Chapter 22

Ria grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Lee Si-yoon, dropping us a little distance away.

The area near the Gate was leveled out, well-prepped for heavy machinery, so it wasn’t exactly a hidden corner.

Though the gaze that had been directed my way now turned toward Ria’s back, she seemed completely unconcerned.

“Hey.”

The expression Ria wore as she said that was a bit intimidating, unlike her usual self.

Hmm, thinking back, Ria didn’t really have a soft or docile vibe to her. More like a sharp edge—if she were in a school setting, she’d probably fit in with the delinquents without a problem.

Given that I had never quite fit into those groups in my past life, Ria’s imposing expression was a bit overwhelming, especially since she was taller than me.

“Why, what is it?”

As I shrank back a little and asked, Ria shook my arm slightly and replied.

“What are you doing right now?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Not grasping what she meant, I widened my eyes in question, and Ria’s expression shifted slightly from angry to one of exasperation.

Still, it was better than the look she had just moments ago, which had seemed like it might explode.

“Do you remember why you’re here?”

“For treating the injured—”

“Nope.”

Ria cut me off decisively.

“You’re here because you’re a Saint Candidate.”

“I—”

“I know. You don’t want to be called that. But what can you do? You can’t completely discard that status as someone from the Church. The Saint Power is divine energy bestowed upon you. While rights can be taken away, you can’t just erase your existence with mere words, can you?”

“…….”

“It seems you have a lot to say, but just bear with it this time. It’s because I’ve kept you here at the Convent for another year that I’m your protector. Look over there.”

Ria pointed her thumb over her shoulder.

There were people bustling about.

Moments ago, there were hunters coming out from the Gate, but now the Saint Candidates had rushed in to treat the injured.

Though I couldn’t see the Saint Candidates directly, they were likely blocked by those who appeared to be from the Knight Order.

“You might not know since you’ve lived in the Convent your whole life, but Saint Candidates are definitely not lowly people, you know?”

“Uh….”

“Don’t say you know. You hardly know anything. If you did, you wouldn’t be bouncing out and getting chummy with someone who isn’t even part of the Church.”

“…….”

Uh,

Hmm.

As I stood there at a loss for words, Ria let out a deep sigh.

“You might think you’re not a saint, but you certainly see yourself as a nun, right? Even during worship, people keep their distance, don’t they?”

That was true.

At least, while we weren’t spatially separated, there were a few rows left empty in the middle, and we sat a bit behind the worldly folks, keeping some distance.

While they weren’t exactly military types like the Knight Order, older priests often kept an eye on the nuns, making sure they weren’t too casual with outsiders.

“Is it really acceptable for a Saint Candidate to just rush out and talk to a man like that?”

“That’s….”

Damn, I had no words.

Sure, I thought about it in my mind, but that wasn’t something I could explain to anyone else. I’d just be treated as a lunatic. Considering that I was already half-crazed in the Church’s eyes, building on that reputation would be a terrible misstep, given the little social standing I had left.

As I slumped my shoulders, Ria released my wrist.

“Well, that said, I’m not blaming you. You might have things you want to say. But think before you leap, alright? People are looking at you strangely.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I replied a little sulkily.

“…No, it’s not really something you should apologize for.”

Ria sighed again and scratched her head.

“Anyway, it’s noted that I’m below you, right? Usually, there’d be someone like a caretaker beside you, and you’d be surrounded by knights, right? But since you don’t have that, you can talk through me.”

“So you’re saying if I say something to you, you will relay it to the others?”

“Exactly.”

Ria nodded.

In the distance, the Sister Warden and a priest were cautiously approaching. It seemed my little accident was more serious than I initially thought.

Well, I suppose that’s why it’s a Convent.

I sighed deeply with my eyes closed.

“So, what was it you wanted to say?”

Ria hinted, wanting to gather some content before the Sister Warden and priest arrived.

Should I say it?

Honestly, I wanted to tell her not to step into the Gate again. If we followed the blood trail, we could assess the situation from this recent entrance.

But somehow, it felt lacking in justification.

There was one possible way to justify it: to spout nonsense about receiving divine revelation.

I thought that was nonsense because I had never actually received a revelation, but in this world, people believed in the existence above, practically lived their lives as if it were a divine command worth risking their lives to follow.

Moreover, that being had subtly granted real power to those who believed in it. Seeing the light repeatedly shining on me, it seemed they wanted me to acknowledge their existence.

If that thought had not occurred to me, I wouldn’t have been able to come into this world at all.

…

Then again, when did I ever concern myself with such thoughts before doing something reckless? Just a month ago, I had said something like that to Ria.

Does a person just magically revive themselves based on pride?

If someone’s life is at stake, isn’t it the decent thing to humble yourself and tell a fib to prevent that situation?

Having firmed my resolve, I opened my mouth but suddenly found myself blinded by a flash.

“Ah, geez!”

What was with the blinding light—it was as if getting woken up from a deep sleep by the sunlight. I wasn’t even trying to bow to stubborn pride.

But then again, during broad daylight, that light’s intensity really meant something. How excited could they possibly be?

Honestly, it burned a bit, but I waved my hand in front of me to disperse the Saint Power.

And just as I was about to speak—

“…Is it related to the divine?”

Ria asked, seemingly reading my mind.

I seized the opportunity and eagerly nodded.

“Ah~ well, about that.”

I rolled my eyes around and glanced back at the people behind us.

Those watching us talk had returned to their own concerns, seemingly having lost interest. The hunters who weren’t injured grouped together, heading towards the building, while the Saint Candidates were still seen treating those who remained down.

It seemed they hadn’t noticed the light reflecting on my face.

“How many 7th-grade hunters entered the Gate today, do you think?”

Ria blinked at my question.

Phew, it seemed that was the right answer.

I had mentioned all lower-grade hunters instead of just pointing out Lee Si-yoon because I sensed Ria would get mad if I singled him out.

“Probably quite a few? Usually, the lowest-grade hunters from associations like this are practically apprentices.”

As expected, the association knew what they were doing.

I had heard that many 7th-grade hunters worked independently as well. Those people would never be referred to as ‘apprentices.’ Even if they were called 7th-grade, they were still genuine hunters.

Typically, calling someone below your grade an apprentice was akin to a dismissal…

But here, there was an actual ‘affiliation’ involved, so it was different.

“They’re likely to be doing equipment carrying and chores to learn the system, right? They also do some guarding. While there is a base just outside the Gate, I’ve heard they usually build their headquarters deep inside. In this case, they probably stirred things up deep inside.”

The Hunter Association essentially operated with profit as their goal.

Even if it was dangerous, they would scour the Gate with their affiliated hunters as thoroughly as possible. If they could eliminate threats and capture benefits deep inside, they’d certainly press on.

Usually, when the government requests searches of Gates from the association, it’s for these reasons. It’s much more efficient than sending in civil servants and ends up benefitting both parties.

However, the circumstances for this Gate were significantly more cautious.

Naturally, it was because of the ‘protagonist’ and the ‘heroine’—

“…I have a bad feeling about this. Should we exclude lower-tier hunters from this search?”

“So that’s—”

I nodded.

Yet, I couldn’t quite outright lie about divine revelation.

Well, if they truly didn’t believe me, I’d eventually have to present some talk of that sort.

Gazing back toward the Gate again, I caught the eyes of a nun starting to leave the area.

It was just a brief moment, but I locked eyes with her through the shoulders of the knights surrounding her.

She smirked lightly, almost as if mocking me.

Ah, she must be another Saint Candidate who came to see me. It seemed I held a bit of a disregarded position within the Church.

Well, if they were overlooking me, I’d at least be grateful for that.

I shrugged and turned back to Ria.

“Can you relay a message? Knight?”

At my words, Ria blinked in surprise for a moment, then chuckled and tapped her chest with her fist. If she were wearing armor, it might have looked like a knight’s oath, but, well…

To be honest, the sight of that massive chest moving was a bit awkward for me to take in.