes shut, and began to pray.
Her devout voice echoed across the world—
"My end lies here. My fate ends here. My life ends here!"
"With what remains of me, may I protect his path!"
"O Lord, I entrust this body to Your will—"
"Hope shall surely follow despair!!!"
BOOM!
As she chanted, her body turned into a human torch, burning fiercely.
The flames spread in all directions, devouring enemy invaders in an instant—vaporizing them completely.
Countless people knelt in reverence.
At that moment, they finally realized—she had truly been guided by the Lord.
She was not an evil witch, as they had believed.
But it was too late.
They had been the ones to place her on the pyre. They had been the ones to kill her.
Above the execution site, white doves circled. Their cries joined into a solemn hymn.
Then—
From within the flames, the saintess's once golden hair turned silver-grey.
Her bright blue eyes became cold, merciless amber gold.
She stared at the crowd with icy indifference as her form, too, faded into light.
The Saint of Light was dead. The Witch of Vengeance had descended.
[Video playback complete. Thanks for watching!]
[This was merely a single, ordinary chapter from the Nameless Heroic Spirit's life.]
[Curious what comes next? Stay tuned for the next episode!]
"…That's it???"
Kirina stared blankly at the now-black screen.
Wasn't this supposed to be a full recounting of the Nameless Heroic Spirit's life?
And then—
She noticed a "Follow Series" button had appeared on the screen. The uploader, [Alaya], had actually made this into a full series.
Episode One: The Witch of Vengeance—an apt title for the first chapter.
But tragically, no release date for the next episode was listed!
Meanwhile, the comments section was already in chaos—
3incher-[They died together amid the cheers of ignorant fools—it was the most romantic thing I've ever seen!]
LoliEnjoyer-[Cried like a baby. They could've survived, but they chose to die to awaken the people!]
Delulu-[AAAHHH I need the next episode!!!]
HistorianWithWiFi-[Damn, is this how the historical Catholic Saint Jeanne became the Dark Saintess after descending into the mortal world?]
AlmightyMiddleFinger-[Now we wait for France's official reaction… I wonder how the Emperor will respond…]
…
"Damn you, cliffhanger scum!!"
In just a few minutes, Kirina had gone through joy, anger, sorrow, and everything in between.
She had to admit—everything in the video felt so real, like it had been genuinely filmed on location. Not a single trace of green screen or fakeness.
Just then—
A small girl in a purple dress walked over, asking with concern:
"Eh? Kirina, are you crying?"
She had ruby-like eyes and long, flowing silver-white hair.
With her doll-like cuteness and immense magical talent, she was incredibly popular at school.
"I'm fine, Illya."
Kirina finally snapped out of it and realized—she'd been crying while watching the video.
Then—
She looked at the white-haired loli before her and suddenly smiled mischievously.
Using the same tone as the Big Bad Wolf tempting Little Red Riding Hood, she said,
"Illya, I found a documentary about Emperor Jeanne of France~"
"Eh? Jeanne? Really?!"
Illya's eyes lit up in surprise, full of curiosity.
Under Kirina's influence, she too had come to admire the strong, commanding Emperor Jeanne of France.
"Of course it's the real Jeanne!"
Kirina patted her flat chest confidently.
And then—
Under her temptation, the two of them snuck in some viewing time during class.
When they got to the scene where Jeanne was in danger, Illya's eyes reddened, tears welling up.
Kirina quickly comforted her—and finally felt satisfied again.
Yes, this is how you get others hooked.
Let's enjoy the "healing" together!
—
At the same time—
Sanjiro was walking across campus, and everywhere he went, people were talking about that clickbait video—
"That nameless Heroic Spirit was just too cool!"
"So stylish! Appears in a crisis to save the day—textbook knight-in-shining-armor!"
"Sigh, France really didn't deserve Jeanne. She gave her all to save them and was betrayed in the end!"
"Now I finally get why Emperor Jeanne is so fierce—it was all just venting her rage!"
…???
Sanjiro felt something was off. Why was everyone on the street discussing that clickbait video?
He pulled out his phone and opened the app as he walked.
When he saw the uploader was [Alaya], he suddenly gasped.
That bastard was the reason he had to work overtime 24/7, running from set to set to protect humanity!
"No no no… that bastard wouldn't be posting videos!"
He took a deep breath and, with trembling fingers, tapped on the video.
The moment he saw the young saintess in danger, and a red-caped figure descending to save her—
His heart stopped.
Because that red-caped, nameless Heroic Spirit… was him!
The shorter stature? That's just because he's still growing!
Sweat trickled down Sanjiro's forehead as he vaguely heard a voice whisper in his ear—
"Master, you're not allowed to rest yet~"
…Damn it.