episode_0242

But is it okay for me, a saint, to come forward myself?

I stood up confidently and sat down again, sighing as a new thought occurred to me.

“… Let’s think about it a little more.”

I sat down again and slowly read the report that Mae had brought me.

Ten flaccid legs, and a long, sharp body like a spear blade… . An unidentified shadow with such incredible speed that it appears for a moment and then disappears the moment you blink.

“… … .”

An unidentified shadow appeared in the sky. Since this is a world where everything from griffons to wyverns and dragons exist, it is not strange for a huge shadow to appear in the sky.

However, the description written in this report did not match any of the characteristics of the monsters and creatures flying in the sky.

When I roughly drew it based on the written explanation, it looked similar to a squid, but squid cannot fly. It’s common sense.

A squid flying in the sky. Is he a relative of the green ancient god who has a human body, an octopus head, and bat wings?

“… What on earth is this?”

Could it be a new monster that has never been discovered? Umm… . The place where it was discovered was near the sea… .

Certainly not many monsters have been discovered near the sea. Even in modern times, the sea is said to be an unknown territory. Is this any different? If I added it, it would have added more.

I blinked at the crooked picture drawn on the parchment as explained in the report that Mae brought me, then sighed and leaned back on the chair.

“The sea… .”

After being called a saint and becoming a key figure and pillar of the country, I have only been able to go outside the cathedral, let alone outside the kingdom… .

… I absolutely do not regret becoming a saint. Even though she wasn’t a saint because she wanted to, she was able to protect many people because she had this power.

But it was a little frustrating. Compared to my previous life, where I spent my entire life in a hospital bed, I feel grateful just to be able to move like this, but people’s greed is not like that.

“Sea… .”

As I was weighing responsibility and desire, I quietly stretched out my hand to let go of my desire. No, I stopped for a moment while trying to stretch.

No, wait… . Wouldn’t it be okay to do it once? No, let alone leaving, if the country has normalized and the international situation has become this stable, wouldn’t it be okay to at least talk about it?

It’s been 10 years. After working hard for 10 years, wouldn’t it be okay to ask for a little vacation as a little reward?

“Umm.”

The justification has already been given. The story of a griffon that was pushed down to the southeast, a wyvern that follows him, and a dragon.

The emergence of a hero who eliminated them all and resolved a situation that could have easily caused chaos.

Plus, this time, an unidentified black shadow appeared in the sea.

“At the same time as praising and blessing the hero, even investigating or eradicating the black shadow that appears in the sea… .”

“What are you mumbling about?”

When I raised my head at the sound of a voice that brought me out of my deep thoughts, I made eye contact with a blonde nun with a soft smile.

Even though I hadn’t committed any particular crime, I felt like all the blood was draining from my body, and I let out a scream without realizing it.

“Haaaa!? Te, Sister Theodora! Hey, I’d be surprised if you approached me without even pretending to be popular!”

“Oh my… . I must have been outside the door, knocking on it for five minutes and waiting for the saint’s answer. There was no mention of him going somewhere, but since there was no response for 5 minutes, I wondered if something had happened――”

Ah, the nagging has begun. My intuition, developed through 10 years of sainthood, rang an alarm, and I immediately waved my hand and silenced Sister Theodora.

“Ah, I understand! I couldn’t react because I had something to think about for a moment! I’m sorry!”

“Hehe. There’s no need to apologize like that. I was a little mischievous too. I’m sorry, saint.”

“You can just call me Seria… .”

Theodora just smiled bitterly at my words.

Because I knew very well what that reaction meant, I couldn’t say anything and just smiled.

“Hmm… . So, can you tell us what you were thinking so hard about?”

“Ah… . Umm… .”

Is it okay to say this? Wouldn’t it be a nuisance? Wouldn’t it be difficult if I were to disappear?

When the time came to speak, all I had to do was clear away the thoughts that were pouring in like a tide and speak out.

Maybe it would be better to just not say anything… .

“Anyone――”

“Your face is nothing.”

“… … .”

I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut as the words struck me straight. What should I say in times like this?

As I mumbled and thought about words in my head, Theodora sat down next to me and gently hugged my head.

“It’s okay. Think slowly. No one is chasing me. No one gets angry.”

I closed my eyes for a moment listening to that soothing voice, then slowly opened my mouth.

“… I want to go to the sea.”

“Sea… . Are you talking about it?”

“Yes. No, can I?”

I said that and lowered my eyes. Because I expected it wouldn’t work anyway.

just as expected. Ms. Theodora let go of me, who was quietly holding me, after hearing my words, and stood up.

Well then. There is no way an executive who is a pillar of the country can go wherever he wants to go.

“Saint.”

“… Yes.”

“It has already been 11 years since the dangerous kingdom fell and was reunited under the name of a saint and a holy nation.”

“That’s right.”

“In the meantime, we have been improving ourselves by looking at the disappeared kingdom as a mirror. We have dreamed of eradicating corruption, establishing the foundation of the country with citizens rather than being ruled by the privileged, and creating a country that can stand on its own rather than relying on someone else.”

If you’re going to refuse, shouldn’t you just say no clearly? . I even thought about that for a moment.

The more Theodora spoke, the more I felt that it was not simply a refusal.

“Of course, without the saint’s help, we would have collapsed before we could stand up on our own. A collapsed country with weakened citizens would have seemed like perfect prey to neighboring countries.”

“… … ?”

“But not now. We have all been able to stand up on our own, and even if someone falls, we have become people who can reach out to that fallen person.”

“That means… .”

At my words, Theodora smiled warmly and extended her hand to me.

“Thank you for being our pillar for a long time. Now, we will become the pillars that support the saint and a place for her to return, so please do as you wish.”

“So… . Does that mean you don’t need me anymore… ?”

That’s a little sad… .

After hearing what I said, Theodora looked at me with a shocked expression on her face, then sighed, washed her face, looked at the door with a rough face, and said,

“Ha… . So, I told you. Even if I say it in a roundabout way, the saint will interpret it in a negative way?”

I blinked at those words and followed Theodora’s gaze towards the door.

There, the leader of the Holy Knights, the archbishop, and the bishop were looking at us through the gap in the door.

As soon as their eyes met, they fell forward, and the door creaked open, revealing those on the other side.

“Bishop… ? archbishop… ?”

“Uhm. Hmm… . No, this is… . The bishop told me to do this because he was good at writing, but I never thought things would turn out this way… .”

“No, I just wanted to say it out loud, but the archbishop said that even if it was just a formality, these things were important――”

“Uh-huh! I thought it was just a congratulatory speech, but it was the bishop who expanded it and wrote it in such a complicated way!”

“No, Archbishop, are you going to come out like this!?”

“First of all… ! Both of you, please get out of my way… !!”

The two people, who were close friends, were fighting and avoiding eye contact, as if they were embarrassed to have been caught like this, and the leader of the Holy Knights, who was at the bottom, made a groaning sound and waved his hands.

I, who was naturally relaxed at the sight of her as usual, looked at the three people with a grin on her face, while Theodora sighed and shouted.

“Don’t make noise here, go out and do it!!”

“Uhm. Umm… . I’m sorry. Sorry, saint.”

“Hmm. Um.”

“Oh my waist… .”

The three people then stood up and looked at me, and I looked at them.

The archbishop was the first to speak. The archbishop said with a kind smile that put my heart at ease.

“Saint. Please do not feel burdened and rest comfortably.”

Next was the bishop. The bishop, who lightly adjusted his glasses, conveyed his thoughts in a firm but warm tone.

“I have already told you what I wanted to say, so I will tell you straight. Think of it as a vacation and go there with peace of mind. We still need you, so don’t think you are being abandoned.”

“The words are long.”

” Archbishop, please be quiet.”

Next was the leader of the Holy Knights. He said, scratching his head.

“I will follow you to the escort station anyway, so I won’t say anything else. Thank you for your continued support.”

The last one was Ms. Theodora. She said, lightly stroking my head.

“Please come back before winter. Winter is not suitable weather for traveling.”

I gaped at their words.

I thought I shouldn’t cry, but it wasn’t easy to control my emotions.

“… Yes!!”

But somehow I was able to smile.

“Bishop! Isn’t the saint crying! Let me do something!!”

” Archbishop, shut up! If you think about it, isn’t it because of the Archbishop?”

“No, why is this because of me!”

“Both of you, be quiet!!”

is not it… ?