Chapter 56

Watching the golden-haired girl nestled in her arms, Ria was left completely speechless.

Her hair shone like strands of gold, illuminated by the sun shining from above.

In her hands, she held something pure white without a single blemish.

Slowly, that face turned towards Ria.

It was an expression rarely seen. Her eyes were devoid of any levity, incredibly serious.

Yet, those eyes were not frightened, nor did they express disgust or annoyance.

As clear as a lake at the bottom, those eyes looked right at Ria.

“Ria.”

Anna spoke.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go.”

That face radiated confidence, as if she was the only one capable of doing this here.

Just like when she would rush to help someone injured, she was the same now.

Perhaps that was why Ria could believe in her.

Even that expression that always seemed to be deep in thought would vanish when it came to doing what she believed was right—despite even needing to bend her own convictions at times, Anna always willingly took action.

And that was true now.

Receiving the overwhelming Saint Power without objection, Anna held the very essence of divinity in her hands.

“————!”

When purifying that dark sphere, it was the first time she beheld such radiant light in her life.

So bright, yet it rejected nothing. It felt like a warm power capable of embracing everything in the world entirely.

“…”

And as always happened after using such power, Anna quickly lost consciousness and fell asleep.

“Anna?”

I tried to speak to Anna, who had collapsed in my arms with her eyes closed, but all I received in response was her rhythmic breathing.

At least it seemed there was nothing wrong with her body.

Ria sheathed her sword at her waist and cradled Anna in her arms. The sword didn’t seem necessary anymore.

Ria looked around.

What she saw was white sand.

Was it that the places where magic swept through would never see life return? The surroundings felt like a beach that had inexplicably formed in the middle of a forest.

But, with time, it would gradually recover.

This must be the power of the gods. It could only be Saint Power.

“…”

She looked up at the sky.

The cloudy skies were slowly clearing, and light shone down on Ria and Anna nestled in her arms.

“Do you really think you can say she’s not a Saintess after seeing this?”

Ria muttered with a chuckle, not knowing whether to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Of course, there was no response.

“…She’s so light.”

Even though Ria usually fed her plenty, Anna felt so light. Granted, her smaller frame than Ria’s might have played a role, but still, it seemed unusually light even considering that.

The weight that tiny body bore was that of being loved by the gods.

Ria understood why Anna might not want such power. It wasn’t a force anyone could easily accept. Certainly, the gods knew Anna would act this way because they bestowed this power upon her.

A might that seemed fitting for becoming a Saintess. A light that felt reassuring just by being close to it, no matter how fierce a great evil emerged in the world.

But at the same time, it was a power that had to stay close to injured people, right where the fiercest battles were fought.

Unlike others, Anna wouldn’t refuse such a role—no, she wouldn’t be able to refuse it.

Before the gods, she would proudly claim that her only sin was not believing in them.

Ria began to walk along the beach.

On that path back, her thoughts were somewhat tangled.

*

After sleeping soundly for a few hours, I immediately checked the situation.

Firstly, I was safe, and Ria was too. The Hunters confirmed that the mass of magic was completely obliterated, and they even saw the explosive light from my Saint Power.

That would probably be reported back to the Church. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about that, but what could I do? Accepting that situation was the only option.

“Are you thinking about becoming a Saintess?”

“Hmm… Honestly, not really. I’m not thrilled about being a Saint Candidate either.”

Ria replied while popping a small chocolate in her mouth.

“But what can I do? Sometimes you’ve got to accept reality.”

“…Really?”

Ria’s response was a bit slow. Not that it had to be instant, but still.

“Well, thinking back, I’ve bent my thoughts several times, anyway. I have the sense not to say something that would upset someone struggling.”

“Is that so?”

I tilted my head.

“You… don’t want to become a Saintess?”

“Hmm, not that per se… Isn’t it something you should want to do?”

But the problem arises that I could become a Saintess even if I don’t want to. To be honest, if I consider how the Hunters look at me, it might be quite tough.

Having become a lovely girl, I wanted to at least experience some romance. And of course, not with a guy, but with a girl.

I never even dreamt of dating the heroine. If anything, I’m not the kind of person who’s supposed to live here forever. Just meeting a suitable person at the right age for a relationship… Well, I’m not sure about marriage, but…

If I become a Saintess, all those things would likely become a distant memory, right?

“…Speaking of which.”

Not wanting to prolong this heavy atmosphere unnecessarily, I switched topics.

“What were those Goblins doing?”

“They were bowing down in the direction where the light came from.”

“….”

“Although I can’t communicate with them yet, they were flat on the ground when I passed by with you.”

Hmm.

Let’s drop that topic.

I didn’t want to know more. The Hunters Association would probably handle the Goblins anyway. They dealt with the magic mass, so they might drive them back or something.

I let out a small sigh.

In the end, all my plans had gone up in smoke. Well, from the start, it couldn’t even be considered a proper plan. It was basically me just running off somewhere without thinking.

Along the way, something interrupted, I constantly had to change my plans, and in the end, it led nowhere.

But then again, whoever sent me here probably accounted for something like that.

I glanced over at Ria.

Ria was leaning against the railing, lost in thought.

Ah, darn it, she’s pretty enough to be a heroine.

If she hadn’t been so annoying sometimes, I’d probably have been in quite a bit of trouble. To be honest, I’m still a little troubled now—but, well, just because there’s a pretty girl in the same class doesn’t mean you automatically like her, right?

After all, it’s not like our paths will cross anyway.

Ria seemed to have thought of something too, looking my way and making eye contact. Then she smiled.

“Why?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Trying to gloss over it, I suddenly remembered something I needed to say.

“…Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“For believing and coming with me back then. Thank you… If no one had gone with me, something really bad would’ve happened.”

“…Really?”

Ria looked at me intently as she spoke.

“Did the gods tell you that?”

“…”

What should I say?

If that being up there was truly the one writing the log, it might actually be correct. This world is different from the other one, but surely, it’s a world where I had to exist at the same time.

If so, ironically, I’d be someone who heard a prophecy.

The story, however, didn’t seem to flow as I knew it would. Moreover, it hadn’t even begun to reveal its starting point.

I popped another piece of chocolate into my mouth, letting the sweetness and just a hint of bitterness linger on my tongue.

To be honest, I was still hungry. It seemed that Saint Power used up that much of my stamina.

…But for some reason, right now I didn’t feel like eating much. I was a bit tired too.

Having grasped the situation, maybe it was time to sleep.

“Anna, can I ask you one thing?”

“Sure.”

“About being a Saint Candidate, how far can I go? I’ve heard some stories here and there.”

“Hmm.”

Basically, it’s a dispatch. And that dispatch typically means community service. The Church sets the service sites as groups, and I can designate a place anytime I want. It doesn’t matter when. The scale can also be chosen within my authority.

So, while it’s not quite accurate to say I can go anywhere in the country…

Once I become an adult, and if I decide to remain in the Church, the nuns get some free time too. As long as they don’t overstep outside, they can roam freely until nightfall.

So while it’s not an outrageous privilege—

The current me is a different story.

Ria nodded as she processed my explanation.

“…Why’s that?”

I asked, feeling a bit anxious.

“Well, isn’t it good if there are many places I can go? The Hunter Association isn’t just in the mountains, you know.”

“Huh?”

“It’s nothing. Are you getting tired? Should we head in and sleep?”

“…”

Her words felt a bit strange—it must be just my misunderstanding.

Turning to follow Ria, I shrugged my shoulders slightly.