Sitting in a plane seat that looked outrageously expensive just by looking at it for hours, you start to understand why rich folks fork out big bucks for business class.
I think I read somewhere long ago that business people care about their condition and prefer to sit comfortably, even if it costs them a hefty amount.
Back then, I thought, “Why pay a few times more for a seat when you can just sit anywhere and be done with it?” But when you think about it, you have to sit there for hours. Plus, it’s not just about comfort; there’s also the issue of jetlag. If you have a job where your condition is crucial, then it makes perfect sense to splurge on a ticket, and I was definitely feeling that.
Of course, I’ve never been in business class or even economy in my past life, but I knew that the seat I was in was super comfy and nice. It looked like something out of a movie, quite different from the business class seats I’d seen online.
Even on the ancient baggage compartment of this decades-old plane, I’d been dozing off just fine. Naturally, there was no way I could stay awake in such a plush seat.
“…Saintess, we should be arriving soon… Saintess?”
“Ehh?”
A voice sounded far away as if someone was talking inside a cave, abruptly waking me up. I suddenly heard the jet noise and the chatter of people in my ears, which felt muffled like I was underwater.
Light suddenly streamed into my eyes, making me squint. Between my barely open eyelids, I saw Linea’s faint face.
“You need to fasten your seatbelt. Do you want me to help you?”
“Oh, no. I’ll do it myself.”
With that, I fumbled to find the seatbelt. I was relieved that before I dozed off, I hadn’t ended up lounging comfortably on a sofa next to me. It was less about preparedness and more of not wanting to lie proudly on a sofa in public.
After confirming that I had fastened my seatbelt, Linea returned to her seat.
[Dear passengers, we will be landing at 1st District airport shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts and open your window covers. Thank you.]
The window cover was already open.
Just like at departure, the sky was clear. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight, stretching far into the distance. It was going to be really hot. Well, at least it felt like we were mostly indoors, so that was good.
Stretch…
I raised both arms above my head in a stretch. My body shook a bit, and my hands and wrists made small cracking noises. Thankfully, I hadn’t slept in a weird position, so I had no muscle aches. That was a relief.
The 1st District was, fittingly, the oldest area preserved by humans over the last 500 years. It had the most remnants from before the invasions. However, the church itself had supposedly been newly built only a few hundred years ago. I found it puzzling why they didn’t use the original cathedral or church, but… well, maybe I didn’t need to think about such things.
The flat city had no mountains around, with buildings densely packed out to the horizon. The airport, however, was located a bit farther from the city center and as the plane descended, the number of visible buildings gradually decreased.
Even though I should have felt a bit drowsy after sleeping for a while, I felt wide awake each time my body experienced a sense of floating like a slowly descending roller coaster.
…In no time, I would be having my meeting for real.
By the time the plane landed, any leftover drowsiness had completely vanished.
*
Once off the plane, everything proceeded smoothly.
The airport where we landed was bustling like a major city’s, with regular commercial flights constantly coming and going and passengers rushing about. However, thanks to my special status as a Saintess, we didn’t have to go through the crowded areas.
To be precise, a car was waiting right next to the plane to pick us up.
Even if the disparities between regions felt like a different country, there was a distinction between “like a foreign country” and “an actual foreign country.” Besides, I was openly affiliated with the church and arrived on a church-affiliated flight, so I had less to worry about.
The roads in this world were just as congested as the ones in the world I originally lived in.
Though they had lost more than half of the areas inhabited by humans, it remained a large federal nation. The city center resembled the downtown areas of the world I lived in before.
…Wait, there were still some differences.
For instance, among the congested roads, there were some lanes that were eerily empty with not a single vehicle in sight.
And no, it wasn’t a bus lane. There weren’t even any buses in that lane.
That empty lane was meant for heroes.
Being the 1st District, there were many people, and with many people came many with abilities. Naturally, among those power users, some would try to operate outside the law. Obviously, only heroes could handle these unusual cases, so as you might guess, that lane was indeed for heroes.
Of course, incidents like that didn’t happen every day, so during off-peak times, other specially purposed vehicles, such as firetrucks and police cars, could use it without issue.
And— it seemed that “transporting the Saintess” was indeed one of those “special purposes.”
The car I was in was as luxurious on the inside as the plane I came on. However, the windows were heavily tinted, so it was nearly impossible to see inside from the outside.
Even when looking out from inside, everything appeared dim and unclear, making it seem like it was either nighttime or evening, so if I hadn’t known better beforehand, I would have thought it was night. Isn’t this illegal?
This long limousine was my first experience, but it looked intimidating enough that I didn’t even have the luxury to enjoy it.
I glanced at the driver. Even under the black suit, his muscles were bulging visibly. He wore sunglasses that could have doubled as mirrors, and apart from being black, they looked like you couldn’t see a thing through them. Do those shades even let you see?
I was able to ease my tension slightly when I saw that a pin with the silhouette of a praying woman was attached to that suit’s lapel.
So, despite the seemingly intimidating getup, he was either a monk, priest, knight, or some sort of combination of that sort. To be more precise, he was meant to assist the Saintess…
Come to think of it, I’m a Saintess, but I don’t even know how that position works.
For all I knew, being a Saintess might not even be classified as a position, but rather a status.
Seeing there was someone assigned to assist me, I thought it was some sort of small institution like a miracle investigator, but I hoped I didn’t have a vast army of subordinates I had never met. Then again, I vaguely recalled being told that they weren’t organizing that yet. I had received an explanation, but the day I arrived here was the feast day, which was incredibly busy, so my memory wasn’t very clear.
…It’s not like I already knew because I created this setting.
But if I ask about it now, everyone’s likely going to think, “You didn’t know this?” which would be super awkward.
…
Forget it.
If I need to know later on, I’m sure they’ll let me know!
While I was escaping reality like this, I eventually arrived at the Central Church.
*
After speeding down the special road, we arrived much sooner than I had anticipated.
In fact, I didn’t even have the time to look around or take in the awe-inspiring human architectural achievements built over centuries.
The Pope was waiting for me, it seemed. Or maybe the Pope’s secretary was way too capable and kept the schedule perfectly organized.
“It’s been a while, Saintess. I’ve been waiting for you. Today, I’ve cleared my schedule just to see you. Thanks to you, I’m feeling quite refreshed. All credit goes to you, Saintess.”
Oh, never mind!
Seeing the tired priest beside him with heavy dark circles under his eyes, he’d probably dealt with all his tasks yesterday and was just waiting on me.
Is the Pope alright with his age?
“U-Um, you didn’t have to do that…”
Before I even realized it, my mouth was just blabbing away!
I felt the beads of sweat forming on my forehead in real-time.
Even if I meant that, it wasn’t something I should say to the head of the church who was hastily handling things just to wait for me. According to proper etiquette, wouldn’t I have to say something like, ‘Thank you for making time in your busy schedule. I have been looking forward to this meeting as well’?
But nobody seemed to be challenging me.
Wow, this Saintess status is amazing.
“No, um… what I really wanted to say is, I was grateful for the invitation. Thank you for taking the time, Your Holiness.”
Trying to piece together the mistake I had made only made me sound even more foolish.
…Well, at least it was a relief that the person I was meeting was the Pope and not the President. The church is where I belong, so if I make a little mistake, they could cover for me, but if I were to mess up with the actual government, they would surely rip me apart!
Of course, theoretically, a Saintess could become an enemy of the Pope, but at least from the letter the Pope sent me, he didn’t seem to think of me that way, which was a relief.
“Haha, it’s alright. You don’t need to be so tense.”
The Pope, who looked like a kind grandpa, had a voice that resonated like a grandpa’s but not weak or toothless; just a dignified, rich tone that an elderly gentleman would have.
Even though he wasn’t speaking loudly, he was immensely clear. After all, he was the Pope who spoke softly in front of numerous people every week at the Central Church.
“Well then, let’s move over here. Instead of standing around, let’s enjoy a cup of tea while we talk. You had some questions for me, yes?”
Of course, even if it was something the Pope could answer very simply. If it were Kwon In-Soo from my past life, who spoke boldly as if he were a cult leader, he would surely clash with such statements and logic, but from the perspective of someone who gives sermons, lectures, and holds meetings constantly, it was probably pretty straightforward.
“However, I’d like to have a secretary here to record our conversation. I’ve requested that our dialogue not be interrupted, so you don’t need to worry too much about that… is that alright?”
The Pope’s tone sounded like a genuinely kind offer that I wouldn’t want to refuse, so it wasn’t like I had a legitimate reason to turn down what he had prepared.
Well, since this wasn’t anything monumental and was essentially just a game of setting, there was no reason to keep it a secret.
I nodded, and the Pope smiled kindly. His white hair made him somewhat resemble Santa Claus. Although the Pope had trimmed his beard nicely.
Following the Pope, I entered the reception room, which was… incredibly spacious.
Of course, it would be expected to be this big for the country’s largest Central Church, but it was quite unbalanced, with just a small round table and two chairs that could barely seat four people in the middle of such a vast space.
…There was a really large meeting table, but I hoped they didn’t clear it out just because I was coming.
No way, right?
Though there was a desk in the corner. I could see white piles of paper and a pen on it, so that was likely the secretary’s desk.
In this era, handwriting everything instead of using a laptop? That poor secretary.
Well, considering the age of this building, bringing electricity must be an enormous hassle. It wouldn’t be feasible to have a generator inside either. Cables would look ugly if they were just sprawling everywhere.
“Please, have a seat.”
The Pope gestured for me to sit. As I hesitated, he even pulled the chair out, leaving me with no choice but to sit first.
Once I took my seat, the Pope quietly came over and sat opposite me.
“….”
“…….”
A nun quietly followed behind us, placing a tray on the table. It had some simple snacks along with a teapot and teacups. Thankfully, the snacks were cookies from the brand we’d been using at the cathedral where I stayed. So, they hadn’t prepared something overly extravagant just because of me.
The nun set down the cups of tea in front of us.
“Would you like sugar?”
“Oh, no….”
I shook my head at the nun, who asked gently.
“Understood. If you need anything, please let me know.”
She said this and quietly bowed to us. As the Pope and I exchanged nods, the nun departed.
It felt like I had stumbled into a very fancy hotel lounge.
I’d never been to one before, but still.
“Shall we begin?”
“Yes? Oh, yes!”
Even though I was flustered for missing my cue due to my wandering thoughts, the Pope simply smiled warmly.
His gaze shifted toward one corner of the reception room. That was where the secretary was sitting. The secretary had been quietly holding a pen, staring at the paper blankly.
“Well then…”
The Pope gestured toward me. It was a signal, asking what I wanted to inquire about.
What I had in mind was the dissonance between my faith and reality…
Now that it had come to this, I thought I should quickly get to the point. After all, the Pope didn’t know what Kwon In-Soo and I had discussed, so as long as I asked my questions and heard some answers, I’d be fine.
Even while I was organizing my thoughts silently, the Pope merely waited patiently. His patience was admirable. After all, to maintain his sanity after constantly clashing with government officials takes quite an amount of patience.
“…If there’s a disparity between my beliefs and reality, I don’t know how to act.”
I managed to articulate that without biting my tongue.
“What kind of faith do you possess, Saintess?”
“My faith is…”
Well, I hadn’t really thought it out much since it was just something I wrote to draw attention, but I knew Kwon In-Soo’s views differed from what the goddess thought.
But could I just casually talk about having conversations with the goddess in front of this man?
While I was pondering whether to say it outright or to phrase it differently, the Pope spoke up.
“Take your time to ponder, and feel free to organize your thoughts. We have plenty of time.”
But from seeing his secretary’s expression earlier, that did not seem to be the case.
Still, thanks to him, I had time to think things over.
Once I finally sorted through my head, I slowly opened my mouth.
“Even someone with strong holy power can do terrible things. If someone commits evil acts without a shred of doubt about the existence of the gods, how should I respond?”
I had finally managed to present such a question.
“Possessing holy power doesn’t mean every individual is inherently good. If that were the case, even witches wouldn’t exist. The goddess is merciful yet fair. That is why she doesn’t indiscriminately change the laws she’s established just because they don’t suit her.”
Actually, that was because she couldn’t do it.
The Temple of Gods, where the gods reside, appears as it does, but it is a separate realm from reality. If a god were to directly descend into reality without borrowing another’s body, it would cause an uproar even worse than the chaos that erupted when the dimensional gates opened 500 years ago.
When matter and antimatter collide, they explode; similarly, interactions between materials from different worlds lead to chaotic reactions. To minimize this, the gods have been indirectly addressing this world through their own research. They can’t handle the fine adjustments but can allow souls transcending material to fully navigate between the Temple of Gods and these realms.
The stronger the conviction in the divinity, the stronger the holy power wielded, as knowing the divine intensifies their understanding of that world and thus naturally allows them to draw power from it.
…At least that’s what I set it as in the world I created.
That was the leftover of a feverish session of world-building.
“Yet the merciful goddess left us with teachings. She taught us how we could live as righteous beings. We must simply adhere to her teachings. That way, we can stand before the goddess with pride in the future.”
That certainly sounded like something a priest would say.
“I see. Then, are you saying that we should just follow faith?”
“Precisely. However, we need to strive to ensure that our faith does not become twisted, learning and praying diligently.”
In that regard, Kwon In-Soo might be considered an heretic.
But on the flip side, he possessed holy power. It seemed he also had solid proof of believing in the goddess. So, judgment couldn’t be passed.
…Wait?
“Excuse me, earlier you mentioned something about witches.”
“Yes, indeed.”
“Are you aware that a being with holy power can become a witch?”
“……”
The writing sounds I had been hearing in the background abruptly paused. When I turned, I saw the secretary staring at me with his mouth agape. However, once the Pope directed his gaze that way, the secretary quickly shot his eyes down, startled.
“It seems you already had your conviction about this, Saintess.”
“Ah, uh, um… that’s…”
Oh, no.
If I say this, it makes it sound like I was already sure of it!
I should have responded as if I was hearing it for the first time!
I felt my bangs dampen with cold sweat.
“We hadn’t definitively confirmed it ourselves. However, over the last 500 years, as we verified the existence of witches seven times, we could draw some logical conclusions. Every time a witch appeared, there was an incident of a devout believer going missing, whether they were Saintess or Saint. However, this ‘theory’ always gets rebutted. How can a devout believer turn into a witch? Isn’t holy power fatal to demons or beasts and the likes?”
The Pope closed his eyes.
“Recently, even after securing two witch corpses, there were still factions that denied it… But, I see, it seems you indeed have been certain of it.”
“N-No, um, that’s, I mean…”
How do I spin this argument?
But regardless of my hesitation, the Pope calmly opened his eyes, looked at me, and spoke.
“Personally, I held on to that theory, hence my earlier statement. But I must admit I would have preferred you to deny it. However, with such a Remarkable Being appearing after 50 years and stating it like so, it seems I must accept it as truth.”
And he fell silent for a moment, pondering before speaking again.
“By chance could you share how you came by that conviction?”
Oh, I think I’m in deep trouble.
That’s not a tale I can wrap up in five minutes.
Wait, more importantly…
Ugh, Ariel, I’m going to need your help more than ever today.
[I’ve been waiting.]
Not for something like this!
Not that you’ve been waiting for me, huh!
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