Chapter 5. Belief and Reality (8)

Looking at the blonde girl held in her arms, Ria couldn’t think of anything.

Her golden, thread-like hair shone in the light descending from the sky.

In her hand, she held a pure white light, spotless.

That face slowly turned towards Ria.

It was an expression rarely seen. Eyes filled with utmost seriousness.

However, they were eyes that showed no fear, no dislike, and no annoyance.

Those eyes, like a lake so clear that the bottom was visible, looked straight at Ria.

“Ria.”

Anna said.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go.”

Her face was filled with such conviction.

As if she were the only one who could do this at this very moment.

Just like when she always ran towards the injured, she was like that now.

Perhaps, that’s why she could be trusted.

Even her expression, which always seemed to be contemplating something, when Anna had to bend her own beliefs- she always willingly did what she had to do.

It was the same now.

Without rejecting the holy power that scattered whenever it appeared, Anna embraced it with her whole body, holding divinity itself in her hands.

“—-!”

When purifying that black sphere, that giant eyeball, she saw a brilliant light she had never seen in her life.

A power so bright, yet rejecting nothing. A warm power that seemed capable of embracing everything in the world.

“…….”

And, as always after using such power, Anna quickly lost consciousness and fell asleep.

“Anna?”

I tried speaking to Anna, who had collapsed in my arms and closed her eyes, but only her regular breathing returned.

At least, her body seemed to be fine.

Ria put her sword back into its scabbard at her waist and picked up Anna. The sword probably wouldn’t be needed anymore.

Ria looked around.

All she saw was white sand.

Was it that places that magic had swept through could not regain life? The surroundings looked like a sudden sandy beach in the middle of a forest.

Still, it would recover little by little over time.

This is the power of God, isn’t it? It’s holy power.

“…….”

I looked up at the sky.

The gloomy clouds slowly parted, and the light shone on Ria and Anna, who was held in Ria’s arms.

“Are you going to tell me that this isn’t the Saint even after seeing this?”

Ria muttered with a chuckle, finding it absurd for a moment.

Of course, no answer came back.

“……She’s light.”

Even though she eats a lot normally, she’s this light. Since her overall physique is smaller than Ria’s, it’s natural, but even considering that, she seems a bit light.

What that small physique carries is the weight of being loved by God.

I can understand why she doesn’t want this power. It’s not a power that anyone in the world can easily accept. Surely, the reason Anna received this power is because God knew that Anna would act like this.

A power that makes becoming the Saint seem justified. The very light that makes one feel secure just by standing next to it, no matter how powerful the evil that appears.

But at the same time, it’s a power that must always be by the side of the injured, by the side of the fiercest battlegrounds.

If it were anyone else, perhaps, but Anna wouldn’t refuse that role- no, she wouldn’t be able to refuse it.

Because she had the conviction to proudly say, “My only sin before God is not believing in you.”

Ria began to walk across the sandy beach.

On the way back, Ria’s thoughts were a bit complicated.

*

After sleeping soundly for a few hours, I immediately checked the situation.

First, I was unharmed, and Ria was also unharmed. The hunters confirmed that the mass of magic had completely disappeared, and they even saw the explosive light of the holy power I used.

That will probably be reported to the church as well. I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do. I just have to accept that situation.

“Are you thinking of becoming the Saint?”

“Um… Honestly, I don’t feel like it. I don’t feel like being a Saint candidate either.”

I replied, peeling a small chocolate offered by Ria and putting it in my mouth.

“But, what can I do? Sometimes you have to accept reality.”

“……Really?”

Ria’s reply was a little slow. No, it’s not that her answers should be immediate, but…

“Well, thinking about it again, despite everything, I’ve changed my mind several times. I have enough tact not to say such things in front of someone who is struggling.”

“Is that so.”

I tilted my head.

“Do I… not like you becoming the Saint?”

“Um, no, it’s not like that. …You can only do it if you want to, right?”

The problem is that if I’m not careful, I might become the Saint even if I don’t want to. In fact, looking at the way the hunters are looking at me, it might be hard to avoid.

Since I’ve become a beautiful girl, I wanted to date someone. Of course, not a man, but a woman.

I didn’t expect to date a heroine at all. After all, I’m going to live here forever. I’d meet someone appropriate at an appropriate age, date them… well, I don’t know about marriage.

If I become the Saint, I’ll have to say goodbye to all that, right?

“……That aside.”

I decided to change the subject, thinking that continuing this conversation might make the atmosphere heavy.

“What did the goblins say?”

“They said they were bowing towards the direction where the white light came from.”

“…….”

“Although we can’t communicate yet, they were prostrating themselves on the ground even when I brought you past.”

Hmm.

Let’s drop this topic too.

I don’t want to know more. The goblins… well, the Hunter Association will handle them. Since they dealt with the mass of magic, they’ll probably make them retreat or something.

I sighed softly.

In the end, all the plans I was trying to execute failed. Well, it couldn’t even be called a proper plan from the start. My plan was simply to run away somewhere blindly.

In the process of other situations interfering and changing the plan, it ended up being neither here nor there.

Well, the person who sent me here must have sent me with that much in consideration.

I glanced at Ria.

Ria was leaning against the railing, lost in deep thought.

Ah, damn it, she’s pretty, no wonder she’s a heroine.

If she didn’t tease me sometimes, I would have been in a lot of trouble in many ways. To be honest, I’m still in a little trouble- but, well, even if there’s a pretty girl in the same class, you don’t necessarily like her, do you?

It’s not like it has anything to do with me anyway.

Ria also seemed to have thought of something, and when our eyes met, she gave a slight smile.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just…”

I was about to brush it off, but I remembered that I had forgotten something I needed to say.

“……Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“For trusting me and going with me then. Thank you. …Because if someone hadn’t gone, something terrible would have definitely happened.”

“……Really?”

Ria looked at me intently and said.

“Is that also something God told you?”

“…….”

What should I say?

If the being above is truly the one who wrote the story, it might be correct. Although it’s a different world from this one, it was definitely the world I should be in at the same time.

If so, ironically, I would be someone who heard a prophecy.

However, the story doesn’t seem to be unfolding as I know it. Moreover, we haven’t even reached the starting point of the story yet.

I put another piece of chocolate in my mouth. I placed it on my tongue and enjoyed its sweetness and slight bitterness.

To be honest, I’m still hungry. It seems that holy power uses up my stamina quite a bit.

……But, for some reason, I didn’t feel like eating much right now. I was also a bit tired.

Since the situation has been assessed, should I go to sleep?

“Anna, let me ask you one thing.”

“Yes.”

“How far can you go as a Saint candidate? I’ve heard various stories.”

“Um.”

Basically, it’s a dispatch. And that dispatch usually means volunteer work. It means that I can designate a volunteer location that the church has decided on, all by myself. And at any time. I can also choose the scale within my authority.

So, it’s a bit difficult to say anywhere in the country.

Once one becomes an adult and it’s confirmed that they will live at the church, nuns also get free time. As long as they don’t cross the line outside, they can move around relatively freely and return before nightfall.

So, it can’t be called a great privilege-

For me now, the story is a bit different.

Ria nodded after hearing my explanation.

“……Why?”

I asked, feeling a little anxious.

“No, well, it’s good if you can go to many places, right? The Hunter Association isn’t only located in the mountains.”

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. You must be tired, right? Shall we go inside and sleep?”

“…….”

That remark felt a bit strange, but it was probably just my overthinking.

Turning around and following Ria, I shrugged my shoulders slightly.