Chapter 43

“Glaria has decided to stay in the church for a while.”

And Ria and I ended up wandering around with Glaria during her time in the church.

There wasn’t any particular reason for it; it was simply because Ria and I were the highest-ranking people in this church.

No matter how much it has become a theocratic state, the rights among citizens remain equal. There aren’t any nobles to speak of.

But as always, that’s just the law—there’s not really any separation of classes.

Officially, our role is just that of nuns, but within that, I was ‘a person expected to become a saintess’, and Ria was there to protect me.

Also, though officially she’s an elven noble, it was a pretty good position to be next to Glaria, who is actually a princess.

“First, we need to find a way to survive.”

Glaria said that during meal time.

Given the impression that she was a princess, I thought she wouldn’t eat much. After all, she’s a princess. She must have tasted the finest delicacies in that world—oh, of course excluding meats—but I imagined she’d be quite picky about her meals.

However, Glaria, surprisingly, ate without hesitation.

Even going so far as to exclaim,

“What is this fruit? It’s absolutely delicious!”

While munching on an ordinary strawberry, Glaria’s eyes sparkled. The church’s meals weren’t tasteless, nor did they use inferior ingredients, but they were hardly gourmet.

After all, this place isn’t exactly a nursery; the meals were designed just to provide the necessary nutrients for growing children.

Even if strawberries were served, they certainly weren’t the expensive variety.

Once we mentioned that, Glaria blinked in surprise.

“But… fruits of this kind tend to be quite sour in our country. There’s also some that are sweet, but the berries aren’t that big.”

“Oh, really?”

Ria nodded thoughtfully.

Indeed. When many people see the word ‘technology’, they only think of mechanical design, but within that, there are numerous classifications.

There’s the level of equipment installation and the quality of materials used. Medicine, too, is naturally a form of technology, and a highly developed bureaucracy is also a type of technology.

Moreover, even within the realm of technology, the most crucial factor in seed development is still the ‘seed’ itself.

It’s not just about biological knowledge; how far one can go to secure a wide variety of seeds is key, and to achieve modern standards of seed development, one must explore new continents beyond the sea.

“…I think I understand why my father wanted minimal interaction with this world. Once people start coming over, it would spiral out of control.”

Considering those circumstances, it’s clear that he likely didn’t want to end up in a situation where they’d become a colony, though it’s uncertain how much the concept of colonization exists in that world.

For reference, up until now—at least ‘in public’—there hasn’t been any invasion war involving this world. There’s never been any crossing over from here to there or vice versa.

If there is a civilization that has made some progress, they would act cautiously when encountering Rome. If they are not even civilized enough to be called ‘civilized’, then by this world’s standards, they would just be treated as beasts.

However, who knows how many times those ‘beasts’ have appeared in this world?

“……”

We ate our meals in silence. Reacting to Glaria’s tales would surely cause the weight of the topic to dig deeper into the ground.

“Anyway,”

Glaria, lost in thought, opened her mouth again.

“I need to find a way to survive.”

“But the country is offering support, right?”

“How long do you think that support will last? My ultimate goal is to cross back over the gate and return to my country, but who knows how long that will take? The people of this country might treat me like a princess at first, but if I lose my value as one, they could change their attitude towards me.”

That was indeed a very princess-like judgment.

Among elves, Glaria was relatively quick-witted. Of course, every so often, she’d express her pride in her heritage while pouting, but ultimately, she worked hard following Lee Si-yoon’s lead.

In modern web novels, a rude heroine often just becomes an object of regret, despair, and obsession. Regardless of the circumstances, they should at least have a basic level of decency.

Upon hearing Glaria’s words, Ria shrugged her shoulders.

Then, just as she was about to continue eating—

“So, can you all help me out a little?”

“…Us?”

I blinked in surprise at the next question that flew my way.

No one seemed to have noticed the night we sneaked out to eat fried chicken.

Glaria showing me some level of camaraderie seemed to stem from the fact that those around her view us as ‘the ones who saved her life’.

“Have you spoken to the government about it?”

Just in case, I asked, and Glaria shrugged her shoulders.

“I mentioned it.”

“…….”

As I pondered what might follow that statement, Glaria merely tilted her head.

“Uh, so you mean you just brought it up?”

Ria asked with an uncertain expression.

“Isn’t that enough for starting a conversation?”

“What was their response?”

“They said they’d think it over.”

That statement felt like a warning to not act until after their consideration was complete.

I suppressed the urge to pull my hair out and said again,

“Sister, you hold a high status, right? Plus… your father probably sent you to this world hoping for your safety.”

“That’s not a problem.”

Glaria replied lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

“I was a very skilled magician in the kingdom where I lived. Besides—”

Glaria looked at me, tilting her head.

“I have at least one acquaintance here, and that would be you, right? Didn’t you call yourself a saint candidate? Not just a candidate, but you’re actually at the stage of becoming a true saintess.”

“……”

When Glaria glanced away, I followed her gaze, and there sat the lawyer of evil, Choi Soo-bin.

Well, it’s not like she heard it directly; it was just a topic that arose while listening to stories about this world.

Glaria is a princess. And if she has received at least the minimum education befitting a princess, she would know how crucial it is to grasp the relationships of those around her. And from that relationship standpoint, she’d know that one who can rise to the position of a religious leader is ‘very’ significant.

“So… you want me to cooperate with your proposal?”

I queried, seeking confirmation.

“If you cooperate, we can offer you our utmost help.”

Glaria declared confidently, placing her hand over her chest.

“Help?”

“First, I can help you rise to the position of a saintess. I’m the next in line for the kingdom—cough, I mean, I hold a relatively high position. When we go back to our world, I can probably have a church built for you in that position.”

Being a princess of an absolute monarchy, Glaria boasted that she’d provide a very monarchist justification.

The problem is, that’s not a particularly enticing story for me.

I don’t really know what the religion of another world is like—but—

“…Wait a minute.”

I set down my fork and knife and stared intently at Glaria.

“Is that incident that happened in your kingdom related to their religion?”

“……”

As my question hit the nail on the head, Glaria’s smile grew deeper.

“I’ll share the details once we establish a cooperative relationship.”

…That’s a hundred percent a yes.

There’s no way the religion of this world wouldn’t have filtered into their side if there was at least minimal interaction.

Even though the royal family tried to minimize contact and restrict the flow of information, there’s no guarantee that information about ‘other countries’ wouldn’t leak out, even if it’s not about ‘another world’.

Despite being a monarchy, the actual power of a ‘king’ isn’t absolute. Especially in places like medieval Europe, the status of the nobility cannot be ignored at all.

“That would be troublesome.”

I straightforwardly refused.

“……”

Glaria gazed at me without so much as blinking. She seemed eager to hear my reasoning for declining.

“Accepting a church means you’re looking for a representative to stand against another religion, which is gaining strength in that country, right? That wouldn’t benefit us here.”

“Getting involved in the war is actually advantageous.”

Ria chimed in, having been quietly listening to the conversation.

“You’re saying that as if you think the people over here have nothing to lose.”

Glaria nodded at Ria’s statement.

“My father would certainly oppose it, though.”

A king who believes he should never rely on foreign powers would say that. Once that power is called upon even once, it’d lead to a never-ending struggle to drive it away afterward.

In fact, the chance of not being able to let go would be far greater.

“After all, our dynasty is in a situation where it will inevitably collapse this generation. A rebellion of this nature.”

But, if all of her father and family were dead, then it would be a different story.

If it’s purely for revenge, it becomes a potential choice. Because it’s not about maintaining the dynasty.

That’s pretty terrifying.

“…But, there’s a catch.”

Ria said, staring intently at Glaria.

“Even if this country really manages to suppress your kingdom’s rebels, because of various political reasons, they won’t be able to ‘occupy’ it, right? There are all sorts of treaties, after all?”

“……”

This matter is known at least to the government. And it’s likely that other countries’ governments are aware of it as well.

If this country were to attack and occupy another nation, word of it getting out would spark uncontrollable consequences.

“Moreover, above all else.”

Ria gazed at Glaria with cold eyes.

“You must be aware that she wouldn’t act on such matters. Come on, is it really right to exploit someone who saved your life?”

Well, that just means Glaria is an elf through and through.

And being royalty, too.

If they want to avoid being tangled in political webs, they’d need Lee Si-yoon’s strength.