Chapter 47

“Hey.”

“What?”

We were on our way back down from the rooftop garden.

Ria suddenly called out to me.

“You should work with me.”

“What?”

And the next thing she said was even more confusing.

What was that? I felt like I had heard something like it before… in some noir movie or something.

Of course, Ria wouldn’t throw me into a mobster situation, and it didn’t seem like she was suggesting we should infiltrate some hunters either.

Literally, she was talking about doing “work.”

Work.

If a person stays cooped up at home for too long, they can start to lose their mind, and most of the reasons for that ultimately boil down to “not having money.”

If I had an overflowing amount of money and didn’t know what to do with all that spare time, traveling around the world and tasting all sorts of gourmet food, would I ever spiral into madness? Playing whatever games I want and binge-watching drama seasons would probably make me feel emotionally fulfilled.

But since I can’t do that, I just try to get a job and aim for that kind of life during the weekends.

In that sense, I’ve never really done anything that could be called “real work” in this world.

Helping out at the church could be considered work, but honestly, it’s not exactly professional.

Every job, regardless of whether it’s professional or not, has its own level of expertise. Salespeople have their own expertise, and service workers have theirs too.

No matter how you look at it, wandering around the church with a broom doesn’t strike me as being that professional. The jobs I did when I went as a volunteer were only a little more complicated than that.

“What kind of work?”

Thinking about the relationship between what Ria was doing and what I was doing, I asked like that.

“Hunter work.”

At her words, I blinked.

“Hunter work?”

Seeing me parrot her like a parrot, Ria shrugged her shoulders.

“Your skills aren’t half bad. If you can at least hold your own, you’d be more of a plus in the party, right?”

“I—”

“Aah.”

Knowing what I was about to say, Ria waved her hand dismissively.

“I’m not saying you should get paid for your Saint Power. Think of it as just a plus, a little added bonus.”

Ding.

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened, and we stepped outside. Almost no one was in the hallway, as most hunters had gone off to do their own things. Well, even though there’s a base salary, the money coming in each month depends on performance, so everyone probably wants to work hard to boost their results.

Especially since the association often buys materials at positive prices. Sure, it’s a bit cheaper than the personal transaction rates, but in terms of stability, it’s appealing. Even if there are market rates among individuals, you need to have someone to buy from.

“Seems like there are quite a few people with that ‘plus’ factor, huh?”

I’m no fool.

Sometimes, the ‘plus’ factor can be so overwhelming that the person’s original value gets overshadowed. You can’t help but notice that in social settings.

For example, the relationship with parents behind the scenes or having a close relative who’s in a certain position at a company.

“Right.”

Ria puffed out her chest as she spoke.

“Like appearance, for instance.”

“……”

“What? No, seriously? Even when you buy materials somewhere, they sometimes throw in an extra one.”

Not that I said anything.

Sure, Ria is pretty. Face-wise, I think I’m prettier, but Ria has a better figure than I do, so it might just be a tie?

Somehow, it feels like Ria’s the daughter of a hero and has connections to high-ranking members in the association—those points probably weigh more heavily than just looks… well, if that’s a ‘plus,’ then it is.

“Really?”

But I still couldn’t shake off my doubts completely.

Of course, I have no doubt that my looks would be a ‘plus.’ To be honest, I don’t really want to be around Lee Si-yoon too often. I firmly believe that the reason he got close to the Saintess in many ways in the original story was their looks.

Lee Si-yoon is just handsome, and I, on the other hand, am pretty, have a good body, and above all, my looks are somewhat unique. Even if the continent changed, I’d just be another common ethnicity, but in this country, I’m a rare find.

Thinking about it, it’s strange.

I have no idea how the original Saintess came to be active in this country, but I showed up out of nowhere when I was five.

It’s not like not having parents is a big deal, but there’s no narrative at all before that. I tried to dig into my past at the church, but even CCTV around my childhood doesn’t exist.

I just walked in from the blind spot of the CCTV and stared blankly at the church’s main entrance.

…Well, I guess it doesn’t matter right now.

It somehow feels like the ‘plus’ factor Ria sees in me might not just be my looks, but my Saint Power itself.

“Strictly speaking, it’s a bit hard for us to form a party. You’re both affiliated with the church. Not official hunters.”

“That’s probably true. Ria, you’re planning to utilize my position, right? For a free dispatch request.”

I know my rights too. I just didn’t have a chance to use them because they were snatched away early on.

“You know well.”

Ria smiled at my answer.

“We’ll get ‘compensation’ for our efforts, right? Of course, there will be taxes deducted, and there will be a ‘donation’ that goes back to the church. It’s a win-win. It’s actually the church’s main source of income.”

“……Really?”

“Well, our case is a bit special, but the church sends out the knight order periodically, right?”

That would be when the country runs low on hands for jobs, not the Hunter Association.

“It’s a Saint Candidate privilege, right? A way to prove yourself.”

“……Prove that I’m qualified to become a Saintess?”

“No.”

Ria shook her head, waggling her finger to deny my words.

“What I mean is to prove that you’re a ‘materialistic’ person. To stay away from church work and cling only to money-related stuff.”

“So… ultimately, am I supposed to earn money through my Saint Power?”

“No.”

Ria put her hands on her hips again, puffing out her chest. I couldn’t help but force myself to pull my gaze away from that area.

Ria’s face radiated confidence.

“Use me.”

Ria patted her chest with her hand.

“Since the ‘knight’ knows the people in the association well, not to mention being the daughter of a hero, and even has excellent talent as a knight, act as if you’re making money off of that. You won’t make enemies with the hunters anyway, and at the same time, people on the outside won’t have a good impression, which will give the church a headache.”

“……Oh.”

That’s somewhat convincing.

Besides, when you think about it, it’s not really exploiting Ria. She benefits in her own way as well.

Mainly, in rebelling against her father.

“That sounds good. So how are we are going to split that ‘compensation’? Is it going to be 70-30?”

“……No, that feels a bit too much, doesn’t it?”

Ria made a face of disgust at my question.

“Even so, it should be 60-40.”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

“Isn’t 4 a bit too little for my skills?”

“……Huh?”

“……Huh?”

Seeing me tilt my head, Ria tilted her head back, and I shook my head in the opposite direction.

“No, so the proposal was that you were taking 3? Not 7?”

“Even so, I have a conscience. How could I take 7? What do you think of me?”

“I thought that was the price for borrowing your position.”

“……?”

As I raised a question mark over my head, Ria sighed deeply and grabbed my cheeks with both hands.

“Grr.”

As my cheeks were pinched, I looked like a pufferfish.

“……Let’s call it 50-50. Half-half.”

Before I could counter anything, Ria said it with a serious expression.

“It’s usually split equally among hunters. That way, they’ll strive to match their levels. It’s a kind of unwritten rule.”

…Is that so?

“And normally, when negotiating, you’re supposed to put forth a more favorable position.”

Is that right?

For that matter, isn’t Ria also thinking of herself as a 4?

No, more than that, I’d appreciate it if she eased up on my cheeks a bit.

*

What on earth should I do with her?

Chaeun couldn’t quite grasp what to make of Anna as she watched her.

Yeah, she knew well that Anna thought she would live with a sense of integrity.

Honestly, it’s quite likable.

In this world, to go against God and choose to live kindly is respectable.

Unless someone is morally twisted, the very essence of wanting to crush someone like Anna’s spirit should stir up annoyance.

But at the same time—Chaeun thought the same way.

What should I do with her?

To be honest, living in the church might be the most ideal. With such a great character, she might be too good for that religion. Innocent and righteous.

…

There was a fleeting thought of not wanting her to be corrupted by the world.

But simultaneously, Anna seemed to be hoping to step outside the church.

If that’s the case, then I want to help her with that. So no matter how harsh the world may seem, I wouldn’t want this kind-hearted girl to receive no rewards.

And at the same time, a sense of rebellion rises.

The world isn’t like that.

The world I’ve seen isn’t as bright as you may want it to be.

Like an adult wanting to tell a child who still believes in Santa Claus that such a thing doesn’t exist, I sometimes want to inform this girl with absurd values.

How can you think like that until you become an adult? Do you really not know the world?—

“……”

Yet, when I look at her struggling to escape from Chaeun’s hands while making a funny face, those thoughts quickly fade away.

“Puhah!”

As Chaeun loosened her grip, Anna tumbled back.

“What are you doing!?”

“Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“Y-you—!”

It seemed like Anna was about to explode with a bad word.

“Are you a gorilla or something!?”

“……Huh?”

Such a bizarre nickname, like something a grade-schooler would come up with.

But at that moment, Chaeun couldn’t help but be infuriated.

“Who’s a gorilla!?”

“Based on your grip strength, you are definitely a gorilla!”

Oh, really.

In the end, Chaeun ended up arguing with Anna all the way to the office where Lee Si-yoon and the other hunters were waiting.

“If I’m a gorilla, then what are you, a soft, chewy house rabbit?”

I thought that this would be enough to not make her angry, but—

“Rabbit!?”

For some reason, that hit Anna hard.

“You can’t even run away! It’s true you’re a rabbit! You’re so soft that even if I bit you, there’d probably be enough left over for a while!”

“Soft!? Bite!? Did you just say that!? Who are you calling fat!? To me, who’s this pretty!?”

Huh.

What am I supposed to do with her?

But even while thinking that, Chaeun felt a bit entertained by the argument.