Chapter 95: A Short Break – 2

Chapter 95: A Short Break – 2

Chirping birds, and sunlight that was just right.

Even the breeze gently wafting in through the slightly open window.

It was exactly the kind of weather I loved, weather that brought peace to mind and body.

“…Ahem, I slept well.”

Therefore, excluding times when I was forced to sleep due to fainting, this felt like the most comfortable awakening.

Somehow, the surroundings were just pleasantly warm, and my body felt light, a truly refreshing feeling……

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, that’s… Huh? Saintess-nim, why are you here?”

“I came because I was worried. …I also didn’t assist you properly last night, and you have an injury.”

“No, what I mean is, how on earth did you get into my house?”

“The Knight Commander gave me the key? …Saying I should treat your injuries well if you had any.”

“Knight Commander? …Ah, it seems she’s already been promoted.”

I turned my head to look at the clock… it was past 1 PM.

And considering the Imperial representatives’s meeting, which always started at 7 AM and ended at 12 PM, the Empire’s stance on last night’s incident must have already been decided.

It seemed Christie’s promotion was probably officially recognized because of that.

After all, she had captured the Holy Kingdom’s Inquisitor who had attacked a ‘good Imperial citizen.’

…And perhaps because of that, the Saintess looked quite tired. She must have been quite harassed throughout the morning.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, the Saintess gave a small smile and handed me a piece of paper with some writing on it.

“You seem to have many questions.”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Subtly? Should I say your gaze changed a little?”

The Saintess’s eyes, as she said that, felt quite familiar.

No, to be precise, they felt similar yet different…?

The base was definitely similar to Christie’s eyes when she looked at me, but……

Unlike Christie, whose eyes conveyed a desire to worry about and take care of me, these were simply the eyes of someone looking at a cute friend.

……In a way, they were a little purer and cleaner.

“Last night’s events were… embellished a bit from the Empire’s perspective. Read it.”

“…As expected, I suppose.”

Anyway, I should probably put other matters aside for a moment and see how the Empire’s higher-ups spun the results.

Of course, I’m not some genius intellectual, so a detailed analysis of the Empire’s decision would be difficult, but at least I wasn’t called stupid anywhere.

……Most of my life was spent in a hospital room, but anyway!

The point is, I can generally understand it just by looking.

“…So, the Inquisitor currently in custody just went crazy and attacked me, claiming I was a heretic,

And the defense force was dispatched due to the resulting noise, and the Saintess-nim, a step ahead, sensed the strangely used divine power and helped me, is that it?

And while the Saintess-nim bought time, the defense force arrived immediately and ended the situation, and Chris… no, the defense Commander was recognized for her merit and immediately promoted?

Furthermore, the Saintess-nim’s escorts were also implicated in this, and everyone except the Saintess-nim was arrested?

Additionally, the Empire plans to use this to protest to the Holy Kingdom and have the higher-ups take whatever they want as the basic plan?”

“That’s right.”

“……But can you handle this? I don’t think the Holy Kingdom will leave the Saintess-nim alone, you know?”

It was a natural consequence.

If Elena’s words were true, it was highly likely that the mad Inquisitor Commander’s attack on me was orchestrated by the Church and the Pope.

But if the Empire officially declared the incident as such, the Saintess’s position would inevitably become difficult.

…Surely, if the additional quest about the Saintess was about saving her from being pursued by the Holy Kingdom…… hmm.

I’d just quit following the system’s quests.

Honestly, my victory over that Inquisitor Commander was due to the divine power suppression magic + the Saintess’s assistance + temporarily enhanced potions because it was a branch point.

But to turn the entire Church into an enemy and save the Saintess in a normal situation?

It’s a question of whether I *can* do it, before whether I *will* do it.

“I have my own methods.”

“…Saintess-nim? ……I’m sorry, but frankly, revealing everything isn’t a method…”

“Oh, no! W-well, I was thinking of doing that at first, but…… the Imperial nobles are, um, quite brilliant in these political matters, you know?”

“That just means they’re good at deception and schemes.”

Even within the original work, how many tricks did the Imperial nobles pull?

In the first place, all those nobles are desperate for power, and the Emperor is the same, so naturally, they can’t help but become skilled in such slander and intrigue.

If they don’t become skilled…… well, they fall into the schemes of other nobles and go to hell, or get their heads chopped off and go to heaven.

Of course, this is when those guys are just looking for an opportunity to stab each other in the back,

But if they’re united against a common enemy, like now, then they’re still trustworthy…… well, not trustworthy, but competent allies.

The Saintess opened her mouth with a bitter smile, as if agreeing with me.

“So, for now, I’ve decided to pretend I skillfully escaped through improvisation. …While outwardly continuing to feign loyalty to the Church.”

“Hmm… That must be hard, Saintess-nim? It looks like you want to completely overhaul the Church right now?”

“Everything has its order. One must learn to wait a little.”

Having said that, the Saintess stood up.

…It seemed she was about to leave for the Holy Kingdom.

“Oh, is there any empty space in this house?”

“Space? Why that?”

“It’s nothing much, I just want to cast a spell so I can come here instantly in an emergency.”

“……Weren’t you going to the Holy Kingdom?”

“That’s right?”

“Then you can’t come, can you?”

And to my question, the Saintess gave a very clear answer.

“I’m going to secretly visit for a bit, you know?”

“……Is the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom that carefree?”

“That’s precisely why I’ll come secretly. Before, I sometimes pretended not to be there because the cardinals’ excessive requests were hard to grant,

And now, there’s even less need to grant them, so I’m planning to just leave my post altogether.”

As I pondered what to say to that, a certain setting suddenly came to mind.

…This Saintess, though not always, subtly has a tendency to slack off, which doesn’t quite match her elegant demeanor.

The problem was, combined with our meeting, she seemed to be planning to use my house as a hideout for her truancy.

“…Excuse me, where’s my permission?”

“I’ve already agreed to periodically come to the Empire and inform them about the situation in the Holy Kingdom. So, I got the Knight Commander’s permission.”

“……? Can the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom really offer the Holy Kingdom’s information to the Empire like that?”

“…Because the current Holy Kingdom needs reform, anyway. And that reform will never happen as long as the Grand Cathedral doesn’t fall.

Most importantly…… I believe that those who use ‘His’ words and will to only satisfy their own greed are ‘heretics’ who deserve punishment.”

……In addition, her ideology seems to have shifted to a somewhat dangerous direction.

She definitely wasn’t such a radical character in the novel, was she…?

Of course, I understand.

Unlike in the novel, because of my existence, the Saintess learned the true nature of the Church and her own true identity a little earlier.

…And unlike in the novel, in quite a dramatic way.

Honestly, if she were an ordinary person, she would have already caused a ruckus out of hatred for the Church.

“Actually, before attacking you, I was also threatened with force. And… thinking about your words, I got a bit angry, you know?”

“So, you’re going to completely overturn the Holy Kingdom…”

“It’s a reform, or a revolution. Anyway, I have no intention of letting those who only look out for themselves while pretending to serve Him continue.”

*Additional Quest! – ‘Religious Reform with the Saintess!’ unlock conditions met!

-> The Saintess has now decided that she must change the Holy Kingdom and the Church that betrayed her faith, and plans to achieve this in cooperation with the Empire!

=> Help the Saintess complete the reform of the Church! Make the Church truly follow God and preach His teachings!

+> If the reform fails, or if the Empire’s influence is too great, causing the Church to be subjugated or puppeted by the Empire, it is a failure!

+> The first quest, ‘Religious Reform with the Saintess! – Prologue,’ will be unlocked soon!

=+> Branch point rewards will be paid after all these quests are completed!

*

The problem was that the system supported the Saintess’s bold actions.

And I was bound to that system.

Of course, I could refuse it, but… if I did, I would suffer quite a loss, so I couldn’t.

……No matter what, why am I, a mere potion seller, doing a religious reform?!

But regardless of that, the Saintess had already recorded the coordinates for teleportation to my house.

And immediately, something that clearly looked like a portal appeared.

…The subtly sacred pattern that formed on the floor was an added bonus.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have much time right now…”

“…Alright, if you drag it out longer, the Holy Kingdom will get suspicious. Go quickly, and be careful.”

“Then… I’ll come visit soon.”

Saying that, the Saintess, who was moving through the portal she created with magic, left one last remark before disappearing.

“…Next time, speak a little more comfortably, Lucia.”

……Getting involved with main characters truly creates tiring situations and incidents.

The problem is that I can’t stop it.

“Another main character I’m entangled with has increased… At this rate, I’ll really end up joining the Hero’s party, won’t I?”

*Wipe that smirk off your face before you speak. It’s obvious you secretly like it.*

…I guess I really am a strange person.

Since I’ve come to enjoy this life, to some extent.