The Saintess... She's Clearly Only Five Years Old, Isn't She?

Trembling uncontrollably atop the summoning circle was a little girl with roughly chopped black hair who couldn’t possibly have been more than five years old.

…Sure, most Saintesses were usually in their late teens, but wasn’t this taking things a little too far!?

When I sharply turned my gaze toward His Majesty, demanding an explanation, he looked as though he’d swallowed something incredibly bitter.

“…It seems she is the Saintess of this generation.”

I immediately whipped my head toward the priests instead. When I demanded an explanation with my eyes, silently asking what in the world was going on, the High Priest stepped forward, sweat beading on his face.

“Well, perhaps because the kingdom’s power itself has weakened, it appears the summoning didn’t proceed quite as intended…”

He was indirectly trying to emphasize that it wasn’t their fault, but surely there was something far more important to worry about!

“Can’t you send this child back to her original world?”

For some reason, all the Saintesses summoned in the past had been exceptionally adaptable, eagerly embracing this world with sparkling eyes and exclaiming, “So this is what being summoned to another world is like!?” But this little girl was clearly different. This was outright kidnapping.

“Unfortunately…”

The High Priest spoke while repeatedly wiping away his sweat. Once again, I felt the urge to click my tongue.

“Unlike the previous Saintesses, it seems this child cannot understand our language, either… And whenever I approach her, she becomes frightened.”

As His Majesty took a step forward while speaking, the Saintess flinched, her shoulders trembling.

…Well, that was understandable. His Majesty Yuri was a tall, slender, handsome man who resembled the previous king, but to a little girl who had been brought to a strange place without understanding why, he was probably just terrifying.

His Majesty spoke with a gloomy expression.

“She’s been like that ever since she arrived. She simply curls up and refuses to move an inch.”

—So they were completely at a loss. I supposed they’d summoned me because I was going to be the queen.

With a sigh, I studied the Saintess before me.

She was trembling, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore an unusual, close-fitting shirt and trousers. She was generally quite dirty, and the wrists peeking out from her sleeves were terribly thin.

“…Oh?”

That was when I suddenly noticed something.

Beyond the wrist visible beneath her sleeve… Farther up her arm, I caught sight of something purple.

When I strode toward her, the girl flinched again and covered her head as though trying to protect herself.

…That reaction was far too frightened, no matter how I looked at it. It was almost as though she expected me to hit her.

I slowly crouched down and spoke in the gentlest voice I could manage.

“…I’m sorry, sweetheart. Let me take a little look at your body, all right?”

As I spoke, I rolled up the girl’s sleeve. Just as I’d suspected, there were purple bruises scattered across her skin. They were marks left by someone hitting her.

I bit down hard on my lip.

How could anyone do something so horrible to such a young child?

Anger toward the parents whose faces I’d never even seen began bubbling up inside me, but for now, I forced myself to suppress it.

I stepped away from her and looked at His Majesty.

“Your Majesty, I have a request. Would you please allow me to be alone with her for a while? And could you bring me a soft blanket and my sketching supplies?”

His Majesty Yuri narrowed his eyes. However, he must have remembered my family circumstances, because he immediately nodded.

“Very well. I’ll leave her in your care. I’ll have your supplies brought here as well. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“In that case, I’d also appreciate some warm soup. And some sweets, too.”

His Majesty immediately arranged everything I’d requested. After shooing out the worried ministers and priests and asking the maids to leave as well, I was finally alone with the girl.

She was still trembling so badly that it was heartbreaking to watch.

My heart ached at the sight, and I gently approached her. I crouched down to meet her eyes so as not to frighten her, then carefully wrapped the soft blanket around her tiny body.

“…It’s all right. I’m just putting a blanket around you.”

Then I sat down a short distance away. I set up my canvas on the floor, spread out a sheet of paper, and began drawing with my chalk, paying no further attention to the girl.

As the evening sunlight streamed through the large windows, the only sound echoing through the room was the gentle scratching of chalk against paper. As though soothed by that sound, the trembling gradually faded from the girl’s body.

I wondered how much time had passed.

When I looked up, she was still curled up in her blanket, but now she was staring intently at my hands. I smiled at her, and she immediately turned her face away.

…Perhaps it was about time.

“Would you like to see? I’m quite good at drawing, you know.”

As I spoke, I propped the picture upright with a little tap. The moment the girl turned toward it, her eyes widened.

What I’d drawn was a portrait of her.

I’d always been good at drawing, and it was a trick I’d often used to delight my younger sisters. Incidentally, I was the eldest of four sisters.

“See? Don’t you think it’s pretty good? It looks just like you, doesn’t it?”

As I spoke, I placed the picture in front of the girl.

She didn’t answer, but her eyes sparkled with delight. Looking at her like this, I could see that, befitting a Saintess, she was a beautiful little girl despite her young age.

Then I pointed at my own face with my index finger.

“I’m Ederine. E-de-rine.”

After I pointed at myself and repeated my name several times, she seemed to understand. Next, I pointed at her.

“What’s your name?”

The girl hesitated for a while before slowly opening her mouth.

“…Ai.”

Her voice was as sweet and delicate as a little bell. I gave her a warm smile.

“I see, so your name is Ai. It’s lovely to meet you, Ai. Let’s be friends, shall we?”

—And so began a new life for Saintess Ai and me, with His Majesty joining us as well.