Chapter 118

Despite my somewhat complicated feelings, I had things to do.

Though it was stuff I had no choice but to deal with.

“The research is proceeding smoothly.”

It was the princess dwarf, no, Emeli, who said that.

Of course, Emeli hadn’t completely given up her title as princess, but I was calling her that as she mentioned she didn’t expect any special treatment here.

It’s similar to how I refer to Glaria by her name.

“Especially regarding the artifacts… I have a lot to say, but we decided to keep it a secret in our country. If we start making all kinds of claims after being indebted to the entire nation, it could lead to various troubles.”

Exactly.

The relic from the research lab was originally obtained from a disputed area between the dwarves and gnomes. I don’t know whose brilliant idea that was, but somehow, it made its way here to Korea.

Initially, it was something that could have been stolen, but I managed to keep it safe.

Thanks to that, it was almost devoid of magic power. Right now, we were slowly replenishing its magic power through mages.

“The magic power hasn’t even been filled to half yet.”

….

It seemed effective to ensure it wouldn’t be stolen again by clearing it out completely.

“Still, during that time, we’ve made significant progress in studying the magic circle—”

Emeli explained her achievements in gate magic, but unfortunately, the only ones showing interest were Han Yu-ri and Glaria.

Magic, the deeper you dig, the closer it gets to formulas, becoming incredibly complex. Especially when it comes to gates.

While Glaria, Han Yu-ri, and other specialists currently researching nodded and murmured in admiration, honestly, I didn’t understand a thing.

It was the same when I glanced at Ria beside me. As soon as our eyes met, Ria giggled and shook her head.

No, if you keep doing that, I’ll misunderstand.

…It’s something I could never say to Ria herself, though.

I held back a sigh and looked around a bit, when I suddenly caught sight of Davi focused on something.

Davi usually showed emotions of either fear or tension, but she managed to maintain her expressionless facade when Glaria was beside her. Even in this utterly unfamiliar place.

And the expressionless stare was fixated on none other than that magic stone. The relic of the dwarves and gnomes.

“……”

It was a gaze one rarely saw, almost enthusiastic.

Is there something worth being interested in?

But that stare didn’t linger long. Realizing I was looking at her, Davi quickly redirected her gaze back to the explanations.

Or maybe she pretended to focus.

….

I couldn’t help but think of those intruders who had come here.

No, I didn’t think Davi would act that way, though.

…Right?

＊

“Excluding the fact that it uses immense magic power, it’s quite a useful spell. Of course, there are many discrepancies between theory and practice, so it’s best not to get your hopes up too high.”

Yet, saying that, Glaria’s ears twitched oddly. Perhaps it was a gesture of anticipation from an elf. Most likely an instinctive movement.

“……When we return, surely……”

Yet that feeling didn’t last long.

When we return, Glaria will certainly face her enemies. The forces that wanted to kill Glaria.

Perhaps, there may not be any allies left for Glaria. If the rebels are in control of the regime, it would be like heading straight to suicide.

“Still, we have to go.”

Glaria nodded.

“Revenge, we must have.”

I was the one who provided the groundwork for Glaria to return.

But, just thinking about stepping into that place left me uneasy.

If I were to enter, Ria would surely end up slaying elves. I would definitely shoot elves with my rifle too.

Unlike the monsters we encountered before, elves looked no different from humans. No, they were beings of civilization that had interacted with us from the start.

Even if they came charging at us with intent to kill, I wasn’t sure if I could maintain my sanity after shooting them, much less ensure Ria’s clarity of mind.

…It might be better if the enemy came at us using only magic power. Then, I could nullify their attacks.

Lost in deep thought, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much.”

It was Ria.

“After all, it’s my job to protect you, right?”

“……”

Her words made my insides flutter again.

But I couldn’t tell Ria not to say such things when it was said in a good meaning.

Man, I really am a complicated person in many ways.

I’ve been realizing that a lot lately, about faith and about human relationships.

…Maybe it was better when I knew nothing about either?

＊

Once more, I reviewed the ultimate goal.

The creepy eye I encountered last time in the Dwarf Kingdom. It probably wasn’t physically there. Maybe it thought that showing up in front of me would get it instantly robbed and killed, or perhaps it wanted to mimic that higher being.

Since creatures that live off magic are called monsters, I think I’ll just refer to that being as a demon, to indicate its higher status.

I’ll defeat that demon and confirm that an active threat to this world has disappeared before I bless the marriage of my fellow sister, Han Yu-ri, and Lee Si-yoon.

This was the goal I set for myself.

Now, what I needed to do was to find where that demon was lurking.

Unfortunately, to do that, I had to venture into the areas dense with magic power again.

Or, lure the enemy to come.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, I actually intended to share some of this with Ria. I figured using the form of a prophecy would suffice again.

Honestly, if I were to nitpick, Ria being close to me might be dangerous. If I cared for Ria’s safety, I should keep her at a distance.

…That demon or whatever had caused quite a few people to get hurt when attacking the saintess. Among them were Ria and Han Yu-ri.

The moment the saintess barely escaped from death, was also when Lee Si-yoon’s love line was revealed. That’s when I exploded.

I don’t want Ria to get hurt. This was a somewhat selfish wish.

Compared to others—Ria had become too close to me.

But at the same time, I didn’t want to separate from her. For the same reason.

In the end, unable to firmly decide on either side, I was planning to share part of what I knew with Ria and look for reassurance in her choice. Even though I knew Ria would likely choose to stay by my side.

Honestly, I’m not someone who can fulfill a saintess’s role.

Yet, regrettably, right before I could convey that to Ria, a pressing issue arose unexpectedly.

Just like any other time, during shower time. While Ria entered first to wash up, someone knocked on the door.

“Sister Anna.”

It was the Sister Warden on the other side of the door.

“There’s someone who wants to meet you immediately.”

“Now?”

It wasn’t quite midnight, but it was already somewhat late for a guest to come, wasn’t it?

“Yes, they are a very important guest.”

And the moment I heard that, I felt like I knew exactly who had come.

“A guest has arrived from the Pope’s office.”

With that, the worries I had been contemplating just an instant before vanished completely.

＊

I had thought that this would obviously happen someday.

The position of a saintess wasn’t just one that encompassed the national church, but also the global church.

Naturally, it would eventually be reviewed by the Pope’s office.

Just as there were several saint candidates in our country, other nations had the same. So, I had been somewhat relieved. No matter how unique my evaluations were, those many people had their own validations to go through.

But it seemed the Pope’s office felt differently.

The person sitting in the interview room was a woman. She was wearing a very proper nun outfit.

It goes without saying, but I didn’t feel confident in standing before her while dressed like I usually would. Naturally, I took off my chest belt and properly put on a veil over my head. …It was a little obvious that I had shortened my outfit, but what could I do?

However, that person didn’t look at me with such a serious gaze.

“Sister Anna. I hope you have been well.”

Her Korean was very fluent.

Her appearance was also that of an Asian woman, contrasting to mine.

“Ah, yes, yes, I’ve been well…”

Even though I was in front of someone extremely important, the words that came out of my mouth were such awkward ones. I was embarrassed by my own speech.

“I am Maria, working at the Pope’s office. Yes, just like your escort knight, I share the same baptismal name. In my case, it’s also my name.”

Her gaze turned towards Ria behind me.

“I sincerely apologize, but could we have a conversation just between the two of us for a moment? It’s a very important matter for the church.”

I turned to Ria.

Ria’s face had hardened significantly.

“Please, I would greatly appreciate some time to speak with her.”

“…Ria.”

Just like her previously stiff expression, Ria nodded her head as well.

Just as I was about to turn around and assure her—

“That won’t do.”

Ria’s words detonated like a bomb in the back, freezing my body stiff.

“Kya!?”

And as my foot got tangled, I comically stumbled forward—

Thud.

I landed softly into Ria’s embrace and got back up again.

“……”

Silence.

A silence so thick it was hard to put into words hung around us.

Uh.

Great.

Am I going to die?