What should I say…
Looking down at the recorder placed on the desk, I organized my thoughts.
It was indeed true that the elves, especially the high elves, didn’t particularly like me. To be honest, there’s still some lingering resentment.
Besides, even if I were to help, they probably wouldn’t be grateful. Let’s be honest, with Arlil, I was the one unilaterally helping, yet the elders’ attitude toward me was complete rubbish. They might even blame me for causing the current situation.
Surely after helping here, I would one day be tearing my hair out, regretting, “Ah, I shouldn’t have helped back then!” That day will definitely come. At least while I’m here for these five years—until I leave the convent to become an ordinary person—I’m bound to see Arlil again a few times and they might bring up today’s events every time.
But…
It’s unacceptable to suffer disadvantages for a sin I didn’t commit.
In the church, it seems they’re trying to push the narrative that the elves wanted to assassinate me because I nudged Arlil into it, but if we go by that, isn’t it problematic for the church too? They sent me to the Elven Village without any relevant information. Those who agreed to send the only saint of the church to such a place would also be considered co-conspirators.
Well… If you really need to nitpick, there’s a bit of fault in not properly training the newbie entering a hazardous work environment.
Maybe the church had all the necessary information written in the tiny print of that dense contract. If that’s the case, then the elves are even more in the clear.
Leaving me unattended without any guidance throughout Remihar, providing no additional information beyond the priest’s position, failing to warn me of the dangers I might face inside Arlil, and making suggestive comments to a guest—
Huh? Wait a second.
That was sexual harassment, wasn’t it?
If I had been alone it might have been a different story. But Aurora was right beside me! And Aurora is definitely a minor!
As I glared at Krah with icy eyes, his expression went pale.
…Huff, okay, let’s calm down.
What I’m talking about is a separate issue. I can address it later to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Thinking back, there were also species-based differences…
No, wait a minute.
Isn’t this close to racism?
Looking at another race’s physical features and belittling them based on your own standards is simply undeniable racism, right?
And not only was I alone.
Aurora was right next to me!
Oh? Are you getting mad?
This time, my temper flared, and I shot a fiery look at Krah, blanching his face.
…Sigh, yeah. What I’m supposed to say right now isn’t this.
I’ll deal with this later… Maybe stamp my foot on their face to wrap it up neatly. I don’t even know if there are laws regarding racism in this world. Given how openly hostile they are, I doubt any elves have been arrested yet.
Well… Anyway. That’s that, and this is this.
Regarding the assassination plot, I believe the elves are not guilty.
No matter what the intentions were, Krah told me, just the night before the ceremony, to “take it easy.” I can’t know the whole consensus of the elves, but at least the elder Krah thought it was important for me to come back safe.
I don’t know how much the elves, including the elders, know about the truth of Arlil, but it should be more than nothing. The most effective way to nurture Arlil is through the goddess’s miracle, and it’s the saint who invokes that miracle. Usually, the saint who calls forth a miracle ends up dead, or if they survive, they’ll become gravely weakened and die within a few years.
At least, they’ll lose a hand or something.
The severity doesn’t matter. No matter the reason, if I get hurt due to my own mistake, the church will be angry and will want to find the cause.
…But more importantly, it’s true that the reason I nearly died was my own mistake.
I didn’t know how Arlil absorbed holy power, nor did I understand how the miracle would affect Arlil, but I was indeed too complacent.
Above all, if I hadn’t thought of saving every single elf in there, this wouldn’t have happened.
And—
“Who brought me out of there?”
Right. Before I died or got hurt by a miracle, my unconscious body could have been seriously injured. The stone slab I was sitting on was on Arlil’s mid-stem. If I had just sat there, I would have either fallen and injured myself badly or been crushed underneath the slab.
No matter how strong the divine power flowing from Arlil was, my body is still based on being human. If a bone broke, it wouldn’t heal as quickly as an elf.
The fact that I have no notable injuries means someone must have saved me before I got hurt.
“I brought you out.”
Krah spoke up as if he had been waiting. When I stared at him, he cleared his throat and added, looking somewhat embarrassed,
“And Ramihi helped. After all, a man shouldn’t be touching a woman’s body recklessly.”
…It seems rarely, his old-fashioned views do have a positive side. It’s not surprising for elves to value modesty in women and masculinity in men.
Andrea said nothing. The fact that he didn’t deny anything that’s advantageous to the elves means there’s likely solid evidence or witnesses.
“…I see.”
One thing became clear. At least Krah, standing in front of me, did not want me to get hurt or die. Whether that’s for altruistic reasons or political ones is not of much concern. In the law, the main point is whether it happened or not.
“Elder didn’t want me to be hurt.”
At my words, Krah’s face lit up. …Honestly, seeing that almost made me feel bad, but there’s something more important.
“Before entering the ceremony, you came to me, checked on my condition, and suggested that we could postpone if needed. And…”
I continued speaking slowly while staring at Krah.
“He said not to overdo it, trusting me.”
While I mulled over my words, I honestly still felt like this wasn’t something an elf would typically say to a human. When I first heard it, I thought it was quite suspicious. Now I think I vaguely understand why.
Saying not to overdo it might mean not to challenge the witch’s ceremony or to try and save all the elves inside there. More simply, it could mean he hoped that such an incident wouldn’t occur.
Well, whatever it is, it was definitely the right judgment from the perspective of the elder of the elves.
If I had only infused a little holy power and got out in a few minutes, then none of these things would have happened.
“Most importantly, what happened inside Arlil was something I wanted to do myself. I never expected Arlil to grow this way. I’ll report on that matter in detail later.”
Honestly, I didn’t want to do it because it was a hassle, but there’s no way I could pin a crime on an innocent person. This isn’t just because I’m a saint; I’ve always thought like this even in my old world.
Seeing high-ranking people who blatantly commit crimes live freely or those who come out after decades without any charges makes me rage.
If I act like that here, I’d just become like those scumbags.
“This incident was merely an unfortunate accident caused by my poor judgment; it was not something anyone could have deliberately caused. If there’s any wrongdoing here, it’s mine.”
While it wasn’t intentional, I did partially destroy the Elven Village.
Eh, is that why they want to kick me out as a saint?
Will the church cover the destroyed parts of the Elven Village? I don’t know anything about it.
…Could it be that the contract included all that? I suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
“Is that the testimony of Saint Clara Anderson?”
Andrea asked.
Surprisingly, her expression remained unchanged and calm. She simply smiled comfortably at me, who was getting into deep trouble.
“Yes, that’s about all I can say.”
After briefly collecting my thoughts and wondering if I had more to say, I decided to keep quiet since talking further might just lead to extremely unfavorable testimony for the elves.
I’ll save the rest for when I “report in detail.”
“Hmm.”
Andrea nodded and then reached for the play button on the recorder.
“Then we’ll consider the saint’s testimony concluded—”
Before Andrea finished her sentence, there was a loud commotion outside. It sounded like someone was rolling around clumsily.
[Ouch, ouch…]
That noise was coming from outside the wooden door, then—
[Wait, was this closed? Are the interrogator and the defendant in the same room alone right now!? No matter how serious the charges, it’s illegal to intimidate the defendant!]
Came a righteous line that sounded like it belonged in a courtroom drama.
[Ah, it’s not that—]
[Get out of the way, get out of the way! I’m the lawyer! I have testimony that needs to be next to the defendant when they testify!]
Right after those words, bang!
With a loud crashing sound, the door swung open.
Oh, some wood splintered. Isn’t the doorknob broken now?
While I worried about the remaining okay doors in the Elven Village, something came rushing through the opened door.
“Null and void! Null and void! All testimonies here are null and void! A defendant’s words without the presence of a lawyer are under influence from the judicial officer! The defendant has the right to be protected from threats, violence, and psychological pressure—Huh! Saintess!?”
Not at all woohoo but rather shouting null and void, this woman who looked like a cleric froze when she made eye contact with me while standing on the desk, declaring her point.
“……”
Uh…
What’s going on? This person seems to recognize me, but I’ve never seen her before.
No, more than that, this person, who is wearing something similar to Andrea’s priestess outfit and has pointy ears and a completely flat chest, is an elf.
Wow, that’s a bit fascinating.
I’ve heard they exist, but I didn’t expect to run into one so quickly.
Hmm, did she recognize me as a saint because of the robe I was wearing? I can imagine my portrait hanging somewhere in the Central Church. They say they hang the portraits of all the Popes, after all.
Or maybe she saw me on the news.
…Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity?
It’s quite fascinating to see someone react so dramatically just from looking at me. There’s hardly anyone who gives such a strong reaction. I mean, even in the vicinity of the academy, where there are many members of the church, they might admire me, but they don’t show such dramatic reactions.
After all, as important as the church may be in this world, it’s unlikely everyone knows the faces of all the high-ranking members. I didn’t even know the face of the local congressman where I lived.
“Hmph.”
Watching the elf lawyer, Andrea clicked the play button on the recorder.
[……This incident was merely an unfortunate accident caused by my poor judgment; it was not something anyone could have deliberately caused. If there’s any wrongdoing here, it’s mine…]
My warm voice from just earlier flowed out.
“The conversation we were having just now is this, but it seems it’s unnecessary?”
“How could you say such a thing bluntly!”
As Andrea tried to put the recorder away, the elf lawyer dashed over, grabbing her hands firmly. Since she had just been standing on the desk, it looked like she was sprawled on top of the desk grabbing both Andrea’s hands.
“If the interrogator recorded it, then of course it’s legal! You know that’s not the concern!”
Her words sounded as if she was sweet-talking someone, and while I found her elven strength quite repulsive, I had to admit it was impressive.
Is it a talent to be cute while being repulsive?
“What’s going on…?”
Seeing a pureblood elf shamelessly doing something so out of line, Krah muttered in disbelief.
“…I told you. ‘During the trial, with utmost sincerity, Hmf all your time into participating properly.’ Just as I said.”
Andrea replied with a somewhat tired expression.
“Of course, of course! I’ll ensure you get an acquittal! I’m confident, Elder!”
And then, looking back at the excited lawyer, Krah was angrily shouting, “Hey, you…!” and rambling on; however, I was too bewildered to care, only wanting to leave quickly.
*
“Wait a minute!”
Ultimately, due to Krah’s furious tantrum at his own lawyer, what was supposed to be a serious interrogation room turned into total chaos, and I fled the scene. The elf priestess I’d seen before rushed after me, calling my name.
“Yes?”
She might have been a bit annoying earlier, but she seemed like a good person at heart, so there was no reason to snub her.
However she managed, though—I suspect it was through force—she was now holding the recorder she took from Andrea against her chest like a treasured item.
“I wanted to express my gratitude. Since the saint personally testified like that, the trial should end early with a good result, right?”
“Oh, that…”
I was about to say that’s natural, but stopped myself.
I mean, while it is natural, saying it out loud could come off as too boastful, right?
You know how sometimes, you accidentally save someone’s life in public, and later on when a camera catches it, reporters come to interview you saying, “I didn’t do anything special”?
It’s not that it’s not impressive, but saying such things myself would be rather cringe-worthy.
As I hesitated, the elf grabbed my hand tightly. Since she was still holding the recorder, my palm went right on it, but she didn’t seem to mind at all.
“No, many people can’t do such a righteous thing. It requires courage to say something that might disadvantage you for someone else. Thank you very much! I’ll make sure not to be a burden on the saint!”
Eek, as she sparkled her eyes and leaned in, this is really too much. She definitely looks younger and prettier than Andrea, but why is this so heavy?
I think I get why many people dislike lawyers in America.
But she seems genuinely good-natured. The elves who don’t dwell in the Elven Village must be either dispatched for important missions, banished, or have left due to frustration—based on the anger of Krah, it doesn’t seem like she left for a mission. She might have a tough relationship with the elves.
And yet, her sincere gratitude towards me for giving advantageous testimony for the elder, the head of the elves…I can see her roots must be good.
“And, indeed, the saint is even more beautiful than her portrait! You’re far prettier!”
“Ew.”
So, there really is a portrait hanging somewhere, huh?
I didn’t agree to be a model, so who drew that? Maybe they just looked at pictures?
“I thought they just hung them for religious reasons, but seeing your deeds, it does seem fitting to display your portrait in court! You’ll truly be blessed! Though it might be inappropriate for me to say, may the goddess always be with you!”
After saying that, the lawyer dashed off, claiming she had more work to do.
“The courthouse…?”
They have my face hanging in the courthouse?
Could it be they really hang the portrait of saints like this in the name of religious trials? The high court needs me to ask the goddess for guidance or something?
…Eh, no way.
Even though the church is a religious group, it’s still a highly modernized organization. They wouldn’t simply perform investigations based on religious fanaticism but instead adhere to scientific evidence and logical reasoning—
As I thought this, I remembered Krah being detained just because I could have gotten hurt.
…Eh, no way.
Shaking my head again, I denied it.
Even for a group that would easily appoint the person chosen by the saint as a pope!
…
Lost in serious contemplation, Krah emerged from the interrogation room.
Seeing him walk out confidently, it looks like they’re not holding him anymore.
He probably didn’t think I’d still be at the entrance, as he came out and met my gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Um…”
Then it looked like he was going to say something, but his words got stuck.
Clearing his throat a few times in frustration and patting his chest, Krah finally managed to speak.
“Thank you.”
He said that and hurriedly left.
“……”
I just stared blankly at Krah’s departing back until Aurora came and called for me.
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