Chapter 8. The Saint and the Knight (5)

On the way back to the church.

When they say it’s another world, it feels incredibly far away, but in reality, for someone living in Seoul, it’s much closer than going to America. I can just take the gate.

Still, that gate isn’t right in Seoul. It was a bit of a drive from Seoul, so our journey took a little longer than usual.

Ria and I took seats somewhere in the middle.

I’m not quite a Saint, but after this incident, people seem to have realized my importance more. If I’m at the very front, I’m vulnerable in case of an accident, and if I’m at the very back, there are no troops to protect me from enemy attacks.

If you think about it that way, isn’t this position a place where it will always take a long time to escape, no matter which way you go?

Well, people with combat abilities in this world can probably cut through the steel plates of a bus. They might even be able to blast their way out like opening a can.

After sitting in my seat for about 15 minutes without thinking about anything, I got bored and,

“Ria.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to try being a Saint?”

I made that joke to Ria.

“…”

Ria frowned and turned her head towards me.

“Why, do you dislike it that much?”

I said with a wide smile.

Well, it’s understandable. Ria, in particular, never intended to join a convent in the first place.

Even if she doesn’t have a boyfriend she likes right now, she’ll probably want to try dating later.

Damn, I want to try dating too. Still, maybe there’s a bit more possibility in this world? Even setting aside men. Because she’s pretty.

“By the way, I’ve somehow become a Saint candidate. All my struggles have been meaningless.”

This grumbling is half-sincere.

The reason it’s only half-sincere is that, looking back now, it seems like there was no way to escape anyway. The Cardinal’s opposition to me was his way of respecting my authority, and from the point where I was only deprived of my rights and remained a Saint candidate, the church didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me go.

“…I’m sorry about that.”

Huh?

I turned back to Ria again.

Ria’s gaze was cast downwards.

Of all the expressions I’ve seen Ria wear, her mood was the lowest. It wasn’t just low, it was an expression that seemed to have dug down somewhere into the basement.

“Uh…”

I felt like I had stepped on a landmine.

“Did you… did you dislike it that much? It was a joke, a joke-“

“No, it’s not that.”

Ria muttered.

“It’s also my fault that you got so deeply involved that you couldn’t escape.”

“Ungh?”

I let out a sound without realizing it.

Seeing me tilt my head, Ria’s expression became even more guilt-ridden. This… well, this expression isn’t new. It was the expression she had when she saved me.

An expression that she thought she had done something terribly wrong to me.

“My fault?”

In response to my question, Ria remained silent for a long time. She rolled her eyes around for almost 5 minutes, but since Ria was sitting by the window and I was on the inside seat, she couldn’t escape anywhere.

Ria finally opened her mouth.

“If I… hadn’t made that suggestion to you.”

“If you hadn’t?”

“No, it’s obvious. You would just be living outside the church.”

“Ungh?”

What is she talking about?

“Ria.”

I leaned my face slightly closer to Ria and lowered my voice. Ria pulled her head back.

Lately, Ria often reacts like this to me. To be honest, it’s a bit funny and cute. Ria is pretty.

Although she’s taller than me- her height makes her even cuter. It’s like a gap.

But still, I prefer Ria when she’s confident. It’s more reassuring. If she’s going to be my knight, I think it’s much cooler to see her lift me with one hand and cleanly slice through enemies.

Am I relying on Ria too much?

“To say it again, I have no intention of becoming a Saint.”

“…”

Blink.

Ria’s eyes blinked.

“Even if I become a Saint, I have no intention of staying in the church until the end.”

That’s right.

I have no intention of living a life of perpetual chastity.

Well, that doesn’t mean I’ll date anyone, or sleep with anyone. I want to go all the way with someone I truly like… well, anyway.

“If you think about it, isn’t that right? Those who stay in the church until the end are people with strong faith, and I’m not that kind of person.”

If there’s no sense of duty, it’s impossible to stay until the end.

“You’re going to resign midway?”

“If I finish the work I need to do, I plan to. Is there any law that says I can’t?”

Ria’s mouth opened slightly.

“…”

And after a moment of thought,

“…No?”

She answered. Her expression was strange. It was an expression like, ‘Huh?’

I grinned.

That’s right.

There’s no law that says you can’t quit midway. Because, it’s never happened before. There was no reason to think about it.

The conclusion I’ve reached is exactly that method. So what if I’m a Saint candidate? I can quit later. Of course, I intend to avoid becoming a Saint as much as possible, but even if I become a Saint, so what?

I can just quit.

Although it has never happened in this church before, that’s only because its history is short.

I can set a precedent.

In fact, there have been Catholic Popes who resigned themselves.

“…Huh.”

Seeing my confident expression, Ria let out a hollow laugh. And then-

“Hahaha!”

That hollow laugh soon turned into a real laugh.

The people around us all looked this way.

“And, one way to not become a Saint is to make someone else a Saint. Don’t you think?”

“Seriously, it’s absurd.”

Ria replied, rubbing the corner of her eye with her hand.

“Hey, if the reason a Saint hasn’t quit is just because there’s no precedent, then isn’t there no reason for there not to be two Saints? That’s also just because there’s no precedent.”

“…Ah.”

“The Pope is fixed as one, but a Saint isn’t, right? If it’s the concept of Saints, it’s not strange for there to be several in the same era?”

“Ah.”

As I stood there blankly, unable to even answer properly, Ria chuckled.

“Well, don’t worry.”

“…You say that, and then tell me not to worry?”

“You said you’d quit, right? Anyway.”

Ria said playfully. No, it sounded like there was some method.

“Because it’s obvious that things will get complicated before I quit.”

I said, a little sulkily, and Ria shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, don’t worry about that either.”

At Ria’s words, I turned my head, and Ria was smiling at me.

“I’ll do my best with that too.”

“So, you’ll do your best to stop me?”

“That’s right?”

I blinked.

“Why? Ria… I mean, you’re a knight, aren’t you?”

A personal knight who escorts a Saint candidate.

“Well, that’s true, but I’m not exactly a Saint’s knight, am I? I’m your knight.”

“…”

“So, isn’t moving as you wish a way to protect you?”

My face felt a little hot at those words.

Why?

I often say things like “my knight” to Ria, but hearing it like this makes me so embarrassed.

Ria shrugged her shoulders and turned her head towards the window.

“…”

It feels unfair that she seems unaffected.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Hey, Ria.”

I poked Ria in the side. Ria’s body flinched slightly.

“Ria, you’re actually a little embarrassed too, right? About what you just said.”

Ria didn’t reply, but she still kept her face turned towards the window. Perhaps as a substitute, she kept pushing away my hand that was tickling her side.

What is it, you’re embarrassed.

After that, on the way back to the church.

Our exchange continued for a bit longer. I attacked, and Ria defended against those attacks.

“Ah, come on!”

Well, in the end, Ria pinned me down with her strength.

After enduring it for a while, Ria suddenly turned her body towards me and tickled my sides with both hands.

“Hyak!? W-Wait, Ria… Heek!?”

With a ticklishness that couldn’t be compared to the side-poking Ria used to do, I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

In between, I think I made some embarrassing, suggestive sounds. It was from trying to hold back my laughter.

Ria also seemed to have little resistance to that kind of thing- or perhaps it was because people were sticking their faces out of their seats to look at us, but she eventually stopped.

“Hah… Heuk… Someday, I will definitely get revenge…”

As I mumbled that, leaning my head against the back of the front seat, Ria let out a short, incredulous laugh and looked out the window again.

It was almost night when we arrived at the church.

Feeling a bit tired, I got off the bus.

I was thinking of just washing up and going to sleep as soon as I got in today- when,

“Anna-jamae-nim, would you have a moment?”

The Priest spoke to me.

“Yes?”

“The Cardinal is currently at the church.”

“…”

At those words, I unconsciously looked towards Ria.

Seeing Ria nod calmly, I let out a deep sigh.