“…So, didn’t I say we should handle the legal issues first?”
With a serious expression, it was none other than the President who spoke those words. He was rubbing his nose with his finger as if he were about to sigh so deeply the ground might cave in.
“…”
The people in the office said nothing.
“Did you really think there wouldn’t be anyone suggesting we implement laws from 500 years ago? Just think about everything that’s happened over the past few months.”
At the President’s words, everyone in the room recalled the events of the past months. In truth, there was a real possibility of enforcing those laws now that the witches had been completely defeated and only the demons remained. However, the majority of the members of parliament had never imagined that there would be a call to actually use those laws. Considering their approval ratings, the law that could potentially force not only voters but also their children onto the battlefield was utterly useless to the legislators.
The problem was the individuals among them who were “no longer eligible for re-election” or those who sought support independent of that.
The latter knew well the dangers of supporting such a law, so they wouldn’t dare touch it, but the former were different.
Among those who would not be re-elected, especially those labeled as “zealots.”
Thinking about what Saint Clara Anderson—the saint that those zealots believed to be a “goddess”—would think of them honestly wasn’t that difficult.
Even though she stood at the center of power and had legally quadrupled the number of people in that ‘center of power’ with the people’s support, at least she was not insane enough to think it was right to drive minors into battle. It was said she worried for each and every wounded person on the battlefield. While she may have tried to reduce those numbers, the thought that she would shove people onto the battlefield in the name of ‘the will of God’ had never crossed anyone’s mind.
“So, is it certain that the saint coming here is not just one person?”
“Yes, that’s correct. According to the news from the Hero Association, it’s said ‘all four’.”
“…”
The President wanted to bury his head in his hands.
Perhaps everyone gathered in there felt the same way.
“So, what should we do?”
“Ah, that’s…”
The first to speak up was the Minister of Defense. He had consulted with the saint for quite some time during the last demon incident; in a sense, he was the only one among them who had been able to observe ‘Clara Anderson as an individual’ nearby.
“I think it would be best to speak honestly. The saint hates lies being told in her presence more than anything.”
Saying that while beads of sweat formed on his forehead, he clearly appeared to be extremely tense.
…Yes. He had been the closest person to her when ‘the saint revealed that she was a goddess.’
And it was no wonder he was so flustered he couldn’t even approach the church for a while, taking a long detour just to go to work.
“…”
For convenience, and because she still legally maintained her status as a ‘saint,’ everyone present referred to her as ‘saint,’ but they all knew she was not just a ‘saint.’
The recently discovered third goddess.
The government had never researched her as seriously as the church had. While the church had speculated about various things regarding her—such as ‘the reason she descended to this world in human form,’ ‘whether the gods’ genders matter in the Temple of Gods,’ ‘what is the relationship between Ariel and Baal, and do gods have ranks?’—the government had never really analyzed her that way.
However, even without diving into such specialized or philosophical questions, they all understood how fatal a mistake it would be to lie directly in front of a goddess.
Even without going as high as a minister, they had all experienced at least once how much she hated being deceived.
“…You’re probably right. But what I want to know is… the order of our story. Even if we reveal the truth, which truth should we disclose first? How do we conclude the story without angering the goddess? We don’t have much time. If you have any ideas, please think of something.”
The office fell into silence for a moment before gradually being filled with the sound of murmured discussions.
*
“No, wait, is this really okay? I mean, is it allowed…?”
In the underground parking lot of the government building, Rina muttered something similar to what she had said before as she was about to leave the Hero Association’s parking lot, but this time it was twice as long.
“…They wouldn’t have let you in if it weren’t okay, right?”
“No, why do you look so uncertain?”
As I cautiously guessed, Rina exploded with frustration.
“I just didn’t think I’d be able to enter right away…”
“No, I’m asking why you’re so uncertain!”
Rina grabbed my shoulders and shook me furiously, but I honestly had no words to say. No, I really didn’t expect them to let me in. Given how I had caused a ruckus last time, I thought they would respond with something like, ‘Please make a formal request in writing before visiting. According to the country’s formal order.’
And then I planned to cause a double ruckus.
Wait, could it be…?
Did they anticipate that if they rejected me once, I would throw an even bigger tantrum? So they decided to play it cool and win by using their talk? Even if they hadn’t fully grasped my personality last time, had they started moving thinking they understood properly now?
That felt more accurate.
Reaching that thought, I regained a bit of confidence.
“Rina, calm down for now.”
To Rina, still clutching my shoulders and shaking me, I said in a calm voice.
“Do I look calm? It’s only been a few hours since I became a saint, and I am already having a meeting with the head of state? No, wait, weren’t you still the representative of the church? Why do all four of us have to go together!?”
What does that even mean?
I never declared that I alone would take on the role of the church representative.
…I did mention ‘goddess’ a few times, but that’s different.
Probably.
“Well, let’s go up anyway. No matter what, the President isn’t going to come out personally.”
At my words, Rina’s hands suddenly stopped moving. The frantic shaking of my gaze settled firmly.
But the look in Rina’s eyes as she gazed at me remained narrow.
“…On what basis?”
“Think about it. The President is the President for a reason, right? He’s sitting at the highest position of this administrative office, so he’s bound to be busy. If he has a lot of appointments, he’s more likely to be somewhere else than in the office. No matter how much he’s in the office, he can’t meet anyone at any time. He must have something that needs to be done today.”
“…”
Rina still looked doubtful.
For the record, there was no trust emanating from the eyes of everyone surrounding me either. I mean, I’m the goddess, right?
“Even if we meet, most of the discussion will be with the staff, so there’s no need to worry.”
Only after hearing my words till the end did Rina’s hands slacken and drop to her sides.
“…Hey, are you serious about this?”
Then she asked Linnea and Aurora who were standing next to her.
“…Probably serious.”
“…It can’t be otherwise.”
Why not?
Sure, I get that for the conscription issue, a meeting with the President might be necessary eventually, but for now, wouldn’t it be fine to just talk to the Ministry of Defense about the details? There shouldn’t be a reason to confront the President directly.
“Anyway, since we’ve come this far, we can’t just leave. Let’s do what we can before going.”
“Do you even know what will happen if you do what you can…?”
Rina asked with a somewhat serious expression, but I didn’t answer.
…That statement sounded pretty scary.
*
About 15 minutes later, I found myself sitting across from the President, feeling the sharp gaze of Rina burning into my side.
…If I keep receiving that kind of stare for about an hour, won’t I end up looking like Rina, who’s tanned from her holy power?
No, more importantly, do these people have nothing better to do? Why are they listening to every single thing said outside?
What I came for was no different from filing a complaint with a civil servant. It was just saying there was something I didn’t like and asking to fix it~.
Ah, of course, I knew my position well, so I was aware that I had much more influence than ordinary citizens submitting complaints, but still,
It didn’t make sense for the President himself to come out and hear a complaint.
Especially since he knew the contents of my complaint before I even stated them, which felt a bit awkward from the perspective of someone filing the complaint.
“So… would you say that the people advocating for the enforcement of that law are a very small minority even within the government?”
“That is correct.”
The President nodded with a serious expression.
“And these people are mostly fanatic about the church… no, I mean, ‘religion’?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“…”
I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbing the back of my neck. I’m not even in my twenties yet, and I already felt like I might suffer from high blood pressure. Thankfully, it was just a feeling.
“Could you elaborate on what that means?”
“Of course.”
After letting out a light breath, the President began to explain.
“The church and the government are separate entities, and their responsibilities do not overlap. However, that doesn’t mean they can live without communicating. There may be situations where the church’s objectives conflict with the government’s authority. For example, the church could deploy its troops, or during the Inquisition, they might clash with the police or military as they capture heretics.”
I nodded. While there were hardly any cults in this world, if a heretic committed murder, then the judicial authorities and the Inquisition would likely fight to take the belligerent into custody. It was results for both sides.
In the case of military deployment, communication would be necessary to cooperate.
“Conversely, there are instances where the church’s authority extends into the government. Like when the saint filtered through the demons within the government last time. Or, there might be cases where a government official is also a parishioner. However, even if a person is a parishioner, most are simply devout individuals who only attend the cathedral on time.”
“So how does that relate to this situation?”
When I tilted my head in confusion, the President rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
“There are some parishioners who, while strictly devout, are also very stubborn.”
“…So, it’s simply because of that stubbornness? I never instructed anyone to do anything like this.”
“Certainly not. We’re well aware that the saint has never commanded such actions. Such would not be her character. At least, anyone who had met the saint last time would surely know that.”
The President spoke in a very careful tone.
“However, it is true that such individuals exist. They believe their thoughts are the same as those of the gods and ignore all the philosophical studies built up by existing parishioners, insisting that only they are right.”
“…I—”
I tried to deny it, but suddenly remembered Kwon In-Soo. That guy, who could wield holy power, was nothing less than a deluded cultist. The being he believed in was none other than Ariel. It was possible to believe in such a gentle and merciful goddess while being completely twisted themselves.
“…It hasn’t even been a week since the world learned that I have that power.”
“Even saying ‘it’s been a week’ isn’t strange at all. Considering how fast information spreads these days, and how shocking that information is, it’s all the more reasonable. Are you aware that there are individuals who are desperately trying to deny the divine nature of the saint?”
“…”
As I gaped, the President smiled bitterly.
“Of course, they’re an extremely minor group. One could say they have no followers. However, they are in a very dangerous position where they could easily be caught by the Inquisition. And generally, such individuals tend to reinforce their beliefs even more the more someone contradicts them.”
“But, there’s evidence of what actually happened, and there are witnesses…?”
“Saint.”
At my question, the President’s expression became grave.
“The existence of gods and the fact that sinful souls will receive appropriate punishment after death has been proven hundreds of years ago. Since then, many saints and saintesses, along with a few gods who have borrowed the bodies of those saints and saintesses, have reaffirmed that fact numerous times. Of course, the notion that souls are immortal was only recently announced by the theological society.”
Moreover, that assertion was likely the result of research findings stemming from comments I had made during my visit to the church.
“Yet despite knowing that they will be punished, there are still private murders, and there’s still pleasure killings and rapes. Do you know why?”
“…No.”
As I shook my head, the President smiled wryly.
“The reason is that there are people in this world who, upon hearing that ‘it’s not the end after death,’ feel reassured by just that. Even when they hear they will be punished, there are those who, believing they will exist forever, let loose without restraint. While that does help reduce the crime and suicide rates, there are still many irrational people who interpret and act on that knowledge according to their whims.”
“…”
So, the President saw this incident as part of that trend.
“Then what should I do? If it’s possible that such people won’t arise—”
“No, saint. You must not do that.”
“—Excuse me?”
The President interrupted my words with an incredibly serious expression, leaving me momentarily dumbfounded.
“As I mentioned, there are many individuals who possess incomprehensible ways of thinking. If the saint begins to react to such individuals, countless crazy folks who wish to provoke such reactions will inevitably appear.”
“…”
“Let’s assume that you decided to stop by a prison to persuade one of the inmates. I don’t know how you view yourself, but your young and beautiful image would be extremely attractive to individuals who have been locked away for years or even decades without any sense of reason.”
“Surely, they wouldn’t be able to harm me.”
“That’s not the problem. It means that just ‘seeing you’ can become a purpose itself.”
“…Ah.”
“Saint, while I’m not in a position to advise you after once trying to defeat you, I must tell you there are plenty of individuals who are willing to lie even in your presence. The ‘evil’ of humans can be far deeper and more complex than the mere ‘malice’ from demons.”
“…”
I fell silent for a moment before cautiously speaking up.
“So what should I do?”
“This matter will be handled by us. It seems the Hero Association is also planning to make a statement against those individuals. The academy principals from various regions, as well as former and current heroes, are attempting to oppose it. Although they haven’t officially announced that they are doing so yet, the fact that they are taking action already shows we can simply ride that wave of public opinion.”
While this was very much a political decision, it also sounded plausible.
“…So, in fact, it isn’t just a handful of people who are simultaneously trying to protest?”
“Yes, but… were you not aware?”
“…”
I was left speechless by that comment.
No, I thought Seo-A was fighting all alone against a monstrous force. Especially since I had clearly heard the words “government initiative.”
“The term ‘government’ is sometimes strictly used to refer to the executive branch, but generally, it encompasses the legislative, judiciary, and executive branches as a whole. So if a few representatives among the parliament are initiating the project, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that ‘the government is pushing for it.’ That’s why we must be careful not to be misrepresented like that. Of course, it can’t be denied that such laws exist. And because of that, there exists ‘a sliver of possibility,’ taking action from reasonable parties to voice complaints makes sense.”
…The burning gazes of the other saintesses seated beside me pierced into my side.
My face must have been flushed bright red.
“Hah, but… the teacher said he wouldn’t be in a position to say anything to the government… that’s why he asked for help…”
“Is there someone who asked the saint for help?”
Upon hearing my lowered voice, the President widened his eyes.
“T-That… saying I’m a basis for conscription…”
“That’s obviously because you’re a minor. Of course, we do view you and those around you differently from other minors. It’s not something that can be compared with those who can use divine powers against regular minors. Well, it’s not that there aren’t those who argue along those lines in the ruling party… my apologies. We will take immediate action.”
“Y-Yes… I’d appreciate it if you could do that…”
As I said that, I bowed my head deeply.
“By the way, may I ask the name of the individual who requested something from the saint? If we could assist in any way, we would gladly do so.”
“Ah, well… no, it’s nothing.”
There was no way someone who could directly ask for help could appreciate being tangled up with the government.
“However, if we had known, we could have acted before misunderstandings arose. Of course, in hindsight, thanks to the saint visiting us directly, we can now handle it more effectively…”
“Th-That… really seems fine…”
That’s a bit too kind!
The more I say that, the more embarrassed I become!
Ultimately, even after coming this far, I could only cover my face with my hands, my cheeks flushed bright red.
…Alright, I learned a lesson today.
Next time, I need to check everything thoroughly before taking action.
*
After the saint who blushed bright red left the room, the government officials, who had been tense until then, finally relaxed.
While the saint wasn’t an unreasonable being, they also weren’t someone to be taken lightly.
She was a counterpart who could easily surpass the authority of someone like the President with her current standing. They should be grateful that they could communicate at all.
Thank goodness they had filtered down the things to say before the meeting.
“…By the way, it would be prudent to gather some information about that ‘teacher’ the saint mentioned. No, more precisely, it wouldn’t hurt to know a bit about the people around her,”
the President said while stretching his back.
“I’ve heard that the church has already categorized the people surrounding the saint as important figures. Wouldn’t it be wise for us to do the same? If we knew that the saint meant she wasn’t in a position to say anything to the government, we would have been able to understand her statements more swiftly and respond accordingly.”
Agreement could be heard in the voices from the officials gathered in the office. The President nodded lightly and said,
“Then, let’s report back as quickly as possible with some preliminary investigation. Of course, that doesn’t mean we should pester those individuals. We should only limit our understanding to the level where we can respond quickly to their movements using our internal information. We must be mindful of the fact that we have already scratched the saint’s surface.”
“Understood!”
The one who answered particularly quickly was the head of the intelligence department.
It seemed the memory of almost falling into hell last time was still fresh in his mind.
The President let out a deep sigh while watching the officials rush out of the room. He rubbed his eyes, lost in thought.
After all, dealing with a goddess was something he wouldn’t want to experience a second time.
But the President still had several years left in his term, and it was easy to predict that such situations would happen a few more times.
“…I guess I need to stock up on hair loss medicine and stomach meds.”
With that, he muttered as he opened the drawer of his desk.
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