It wasn’t an official invitation, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m a VIP. No matter what the elves claim, elves are part of human society, and they have to follow the laws. If they don’t like it, they can go independent. Of course, if that happens, the central government won’t sit idly by, and things would turn extremely unfavorable for the elven regions.
Anyway, we can’t just let a VIP sleep on the ground, and since there were so many people accompanying that VIP, the space we stayed in was quite spacious and livable.
Even though we couldn’t divide the rooms into singles, doubles, or quads, considering that the elven village is still under construction, we probably made the best choice available. Well, it feels like things are lacking in many ways, especially for a VIP, but whatever. I’m not here for some grand event.
“Jian should stay with the knights, is that alright?”
At my question, Jian had an expression that seemed to say, “Why are you even asking that?”
“Um, well, I guess it’s fine…?”
Well, it has to be fine. The only students here who are the same grade as Jian are all girls.
…Actually, Jian might be okay, but I wasn’t so comfortable.
I’ve gotten used to being in a girl’s body by now, and since I hang out with Aurora and Linea daily, I’ve built a tolerance to them changing clothes. But of course, I haven’t adjusted to Rina, Selena, or Satsuki yet. Furthermore, the rooms were completely divided based on gender, which meant I had to share a room with Deputy Commander Grace.
If I had been just ten years younger, I might have been shouting and doing cartwheels, but having tasted a bit of social life, that was impossible now.
No matter what happens here, I have to keep living outside. I don’t want to become unnecessarily uncomfortable.
But I also didn’t have the option to stay with the guys.
No, it’s not that I think something will happen to me. I just worry about what others might think might happen.
Well… anyway.
I shrugged my shoulders like Jian and said, “Yes, well, that’s fine.”
“Uh… right.”
In the end, that was a statement I made to calm myself, so Jian would never know why I even bothered to ask.
*
This was practically the first time I changed clothes in front of anyone other than Linea or Aurora.
I didn’t care about feeling resistance at changing my clothes in front of a different gender; the scariest part was watching other girls change.
Whenever I stood in front of Seo-A, my gaze would unintentionally drift toward that open valley. I couldn’t help but look at other kids changing clothes.
So, to avoid getting weird misunderstandings, I chose to change clothes in a corner, facing the wall. I counted the knots on the wall until I could no longer hear the sounds of the other kids changing.
Once the sound of fabric brushing against skin stopped, I turned around, only to find that all eyes were completely on me.
“Wow, you’re surprisingly shy, huh?”
The first to say that was Selena. But right after she said it, she made a face that suggested something was off, then continued, “Or maybe this feels more plausible?”
I had no idea what was plausible, but I was relieved that Selena accepted it.
“Is that… so?”
Grace, who had known me the shortest among them, asked Selena. She was wearing the gym outfit I had seen her in during her previous visit to the elven village. Thankfully, she didn’t leave it open as a competition against me.
“How should I put it? It’s hard to explain, but yeah.”
Selena said that while making a somewhat unconvinced expression, making me uneasy. Of course, I didn’t think anyone would find out that I used to be a boy, but still, sexual orientations exist.
“I was super embarrassed when I first wore the Saint’s Robe.”
Hearing that, I let out a small sigh of relief. At least it seemed like they weren’t judging me in that direction.
“Isn’t it normal to feel shy wearing such clothes?”
When Rina asked Selena that, Selena mumbled, “Well, I guess.”
“There are a ton of people wearing even worse outfits out there, you know? And weren’t you dressed pretty ridiculously at the beginning of the semester?”
“No, that’s…”
Rina opened her mouth to retort after hearing Selena’s comment, but perhaps she had nothing to say, so she just shut up. The outfit Rina wore at the start of the semester showed a lot of thigh, so it definitely fit the bill for someone who liked succubus-style attire.
Considering she switched to baggier clothes after defeating the Witch of Resentment, she probably hated it a lot, but that doesn’t mean she never wore them.
And soon, she too would have to wear the Saint’s Robe, right?
“Ah, well, whatever.”
As the atmosphere got awkward, Selena clapped her hands.
“Feeling shy isn’t a bad thing. I just asked out of curiosity, so don’t worry about it!”
“Actually, Clara has always been like that since the start. She was like that from the moment we first shared a room.”
“Right! It might be because you didn’t blend in with people since childhood.”
Linea and Aurora chimed in to support me, but their words didn’t feel comforting at all. I mean, saying that makes it sound like I lack social skills. Despite appearances, I’ve met one-on-one with the President and the Pope!
…Oh wait, maybe that’s not because of my social skills?
“Thinking about it, that’s true.”
Satsuki murmured those words after listening to Linea and Aurora and then stared at my face.
“If you’re a being created by the gods, how old is Clara? How long have you been in this world?”
“……”
What is this, déjà vu?
I sighed and placed my hand on my forehead.
Something tells me tonight’s going to be a long one.
*
After the discussion about how old I was ended, Selena started tutoring me. This was something I felt during our last time together, in the airplane, and now that we’re here—it seems that Selena has a knack for teaching. She organizes the main points and teaches them to me quite precisely. The problem is that she tries to shove all of that into my head forcefully.
“……”
Thanks to that, I started my morning looking thoroughly haggard for the first time in a while. Linea and Aurora also looked a bit rough, but at least Rina had returned to the Academy earlier than me, so she wasn’t stuck there for long. Thus, I was the most wiped out among the four of us from the church.
“Hey, Saintess, don’t worry.”
Grace tried to comfort me.
“Studying doesn’t help much in life. As long as you have the ability, you can do anything in modern society, right? No matter what you do, I’m sure you’ll excel at it… Oh, except for being a singer.”
“……”
When I turned to look at her after hearing that, Grace scratched her cheek with her finger and awkwardly laughed, “Ahahaha.”
“Well, just do your best! Fighting!”
After saying that, she made a small cheering pose and quickly hid behind Uncle Paul. Uncle Paul, who had been listening to our conversation, let out a small sigh and then pulled Grace back over to my side by her ear.
“Ouch! Wait a minute! Wait! That’s not fair!”
Seeing an adult woman in her early twenties getting dragged by a middle-aged man based on age made it look like she was much younger, like a kid throwing a tantrum being taken in by her father.
“Um, Saintess? Is it possible that the Deputy Commander has committed a great offense against you…?”
“What great offense! What do you take me for! Even if I look like this, I’m the Deputy—”
Before Grace could finish that, Uncle Paul’s palm found its way to her head. Just moments ago, he’d been gripping her ear. When did he switch to slapping?
“Ouch!” she cried, cradling her head with tears in her eyes.
“Uh, no, it’s not like she was particularly rude or anything…”
It wasn’t even that Grace’s words were bothersome. I was just out of it because it was morning. Well, thanks to that, I did wake up completely.
“Ah, if that’s the case…”
Uncle Paul, who had squatted down while grasping Grace’s arm, lifted her up in a single motion, completely unfazed by her sharp glare.
As expected, the commander is the commander.
“Ah.”
And seeing that, I remembered something I wanted to ask earlier but had forgotten.
“Um, Commander? There’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Yes, feel free to ask anything.”
The mask of strictness that Paul wore while looking down at Grace melted away, and his expression turned warm like that of a friendly neighbor.
“Last time, when we faced the Witch of Lust…”
“Oh, right.”
The moment I mentioned it, his expression changed completely. It turned into one laden with guilt.
“At that time, we were unable to protect you properly. I’m truly sorry. If you were ever to hold us accountable one day—”
Listening to my words, Grace’s expression became solemn as well, so I quickly waved my hands.
“Oh, no, that’s not it! What I mean is, wasn’t it scary standing in front of the witch? I think the magic of demons has a mechanism that directly stimulates the fear humans possess.”
At first, I thought it was a phenomenon caused by the witch herself, but later learned that it was because the witches without their demon powers didn’t instill fear in people anymore. If the Witch of Resentment had maintained that power, there would have been chaos when she entered the courtroom.
“Hmm…”
Paul tapped his chin, thinking for a moment.
“I think I did feel a type of fear… but I didn’t attribute it to the witch herself. More than that, I was afraid of losing you, Saintess.”
And then he spouted something that made the listeners feel exceedingly bashful. Paul thought for a moment longer and then smiled at me.
“Saintess, you know, there comes a time in a person’s life when they question whether gods really exist. Well, actually, it’s pretty common to have those moments. It’s rare for someone to go through life without questioning them when facing hardships. At some point, you wonder if the gods despise you or if they simply don’t care.”
“I…” I was momentarily lost in thought, reflecting on the times I had resented Ariel and Baal.
“And despite all the evidence and testimonies, people’s beliefs can waver. When faced with things that happen before our eyes that are hard to believe, or rather, when they’re too horrendous to want to believe, people tend to look elsewhere for an easier faith. I’ve felt that too.”
And then, Paul dropped his hand from his chin.
“And if those people regain their faith, it will likely be when they experience the divine’s assistance in their lives. I’ve already regained my faith and worked in the church for a long time, but before I met you, I probably had a similar level of faith to your average parishioner. I maintained this life out of revenge against demons and beasts rather than for the gods.”
And it was around this point that my face must have started turning bright red.
“Saintess, if you have a firm belief, there’s nothing to be afraid of. If you know that the gods are behind you, there’s no reason to fear demons. If facing them means dying and then meeting the gods, then death isn’t something to be afraid of. Nor have I ever seen you feel fear when fighting beasts, demons, or even witches. It’s because the gods are with you that you can feel that way, isn’t it?”
“W-well, is that how it is?”
“Even among the fears we felt in that situation, the greatest was not the fear of the witch’s existence. It was the fear of losing such a noble person sent to us by the gods. In that scenario, there’s no room to be afraid of anything else. We almost lost the precious Saintess the gods sent us, so why would we have time to fear anything else?”
…..
Hmm….
Ugh….
If I had met someone saying such things in the other world, I would have wished they’d keep their distance and not come anywhere near my life, but as this world is clearly within the realm of facts where gods exist, I couldn’t think of a single comeback.
An atheist in this world is treated as oddly as someone advocating for the flat earth theory in the world I lived in; in fact, it might even be considered a crime if stretched, though usually if they don’t harm anyone with that belief, they leave them alone.
So from the logic of this world, what Paul just told me is a very exemplary and normal thought, essentially a basic virtue that believers should possess. It’s a story of overcoming fear through faith. If it were a scripture, this story would surely be placed in a significant moment.
…Wait a minute, significant story?
At that moment, something clicked in my mind, and as I took a deep breath and turned my head, there was Rina, wearing a rotten smile, looking directly at me.
Her eyes were saying, ‘This is a very religious and important testimony; I absolutely have to tell the Pope!’
Whatever I say won’t matter.
And at that point, I bet my face, which had turned red, quickly lost all color and became pale.
*
“……Did you come here today to show us some humiliation?”
Krah, who had openly spoken to me disrespectfully, had now started using that kind of tone. No matter how much he didn’t believe in the gods, the fact that I was a living proof of their existence made it hard for him to talk down to me.
Moreover, he had realized that the status he thought was solely based on his assumptions was actually much higher.
“No, I didn’t particularly insult anyone yesterday.”
When I said that, Krah laughed as though enlightened.
“Well, if I hadn’t forgotten about the last reason, my hand would have become a fist.”
Right, it would’ve turned into a fist.
“So, what business do you have?”
“Could you gather all the elves? It doesn’t have to be everyone, just those who can influence all people in the Elven Society.”
While the Elven Society isn’t vast, its population is still the size of a small city. It may be described as a village only for atmosphere, but if gathered, it would fill a considerable space. There isn’t even a plaza large enough for everyone in the Elven Village to gather.
Still, I would hope as many as possible could be gathered.
“Do you have something to discuss?”
I wondered if Krah had warned the others beforehand, as aside from him, none of the elders spoke. Perhaps they had gained some insight from our conversation yesterday.
“I want to prove one thing.”
Saying that, I looked at Satsuki beside me. She was staring quietly at a corner with no motion. Following her gaze, I noticed elder Rechmir sitting there.
“Prove?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Do you know this girl?”
“…She’s a half-breed. With a human.”
The one who spoke was the young elder Rechmir. Krah shot him a glance, but the elder, looking down at us, continued speaking without acknowledging Krah.
“She’s from a family that was advised to migrate elsewhere because they couldn’t do any work in this village.”
Just yesterday, it was called exile.
Now trying to backtrack doesn’t make much sense.
But that’s not the point.
“What do you mean by ‘unable to do any work’?”
“Our physical abilities are inferior to ours. They can’t accomplish things when asked to.”
“Are you saying that humans are weaker than elves?”
“No.”
Upon hearing that, I smiled brightly.
Great, I’ve got my foot in the door. This is a piece of cake.
“No, that’s not true.”
Rechmir looked closely at my face.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not here to talk.”
I looked back up at him, expressing with my expression that he should stop asking what was obvious.
“I’m here to show.”
“Show? What?”
I thought he would have caught on by now.
“That humans have nothing in particular that puts them below elves.”
And then I turned my gaze back to Satsuki.
“Just because some human blood is mixed doesn’t mean you have reasons to look down on them.”
Looking back at Rechmir, he wore a look of incredulity.
“I want to show that proudly. Will you prepare for it?”
Well, even if they don’t prepare, we’ll show them ourselves.
Seeing me smile, Krah placed his hand on his forehead. I don’t think anyone else except Krah would have caught on to what I was intending to show them.
The astonished looks on Rechmir’s face, and indeed the faces of every other elder aside from Krah—
Satsuki stood there unwaveringly.
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