No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 56

EP.56 Belief and Reality (8)

Looking down at the golden-haired girl in her arms, Ria was struck silent.

Her golden hair, like strands of thread, glowed in the light streaming down from the sky.

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

Her face slowly turned toward Ria.

It was an expression Ria rarely saw. Her eyes were deeply serious, yet they weren’t frightened, disgusted, or irritated in the least.

Those eyes, as clear as a lake so transparent that the depths could be seen, gazed steadily at Ria.

“Ria,” Anna said.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s go.”

The certainty in her voice was undeniable.

It was as though only she could do this here and now, as if it were her sole responsibility.

Just like when she rushed to help the injured, Anna was the same even now.

Perhaps that was why Ria could trust her.

Even when Anna’s expression seemed to carry some doubt, whenever she felt certain of something, even if it meant bending her own beliefs, Anna always did what she knew was right.

And even now, she did.

Without refusing the divine power, which often dispersed around her, Anna fully embraced it, and in her hand, she held nothing less than divinity itself.

“————!”

When the black sphere, the enormous eye, was purified, Anna saw a brilliant light like nothing she had ever seen before.

It was so bright, yet it rejected nothing. A warmth so pure it felt as though it could embrace everything in the world.

“….”

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

“Anna?”

Ria spoke softly to Anna, who had collapsed into her arms with her eyes closed, but only the sound of steady breathing responded.

At least, it seemed her body was fine.

Ria sheathed her sword and gently picked up Anna. The sword didn’t seem necessary now.

Ria looked around.

What met her eyes was white sand.

Perhaps after magic had passed over this place, no life could return. It was as if they had stumbled upon a beach in the middle of a forest.

But with time, it would likely heal.

After all, it was the power of the gods. The divine power, no less.

“..….”

She looked up at the sky.

The gray clouds slowly parted, and light bathed both Ria and Anna in her arms.

“Even after seeing all this, you still don’t think she’s the saintess?”

Ria muttered in disbelief, a soft laugh escaping her.

Of course, there was no answer.

“…She’s light.”

Despite Ria feeding her so much, Anna was still light.

What she carried in that small body was the weight of being loved by the gods.

Now, Ria understood why Anna didn’t want this power.

It wasn’t a power anyone could easily accept. The gods must have known that Anna would act this way, which is why this power was bestowed on her.

It was a power that made becoming a saintess seem inevitable. A light so powerful that it would make anyone feel secure just by standing beside her, no matter what evil emerged.

But at the same time, it was a power that always required her to be by the side of those who were wounded, to be where the fiercest battles took place.

If it were anyone else, they might reject that role— but Anna wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

Because, in front of the gods, her belief was firm. She could proudly say that the only sin she had committed was not trusting them.

Ria began walking across the sandy beach.

On the way back, her thoughts were more complicated than usual.

*

After a few hours of deep sleep, I woke up and immediately began assessing the situation.

First, I was safe, and so was Ria. The hunters had confirmed that the magical mass was completely obliterated. They had even witnessed the blinding light of divine power I had unleashed.

That, undoubtedly, would be reported to the church. It wasn’t ideal, but there was no way to stop it. The only choice was to accept the circumstances.

“Are you thinking of becoming a saintess?”

“Hmm… Honestly, I don’t want to. The fact that I’m still considered a saintess candidate? I don’t like that at all.”

I replied while unwrapping a small chocolate Ria handed me and popping it into my mouth.

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

“…Really?”

Ria’s response came a little slower than usual. Not that it had to be immediate, but still.

“Well, now that I think about it, I’ve bent my own beliefs more than once. And I’ve got enough sense not to say something insensitive to someone struggling.”

“Is that so?”

I tilted my head slightly.

“Do you… not like the idea of me becoming a saintess?”

“Hmm, no, it’s not that. …But shouldn’t it be something you want for yourself?”

The problem was that I might end up becoming a saintess even if I didn’t want to. Judging by the way the hunters were looking at me, avoiding that might not be an option.

I had wanted to enjoy my life a little after ending up as a pretty girl—maybe even try dating, and obviously, with a girl, not a guy.

I hadn’t dared to hope for a romance with one of the heroines. After all, I wasn’t someone who would live in this world forever. Someday, at the right age, I’d meet someone, try dating… Well, who knows what would happen with marriage.

But if I became a saintess, all of that would be out the window, wouldn’t it?

“…Anyway.”

Sensing the conversation was veering into heavy territory, I decided to change the subject.

“What about the goblins? What did they say?”

“They were bowing in the direction of the white light,” Ria replied.

“….”

“They’re not exactly speaking yet, but when I carried you past them, they were lying flat on the ground.”

Hmm.

Let’s drop this topic too.

I didn’t want to dig any deeper. The goblins… Well, the Hunter Association could deal with them. They’d handled the magical mass, so they’d likely drive the goblins away or figure something out.

I sighed softly.

In the end, all my plans had fallen apart. Not that they were well-thought-out plans to begin with—more like a desperate attempt to run away somewhere.

But as new situations arose and derailed things, my plans kept shifting, and eventually, everything ended up in shambles.

Still, whoever had sent me here must have anticipated as much.

I glanced toward Ria.

She was leaning against the railing, lost in thought.

Ah, damn it, she really looked stunning. Of course, she was the heroine, after all.

If she weren’t so good at teasing me, I might’ve been in a lot more trouble in more ways than one. Honestly, even now, I felt a little uneasy. But hey, just because there’s a pretty girl in your class doesn’t mean you’re automatically going to like her, right?

In any case, it wasn’t something that had anything to do with me.

Ria must have remembered something as she looked my way, and our eyes met. She smiled faintly.

“What?”

“Nothing, really.”

As I fumbled for a way to brush it off, I suddenly remembered there was something I hadn’t said.

“…Thank you,” I said.

“Huh?”

“For trusting me and coming along. Thank you. …If no one had come, things could’ve gotten really bad.”

“…Is that so?”

Ria looked at me intently and then spoke.

“Was that something the gods told you as well?”

“…...”

What could I even say?

If the entity up above truly was the one who had written that story, then perhaps it was true. Even though this world was different, it was also undeniably a world I was meant to be in.

In that case, ironically, I would be the one who had heard the prophecy.

Though, the story didn’t seem to be progressing the way I remembered. I hadn’t even reached the starting point of the tale yet.

I put another piece of chocolate in my mouth, letting it rest on my tongue as I savored its sweetness with a slight hint of bitterness.

Honestly, I was still a bit hungry. It seemed like divine power consumed a significant amount of my physical energy.

…But for some reason, I didn’t feel like eating much right now. I was tired, both physically and mentally.

Now that I had a grasp of the situation, maybe it was time to head to bed.

“Anna, let me ask you something,” Ria said.

“Yes?”

“As a saintess candidate, how far can you travel? I’ve heard bits and pieces, but I’m curious.”

“Hmm.”

The basics were simple: candidates were sent on missions. These missions typically involved volunteer work. The church designated places for group volunteer activities, but I could freely choose one location to visit, whenever I wanted. The scale of the mission was also within my discretion.

That said, it wasn’t as if I could go anywhere in the country.

Once someone became an official saintess and committed to living in the church, they’d have designated free time. As long as they didn’t cross certain lines, they could wander outside and return before nightfall.

So, it wasn’t exactly a special privilege—

But for someone like me, the situation was a bit different.

After hearing my explanation, Ria nodded thoughtfully.

“…Why do you ask?”

I grew slightly uneasy and asked cautiously.

“Oh, nothing. Isn’t it a good thing to have more places you can go? The Hunter Association isn’t confined to just the mountains, after all.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. You’re probably tired. Should we head in and rest?”

…Was it just my imagination, or did that sound oddly suspicious? Maybe I was just overthinking things.

Following Ria as she turned and started walking back, I shrugged my shoulders slightly.