Chapter 4: The Return of the Saintess (4)

I’m currently following the bald hunter.

He’s supposed to report what happened on the outskirts while taking me along.

Well, that’s not my concern.

“Wow.”

As we enter Seoul, it feels different from the memories I had of it in the past.

It’s like something out of a cyberpunk comic.

Buildings that look like they’re from a futuristic world stand alongside the modern ones I remember.

“So, where exactly did you come from?”

While I was looking around, the bald guy spoke to me.

Seriously, can’t he take a hint?

“I became an orphan girl in the continent of Yucran, thanks to the guidance of the crappy goddess.”

It’s not something I really need to share with this hunter, but it’s better to say this before he starts asking more annoying questions about monsters or whatever.

Sharing a bit of the hero world story might not be so bad either.

“Huh, you’re managing to live as a saintess, huh?”

Obviously.

“I had no choice but to become a saintess. It was dangerous back then, you know. Just like your bald head.”

In the end, the goddess forced me into the saintess role.

In other words, being a saintess was my destiny.

Also, these overpowered items can’t even be equipped if I switch to another class.

Even if I wear them, they won’t apply any stats.

“Why do you keep bringing up my bald head?”

“The people who tortured me were all bald.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

If he’s really sorry, he could just drop dead.

I really can’t stand the sight of his scarred, not-even-clean bald head.

“Yes, your very existence makes me uncomfortable.”

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

He looks downcast.

Well, I didn’t really mean he should die.

I just feel like hitting him.

“I just feel like hitting you. I ended up bashing in all the bald heads back then.”

“We’ve arrived.”

“Oh.”

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of a massive building, with nothing to say but that it looked overwhelming.

This was the Awakener Administration Bureau, a facility established after the Cataclysm to manage both Awakeners and the returnees who suddenly started appearing later.

That’s what the bald guy told me, at least.

Apparently, this used to be the old City Hall.

In front of the building, a woman in a suit and sunglasses approached us briskly.

“You’re Kim Taebaek from the Seolhwa Guild, right? Is this the returnee you contacted us about?”

“That’s right.”

“Understood. Mr. Taebaek, please proceed to that counter to report on the checkpoint situation in detail.”

The woman separated me from the bald guy.

Finally, he’s gone.

He was sticking too close, and it was getting on my nerves.

If she had been just a few seconds later, my mace might’ve smashed into his bald head.

The woman who had chased away the bald guy now looked me up and down.

Her gaze was really unpleasant. Is she into women or something?

“Wow, you’re truly beautiful. Even as a woman, I find myself admiring you.”

“I know.”

With a face like mine, I could probably charm both men and women.

The woman awkwardly laughed at my response and led me inside.

“A returnee from outside the residential area, huh? You really are stunning. Is that thing on your head an angel’s… something?”

She pointed to the angel ring above my head.

An angel?

Me?

Just an angel?

Well, I guess it does make me look like one.

“Oh, yes. It’s proof that I’m an angel, after all.”

“Wow, I’ve never seen a real angel before!”

Ugh, such a simpleton.

“I killed an angel and took it as a drop item.”

“W-what? You killed an angel?”

Her face twisted in shock.

What’s so strange about that?

It might be weird on Earth, but in that other world, it’s no big deal.

Angels were just another type of mob to me.

“Yeah, I didn’t like them. I framed one as a fallen angel and killed it fair and square. Anyway, it’s none of your business since it happened in another world.”

I also wanted the angel ring.

And besides, I didn’t like their attitude.

They looked down on me, hovering above the ground, calling me a mere mortal.

So I erased them.

“A-ah, I see. You’re… quite unique. Well, please come this way. It’s best if we discuss the personal information of returnees privately.”

“Ah, sure.”

Inside the specialized department for returnee management, I sat across from this strange woman.

“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Kim Yuna, and I’m the team leader of the Returnee Department.”

So, she’s a civil servant?

Guess I should treat her well.

I politely lowered my head.

“Nice to meet you. I look forward to working with you.”

“Now, could you provide us with your current name, occupation, and details about the world you were in before returning? We need to register your information so that, if another returnee from the same world appears in the future, it’ll be easier for the bureau to manage.”

What a hassle.

I guess I’ll just use the saintess’ name.

My old name doesn’t suit this body and face.

“My name is Karina. My occupation is Saintess.”

“A saintess in that outfit?”

Wait, is she indirectly criticizing me right now?

Or maybe she’s implying that the goddess’s sense of fashion makes me look like a prostitute?

“Did you think I was a prostitute?”

“No, I just thought you were combat-focused. You know, like those inquisitor-type characters you see in fantasy novels?”

Ah, there are characters like that sometimes.

In fact, there were women even more scantily clad than me, going around declaring themselves inquisitors.

Turns out, they were concubines of a corrupt pope, and I bashed all their heads in.

They were all so corrupt, I couldn’t let them be as a true follower of the goddess.

“They don’t exist anymore because I beat them all to death.”

Every single one of them.

Kim Yuna’s face was twisting more and more.

“Are you really a saintess?”

This woman is seriously suspicious.

She’s been giving me a strange look from behind those sunglasses for a while now.

What’s with her?

Does she want me to hit her?

But I am the Saintess Karina.

Since this is the world I once lived in, I’ll act with the mercy of a saintess.

“Can’t you tell I’m a saintess just by looking? Stop talking nonsense.”

Only one goldfish earlier was enough, really.

“Uh, sorry. That was rude. Can you continue explaining?”

“Sure. So, there’s a demon lord and a hero. Yeah, it’s a fantasy world, like how you’d describe it on Earth. I’m from the Kingdom of Ascal in the Yucran continent. When I first regained some of my Earth memories in that world, I was about six years old. It’s been about 15 years since then.”

I lived there for less time than I did on Earth, but considering all the things I experienced and even the memories I lost, that place feels more like home to me.

Ah, memories are flooding back.

The days spent in the hero’s party.

The hero would always mercifully forgive enemies, and women would fall for him and follow him.

He’d use the support funds from the kingdom to feed us and even donate money to towns that were once dens of bandits.

Now that I think about it, all those memories are just crap.

Why on Earth would that idiot give support funds to bandits who rose up because life was tough.

Regardless of the reason, he should have bashed in the heads of those who killed people.

Ugh, enough. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

“How did you return?”

The goldfish candidate carefully asked.

Well, I suppose I should tell her.

After all, this Kim Yuna woman is actually being helpful right now.

“I killed the demon lord and begged the goddess to send me back to Earth. Honestly, I didn’t need to come back, but I figured staying there might lead to a future where I ended up on the hero’s… you know, and I wanted to avoid that flag entirely.”

I didn’t tell her everything, but that’s basically true.

“Sounds like you had a very complicated situation.”

“Yeah, something like that. No need to get into the details, right?”

Please don’t ask more. It’s annoying.

“No, that’s fine. We only need the broad strokes.”

But then, I realized something interesting.

This woman is actually believing everything I say without doubting it.

“Do you really believe everything I’ve said?”

“Oh, I’m like a human lie detector. Don’t get the wrong idea. It’s just part of the job to determine if someone’s dangerous or not.”

I guess that makes sense.

Compared to all the trouble I went through dealing with the hero, this kind of treatment is nothing.

“So, you’re one of those Awakeners.”

Fascinating ability.

In that other world, there were things like blessings or innate powers people were born with. This might be something like that.

I, too, ultimately received the goddess’s help.

“Yes. So, moving on. It looks like you also possess some kind of power, like an Awakener. What’s your ability?”

“I received the power of a god.”

I answered proudly.

Even if the goddess is annoying, I received divine power.

Just that alone should make these simpletons in Korea go ‘Wow!’

In other words, I’m an overpowered character.

Though combining all the blessings into my mace only cuts the efficiency in half.

“Oh, so you’re a saintess who heals allies on the battlefield?”

What is she talking about?

This woman is still just a goldfish.

I slammed my hand down on the desk, angry.

“Are you a goldfish? Didn’t you hear me say I killed angels? How does that not compute? Is this stupidity unique to Korea, or what?”

Does she think I’m joking?

“Oh, I see. Sorry about that.”

The female goldfish finally bowed her head repeatedly.

Alright, I’ll forgive her then.

The goddess did say to forgive those who ask for forgiveness.

Though, I’ve killed many who glared at me like she did just now.

“I’ll forgive you, especially this time. So, are we done with the returnee registration now?”

She tilted her head slightly, as if she felt something wasn’t quite right.

“There are still a few steps left.”

Damn it.

What kind of long process is this?

In that other world, even demon lords would open doors if you slipped them a bribe.

Why can’t they just move things along here?

“Before you went to the other world, do you remember anything from your time in Korea?”

Ah, should I answer this?

I can’t let them treat me like some goddess from another world just because I’m a returnee.

I just want to enjoy the returnee system benefits.

I’ve had enough of struggling like I did in that other world.

I just want to live happily here.

“I don’t remember much else, but I think my name was Park Si-woo.”

I’m not sure if they’ll be able to find anything with just that, but she pulled out a file and started flipping through the pages.

The contents were a list of missing persons.

“A missing persons list?”

“Yes. It’s a list of people who disappeared after the Cataclysm. These are the names of those we couldn’t locate.”

Wow, they’re pretty serious about this.