On the way back to the temple.
I accidentally ended up in the Pope's carriage.
Of course, it was not my own will, but rather the Pope's strong request.
“This old man is lonely. It’s been so long since I’ve been out that I must be lonely riding in a carriage alone. So please, Saintess, don’t refuse this old man’s request.”
Although he said that, his face was full of concern and worry about me.
I guess he thought I would be in a state of confusion since something like that had happened a little while ago.
As expected, the Pope coaxed and comforted me the whole way in the carriage.
“You don’t have to worry about anything, Saintess. I will absolutely not let this incident go unnoticed. I will thoroughly investigate who dared to commit such a brazen act and for what purpose, and I will punish them severely.”
“I am fine, Your Holiness. The goddess is always protecting me. Please take care of your body and mind as well. I am worried that you might harm your health because of me.”
I said this with a calm smile, but the Pope still seemed uneasy, and his expression did not soften.
After continuing this uncomfortable companionship for a while, I spoke as soon as I arrived at the temple.
“Then I will go back to my room first, Your Holiness. You must be tired after being out for so long, so please get some rest.”
“Yes, Saintess, please stop worrying about this old man and get some rest.”
“Yes, then. That’s all.”
I bowed my head politely and headed to my room with my back straight as usual.
As if I didn't care at all about that weird plant and the evil words written on it.
But that confidence didn't last long.
“Delton!”
As soon as I opened the door, I cried out Delton's name.
Then, Delton, who was lying on the carpet, happily eating some snacks, got up in surprise.
“Oh, no, I didn’t steal it or threaten them or anything, it was a maid named Martha who gave it to me! It’s an apology for what happened last time! Why, you know? The girl who was licking the priest’s mouth in the forest last time!”
It was quite funny to see him making excuses for his numb feet when no one had asked, but now was not the time to react.
“Whether you hid the candy or stole it, that’s not the issue now! We’re in big trouble!”
When he shouted, “No, I didn’t really steal it!” Delton waved his hand but then realized something was strange and asked with a serious expression.
“Why, what’s going on? Why did the kid who was excited about going home after a long time come back so pensive?”
“Ha...That’s right, Delton.”
I grabbed Delton, who was looking puzzled, and started rambling about what had happened that day.
Delton, who had been listening to my story with a serious face, opened his eyes wide and asked.
“What? So, someone has figured out your identity?”
“It seems like that for now... I don’t know, well. It might really be the goddess’s will.”
The delicate plants sprouting through the solid stone floor and even the writing appearing on the intact leaves were things that would have been difficult for humans to accomplish.
But Delton was resolute.
“It’s not Hethel.”
“How can you be so sure? To be honest, I’m indeed a fake Saintess. Maybe the goddess is angry at me for pretending to be a Saintess and is giving me a revelation...”
“Well, I said no. Even though you impersonated a Saintess, you didn’t really gain anything from it. Rather, you helped Hethel by appeasing her unstable faith and even suppressing heresy. And if that’s really what Hethel did, I won’t forgive her!”
I stared blankly at Delton, who was growling and clenching his fists.
How dare you defy the goddess for the sake of me.
I've said many times that 'we are a community with a shared destiny', but in reality, it was all just lip service for my convenience.
To avoid being executed as a Saintess impersonator.
To survive the Crown Prince who threatens me to maintain my position as a Saintess at all costs.
But did Delton take those words seriously?
'Come to think of it, you came running in an instant last time when the assassin came.'
The sight of him growling, “How dare you...” while crushing the assassin who was after me was the most menacing sight I had ever seen of Delton.
'If we were just simple partners, he wouldn't have been that angry.'
As I thought about it, a part of my chest began to feel tight, and an indescribable emotion came over me.
Although we may have started out as business partners out of mutual need, it's not like that anymore. I don't know when it started, but Delton and I seem to have developed a pretty strong bond.
‘Without even knowing that, I kept calling him a pig and harassing him...’
I reflected on my past rudeness to Delton and promised myself that I would treat him to a special dessert today.
A dessert prepared by the Duke's family.
I was thinking of giving the entire dessert to Marca, saving a little for him, and saving the rest for later.
'You think of me this much, so is that all I can do?'
But.
“There is a contract period, and after five years, she came out of hiding, and she should have come to me first. What is she doing? I will never forgive her!”
“...”
I stared at Delton with cold eyes.
'Then that's right.'
What great loyalty is there in a relationship that consists of a few cookies?
“But what’s that box? It smells sweet, so it must be...”
“It’s mine, so don’t look at it with your eyes. If you steal even one, I’ll blow your cover about Delton gossiping about the goddess.”
I sighed and hid the box of desserts deep in the closet.
The next day.
I received the Pope's call early in the morning and hurried to the reception room.
In the elegant reception room, not only the Pope but also the Emperor and the Crown Prince had already arrived and taken their seats.
“You have called, Your Holiness.”
“Come, Saintess. Come and sit down.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
As I sat down on the sofa as he had suggested, the Pope, as if he had been waiting, got to the point.
“The results of the investigation into the strange plant came out yesterday.”
“Already?”
My eyes widened.
The Pope told me not to worry because he would investigate with all his might, but I never thought it would be revealed this quickly.
As I looked at him with sparkling eyes, the Pope quickly continued speaking.
“That strange plant is said to be a tropical plant that lives on the Eastern Continent. It is a special plant that shrinks to the size of a fingertip at night and swells to thousands of times its size during the day.”
“Are you saying that the size changes depending on the day and night? Then maybe...”
“Yes, that plant was probably planted secretly by someone in the early morning. It just got smaller and went unnoticed by people.”
“Oh, so everyone said they weren’t there until 6 in the morning...”
“Yes, it was only when the plant grew larger during the day that people noticed it. To those who were unaware of the fact, it would have seemed like it had suddenly sprouted.”
“Then what happened to the thing that broke through the stone floor?”
The Pope laughed at my question.
“It was probably planted in the dirt between the rocks. As it grew, its stems grew thicker and covered the ground, so it looked like it was poking through the rocks. And the letters written on the leaves were...”
The Pope bit his lower lip for a moment, then met my gaze and opened his mouth.
“It was a drug application.”
“Drugs?”
“Yes, they said that they applied a thin layer of heat-sensitive medicine to the leaves. The words appeared when the medicine ignited under sunlight.”
“What the...”
I looked at him with a look of disappointment at having fallen for such a shallow trick, but soon I felt relieved.
That means I didn't incur the goddess's wrath.
'Oh my, I really thought I was going to get punished by heaven.'
As I was brushing away my surprised feelings, the Emperor asked with a dumbfounded face.
“Are you saying that someone was trying to deceive people and put the Saintess in danger? What kind of a fool would do something like that!”
It was only then that I came to my senses.
'Yeah, now is not the time to be feeling relieved.'
I'm glad it wasn't a revelation from the goddess, but the fact remains that someone is trying to shake my position.
‘What kind of killers are these...’
The moment I was growling inwardly, the Crown Prince muttered as if talking to himself.
“The remnants of the Ibis Church.”
For a moment, I froze.
'Yeah, there were those guys.'
Although there was no specific evidence, I also had a feeling that they might be the culprits of this incident.
'There is no other group that would dare to come out of a small boat and aim for a Saintess.
Just then, I was biting my lip as I recalled those I had briefly forgotten about.
“Your Holiness! We’re in trouble!”
Oh, here we go again.
I let out a sigh as if the ground was sinking as I watched the temple servant rush in without even knocking.
I accidentally ended up in the Pope's carriage.
Of course, it was not my own will, but rather the Pope's strong request.
“This old man is lonely. It’s been so long since I’ve been out that I must be lonely riding in a carriage alone. So please, Saintess, don’t refuse this old man’s request.”
Although he said that, his face was full of concern and worry about me.
I guess he thought I would be in a state of confusion since something like that had happened a little while ago.
As expected, the Pope coaxed and comforted me the whole way in the carriage.
“You don’t have to worry about anything, Saintess. I will absolutely not let this incident go unnoticed. I will thoroughly investigate who dared to commit such a brazen act and for what purpose, and I will punish them severely.”
“I am fine, Your Holiness. The goddess is always protecting me. Please take care of your body and mind as well. I am worried that you might harm your health because of me.”
I said this with a calm smile, but the Pope still seemed uneasy, and his expression did not soften.
After continuing this uncomfortable companionship for a while, I spoke as soon as I arrived at the temple.
“Then I will go back to my room first, Your Holiness. You must be tired after being out for so long, so please get some rest.”
“Yes, Saintess, please stop worrying about this old man and get some rest.”
“Yes, then. That’s all.”
I bowed my head politely and headed to my room with my back straight as usual.
As if I didn't care at all about that weird plant and the evil words written on it.
But that confidence didn't last long.
“Delton!”
As soon as I opened the door, I cried out Delton's name.
Then, Delton, who was lying on the carpet, happily eating some snacks, got up in surprise.
“Oh, no, I didn’t steal it or threaten them or anything, it was a maid named Martha who gave it to me! It’s an apology for what happened last time! Why, you know? The girl who was licking the priest’s mouth in the forest last time!”
It was quite funny to see him making excuses for his numb feet when no one had asked, but now was not the time to react.
“Whether you hid the candy or stole it, that’s not the issue now! We’re in big trouble!”
When he shouted, “No, I didn’t really steal it!” Delton waved his hand but then realized something was strange and asked with a serious expression.
“Why, what’s going on? Why did the kid who was excited about going home after a long time come back so pensive?”
“Ha...That’s right, Delton.”
I grabbed Delton, who was looking puzzled, and started rambling about what had happened that day.
Delton, who had been listening to my story with a serious face, opened his eyes wide and asked.
“What? So, someone has figured out your identity?”
“It seems like that for now... I don’t know, well. It might really be the goddess’s will.”
The delicate plants sprouting through the solid stone floor and even the writing appearing on the intact leaves were things that would have been difficult for humans to accomplish.
But Delton was resolute.
“It’s not Hethel.”
“How can you be so sure? To be honest, I’m indeed a fake Saintess. Maybe the goddess is angry at me for pretending to be a Saintess and is giving me a revelation...”
“Well, I said no. Even though you impersonated a Saintess, you didn’t really gain anything from it. Rather, you helped Hethel by appeasing her unstable faith and even suppressing heresy. And if that’s really what Hethel did, I won’t forgive her!”
I stared blankly at Delton, who was growling and clenching his fists.
How dare you defy the goddess for the sake of me.
I've said many times that 'we are a community with a shared destiny', but in reality, it was all just lip service for my convenience.
To avoid being executed as a Saintess impersonator.
To survive the Crown Prince who threatens me to maintain my position as a Saintess at all costs.
But did Delton take those words seriously?
'Come to think of it, you came running in an instant last time when the assassin came.'
The sight of him growling, “How dare you...” while crushing the assassin who was after me was the most menacing sight I had ever seen of Delton.
'If we were just simple partners, he wouldn't have been that angry.'
As I thought about it, a part of my chest began to feel tight, and an indescribable emotion came over me.
Although we may have started out as business partners out of mutual need, it's not like that anymore. I don't know when it started, but Delton and I seem to have developed a pretty strong bond.
‘Without even knowing that, I kept calling him a pig and harassing him...’
I reflected on my past rudeness to Delton and promised myself that I would treat him to a special dessert today.
A dessert prepared by the Duke's family.
I was thinking of giving the entire dessert to Marca, saving a little for him, and saving the rest for later.
'You think of me this much, so is that all I can do?'
But.
“There is a contract period, and after five years, she came out of hiding, and she should have come to me first. What is she doing? I will never forgive her!”
“...”
I stared at Delton with cold eyes.
'Then that's right.'
What great loyalty is there in a relationship that consists of a few cookies?
“But what’s that box? It smells sweet, so it must be...”
“It’s mine, so don’t look at it with your eyes. If you steal even one, I’ll blow your cover about Delton gossiping about the goddess.”
I sighed and hid the box of desserts deep in the closet.
***
The next day.
I received the Pope's call early in the morning and hurried to the reception room.
In the elegant reception room, not only the Pope but also the Emperor and the Crown Prince had already arrived and taken their seats.
“You have called, Your Holiness.”
“Come, Saintess. Come and sit down.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
As I sat down on the sofa as he had suggested, the Pope, as if he had been waiting, got to the point.
“The results of the investigation into the strange plant came out yesterday.”
“Already?”
My eyes widened.
The Pope told me not to worry because he would investigate with all his might, but I never thought it would be revealed this quickly.
As I looked at him with sparkling eyes, the Pope quickly continued speaking.
“That strange plant is said to be a tropical plant that lives on the Eastern Continent. It is a special plant that shrinks to the size of a fingertip at night and swells to thousands of times its size during the day.”
“Are you saying that the size changes depending on the day and night? Then maybe...”
“Yes, that plant was probably planted secretly by someone in the early morning. It just got smaller and went unnoticed by people.”
“Oh, so everyone said they weren’t there until 6 in the morning...”
“Yes, it was only when the plant grew larger during the day that people noticed it. To those who were unaware of the fact, it would have seemed like it had suddenly sprouted.”
“Then what happened to the thing that broke through the stone floor?”
The Pope laughed at my question.
“It was probably planted in the dirt between the rocks. As it grew, its stems grew thicker and covered the ground, so it looked like it was poking through the rocks. And the letters written on the leaves were...”
The Pope bit his lower lip for a moment, then met my gaze and opened his mouth.
“It was a drug application.”
“Drugs?”
“Yes, they said that they applied a thin layer of heat-sensitive medicine to the leaves. The words appeared when the medicine ignited under sunlight.”
“What the...”
I looked at him with a look of disappointment at having fallen for such a shallow trick, but soon I felt relieved.
That means I didn't incur the goddess's wrath.
'Oh my, I really thought I was going to get punished by heaven.'
As I was brushing away my surprised feelings, the Emperor asked with a dumbfounded face.
“Are you saying that someone was trying to deceive people and put the Saintess in danger? What kind of a fool would do something like that!”
It was only then that I came to my senses.
'Yeah, now is not the time to be feeling relieved.'
I'm glad it wasn't a revelation from the goddess, but the fact remains that someone is trying to shake my position.
‘What kind of killers are these...’
The moment I was growling inwardly, the Crown Prince muttered as if talking to himself.
“The remnants of the Ibis Church.”
For a moment, I froze.
'Yeah, there were those guys.'
Although there was no specific evidence, I also had a feeling that they might be the culprits of this incident.
'There is no other group that would dare to come out of a small boat and aim for a Saintess.
Just then, I was biting my lip as I recalled those I had briefly forgotten about.
“Your Holiness! We’re in trouble!”
Oh, here we go again.
I let out a sigh as if the ground was sinking as I watched the temple servant rush in without even knocking.
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