“On the way back to the church.”
When they say it’s another world, it feels incredibly far away, but in reality, from my position in Seoul, it’s much closer than going to America. Just ride the gate and you’re there.
Still, that gate isn’t right in Seoul. It was a bit of a drive from the city, so we ended up moving a bit longer than usual.
Ria and I took a seat about halfway back.
While I may not exactly be a saint just yet, it seems this incident has made people realize my importance a bit more. If you’re at the very front, you’re vulnerable when something goes wrong, and if you’re at the very back, there’s no one to protect you from enemy attacks.
Thinking about it, this spot isn’t exactly a fast escape route no matter which way you go, though.
But hey, if there are ‘combat-ready people’ in this world, they could probably slice through a bus like it was nothing. They might even blow the side off a can or something just to get out.
About 15 minutes went by as I sat there with my thoughts wandering, feeling a bit bored.
“Ria.”
“Yeah?”
“How about considering becoming a saint?”
I tossed that joke her way.
“……”
Ria turned towards me with a frown.
“Why, do you hate it that much?”
I said with a teasing smile.
Well, it’s understandable. Especially since Ria never intended to join a convent or anything.
Even if she doesn’t have a crush on anyone right now, she probably dreams of dating at some point.
Damn, I want to date too. But isn’t there more possibility in this world? Even without the guys, just because she’s pretty.
“Funny enough, I’ve somehow ended up as a saint candidate myself. All my struggles seem to have been pointless.”
This grumbling of mine is half-serious.
The reason it’s only half-serious is that looking back, it seems like there was never really a way out. My disagreements with the Cardinal were my attempt to assert my authority, and considering I’ve only been a saint candidate stripped of my rights, the church doesn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go.
“……I’m sorry.”
Huh?
I turned back towards Ria again.
Her gaze was cast downward.
Out of all the expressions I’ve seen on Ria, this one seemed the saddest. It was as if her feelings were buried deep beneath the surface, not just at ground level but like they had dug all the way underground.
“Uh….”
I felt like I had stepped on a landmine.
“I didn’t mean it like that! It was just a joke—”
“No, that’s not it.”
Ria muttered.
“The fact that you’ve fallen so deep into this is partly my fault too.”
“Huh?”
I unconsciously let that slip out.
Seeing me tilt my head, Ria’s expression turned even more guilt-ridden. This isn’t… well, it’s not the first time she’s looked that way. It was the same expression she had after saving me.
The expression of someone who feels like they did something really wrong.
“How is it your fault?”
After my question, Ria fell silent for a while. She shifted her gaze, looking around for nearly five minutes, but since I was sitting inside and she was by the window, there was no escape.
Finally, she opened her mouth.
“If you hadn’t?”
“I mean, it’s obvious, right? You’d just be living outside the church.”
“Huh?”
What on earth was she saying?
“Ria.”
I leaned my face a bit closer to her and lowered my voice. Ria pulled back her head.
Lately, Ria has been reacting this way toward me more often. Honestly, it’s a little amusing and cute. She is pretty after all.
She’s taller than me— but because she’s so tall, it also makes her seem kind of cute. I suppose it’s a gap thing.
But still, I prefer when Ria carries herself more confidently. It feels steadier. If she’s going to be my knight anyway, I think it’s much cooler if she could lift me up with one hand and effortlessly slice through enemies.
Am I being too possessive over Ria?
“……”
I blinked.
“Even if I become a saint, I have no intention of staying in the church until the end.”
That’s right.
I have no intention of living my life preserving my purity.
Well, that doesn’t mean I’ll date just anyone or anything. I want to be with the person I truly love… you know, I want to go all the way with them.
“Think about it, right? People who stay with the church until the end have unwavering faith, and I’m not one of those people.”
Without a sense of obligation, there’s no way to stay there until the end.
“You mean you’d resign halfway?”
“If I finish what I have to do, then yeah? Is there even a rule against that?”
Ria’s mouth slightly dropped open.
“……”
After a moment of thought, she finally responded, “……there isn’t, right?”
Her expression was strange. It looked like, ‘Wait, what?’
I smiled to myself.
That’s right. There’s no law saying you can’t quit halfway. After all, there’s never been a reason to think about it.
The conclusion I’ve come to is pretty straightforward. So what if I’m a saint candidate? I can just quit later. Of course, I’m planning to avoid becoming a saint as much as possible, but what if I do become one?
I could just quit.
It hasn’t happened once in this church yet, but that’s only because the history is short.
I’ll become the precedent.
In fact, there have been popes in the Catholic Church who have resigned directly.
“……Huh.”
When Ria saw my smug expression, she let out a chuckle. Then—
“Hahaha!”
Her chuckle soon turned into genuine laughter.
People around us glanced over.
“And one way to avoid becoming a saint is to just make someone else a saint instead, right?”
“Goodness, how absurd.”
Ria replied while rubbing her eyes slightly.
“Hey, if a saint quits, it’s just that there hasn’t been a precedent, right? That doesn’t mean there can’t be two saints, does it? It’s just a lack of precedent.”
“……Oh.”
“Pope is defined as one, but saints aren’t, right? If we consider the concept of a holy person, it wouldn’t be strange to have several existing in the same era.”
“Oh.”
As I sat there in a daze, not able to give a proper response, Ria started giggling.
“Well, don’t worry about it.”
“……You say that after saying something like that?”
“Since you’ll quit anyway.”
Ria said playfully. No, it’s like she’s hinting that something might come up.
“It’s obvious things are going to get complicated before you quit.”
Feeling a bit pouty, I stated, and Ria shrugged.
“Well, don’t worry about that either.”
Seeing her say that, I turned my head, and Ria was smiling at me.
“I’ll do my best.”
“So, you’re saying you’ll do your best to stop it?”
“Exactly?”
I blinked.
“Why? Ria is… well, you’re a knight, right?”
The personal knight protecting the saint candidate.
“Well, that’s true, but I’m not specifically a saint knight, you know? I’m your knight.”
“……”
“So, if I move as you wish, wouldn’t that be protecting you? I’m just saying.”
This made my face feel a little hot.
Why?
I’ve said that kind of stuff to Ria before, but hearing it like this makes me feel so embarrassed!
Ria shrugged and turned back towards the window.
“……”
For some reason, I feel resentful that she remains so unfazed.
“Hey.”
“……”
“Hey, Ria.”
I poked her in the side. Ria’s body flinched slightly.
“Ria, you’re a little embarrassed, aren’t you? About what you just said.”
Ria didn’t respond but continued to face outside the window. Instead, she swatted my hand away from tickling her side.
What’s this? She’s embarrassed, but still trying to hide it.
After that, on the way back to the church.
Our little back-and-forth actually went on for a bit longer. I attacked, and Ria defended.
“Ow, come on!”
Well, in the end, Ria did pin me down with her strength.
After a long battle, Ria suddenly spun around and went on a tickling spree against my sides with both hands.
“Ack!? W-wait, Ria… Eek!?”
The tickling was on another level compared to the gentle prods Ria used to do earlier, and I couldn’t hold in my laughter.
Every now and then, I think I let out a few embarrassing sounds. I just couldn’t help it.
Ria seemed surprisingly unaccustomed to that area too— or maybe it was because people were peeking their heads out of the windows to look at us, but she eventually stopped.
“Haha… ugh… someday, I’m definitely going to get my revenge…”
As I leaned my head back against the front seat, muttering that, Ria let out another short laugh like it was absurd and turned back to look out the window again.
By the time we arrived at the church, it was already nighttime.
Feeling a bit exhausted, I got off the bus.
As soon as I thought about showering and going to sleep,
“Sister Anna, do you have a moment?”
A priest came to talk to me.
“Huh?”
“Right now, a cardinal is in the church.”
“……”
At that, I unconsciously looked towards Ria.
Seeing Ria nod calmly, I let out a deep sigh.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")