Ch.185IF. Saint Eric (1)

The Goddess is a bitch.

That’s what I’ve been repeating to myself almost every day lately.

Of course, this was blasphemy.

The Providence who guides humanity on the right path, the being who exercises power so that humanity can protect itself from the minions of the demon god.

Insulting such a Goddess was dangerous. If muttered in a tavern, it might end as just a happening, but if someone with a certain social status said such things in public, they’d have to be prepared for inquisitors to come knocking.

But I didn’t care about the church’s opinion.

To be more honest, I didn’t even pretend to revere the Goddess in front of the clergy.

How did I come to despise the Goddess to this extent?

Because she sent that worthless Gwon Heejin as the so-called Hero?

That’s a big part of it. It’s been months since Gwon Heejin was sent back to Earth after being used by the Papal State… but the Empire still hasn’t recovered from the aftereffects.

At first, I thought it was just an economic crisis, but now I see that people’s corrupted minds are the bigger problem.

However, I don’t burn with resentment toward the Goddess just because of Gwon Heejin alone; there’s one more personal reason.

“Saintess.”

Yes, this.

I became a Saintess three months ago.

Even before being chosen by the Goddess, there were occasionally people who called me Saintess. It was because I had Gwon Heejin sent to the Papal State instead of the Imperial Capital for them to vent their frustrations, and I improvised a solution to the Papal State’s liquidity crisis.

Until then, I believed the title “Saintess” would end with the fuss of clergy who were either too old or too young.

But who would have thought the Goddess would actually appoint me as a real Saintess?

No grand miracle manifested. I suddenly received the Holy Spirit, and despite my firm refusal, the Goddess forcibly assigned me the duty, and since then, I’ve been able to wield divine power.

Literally an act of tyranny.

What’s more annoying is that there’s no way to return the Saintess position.

“Saintess. Should I come back later?”

As much as I’d like to not even answer, I can’t do that. I felt my taste rapidly turning bitter as I turned my head.

The person calling me was Bishop Rowan.

A member of the Hero pursuit team and a clergyman recognized for possessing divine power at the level of a Pope.

Once called the next Pope, he now stays in the Imperial Capital to assist me. What’s more, Rowan himself seemed very satisfied with this duty.

‘While I’m the one suffering.’

After managing my expression to the minimum, I looked at Rowan.

“What is it?”

“Lord Holan, who went to Count Burko’s territory to recruit talent, has sent good news. He’s recruited several promising individuals.”

“…That’s good news.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Saintess. At this rate, we’ll be able to proceed smoothly with rebuilding the Holy Knight Order. It will be a great comfort to the believers as well.”

“…Haha.”

Unable to respond seriously, I just quietly laughed it off.

Despite knowing my response was lacking, Bishop Rowan was still beaming. He was even clenching his fist with confidence about rebuilding the Holy Knight Order.

Is he really that happy?

In fact, I did make a proposal to the Papal State regarding the training of Holy Knights.

– Until now, the Papal State has recruited future clergy through orphanages directly operated by each diocese across the continent. It’s true that the faith of those who entrust their food, clothing, and shelter to the church is relatively deep.

– But Holy Knights are a special profession. Like mages, those who can grow into excellent knights are essentially determined from birth. So we need to find talent through various channels.

– Of course, we shouldn’t force them. We should induce them to voluntarily embrace the Papal State.

The method I proposed was missionary journeys.

It involved sending large-scale missionary groups to various parts of the Empire (mainly desperately poor rural areas) to find potential knights while showing goodwill through treatment, donations, and meals.

“Actually… when you first proposed it, I didn’t think there would be much response. I wondered how many parents would want their precious children to become clergy.”

“Bishop Rowan. Reality is different. Unless it’s a village with good soil and successful farming, there are households everywhere that struggle to make ends meet. They probably thought it better to raise their children as clergy rather than passing down that poverty.”

“I completely agree now, Saintess.”

“You’re also making generous donations of supplies in exchange for taking the children. That’s significant.”

Turn your son into a splendid Holy Knight wearing clean clothes and even share food and necessities? The parents and siblings could fill their stomachs without guilt, and the child selected as a trainee could receive systematic sword training—benefits all around. The prayer and Bible study might be a bit intense, but still.

It cost some money, but the Papal State could afford it.

Because I was supporting them.

I wasn’t giving it for free. It was just a loan.

But since it was in the form of a long-term loan without interest, I was indeed providing tremendous benefits. It would take ages for them to pay me back. Considering only personal gain, it wasn’t something worth doing.

‘But… what choice do I have?’

I am now a Saintess. I had an excessively close relationship with the Papal State.

Honestly, I still couldn’t understand it in my heart.

Neither the Goddess’s intention in assigning the duty of Saintess to someone as indifferent as me,

Nor the people of the Papal State who respect and follow me more than the Pope despite knowing I have no faith,

Nor myself, who somehow fulfills the duties of a Saintess despite hating it.

“Saintess? Actually, after the Cordana incident, I had moments when my faith wavered due to the hardships of reality. But thanks to you, I was able to preserve my faith. Of course, I still have questions for the Goddess… I think every clergyperson in the Papal State feels the same way.”

“Ah, yes.”

“It may sound redundant, but thank you.”

Bishop Rowan, and the priests and nuns from the Imperial Capital diocese who assist me alongside him, had eyes full of goodwill and respect.

It seemed like they would laugh it off even if I made heretical statements right now. In fact, there had been several such instances.

Having nothing to say, I just nodded.

*

“Saintess.”

“Just use my name. Work is over.”

“Yes, Erick.”

The blonde beauty who immediately withdrew the title at my instruction.

Ember, who was once my fiancée, was sitting across from me with a bottle of wine.

She brought two glasses with the alcohol. It meant she intended to drink with me. It was awkward at first, but now it had become a natural routine.

“Is the work manageable?”

“It’s not difficult. Just simple administrative tasks.”

The work I assigned to Ember was quite significant to be called simple tasks.

Ember was working as a protocol officer under me.

Even to me, my political position seemed unique. I was a Saintess receiving treatment comparable to the Pope while also being a viscount of the Empire. Even the Imperial Family was openly favoring me to strengthen the imperial authority weakened by the Cordana incident.

There were many families who wanted to associate with me. Since I couldn’t deal with them all personally, I employed Ember.

“Erick. The Duke of Arknight has proposed to invite you to a banquet. Today, even the duke’s trusted advisor came personally…”

“They were the most unpleasant family before I became a Saintess. I have no desire to associate with them, so just decline.”

“Yes. But Erick?”

“What?”

“How can you trust me with such important work? Honestly, there must be many people more qualified than me.”

That’s true.

While Ember wasn’t a negligible noble, she was basically from a minor family. She didn’t even have an Academy diploma. Considering my current status, I could have brought in someone from a high noble family with abundant administrative experience.

“Ember. I’m sorry, but it’s ridiculous to consider background or qualifications. It’s unprecedented for a non-clergy to be chosen as the Goddess’s servant… And don’t you remember the atmosphere in the Imperial Capital after I sent that bastard Gwon Heejin back to Earth?”

“Everyone seemed to want to kill you, Erick. At least the nobles did.”

“If I hadn’t been a Master, it wouldn’t have been strange for assassins to come after me. After experiencing that, who could I trust to be my assistant?”

Ember was a relatively better person.

A woman who didn’t get caught up in the chaos after Cordana and diligently worked as a low-ranking official. It’s funny, but the reality was that there was no one more trustworthy than Ember.

“You’re doing well so far.”

“That’s very kind of you to say… but it feels strange seeing people trying to reconcile with you, Erick.”

The fact that she could say such things to my face made her qualified. I raised the glass Ember had filled with a bitter smile.

“This isn’t bad either.”

“Yes. But Erick, is it okay for a Saintess to drink until drunk in her office?”

“It’s fine. There’s no one to scold me anyway.”

The wine tasted good. It was expensive.

However, I did have a question that came to mind.

What if I had sent Gwon Heejin to the Imperial Capital instead of the Papal State? I sometimes imagined what would have happened.

I couldn’t be certain, but at least I wouldn’t have become a Saintess. And I wouldn’t be sharing wine with Ember after work.

There’s a possibility I would be living differently, but it would have been better than now at the very least.

Of course, there’s no use in regret, so it was right to do my best in the current situation.

By “doing my best” here, I don’t mean doing my best in my duties as a Saintess, but rather doing my best to reduce my workload as much as possible.

“Oh, and Ember. There’s a high possibility that the Crown Prince’s palace will propose joint charity work with me soon. They’ve been testing the waters through the Imperial Capital diocese. When you have time, think of a polite way to decline. I’ll think about it too.”

“Understood, Erick. Would you like another glass?”

“Of course.”

I accepted promptly. While I’m trying to reduce responsibilities now, I never know when things might get busy again.

‘It’s right to rest when you can.’

Sure enough. A few days later, I received a revelation from the Goddess.

It was a revelation that a new Hero would come.