Chapter 571: Saintess Seiki
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 571: Saintess Seiki
"You were born with the qualities of a Saintess."
"...Who was?"
What? A Saintess?
Her first reaction was pure suspicion.
Tucked inside her shirt was a hand-span-long hunting dagger, its edge honed to a razor-sharp finish.
If some clumsy con artist tried to pull a fast one on her, she was more than willing to slice off a few of his fingers. And if he was hitting on her because of her looks, she was fully prepared to cut off something else entirely.
That was simply how the girl survived.
On the outside, she looked like a small, fragile girl. In other words, she had the kind of appearance that made her look easy to swindle or beat to death—an appearance that wasn't particularly helpful for a hunter's lifestyle.
Had a monster ever hesitated upon seeing her?
Quite the opposite; they usually lunged at her, thinking she was easy prey.
Was this another one of those cases?
But what did she even have that made him try to coax her with such words? Was he like that storyteller who had tried to make a move on her last year?
That storyteller had tried to play tricks on her to get to her body, and the young Seiki had detached one of his bodily appendages, ensuring he would never attempt such a thing again.
Through her experiences, Seiki had learned that showing a bit of force when things went south was the easiest way to get things done.
‘I don't think anyone would bring up my looks seeing the state I'm in right now, though.’
Seiki assessed herself dispassionately. Even without a mirror, she had a rough idea of her current state. Having not washed in a while, her face was smudged with black grime, and her fur hat was pulled down low, covering her ears.
The man who had approached her claimed to be a priest from some temple. His platinum-blonde hair was neatly combed, and he held something resembling a golden cluster of seven grapes. It looked like some sort of symbolic object, quite solid and heavy.
Though Seiki didn't know it, what the priest carried was indeed a symbol of his god. It also represented his status and his order.
‘A weapon?’
It didn't look like one. He didn't seem particularly dangerous, either.
His priestly robes, the impression he gave off, and above all, the location—this wasn't some deserted field or mountain path. It was a corner of a market in a small city. Would any idiot try to pull something in a place like this?
To add to that, her instincts didn't register any threat. On the contrary, she only felt an overwhelming sense of goodwill from the man before her.
Besides, she had run into him after selling some hides and animal byproducts to buy salt and other seasonings, so it wasn't an intentional meeting. He had literally run into her on the street, stopped her abruptly saying he had something to tell her, and whispered that she was a Saintess.
Even after that, the man continued to speak kindly. He asked her to visit the Holy Order, calling her a godchild of the deity and saying she was blessed.
Normally, she would have ignored him and walked away, but the situation was a bit different now, so Seiki fell silent and pondered.
‘Are you going to spend your whole life eating beast guts? Broaden your horizons and see the world.’
Coincidentally, it had been over three months since her grandfather, who had said those very words, had gone missing.
To be honest, she didn't feel like it. Why bother? That was her first thought. Saintess or not, she had absolutely no interest in gods or whatever. Dying to a monster or a demonic beast wasn't a matter of bad luck, nor was it because one was abandoned by the gods; it was because of a lack of preparation and training.
However, her grandfather was usually right. So, his words probably weren't wrong either.
"If I become a Saintess, what happens?"
Despite her vague question, the priest replied with a smile.
"You will have everything you desire—everything the Holy Order can obtain, Saint Child."
The Holy Order often used the moniker "Saint Child" for both Saintesses and Saints.
"My name isn't Saint-whatever. It's Seiki."
At thirteen, Seiki knew a bit about the world, but she was far from mastering its ways.
In short, she was tricked.
Everyone makes mistakes, and Seiki considered her decision back then to be a mistake.
Was that priest a bad person? No, he wasn't. He had been genuinely delighted to see Seiki and had blessed her. He truly believed her happiness lay within the Holy Order, and that the life of her dreams was inside it as well.
Even if she had ignored the good-natured priest and walked past, and even if she hadn't agreed to go with him, the Theocracy would never have left her alone once they learned of a Saintess's existence.
Afterward, Seiki headed to a monastery run by the Holy Order.
She entered a monastery built on the outskirts of a mountain ridge, far from any city. The man who had guided her shed tears as he offered his blessings and departed.
"Oh, the Lord has proven His care for us. All fallen fruit belongs to the Lord, and abundance is a gift from Him."
Seiki let the words go in one ear and out the other as she entered the monastery. Within two days, she realized she was trapped.
"Where are you going?"
There was always someone guarding the door. Afterward, a man claiming to be a priest of the Cult of Abundance watched her every move, claiming he was teaching her the proper conduct and doctrines of a Saintess.
On the surface, she could roam around freely, but any outside activity she desired was forbidden. It was no different from being imprisoned. Her body and mind felt locked in a jail.
A jail... She remembered being locked up for three days when she was twelve. It was because she had gotten into a knife fight inside the city. Her grandfather had sold a precious hide to get her out back then, hadn't he?
This was no different.
So, was there a problem? Yes, there was.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, Seiki made various excuses to explore the monastery on foot, scanning everything with her eyes. As she investigated, she noticed something.
"What is that place?"
There was a cavern of sorts beneath the monastery, and she realized human traces led inside. She didn't bother going down to look. She didn't have the luxury or the opportunity.
"It is an oratory for fasting prayers."
They claimed people prayed there without food, but Seiki caught a faint scent of something resembling food coming from inside. She also saw breadcrumbs dropped along the path, as well as traces left by small animals and rats.
What did that mean?
‘Are they keeping people locked up?’
"What kind of work can I do once I become a Saintess?"
After that, she kept asking questions, pretending to be innocent and ignorant. Some of the answers were useless, but some were helpful. It was enough to piece together the fragmented information.
"You can create holy water or potions. The divinity of a Saintess or a Saint is very different from that of ordinary believers. It is a power meant to be bestowed. In that regard, Saintess Seiki, you are still inexperienced, so you must train further."
Those were the words of Abbess Shilma.
‘The basement, food, confinement.’
A Saintess can make potions. Then what was her current utility value? She still had no idea how to tap into the divinity within her. If she did manage to use it, what would she end up doing?
In all likelihood, it sounded like she would be forced to do nothing but brew potions. Otherwise, there would be no reason to keep her locked up like this.
Seiki had things she wanted, and she had wanted to experience being a Saintess or joining the Holy Order for that purpose. She hadn't wanted to be imprisoned here.
But even if she said, "I want to stop being a Saintess and go home," they wouldn't just let her leave.
From then on, Seiki observed the people around her. She studied the buildings and memorized their layouts. It wasn't difficult. Since childhood, she had memorized the locations of traps just by looking at the layout of the forest.
It was only natural, as she would have died long ago otherwise.
Compared to where she grew up, the shapes of the buildings, the shaded areas covered in moss, and the ivy-covered walls had very distinct features. A structural map formed in Seiki's mind.
And it wasn't just physical landmarks. She mapped out everything—the people coming and going, their weapons, and more. In other words, even those moving in real-time were plotted in her mental map.
It was a skill she had learned from her grandfather. It was her greatest asset and ability. She organized all this information without anyone in the monastery noticing.
After drawing up that three-dimensional map, she reached a conclusion:
‘I can't get out without an accomplice.’
Seiki's escape attempt succeeded on her very first try. Her escape began in the middle of a theology class, when she held a knife to her teacher's throat.
It was a table knife from mealtime. Of course, when it came to slitting a throat, the knife's original purpose didn't matter, making it quite threatening. Since she had been acting docile and physically weak all this time, no one could have anticipated this moment.
As it was a class, only her teacher and herself were in the small room.
Seiki had spent her time understanding the habits of the place, and she used that knowledge to make her move. Starting with the terrain—the positions of the windows, the underground storehouses typical of a monastery—she mapped out the paths people took and those they avoided, the areas where people who could knock her out with a single punch gathered, and their expected movement routes.
After feigning an escape and scattering false trails everywhere, Seiki hid in the room of a young monk who pitied her.
"Thank you."
"...Lord Father, please punish the sins of the Holy Order and set things right."
Through his prayer, the young monk acknowledged the injustice of the situation. Even so, there was nothing he could do. He could only help this poor child.
She had only asked him to hide her for a little while. That was enough. Otherwise, they would have to give her a reason why she had to be locked up here for the rest of her life. There was no reason for her to be imprisoned. Therefore, they had nothing to say.
It wasn't an argument, but there was no flaw in her logic. So, the monk granted her wish. It was the best he could do.
Why? If he stood up and pointed out this injustice, he would likely be put on trial and burned at the stake. He was like the last remaining shred of conscience in a corrupt Holy Order.
Seiki had recognized his character. When hunting and tracking monsters, one must utilize everything in their surroundings. She had simply done just that.
This place was closer to a fortress than a monastery, and everyone here was either a believer or a monk. But that didn't mean everyone here was a bastard.
She hid in the monk's room for exactly half a day. By the time her pursuers realized they had been tricked or began to wonder, she slipped outside wearing the young monk's robes.
She was accompanied by the nanny-like priestess who had cared for her, under a plausible excuse. Two accomplices. Without them, it would have been impossible for Seiki to escape the fortress-like monastery.
Leaving behind the colonnaded corridors, the statue of the seven martyrs erected in the center, and another sculpture symbolizing their god with seven grapes, she escaped the prison they called a monastery.
"Thank you."
As she spoke those parting words, the middle-aged woman who had acted like a nanny replied. She was a person with a beautiful eye-smile that crinkled at the corners.
"Please, live the life you want."
"Won't you be in danger if I leave?"
"You aren't the type of child to stop because of such worries, are you, Seiki?"
The woman was generous and benevolent. If a god existed, or if there was an incarnation of a god, shouldn't they be like this person?
Seiki nodded, vaguely recalling the theology she had skimmed through.
"I'm sorry. I have things I want, and that's how I'm going to live."
She couldn't stop here just because she felt sorry for her.
Thus, she left the temple, and from then on, she ran and walked, ignoring cities and everything else. She had to avoid monsters and demonic beasts by reading their tracks, and along the way, she realized she was being followed and had to perform a near-miraculous feat.
She crossed a swamp teeming with dozens of lizardmen, completely empty-handed. She thought she had shaken them off by taking a path no one would ever expect.
But after somehow pushing through that route, she had no choice but to enter a city. Naturally, those tracking her followed her all the way there.
Was it a minor mistake? No. If she hadn't prepared and bought supplies in the city, her subsequent escape would have been impossible.
So, she did what she had to do. She sold a hand-span-long silver candlestick she had swiped when leaving the temple and bought various supplies.
‘What a waste of my dagger.’
Her hunting dagger had been confiscated long ago, leaving her weaponless. She bought a new dagger, and with the remaining Krona, she purchased thick-soled boots, a cloak, and some clothes.
All of this was done before her pursuers arrived. Otherwise, she would have already been caught by the guards. The guards had easily let her through when the shabby hunter kid claimed she was joining a hunting group outside the city that included her parents. After that, she naturally resumed her diligent march.
It would have been nice if she could hide her identity with a disguise, but that wasn't her specialty. Instead, the skills she had learned and mastered since childhood guided her.
‘Grandfather.’
It was only natural to think of the person who had raised and taught her.
The early morning air carried a chilly bite. The sun rose, and by afternoon, it would sometimes get warm enough to make her sweat. She walked while keeping her eyes on the fields as much as possible. Even if she couldn't see the horizon, she avoided mounds, caves, and mountain ridges.
It was a talent of keeping her vision open and scanning her surroundings with her senses as she walked. After overcoming several crises in this manner, she arrived in Pelheim.
She had planned to shake off the remaining pursuers here, but...
‘They're persistent.’
As she entered and tried to slip out of the city, the number of people pursuing her suddenly surged. Previously, she felt there were fewer than ten, but now there were dozens. It felt as though a massive net had been cast wide around her.
If you know you're being chased, you shouldn't willingly enter a dead end. That was common sense. Yet, she did exactly that. She headed into the forest, cutting off her own retreat.
Why? Because this was her best escape route.
‘It's not the worst.’
It wasn't that she hadn't been injured along the way, but she was a Saintess recognized by the Holy Order. In other words, she possessed an innate talent for divinity. However, she didn't know how to manifest it externally, so she had no idea how to use it.
As if to make up for it, Seiki healed rapidly from any wound. She was immune to poison, and she somehow recovered even from an injury that had nearly severed her leg.
"Are you a half-Frok instead of a half-elf?"
"Froks lay eggs. Did you pull me out of an egg? You'd know that, Grandfather, not me."
"Your mother is my daughter, you brat."
It was so remarkable that even her grandfather had said such things. It had been that way since she was a child. Since a hybrid of a human and a Frok was impossible, she had simply brushed it off as a strange quirk back then.
How could she have known it was due to divinity?
At any rate, Seiki intended to sprint north and shake off all her pursuers. Lose them in the forest, then run north. It was simple, but she had put a tremendous amount of effort into making it work.
Half a day passed like that. Whether the sun was up or the moon was out, she kept moving, even cutting into her sleep. She had long since mastered the art of sleeping while avoiding the eyes of monsters and demonic beasts.
Due to the accumulated fatigue, her limbs felt as heavy as if someone had chained boulders to them. Bypassing the city, she climbed toward where the mountain range began.
It was a branch of the Gigant Mountains, a place people called North Pelheim. And this place was quite—no, extremely—dangerous. It was the stronghold of fire-breathing monsters.
Seiki had intended to venture along those mountain ridges once again. That had been her original plan.
Until she saw the people blocking her path.
"Saint Child."
The benevolent-smiling woman in the center spoke.
"My name is Seiki."
Seiki made her identity clear. She was not some holy child; she was Seiki. And the woman before her was the very same one who had congratulated her on becoming a Saintess back in that prison of a monastery.