Chapter 105

“It seems like the dwarves are way more expressive about their gratitude than the gnomes!”

After all, while the gnomes might face problems in the near future, the dwarves were on the brink of extinction without my help.

Not that there weren’t dwarves who thought poorly of me. Even if they couldn’t show it openly because of public opinion, there were definitely some giving me side-eye.

But really, that’s not my concern right now.

“Some people want to express their thanks more passionately, but why not enjoy the feast a bit longer? Or do you have something more pressing to attend to?”

“No, I don’t have a busy schedule… but…”

Knowing full well that I wasn’t keen on attending such events, I stammered in response to the princess teasing me.

“But how about you, Your Highness? Are you up for going to a whole different world?”

Indeed, this princess, who told me to enjoy the banquet, was in our world researching gates.

She wasn’t just trying to save the Elf Kingdom.

It was also a mission to prevent a potential second gate disaster.

“…That’s true. For us dwarves, this place feels cozy…”

The princess mumbled while looking up at her room, then turned her gaze back to me.

“Still, if danger is approaching, we should do our best to stop it. If it’s something I can help with, I’d be more than willing. After all, it’s a dwarven duty to repay a favor.”

I could only nod in response to her words.

On the day we were to leave, we received a grand farewell as best as we could from the underground folks, and we were off again to the gnome territory.

The dwarf princess didn’t show herself out in the open. After all, there shouldn’t be any naïve gnomes who would casually hit on a princess from another country. It would be best to avoid giving each other any reasons to be suspicious.

“…So this is where the gnomes live.”

While on the bus, the princess muttered as she gazed out the window.

There was no denying that I could sense something special in her voice. According to the princess, half of her blood was gnome.

I didn’t need to mention who that blood belonged to. I thought about how she might not even know herself, but decided not to bring it up.

There was no need to poke at a sore spot.

…

“…Phew.”

I sighed deeply while lying face down on the bed.

Honestly, the most comforting place for me was my home. Well, to be precise, the convent where I lived was technically the church, so calling it ‘my home’ felt a bit off.

“You did well.”

Ria said with a teasing smile.

“Yeah, it really was tough this time around…”

I had lived my life without much hardship, but…

Even though I had taken it upon myself, I knew that if I hadn’t done anything, I would have faced a much bigger mess later. So, honestly, I had no choice.

That’s right. I had no choices left. Ever since I came to this world, I hadn’t.

“…Hey, Ria.”

“Yeah?”

“Could you brush off the light that’s stuck in my hair?”

Ria let out a laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it, and waved her hand behind my head. The light that was creeping into my view disappeared.

“Should I ask the church people to let me rest for a while? They can’t be so insensitive as to work a saint candidate right after such a big event.”

“…I’m a saint candidate, not a saint…”

“Honestly, who would believe that anymore?”

I turned my head, squinting my eyes to glare at Ria.

“Are you not gonna believe me?”

“…Well.”

Ria looked surprised, her eyes went wide, then she burst out laughing.

Then she lunged at me and messed up my hair with both hands.

“Ah, what are you doing!?”

As I panicked, Ria stopped, then gently started to stroke my hair while saying,

“You did great.”

“……”

“I mean it.”

Oh.

Is this a bit unfair? It’s an unfair beauty tactic.

Usually, she has this somewhat rough and wild look, but when she suddenly smiles sweetly with that pretty face, I don’t even know how to react.

So, I turned my head back down and buried my face in the bed.

Even though I turned away from Ria, she quietly continued to stroke my hair without saying a word.

Honestly, it felt nice.

And yet, it made me feel a bit more confused.

…

July passed in a flash, and summer fully kicked in with August.

The church may feel tightly wound up in many ways, but that doesn’t mean they would make the young nuns toil under the scorching sun. Instead, they would cut back the outdoor activity time, creating an atmosphere akin to a ‘vacation’.

After all, nuns couldn’t really perform any professional tasks. If the air conditioner’s outdoor unit broke, of course, we’d call in professionals. If the computer malfunctioned, we’d also call in experts, and even for things like weeds, we would request help from someone else.

Sure, we’d sweep and clean, but that time was strictly limited to early in the morning and after sunset. And we’d even cut down on that time.

Thus, the vibe in the church became more relaxed, and the nuns’ mood also turned somewhat languid.

I was one of those nuns. Having spent fifteen years here, I had completely acclimated to that atmosphere.

…Saint nun.

At this point, I should’ve been hearing stories from the seniors about various topics. Staying in the church as an adult meant I was aiming to become a professional priest.

While the young nuns mainly prepared rituals and cleaned, the professional nuns were practically treated as quasi-medical personnel. Naturally, they had to be careful through various procedures and learn all sorts of complicated medical terminology.

“…Could the existence of a saint candidate lower the skills of our church’s priests?”

“I think that’s a thought worth considering.”

I had overheard a conversation like that between a priest and the Sister Warden after I had saved a few people from dying.

Saint Power wasn’t a miracle that got someone off their deathbed instantly. It was more about observing someone for a longer time and fixing their ailments part by part, which was how medical treatment worked in this world.

But since I was throwing out cures all at once, the usual priests had less chance to improve their skills.

From then on, the patients I treated tended to be severely ill.

…Hmm.

There wasn’t really much to teach. Plus, I had come to accept my role as a saint candidate. Even when I was younger, there might have been things to tease me about, but now that I had connections with princesses from other races, nobody in the church could belittle or mock me.

“…Is it really okay to slack off like this…?”

“Of course not.”

It wasn’t like I expected a serious answer, and honestly, I was half hoping to just lay around like this, but my roommate apparently did not agree at all.

“Weren’t we supposed to go to the beach?”

“…Well.”

Hmm.

That’s true.

I seriously contemplated a religious dilemma I had never experienced before in my life.

The swimsuit I bought for the beach. The one that Ria even gifted me.

It was indeed a bikini. We hadn’t returned those swimsuits since. They lay neatly folded in the corner of our wardrobe, hidden from the Sister Warden.

So… Ria must be determined to wear that swimsuit.

I was expecting this, but… well.

“Don’t wanna?”

When Ria asked like that, I sat up on my bed.

Usually, she acted all tough, but right now, Ria had this expression like a drenched puppy. Although she wasn’t tearing up, she was pouting slightly with her hands clasped and looking up at me with big eyes.

I’d seen that expression before.

After that swimsuit incident, when she took me to a super expensive restaurant. She sat there, not knowing what to say, looking restless as if she had done something wrong.

“……”

Ria hadn’t done anything wrong.

“…I guess we have to go, huh?”

When I responded like that, a smile broke out on Ria’s face. Seeing the change in her expression made me frown.

“What is it? Were you seriously making that face on purpose? An act?”

“Well, if you want something badly enough, you have to resort to any means necessary, right?”

“…Do you really want to go to the beach that badly?”

When I asked, losing all my composure, Ria smiled broadly at me.

“Yep.”

That one word hit me harder than all the lengthy speeches Ria had given so far.

“…Let’s make sure no one sees you in that swimsuit, alright? I’m serious, this could turn into a real religious issue.”

As I said this with a serious expression, Ria burst into short laughter.