No, but it’s a little strange that the government sent me a letter. No matter how high my position is, like the Pope, and how powerful my voice is within the Church, I still don’t have an official position in the Church.
…Hmm, it is a bit odd to say, but while I hold the title of ‘Saintess’, I am still just a nun in the Church. To clarify, I don’t have the authority to move or redeploy the entire Order of Knights. I do have some limited powers, but it’s not anywhere near the level of changing troop locations or restructuring them like a supreme commander.
Well… if I think about what I’ve done so far, it’s not surprising that the government is being cautious around me.
Even though I have no authority, if I ask, the Pope would comply without question, and honestly, even if I first moved the troops and informed them later, they’d probably brush it off, saying, “Ah, the Saintess must have her reasons.”
In fact, there are already countless precedents. Calling the Order of Knights from the Beastman Region, or how the church’s knights always moved with me whenever I went to the frontlines…… Now it would be too much to say, “I don’t have such authority,” after all the things I’ve done.
“…….”
I buried my head in my hands.
What were you thinking, past me! What were you trying to accomplish by just asking for things without thinking?!
No, more importantly, it’s the Central Church that’s at fault for complying with everything I say. This is why I’ve gotten spoiled. Honestly, shouldn’t there be at least one person who opposes me?
—Just as I was thinking that, I remembered the face of Kwon In-Soo, the former Cardinal.
Ah, I swept him aside, didn’t I?
Of course, even if Kwon In-Soo was the kind of person who shouldn’t be in that position, those working in the Church would be aware that I could easily throw around a Cardinal with just a word. Even without the issue of being a messenger of God, it would be fresh to have someone thinking of cross-examining me politically.
……It sounds a bit strange to say, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a loyal follower to pull my brakes—
Oh wait?
Sure, they’re not exactly human.
Ah, it’s not that I think people like Linea or Aurora, who send me absolute trust and support, are bad. Considering the personalities of these two, they probably agree with my actions so far, which makes them actively help me out. The fact that I haven’t been able to control myself is entirely my fault, so there’s no reason to blame them.
However, that said, it’s another matter that their feelings towards me are overwhelmingly positive.
People who don’t do just things or have dirty hands usually act righteous on the surface while committing evil deeds in secret. It’s not hard to find people in the world who flaunt their deranged ideologies while shouting that everyone is wrong.
Like those who openly believed in eugenics, or the elves who took a step further and combined their twisted ideas with a cult of human sacrifice.
Yeah, those cartoonishly villainous types do exist.
They have such a strong image that if I had lived here since childhood, I might’ve become a person who judged others solely based on appearances.
…So am I more trusted because my image is so clean? I mean, I haven’t failed at anything I’ve done yet.
……
I held back the urge to tear my hair out and shifted my thoughts back to my initial idea.
Anyway, such a person does exist. Someone who would nag me about everything I do, and laugh at my every decision.
I recalled that pink-haired tan brat.
…Rina, I’m sorry. It looks like you’ll have to stay in the Church for a while longer.
Ah, if you’re unhappy, you can just pull me down and retire with me.
Anyway, using Rina as my brake is something for far off in the future, so let’s set that aside for now. The real issue is about how to handle this proposal.
Needless to say, if I want to handle it properly, I’d have to fly to the 1st District to meet with the Pope and the Minister and maybe even the President if needed.
But the problem is today’s Thursday.
…If I go take care of business and come back after an eight-hour flight, the week would surely end and a new week would start.
Thinking about postponing until the weekend, it’s clear that drafting plans for troop movements wouldn’t be finished in just a day or two.
Besides, I have no military knowledge regarding troop redeployments. All I know about military stuff is shooting guns and running. I did learn how to read a map while being a squad leader in the army, but honestly, that was because my instructor helped us out after our team couldn’t find our way back quickly.
I’d have to discuss everything with various experts. Moreover, what the government thinks and what I think are likely to be completely different. The government is probably thinking of organizing an expeditionary force to wipe out the demons and reclaim the world, but I think it’s better to reinforce defenses so when the demons do come, we can minimize any damage.
There’s no doubt it’ll turn into hours of argument.
“……Ugh, just thinking about it is really unpleasant.”
I muttered out loud how much I dreaded the idea.
“……Should I just call the experts to the 21st District?”
Although the President and the Pope wouldn’t be able to make it, the practical staff could come. After all, I can’t do much more than offer my opinion, and staying at a meeting would be useless.
I’ve decided to stop the power struggle between the government and the church, so…
I guess it’s worth a shot.
*
“……Is it certain that you’ve finished discussing this with the Central Church before sending a letter to the Saintess?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Good.”
Muttering like this, the Minister picked up the letter that had arrived in the same registered mail sent to the Saintess earlier that morning, containing her handwritten message.
[First of all, I’d like to inform you that the opinions of the central government regarding organizing an expeditionary force differ from my own. I believe it’s better to launch a defense when the last demon crosses into our world rather than taking a preemptive strike against the demons. Even if we have to set off for a large-scale expedition, we must leave behind minimal troops to defend our society here, and we need to secure supplies for that large army. Should the expedition fail, human society would have to face the demons that would have become tremendously more powerful with only the remaining forces.]
[There’s much to discuss, but time is short, and the distance between our practical staff is great. If you could select suitable personnel and send them, I believe that after they converse, we could exchange more information efficiently through communication with the central government in the 1st District.]
“Hmmm.”
The title of Minister of National Defense was not just a name. Although not every Minister was a soldier, most of them often rose from the ranks of high-ranking officers. The current Minister had once even reached the position of Chief of Staff. There’s no way a fifteen-year-old girl would overlook something he could think of.
It’s always riskier to attack than to defend. Capturing a well-built defensive city requires just as much preparation.
In that sense, human society was at an extreme disadvantage in battles against demons before the Saintess appeared.
While human society had modern firearms, the battle formations reflected traditional medieval siege warfare.
The side that tires first will lose in this long and tedious siege warfare.
Of course, being the only remaining nation has its advantages, with an extensive territory and abundant resources, and a sufficiently large population.
The issue is that it can’t last forever.
Facing off against demons capable of periodic assaults with nearly limitless magical power over nearly all of human society, while humans have to maintain constant battle against those demons with resources that are sufficient for now but are steadily depleting.
Even magical points cannot be destroyed unless a gate is opened and people are sent through. Upon discovering a magical point, they had to decide whether to risk opening the gate and sending high-level personnel, or to conduct a meaningless siege that wastes enormous resources while being safer. The walls? If they suffer damage or corrosion, people must be sent to maintain them. No matter how thick and high a wall may be, it’s never invincible.
Generally, such operations don’t fail, but that doesn’t mean they succeed every time. Saints and Saintesses have died multiple times. Did someone not perish just this year trying to rescue those who failed to escape?
Naturally, organizing a “large army” to push out “beyond the walls” seems unreasonable.
“But then, we can’t not attempt something.”
Not from revenge or domestic hardliners. It’s simply enshrined in the constitution created when this nation was founded.
Most of humanity perished, and the survivors who built this country were burning with a desire for revenge. One common element that united this group, despite their differing races and languages, was an extreme hatred towards the demons.
Thus, it became enshrined that when the time is right, humans would attack the demons.
So, they had to organize an expeditionary force, whether they actually send it or not.
Furthermore, the absence of the Saintess from this expeditionary force seems impossible to consider. The current situation was practically generated by her alone.
“This… means I’ll need to meet the Saintess in person to discuss things.”
With a light sigh, the Minister placed the letter back on the desk, and his assistant spoke up.
“Shall we prepare a plane?”
“If possible, I’d prefer one that can depart quickly. A military aircraft would be fine.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and I’ll also have the pre-selected officers accompany us. Was there any word from the Church?”
“It seems they sent the same letter to the Central Church.”
“Got it. Then let’s let the Church know in advance. If they plan to send their practical staff— of course, they will— then it wouldn’t hurt for them to depart with us. Make sure to set that up in advance too.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll prepare as quickly as possible.”
Watching the assistant bow and exit, the Minister leaned back in his chair.
This is quite a big deal.
If the Saintess opposes it, the Central Church will oppose it as well. From the top down, they were all moving for the Saintess.
Is it really true that she’s some sort of godlike being?
While the Church has not officially stated so, the rumors circulating and the patterns of movement from the Central Church suggest that they indeed believe so.
I mean, it doesn’t make sense for such a young girl to take over and wield power over the entire Church in such a short time.
She must have some divine powers or something that gives the Church grounds to think that way.
And I’m about to negotiate with such a being, entering her territory.
……The coordination of the Holy Bomb with the gnomes, negotiating with the Central Church, responding to the increasingly frequent demon surrenders, and monitoring the many Orders of Knights that have rapidly proliferated since the appearance of the Saintess— all of these tasks had multiplied many times over in just a few months since the Saintess appeared.
Besides, the Saintess was definitely not an easy opponent despite appearances. Even setting aside her divine powers, her attitude was often downright formidable to the government.
I’ve seen her speak up against the President directly.
…No, I’ve openly antagonized her several times.
“…….”
He reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a small box. Opening the side of the box, he took out a pill from its packaging. Out of the ten slots, nine were already empty.
As he placed the last remaining stomach medicine in his mouth, the Minister thought about getting a few more boxes as soon as he reaches the 21st District.
*
“How are the demon lords doing?”
One soldier, arriving to take over the guard, asked in an exaggerated voice, and the soldier who had been on duty first rolled his eyes in disbelief.
“Are you kidding? This ain’t a joke.”
“There’s no need to be so stiff. Making a joke doesn’t mean demons will suddenly escape. For now, they’re just little animals.”
The first soldier glared at the other soldier, bewildered by his words and responded.
“Is your senior officer not doing his job?”
“Yes, yes?”
The flustered junior officer replied dumbly when he suddenly heard that, prompting the first soldier to laugh.
“Hey, there’s no need to say that.”
“You said that first, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
Turning to his junior, he asked, and his junior replied, “Yes?” in a daze.
“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Let’s change shifts and you go get some sleep. And as for guard duty, we aren’t looking inside but outside, right? Just check the face of the people coming through. Inside is all officers anyway.”
Hearing that, the soldier sighed heavily.
“That’s true.”
“So, any handover details?”
“Nothing significant. Almost no one comes here during the day anyway. And whenever they do, it’s mostly just reporters… Most of them left since I told them to.”
He pointed to a civilian holding a camera, standing outside despite the cold November weather.
“Isn’t it pointless to film from here?”
“Exactly. The base is further in and the quarantine area is even deeper. The area with demons doesn’t even have bars or windows, does it? And who’s asking me about the demons anyway?”
“I was just joking. So, we just have to watch out for that reporter?”
“Yeah. The business cards of the reporters that came and didn’t make it are stacked at that guard post over there, and they’ve probably been written down in the logs.”
“Got it. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Sure.”
With that, the soldier adjusted the firearm slung over his shoulder and told his junior,
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
“Look at you responding well now.”
“Ah, no, it’s not!”
Seeing his panicking junior, the first soldier chuckled and was about to leave when—
Suddenly the guard post window creaked open.
“Hey, hold up! Wait a sec!”
“Yes? What’s up?”
As he spoke, a face popped out from the side of the window. It was a lieutenant leading the incoming shift.
“Just wait a moment. We got a message from headquarters.”
“Wait, what kind of message—”
The lieutenant elegantly raised a hand to stop the soldier’s words. The soldier thought ‘What a jerk,’ though only internally.
“Yes, yes. Understood. Alright. I’ll do just that. Thank you for your hard work. Loyalty!”
The lieutenant, who was stiff with military decorum, ended the call sharply. The soldier thought again, ‘What a jerk.’
“We’re moving into the next operation as is.”
“……What? I didn’t catch that?”
“You three, meaning the previous shift, are searching the area with me. Not just us, but every soldier in the unit is being deployed.”
“Can I ask why?”
The soldier who had been about to head straight into the barracks with plans to lounge around looked bewildered, and the lieutenant nodded seriously,
“One of the demons has escaped. We’re looking for it.”
“…….”
Silence.
The expressions of everyone present in that spot, including the shifting and departing soldiers and those running the handover at the guard post, turned rigid.
“Do you know which demon has escaped? We need to identify the one that got out to be able to catch it.”
The officer in charge of the shift, who was supposed to be leaving, asked, and the lieutenant shook his head.
“I don’t know for sure yet. The demons’ corpses were seriously mangled. They looked like they’d been eaten. What we need to find are either a snake, a beetle, a rat, a centipede, or an owl.”
“……Isn’t the range a bit too wide?”
No, more than that, what kind of situation could possibly lead to this chaos? All the soldiers were thinking that but soon got distracted by an even larger thought running through their minds.
That thought, which swallowed their minds entirely, was simply, ‘We’re screwed.’
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