What is daily life?
According to the dictionary, daily life is referred to as a routine that repeats every day.
In other words, what ordinary people call ‘daily life’ means going to school, meeting friends, studying, eating, and playing. If you’re not a student and instead work, just switching ‘school’ to ‘company’ would still be about right.
The light novels I read in middle and high school mostly began with that ‘daily life’ getting shattered. Usually, the protagonist would encounter a beautiful girl they had never met before, only to find out she was a superpowered entity or something like that, and she would protect the protagonist who would accidentally gain some related powers and get wrapped up in various incidents— culminating in standing in front of the heroine and saying something like, ‘This time I’ll protect you!’ or whatever, typical stuff.
The protagonist sometimes misses their broken daily life within the story, but honestly, for the reader, it’s not a very relatable story. From my perspective, which found the repetitive school life boring, I thought, ‘In that case, just throw me into it!’
That’s why those types of fanfics pop up sometimes. Instead of the protagonist hesitating and being annoying, they possess a character or fall into the story with some ability, smoothly eliminating those frustrating elements and gulping down that refreshing soda.
In a way, it seems I wanted to live a life like the original protagonists in those fanfics more than the light novels themselves.
Well, I guess such thoughts gradually faded as I grew older.
Rather than living in a story like that, I wished for a life where I could earn a ton of money, do nothing, and just laze around reading that type of story. I felt something like ‘Saying such lines at this age is a bit…’ too.
But still, I didn’t completely stop yearning for it.
If I absolutely couldn’t choose a rich and leisurely life, then falling into an isekai might not be such a bad idea? I daydreamed like that at least.
But then…
“Clara, focus. You’ve skipped school for several days. Luckily, there weren’t any tests during that time, but you’ve still fallen behind a lot. If you lag behind any further, you’ll have no chance to catch up.”
Ah, right, of course, I wanted a life overflowing with beautiful girls like Selena around me.
But, but…
“…How much have we fallen behind?”
“About half a textbook worth.”
As I asked, Selena held up a textbook, opening it to show about half of it.
“From the beginning of this book to here.”
“Th-this is too thick…”
I gasped, and Selena looked at me as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
“What do you mean? The reason is that you’ve missed that many days. You should’ve been prepared for this.”
“There’s no way I can cram this much in one go!”
When I protested, Selena sighed deeply before replying.
“It’s not about cramming it in; it’s about engraving it. We’ll repeat only the necessary parts multiple times, so you don’t have to worry too much. Even those who say such things end up getting it done.”
“But didn’t you say this is your first time teaching anyone?”
“…Alright, then let’s start with page 32.”
Selena expertly ignored my protest.
…So, getting back to the topic, we want an extraordinary life because we hope our mundane daily life gets shattered. It’s not simply about the repetitive nature. The real problem is that there’s something we absolutely hate about that repetition. We desperately wish for something to pop up that gives us a legitimate reason to escape that reality we don’t want to face, whether it’s work or study.
Think about it. You’re diligently attending school, and suddenly someone jumps out, taps you on the shoulder, and says, “Hey, no time to study! Let’s save the world!”
Ah, who wouldn’t be tempted by that?
But reality is cruel.
In fact, you have to save the world and study at the same time.
Moreover, there’s no heroine to protect you or one who would shout ‘This time I’ll protect you!’ at the climax.
And the scariest part is that, if you keep doing it, it’ll all eventually feel like an incredibly ordinary life.
“I-I can’t take any more of this…”
“What do you mean? There’s still a long way to go. Look, Linea and Aurora are sitting there quietly without saying a word.”
No, both of them look completely exhausted. It’s obvious they’re tired. In fact, Rina had already bolted before Selena even called out to her.
“That’s just…”
But what can I do? I’m already caught. No, rather, I felt that if I really fell behind from here, my advancement would be in danger, so I had no way to refuse. What can I do? I’d still have to study.
To have fallen into an isekai to save the world, and now having to attend school and study hard again—what absurdity is this! If anything, at least they could upgrade my intelligence or something!
…
But amidst that, the most mysterious thing is that I don’t feel like this life is that bad.
*
Well, if I thought it was bad, I might have either dropped out or run away. As it appears, I actually do have a fair amount of confidence in my abilities. Even if I just treated people for a small fee on the street, I could manage to get by.
You know how it is. When you’re a student, you’re desperate to graduate, get a job, and live a free life, but once you start working, you realize that being a student was a lot freer. Well, that’s also because I didn’t overdo it with cram schools, plus I strolled through university at a nameless regional college.
So, if someone were to ask me, “Would you go back to your fresh employee days?” I’d definitely think for about 15 seconds and then say I’d prefer to stay here.
Ah, if I had to choose between living as a bottom-tier employee with a tight schedule or as the head of an organization with a tight schedule, which would I choose?
Of course, the latter, right?
Plus, I’m still young. No, I mean physically young. Even if I could live to the average lifespan, I’d still have almost 70 years left, so I have plenty of time to plan and choose my future. Even if it’s tight now, when this body reaches its twenties, I should be able to relax a bit more.
The plans I’m designing for that comfortable life are as follows.
First.
I actually had no intention of becoming the Pope. I wanted to avoid sitting in a high position as much as possible and escape after five years to establish a personal treatment center, working from 10 AM to 5 PM, and enjoying a leisurely life with weekends off. I’d charge patients a bit less than other treatment centers. Then, I’d get enough patients to make money and do some publicity. In the end, I could enjoy a laid-back life, scraping money together.
Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?
Of course, there were some issues executing that plan.
The most important part of that plan was that the world had to be reasonably peaceful in five years. If demons or witches kept existing, I had no idea how long such a life could last. So the intense actions I took to get rid of them were perhaps a bit too effective.
Indeed. I didn’t consider that all my actions would come back as my own achievements.
Thus, as a result of faithfully carrying out that first plan, I succeeded in the continuous witch hunts that had never been successful in human history, effectively neutralizing all witches.
The demons went into a panic and started fighting among themselves.
Humanity elevated me to the status of a Saintess due to those achievements, and even within the church, they were gradually perceiving me as something beyond a mere Saintess, something related to the divine.
I wrote that much in my notes when there was a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in.”
I said, waited a beat, and then the door opened with a swoosh. It was the Mother Superior. The desk lamp was on, so the light probably shined outside.
“Saintess, are you not sleeping yet?”
Her tone wasn’t blaming.
She was known for carrying out all her tasks according to principle within the convent, but the look in her eyes was gentle. Her voice carried a strong undertone that she genuinely wanted to inquire rather than criticize.
“Ah, I was just organizing some notes.”
When I said that, the Mother Superior’s face broke into a subtle smile.
…If the other nuns living here saw that, they would likely be shocked. The Mother Superior rarely smiles in front of the nuns, and if she did, it usually meant something had gone terribly wrong.
However, that smile directed towards me was likely truly a genuine smile.
“Is that so? But Saintess, you are still at an age to grow. Staying awake too long may not be good for your health. Since you need to attend school normally tomorrow, it would be wise to sleep now, don’t you think?”
As expected, her tone sounded more like a sincere wish rather than a critique, akin to a grandmother soothing her grandchild.
…It’s clear that the Mother Superior treated me differently from the other nuns from the beginning.
It wasn’t just the high-ranking officials of the Central Church; even the Mother Superior, who didn’t yet fully understand the truths of the events, and the nuns themselves had noticed that I was different from them.
At first, the nuns looked at me with jealousy and envy, but now they gaze at me with complete admiration.
It’s no wonder that there are even kids thinking about staying in the cathedral to become serious theologians.
Not long ago in the prayer room, when a parishioner asked if this was the cathedral where the Saintess lived, the nun who got asked stood tall with pride and affirmatively answered, “Yes, it is!” Luckily, I quickly fled outside with the broomstick in hand before they could realize.
…Wait, thinking back on it, isn’t this place slowly turning into something akin to a holy site? If someone goes so far as to ask that, it would mean they’re not a local parishioner.
“Yes, I understand. I’ll just tidy up a bit more and then go to sleep.”
“Indeed, for studying too much can harm your health.”
No, I’m not studying.
Of course, I couldn’t confidently say that, so I merely gave an ambiguous smile.
Once the door closed again and the tap tap of the Mother Superior’s footsteps faded away, I held my head in my hands.
I’ve messed up. This is truly messed up.
Even those who once treated me sternly are now starting to treat me specially.
The reason for that special treatment is rooted solely in religious fervor. The common perception that ‘Clara Anderson is a special being who transcends ordinary humans, touching the realms of the gods’ is becoming widespread.
That’s right. My plan not to become Pope has essentially fallen apart in a church where those thoughts are held by the majority.
In that sense, I have to say my first plan has evaporated.
So, I devised a second plan.
First, I’ll delay becoming Pope for as long as possible. This seems surprisingly feasible. Given that the idea of being something related to the divine has taken root so deeply, they’ll likely first follow my words, whatever I say. So if I say I won’t become Pope, they might step back for now.
Of course, there are limits to that. Once I turn into an adult, there won’t be anywhere left to step back. The demons and others won’t be left by then, and as an adult, there won’t be anything to block my path.
Moreover, if the Pope steps down not due to religious reasons but because of his age, I wouldn’t have a legitimate reason to refuse.
Therefore, I thought up a clever scheme.
Before becoming Pope, I’ll amass as much power as I can. Enough power to wield freely once I become Pope.
If someone were to ask what kind of nonsense that is for someone who doesn’t want to be Pope, I’d just say, “Don’t worry. I have plans.”
The moment I become pope, I’ll establish a term for the papacy.
The church is one of the two powers governing this nation alongside the government. Naturally, the President of the government has a term. Yet, the Pope has none, so I can just casually establish a position with a term of around five years.
Assuming I become Pope at twenty, I’d just have to endure five more years, and then I’d be free.
It’s an addition of five years compared to the original plan, but so what? Twenty-five is still young. Even after leaving the church, I’ll have plenty of time to enjoy life to the fullest.
Hmm, good, perfect, perfect.
To make reforms, greater power is necessary.
And the larger power that gets accumulated can be passed on to the successor before stepping down.
Sounds like a solid second plan.
After writing that, I closed my notebook.
*
I say I’ll strive for greater power, but honestly, that wasn’t really that difficult.
It was actually a matter of just leaving the current situation as it is.
Simply speaking…
“Saintess?”
“Yes?”
After my duel with Rina at the academy, which left me utterly drained after supplementary lessons with Selena, I was greeted by the priest, who was waiting at the entrance of the cathedral, making it impossible to evade.
“Did you… wait here the whole time?”
“Yes, it hasn’t been too long.”
“…Since when?”
“Since the academy ended, around five o’clock.”
“…You’ve waited here for two and a half hours?”
I gasped as I spoke, and the priest nodded.
“For waiting for the Saintess, this amount of time isn’t too long. Humanity has waited 500 years for you, after all.”
No, saying it like that makes it sound like I was 500 years late. Of course, that wasn’t the intention behind the speech, but it was still.
“By the way, what important matter is this about?”
“Oh, it’s because of this.”
The priest handed over a file he had been holding. Flipping over the thick cover of stiff paper, I uncovered documents from the Central Church.
“…A designation of a holy site?”
I muttered absentmindedly, and Father Nguyen beamed as if radiant with joy.
“Yes, Saintess! This cathedral has been designated as a holy site! Saints and Saintesses typically designate holy sites from where they were born, but this is where you first descended into this world, isn’t it? So they’ve decided to officially designate this place as a holy site and include it on the pilgrimage route!”
“…….”
The moment I realized my vision was turning yellow wasn’t an illusion.
Wait, what was that.
Okay, I get it. From the church’s perspective, this is something they absolutely cannot give up. When weighing religion, justification is quite important. And material evidence or locations, alongside testimonies, are what solidifies that justification.
Testimonies can simply be accepted from the words of those around me, and since they can’t just take my belongings away, only one location remains: the church property of this cathedral.
Uh…
Just yesterday, I was talking about needing to amass power or whatnot, but now, that thought is cancelled.
It seems this line of thought is not a good one either.
“If this place becomes a holy site… what exactly will happen?”
“If it becomes a holy site and a pilgrimage site, believers from afar will come to receive the Saintess’s teachings.”
“But if so many people gather…”
“Oh, don’t worry. We are well aware that you are still quite young. We will ensure that your private life is not disturbed.”
No, if you’re aware I’m young, then you shouldn’t have thought of granting me such immense power.
“And that’s not all. The cathedral you instructed to be built in the Elven District will be named after you. Additionally, each location where you’ve achieved numerous feats will be designated as a holy site one by one.”
“…….”
I rubbed my temples. A headache was beginning to bloom.
“What… is the name of the cathedral?”
“It will be named St. Clara Cathedral.”
It’s a miracle that I didn’t stumble at that revelation.
“That site will be spacious, with a grand and tall cathedral. Originally, only chosen Elves and priests could approach the trees there, but following the example of the Saintess who treated everyone equally, regardless of whether they are Elves or not, that cathedral will be a place where anyone can visit and pray.”
“…….”
“And a congregation named after the Saintess—”
“Ah, wait, wait a minute.”
I said with my head in my hands.
“I think it’s better to do this one step at a time…”
“……I see. I must have gotten a bit too excited. I apologize.”
The priest immediately bowed his head in apology.
“No, it’s alright…”
I’m not alright.
I hurriedly ushered the priest back inside the cathedral, and the three of us quickly entered the convent. I lay down on my bed without even washing up.
“…You don’t have to worry too much.”
“…You don’t need to overthink it. Just stay still, and the church will take care of everything.”
Aurora and Linea each offered some comforting words.
No, I mean, I am not okay.
Whether it’s power or anything else, I really don’t want to get close to it. I think I’m better off avoiding it all.
…Maybe I should tear out the page I wrote yesterday.
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