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Chapter 97

The bright light was so intense that even beyond my closed eyelids, I could feel it, and a slight dizziness washed over me.

Unlike the Dwarf Lake, I wasn’t using all my strength this time. It seemed the Dwarf Kingdom had places like this scattered about. I needed to purify everything as quickly as possible—

“……”

No, wait a minute.

I blinked in surprise and opened my eyes again.

In front of me, there was a puddle, now crystal clear, with water filling it to the brim like a clean well.

I could hear sounds of admiration around me. There were also some disgruntled grumbling sounds that seemed to be coming from the priests.

Judging by their reactions, it might be considered a ‘success.’ I had put in as much effort as when I healed the Dwarves, and at least the puddle was transparent enough for people to drink from.

However.

“Anna?”

Ria called out to me.

“……”

I knelt in my spot and lightly dipped my hands into the water. Just like the lake in the Gnome area, it shimmered a little, holding Saint Power.

But that strange, prickling sensation around me didn’t go away at all.

Looking back at the puddle, I noticed something dripping onto it from the rocks above.

A black liquid.

Magic Power itself.

It was quickly being purified every time it entered the water, but that wouldn’t last forever. At least not unless the source was completely eradicated.

I stood up.

“Anna?”

“Ria, let’s go back.”

As I turned to Ria, the people who had been following us for protection seemed a bit taken aback and hesitated.

“Wait a minute.”

When I stopped walking, they also halted in their tracks, a little confused.

I looked at the Dwarf priest, the one who had blocked my path earlier.

Did he just see the puddle as a holy relic and thought to obstruct my way?

Then wouldn’t leaving it as is make no sense? Especially with the abandoned sanctum nearby.

I asked the priest.

“What do the people living here do to survive?”

Deep inside a cave, especially this deep.

Only beings with sufficient power to handle Magic Power like church-affiliated humans or Dwarves who can store some Magic Power in their bodies could possibly survive in a place dense with it; otherwise, it would be only monsters.

And monsters were not a source of food. All the food I saw at the banquet yesterday were freshly killed livestock and fresh vegetables, and mushrooms.

Dwarves dying from drinking contaminated water couldn’t possibly endure by eating monsters made entirely of Magic Power.

“Drinking water… that can’t be enough for living. There must be at least a minimal amount of water for daily needs. And they must be receiving food as well.”

“Well… that’s…”

The priest looked as if I were asking something odd.

“They sustain themselves by selling liquefied magic from within there. It’s less efficient than Magic Stones, but if mixed into the soil and formed into clumps, they can be used at least once.”

“That sounds even more dangerous than mining magic stones. Do the priests manage that?”

The Dwarf priests exchanged bewildered glances with each other.

“……Understood.”

Meaning they didn’t do it.

The ones with the most Magic Power among the Dwarves ruled above the Dwarf Kingdom. Naturally, their individual combat power would be incomparably strong.

…That’s only expected. It’s common for such beings to rise to the top of society. Meanwhile, those who are incapable of doing such important work are pushed to the fringes of the kingdom.

In the end, those who can don’t do it.

Those who can’t do it, do it.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have anything they could do.

While drinking contaminated water, touching magic-infused dough with bare hands and no equipment. Corruption within and without.

I moved my feet again.

“Ria, let’s head back to the Royal Palace. I think we need to meet the Princess.”

“Got it.”

Ria nodded. She didn’t ask why.

**

The moment we returned directly to the Royal Palace, I requested to meet the Princess.

The Princess accepted my request immediately, as if she had been waiting for it.

“You’ve come to see me directly before I’ve even received a report.”

As the Princess spoke, I gazed at her intently and replied,

“I went to see that place you mentioned.”

“The place where the most suffering people in this country reside.”

When I asked, the Princess told me about that place.

It was just as she said. It was hard to think of anyone suffering more than those people in this country. It seemed to be well known even among the Dwarves.

But somehow, I felt like the Princess hadn’t simply directed me to that place as per my request.

Rather, it felt like she had something to say to me from the start.

Even if I hadn’t asked, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the Princess would have first told me to go see that place.

“What did you see there? Did you see suffering individuals and the priests ignoring them even though they know they need help?”

I saw both.

But among everything I saw, that wasn’t the most serious issue.

No, what I ‘felt’ was the most serious—

“……I saw the Magic Power.”

I stated.

The endless, unfathomable Magic Power that continued from that place. It was a density of it that couldn’t even begin to compare to the lake in the Gnome area.

I hadn’t directly seen it. I couldn’t even grasp its end with my own power in the first place.

“The entire mountain range.”

I revealed my conclusion.

“Isn’t that right?”

Seemingly confirming my words, the Princess nodded.

“Yes.”

Then, slowly extending her index finger, she pointed at the ceiling.

“Up there. Most of the lower part of the mountain with rich Magic Stones is filled with Magic Power. That’s why it has abundant Magic Stones. For endless time, it has been gradually transforming the rocks of this mountain range.”

“……”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t tell you right away. I didn’t know whether your power could truly help us or if you just came here hoping to spread your religion.”

“So you wanted to know if what you heard was true or not.”

“And if you had the power to observe such a situation, I also wanted to know how you would judge it.”

Was it that she wanted to communicate with me more precisely than just words?

…No.

“……No. You probably wanted me to be surprised.”

“……”

This time, the Princess fell silent.

“You must have heard that I purified the contaminated lake in Gnome territory. You wanted me to see the situation firsthand.”

“……Will you forgive my rudeness?”

I couldn’t think of how to respond to that.

“Yes, that is correct. We are also hypothesizing in that direction. The Dwarves… have lived long, tunneling passages through this mountain range. Now we’ve hit that limit. Every royal knows that we cannot go any deeper.”

Magic Power would seep out if we did.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to relocate outside. Coming out of the Dwarf Kingdom means facing steep mountain ranges right away. A mountain range that is difficult to compare with Earth’s in height and cold.

If we were to find a place where we could survive—

“The only habitable area is in the land at war. And… you must have passed through that area. Didn’t you see what it is like there?”

That place, where people could barely live above ground, was now in complete ruins.

It had become contaminated with Magic Power here and there, and now it was questionable whether even grass could grow properly.

Might we survive in the desert if we could find a flowing source of water?

But, such places were mostly Gnome territory. The Dwarves, who have had deep grievances with them for so long, would never be accepted.

Besides,

I know.

That Magic Power would definitely cause problems. One day it would engulf the mountains and swallow the regions of the Gnomes beneath it.

“Now you must understand why we need to study the Gate.”

“……”

I fell silent.

“Some among us royalties and nobility hope for things like that. To move through your land and then live beyond the next Gate. Because it is too risky to fully open a new world.”

If a Gate were to open to the sea, there could be massive flooding on the mountain side. Even if not the sea, opening a Gate in a barren wasteland would be pointless.

However.

“……You know that wouldn’t be an easy task, right? It would mean tens of thousands of Dwarves passing through your country even if temporarily. And there’s no reason to believe that no problems would arise during that time.”

“……”

I had nothing to say.

“Moreover, even if you were to cross through your Gate into another world—it’s uncertain whether it would be something you would welcome.”

If there was an established country beyond the Gate, the government wouldn’t meddle too much. They generally don’t want war.

However, conversely, if there’s no country beyond, practically, the government would treat it as their own land. They might turn it into a dumping ground or a radioactive waste disposal site.

Giving up such a useful place wouldn’t be very pleasing to the government either. Refugees wouldn’t want to go deep into the Gate either.

“……Some might even make ‘radical’ proposals. How much do the Dwarves think their bloodline is superior?”

Seemingly comprehending the intent behind my question, the Princess smiled bitterly.

“……They would consider other races to be ‘non-people’ to that extent. Especially the radical ones. Yes, if they found out that I am half Gnome, there could be those who would try to assassinate me.”

I shut my mouth.

Uh… Your Highness?

You can’t just casually bring up such sensitive topics like that…?

Ah, wait, was that something I should even be discussing?


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No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

아니, 무신론자가 어떻게 성녀가 되겠어요!?
Score 7.2
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2024 Native Language: Korean
It’s impossible for an atheist to become a saintess! I merely expressed my thoughts on a ridiculous novel, and I ended up reincarnating into that story… in the exact scenario I found most absurd. Ugh, this is too much!

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