No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

Chapter 66



No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 66

EP.66 Friendship and Relationship (10)

 

After the situation was resolved, it seemed like the government contacted me officially a while later.

First, an apology for the interrogation regarding my contribution in protecting the research center.

The title of a Saintess candidate was a position within the church that could never be considered lowly.

Officially, it was merely the position of a nun, but in reality, it was a position that could potentially lead to becoming the pope.

...Well, other countries aren't without their own religious factions. After all, the pope isn’t even from this country.

There are Saintess candidates in other countries too, and their number is nearing three digits.

It just so happens that the religious faction in this country decided to support me.

"Well, that's a positive thing, at least."

"Why? Because there are many candidates in other countries, so you think you won't become the Saintess?"

"Isn't that right?"

This religious faction, technically a new faith, didn’t completely lack structure.

And the structure was mostly derived from the old Catholic system, with many of the members overlapping with those from that era. Though many things were restructured after more than a decade, that fact remained unchanged.

The Catholic Church had never had an Asian pope, or an African pope, so in that sense, I... well, I might have an advantage. As in, I might not be eliminated as a candidate.

"There have been Asian saints in Catholicism, though? Some were from this country."

"Ah."

Is that really the case?

"Plus, they might even choose you for that reason. Maybe not in this country, but in neighboring countries, the church might be weaker."

"...Are you saying they’d use me to promote the church to other countries?"

I asked with some skepticism.

Could that really happen?

...It didn’t seem likely, and I thought that was the case too, as Ria merely shrugged.

"…..."

For a moment, the room became quiet.

One thing I was thankful for, being treated like someone of high status, was that Ria was my bodyguard.

If she weren’t Ria, if a regular person had been assigned as my bodyguard—like in the original story, when Saintess candidates would have someone like 'Lee Si-yoon' as their personal guard— I wouldn’t have been left waiting here alone with just one person.

Ria’s skills were exceptional, I personally felt comfortable with her, and most importantly, she was someone I could trust, which is why it was possible to be alone together like this.

...Trust.

That made me wonder, where exactly did our relationship stand?

I wasn’t just talking about our relationship as a Saintess candidate and a bodyguard. I was thinking more about our human connection.

From Ria’s side, she seemed to view me rather comfortably. I felt the same way about her.

But did that really make us friends? That was a bit delicate. After all, a friendship isn't something you can simply declare by saying, “From now on, we’re friends." But still...

...Oh, right, let’s be honest.

I was hesitating to call her a friend because she’s such a pretty woman. Even though I’m a woman too!

Had I distanced myself too much from women in my past life?

No, I didn’t think I’d ever done that.

"…..."

Alright, let’s stop thinking about this. Ria would handle things in her own way. For now, I didn’t seem to mind her being right next to me. Besides, we had arrived a bit earlier than expected.

With that decision made, I settled into a state of relaxation, like a cat in a box, when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Although we had been made to wait, it didn’t feel like we were being treated rudely. The room we were in was a guest room that was comfortably furnished, and we could rest easily. I hadn’t even touched the snacks laid out for us.

"Lady Anna."

"Oh, yes."

"The Minister’s meeting has just finished."

At those words, my back stiffened slightly.

No matter how you looked at it, meeting someone of high status wasn’t easy. I wasn’t planning on submitting to authority, but it still felt uncomfortable to risk saying something wrong.

Moreover, this person was much older than me by the standards of this world.

It was like using polite speech when meeting a battalion commander during reserve training. Outside, they were just some random guy, but when facing them, they became an elder who made things a little uncomfortable.

"You don’t need to be too nervous."

Ria lightly placed her hand on my back and spoke.

"I’ve met him a few times. He’s not a bad person, though he tends to think politically."

...Is she telling me to calm down?

Judging from her serious expression, it seemed like that was exactly what she meant.

Not knowing how to respond, I simply nodded.

 

*

Diplomacy with other countries is usually handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but it's a bit difficult for them to manage matters beyond the gates.

Thus, a department was created in this country to handle these types of affairs.

The Dimensional Management Department.

This department was responsible for establishing relations with civilizations beyond dimensions or bringing resources from other worlds into this one.

Of course, after crossing over into this world, matters were usually handed over to another department, but within this world, these individuals held quite an important position.

The reason they called me was because of the ‘Magic Stone.’

"...So, we’ve requested a dispatch to the church."

In other words, the ‘Magic Stone’ was an item that both the gnomes and dwarves claimed as their own. To be more precise, it was an item taken from a disputed area, so neither of those two races even knew of its existence.

In the original story, those who had stolen it eventually got caught, but in this world, nothing like that had happened.

However, from the government’s standpoint, losing such an important Magic Stone was a major blow. Naturally, they wanted to make it usable again.

Furthermore, that Magic Stone was the culmination of gnome craftsmanship.

Using only the technology from this world, there were limits to how much could be studied, and refilling the stone with magical energy was nearly impossible.

That’s why they called me.

"Do you want me to go to the gnome's land and bring back their technology?"

"No, no, it’s not like that."

When I frowned, the minister hurriedly shook his hands in denial.

"No, it’s about your track record as a Saintess candidate. We don’t have anyone who has shown such results on our side."

"Results? What kind of results— Ah."

...I had unintentionally recalled something I didn’t want to think about.

That’s right. In another world, there were beings who regarded me not just as a Saintess, but as something akin to a god.

I forced my hand down, which had instinctively started to rise. No matter what, I couldn’t slap my forehead in front of the minister.

"Well, that was really just a coincidence... It wasn’t something I intended..."

"As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

The minister smiled gently as he spoke to me.

"I thought it would be best to start by building rapport. Fortunately, the gnomes have also shown interest in the artifact you handed over."

"Ah."

The artifact I had given as compensation— the one made into two copies.

I see. If we’re going to research it, working with another race might be a good approach. At least the gnomes have known about the power of divine power, or “saintly power,” for much longer than we have in this world.

...

I can’t help but wonder— did the church intentionally allow this, knowing all along?

No, it’s just how things happened. I suppose it’s a matter of coincidence.

Ria, looking at me with what seemed like a knowing gaze, made me want to jump up and shout that it wasn’t true. However, I couldn’t say that outright with the minister in front of me.

"We’ve been observing things for a bit longer. If you would cooperate, it would be an honor, but this is ultimately up to your decision, so I wanted to ask you directly."

...

The elderly man, with his graying hair, bowed his head toward me, and I couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

Well, it wasn’t that I completely hated the idea…

I knew that this was something I had to do, but still.

I didn’t know why, but I felt uneasy.

I suppressed a sigh that was trying to escape.

 

*

On the way back, I turned to Ria, who was sitting quietly beside me in the car, and asked,

"Ria, do you think everything will be okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean, ‘okay’?"

"I mean, every time I get involved in something, you end up getting dragged into it with me."

In the original story, Ria was essentially a good person, but she would often grumble at the Saintess. Especially when the Saintess had to go do something, Ria would follow, though not always happily.

It was probably half serious, half joking. She’d go because it was what her friend was doing, but it didn’t mean she was excited about it.

But now, Ria, sitting next to me, was staring at me blankly with a slightly confused expression.

"Well... it’s not like I dislike it. I don’t exactly want to do it either, but it’s work, isn’t it?"

"Is that so?"

So she’s just doing it because it’s part of the job?

That was a reasonable explanation.

...

But for some reason, I didn’t like the way she phrased it.

Huh, here I am, questioning myself after asking her.

I let out a light sigh.

 


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