I Am God (Saintess’s Point Of View) (3)

No, this was still not okay.

Do not be fooled by the atmosphere and her figure.

She was the current leader of a religious organization even the Kingdom was wary of, you know?

If I let my guard down, it would be a one-way road to ruin.

I had to somehow get her to remove me from the object of her faith.

“Isn’t it bad to two-time the Goddess?”

“That is true.”

“See? So let’s do our best to stay devoted solely to the Goddess.”

“Understood. I will forget the Goddess and worship only you, Hero-sama.”

“Why does it end up like that?!”

That made no sense!

Given the choice between the Goddess and the Hero, why would you pick the Hero who just popped out of nowhere?

Was she even easier than Arka to manipulate?

And stop bringing that dreamy face so close to me.

“No, that’s not okay! A Saintess not believing in the Goddess is impossible.”

“It is true that my power was granted by the Goddess, but the source of that power is my believing heart. Even if the object of faith changes, as long as that belief is genuine, there is no problem.”

“There is a huge problem! If you suddenly switch, the Goddess will get angry, you know?”

“If anything, I am the one who is angry. When I was suffering, no matter how much I prayed, she did not answer me.”

“That was because of Zoi’s ability!”

“And yet, the one who saved me then was you. You are my true god.”

So now I was being treated as an actual god.

Hero first, now god?

Give me a break!

If she found out I was not even a Hero, I would definitely be killed.

“I am not a god!”

“Ah, Hero-sama!”

I ran.

I dashed out of the room as fast as I could.

I was so terrified that I could not sleep at all that night, spending it trembling as I listened to Semirena calling my name and searching for me.

The next morning.

We departed from the village.

We were thanked profusely by the villagers and sent off with smiles.

“Soji, you look sleepy.”

“…Yeah.”

“Want me to drive today?”

“No, I’m fine. If I do nothing, I’ll probably fall asleep.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you slept?”

“…It’s not that simple.”

Of course I was sleepy.

I was sleepy, but—

Semirena sitting behind me with her hands pressed together, continuously praying toward me, was far too terrifying!

“Why is Semirena praying the whole time?”

“I am expressing my gratitude to Hero-sama.”

“I see! Then maybe I’ll pray together too!”

“That is a good thing.”

It absolutely was not!

I had been too scared to sleep last night, and now the fear of what might happen if I slept was making my drowsiness and reason fight it out.

There was no way I could get any rest like this.

What should I do…?

“Semirena, expressing gratitude is a good thing, you know? But if you don’t let him rest sometimes, Soji will get tired.”

Just as I was at my wit’s end, Erika unexpectedly threw me a lifeline.

I was genuinely surprised.

“We’re companions traveling together, aren’t we? Let’s interact without worrying about positions here.”

“But I—”

“Then let’s ask Soji. Hey, Soji, what do you think?”

“I-I think I’d prefer things the way they were? We’re companions, so helping each other out is only natural, right?”

“…Understood. If that is what you say, Hero-sama, I will act as usual.”

Yes!

Nice assist, Erika!

And with that sense of relief, the drowsiness suddenly hit me…

“Arka… could you take over driving after all?”

“Sure!”

After an all-nighter, I could not fight the sleepiness.

When I woke up, the sky was pitch-black.

I was still seated in the carriage, a blanket draped over me.

There were traces of a campfire, and Semirena and Arka were sleeping behind the carriage.

“You have awakened, have you not?”

“How long was I asleep?”

“About half a day.”

“So that’s why it’s night.”

I slowly got down from the carriage.

I stretched broadly, swinging my arms wide.

I was completely awake now.

“What should I do…”

The moon was directly overhead.

There was still a long time until dawn.

“Come to think of it, this world has a sun and a moon too.”

“Indeed. With no lights around, it is quite beautiful.”

I gazed up at the sky for a while, thinking about what to do.

“Guess I’ll do some practice swings.”

“That is good! There is nothing but dedication!”

I was not going to fall asleep anyway.

Doing some self-training once in a while was not a bad idea.

Believe it or not, I had done this every day back when I was in the royal capital.

Keeping the cursed blade sheathed, I practiced swinging.

“Ten, eleven, twelve.”

“You should swing more precisely, imagining the opponent you would cut.”

“Imagining, huh.”

“Yes. Always assume a real battle.”

I was still inexperienced, but I had gradually gained real combat experience and gotten used to fighting.

When things got tough, I could always let Kojiro take over.

Perhaps because of that sense of security, my anxiety felt less than it had when we first set out.

“Though now, I’ve gained other worries instead…”

Arka’s secret. Semirena’s secret.

Both were deeply tied to their origins and their reasons for living.

“Lost in thought, are you?”

“Yeah. It feels like everyone is carrying something appropriate to them.”

Their circumstances, missions, faiths…

The reasons varied, but each of them had chosen to become part of the Hero’s party of their own will.

To defeat the Demon King and create a peaceful world.

That was their mission, and beyond it, each had their own goal.

They had not simply been chosen.

They had all kept walking in order to be chosen.

“I feel kind of guilty.”

“There is no need for that. Soji-dono is fulfilling his role splendidly as well.”

“I’m just lucky, that’s all.”

That was especially true in the fight against Zoi.

If his mental corruption had worked on me, the party would have been wiped out right then and there.

The battle with Barbatos, and the corrupt lord afterward as well.

“I’ve been relying on you too much, Kojiro.”

“There is no need to worry. I am but a specter now—without you, Soji-dono, I cannot even swing a blade. I am the one who should be grateful.”

“Do you really want to fight that badly?”

“To cross blades was my reason for living.”

Kojiro looked up at the moon.

Smiling nostalgically.