Chapter 129

I didn’t have as many options for the Pope as I had thought.

The Pope’s body was already frail, and that was something that couldn’t be reversed.

“……Are you feeling a bit more comfortable?”

I asked, but the Pope had his eyes closed.

He was breathing. Quite literally, he looked like he was peacefully asleep.

The dark aura at his fingertips was no longer visible.

As I got up from my seat, nobody bothered to speak to me.

When I turned around, people quietly stepped aside. Some looked shocked, while others seemed to understand something.

A few were crying.

Among the weeping was Sister Maria.

“……Thank you.”

“I just did what needed to be done.”

In fact, I hesitated too much.

What if I was misunderstood by others for saving someone who was on the brink of death? Whether that misunderstanding was good or bad, it was something I didn’t want.

Should I just leave that person behind?

……Maybe that might be the best option. Perhaps there were those around him who loathed him so much that they would gladly kill anyone who tried to help.

Or conversely, there might be those waiting to pin all the blame on whoever saved him.

If I saved him, it would certainly lead to troublesome matters.

But leaving someone in need just because it was troublesome was something I found extremely unappealing.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Are you okay?”

Ria, who was following behind me, asked, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed.

“Yeah, it’s probably going to be an enormous hassle. They’ll make a huge fuss about being a Saintess, and then start bombarding me with questions about scriptures and whatever else.”

“And so?”

“……That doesn’t mean we can just leave him. He’s a good person, right? If it were a villain involved in all kinds of crimes, then maybe…”

When I looked back, I could hear Ria’s laughter. She was genuinely smiling.

I paused in my steps.

At some point, the footsteps of the countless people who had been following us had also stopped.

But the only thing in my view was Ria’s expression. I didn’t care about anyone else.

“Yeah, this actually works out.”

“……Are you okay, Ria?”

I tilted my head at Ria’s words.

Ria had previously told me not to use my strength carelessly.

“Well, let’s see.”

Ria tilted her head as she spoke.

“To be honest, it’s not that great. If you rise, I’ll have to rise too, right?”

“You don’t like that?”

“I do not. Of course not. Probably as much as you don’t want to be a Saintess?”

“Then, you’re okay with it?”

“You decided to think simply, didn’t you? Regardless of what others say, you’re just going to follow your own path.”

“……That’s true, but…”

“I’m your knight, after all?”

Ria stepped closer.

I could somewhat grasp the identity of that smile.

Ria didn’t plan on simply laughing this off because it had come to this.

One of the emotions hidden behind that smile was ‘pride.’

A sort of pride that said, “Bring on destiny; I’m ready.”

“That means I’m literally ‘your’ knight. I’ll say it again; I don’t care about titles or anything like that. My honor comes from fulfilling my promise to protect you.”

Just as I had made my decision about my own path—

Thinking that nothing else mattered, Ria was saying the same.

Why?

I didn’t know. I didn’t fully understand Ria’s words.

As for me, that’s just the way things are.

The being up there had molded my body this way and unleashed me into this world because they wanted me to act like this. Unable to save everyone with just my own strength, they placed a representative to try to save as many people as possible.

Perhaps I had made some sort of deal with that being above.

But Ria was different.

Ria had countless choices. There were so many things she could do. If she applied her talents, she would become someone very famous and capable.

Yet, Ria was vowing to protect me.

Only me.

Why?

I couldn’t find the answer.

But one thing was clear: my chest was getting warmer.

“Because I’m your knight.”

Ria said with a smile.

“I’m just going to follow behind you. I’ll smash anything in your way, whatever it is.”

So, if someone were to forcibly place me on the Saintess throne, Ria would destroy that very existence.

It might be something that Maria’s father would absolutely despise. No, it might be something everyone in this world would detest.

But I wanted it.

Because Ria is my knight—

“……Alright.”

For some reason, I felt like my face might crumble awkwardly, so I quickly turned around.

Then, moving straight ahead, I spoke.

“Then, first, please help me with what I want to do.”

“Are you going to do something again?”

“You can figure it out immediately, right? I’m Anna. The one who’s trying to protect Ria.”

At my words, Ria laughed.