Chapter 4. Escape and Service (9)

Gloria decided to stay at the convent for a while.

And Ria and I ended up accompanying Gloria during her stay at the convent.

There was no particular reason, it was just that Ria and I were, how should I put it, the highest-ranking individuals in this convent.

Even if it became a theocracy, this country does not have differences in rights among its citizens. It’s not like nobility has emerged.

However, as always, that’s the law, but it doesn’t mean that class divisions haven’t been created at all.

Explicitly, our positions are just nuns, but within that, I was practically ‘the person who is about to become the Saint,’ and Ria was the person escorting me.

This meant it was a very good position to be in to accompany Gloria, who was ‘explicitly’ an elf noble but ‘actually’ a princess.

“First, we need to find a way to make a living.”

Gloria said that during mealtime.

I thought she wouldn’t eat just anything, given her impression as a princess. After all, she’s a princess. She must have tasted all the delicacies of her world- ah, of course, excluding meat, but still, she must have eaten all sorts of delicious things, so I thought she’d be quite picky about meals, but Gloria ate everything without complaint.

Even,

“What is this fruit? It tastes wonderful!”

Gloria’s eyes sparkled as she ate a normal strawberry.

The convent’s meals aren’t bad, nor do they use poor ingredients, but they aren’t exactly luxurious.

After all, isn’t it also functioning as an orphanage? This meal plan was just about providing the necessary nutrients for growing children.

Even if strawberries were served, they wouldn’t be very expensive varieties, of course.

When we told her that, Gloria blinked.

“But… this kind of fruit is very sour in my country. Some are sweet, but the berries aren’t this big.”

“Ah, I see.”

Ria nodded.

That’s right. While many people associate the word ‘technology’ with mechanical design capabilities, there are actually many classifications within it.

The level of machinery installation, the level of materials used to make that machinery. Medicine is also technology, of course, and a highly developed bureaucracy is also technology.

Moreover, besides technology, the most important thing in seed development is indeed the ‘seed’ itself.

It’s not just about biological knowledge; it’s important how far you go and how many species you secure. Modern seed development is impossible without reaching a level where you can explore new continents across the sea.

“…I think I understand why Father minimized contact with this world. Once people started crossing over, it would have become uncontrollable.”

Given that she didn’t ask for military support from this side even in such a situation, it’s likely she wanted to prevent the situation from becoming a colony. I don’t know how far the concept of colonies exists in her world.

For reference, so far- at least in the ‘revealed’ world- there have been no wars of invasion. We haven’t crossed over to their side, nor have they crossed over to ours.

If a place has reached a certain level of civilization, they act cautiously when they encounter each other in the first place. If it’s not to the extent of ‘civilization,’ then from this world’s perspective, they are simply like beasts.

However, it’s unknown how many times those ‘beast-like beings’ have appeared in this world.

“…….”

We ate in silence. If we responded to every word Gloria said, the weight of the topic would surely dig into the ground.

“Anyway,”

Gloria, who had been lost in thought, opened her mouth again.

“So, I need to find a way to make a living.”

“This country is supporting you, aren’t they?”

“How long can that support continue? My ultimate goal is to cross the gate again and return to my country, but I don’t know how long that will take. Even if the people of this country treat me as a princess at first, their attitude might change if they think I’m no longer valuable as a princess, right?”

That’s a judgment befitting a princess.

Gloria is quick-witted among elves. Of course, very occasionally, she would reveal pride in her lineage and refuse things, but in the end, she worked hard following Lee Si-yoon’s words.

In modern web novels, arrogant heroines are merely objects of regret, suffering, and obsession. To become a target for conquest, they had to have at least minimal common sense, even if it was unavoidable.

Ria shrugged her shoulders after hearing Gloria’s words.

And as she was about to eat again-

“So, can you guys help me a little?”

“……Us?”

I blinked in surprise at the question that followed.

No one noticed that we ate chicken outside in the middle of the night.

As for Gloria showing a certain degree of friendliness towards me, it seems that the people around us think it’s because I’m the one who saved her life.

“Have you spoken to the government officials?”

I asked, just in case, and Gloria shrugged her shoulders.

“I’ve spoken to them.”

“…….”

I listened intently, wondering what would follow, but Gloria just tilted her head.

“Uh, so you’re saying you just spoke to them?”

Ria asked with a hopeful expression.

“Isn’t it enough to just say something when you’re working?”

“What was their response?”

“They said they would review it.”

Doesn’t that mean ‘don’t move until the review is complete’?

I suppressed the urge to grab my head and said again,

“Sister, you are of high status, aren’t you? And… your father sent you to this world hoping for your safety.”

“There’s no problem with that.”

Gloria said, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

“I was a very skilled mage in my home kingdom. Moreover-“

Gloria looked at me and tilted her head.

“The person I have at least some friendship with in this world is you. Didn’t you say you were a Saint candidate? And not just a candidate, but someone who is actually on the path to becoming the Saint.”

“…….”

Gloria glanced in a certain direction, and when I followed her gaze, Choi Soo-bin, the devil’s advocate, was sitting there.

Well, I didn’t hear it directly from her, but it was probably something that came up while listening to stories about this world.

Gloria is a princess. And if she received at least minimal education as a princess, she would know how important it is to understand the relationships of those around her. And in that relationship, someone who could ascend to the position of a religious leader was a ‘very’ important figure.

“So… you want me to cooperate with your words?”

I asked for confirmation.

“If you cooperate, we can offer our best help.”

Gloria placed her hand on her chest and said confidently, as if declaring it.

“Help?”

“First, I can help you ascend to the position of Saint. I am the next- cough- in my world, I’m in a relatively high position. When we return to our world, I can build a church in that position.”

As a princess of an absolute monarchy, Gloria offered a very absolute monarchy-like justification.

The problem is that it’s not a story that appeals to me at all.

I don’t know much about the religions of other worlds-

“……Wait a minute.”

I put down my fork and knife and said, looking intently at Gloria.

“Is that incident that happened in your kingdom related to your religion?”

“…….”

As if my question had hit the mark, Gloria’s smile deepened.

“I’ll tell you the details after we establish a cooperative relationship.”

……It’s a hundred percent.

If there was minimal exchange, it’s impossible that this world’s religion wasn’t transmitted to that side.

Even though the royal family is minimizing that exchange and restricting information, there’s no guarantee that information wouldn’t leak out as ‘another country,’ even if not ‘another world.’

Even in an absolute monarchy, the ‘king’s’ power is not absolute. Especially in places like medieval Europe, the status of nobles cannot be ignored.

“That would be problematic.”

I politely refused.

“…….”

Gloria looked at me without batting an eye. Her attitude suggested she wanted to know the reason for my refusal.

“Accepting the church means you want a proxy to counter the dominant religion in that country, right? That’s not beneficial to us.”

“Participating in a war is beneficial, you know.”

Ria, who had been listening, opened her mouth.

“You’re saying that because you think we have little to lose, right?”

Gloria nodded at Ria’s words.

“My father would surely oppose it.”

A king who decided never to borrow foreign power would do that. If they borrow such power even once, they will have immense trouble trying to drive it out again.

In fact, it’s much more likely that they won’t be able to expel it.

“Anyway, our dynasty is bound to collapse in this generation, isn’t it? So it’s a rebellion.”

However, if her father and family were all dead, the story would be different.

If it’s solely for revenge, it becomes a choice they can make. It’s not about maintaining the dynasty.

It’s also frightening.

“……But, there’s a trap.”

Ria said, looking intently at Gloria.

“First of all, even if this country truly suppresses your kingdom’s rebels, they can’t ‘occupy’ it for various political reasons, right? There are treaties and such.”

“…….”

This incident is known to the government, at least. And, with high probability, the governments of other countries would also be aware of it.

In such a situation, if it becomes known that this country attacked and occupied another country, things will become uncontrollable from then on.

“Furthermore, above all else.”

Ria said, looking at Gloria with a cold gaze.

“She probably said that knowing you wouldn’t do such a thing. Hey, no matter what, is it right to try and use the person who saved you?”

Well, in the end, Gloria is an elf.

And she’s a noble, no, a royal.

To get rid of the political drama, Lee Si-yoon’s power would be needed.