Chapter 149: A Baby Who Hasn’t Even Been Weaned

“Anyway, Lady Narea will be in Mysticism.”

When I gave Acrede my conclusion, her face became endlessly gloomy.

Mysticism is a group that deals directly with the royal family of the Holy Kingdom, Lium.

By now, Baek Mokgong must be combing through Mysticism like searching for lice, but the leader of Mysticism is not an easy figure either.

Since he too is a reincarnation of a hero, there was no way he would be captured easily.

In this situation, could Acrede really go to Mysticism and bring back Narea?

Certainly, the goddess’s blessing that resides in her possesses tremendous power.

But even so, the reality was that it wouldn’t be enough to handle Mysticism.

‘Mysticism absolutely despises divine powers rather than mysteries.’

Acrede could actually become a target instead.

Moreover, with this incident, the Lium Kingdom and the Holy Order are standing at complete odds.

Acrede can’t afford to act rashly either.

So in the end, she needs someone who can go and bring Narea back for her.

Acrede tapped her fingertips together and glanced at me shyly.

She looked like a hamster eyeing its prey.

Anyone could tell that she was desperately hoping to ask me for this favor.

“Lady Acrede.”

“Y-yes!”

Acrede flinched and answered.

Her innocent and fragile demeanor would make any man instinctively want to grant her request.

However, my head, having been stripped of love, runs more rationally than anyone else’s.

“To retrieve Lady Narea, we must go to Mysticism. Of course, it won’t be an easy task, right?”

“Th-that’s right. Mysticism is said to be a terrifying group, so it’s not something just anyone can jump into.”

“Exactly. Especially, it’s even more dangerous for someone who’s just a student. It’s not a job for a mere student who isn’t even a full-grown adult yet.”

Acrede flinched again.

She whistled awkwardly, pretending to be innocent.

As if to say she never had such a thought.

“But guess what, right here and now, there’s a student who has the backing of Baek Mokgong and the Master of the Blue Tower.”

Mysticism is the group that Baek Mokgong hates the most.

Likewise, the Master of the Blue Tower also disapproves of Mysticism, which holds a negative view of magic.

I am the only one who can provide information on Mysticism’s whereabouts to both of them.

‘Of course, I can’t just stand by and watch.’

I have my own reason to personally confront Vulcan, the leader of Mysticism.

Acrede’s eyes turned toward me again.

It was obvious that what I had said would greatly help in retrieving Narea.

And of course, she was fully aware of that.

More importantly, I was the only one she could reach out to for help.

“There should naturally be compensation for a favor asked. Lady Acrede, what compensation will you offer for your request?”

A wicked smile curled on my lips.

It was a smile that blatantly asked for payment.

Acrede clearly understood what that smile meant.

She hesitated, her eyes darting around as if troubled.

She was pondering what she, as a Saintess, could possibly offer me.

However, in reality, she probably didn’t have much she could give.

The position of a Saintess is a very delicate one.

Unless the Holy Kingdom and the Church were united under one power, that is.

Right now, the royal authority and the Church are clashing.

Naturally, the power a Saintess could wield was weakening.

‘If only Acrede were a little older, it might be different.’

But as long as she was still a student, there was a clear limit to how much opinion she could voice.

A position full of responsibility and formality but lacking any real rights — such was the tragically sad role of a Saintess.

Acrede understood this fact well.

That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to speak and her eyes kept trembling.

After a while, she tightly shut her eyes.

Then she slowly stretched out her arms to the sides, looking like a cow about to be slaughtered.

“E-even if it’s my body.”

“That’s not particularly necessary.”

“N-not necessary?”

Acrede’s face stiffened.

It was a despairing expression, as if she had never even imagined she would be rejected.

“What I want is for you to grant me one favor when I ask for it someday.”

There will definitely come a moment when I will need the Saintess’s help.

Especially when dealing with Akzon, it will become necessary.

The more insurance I have, the better.

Lucas has a strong heroic tendency to grant any request without expecting anything in return.

But I don’t have the same generosity or talent that Lucas does.

Therefore, I need to gather up everything I can use by any means necessary.

Such is the way a third-rate extra, not the protagonist, can survive in this world.

Meanwhile, Acrede, looking increasingly downcast, began fidgeting with her chest.

“…I guess, since I’m like a mere milk cow rather than a Saintess, you wouldn’t even want my body.”

It seemed that in the past, someone must have said something to Acrede about her chest.

She had a significant complex about her large chest.

“Lady Acrede, let’s stop tearing yourself down over your chest. It’s not about that at all.”

“B-but Narea always grumbled about how uncomfortable it was and often said she wanted to tear it off. She would frequently say she felt uneasy because she couldn’t see her own feet.”

So Narea was the main culprit.

Come to think of it, the Narea depicted in the illustrations was a slender Saintess.

For her, who had memories of her past life, it must have felt uncomfortable.

My eyes took on a subtle light as I looked at Acrede.

Maybe the complex Acrede felt wasn’t just about her chest, but about herself as a whole.

Narea, one of the heroes who had protected the world in the past.

Those memories coexist within Acrede.

Compared to Narea, she must have felt painfully insignificant.

Even though they were both Saintesses, she couldn’t become like Narea.

Since her memories were separated between past life and present, forming a kind of split personality.

Thus, Acrede naturally compared herself to Narea.

And as a result, she ended up disparaging herself, so different from Narea.

The most visibly apparent difference was her noticeable chest.

“Lady Acrede, do you want to become Lady Narea?”

At my question, Acrede’s shoulders flinched.

Having played Blazing Butterfly, I only knew about Narea.

I didn’t know much about Acrede.

That’s why, if I wanted to understand her, I had to ask.

Upon hearing my question, Acrede lowered her head with a slightly sullen expression.

“…Compared to Narea, I’m a terribly lacking Saintess.”

“Then, who was it that healed me?”

It was thanks to the Saint and Saintess working together that I survived and made it back safely from the 9th floor.

Who was the one who saved me back then?

Acrede began hesitating.

“T-that’s…”

“It wasn’t Lady Narea. It was you, Lady Acrede.”

Acrede was severely underestimating her own abilities.

That was undoubtedly because of the constant comparison with Narea.

“Lady Acrede, do you really think that if you had been told to go back in time and heal in place of Lady Narea, you wouldn’t have been able to heal me?”

“…….”

Acrede fell silent.

She herself already knew the answer to that question.

The answer was yes — she could have.

Because the goddess’s blessing resides within Acrede’s very body.
“The one who saved me was the Saintess. And the Saintess is you, Lady Acrede.”
I could feel Acrede’s eyes trembling.
She is a noble Saintess.
She holds a position where no one would dare point fingers at her.
However, there is one exception — Narea would have constantly spoken to her.
Narea would have never held back advice to help shape her into a true Saintess.
That, in the end, is what bound Acrede.
“Lady Acrede, everything that Lady Narea did, you are fully capable of doing too. Because everything Lady Narea accomplished was done using your body.”
Of course, Acrede and Narea are different.
However, the one existing in this world now is not Narea, but Acrede.
There’s no way Acrede cannot accomplish what Narea once did using the same body.
Because she, too, is a Saintess.
“I was able to survive thanks to the Saintess.”
Even if Acrede had other intentions, the fact remains unchanged.
“Lady Acrede, let me ask again. If I were to fall into the same situation, would you simply neglect me and walk away?”
Acrede slowly shook her head.
“No. I am a Saintess. Even if it’s an enemy who has accomplished great feats, a Saintess must extend a hand to them.”
Acrede was more aware of her own role as a Saintess than anyone else.
It was just that until now, she had shifted the burden of that responsibility onto Narea.
“That’s exactly right. Lady Acrede, you are a Saintess — and that is a truth that will never change.”
I spoke firmly to her.
“Lady Acrede, believe in yourself as a Saintess. To me, you are the splendid Saintess who saved my life.”
Perhaps thanks to those words of encouragement, Acrede straightened her back more proudly than usual.
“Th-then… does that mean my chest isn’t a problem either?”
Acrede asked, lifting her chest a little.
Was she still hung up on that?
“Yes, it’s splendid.”
“R-really?”
“It’s a chest worthy of being proudly shown to the world.”
A bright smile lit up Acrede’s face.
Clunk—
Just then, the door behind me opened.
I turned my head stiffly toward the sound.
Standing there was Iris, glaring at me with dagger eyes.
Behind her, Hania watched me with a pitying look.
It seemed they had come because our conversation had dragged on too long.
“Hanon?”
Iris called my name.
Right now, Acrede was standing in front of me, proudly puffing out her chest.
And I had just finished complimenting said chest.
I could perfectly imagine how this must look to a third party.
However, I was directly involved.
“This is a misunderstanding.”
“Oh, I see. Is that what you like?”
Iris gave a serene smile.
But it didn’t feel like a pure smile at all.
“Hanon, you’re still just a baby who hasn’t even been weaned yet.”
With those final, sharply cutting words, Iris turned her body away.
“Make sure you finish drinking and go home.”
Was it really possible to say ‘it’s getting late’ like that?
When I turned to Hania, she let out a sigh.
“That’s why you shouldn’t have enjoyed it so much.”
I didn’t enjoy anything.
Thus, I had no choice but to swallow my tears, now having become a baby who hadn’t even been weaned.
Waaah.