Chapter 194

I forcefully held back my immense embarrassment and took a shower.

We woke up much later than usual. The sun was already high in the sky. Maybe it was because we stayed up late watching movies last night.

Since no one came to wake us, it felt like the aftermath of yesterday still lingered.

Well, that was lucky for us.

As soon as I finished washing up, Ria quickly dashed past me and slipped into the shower room.

Yesterday had been nothing but fun, but just a few hours later, it felt like all that sensation had been completely reset. We were feeling embarrassed around each other.

Yet, judging by how we pressed our lips together that morning, Ria didn’t seem to hate kissing either.

Thank goodness.

…

Is it really a good thing?

I paused between those two words, then decided to think of it as a good thing. After all, it wouldn’t just be a one-time show.

Goodness, method acting.

Did she want to help me that much?

“…No, that’s not it.”

I shook my head.

Of course, actors shoot kiss scenes or intimate scenes without a care. Every actor feels differently; some may even use a stunt double for those intimate scenes, but since we were only doing hugs and kisses for now, it was possible from the ‘acting’ perspective.

But I felt there was something more beyond that.

A very slight feeling, but beyond the blush on Ria’s face, there definitely seemed to be ‘lust’ there.

“This is a convent.”

I nodded.

Right. I didn’t know if it really was so, but supposedly, in the medieval convents where contact with the outside world was nearly cut off, it was common for incidents like this to happen with women who were forced to stay in the convent.

Even if one didn’t particularly like women, maybe it was better than having nothing at all? I wasn’t sure, but at least emotional exchange was possible.

In that sense, Ria might have felt something similar.

“…”

After contemplating once more, I decided it was a good thing. At least Ria could feel desire, or something similar, for me.

That meant there was hope in various ways.

Realizing that, I felt so good I finished getting ready and began humming as I stepped out of the room.

…

Stepping out of the room, we naturally held hands.

Since we had to act as a couple for now, I thought it would be best if we appeared that way in front of others too.

Some of the sisters were whispering as they caught sight of us.

“Oh my.”

Glaria laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. She had this ‘I knew it’ expression that was a little irritating, but hey, it was part of the setup.

“Didn’t you say there wouldn’t be such a thing last time?”

“…Well, here we are.”

I replied while gritting my teeth to Glaria’s teasing. Naturally, she wasn’t scared at all.

“Congratulations!”

Paina said with sparkling eyes, her hands clasped together.

Before coming here, Paina’s eyes had been half-dead, but now they sparkled brightly since she was likely letting her true feelings unfold with the person she truly loved.

So Paina was ‘empathizing’ with us. Pertia standing next to her was blushing a little, perhaps thinking about her relationship with Paina.

Well, whatever. It is what it is.

Anyway, here we were.

No matter what happened in front of us now, I felt like it wouldn’t matter somehow—

But my thoughts didn’t last that long.

“Sister Anna, Sister Maria.”

There was a voice calling us, and when I turned around, it was the Sister Warden standing there. Her gaze was fixed on our hands.

Ria and I exchanged slightly embarrassed glances and let go of each other’s hands. After all, we didn’t have the courage to act that way in front of the Sister Warden.

“The Pope is at the church. Please follow me.”

“…Huh?”

That sudden statement made me unwittingly drop my jaw.

“The Pope is here.”

I blinked, glancing at Ria. She too looked puzzled as she stared back at me.

The Pope is here…? Shouldn’t he be in Italy? It should take more than a few hours by plane.

And then it struck me a little late.

I was in the process of canonization. Of course, a cardinal wouldn’t have the right to do such a thing, and it was merely a procedural step. The real canonization would have to be done by the Pope himself.

However, from the church’s perspective, I likely didn’t have any disqualifications. Rather, it seemed the church was ready to accept me as a new symbol.

So the Pope probably started preparing to come here by the time I was participating in the canonization ceremony.

Ria and I had run away for hours, then returned to the church and went to sleep late.

And today we overslept.

So, there was plenty of time already.

“I was just at that spot…”

“Yes, the canonization has been postponed. It has been delayed. However, he was already on his way here at that point. You just missed the news because you were so busy.”

“…”

“If you had watched the news, you would have known. The news about the Pope visiting this country had already spread yesterday afternoon.”

Didn’t catch it.

I had been focused only on Ria’s face.

“At any rate, there was ample time. The Pope has already arrived at the church. Although his health has considerably improved, that doesn’t mean he’s any younger. I believe he must have had a bit of difficulty coming here overnight.”

“…”

“And in fact, after hearing your news, he decided to come here immediately.”

Now I understood.

The reason no one had woken us was to give the Pope time to recover a bit after arriving at the church.

If I had known earlier, I might have run away immediately.

… But it was information I could have learned if I had watched the news yesterday.

I looked back at Ria.

Ria was looking back at me.

Our thoughts were aligned.

Well, what can you do?

The die was cast. There was no justification for escaping from here, and escaping wouldn’t get us anywhere.

The Sister Warden turned to walk again. We followed behind her, receiving the gazes of those around us.

Before long, both of us were holding each other’s hands tightly.

… Not simply to act, but as if we were seeking some kind of permit to proceed.

…

The last time they came to take me to the Pope, a whole Knight Order had stormed in. They literally occupied the entire chapel.

But this time, perhaps because of the urgency, the number of people accompanying was quite small.

First was the Pope, and there were some priests assisting him. Our church’s priest sat nearby the Pope with a somewhat ascetic expression, and the cardinal was doing the same.

Of course, among them was Sister Maria. The nun with the same baptismal name as Ria, who came to take me the last time. The one the Pope raised like a daughter.

… And then, there was someone else with the same baptismal name as that nun, but addressed differently.

Maria.

And next to her was Anna, who shared my baptismal name.

For some reason, Anna was looking at me with a benevolent smile, as if she understood everything.

I couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was a bit ominous.

And—lastly, there was someone in this room that made my heart race uncontrollably.

In this world, I didn’t have parents anyway. So, no one could really say anything about who I got close to, be it the same or opposite sex. The only ones who might object would be the Sister Warden and the priest.

But Ria had a father.

And in this room was Ria’s father.

The strongest hero in this country. Perhaps the Pope didn’t bring his usual entourage and requested a detail.

Or maybe he was just here in his role as Ria’s father.

This is a disaster. That option was much scarier for me.

Well, to put it simply, the one striking was Ria, but I had also had my own ways with Ria. Ugh.

“Sister Anna.”

The Pope opened his mouth.

“How have you been?”

“Ah, yes.”

I replied without thinking, feeling a bit tense.

“Thanks to you, Sister Anna, I’ve been doing well. Those short days felt much lighter than the whole decade before them. I suppose it’s thanks to the Saint Power you’ve given me.”

“Th-that’s not my power; it’s the power of the being above…”

“Is that so?”

The Pope nodded with a benevolent expression and gestured to a chair with his hand.

It was the chair for Ria and me to sit in.

For some reason, all the chairs in the center of the chapel had been cleared away, and only one chair for each of us remained.

This was extremely nerve-wracking.

We cautiously moved and sat side by side, looking at the Pope.

“…Alright.”

The Pope nodded and spoke.

“Then, shall we talk a little? There are a few things we need to share with each other.”

“…”

I looked at Ria once more.