Chapter 77

Chapter 8: The Saintess and the Knight

Even though I was connected to the being up there, I didn’t notice everything.

It wasn’t a long conversation like one with people.

Most of it was just things I instinctively sensed while looking at that light.

For example, first there was this body.

This body is, well, I am connected to that higher entity.

It’s not a metaphor; I mean it literally. Generally, people give birth to humans. Even if you don’t know your parents, you can’t not have parents. Even if it means something like being born through some magical phenomenon that doesn’t involve intercourse, there still has to be a genetic source to inherit from.

Whether abandoned by parents, or parents having died in an accident, I should be able to trace back and know who is above, but I don’t.

When I think back on my longest memory in this world, I seem to have appeared out of nowhere.

I am, literally, the medium that connects to the entity beyond. That being that the people in this world think of as ‘God’ sent me here for some reason.

And, perhaps, that was my choice too.

It’s still uncertain. It’s not as definite as the fact that I am a medium connecting to that realm. However, it does suggest that a hypothesis can be formed.

“……”

Hmm.

After gathering my thoughts while quietly gazing at the ceiling, I slowly got up from my seat.

The room I was in was exactly the same as before. A room provided by the Gnome government.

…However, the way they treated me in this place seemed to have changed a bit.

The most prominent feeling, after all, was ‘bewilderment’.

Why? What made me risk my life to solve the Gnomes’ problems? It seems at a glance that it was just to deal with a problem that wasn’t immediately dangerous?

It was obvious that I had significantly helped the Gnomes. During the process of the monster collapsing back into sand, a sand island appeared in the middle of the oasis, but that sand would probably slowly return to its original place over time, and it wouldn’t even be a big deal given the area.

The Gnomes used to have to draw drinking water from deep underground, but now they have a water source from the outside. In a situation where the population was practically saturated, they also gained the conditions to live outside again.

But then, what’s the price for that?

I might be okay, but the Church won’t sit still, and the government won’t either. In fact, the Gnomes probably expressed their concerns without expecting I would go this far.

“Looks like I’ve gotten fleeced.”

No, is it more like I’ve been forced?

My objective was to prevent potential situations that might occur in the future. Well, the high-ranking people will handle the political issues themselves.

“……”

Normally, Ria, who would have interrupted me with something at this point, wasn’t saying a word now.

I turned my body to lie on my side and looked toward Ria.

Ria was lying there, facing the wall instead of me. Her shoulders were moving rhythmically, but whether she was asleep or not was hard to tell.

…I must’ve shown a sight that shouldn’t be seen in front of Ria. Thinking of Ria’s personality, seeing me in that state must have been a massive shock for her.

I thought we had become quite close. Perhaps enough to call each other friends.

Depending on the person, the concept of a friend can vary. For some, a “friend” is just a “friend” and they don’t differentiate beyond that, while others differentiate how close they are within the concept of friendship.

The former isn’t very common.

And the Ria I know took a long time to regard me as a ‘friend’, but after that, she fit into the former category.

“…Ria.”

I carefully called out to Ria. Her back didn’t flinch.

“Are you sleeping?”

Again, there was no answer.

How did the situation back then unfold? I can’t recall even a moment before I lost consciousness.

Could my wounds have healed on their own? Could I have survived before all the blood drained out of my body?

Or was it thanks to the chocolate that Ria gave me that I survived?

“I should make the chocolate again.”

Well, all things considered, it’s true that the Saint Power I had stored away had played a significant role in my quick recovery. Whether I would have survived or not is a secondary issue, but I definitely healed quickly.

At my words, Ria’s shoulder finally reacted. It seemed like she was feeling a bit embarrassed about the situation.

Is it embarrassing to hear that someone saved me?

“…Ah.”

To be precise, that’s probably not it.

Ria looked like she was terrified that I might die. So she must have forcefully shoved chocolate into my mouth and cried while holding me.

That’s the crux of it.

Ria had actually been crying. At least, it was the first time I had seen Ria cry. Even including all the stories I’ve read in novels.

Of course, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

“Ria, actually at that time—”

“……Hey.”

But I couldn’t tease her about it any further. The way Ria called me sounded quite… what should I say?

It seemed like a strongly admonishing tone.

“……”

However, Ria, who seemed poised to give a warning or something, held her tongue for a moment.

Was she going to say something along the lines of ‘Don’t say another word’?

After a long pause, Ria finally spoke up.

“How much do you remember?”

Her voice bounced off the wall she was facing before turning toward me.

“How much?”

“So, that time.”

“Hmm.”

How much do I remember exactly? So, what I recall is…

I pushed Ria and knocked her over, and then the attack pierced my abdomen in various places. If only the angle was slightly off, I would’ve been stabbed right in the heart, so it wasn’t that far down. Thinking back, it sends chills down my spine.

And then—things started to collapse.

The sandbags I threw in were indeed sand, yet each one was a properly consecrated artifact.

Given the chaos I caused, the bags must have burst, and surely those small artifacts were carried off and mixed into the lake as they scattered everywhere.

They probably flowed into what can be called the source of the oasis.

Moreover, it would have taken a lot of Magic Power to create that Magic Sphere. Since I purified all of the core, other than the final attack that came flying at me, there would have been no ‘nucleus’.

So—everything else collapsed. The body of the monster we were in gradually crumbled and sank into a shallow sand island, and the water in the lake slowly became clear.

I lost consciousness and then woke up. There was chocolate in my mouth, and my body had healed.

“That’s as far as I remember.”

“…Is that so?”

At my answer, it seemed Ria let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t show her expression, however.

“Why?”

For some reason, at my question, Ria flinched her shoulders and stiffened.

…

Ah, it’s my fault.

To Ria, that would have been a scene that could truly become a trauma. Especially since Ria has lost a precious person before.

I realized I had been reckless.

“…I’m sorry.”

I carefully spoke toward Ria’s back.

“Sorry for what?”

Ria asked in a slightly angry voice.

“I… that.”

But I didn’t know what to apologize for. I did save Ria, after all… but if that’s wrong, then it would mean I should have let Ria die.

That was the best I could do in that brief moment. Pulling back or pushing from the side would only have given Ria a chance to be attacked by that strike.

“…I’m sorry.”

In the end, I found myself apologizing again.

Ria abruptly shot up from her spot. Seeing that, my shoulders flinched once more.

It looked like Ria was going to sit and talk, but just as I was about to stand up—

I heard something like a fabric fluttering, and my sight was suddenly covered in red.

Ria’s hair.

“……”

I was momentarily stunned before cautiously speaking toward Ria.

“Um, Ria, I know you’re angry, but this position is a bit…”

Ria wasn’t exactly sitting on me, but she was looking straight down at my face while hovering above me.

Her hair was short enough that it didn’t touch my face.

It was dark since it was night.

But thanks to the moonlight filtering in from outside, I could clearly see Ria’s expression.

Ria looked like she was about to cry.

“Hey.”

“…Y-Yes?”

“What do you think I am?”

“…You’re Ria.”

“No, not that.”

“……”

I could somewhat grasp what Ria was trying to say.

“…A knight. My knight.”

“What does that knight’s duty entail?”

“…To protect me.”

“Yeah.”

Ria looked directly at me and said that.

“Right. In situations where you seem like you might die, I’m supposed to die in your place. That’s my job.”

“……”

I couldn’t agree.

“That’s not acceptable.”

“What?”

At my response, Ria’s eyebrows shot up.

She looked like she was about to get angry immediately, but I felt I had to make one thing clear.

“A knight is not meant to die.”

I looked at Ria.

“Protecting me doesn’t mean dying. If you die, then who will protect me next?”

Not to mention.

Haven’t we only known each other for less than a few months? What do you mean you want to die? There should be some degree of professional ethics.

“…Then the next knight—”

“Right now, you’re the only knight I have, Ria.”

“……”

At my words, Ria was at a loss for words.

Even if I get called stubborn, I have to say my piece.

“The reason I accepted you as my knight is that I trust you. Have you seen me trust anyone else as much as I trust you?”

“…That, I haven’t seen.”

“See?”

Once I stood up, Ria hurriedly distanced herself from me. What’s up with that? She looked like she was about to pounce on me one moment, then suddenly got shy?

“Let’s discuss this topic a bit more seriously.”

I suggested.