We set off in the late afternoon, just about to hit dinner time, and got trapped on the airplane for nearly ten hours. Sure, there were a few short breaks here and there, but those didn’t really do much to alleviate our fatigue.
Technically, pure travel time was just over ten hours, but due to the time difference, we arrived several hours later than expected. Even if I fall asleep right now, waking up at my usual time means I won’t get enough rest.
And when you consider the time it’ll take to get from the airport to the convent, my sleep time is further decreased.
…Did we leave too late after all? Maybe it would have been better to skip sleep altogether and just hightail it outta there. But hey, at least we arrived on time.
That’s right. The option of not escaping was never really on my list of considerations.
Anyway, how do we get back to the cathedral?
Take a taxi? I can’t help but feel that taking a taxi to the cathedral in the dead of night will cost a fortune. Of course, I could pay for it, but still…
—While I was thinking about this, I noticed someone way off in the distance waving at us.
“Saint Clara!”
That cheerful voice belonged to a lively adult woman.
Wearing knight armor.
“…Grace?”
Uncle Paul muttered that.
Right?
When we departed, the rest of the Knights were surely still at the Central Church, weren’t they?
“I did contact them ahead of time, but… how could you arrive so quickly—”
“Eh? They just let us use the same airplane you came on.”
Grace tilted her head and replied.
“……”
I felt a twitch in my neck. I rubbed the back of my neck with my palm. Am I really developing high blood pressure at this age? If that happens, can I heal it with Holy Power?
…Well, if I think about what I saw in my dreams, it doesn’t seem like I’ll die before becoming an old person.
No, wait, that’s not real. That’s just a fantasy conjured by my fears and a warning from my brain! I don’t believe in prophetic dreams or dream worlds!
The isekai world exists, but still!
“They must have sent someone after learning we left.”
Even though it took us six hours by plane to get here, we took about ten hours to arrive roughly. They could easily arrive before us if they moved within three hours or so.
So that means… the church knew I was going to escape right after I left.
Oh my goodness.
Seeing me with a dejected expression, Grace was quite surprised, but the other three merely smiled ruefully.
*
In the end, when we returned to the cathedral, I was already mentally and physically wobbly. After all, it had been less than twelve hours since I boarded the plane, and I was about to board another right after that, which meant the time I spent in the air alone might be around fifteen hours.
In other words, I’m saying that more than half of a 24-hour day was spent on an airplane! And I traveled over a thousand kilometers!
The priest who greeted us at the cathedral looked really surprised. It makes sense, considering I set off with the glorious mission to meet the Pope that morning. Personally, I didn’t think it was very glorious and felt only bewildered.
Not to mention, I almost felt sick by the time I got there.
In any case, the saint who returned was in a hoodie and jeans, with her saint’s robe nowhere in sight. Even my roommate, who arrived with me, looked just as disheveled, and we all had faces that said we weren’t doing well at all.
Not surprising, really.
The priest didn’t say much as he watched me let out heavy sighs. The Mother Superior, who faced us, looked surprised for a moment but sent us to our rooms without saying anything.
Oh, it’s not my fault, anyway.
If there’s someone to blame, it’d be the Pope, who overinterpreted everything I said as if I’d incited a religious revolution. Honestly, I could call him a zealot by that point.
…But it was I who planted such ideas in the minds of religious people in this world.
The existence of the church’s Knights, who lower massive rifles while boarding helicopters, the Inquisition Knights who ride horses in the 21st century, and the Combat Nuns confronting demons while sprinkling holy water on patients—all because I fell in love with certain media.
For that reason, it was only natural for believers, whether high or low, to have a bit of zealotry within them.
Naturally, but…
Ah, I don’t know.
I feel like I could understand if I tried, but I don’t really want to. The moment I understand, I’ll have to get involved and roll around with them too.
Most importantly, my head is starting to feel foggy.
I did get quite a bit of sleep on the plane, and since I’d been sleeping uninterrupted since meeting the Pope, I really shouldn’t feel this sleepy. Considering I practically napped for almost half the day, if I’m still tired, I’d be more like a cat than a human.
But today, I honestly feel like a cat.
After a quick shower, I really missed my old creaky bed that screamed every time I lay down.
As I jumped onto it, the bed ominously creaked in protest. To be honest, it’s far worse than the bed in the church guest room. It’s a usable bed at least, though it’s not exactly cozy.
Besides, I’ve already adapted to this bed.
My body remembers that this is where I lie down every day to fall asleep.
Yeah, the reason my eyes are getting heavy is probably due to that condition reflex.
Deciding to stop thinking any further, I plunged into the realm of slumber once again.
*
“……”
“……”
When Linea and Aurora finished their showers and came out, Clara was already fast asleep. There was no time for discussions on the upcoming tasks or what had happened at the church.
“…Sister Clara wouldn’t be the type to forget a promise.”
“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll hear about it tomorrow.”
Not wanting to disturb the soundly sleeping Clara, they tucked a blanket over her like they did earlier in the day.
They had been too busy during the day to notice, but Clara had slight dark circles under her eyes. Looking closely now, it was quite noticeable—probably because Clara’s skin was paler and smoother compared to others.
She seemed to have fallen asleep deeply on the plane, and once she returned after the meeting, she fell asleep again. Seeing that she could fall asleep right in front of them, one would almost think that sleep was her defense mechanism.
“What could have possibly happened in there…”
Linea said with a sympathetic look. Aurora merely nodded in agreement before yawning widely.
Well, Clara wasn’t the only one who had it rough.
“Then, we should get some sleep too…”
Aurora said as she moved unsteadily. She turned off the lights and dove onto the bed.
Linea also managed to find her place and lay down. To be honest, she had almost fallen asleep on the plane but had kept herself awake. After all, the reason she had joined the group was for protection, and even though that duty has faded away now, it didn’t change the fact.
As soon as she lay down and closed her eyes, the depths of sleep came rushing in. Even if she tried to resist, she felt like she could no longer hold on.
From the steady sound of breathing coming from Aurora, it seemed she had already passed out.
Before she lost consciousness completely, Linea realized that Clara, who was sleeping soundly, wasn’t snoring at all.
…Indeed, Sister Clara was not someone suited for power at all, which was something Linea thought just before succumbing to sleep.
*
Fortunately, it seemed that they had considered the fact that we spent last night flying through the skies, as when I opened my eyes, the sun had already risen. Compared to the usual early morning wake-up calls to start the day, this was quite considerate.
What was even luckier was that today was Sunday. If everything had gone according to plan, I would probably still be at the Central Church right now… and at best, I’d probably leave in the afternoon or have to skip a day at the Academy to set off the next morning.
Though the Mother Superior had taken such measures, I honestly wasn’t sure if I could rest even longer at the Central Church. There’s no way I would have been comfortable there.
Well, it didn’t matter now.
Thinking back, I felt like the time I had for sleep was a bit short since I woke up at nine in the morning, but if I pointed out the detailed calculations, I had been sleeping constantly on the plane and in the church. It felt like it was a bit shameless to complain about being sleepy now.
“Well then.”
Sitting on the edge of the bed, before I started telling Linea and Aurora what had happened, I gave them a warning.
“First, no matter what I say, please don’t kneel, pray, apologize, or do confession.”
Upon hearing my words, both blinked and looked at each other. Their expressions were like, “What is he talking about?”
“I know you might not understand what I’m saying—Ah, please promise me anyway. Absolutely do not do any of the things I just mentioned. If you don’t promise, I won’t share anything.”
When I finally said that with a serious expression, Aurora and Linea nodded.
“Okay, we promise…”
“We will.”
Glad that they were finally responsive, I slowly began to unfold the story.
The reason why I entered to see the Pope, what I hoped to achieve, and the Pope’s question about how I knew that information.
How I ended up being found out that I could communicate with the goddess.
Upon hearing that, the Pope prostrated himself and requested to confess while the secretary froze, and the nun standing behind fainted.
““……””
I summarized the explanation as briefly as possible, but it seemed that the intense and serious nature of the content left them unexpectedly speechless as they stared at me in shock.
“Um… so…”
The “um” coming from Linea was a sound typically wouldn’t make. If I had to judge by the frequency of her saying it… today was the first time I’d heard it.
“Sister Clara, no, the saint…”
“Please just call me Sister Clara like always.”
As I said that, Linea gulped. She wore an expression as if she was unsure if it was even allowed to call me that, or if I was testing her in some way.
However, I didn’t elaborate further and just continued to watch Linea quietly. In the end, she let out a slight breath and spoke.
“So, you’re saying that Sister Clara was actually an apostle sent by the goddess?”
I didn’t say it quite like that.
Of course, it’s true that I was sent directly by the goddess. Determining whether I’m an apostle or not would require a serious discussion with her, but when you strip away the flattery the Pope showered on me, if it were to come down to “sent by the goddess,” it’s undoubtedly true.
However, the problem was that even if I didn’t express it that way, simply telling them “I can communicate with the goddess” would immediately lead them to think that. On what basis?
Sure, I had said I knew about that since the very beginning, but wasn’t it common sense to think that someone had been born from someone? That they would have a father and a mother? Of course, I don’t have parents here, and this body was indeed created by the goddess, but still…
Letting out a small sigh, I wondered how to respond to that question.
These two had been with me almost all the time since we met. Even though they both knew quite a bit about each other, they had never argued, so I could say they were practically best friends.
In that case, would it be meaningful to keep lying to them?
But if I tell the truth here, what will their attitudes be—
No, wait.
Taking a deep breath, I spoke again.
“So, I’ll ask just one last time.”
Then, I glanced between both of them with the most serious expression I could muster. Aurora and Linea’s expressions went rigid.
Maybe they couldn’t understand what someone like an envoy from the goddess was asking for.
Or were they nervous because a close friend was asking with a serious expression?
It was hard to distinguish between the two, so I made my request first.
“Will you both still treat me as you’ve always done, no matter what my true identity is? I want to know if you can treat me the same Clara Anderson as before.”
That’s right.
What the goddess Ariel desires is for someone like me, who knows important facts about this world, to help resolve the crises threatening the world. Honestly, I only know parts of the setting; I have no clue what will happen next.
I might make mistakes for various reasons—no, I’m not perfect, so I’m sure I will.
And through that process, my true nature may come to light, whether I want it or not.
Then what will the kids around me do?
The more urgent the situation gets, the more dangerous it becomes for them to find out.
I’m not worried about other kids. If they have personalities akin to those found in boy’s manga, then they’ll definitively start off with, “So, you’re still Clara. We—” and say some cliche encouraging lines to help me.
Well, I do like them, but…
The issue lies with these two.
These two were kids that emerged from the fragments of the setting I had built. Sure, I thought of Aurora’s name, but the others formed themselves according to how this world operates.
How would those kids react upon learning that I am a messenger of the goddess?
…
Sigh.
Even after spending the most time with them, I still didn’t know much about these kids. Plus, I couldn’t give them my full trust…
That’s why I decided to be honest with them.
After all, this is a truth that will gradually be revealed.
It’s better to spill everything out and live more comfortably.
“I’m not a being sent by the goddess.”
The expressions of Linea and Aurora slightly crumbled, so I hurriedly added,
“ If anything, I am a being created by the goddess. I have no biological parents here in this world. The path I need to walk was directly forged by the goddess, and she sent me here.”
…
Why, it’s not a lie. At least as far as this lifetime goes, that’s the truth I’ve just spilled out.
Still, saying “the person who had been living with you is actually a man in his mid-twenties” is not an easy thing to admit.
However, that alone seemed to bring them more than enough shocking news.
“T-That, that, that’s…”
Linea stuttered as if her circuits were malfunctioning. Ironically, in that moment, it was the most feminine I had ever seen her act.
“Yeah, so rather than being an apostle, it’s more accurate to say I’m a direct creation.”
At least about this body I’m using.
“…………………………”
Aurora had the blank stare of a malfunctioning robot.
“…”
I didn’t have much to say to Aurora in that state. I guess… I could only wait for her until she comes to her senses.
I let out a deep sigh and pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose.
Well, at least she didn’t immediately drop to the floor.
If I had said this in front of the Pope, both the secretary and the Pope would have probably fainted on the spot.
In terms of equating this with modern religion, it would be something like learning a saint actually was an angel, right?
…I’m not sure which is more elevated. But no, it’s not an angel… Hmm, when comparing Jesus and an angel, perhaps Jesus would seem more divine. The Son of God versus a creation… Ah, who knows.
In all seriousness, I mulled over this until finally giving up. I wasn’t even at the beginner level of theology yet.
…Eventually, it would be the theologians who would discover the truth about my identity.
“Do you remember the request I made earlier? I haven’t changed. I’ve always been Clara Anderson. So just continue treating me as you have been. I will remain Clara Anderson.”
As I said that, I reached out and took both of their hands. Only then did they startle and seriously look at me.
“Please.”
As soon as I said that, they finally gazed into my eyes properly.
“…Yeah, right.”
Aurora replied, letting out a sigh.
“The person in front of me is still Sister Clara.”
I nodded.
“Yes, nothing will change.”
As Linea finally stabilized her expression, she cleared her throat and spoke.
Just a moment ago, she had looked like a mess.
When I stared at her, Linea’s face turned slightly red.
I chuckled lightly and said to both of them,
“Thank you.”
*
Our Saturday had completely disappeared, but thanks to that, it seemed Sunday had exempted most of our activities. The Mother Superior’s words to take it easy seemed to have been taken quite literally.
Perhaps it was a consideration for us, who hadn’t had time to rest in the 1st District.
Thanks to that, I lazed around in bed all Sunday, and come Monday morning, I was able to rise with a semblance of normalcy and head to the dining hall for breakfast.
“…Huh?”
However, on our usual dining table—specifically the one the three of us always ate on—there was something we hadn’t seen before.
It was a newspaper.
Seeing the straightforward title [Church Newspaper], it seemed this was similar to a local newspaper for church affairs.
The front page featured a huge picture of Kwon In-Soo, the Cardinal’s face.
…?
Out of curiosity, I grabbed the newspaper and started reading the contents—
[Kwon In-Soo Barchenko from the 21st District summoned to the Central Church.]
[On July 8th, Cardinal Kwon In-Soo Barchenko (hereinafter referred to as ‘Kwon In-Soo’) was summoned to the Central Church. The reasons remain unclear, but according to church officials, Kwon In-Soo may have abused his position as a cardinal—]
To summarize, it looked like he was going to face serious consequences.
They were looking for witnesses and had plans to find the actual victims.
The issue, however, was…
[—The catalyst for this revelation of misconduct is still unclear, but considering that Saint Clara Anderson visited the Central Church the day before on the 7th—]
Hmm.
The speed at which they were putting out speculative articles was surprising for a local paper.
…Unless it’s because it’s a ‘local paper’ that this is possible.
But seeing Kwon In-Soo being held accountable means I’m not completely empty-handed from my visit to the Central Church.
And the next article indicated—
[ Pope Shastan I announces plans to convene the Council of Cardinals.]
[On the morning of July 9th, Pope Shastan I gathered local reporters to announce that he would soon summon cardinals nationwide to investigate if there are others who’ve engaged in similar misconduct as Kwon In-Soo. He stated that this thorough investigation would not be taken lightly and would involve large-scale discussions with the cardinals to uncover how such offenses could have occurred.]
“……”
I neatly folded the newspaper and pushed it away.
It was undoubtedly a normal article, yet I felt chills on my arms.
Worse yet, why are they suddenly so quick to act when they usually behave so sluggishly?
“Is something wrong, Sister Clara?”
“You look pale.”
“Oh, no, haha, just… there’s something on my mind— eh, it’s nothing important, so don’t worry about it.”
Yeah, it’s nothing important.
They’d probably conduct a thorough investigation, catch a few people, and then be done with it, right?
I just… right. I can enjoy the upcoming summer vacation!
But even while thinking that, I still can’t remember what I had for breakfast that morning.
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