No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 62

EP.62 Friendship and Relationship (6)

The research institute, though labeled as such, was more like a storage facility packed with materials from beyond the Gate.

Granted, they were being stored for study, but some of the items were even alive—at least in a cellular sense. It was reminiscent of that case in the U.S., where a hospital continued cultivating cancer cells taken from a patient without consent. Similarly, this facility housed an array of cultivated cells, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were bacterial strains.

I could see why this place was located far from the city and why the surrounding security was as strict as a military base.

“That said, it seems a bit inadequate for storing holy relics,” I commented casually to the professor.

“If any demonic cells came into contact with divine power, they’d vanish immediately.”

“Of course,” the professor replied with a smile, nodding in agreement. “However, the institute is vast, and there are various methods to shield against ‘light.’ For instance, you brought your relic wrapped in handkerchiefs, didn’t you, Sister Anna?”

Hmm… Sometime during our conversation, “Sister Anna” had been promoted to “Saintess Candidate.”

Well, in the professor’s eyes, I must have looked like a real Saintess. After all, the church was extremely protective of their relics. Even if someone wanted to examine them for research purposes, they were rarely granted access.

To the church, attempting to decipher the sacred through science likely seemed blasphemous.

Still, phenomena were phenomena. If holy relics only existed as oral traditions, scientists probably wouldn’t care. But with relics capable of healing the sick or nullifying magic, their eagerness to study them was understandable.

“…Please ensure that the relic is stored discreetly. Especially, avoid any external exposure,” I warned cautiously.

“Of course,” the professor replied, her expression instantly becoming serious. “I have no intention of letting the church take this away from me.”

Holy relics weren’t extraordinarily rare. Even a Saintess Candidate, though not on my level, could create items imbued with divine power—such as consecrated weapons or armor. Even holy water, which bordered on being a relic itself, was relatively accessible.

But the church had its own perspective. Divine power was sacred because it was divine. If an artifact infused with that power slipped from their control, they would undoubtedly be enraged.

And if they knew I was the one who made it? I couldn’t predict how they’d react.

“That’s why I ask—would it be possible to see how the relic is being stored? I’m a bit concerned about its safety.”

“Hmm… Is that so…”

The professor tilted her head thoughtfully.

It was only natural, but neither Ria nor I had told her this place was about to be raided.

Even in a world steeped in religion, individuals claiming to have received prophecies were rare.

Unlike divine power, which didn’t register on digital recordings but had tangible effects, prophecies… well, they couldn’t be proven. Even if they turned out to be accurate later, who could say whether it was by chance? Unless someone profoundly believed in the divine, they wouldn’t trust it.

Even I was no exception.

A prophecy? Ridiculous. Even if someone appeared before me, wielding far greater divine power, with a halo glowing behind their head, I wouldn’t believe them in the slightest.

…Although, in a way, my actions now could be seen as following a predetermined future.

But that’s different.

Right?

“Well, as long as I keep quiet, no one will know,” I thought to myself.

“Understood. I imagine you won’t feel assured until you’ve seen the facility for yourself. Besides, many of the well-known items stored here are already public knowledge,” the professor said.

Hearing that, I clenched my fist slightly, stealing a glance toward Ria.

Ria, who had been meticulously scanning the surroundings as I had requested, shook her head in disbelief when our eyes met.

What’s with her? She believed me not long ago.

…

Ria always trusted my words. Though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason behind her faith, it wasn’t just blind devotion. Still, deceiving her with talks of prophecies felt a little wrong.

“By the way, I must say, Saintess Candidate, you’ve truly impressed me,” the professor remarked.

“Pardon?” I quickly turned my attention back to her.

“Most deeply devout individuals rarely reach out with an interest in studying divine power. It’s quite rare.”

“There are those who promise cooperation initially,” the professor continued, “but they often change their stance midway. Perhaps due to pressure from higher-ups. That’s why I’m grateful that someone like you, Saintess Candidate, directly approached us first.”

…

This was starting to prick at my conscience in a different way.

Of course, there were reasons for such reluctance. While not everyone with divine power is a cleric, those who possess enough divine power to be deemed worth researching are often affiliated with the church. Even if they aren’t, few people are willing to volunteer themselves as test subjects.

I wasn’t one of them either.

The relic I brought wasn’t even for research purposes.

For the record, the church had granted me permission under the pretense that it was a divine revelation. They didn’t even escalate the matter to higher authorities.

… Lies upon lies.

Would I be punished for this later?

As I pondered this silently, a faint light brightened my field of vision.

I waved my hand slightly, dispersing the divine power.

When the professor turned to check, it had already dissipated, leaving her none the wiser.

…

However, Ria, who was walking beside me, had seen it.

*

The storage vault at the deepest part of the research facility was far cleaner than I had anticipated.

It resembled more of a museum than a warehouse, just as it had been described in the novel.

Every item was housed in a large glass case. The cases, uniform in size, seemed custom-ordered in bulk, regardless of whether the items inside were large or small.

Some cases held tiny stones, while others displayed what looked like beast fangs. There were reptilian scales with an opalescent sheen, skulls of creatures with a single eye socket, and even the preserved head of some enormous reptile—whether it was a dinosaur or just a massive lizard, I couldn’t tell.

Amidst the unorganized array of items, one stood out distinctly.

I hadn’t seen it myself before, but the descriptions in the web novel were enough to draw my attention.

I walked straight toward it.

“Ah, as expected. You’ve got a keen eye,” the professor said, following me. “If someone were to ask which item in this vault is the most valuable, everyone here would undoubtedly choose this. It might even outweigh the rest combined. Well, except for the relic you brought, of course!”

You didn’t need to reassure me—I wasn’t planning to take it.

“What is this? I don’t recall hearing any mentions of it outside,” I asked.

When I asked with an innocent expression, the professor quickly regained her composure and cleared her throat.

“This… this is an artifact brought back by a hunter who risked their life beyond a now-closed gate. The concentration of magical energy in this item is so immense that even we can’t begin to measure it.”

A lie.

Well, partly a lie.

The part about being unable to gauge the concentration of magical energy was true. Without the thick glass encasing it, we might have even felt some of its effects.

However, the story about a hunter risking their life to retrieve it from beyond a closed gate? False.

This was a masterpiece created by the Gnome civilization. The Dwarves, in fact, also claimed it as one of their own.

A pinnacle of magic stone craftsmanship.

The ones who stole it likely desired the vast magical energy contained within.

I glanced over at Ria.

When our eyes met, Ria nodded.

We couldn’t know how “they” would come for this artifact. But at the very least, Ria and I were certain they would.

While I planned to inform the government about the prophecy, it was impossible to predict how they would respond.

In my opinion, it would likely fall on us to act in the end.

That’s the fate of someone who’s reincarnated into a novel, isn’t it?

The professor placed the relic I had made into an empty glass case.

The glass case shut with a soft click. It didn’t seem like there was any password system in place—perhaps it locked automatically.

I glanced at Ria again. This time, she gave a serious nod, her expression more solemn than usual.