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* * *

Since becoming a Saint, there hasn’t been an especially overwhelming increase in what needs to be done.

After all, just being able to hear the voice of the God—his Holiness Igguoqueden—was already enough for her to be considered worthy as a Saint.

What she was given was not an obligation but a power. The power of a Saint.

As the only being connected to the divine, she was fulfilling her role just by existing, and thus, the religious community left her alone.

The mere existence of a Saint increased the influence of the clergy.

Erin’s words were, in other words, the will of Igguoqueden. At least in the religious community, no one could stand against Erin.

A new Saint appearing after two whole centuries.

It had been only a month since she was appointed, yet the power of the church was reaching for the skies. Not only was there a power struggle with the royal family, but naturally, the support and faith of the people were also soaring.

Many were speaking of the teachings of his Holiness Igguoqueden. Even those who had never read the Bible knew at least the three simple facts presented on the “Plate of Plain Facts.”

The most astonishing thing was—Erin’s value as a Saint was increasing day by day.

“Has the Holy Power Pouch… grown even more?”

“Indeed.”

Erin tried to speak as calmly as possible, but she was still just a human, not a god. She couldn’t hide all the pride swelling in her heart.

In this world, the size of the Holy Power Pouch directly translated to divine power.

Cecilia, the priest serving her, also bowed deep in disbelief, paying her respects.

“I have never heard of a nun whose Holy Power Pouch grows at such a rapid rate after becoming a saint. Just recently, you produced bread and wine from nothing, and now your Holy Power Pouch is… truly, Saint, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say you are a model for all nuns.”

“What have I done? It was all possible thanks to the plain facts from Igguoqueden.”

That’s right. All Erin did was pray.

Feeling pity for the starving, she prayed, and then bread and wine came falling from the heavens and sprang forth from the ground.

The bodies of the sick and ailing, which could not be healed even by the priests’ white magic, were cured.

Just recently, a person who couldn’t walk was walking fine, and a blind person received the light of the world again.

The grace of Igguoqueden! The plain facts from Igguoqueden!

Miracles occurred with every prayer offered, yet Erin did not take them for granted.

She was aware that “too many miracles could burden the god.” She didn’t know the reasons or causes, but she felt life itself was as natural as breathing.

Nevertheless, the miracles happening were a fact, and thus it was more than enough to spread the faith towards the one true god, Igguoqueden.

Not only that, but just recently, even the Holy Power Pouch—her bosom—had grown.

Perhaps this too was the grace of Igguoqueden. Erin instinctively knew this. The enlargement of her divine power was undoubtedly the will of Igguoqueden.

The god must have cherished her bosom. The words of the god, “Erin’s chuchu is so big,” vividly echoed in her ears whenever she closed her eyes.

She felt her insides tingle again. That was an unparalleled religious pleasure for Erin.

She wanted to receive as many of Igguoqueden’s plain facts as possible in this vessel called her body.

“Anyway, please alter my clothing. Make sure it properly supports the Holy Power Pouch of Igguoqueden.”

If she didn’t have it altered, she risked tearing her clothes apart at any moment.

That shouldn’t happen. Unlike the nuns, a Saint must never casually expose her Holy Power Pouch to anyone. It was a body prepared solely for Igguoqueden.

“There is also the option of providing a new garment for the grown Saint.”

“No. I like this dress. This dress was a gift from the god.”

Erin said this while clutching the hem of her dress as if it were a precious item.

If it bore even a trace of Igguoqueden, she cherished it, including the clothing.

“I understand. My apologies. Please set the clothing aside, and I will take care of it.”

Cecilia moved on to the next topic without harboring any doubts.

“Next agenda, you should select a Holy Knight to protect the Saint.”

A Holy Knight.

This referred to a knight representing the church, serving in close proximity to the Saint as her protector.

Since a Saint appeared after 200 years, it was only natural that a Holy Knight would be appointed after the same span, so the level of interest was certainly high.

Given that the Holy Knight would serve the Saint 24/7, only female knights could be selected, and being chosen would mean reaching the pinnacle of a knight’s career. One Holy Knight would be born to protect one and only Saint in the world!

Given such a position, it was unavoidable that ‘worthy candidates’ would be shortlisted.

Though the Saint would make the selection, choosing someone completely unqualified would obviously cause confusion, wouldn’t it?

Cecilia handed over three photographs and said.

“These are the final candidates.”

Erin didn’t bother inspecting the photos, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

“It would be meaningless for me to judge these individuals. Everything is a matter that the one true god, Igguoqueden, shall decide.”

“I think so too, but… I must convey the words of his Holiness. I hope the Saint can understand this with your vast Holy Power Pouch.

In light of the royal family’s ongoing claims that “while we understand the will of the gods a hundred times over, we would appreciate it if you take the country’s basic sentiments into account regarding the nun’s attire,” the church could not overlook the royal family’s opinions.

For reference, this ‘attire debate’ had been discussed for hundreds of years, bouncing between periods of strong religious and royal power since the inception of the Bible, and remained unresolved to this day.

The church argued it was only natural to expose the Holy Power Pouch as much as possible according to the words of Igguoqueden, while the secular-minded emperor argued that while revealing it naturally was fine, it would be emotionally appropriate to cover the side of the bosom.

Though Erin and the religious community stood firmly on the church’s position—the royal family pretended to accept it while harboring their discontent.

That’s right.

In the religious circle, Erin was invincible.

However, outside of the religious community, in a world that did not treat the existence of the Bible as more than a relic?

While she would maintain her status and receive formal honors as a representative of the church, it would be impossible for her to wield absolute power as she did within the cathedral.

She couldn’t dismiss every little debate like that.

Yet, the Saint herself, Erin, wasn’t particularly concerned about such political matters.

It wasn’t that she heard the voice of Igguoqueden to become a Saint; she naturally became a Saint because she heard the voice of Igguoqueden.

Though expanding the influence of the church or spreading the words of god was important, for her, it wasn’t the act of spreading itself that mattered, but rather the existence of the god—namely, Igguoqueden was what truly mattered.

For that reason, Erin had been letting similar stories that drifted into her ears slide by in the past… but now was the time to witness it properly.

Selecting a Holy Knight was, in essence, an act that would officially determine her, and by extension, the posture of the religious community.

Cecilia pointed at the photos with her finger and said.

“First, this one is Ophilia Translerente. Known as ‘the female knight closest to the Holy Knight in the Empire,’ she is supported by many priests and nuns, including his Holiness the Pope. She firmly believes that her faith in Igguoqueden is unrivaled.”

“And this one is Linea von Einsberg. As you can infer from her surname, she is a female knight from the royal family. Though her devout faith in the god is somewhat lacking compared to Lady Ophilia, selecting Lady Linea as the Holy Knight would help maintain stable relations with the royal family.”

After finishing her explanation, Cecilia bowed her head.

“The ones to pay attention to are these two. In conclusion, both are qualified to become Holy Knights, so it ultimately depends on the Saint’s choice.”

“No. As I said, I have no right to choose, as I am merely a vessel to convey the words of the god.”

Erin bowed her head once again, clasping her hands together.

Prayer.

The only means to connect with the great absolute being that brought Erin to this place.

“Igguoqueden. I humbly ask that you illuminate the path ahead of me with your hands. I, Erin, vow to fulfill your will no matter what. Igguoqueden, please choose.”

—Whom will you appoint as the Holy Knight?

* * *

Clap, clap, clap.

Having checked the latest chapter, I found myself clapping for quite a while while staring at the monitor screen. It couldn’t be helped.

Are they really introducing a new BM angle here?