In a spacious room, a woman in simple clothes sat on a humble wooden chair, diligently working. Once, she had an incredibly beautiful face, but it hadn’t escaped the ravages of time. However, even at her age, appropriate to be called an elder, her unique graceful beauty hadn’t completely faded.
Without breaking her poised posture, she continued her silent work when a priest approached her.
“Saint, it’s time to take a break. The major tasks are done.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
“But Saint, if you keep working like this…”
“Let’s go just this far. There are still many who haven’t received medical aid. There are so many people to help, but our numbers are limited. Therefore, we must give more of our time.”
“Saint.”
“This time, just this once.”
“You said that last time too… I understand. I’ll prepare everything. At least let us catch up with you.”
“Won’t it be burdensome?”
“It’s fine. It’s our joy to follow the Saint.”
“… If you truly think that way.”
The elder got up from her chair and slowly walked to a mirror hanging in the corner of the modest room. It was one of the few decorative items in the room, large enough to reflect her whole body.
—It’s been a long time. The war is over, and the demons are no more.
—Yes, we received thanks from the Elven region not long ago.
Was it Kihmuhir?
“Yes, indeed.”
I’m grateful they greet us every year.
“The Saint deserves that.”
The elder simply chuckled at that remark.
She slowly scanned her reflection in the mirror from head to toe.
The beauty of her youth was now gone. Well, perhaps there was still a hint of it left in her figure. She could be considered young for her age, but that was it. Although people still called her beautiful, the elder thought that description no longer suited her.
Come to think of it, friends she met last time also grumbled about her face.
“Don’t you age? You’ve dodged time even demons couldn’t escape.”
Even the Cardinal, who still maintained a close friendship with her, said such things. Though it was just funny to hear such words from someone whose hair was slowly turning white and now resembled a faint pink.
Once, she thought she wanted to leave this place and live freely.
How much turmoil had she endured upon realizing that she was the Saint sent directly by the Goddess?
But now, she had found her path.
Living by following the Goddess’s way while helping others.
That was Saint Clara Anderson’s—
*
“Oh, no!”
I had fallen asleep without realizing it and woke up with a start.
Feeling a chill, I raised my hands to see that they were damp with sweat.
The Saint’s robe clung uncomfortably to my skin, sticky and annoying.
It was certainly a hot season, yet the temperature inside the Church was just right for human comfort.
Right, this is all because of the dream.
It was a terrifying dream.
It showed me becoming Pope after doing an excellent job as the Saint and receiving everyone’s respect.
“How awful…”
It scared me. I absolutely didn’t want that.
I’d rather escape and live off my own means!
I’d rather go on an audition show and humiliate myself than become Pope!
…Of course, that was just talk. I really had no intention of doing such a thing. My singing skills had already been proven ridiculous enough the last time. Considering the number of people who’d witnessed it that day, one could argue it was too many.
I took a deep breath and sat up. In my drowsy state, I had pulled a blanket over me, but it fell away. I rubbed my bleary eyes.
How long had it been? Given that no one had woken me up, it seemed there weren’t any important matters I needed to attend to.
Outside the window, the sun was still bright. It seemed the sleep I got on the plane had been effective, although I didn’t think I’d slept for quite a few hours.
“……”
Hmm, what to do?
I suddenly felt like going back.
If I had entered a wide, nice room like this in my previous life, I’d have thought, “Oh, I want to live here,” but now I would rather return to the old, shabby convent.
After a few months there, I had grown somewhat attached… And the atmosphere there hadn’t felt as burdensome as this one.
At least, there wouldn’t be an old man crying and confessing at the sight of me.
Well, of course, if Father Nguyen had heard that instead of the Pope, it might have been even more intense.
……
What should I do now?
Nothing came to mind. The events from my meeting with the Pope wouldn’t leave my head. Well, given how tense they were, thinking of me as some kind of divine embodiment, it didn’t seem likely they would speak ill of me… The Secretary or the Pope themselves.
I was a bit worried about the nun who had fainted. Had she fallen hard on the solid floor and hurt herself? If she had, I’d have to treat her.
“Shall I move for now?”
After all, the meeting with the Pope was over. Calling it a success would be an understatement; it was an enormous disaster, but it was still over. Let’s leave what happens next to my future self. I trust myself!
For now, I should go to the room where Linea and Aurora are. It felt this way because the two were always close, and their absence was oddly empty. While there had been hours apart, it usually didn’t feel significant since I was either immensely busy or distracted.
I staggered to my feet and headed toward the door, but— I veered off towards the mirror. I studied my reflection, brushing my hair to see if anything looked out of place. Hmm, at least I wouldn’t need to shower or wash my hair.
Turning back towards the door,
“…………!”
I heard someone yelling outside.
It didn’t sound like it was right outside the door, but rather it seemed like someone was hollering from a distance, just barely audible through the door.
“……”
I placed my hand on the doorknob and tried to listen carefully to the mumbling, but I couldn’t discern what was being said.
Hmm.
Should I go out?
I started to seriously ponder that.
Of course, I didn’t think it was a tremendous issue. How often would something cause a commotion in the Church? Still, it was unlikely that demons would suddenly pop out in the middle of the Church. Maybe someone was being scolded?
…No, that’s not it. What had me worried wasn’t the nature of the disturbance.
What I was imagining was the possibility that it was related to me.
Just half a day had passed since I had made the Pope kneel, caused a nun to faint, and probably instilled irreparable trauma in the Secretary.
While it was unlikely that they would judge me as heretical… What if that yelling was because of me? Would a lot of trouble rain down on me if I opened the door?
“……Hah.”
I sighed deeply and rubbed the back of my neck. My neck felt stiff. I didn’t think I had slept poorly. Must be stress.
Am I being too sensitive?
Right, no matter how much I threw a bomb, the whole Church wouldn’t explode. Unless, by chance, the fuse got lit over time, I hadn’t yet reached the point where I could directly influence the Church. I had no intention of doing that either.
In five years, my resolve to escape the Church remains steadfast.
Right, just because I came to this world doesn’t mean it revolves around me. Thinking that way is arrogance. If it truly did, I would have solved over half the world’s problems single-handedly by now.
Unless it revolved around Jian, perhaps.
“Okay, let’s calm down. No paranoid thoughts.”
Muttering that to myself, I turned the doorknob and opened the door.
“Hey, hey! Secretary! What do you mean you can’t disclose the records? What nonsense is this!”
“This is the record that the Saint requested to be sealed! It cannot be handled carelessly!”
“What on earth does that have to do with it…!”
Well, it was clearly an incident that happened because of me.
Crap.
*
I pressed the pads of my thumb and middle finger against my eyelids.
The back of my neck was stiffer than before. If I were to measure my blood pressure now, I’d probably get a shocking number. This blood pressure would be unthinkable for someone my age and health.
“Saint, did you really request a seal on the records? No matter how much you are bestowed by the Goddess, that’s excessive overreach. The Church has its laws. To try to encroach on that is…”
Yes, yes, all true. Anyway, I’m a Cardinal, and even the Pope himself doesn’t have the authority to destroy or smuggle those records.
But I didn’t order it. I simply asked if it couldn’t be destroyed. And I did say that if there are rules, they should be followed!
This is so unfair!
But what could I say to this person?
The Secretary had already said I wanted the seal… Of course, I didn’t really tell him to do that, but he likely interpreted it as “I’d rather dispose of it, but since you have rules, I’ll comply.”
That wasn’t my intention at all.
If I could get it destroyed, I would have asked for it! I didn’t mind leaving it if there were rules!
I had to say something, nonetheless.
“…The contents of that document concerning my conversation with the Pope… it’s still too dangerous to leak out…”
I forced my sluggish brain to provide that answer.
Upon hearing my words, the priest—though I wasn’t too clear on what exactly he was doing—had an incredibly astonished expression.
“Even so, all records pertaining to the Pope are stored in our archive. Even if it’s sealed at the Pope’s request, it must pass through our hands.”
“This is the record of a prophetic word from the Saint, not the Pope! You cannot treat it the same as other Church records!”
It seemed the Secretary had been waiting for this, suddenly screaming.
The expression of the priest who had followed the Secretary turned from amazement to embarrassment. After all, it’s utterly reasonable to be bewildered when someone who was normal just yesterday suddenly acts like a madman just a few hours later. I think that way too.
“…Um, Saint.”
“… Yes?”
Paul, who had been quietly standing behind me, crouched slightly and spoke to me.
“What on earth happened in there? What kind of incident occurred for those who were inside… Did you perhaps show a miracle?”
“…”
I had shown something even more than a miracle.
But to be truthful, even if I said I was in dialogue with a Goddess, wouldn’t that leave no evidence on their side?
Just because I’m a Saint doesn’t mean they’d believe me, right? It wouldn’t warrant fainting…
…Though I have to admit, it’s a bit frightening that the one who prays and rolls around on the floor isn’t actually conversing with the divine.
“…It’s written in that document.”
With no justifiable reply, I simply answered that way.
“…I see.”
Meanwhile, the two were busy arguing over the documents. Their shouting about regulations and the Saint was incredibly distracting. I really shouldn’t have opened the door. I should have just crawled back into bed.
“Librarian.”
I eventually couldn’t hold it any longer and called out to the librarian with a sigh.
“Yes! Saint!”
The librarian’s eyes sparkled at my call. She looked like a mascot; any older man making that expression would just seem odd. I grasped my aching head and replied.
“Just… follow the regulations.”
“Understood!”
Like a soldier, the librarian responded instantly and passed the documents to her superior. The superior was taken aback, staring at her in shock, and then accepting the documents with an incredibly displeased look.
“What on earth could be written here…?”
“You’ll understand when you read it… no, you probably still won’t…”
I sighed. The superior changed from an annoyed expression to a fatigued one, sighing just like me.
“Very well. Anyway, thank you for your cooperation.”
“Yeah… please return to work too, Librarian.”
“Yes!”
After answering, the librarian dashed out of the room. …I hope she doesn’t decide to stick around because I didn’t officially tell her to clock out or anything.
I was so curious about what part of my brain was malfunctioning.
As I watched the librarian’s retreating figure in despair, the superior cleared his throat.
“Well then… I’ll take my leave as well.”
Apparently feeling a bit embarrassed for having shouted at me, he quickly left the room upon seeing me nod.
Well, whatever rank he held, acting insolently towards the Saint is another issue altogether. Still, I was a second symbol of the Church, or something like that.
…Now I might be the only symbol.
I shuddered and quickly got up.
“Take me to Aurora and Linea. I have to talk to them immediately.”
That’s right. I needed to escape this place. After waking up, I thought it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but seeing the librarian’s reaction made me understand. I shouldn’t remain here any longer. If anyone else caught me, I might have to spend not just tomorrow, but years here.
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
At least Uncle Paul seemed to have his wits about him and responded immediately to my command.
*
“Can we go back right now?”
Fortunately, the room where the two were staying wasn’t that far away.
To be precise, it was just next door. I was a little astonished to see Uncle Paul turn directly and open the door right next to our room. Can’t he just inform me it’s next door?
…Though I did ask him to take me.
Anyway. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. There were more important matters at hand.
“Are you talking about right now?”
Linea appeared slightly flustered, which was rare.
“Is there a reason?”
Aurora tilted her head, and I thought seriously about whether it was okay to speak of what happened in the reception room?
…These two might be a bit of a risk, too?
Putting Aurora aside, Linea belonged to the Inquisition, renowned even in the Church for her strong faith. Now that I thought about it, these two had never properly witnessed me handling miracles. Counting only the time I held Rina’s hand while praying, but they wouldn’t know Rina was a demon.
…Wouldn’t they?
“…That is…”
As I hesitated, Linea and Aurora exchanged glances.
“If it’s difficult to say, you don’t have to say it right now.”
Before I could say anything, Aurora took the lead.
“You can share whenever you feel comfortable. We trust Sister Clara.”
What’s this? When did they get so close?
No, it made sense; after sticking together for months, it would be stranger if they hadn’t gotten closer. I’d often been left out when the three of us hung out and they probably had plenty of conversations without me.
If their relationship were truly strained, we would have been endlessly awkward.
“Thanks so much.”
Of course, I didn’t think saying nothing was an option. While it would be fine with others, these two were some of the few I could absolutely trust in this world. At least, after spending months together, that’s how I judged it.
It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t concerned about the being behind me… But the information I could be forced to disclose would only be things they wouldn’t know unless I outright told them.
And I had only unknowingly spilled those details in front of the Pope.
A gloomy feeling settled over me.
“But I don’t even know the procedure to return.”
“I’ll look into that.”
Linea answered. When both mine and Aurora’s gazes turned towards her, she nodded with a serious face.
“The Inquisition’s headquarters are at the Central Church, so I know the process fairly well.”
“I know that much too! The Miracle Investigator’s office is also at the Central Church!”
Aurora said with an irritated expression.
…Wait, are they really that close?
Ah, what’s important now isn’t that.
“Is it possible to start the procedures right away? How far do we have to go from here?”
“We will have to walk a bit, but it’s not too far. Do you want to head out?”
“Let’s go!”
I replied quickly, getting to my feet.
It’s time to escape!
I need to hunker down in the convent before getting caught up in an incident.
No Pope or anyone else can ruin my comfortable future plans!
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