Chapter 1. Candidate and Candidate (10)

Come to think of it, there were no stalker-like figures following the Saint in the original work.

If there were, wouldn’t such a story have come out? It would have been good material for the protagonist to defeat them and create an episode where the Saint would fall for the protagonist even more.

Moreover, considering Lee Chae-eun, who shares the same room with me, it’s strange that stalkers would only target ‘me.’

Lee Chae-eun, who has a similar or better figure than me, and although she seems a bit fierce, she has the excellent appearance of a heroine, so it made no sense that there wouldn’t be men who were infatuated with her.

Perhaps it was omitted because it would be unpleasant for readers to have male characters clinging to the heroine in a harem story… Well, at least, considering she didn’t bring up such a memorable story, it’s reasonable to assume there wasn’t one at the time.

If it were Lee Chae-eun, she would have said, ‘I’ve had a few of those guys too, and I’ve beaten them up and chased them away?’ That’s her personality.

“Haa.”

I sighed deeply while wiping the window frame in the convent dormitory hallway.

End of May, so realistically, about three months left? Three months is a long time, and I’ll have to find a job before secularizing, so the last month or so will probably be like an outsider wearing a nun’s habit. I’ll have to go out and look around.

…Should I decide on a name first?

In the original work, the Saint simply used the baptismal name ‘Anna’ throughout. Since she was just a nun in the main story, she didn’t need a secular name.

Well, I might not need to decide on a name separately. Maybe just deciding on a surname would be enough? Among my acquaintances from my past life, there were people like Peter or John who openly used their baptismal names as their own names.

“……”

There was someone wiping another window frame a short distance away from me.

Ria.

She got annoyed when I called her by name yesterday, and perhaps feeling guilty about it, she volunteered to clean up afterward.

But has that awkwardness not yet subsided? Ria hasn’t said a word to me since she woke up this morning.

Yes, I stole the emergency rations she had hidden, so she should have at least that much conscience.

When our eyes met, Ria gave an awkward smile and quickly moved her hands to wipe the window frame.

…In the original work, Ria… well, in the original work, she didn’t use the baptismal name Maria, but at least up to the part I read, she was a nun throughout. Despite everything, she became quite close to the Saint, and rather than returning to the home of her rigid father, she chose to stay with her best friend, even if they bickered.

Perhaps, that was a misjudgment on the part of her ‘father.’ No matter how many connections a Hero has with the church, the situation where his daughter might have to remain chaste her whole life would be frustrating for a parent in a different way.

In the novel, they didn’t acknowledge each other when they were in the same place, so it seemed like their relationship hadn’t normalized by the time I finished reading.

The development will be a little different here. Despite everything, the reason for staying here has disappeared.

I’m not too worried. Ria met the protagonist in early spring. Once their relationship is established, they’ll be able to see each other without major problems even after secularizing.

The problem is that I don’t know what will happen to me.

“……”

I looked at Ria again. This time, our eyes didn’t meet.

She said she’d introduce me to an association yesterday, didn’t she?

Hmm… I refused haughtily, but thinking about it again, if it’s not a role that requires using divine power, but just an office worker, it might be okay.

I don’t have much experience in that area, but I did have some office experience in my past life. I’m confident I can adapt.

As I was trying to figure out how to ask for that favor again, feeling a bit of pride, I was thinking.

“Sister Anna.”

At the quiet call, I felt a chill down my spine. Although the room was adequately heated, I shivered.

Still, it’s fortunate that I didn’t make a ‘kkyak’ sound from my throat like last night.

“Nun Superior.”

“I plan to go and examine the injured person we saw yesterday again. Would you like to come along?”

“Ah, yes.”

I nodded.

“If you don’t wish to accompany me, I won’t force you. Your power has likely healed them completely. Even if there are any remaining wounds, the priest or I will be able to heal them.”

There hasn’t been anyone I couldn’t heal with my divine power so far. Most of them were fine the day after treatment.

However, there was one exception. It was a person with parasitic eggs remaining inside their body. Unfortunately, that ‘parasite’ was more like an alien creature than a monster, and it was resistant to divine power. It hadn’t been discovered before, so there was no adequate countermeasure.

I heard that if I hadn’t been using my power to remove that parasite, the hunter would have died.

That’s how unpredictable and hellish the world beyond the gates is.

“No, I should still check.”

I replied with a slightly reluctant expression.

“Is that so…?”

The Nun Superior nodded and turned to walk away first.

As I followed behind her, I heard footsteps following me.

When I turned my head, Ria was following me.

Since the Nun Superior didn’t say anything, it means it’s okay for her to come. She was nearby when I treated the patient yesterday too.

Perhaps it’s because she’s a Hero, so it’s not bad to witness this kind of power?

…Well, the protagonist and his companions were also saved by the Saint’s divine power at least once.

Even if I secularize, there might be a moment in the future when we can help each other.

*

The hunter who was in the basement yesterday was now in the patient room in the main church building.

The church does not completely replace hospitals. Hospitals can handle certain matters, and the church can handle matters that only the church can resolve.

Special injuries like yesterday’s can only be treated by clergy. In fact, I heard that most people die because they don’t receive treatment in time. Even if they are treated, they need long-term care and observation.

However, at least in this church, there are no patients requiring long-term care. In fact, it seems that most patients who survive such terrible situations come to our church recently. Because they can be saved if they meet me.

Although it’s ‘most,’ it’s only a few people a year.

I don’t know why they treat them in the basement. Is it because the wounds are difficult to see by others?

Anyway, for that reason, in the empty patient room, there was only one person I saw yesterday, and a few people who seemed to be from the same association.

There was also a priest, and priests assisting the head priest, and a few nuns who were more favorable to me were also present.

“Saint!”

Saying that, the patient raised one hand high. It felt a bit uncomfortable, as if he were talking to someone familiar. He was indeed a handsome man. Yesterday, his face was half-ruined, so I couldn’t see him properly.

No, more than that, I didn’t really want to see him properly. He’s a man, right? I still prefer women.

Moreover, although I am treating him with good intentions, I am not helping him out of genuine generosity. To be precise, it’s more like an unavoidable situation. It’s like calling 119 after seeing someone hit by a car.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

The Nun Superior spoke first. I stood a little distance from the man, and Ria stood beside me with a slightly puzzled expression at my behavior.

The man lying in bed, as if uninterested in the Nun Superior standing before him, tried to look at me by turning his head, but the Nun Superior subtly shifted her steps to block me from his view.

“Brother, are you feeling alright?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. The priest said he wasn’t sure, so he treated me once more.”

Only after the Nun Superior asked did the patient finally answer.

“Is that so.”

The Nun Superior nodded and looked at the priest, who also nodded with a benevolent smile on his face.

“In that case, you should be able to leave soon. Sister Anna does not wish to charge for the power bestowed by God, so the church will not accept any donations. You may leave as you are.”

“Yes? Ah…”

However, seeing the man hesitate after hearing the priest’s words made me a little uncomfortable.

“Huh?”

Ria tilted her head, noticing my change in expression.

“Ah, um, actually, there’s still a place that hurts a little-“

“Brother.”

Seeing the man about to make an excuse, the Nun Superior spoke in a slightly stern voice.

The nuns nearby quickly moved their feet to stand beside the Nun Superior, forming a wall between the man and me.

“…Sister Anna, you may leave now.”

The priest said that, looking at me.

“Understood.”

As I lightly bowed my head and turned around, I heard someone jump up behind me.

“W-wait a moment, Saint!”

I hurried my steps without replying.

“Saint, thank you so much! If you secularize, please join our association-“

“Hey!”

At the man’s shout, a colleague from the association next to him, startled, covered the patient’s mouth.

“……”

I didn’t reply and used the opportunity to quickly move my feet and leave the patient room.

“…What was that?”

Ria muttered with a slightly bewildered expression.

“It happens sometimes. People who misunderstand that the direction of their devotion is from God to themselves, not to God.”

“……”

Ria, who had been following me, slightly opened her mouth.

“So, to a Saint Candidate?”

“……”

When I glared at Ria, she quickly closed her mouth and then opened it again.

“Still, like protection, you know?”

“I don’t have any. My ‘rights’ were revoked. You know that, right? It was a rather famous incident.”

“Ah.”

Ria closed her mouth with a very ambiguous expression.

“Well, it’s fortunate that ever since a man about thirty years older than me grabbed my hand when I was fifteen, they’ve always protected me like this.”

I heard that cafes often hire staff based on their appearance.

Naturally, as it’s a service industry, they greet customers with a friendly smile- but sometimes, people misunderstand that kind of service.

Whether that confidence is justified or not, people will still approach.

…In that sense, yes, I am a nuisance.

“Not everyone is like that. It’s just one or two people occasionally.”

“Uh, yeah.”

Perhaps, the reason they told me to reclaim my rights as a Saint was because of this.

The more I stayed here as just ‘a nun,’ the harder it would be to stop people like that.

“Haa.”

I let out a light sigh.

…It’s probably right to leave after all.

If I want to live by my beliefs, that seems to be the right thing to do.