1.
The journey went smoother than I thought.
Ah, of course, that doesn’t mean it was all comfortable. I mean, it went smoother than I expected.
First, let’s talk about the parts that went smoothly. The vehicles from the Church that were chasing us gave up tracking us quicker than expected. It was as if someone had given a directive; after driving a bit, they started disappearing from our sight one by one, and by the time we completely left the 21st District, there wasn’t a single vehicle chasing us.
There were no roadblocks or search orders.
Even though the cultures between regions are different, and they used to be separate countries, they are currently united as one nation. With the concept of ‘foreign’ not existing, naturally, there are no borderline areas. Usually, there’s just a sign indicating you’ve crossed a region. Even though laws differ between regions, it doesn’t mean they strictly monitor entrance or exit into other areas.
Still, the easiest place for inspection should be the roads leading between regions, but indeed, there weren’t any police standing around on those roads either.
Of course, there were toll booths like on highways… but these days, who buys tickets from people?
Even if those in this car were heroes who had participated in the final battle against the demons, traveling over a thousand kilometers without eating or sleeping was impossible. Changing clothes in the back seat was unfeasible too, as there were four people sitting there, making it hard to move shoulders, plus Jian was driving.
At the very least, we needed a place to stop, stretch, and lie down to rest.
For that reason, we stopped at a highway hotel.
It was a large hotel with two floors that turned at a right angle, just like you see often in American dramas or movies, with a big parking lot. The building was somewhat old, and the only convenience was a small shop selling simple snacks, but the place itself was decently well maintained and clean.
“……”
Without any warning, and without any escort or aide, the hotel staff was speechless at the sight of three saintesses, a hero, and even a pope and goddess. They were gaping so wide that I worried their jaw might actually unhinge.
The desk clerk rubbed their eyes and looked at us again. But naturally, what they saw was a collection of faces you’d usually only see on the news, so it was understandable they were in shock and awe.
“Room… one single, one double, and one quad, please.”
Only then did the staff manage to move their jaw.
“Uh, yes, here you go!”
“What about the fee—”
“The fee is fine!”
The staff shouted that right away, leaving me speechless for a moment.
“No, even so—”
“It’s an honor that the Goddess stays with us!”
“…….”
I desperately wanted to put my hand to my forehead, but I held it in and slowly continued speaking.
“Even so, I can’t use my status to suppress someone else’s rightful claim. And even if I look like this, I actually have quite a bit of money.”
I added jokingly, but it was the truth. In the last five years, the money I spent was just on food and occasionally on the things I bought with Linea or Aurora. I didn’t have to worry about transportation or housing costs.
Since capturing demons, the budget’s level of funds had been steadily accumulating in my bank account. I could even afford to donate sometimes when it felt overwhelming.
Thanks to that, there was no reason to run short on money here. Moreover, not just myself, but my companions could hardly declare ‘we’re broke’. They were probably far above ‘average’ at the very least.
Saying that, I handed the staff my card. If I use the card here, the Church will quickly locate me… but seeing as no one was following us anymore, it was clear the Church was tacitly allowing our escape. That thought was not just mine, but a consensus among everyone in the car.
“If that’s the case, they might as well let us take a proper holiday,” Rina grumbled, but… I’m sure shy Rina wouldn’t have brought it up herself in such a strange situation. After all, she was a saintess-turned-pope; if she asked for a holiday, the Church would have no reason to refuse.
After we received the three keys, three saintesses, one pope, and one hero stood right in front of me.
It was a weekday, and though the sun was setting, there were still a few guests sporadically visible in the hotel. Naturally, most of those guests discreetly glanced our way. Even while just standing still, our outfits were incredibly eye-catching, so it was no wonder.
“Should we change our clothes first?”
When I said this, everyone nodded.
Selena looked a bit disgruntled, knowing Jian was in the single room, but if she shared a room alone with Jian, it was obvious there would be photos taken and plastered on the front page of newspapers. So, it seemed she was holding back to share a room with Rina instead.
I, Aurora, and Linea would be in the quad room together. It wasn’t so much that I wanted a bigger room, but there simply were no triple rooms available.
“If you need to meet with Jian, let’s do it outside. Otherwise, it’ll create a huge issue.”
Mixing in men and women wouldn’t matter on its own, but when counting, it was one guy and five girls. Imagining what people would think if those six were staying together was simply terrifying.
…Well, our ultimate destination would have even more girls, but that place was Erica’s private villa, so it wouldn’t be a big deal.
And by then, the Church would probably take care of everything for us. They probably already know where we’re heading.
…
Did I really run away?
I had expected the Church would be somewhat disappointed in me, but at this rate, it felt more like I was simply taking a vacation to meet a friend far away.
2.
Eh, so what.
Thinking such things wouldn’t help with the relaxation anyway. Regardless of what anyone said, since I’ve gotten a break, it’d be better to just relax and take it easy.
I entered the guest room and changed my clothes. Aurora had picked out the outfit for me before. It was a pretty ordinary design of pants and a shirt, adequate even outside of a party setting.
Linea and Aurora also picked their own outfits. Linea was wearing something similar to what she wore before, while Aurora was… in snug, short pants that rose above her belly button paired with a crop top.
Well, it was pretty, looking like something an idol would wear… but, whatever. I didn’t want to go nitpicking someone’s clothing. Aurora seemed to be one who actively collects trendy clothes lately, so it felt wrong to pick a fight over that. Besides, such clothes were things I’d often seen even back where I lived.
Compared to the saint’s robes we wore since our student days, the exposure wasn’t drastically different. The saint’s robe had some parts covered, but in that case, the saint’s robe had shorter skirts as well. It’s pretty much the same.
After changing, we gathered at the 24-hour restaurant attached to the hotel to grab a meal. Fortunately, there weren’t many people in the restaurant.
Selena wore a skirt with a shirt, while Rina was dressed neatly in pants and a shirt.
“Don’t you feel embarrassed wearing that?”
Rina immediately asked Aurora upon seeing her.
…No matter how I think about it, it didn’t seem to be something a succubus should say, but among us, if I had to pick who dressed the sloppiest, there was no doubt it’d be Rina. Not only today, but Rina usually had a strong aversion to revealing clothing. I was unsure if it was due to childhood trauma or simply her innate personality, though.
“How about it? Looks good, right? Even though I may look like this, I chose this outfit after much deliberation.”
But Aurora didn’t budge an inch at Rina’s comment and stood tall with confidence. Truly, it was an outfit that wouldn’t feel out of place anywhere.
Except for the fact it was almost entirely white.
That’s right. Out of all the people sitting here, excluding Jian, they all wore white clothing. Of course, that wasn’t because we liked the clean look but rather because we wore what suited our roles as saintesses, goddess, and pope.
In that sense, the one who stood out the most in our group was Jian. He was the only man, and he was the only one not dressed in white.
“…Should I have gotten a white outfit too?”
“Are you trying to be a saint?”
I said jokingly, and Selena’s face lit up.
“Actually, wouldn’t someone like Jian have enough talent to be a saint? He’s one of the first apostles of the demon god. He even got asked to become the head of the denomination.”
“Who was it that immediately said ‘no!’ when hearing that?”
I recalled the person suggesting we make Jian a saint with a bright smile.
“That was then and this is now, right?”
And naturally, Selena replied with an unbothered expression.
…Well, yes, it’s different. Back then, he couldn’t get married, but now he can.
Certainly, if a saint and a saintess got married, no one would oppose it.
“Ha ha ha…”
The person on the receiving end of a horrendous sales pitch, turning red with embarrassment, could only chuckle in awkwardness.
“Hey? What do you think, Goddess? Doesn’t it sound like a great idea? Someone of Jian’s caliber would be a prized talent for the Church.”
“While it would be great for the Church, we’re not here to work right now, are we? Let’s discuss that when we return to our normal lives.”
“Usually, you don’t distinguish between work and relaxation, do you?”
“Then let’s start distinguishing it from today.”
In fact, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to distinguish it; everything I did had become a form of official duty.
When I visit somewhere, it counts as the goddess visiting that area, and anything I do there is something the goddess officially carries out. Naturally, whether I visit personally or with a real purpose, officials would scramble around, and as a consequence, my activities there are deemed ‘official duties.’
Although there was some personal vacation time, even then, an overwhelming number of knights and escorts swarming around didn’t allow me to feel it was a personal break.
Moreover, I’m an existence for which generalizing things like ‘I’m also an ordinary person’ doesn’t apply, making the situation even worse.
“So, spending time leisurely like this is a necessary activity for me.”
“That person doesn’t seem so at ease.”
Rina pointed towards a waiter who had come to our table, sweating bullets. A plump lady who looked like she’d be rude and unwilling to work in a drama or movie stood there, holding the menu with both hands respectfully as if she were an employee of a five-star hotel.
“……”
Um, should I apologize?
Of course, saying sorry here would put way more pressure on the other party, so I quietly ordered a burger, fries, and a cola.
It had been a long time since I had horrible food like this, and it was utterly delicious.
3.
“The Goddess visited our region!? And by car!?”
The regional representative turned pale as he spoke.
“Ac-actually, it’s not just the Goddess.”
Just as pale, a civil servant handed a tablet to the representative. On it was a video of the goddess captured from afar with a phone. Although it was filmed in a dark place from a distance, the people visible were definitely the goddess, the pope, and the saintesses. Plus, a guy with them was a hero who had also participated in the final battle against the demons.
Gathered together were all the closest allies of the goddess from inside and outside the Church.
Moreover, that video had been posted on a certain internet news outlet that day.
“Seriously, how can the regional representative learn about something like this later than the newspaper?”
The representative wiped sweat from his sleeve as he spoke.
“Well… this article was cut ahead of time at the Church’s request before it was published. The owner of the video received a warning from the Church before posting it online.”
“……A warning from the Church?”
“Well, um…”
The civil servant looked around uncomfortably while speaking.
“The Church sent an official notice. They would appreciate our cooperation during the Goddess’s vacation…”
“A vacation?”
The representative took the paperwork handed by the civil servant, quickly read it, and sighed audibly.
“Ugh…”
In disbelief, he continued.
“So, right now, the Central Church tightly controls the movements of the Goddess? Even here at this hotel, they are actively maneuvering…?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then we won’t need to take any action.”
The regional representative sighed deeply as if declaring.
“Did the central government say anything?”
“They said they ‘thoroughly’ knew nothing about it.”
“……”
There was no way the central government wouldn’t know. Of course, it was the Church’s job to protect the Goddess’s safety, but that didn’t mean the central government wouldn’t be interested in the Goddess. On the contrary, having a good relationship with the goddess significantly influenced their public support, so they couldn’t afford to disregard her.
The goddess Clara was someone who could crush humanity’s laws with a single finger, and even if she behaved that way, she would receive fervent public support.
Naturally, there was faith that the goddess wouldn’t act that way, which allowed for that support, but that just furthers the point.
“So, what it means is… you have no intention to interfere with the Goddess’s vacation.”
“That’s correct.”
“…Well, we ought to pray that nothing goes wrong during the Goddess’s visit to our region.”
“…Yes.”
The representative held his head in his hands.
4.
Ah, this is nice.
I lay on a floating tube bobbing on the sea and thought this.
How long has it been since I’ve had such a free vacation?
Just because I’m a goddess doesn’t mean I can be carefree. Of course, since there’s no one hierarchically above me, I didn’t have to worry about that type of pressure, but still, there’s that… ‘face’ one has to maintain.
As long as I am a goddess, people have a certain minimum expectation of me. Maintaining the ‘appearance of a goddess’ while trying to relax turned out to be more bothersome and tiring than I anticipated.
“Oh, that swimsuit is bold.”
“Eek.”
The tube I was lying on suddenly tipped sideways, making me nearly scream. Clutching onto the lopsided tube with just enough sanity, I found Seo-A dangling on one side.
“A goddess in a bikini? If any journalists were around, they’d be itching to take a photo.”
“I didn’t pick it.”
I immediately refuted.
“It was packed away in my bag by Aurora. The swimsuit I picked is probably in some corner of the 21st District Cathedral right now.”
“Come on, don’t say that.”
My tube sank a little further down.
“…Um, if this keeps up, I feel like I might fall into the water.”
I glanced at Aurora, who was hanging off the opposite side, and said, to which Aurora, grinning, replied.
“Worry not! If you fall, we’ll save you.”
……Is her personality becoming increasingly troublesome? Was the mischievous side the real her that she had been hiding for the past few years?
“Yeah, everyone here is from the Academy, so why worry?”
“Oh no, wait, wait! If you do this, I’ll really fall!”
With both sides starting to pull down the tube slowly, I panicked.
“I truly haven’t practiced swimming for even a minute in the last five years.”
“I’m working hard to acquire excellent swimming skills, though.”
“Oh really? Then how about we make some actual practice of this today?”
“Ah, no, wait! Drowning the goddess would be a complete offense—”
Of course, my urgent protest was completely ignored.
5.
Eventually, having been captured by Seo-A and Aurora, I spent the entire day swimming—or rather, flailing in the water—before finally returning to the villa. Complaining while draining the water that got in my ears, I washed up and wore a party dress-like outfit that Aurora had prepared.
“Gotta fit the vibe!”
That was Aurora’s argument. For reference, Linea also ended up wearing a dress she wouldn’t normally wear, thanks to Aurora. Well, the saintly robes we wore usually were dresses as well.
“Hey, you’re back?”
Erica, who was opening a bottle of champagne, asked casually. Erica was… wearing something that could be described as somewhat revealing. How do I put this? It looked somewhat similar to something Aurora would wear at a bar, but the vibe felt a bit off, making Erica’s outfit come across as more provocative. It was especially cut out deeply in the back.
Selena glanced nervously at Erica, and Jian, not knowing where to put his gaze, scanned around, but since most everyone was dressed a tad less so than Erica, his eyes were left darting everywhere.
“Wow, you’re wearing a tuxedo.”
As I approached to ask, Jian awkwardly nodded.
“It’s dress code. I coordinated with Aurora on it.”
Was Aurora the mastermind behind this?
I glanced at Aurora after Selena’s remark, but she simply stuck out her tongue playfully.
…Well, it probably didn’t matter. She seemed to have a thing for this kind of situation.
People in dresses and tuxedos gathered at a fancy private villa, throwing a party. Honestly, it was a world I had fantasized about experiencing at least once.
“Since it’s a special day, it’s only natural to make it special.”
In the end, even Linea, wearing a tight sleeveless dress, agreed with Aurora’s remark.
“Who would have guessed the pope would even mess with the bag?”
Rina, dressed in a deeply cut outfit, said with an expression like she’d grant me today’s exception. I chuckled slightly and slowly walked forward.
Following a delightful aroma, I found two people grilling meat on the villa’s roof, a little distance away from the swimming pool.
“Ramihi?”
I exclaimed in surprise, making Ramihi, who was intensely watching his sausages, look up.
“Good to see you.”
Ramihi smiled at me and said, “Oh, you’re here?”
Satsuki, standing beside him, casually greeted me back.
“Didn’t you used to hate meat?”
“True, but,”
Ramihi picked up a sausage with tongs and examined it closely as he spoke.
“I’ve recently come to firmly realize that it’s impossible to completely avoid meat while living mixed in with humans. So I’m practicing cooking and tasting it whenever I get the chance to adapt.”
“Since you can’t tell if you don’t know the flavor, that’s Ramihi’s philosophy,” commented Satsuki with a shrug.
“Impressive…”
I thought to myself, even if it was for the sake of letting others know, I still wouldn’t eat food I disliked.
“It’s pretty standard.”
Ramihi said that while looking a bit proud.
“Clara!”
As I turned around at Aurora’s call, a glass filled with champagne was suddenly thrust into my sight.
“Thanks.”
I smiled as I received the glass. Linea also handed a glass to both Ramihi and Satsuki. She was holding a precarious balance of one glass in one hand and two glasses in the other; it was impressive to see how she managed that.
“Now, the instigator of this get-together is going to say a few words.”
“Instigator?!”
Seo-A seemed to have been waiting to say that, and I felt my face heat up a notch.
“Come on, now that things are in motion, a word wouldn’t hurt.”
Selena said so.
Before I knew it, everyone had their eyes on me.
…Well, I suppose. Since speeches are my work too.
I shrugged my shoulders before opening my mouth.
“May these peaceful days continue forever.”
“Cheers!”
No sooner had I finished than Aurora shouted.
“Cheers!”
Everyone else followed, and thus, the long-awaited reunion of the dueling club began.
The clothes may have been a bit special, and this place wasn’t the auditorium, but…
The faces filled with laughter among friends were all slightly older than before.
But still, nothing had changed with the smiles on those faces.
I prayed to the two gods, likely watching from afar, that this laughter could last forever.
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