The Truman Show – 3

I’ve never seen a village welcoming an Emperor, but I imagined it would be something like this.

Screams that sounded like cheers echoed from everywhere, applause that made my hands ache, and colorful flower petals rained down from the sky.

As the carriage I was in entered the village, an overwhelming welcome poured in.

The sounds the people made vibrated through the carriage.

“Everyone is happy that the Saint has come.”

Maria said with a proud look on her face.

I, on the other hand, felt a hundred times more burdened.

Madini Village was too big to be called a village.

In my opinion, it should be called a city.

I haven’t been to many villages here, but considering that this world has a medieval framework, I think Madini Village is quite developed.

First of all, neat houses lined the roadsides, and the roads were paved so well that it felt like driving on an asphalt road.

“It’s a nice place.”

“Well, it’s a village where many people gather.”

It seemed to be an important transportation hub for a reason.

Just as my ears were about to go deaf from the constant cheers, we arrived at the church in Madini Village.

This was because of the doctrine that a believer must visit the church first upon entering a village.

Grateful that the long journey was over, I stretched.

“Eep.”

Because I stretched forward slightly, I lightly touched Maria’s shoulder as she was packing her things and preparing to get out.

“I’m sorry, Sister Maria. It was a mistake.”

Maria let out a cute scream, and I immediately apologized.

At my words, Maria quickly composed herself, raised the corners of her mouth, and gave me a deep smile.

“It’s alright. Even if it wasn’t a mistake.”

Ignoring her words, I straightened my clothes.

I was, after all, a Saint, and I couldn’t go out unprepared.

“Saint. We are ready.”

I heard the voice of the Holy Knight, who had finished tidying up.

Now came the moment to set foot on land that wasn’t the Order headquarters for the first time.

I looked at Maria in front of me.

Her sparkling green eyes stared at me.

Slightly wavy blonde hair, a benevolent smile, and a neatly worn Nun’s Habit.

Maria waited for my signal.

I put on the Saint’s mask that I had been acting with until now and took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.”

I exhaled and opened my mouth.

Maria nodded once and then knocked on the door twice with her pure white hand.

-Clunk

The carriage shook slightly, and the door opened.

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

“Saint!!!”

“May the Grace of Light be with you!!!”

The chaotic cheers I had heard on the way here began to hit my ears as a single sentence.

Now that the wall of the carriage was gone, the sound was so loud that I couldn’t even hear Maria’s voice speaking right next to me.

I admired the soundproofing performance of the carriage.

I patted my stiff back and stepped out the door, and the sound of the people grew even louder.

I raised my hand with the most peaceful face I could muster and responded to the cheers of the crowd.

My feet touched the ground.

The sensation of the solid ground traveled up my soles.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of the village entered my nostrils.

It was a different smell from what I had smelled while camping.

“Saint, welcome. I am Pietro, the Priest of Madini Village.”

A voice cut through the noise.

When I opened my eyes, a middle-aged man in neat attire was standing in front of me.

“Hello. I am Kang In-ho.”

I made the Sign of the Cross, and Pietro followed me.

“I will escort you to the Chapel.”

“Yes, it’s a bit noisy.”

As I followed him, Pietro looked apologetic.

“Ah… I will give them a warning.”

Pietro looked around and said, and I waved my hand.

“No, I’m just saying I’m grateful for the enthusiastic welcome.”

At my words, Pietro relaxed his expression and led me to the Chapel.

After entering the Chapel and finishing a short prayer, I went to his office and was served tea.

“Thank you so much for visiting us in person for the relief efforts.”

Pietro thanked me again.

“It’s nothing. As a Saint, I should help people directly, not just stay in the Order.”

After saying what a Saint would usually say, I sipped the tea. The moderately warm tea warmed my body.

I didn’t know if it was because I slept cold while camping the day before, but I felt a slight chill in my body, which might be the beginning of a cold.

Ah… If I could use Yomryun Skill, I wouldn’t have to worry about a cold…

It’s a shame that I fell into a world where I can’t get even a handful of Inner Force.

“Indeed… Your Holiness’s benevolence is as deep as I’ve heard.”

Pietro said, seemingly moved, and I frowned involuntarily.

“As you’ve heard… you say.”

“Ah, the Order periodically sends out official documents summarizing Your Holiness’s activities.”

?????

“Ah… I see. I’ve never seen them before.”

I gripped the teacup tightly.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Pietro said with an innocent face, and I smiled at him through gritted teeth.

When I get back to the Order, I’ll have to tell them to get my confirmation when they make things like that.

With the Pope’s fussiness, I have a strong feeling that he would have added unnecessary details.

“Yes, if there are any official documents left, could you have my attendants deliver them to me tonight?”

“Of course. I can give them to you right now.”

“Ah, I see. Sister Maria. Please take care of it.”

Pietro took out a bundle of papers from the drawer, and Maria took them.

After that, Pietro and I had various conversations.

We mainly talked about faith, but I remembered his daily life that came up from time to time more than that.

By the time the conversation was over, the tea in the teacup had cooled.

“I think I got too excited and talked too much. I never thought I would see Your Holiness with my own eyes in my life.”

Pietro smiled awkwardly as he got up from his seat to prepare to leave.

Looking at his innocent face, I smiled genuinely for the first time.

“You’ll be seeing me often while I’m here. Aren’t you coming to the relief efforts tomorrow too?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What kind of activities are you doing tomorrow?”

“We plan to distribute food to the starving people. If we combine the food that Your Holiness brought with the food that our church has, we will be able to help many people.”

“I see. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow. The village representative said he’s coming tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, he asked me to apologize to Your Holiness for having to leave his seat due to a sudden matter.”

“I see. Anyway, I understand. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Pietro continued to see me off even as the carriage I was in moved away.

I saw his receding figure through the window at the back of the carriage.

Was it because I had a long conversation with Pietro? The crowd that had filled the street had disappeared.

I was worried that they would continue to gather, but it seems like it was an unnecessary worry.

-Clop clop

The sound of hooves was heard as we drove down the road.

Leaning back in the carriage that was shaking up and down, I said to Maria.

“Sister Maria. Do you have any errand runners here?”

“Errand runners, you mean…”

She tilted her head, as if thinking about the meaning of my question.

“Someone who can simply find out information.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Then, can you send someone to the nearby Alvainin Village to check on how a child named Antonio is doing?”

“Antonio? If it’s Antonio… are you talking about the child who asked you a question last time, Your Holiness?”

“You remember. Yes, I heard that he couldn’t adapt to the Order life and returned to his hometown, and that child is from Alvainin.”

The carriage turned a corner, and Maria and I leaned slightly to the right.

Her chest heaved.

“Yes, I will send someone as soon as we arrive at the accommodation.”

“And… could you read the contents of the official document that Priest Pietro gave me earlier?”

“Ah, just a moment.”

Maria rummaged through her bag and took out the official document.

She flipped through the document a few times and then began to read a suitable passage.

“On X month X day, when Your Holiness blessed the lunch, the food of everyone in the dining hall became warm, and the flavor was enhanced.”

…?

What did I just hear?

Maria, who had read the official document, also looked at me with a dubious expression.

“Your Holiness… did you perform such a miracle when I was away?”

“……..”

I’ll have to argue with the Pope when I get back.

At this rate, they’ll say I made grenades out of pine cones too.