Prologue: The Descent of the Saintess

The otome game The Rainbow-Colored Sparkles From Beyond.

Set in an academy within a world of swords and magic, it follows the protagonist, Saintess Reina Laurel, as she meets multiple capture targets, deepening bonds of love and friendship.

While the concept is a typical romance simulation aimed at women, it also has strong RPG elements, allowing players to not only pursue romance but also battle monsters to strengthen their characters.

Reina and the capture targets live together at the academy while fighting monsters, ultimately needing to defeat the Demon King to save the kingdom. The journey to defeat the Demon King includes numerous events, such as a defensive battle to protect a town from a massive horde of invading monsters.

A black shadow, like thunderclouds, stretched endlessly across the horizon. The shadow writhed eerily, surging toward the capital where people lived, like a tsunami.

“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The shadow’s true nature was monsters mutated by magic—beings known as “monsters,” the enemies of humanity. An army of thousands, tens of thousands of monsters—a calamity, like a scene from the end of the world.

“It’s over…”

“We’re going to die… It’s the end…”

The horde of monsters had already reached the capital’s walls, climbing over them. Faced with a scene that embodied despair, the soldiers guarding the walls lost heart one by one, falling to their knees.

“GUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Even as the soldiers lost their will to fight, the monsters’ momentum naturally did not waver. The monsters continued their grotesque and eerie advance, poised to swallow the capital whole.

“Holy Lance!”

Yet, amidst the despair, a girl’s clear voice rang out. In the next moment, a radiant spear of light pierced through a group of monsters in one strike.

“””””GUGYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!?”””””

The monsters struck by the spear of light screamed and perished. Like sinners touched by divine wrath, they turned into pillars of white salt, crumbling and scattering in the wind.

“W-What in the world…?”

“Everyone, please don’t give up!”

The girl’s clear voice reached the stunned soldiers’ ears once more. Before anyone noticed, a girl in a white robe stood atop the walls defending the capital.

“The Goddess is with us. Please, hold on to hope until the very end!”

She was a beautiful girl. Her silvery-white hair shimmered as if woven from moonlight, and her jade-green eyes sparkled like embedded gemstones. Though she was only in her late teens, her beauty was already perfected.

She was none other than the protagonist of The Rainbow-Colored Sparkles From Beyond, the heroine of this world—Reina Laurel herself.

“This is the town where everyone lives. Let’s protect it with our own hands!”

“””””GYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!?”””””

As Reina raised her right hand, another spear of light rained down from the heavens, piercing through the monsters.

“Reina’s right! Warriors of the Seincle Kingdom, blessed by the Goddess, stand up and take up your weapons!”

A new figure appeared—a boy. As he swung a sword cloaked in light, the monsters climbing the walls were cleaved in two.

He was a beautiful blond boy. His princely demeanor as he wielded his sword was like a hero from a story, and standing beside Reina, the two looked strikingly picturesque.

He, too, was a character from the game—one of the capture targets, the crown prince, Eric Seincle.

“Yeah, don’t just give up like that! Are you even warriors!?”

“Let’s fight to the end to protect our kingdom. That’s our duty!”

“Pathetic. Looks like you guys can’t do anything without me, huh?”

Three more boys appeared alongside Eric.

The son of the knight commander… Vincent Flame.

The genius mage… Will Rilays.

The prodigious young musician… Ryui Biscuit.

All were individuals destined to shape the kingdom’s future. Like Eric, they were captured targets who would share romantic moments with Reina. Though their personalities differed, they were all strikingly handsome young men.

“The future of this kingdom rests in our hands! Brave warriors, fight! Stand tall! Strike down the evil monsters!”

“””OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”””

Eric and his three companions took the lead, cutting through the monsters with swords and magic. Supporting them, Reina unleashed spears of light, obliterating the monsters.

“W-We’re going too…!”

“Follow His Highness, the Crown Prince! Charge!”

Inspired by the five young heroes, the soldiers who had been gripped by despair stood up. With swords and spears in hand, they faced the fearsome monster horde.

“GAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”

“UOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

The enraged monsters surged forward, only to be repelled by the soldiers. A fierce, back-and-forth battle unfolded, as if the fate of humanity hung in the balance.

And watching this scene from afar was a mob character… namely, me.

Observing the intense battle from a distance, a young man shrugged as if it were someone else’s problem.

Not a single wounded soldier has been brought back… What am I even doing here?

The young man’s name was Clarel Burn, stationed in the safety of the rear.

He wasn’t a capture target. In fact, he was a mob character whose name didn’t even appear in the game.

Still, getting to witness a game event up close like this is quite a perk. Reincarnation’s not so bad after all.

If there was anything special about him, it was that Clarel was a reincarnator. In his previous life, he lived in Japan and was a player of The Rainbow-Colored Sparkles From Beyond.

Clarel gazed fondly at the characters he loved from the game as they fought, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

Though a mob character, Clarel was a priest, trained in healing magic as a cleric. For this event, he was serving as part of the medical staff. Thanks to Reina and the capture targets’ valiant efforts, however, hardly any wounded were brought to him.

That said, Reina’s incredible… Taking out monsters while healing soldiers at the same time. I’m in awe.

As the Saintess, Reina struck down monsters with her radiant spears of light while simultaneously weaving healing spells over the soldiers. Even when injuries struck, the wounded recovered swiftly, rejoining the fray without a single soul needing to be carried back as a casualty.

At this rate, we might win with zero fatalities, huh?

Despite the clash of tens of thousands of monsters against the soldiers, only the monsters fell. Hardly a human life was lost—a miracle worthy of the Goddess herself.

“Victory is ours!”

In the end, the battle concluded without Clarel ever being called into action. The boss monster leading the horde was vanquished, and the remaining monsters scattered in retreat.

“We’ve won! Warriors, raise your voices in triumph!”

“““““OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”””””

As Eric, the crown prince, raised his sword, the soldiers roared in celebration of their victory. The capital, teetering on the brink of being swallowed by monsters, was saved. The defense event was cleared.

“Thank you, Reina. It’s because of you that we won,” Eric said, his smile radiant as he turned to Reina, the battle’s MVP.

“Without you, we would have been defeated. I’m truly grateful.”

“You really live up to the title of Saintess. That was some solid support,” Vincent added.

“Your holy magic was magnificent. As expected of Laurel-san,” Will chimed in.

“Reina-neechan! You were so cool and beautiful!” Ryui exclaimed.

Vincent, Will, and Ryui—the capture targets—rushed to Reina’s side one after another. The heroine and her capture targets, all breathtakingly attractive, formed a scene straight out of a painting.

“Reina, would you join me as my partner for the victory parade to celebrate this triumph?” Eric asked, flashing a dazzling smile, his white teeth gleaming as he looked at her.

This, too, was an event from the game. After winning the battle, the player would choose one of the capture targets to join in the parade, significantly boosting that character’s affection.

Normally, this is where you’d pick one of the four…

“Ah, Clarel-sama!”

“Huh…?”

But instead of choosing one of the four capture targets as in the game, Reina broke away from them and ran toward the rear.

“We won! I did it!”

Without hesitation, she kicked off the ground and threw herself into Clarel’s arms.

“R-Reina…”

“Clarel-sama, praise me! I’d be so happy if you patted my head and called me a good girl!”

Reina clung to Clarel, rubbing her cheek against his chest affectionately. Her puppy-like behavior was utterly adorable, with no trace of the Saintess’s dignity that had scattered the monsters.

“““““…………”””””

Cold stares pierced Clarel and Reina from the capture targets—and the nearby soldiers. Their unspoken words were clear. Even without saying it, their faces screamed, Why you?

“Clarel-sama, Clarel-sama♪”

Ignoring them entirely, Reina nuzzled closer to Clarel. Pressing her face into his chest, she sniffed softly, like a small animal rubbing its scent to claim ownership.

“…No, I’m the one who wants to ask,” Clarel muttered in exasperation, unable to bear the awkwardness.

Why was Reina, the heroine of an otome game, clinging to a mob character like him instead of the capture targets?

The reason went back several years.

It all began when a ragged, orphan-like girl visited the temple.