No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – Chapter 101

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 101

EP.101 Stubbornness and Arrogance (13)

A dimly lit underground chamber.

Just moments ago, this place had been filled with an array of dazzling lights, making it hard to believe it was underground at all. But now, only darkness remained. Perhaps it was because that light had been born of magic.

No, with this level of magic, it wouldn’t have mattered whether magic was the source or not. Even electronic devices malfunction in the presence of such concentrated magic. And yet, in the midst of this raging storm of magic, there was one reason why people had managed to endure.

Light.

In that suffocating darkness, a single radiant existence remained.

A place where warmth shone down as if a ceiling had never existed. A place untouched by even a single ray of sunlight.

“…What in the world…?”

The princess murmured, barely above a whisper.

It was a reaction that made perfect sense.

Even Chae-eun, who had already witnessed this once before, felt the same way. There was something she hadn’t fully considered last time—everything had happened too quickly for her to process it.

Anna was undoubtedly talented in many areas, but she wasn’t so gifted that she could instantly master every skill she encountered. That wasn’t something that could be attributed to talent alone. No matter how much of a genius one might be, learning without guidance still took time. And more than that—there was no magic in this world capable of instantly relocating a person. If such magic existed, there would have been no need for them to struggle so much to save the dwarves in the first place.

But Anna had done it.

In the most perilous moment, she had switched places with Ria—saving her life.

That wasn’t magic.

And yet, it wasn’t simply divine power, either.

Until now, every instance of divine power Chae-eun had seen had been about healing. It had never functioned like magic.

So then—

Anyone who had witnessed that moment would have thought of a single word.

Miracle.

Something no one expects, yet everyone wishes for.

If there is anything a praying heart begs of a god, it is surely something like this.

From the heavens—

From that white sky that should never have been visible in this world—

A single thread drifted downward.

If one were to weave together all the purest lights in existence, would they form something that shimmered like that?

A chorus of wails rang out.

The monsters recoiled from the light, fleeing as if merely touching that delicate strand would spell their doom.

It wasn’t a weapon. It wasn’t even trying to harm them.

It simply existed—descending from the sky.

And yet, they ran.

The light, gentle as a whisper, settled into Anna’s hand.

“…My god,” Gloria muttered under her breath.

Han Yu-ri, standing beside her, said nothing.

Even Lee Si-yoon, who had been cutting through enemies at the front line, had fallen still.

Though his blade still gleamed with light, it was nothing compared to the divine power radiating from Anna’s body.

…

Si-yoon was the first to react.

Drawing in a sharp breath, he turned and sprinted through the shattered doorway.

“W-Wait, Si-yoon!”

Yu-ri called out after him, then turned to Ria.

“I’ll be right back! We need to check outside!”

Ria gave a small nod, and with that, Yu-ri took off after Si-yoon.

Gloria, who had been silently watching Anna, finally took a step forward, slowly approaching her.

“…Just what is this person?”

“I don’t know,” Ria replied.

Then she took a step closer.

And sat down across from Anna.

Ria knelt down, mirroring Anna’s posture as if in prayer, and looked at her face.

It was peaceful.

“…You said you don’t believe in gods,” Ria muttered.

And yet, here she was—smiling like that.

Looking at her, Ria felt something close to fear.

Most of the time, Anna felt so ordinary, so close, like a friend who would always be right by her side.

But in moments like this, she seemed like she could disappear at any second.

Like the divine power she called forth, as if—when everything was over—she would simply vanish without a trace, returning to wherever she had come from.

Ria lifted her gaze, following the thin strand of light stretching toward the heavens.

Was this what it meant to be connected to a god?

…Many years ago, when the world was being consumed by chaos, a saintess appeared. No one knew her name—the people who remained had simply called her the Saintess. She carried the weight of the world’s suffering and died with it, leaving behind a fragile peace.

If that woman had been sent by the gods…

Then what did that make Anna?

Beyond the broken doorway, cries rang out.

“…I hear voices,” Gloria said.

“They’re shouting… fighting. Should we go?”

“……”

Maybe they should.

Ria had been trained to fight in any situation.

She was the daughter of a hero, destined to be one of the protectors of this world.

She should be out there, fighting for those crying out for help.

If Anna could speak right now, she would tell her to go.

Even if someone were to come here and strike her down, Anna would still tell Ria to save as many people as possible.

It didn’t matter if she was chosen by a god or not.

It didn’t matter whether she could wield divine power or not.

Anna was still just one person.

And when weighed against the lives of many, a single life could only hold so much value.

She would have gladly sacrificed herself if it meant saving others.

Ria slowly reached out, placing her hand over Anna’s.

Anna’s expression didn’t change.

The only thing that shifted was the strand of light resting in Anna’s palm—extending, gently wrapping around Ria’s hand as well.

And yet, somehow, that alone was enough.

Ria felt like she could hear Anna’s voice.

“…I see. Alright. Just this once.”

She pulled her hand away.

A lingering warmth remained.

Even though she had barely touched Anna’s hand, her own palm now glowed with the same light.

“……”

Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a slow, steady breath.

Then, Ria opened her eyes and looked at Anna.

“…Come back so we can talk.”

With those parting words, Ria stood up.

“Your Highness.”

At Ria’s call, the princess flinched, still wavering in uncertainty.

Just moments ago, before everything had begun, she had seemed composed. But now, seeing all of this unfold before her eyes, she had no idea what to do.

“What do you want to do?”

“You can stay here if you’d like.”

“…Ah, but if we leave the Saintess like this—”

The Saintess.

If Anna had heard that, she would have corrected it immediately.

But Ria let it slide for now.

“She’ll be fine.”

Ria looked up at the light.

Yes.

If a god couldn’t protect the Saintess, then what was the point of faith at all?

*

Feeling the warmth in my hand, I smiled.

There was only one person in that room who would have held my hand like that—Ria.

It was proof that she was safe because of my power.

If I had helped, then that was enough.

“…You can go.”

I told Ria.

“I’ll hold my ground here.”

The clamor of voices slowly faded.

The starlight grew stronger, bright as daylight now. I could feel people drawing closer to its glow.

The lingering souls, once soaked in magical resentment, were now stepping into the light and vanishing—returning to where they belonged.

“…So, you think this is worth it.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied.

“Is your sacrifice worth it?”

That voice was growing fainter.

“You don’t even know if you’ll win, and yet you’re willing to wager your life. That power of yours… it will drive you away from the world you belong to. In the end.”

“I suppose so,” I answered calmly.

“But you still haven’t answered my question.”

I opened my eyes.

Looking up at those golden eyes above, I asked:

“What is my worth? What do you mean by that?”

“……”

“I am just me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Yeah. Just one person.

If that’s the case, then my worth is simply that of a single person—nothing more, nothing less. There are no souls that are greater or lesser than others.

Society may divide people into ranks and assign them worth, but if even the beings above do the same, then what’s the point of life at all?

You don’t take your wealth with you when you die. Saving someone’s life doesn’t increase the “value” of your soul.

A life is just a life.

As someone who doesn’t believe in gods, I see it simply: if my life alone can save tens of thousands, then that’s a bargain.

And more than anything…

“Who said I can’t win?”

I asked with a smile.

There was no answer.

Not because they wouldn’t reply—but because they couldn’t. That presence, too, was slowly fading away.

I heard someone rise to their feet in front of me.

They stood there for a moment, watching me in silence, before turning away.

Ria was gripping her sword, facing the exit.

That’s right.

I’m not the only one here.

Did they really think I wouldn’t take that into account?

“……”

Although, for some reason, when Ria glanced back at me just now… it sent a strange chill down my spine.

Must’ve been my imagination.