Chapter 10. Stubbornness and Arrogance (3)

No matter how much of a theocratic nation it is, the church’s power is not stronger than the government’s as a whole. If anything, it’s weaker.

The practical responsibilities it handles are in the area of national welfare, and even that is limited.

Therefore, even though this world’s church had more practical power than any religious organization in the Republic of Korea where I lived in my previous life, it wasn’t power that could be easily wielded under normal circumstances.

“If a being like you didn’t exist.”

“…”

I didn’t say anything in response to Ria’s words.

Normally, I would have reacted with panic and opposition just hearing the title “Saint,” but this time, I couldn’t deny that I had wielded that power.

The government was quite negative about me meeting the Dwarf Kingdom’s princess. While it was necessary to open a path for the gnomes to recover the magic stones I had blown away-it was because I had blown open that path ‘too widely.’

I was the justification, and the government gained the practical benefit of the exchange.

However, after witnessing my power, the gnome church took an interest in me. They even expressed an opinion that they wanted to dispatch some of their clergy to this world.

Taking it a step further, some people emerged who desired my holy power. In fact, that power would be very effective in the friction with the Dwarf Kingdom.

“It can’t be helped. If not, it would surely cause big problems for the world we live in.”

“Is that really all? Aren’t you actually wanting to save the dwarves too?”

“…”

My grumbling was once again completely blocked by Ria’s words.

No, even so, I can’t just leave them be. By all accounts, this is the most effective decision.

“They all turned pale when I said I wouldn’t summon any more holy power if they didn’t permit it. It seems they’re quite scared if they think they can’t receive treatment. Plus, I had a halo behind my head when I said it.”

“In any case, unless those people suffer a major accident, they won’t need my treatment.”

“Hmm, well. The church is starting to list you as a person of utmost importance, and you wouldn’t provide service to someone who is boycotting you, would you? It’s not just the government that needs your holy power.”

“…”

“Well, don’t worry. If you don’t want to use it, then don’t. What can they do?”

“Aren’t there many ways they can make me? If I don’t have holy power, I’m just an ordinary person who can’t do anything.”

“Well, whether you’re ordinary or not, you wouldn’t be ‘just one person’.”

At those words, I narrowed my eyes and looked at Ria.

“Are you going to try to be my escort knight even if I’m no longer a Saint candidate?”

“Can’t I?”

“…If that happens, there won’t be anything I can do for you anymore.”

“I’m not so stingy as to charge money for helping a friend.”

Ria said that and then blushed for no reason.

In the rattling back seat of the car. Even though it was a car with quite large wheels, the car shook considerably. It seemed the road wasn’t paved with cement or asphalt.

Even though gnomes and dwarves were practically at war, there was a surprisingly decent road. Was it to efficiently move towards the battlefield, or were they maintaining at least minimal exchange?

Thinking about the novel, it seems there is at least minimal exchange. It also seems that the gnomes delivered the message that I was going to the Dwarf Kingdom.

“…!?”

However, it wasn’t a very active exchange, and it wasn’t a road made for large, heavy vehicles like buses, so there was a part that jolted significantly.

For a moment, my buttocks flew upwards. The car’s wheels, which seemed to have hit a rather large rock, quickly came down, but the part that came down seemed to be deeply recessed. Before my buttocks could even land on the seat, the seat had turned at a different angle.

“Ugh.”

And because of that, I ended up falling towards Ria.

Something soft and squishy briefly touched my face.

“…!?”

Instinctively judging what that sensation was, I quickly pulled my body back.

As I was about to fall the other way, Ria quickly grabbed my waist and sat me back down. Thanks to that, Ria ended up in a pose where she was sitting with my waist held and hugged to her side.

“Hey, be careful, will you?”

“…”

“And what’s with the flustered reaction? We’ve already touched when dancing, haven’t we?”

Ah, that’s right.

I realized a little late why I moved instinctively. I had already felt that sensation and remembered it.

And Ria giggled upon seeing my face.

“It tickles.”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, I pushed away Ria’s hand that was holding my side, but Ria had a pleased expression for a long time.

Perhaps it’s because I tease her too much normally. That’s why she’s enjoying this accidental counterattack.

…But somehow, I feel resentful.

In the end, I was a little sulky for the several hours it took to get to the Dwarf Kingdom.

Ria just laughed as if it were amusing seeing me like that, which made me even more resentful.

*

When I arrived at the Dwarf Kingdom, I didn’t immediately go to meet the Dwarf Princess.

Nor did the government step forward to take charge of the practical matters as they had before.

There were almost no high-ranking government officials in this entourage. The government was currently preoccupied with its relationship with the gnomes. Therefore, they didn’t seem interested in drawing the attention of the dwarves, who had a poor relationship with the gnomes.

The people who came here were mostly a few civil servants, more like an inspection team.

So, among those who actually visited, I was the highest-ranking, but that didn’t make me a figure of the head of state.

I was a Saint candidate, not a Saint.

Furthermore, even if I were a Saint, my position within the church would be ambiguous. The head of the church was the Pope, and the highest person in the Korean church was the Cardinal.

It was a position that was close to honorary, meaning it could be interpreted in various ways. So, even considering that I was the most likely Saint candidate, I still didn’t reach the position of a king or the princess who followed him.

After visiting and exchanging brief greetings, I rested from the journey for a while.

My hips and back hurt a bit from riding in a car with a less-than-comfortable ride over bumpy terrain for several hours.

Moreover, from the middle, I had to get off and walk. It was fortunate that it wasn’t high enough to cause altitude sickness.

“Even though there are places that are truly high enough for that,”

Ria said, shrugging her shoulders.

“The higher it gets, the harder it is to block the cold. If a landslide occurs, you could be buried before you can even respond. That’s why high-ranking people seem to live on the lowest floors among them.”

That was fortunate for me.

“And, if a war breaks out, the lowest floor would be the most dangerous, right? So, it seems like there’s a justification for noblesse oblige.”

“No matter how I think about it, it just sounds like something you made up.”

To my reaction, Ria shrugged her shoulders and laughed briefly.

“Ah, I kind of figured you’d say that.”

Lying face down on the bed, I turned my head towards Ria and stared at her.

“Why?”

“Because no matter what your position is, if something like that happens, you’ll just rush in without asking any questions.”

“…”

What kind of being do I represent in Ria’s mind?

“If you’re tired, why don’t you take a nap? I’ll keep watch.”

Seeing my expression, Ria said.

“…What about you?”

“I’m still fine. It would be problematic if I got sleepy just from this much, considering I haven’t marched.”

I nodded at Ria’s words.

Well, it’s convincing. A being who can run through the sky holding a woman of the same age in one arm and swing a sword wouldn’t get tired from that much.

“Still, let’s take turns sleeping…”

“Yes, yes, I got it. I’ll stay here and watch, so rest comfortably. We still have a few hours.”

“…Wake me up in the middle.”

“I said I got it.”

Listening to Ria’s laughing reply, I fell asleep.

Ria didn’t wake me up until all those hours had passed.

*

Like the gnomes, although it was carved into caves within the mountain, the interior was splendid.

The high ceiling was all polished to a sparkling sheen, and the walls, whether carved from stone or built with other stones, gave the atmosphere of being inside a large building.

It was a luxurious appearance that one would typically imagine in Western fantasy.

“I pay my respects to the King of the Dwarves, Gruund IV.”

Following the etiquette I had learned beforehand, I lifted the hem of my nun’s habit slightly and replied.

The dwarf king, whose face was half-buried in his beard, nodded with a solemn expression.

“Welcome, Saint candidate Anna, from the church of another world. Please enjoy your stay here comfortably.”

His deep voice was exactly as his appearance suggested.

I shifted my gaze slightly and looked at the Dwarf Princess sitting a little distance away.

She was short and a bit plump, but quite beautiful. As described in the work, she looked a few years younger than me.

Among dwarves, who can store and use mana within their bodies, she was evaluated as being able to operate the most powerful mana.

The princess smiled faintly as she saw me.

Her expression was slightly wary.

…It must be because she can operate that much holy power.

I had a bad feeling that the plan wouldn’t go smoothly.