The Holy Woman’s Path (2)

In response to my question, Divine Light Garam nodded.

“Yes, actually, I’ve known the two of them for quite a while. Since it’s vacation now, I was planning to visit them… and I suppose the timing just worked out. They came by this time.”

Divine Light Garam paused for a moment.

Judging by her reaction, she seemed to be gauging whether I knew the Saintesses.

I made a vague gesture to show that I was somewhat familiar, and her expression brightened.

“I’m sure you know, but… the two of them are quite young. They always need someone to look after them. I visited them often to play, and before I knew it, we became close.”

“I see…”

Divine Light Garam smiled contentedly as if seeing something incredibly cute.

For a moment, it was a benevolent smile that felt like maternal love.

“It kind of reminds me of how you, Junior Seha, treat Junior Hana.”

I could understand what she meant.

Ma Hana is my favorite character, but for her, it must feel like looking at a much younger sibling.

In reality, both were at an age where they needed care.

‘…The Saintesses.’

The Saintesses of …

I was also familiar with them.

It was impossible not to know.

‘Both of them are characters from GAL.’

They were like newly released characters, often referred to as new characters.

Their rank was a whopping natural 5★.

They hadn’t been studied much yet, so their usage was a bit unclear, but it was generally agreed they were powerful.

They were characters with a very unique mechanism.

‘A team of two.’

Two people considered as one character in the game…
They were released with an unprecedented system.

As such, they were characters that required a lot of supervisory skill, meant for advanced users.

Soon, Divine Light Garam mentioned that the two would attend the meeting.

For a moment, I felt concerned.

The two of them… at a meeting?
Those little brats…?
Is that even possible…?

“…Just the two of them?”

“No, it would be too much for them to handle alone… One of the bishops will accompany them. I’ll be there to help as well. The Saintesses are more like symbolic representatives—sort of an official apology.”

Indeed, within the , the Saintess held great significance.

Just their presence alone had a passive effect that boosted the strength of the Paladins.

The fact that the two of them were stepping forward like this meant the Order was taking this incident very seriously.

Anyway, Divine Light Garam said the Saintesses had specifically requested to meet me before the meeting began.

She chuckled and clasped her hands together.

At that moment, a “sha-la~☆” sound effect sparkled around her.

Oh, that…
It activates even without being self-absorbed…
I didn’t know that.

Apparently, they also planned to offer compensation from the ’s side.

“…Uh, um…”

Despite that, I felt a little troubled by the mention of compensation.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to receive it.

It’s just that…
Well…
The… Saintesses’ personalities are a bit…
And that has me worried in more ways than one.

As I was silently fretting over it…
Speak of the devil.

Ding dong~

“Oh my, they must be here.”
“…!”

I flinched as the doorbell rang, and Divine Light Garam calmly got to her feet.

Ding dong~

“Yes, just a moment–”

Dingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdong.

“……”

A whopping 16 consecutive bell rings.

I felt a chill at the Saintess’ signature(?) greeting.

“Yes, yes, just a moment~”

Divine Light Garam hurriedly opened the door.

However, even after opening it, no one was there.

Then, as if noticing something, a cute smile appeared on Divine Light Garam’s face.

She slowly closed the door.

Then, as if on cue, the 16 consecutive bell rings echoed once again.

Dingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdongdingdong.

Clunk!

Divine Light Garam opened the door as if she had been waiting.

“Ah! Caught!”
“We’ve been caught!”
“Fufu, we’ve been caught, haven’t we?”

Beyond the door, two little girls trying to escape were caught.

The two cheered “Waaaahh~~” at Divine Light Garam’s words and spun around her.

After that, they both raised their arms above their heads and made some kind of unknown hand signals.

“Natsu!”
“Yuri!”

Here we come!

“Yes, Saintess Natsu and Saintess Yuri. Long time no see.”
“Yeah, Garam Garam, long time!”
“Long time!”
“So why did you press the bell like that earlier?”
“Huhu…!”

At Divine Light Garam’s question, the two kids put on confident expressions.

Once again, they made the mysterious hand signals.

“Player Natsu’s ultimate Ding Dong Dash, 16 hits per second~!
“And followed by the victory pose, ta-da~!”
“Hehe, I see~ You’re so cool.”

Divine Light Garam skillfully responded in agreement.

Such a proficient attitude that it inspired respect.

Then she hugged them.

“I missed you.”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”

A moment later.

The two looked around as if wondering, ‘Is there anything fun here?’

Soon, they met my gaze.

‘…!’

A mysterious chill was felt.

Sure enough.

The two, who had been idling, soon showed a broad smile.

As if…

They looked like excited children who had discovered a new toy.

One minute later.

The two kids, just like with Divine Light Garam, were spinning around me.

“……”

The dizziness came naturally.
Regardless, they looked at each other and giggled joyfully.

Kuk-kuk-kuk!

“Ugh!”
“Your reaction is slow!”

Here, these saintly kids didn’t just leave me alone.

They cunningly targeted my moment of carelessness, launching a merciless attack by poking my side.

Poke, poke, poke!

Once again, a rapid side-poking attack unfolded.

“Ah!”
“Hehe, Yuri’s special~ 13 side pokes per second!”

I glanced at Divine Light Garam, leaving the two who were causing chaos behind.

She smiled faintly, with a face that said, ‘Please join in~.’

‘Sigh…’

I guess I have no choice.

I had no prior experience dealing with kids like my nieces, but I had read all about what these saint girls liked through the game’s story.

I silently waited for the timing(?).
As if on cue, another round of rapid side poking exploded.

“Yap yap!”
“Ouch!”

I deliberately acted exaggeratedly.
Falling backward, I displayed a gesture of ‘Oh no, I got hit!’

“Kya-ha~ We won!”
“We won!”

The saintly kids celebrated, exclaiming with pride.
They stopped spinning and crouched down, whispering in my ear.

“Pathetic, pathetic!”
“Pathetic, pathetic!”
“……”
“Oh dear, Saintess~”
“Better luck, Saintess~”
“……”

Ah…

I felt dizzy just from that.

Indeed.

Saintess Natsu and Saintess Yuri.

The character traits of these two were the typical bratty kid and mischievous girl.

Though honestly, the mischievous act was just poorly acted, and their real personalities were more like laid-back, carefree little girls.

Maybe that’s why.

Despite being a powerful 5★ grade with matching performance, they were characters that divided opinions among supervisors.

┗The newly released Natsu and Yuri seem like overpowered characters? If you just place them in the party, <Divine Power> gets boosted.
┗Nah, I couldn’t deal with all the whining. They literally lie down mid-battle, saying they’re hungry. Instant party wipe.
┗That’s what makes them cute, you uncultured swine.
┗Dude, during the holidays, my PTSD came rushing back when my nephews smashed the figurines. They tasted the potion and said it was gross. Tossed them all… tragic.
┗You too? Bro, same here!

Basically, they were those kinds of characters—opinions split right down the middle.

“Garum (Garam), Garum, Garum! Snacks, no snacks?”
“Hehe~ Please wait a moment.”
“Waaah~”

For some reason, the two…

Sat on my lap, munching on snacks.

Divine Light Garam, who was sitting right next to me, wiped around their lips with a handkerchief.

“Eat slowly~”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”

The two kept eating for quite a while.

“Nom nom…?”

Among them, Yuri, who was known to be particularly perceptive, looked at me and Divine Light Garam and made a bombshell remark.

“Nom nom… Garum Garum.”
“Yes, Saintess Yuri.”
“Are you dating this oppa? Is he your boyfriend? Oh, maybe you’re already married?”
“…!?”

Divine Light Garam’s mouth dropped open.

Perhaps she didn’t expect such a question from such an angelic-looking face.

“N-No way!”

Repeating ‘N-No way. No way?!’ she was at a loss.

Unable to watch any longer, I stepped in.

“No, Saintess. The Senior and I are not in that kind of relationship.”
“Really… You look good together, though…”
“It’s true. Isn’t that right, Senior?”
“……”
“Senior?”
“No way! N-No way… Yes, yes… That’s right.”

For some reason, Divine Light Garam didn’t outright deny it and fidgeted with her fingers.

Then the little Saintesses looked at each other and, not childishly, gave a sly smile.

They took Divine Light Garam’s hand and led her away.

―Garum, Garum! Tell us honestly! We’re curious!
―You’re interested, right? Right? Right, right, right?
―No, not really. It’s just… thanks to what happened recently… I’ve been a bit concerned… so it’s just…
―Is it love? Is it love?
―No, really! It’s not like that!

After a while, the three of them returned.

The saintly kids were having fun, making mysterious hand signals and laughing.

And Divine Light Garam, who was exceptionally embarrassed, muttered, “Nyeuuh…”

I met her eyes.

“…Nyeuuh.”

Divine Light Garam shyly avoided my gaze.

Wondering why she was acting like that, I tilted my head in confusion.

Then, I heard the solemn(?) words of the two saintesses.

“Ahem! Ahem! Cough! Cough, cough…”

“Natsu, are you okay?”

“Yeah… I started coughing while clearing my throat, but I’m okay… Anyway! Hey, Yu Seha!”

“Um… It’s Yu Seha.”

“Oh, really? Anyway, Yu Seha! I’ve heard of your contributions!”

Natsu, with arms crossed, struck a pose with an “Ahem!”

Yuri, who was next to her, took out a fake mustache from her pocket and stuck it on Natsu’s face.

“Savior of the Order… Listen, Yu Seha!”
“…!”

A momentary and incredibly powerful holy force resonated.

Before I knew it, I was kneeling on one knee.

“You vanquished the vile heretic. Jing… Jing… Jing… Uh…“

Natsu seemed to forget her lines and trailed off.

“Ah, anyway! I’ve heard from Divine Light Garam about your impressive achievements! In gratitude, we saintesses have come here. Consider it an honor!”
“Consider it an honor!”

“Ah, yes. Th-thank you.”

“Mm! Just wait there quietly!”
“Wait there!”

The saintly kids finished speaking.
Soon, they started spinning around me in circles.

While doing an unknown dance…?

Rhythmical movements?

‘…What should I call this?’

In any case, they were performing some unknown antics.

Along with it, I heard additional teasing whispers in my ear, ‘Amateur~ Amateur~’

‘What on earth is going on…?’ I wondered as I watched them.

I opened my eyes wide enough to pop out at the incoming .

‘Insane.’

This, what on earth…

‘…What is this?!’