Chapter 26

I approached the people, offering a gentle smile as I took their outstretched hands one by one.

“Saintess, me too!”

“Kyaah! The Saintess held my hand!”

“Me too! Over here!”

“I’m never washing this hand again!”

“To think I’d live to see the Saintess of Ralphican in my lifetime!”

‘I think that’s enough.’

Staying too long would be awkward. In situations like this, the “push and pull” was essential.

“Saintess! It’s me! Me! Wait a moment!”

I was about to leave when the voice of a young boy whose voice hadn’t cracked yet brought me to a halt. Lowering my gaze, I saw a boy about the age of an elementary student waving his hand.

‘It’s that kid. The one I grabbed and ran with.’

If I ignored the child now, it was obvious my reputation would plummet to the floor. I sent a subtle look toward the knights, signaling them to let the boy through. Once the knights cleared a path, the boy scrambled forward and stood before me, bowing so low his head nearly touched the ground.

“Thank you so much for saving me earlier!”

…I only did it so I could live too, so there’s no need to be that grateful, but I couldn’t exactly say that. I curled the corners of my mouth to look as benevolent as possible.

“I only did what was expected of me.”

“As-as expected of the Saintess! When you first showed up, I thought you were just a strange person…”

This little punk?

“But you knew the magic beasts were coming and saved us! I read in a book that the Apostle of God can use the power of prophecy!”

“Oh my god, she can see the future?”

“I heard she went from house to house personally telling everyone to evacuate before the raid even started!”

“That’s right! That’s why Kelly’s house is safe!”

“What a relief. It hasn’t been long since James passed; if his wife and kid had been hurt too…”

“Perhaps Ralphican sent the Saintess out of pity for James!”

Embarrassing praise poured over me. I felt a tiny prick of conscience, but it vanished instantly.

‘Well, it’s not entirely wrong.’

Technically, I had gone there to save them because I knew the future, and my presence here was likely the work of some supernatural entity. Perhaps that entity really was Ralphican, the god of this world.

“It is no great talent.”

“And so humble, too!”

Several windows indicating an increase in reputation popped up in a stack. There were dozens of them, likely matching the number of villagers present.

…The rewards were quite sweet, almost like a silent pressure telling me to actively raise my reputation.

‘Well, there’s no harm in raising it.’

“Roy! What are you doing here?!”

The boy’s mother pushed through the crowd to find her son.

‘She’s really struggling to keep track of that kid today.’

“I told you not to wander off alone… Oh!”

Sensing the strange atmosphere, she finally saw my face and gasped in shock.

“Y-you’re the… Saintess! Thank you for earlier!”

“There is no need for thanks.”

Now that his guardian was here, I could leave. I gave the people a bright smile and left behind the sighs of disappointment echoing from all sides. The protagonist guided me back through the tents, leading me into an increasingly deep and secluded passage. I had been grumbling inwardly about why Kalat didn’t come to me instead of making me walk, but I supposed it was for security reasons.

“Belita!”

Kalat welcomed me with such joy that a bystander might have mistaken us for family members reunited after decades apart.

“I saw from afar, you’ve become quite popular. To think you’ve gained so many followers already. Ah, you know I’m your number one fan, right?”

How sly…

-No way, I’m number one.

-Lol, okay, I’ll give you that one.

Kalat smiled broadly as he pulled back the flap of a tent and gave a slight bow.

“Please, come in and make yourself comfortable!”

Passing Kalat, I sat on the sofa as warm tea was served. It had a sweet floral scent I had smelled before. A familiar orange hue.

‘It’s Leafage Tea…’

By chance, the tea Kalat served was the very same one I had learned to make from Arianne just to feed it to the protagonist.

‘I guess I won’t have to deal with that anymore.’

The maid work, that is. I likely wouldn’t have to lift a finger for those chores again.

“I felt uneasy because I couldn’t explain things properly earlier in all the chaos, so I asked to meet with you like this,” Kalat said.

“I see.”

“This may be sudden but… Belita. I believe you are the Saintess of Ralphicanism.”

Well, it wasn’t sudden at all, but I made sure to put on the expression Kalat was hoping for. The look of a lowly maid discovering she might actually be the Saintess. I mixed in a dash of hope with a heavy dose of resigned disbelief.

“…Is it because of the prophecy?”

When I asked with the nuance of someone desperately clinging to a slim possibility, he replied with an excited voice.

“Yes. That very prophecy that was dismissed as a mere clerical error because it had been so long!”

“No citizen of the Pelsus Continent, especially an Imperial, could be ignorant of it. Since there’s never been a Saintess from the Empire in history, hasn’t everyone been waiting for this prophecy to be fulfilled?”

“And that long-cherished wish has finally been realized today! Sir Hereis.”

“…I see.”

Unlike his skeptical reaction from earlier, the protagonist now looked like he found the idea plausible.

“Furthermore, Belita said she can see the future. Was there any mention of such a power in the prophecies regarding the Saintess?”

“Ah, such things are usually the stuff of fairy tales. As far as I know, there’s no specific mention of it. However…”

Kalat paused to think before adding,

“The Lord Ralphican possesses omnipotent power and watches over the world for its benefit. It wouldn’t be strange for his Apostle, the Saintess, to possess a fraction of that power.”

“Then…”

“In other words, seeing the future is a divine authority belonging solely to Ralphican. It can be seen that Belita—no, the Saintess—who was chosen by Him, has been granted this gift.”

“Priest. I don’t see the future all the time. It could have been a coincidence. And above all…”

I took a moment to catch my breath, pretending to be nervous, before continuing.

“A commoner maid like me has no right to be called a noble savior.”

“Saintess…”

“To be honest, even being called ‘Saintess’ is a huge burden.”

-Ahhh

-True, if you were just a normal person and suddenly everyone worshipped you, it’d be a lot.

-For real, ‘The Maid Who Became the Saintess’? That’s a heavy crown to wear.

Just as Ivanke had done, it was more natural to act like I couldn’t accept it at first.

Logically speaking, if someone told an ordinary person, “Actually, you’re the heir to a massive conglomerate,” would they believe it right away?

They’d deny it first.

“Me? Are you sure you haven’t got the wrong person?” That’s how it goes. It would also be overwhelming—the sudden weight of being responsible for an entire corporation.

‘…’

Wait, never mind. I take that back. If someone told me a conglomerate was mine, forget the burden or the suspicion—I’d probably want to believe it immediately.

Regardless, being the Saintess is just as—if not more—burdensome than being a corporate heir. You gain power so vast you can practically hold the continent under your thumb, but it’s a life-long position where you must devote yourself to the Church.

Since you must always be a role model, you have to strictly follow every etiquette rule. Every single word you speak carries the weight of the Ralphican Order. Imperial families and heads of state from every country will visit you seeking blessings, and if a continental crisis occurs, you have to solve it or come up with a plan. It’s technically an honorary position, but the workload is insane.

Theoretically, you’re on the same level as the Pope, but you have to share power with him. If you mess up, you could get dragged into political strife. And you have to do all of this until the day you die.

‘Listing it out like this makes me not want to do it either.’

Let’s stop the useless thoughts there… I gathered my emotions and continued.

“There’s no way I’m such a great person…”

“Belita!”

Kalat sprang up from his seat.

“Do not belittle yourself like that! Being a ‘noble savior’ doesn’t necessarily refer to social status!”

“He’s right, Belita. Nobility refers to a character and moral personality that holds people dear,” the protagonist added.

I only played hard to get once, and Kalat was literally fuming with indignation.

‘His reactions are top-tier.’

“I don’t think my character is particularly noble either…”

“Belita!”

“Priest Kalat.”

Unable to watch any longer, the protagonist placed a hand on Kalat’s shoulder to calm him down. Under the silent pressure to settle, Kalat sat back down on the sofa, huffing.

“It’s not as if Belita’s feelings are incomprehensible, is it?”

“…My apologies. It’s been centuries since we’ve had a Saintess, so I got ahead of myself in my excitement.”

Kalat dampened his heated energy and changed his tune, trying to soothe me gently.

“Belita… if it’s a burden, I won’t call you Saintess for now. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“However, Belita. While it may be hard for you to accept yet, I cannot simply stand by after witnessing someone who is likely the Saintess.”

“…”

“First, come with me to the Holy City (The headquarters of the Ralphican Church).”

The protagonist showed a look of disapproval at Kalat’s friendly-looking smile.

“The Holy City? You intend to nominate Belita as the Saintess. Even though she just said she didn’t want that.”

“Ah, it’s not so much a sudden nomination as it is… I’m curious if others would agree. Hahaha, I’m absolutely not forcing anything.”

As Kalat spoke with a lack of confidence, the protagonist snapped back sharply.

“Isn’t that exactly what that means? Making Belita uncomfortable…”

“If she’s not the Saintess, then she’s not. But if she is, Belita is simply going where she truly belongs! Where else would a Saintess go if not the Holy City? You know as well as I do, Sir Hereis, that the verification process is indispensable!”

…Honestly, I didn’t expect Kalat to be this firm. When I first met him, he seemed like the timid, weak-hearted type who wouldn’t want to get involved in such big matters.

‘Is he devout, or just ambitious?’

I’d rather avoid the fanatic type. The latter would be better.

“In the first place, it’s uncertain if the Church will even recognize the Saintess. If you could just think of it as a comfortable trip…”

The protagonist’s expression turned puzzled.

“Is it that difficult even with this many witnesses?”

“Most of the Church personnel who followed us here are low-ranking priests.”

Meaning they have little say. If so, the high-ranking clergy who only hear about the situation through reports might accuse Kalat of making things up for his own gain. To think he’s talking big about taking me there and making me the Saintess when he’s not even sure…

-What an irresponsible guy lol.

“Besides, considering those old fogeys in the Church will probably complain that they hate anything complicated… ah, khm. Please forget I said that.”

As Kalat apologized for his slip of the tongue, the protagonist suddenly stood up and pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling us to be quiet.

“Yes? Why are you…?”

-?? What’s happening

-Did someone come?

At that moment, while the clueless Kalat was showing his confusion, someone slowly pulled back the tent curtain.

“Ah, there’s no need to be so guarded.”

“You are…”

“Sir Ilian!”

-Ah, the Church’s Knight Commander?

-I heard he was a high-ranking official.

‘He showed up at the perfect timing.’

Meanwhile, the Imperial Knight who had failed to block the outsider’s entry stood there helplessly, glancing at the protagonist in a panic. The protagonist frowned slightly but dismissed the knight with a tilt of his head. After all, how could he stop the Pope’s son if he was determined to enter?

And Ilian, watching all of this with an amused look, opened his mouth with a gentle smile.

“I came by because it sounded like you were having an interesting conversation.”

“…”

“Won’t someone give me an answer?”

Is being clueless a shared trait among the Ralphican Order?