Chapter 53

“What is ‘Very, Very Bad’ supposed to mean?”

-Even the system gave up on the evaluation LOL

-Hurry up and use an item!

Mo Je-won, unable to resist the viewers’ nagging, finally opened the Shop.

“I was going to~ Everyone is so impatient.”

-???

-You’re blaming us??

-(Countless question marks)

-Why are you being so relaxed right now?

The lineup was quite different from my shop. It was stocked with mental recovery items and affection boosters.

“Eating a donut and a cup of coffee should make him feel better, right?”

-Yep, sugar for stress relief.

-Blood sugar spike, let’s go!

“Ah, this is too expensive! Hey, protagonist. I’m spending a fortune on delicious food just to fix your mood!”

-He’s in a bad mood because of you! T_T

-LOL, giving the disease then the medicine.

-Stop being so stingy with points!

-Please spend it when you have to.

-What’s the point if you die?

Unlike Affection or Reputation, which have no fixed limits, Mental Power is fixed on a scale of 100. In other words, if it drops into the negative, a Bad Ending becomes possible at any time. As long as you recover before hitting that point, you can survive, so the management isn’t inherently difficult. But still…

‘If it’s “Very, Very Bad,” his mental power must be below 10.’

When did it get that low? Mo Je-won must have made some minor mistakes in choices while I wasn’t looking.

-His cheeks are so puffy.

-Haha, cute.

As Mo Je-won used the items, a cute SD-style version of the protagonist appeared on the screen, munching on a donut and gulping down coffee. After emptying the cup in an instant, he gave a thumbs-up, and a speech bubble appeared.

With that, the mental power status changed to “Fair.”

-Good.

The protagonist, his face looking much more relaxed, began a monologue.

Ding!

This time, choices appeared to direct his next move.

“Ah… this isn’t easy.”

-T_T This is hard.

-Definitely not the first or last ones.

Even to me, it looked tricky. I wasn’t sure what to nudge him toward, but first, I had to make sure Arianne and Mina were excluded…

“Should I bring the Imperial Knights along?”

No way. I hurried to write a donation message.

“But the protagonist can’t fight the magic beasts alone. She said it was an ‘abnormal number,’ so obviously he should ask for help. And if this isn’t an ‘unavoidable situation,’ what is?”

Th-that’s true. But I had a solution for that. I quickly typed another donation.

“Ah. Is that so? I didn’t think that far.”

-They probably got attacked because they were in bad shape in the first place.

-Yeah, going alone is a bit much.

-And the one being swept away would be me LOL.

-You can only have pride if you’re alive~

–

“Then I’ll just take Arianne, who can fight.”

-Go go!

-Seems okay.

“Okay, choice 4!”

-Wait, I think going alone would have been fine thou—

‘Ah…’

Before I could finish sending another donation message, the protagonist had already pressed the button.

‘I should have written in the letter that he must come alone.’

I didn’t expect Mo Je-won to consider the realistic aspects.

‘The warning not to tell anyone was too weak, too.’

I should have written the letter more carefully. Well, it’s too late for regrets. I got up from the bed, sat on a chair, and picked up a pen and paper. Since a variable had occurred, the plan needed adjustments. It looks like another all-nighter for me.

After racking my brain all night, morning arrived. I opened the window and looked out to see the small heads of priests and servants moving busily since early morning. The clock tower outside pointed to five o’clock. Back when I was a maid, I would have already started working, but things are different now. It’s a huge privilege to be able to sleep while others are working. I stretched and lay back down in my warm blankets.

Knock, knock!

The moment I was about to close my eyes, I heard a knock. Was Emily already here to wake me up?

‘No, I’m literally just about to sleep.’

This wasn’t right. A sense of rebellion started to crawl up. I gave up on moving and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

Knock, knock, knock!

…Is it something important? As anxiety reared its head in my mind, the drowsiness that had been washing over me vanished into thin air. It was better to check and go back to sleep than to stay awake worrying. With a heavy sigh, I spoke up.

“Come in.”

Slam!

“Oh, you’re awake. There’s no need to rise before dawn. That’s something for the laboring class.”

‘But you’re the one who woke me up.’

…I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t even respond. I rubbed my eyes at the somewhat absurd reality and looked at the person again. Not that anything had changed.

“Are you still half-asleep?”

The person brazen enough to barge into my room early in the morning and pick such nonsensical nitpicks… was Beatrice.

“Ahem…”

Even she must have realized she was being unreasonable. Beatrice gave a sheepish laugh.

“I’m joking.”

…I had taken it as the typical mindset of a medieval person steeped in elitism, but apparently not.

“What brings you here so early in the morning…?”

I trailed off, startled by a sudden rustling sound.

“Ah. Excuse me.”

Beatrice pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from her inner jacket pocket and thrust it toward me.

“It’s this morning’s newspaper. Read it.”

Though dazed, I took it and slowly scanned the page. An article decorating the entire front page caught my eye from the very start.

[ The Pope’s Surprise Announcement Shakes the Continent! ]

[ His Holiness officially announced to reporters at the Great Cathedral that a Saintess has appeared, matching the ancient prophecies of the Order of Ralphican… ]

[ Testimonies from citizens are pouring in, stating that the Saintess was actually at the center of the Lanta Village incident… ]

…They announced it already? Only now did it start to feel real that I’d actually secured the position of Saintess.

‘One step closer to succeeding in the quest.’

It was a subtle feeling, somewhere between uncomfortable and refreshing. As I moved to turn the page, I paused. It was because of a tiny one-line article printed next to the main story.

The Countess’s Atrocities Shock Imperial Citizens

The Flower of Society, the Hero’s Wife. The Countess of Garein—renowned as the Empire’s greatest beauty—is under controversy after being identified as the culprit behind the Grade 10 Demonic Contamination. Many are watching to see the results of the Emperor’s thorough investigation…

It seemed the investigation into the Countess was in full swing. The content was brief and lacked substance, but that was expected since the investigation had just begun.

‘I wonder how it will turn out.’

In the original Saintess route of the game, the Countess never confessed the identity of the mastermind. I’d have to wait and see if it goes the same way this time or if a variable occurs.

‘I hope there isn’t one.’

If, by some chance, the Countess confesses that the House of Rubel is involved, the protagonist is in danger, too.

…I shook my head to dispel the goosebumps that rose instinctively. Seeing this, Beatrice let out a short laugh.

“It’s no use denying it. I understand the pressure, but you’ve come too far to back out now.”

What kind of misunderstanding did she have? Too lazy to correct her, I just gave a vague nod.

“Since the Assembly formally recognized you yesterday, it seems they put out the article immediately.”

‘Talk about impatient.’

From announcement to newspaper article in just one day. The Pope’s lightning-fast momentum was a bit staggering. He likely struck first before the Orthodox Faction could change their minds.

“Now that it’s public, there will be an Ordination Ceremony.”

Right. An Ordination Ceremony. That’s going to be a real pain.

“High-ranking officials from all over the continent will attend to congratulate the Saintess. If our Saintess cannot maintain basic etiquette in such a setting, what will happen to our Order’s prestige?”

It would probably crash miserably into the dirt.

“Exactly! Since we’ve made the exterior look plausible, it’s time to cultivate the interior.”

Surely the reason Beatrice sought me out at the crack of dawn wasn’t just to deliver the newspaper…

“Don’t worry too much. I am a very good teacher. Shall we start with basic posture correction today?”

I think I’m screwed.

“By nature, a Saintess must remain unshaken and smile gently regardless of the situation.”

Beatrice said, slapping her palm with a switch she had brought from God-knows-where.

‘She’s not planning on using that on me, is she?’

It’s just a prop, right?

While I was distracted by the switch, Beatrice continued to critique my face, posture, expression, and everything else.

‘At this point, does she just hate everything about me?’

“Don’t be so stiff; smile naturally. Raise the corners of your mouth slightly. Lower your eyes…”

There were too many demands. Like that was even possible.

“Hurry up!”

Startled by Beatrice’s spirit, I tried my best to lift the corners of my mouth.

“Is your muscle paralyzed? Why are you trembling so much…?”

Muscle paralysis? I think it’s coming soon.

“Why is only one side of your mouth going up? Symmetry! Match the symmetry! Anyone would think you’re sneering!”

This is what happens when you live as a dry modern office worker in a society with nothing to laugh about. Unfortunately, I was in administration, not the service industry.

“Back! Can’t you straighten it?! A Saintess’s grace comes from correct posture!”

Smack!

Beatrice’s sharp palm struck my spine with precision. It didn’t hurt, but my back straightened instinctively.

‘I feel like her expression is getting progressively more bloodthirsty…’

It definitely started out gentle. I’d better do as I’m told before Beatrice’s anger-management fuse blows out.

This time, my shoulders were pulled back. Beatrice was standing behind me, using her hands—which felt like iron lids—to pull my shoulders into place.

“Now, shoulders back. Tighten your core. Chin up. Gently~ Is it that hard to walk gracefully and smoothly? Why are you walking so sturdily?”

Gracefully and smoothly…

‘So, do I just walk with a sort of floppy feeling?’

I tried it immediately, but all I got in return was an ear-piercing shout.

“Ah! That’s walking like a squid! Why are you becoming a mollusk?!”

Beatrice stopped her rapid-fire nagging and let out a deep sigh. My pride—the pride of a lifelong model student who had never heard a harsh word from parents or teachers—was wounded.

“Hehehehe.”

…?

A bizarre laugh suddenly came from the woman in front of my dejected self. I turned my head to see Beatrice with her face down, her back shaking.

What? That’s scary.

“I can’t let a mere level of difficulty like this defeat me. Now, let’s start again! From the beginning, again!”

Dammit, someone save me!