19. Saintess
"Mm, no thanks."
At Ian's quiet refusal, the saintess, Ashera, blinked in silence. A refusal? Why? Pondering deeply, she soon realized she'd simply made the proposal out of nowhere. Without explaining any benefits of coming to the Holy Nation or anything else.
'Of course he'd refuse. My mistake.'
She should have started by outlining the perks if he came to the Holy Nation first, or the merits of operating there, then made the invitation. Throwing out a bare "come to the Holy Nation" with no context? Naturally, he'd turn it down.
With that in mind, Ashera began racking her brain for things she could offer him. In truth, Ian had refused because the proposal itself felt suspiciously off, but now his self-esteem had risen quite a bit. Still, unlike that, Ian had a pretty objective grasp of his own image.
'Jeez, what I'm basically saying is I'm a house husband, and she's trying to recruit me? Ridiculous.'
Unaware of his thoughts, Ashera spoke from her misconception.
"Ah, I should've explained the benefits you'd get in the Holy Nation first, Ian."
"......Pardon?"
Ashera's first proposed benefit: a house in the Holy Nation.
"If you come to our Holy Nation, we'll provide you with a place to live first off. Not some small shack—a nice three-story house with a yard. And not in the outskirts, but right in the central district. You might not know this, but land prices in our Holy Nation get pricier the closer you are to the Great Cathedral."
Ashera, not being an adventurer herself, figured most adventurers rented rooms long- or short-term at inns or hotels rather than owning homes. Humans naturally craved stability and their own place. Ian was an adventurer too, so...
She assumed he couldn't refuse a house—especially one inside the Holy Nation.
The Holy Nation was a city-state made of a single metropolis. As long as she was there, as long as the main goddess resided, no country would dare invade. Untouched by any continental wars, it was infamous for having the continent's most expensive land. And the closer to the Great Cathedral, the easier access to any potential threats or the Holy Nation's infrastructure radiating from it.
That made the price the yolk of the Holy Nation's egg-like expanse. The soil there was worth twice its weight in gold.
Of course, the house for him wasn't ready yet. But she had a spot in mind: the closest to the Great Cathedral, within stumbling distance.
The issue? It had an owner living there already. But that didn't matter to Ashera.
'I'm the saintess—what're they gonna do about it?'
They could complain all they wanted. Even the Holy Emperor who ruled the Holy Nation cowered before her and said nothing. Just tell them to hand over the house and dip, then loot some extra from the national treasury as compensation. Easy.
Ashera's mind didn't even entertain the remote chance the current owner might refuse. Dare to defy the saintess's order to leave? Whether they'd legally bought the land or not didn't matter. Everything in this world stemmed from the goddess. Humans just borrowed it.
From Ashera's view, people buying and selling land was just pretending to be owners among themselves, trading rental rights while ignoring the true landlord. And now the goddess's agent demanded it back? They should be grateful she was even offering compensation out of pity.
"No, Saintess. I..."
But this was the saintess's misguided assumption.
Ian wasn't incapable of buying a house in the first place.
In fact, most adventurers could afford their own homes. Depending on rank, it might be rural or urban, but those risking their lives earned decent coin. Higher-rank adventurers could easily buy if they wanted.
Much less Ian's party, with two Platinum-ranks and a Gold. Even the lowest Gold, Dina, had only been active briefly—her skills actually surpassed Cheong-ah or Bella's.
Strangely, their monthly earnings always vanished, giving Cheong-ah headaches as she tightened their belts...
Anyway, if Ian wanted, even if the Holy Nation house was a stretch, he could buy something noble- or rich-merchant-worthy in Tronen Kingdom's royal capital.
But he didn't, for reasons most adventurers shared.
A house would be comfy, sure. But chores? Quests already drained him—cooking, laundry, cleaning?
Inns/hotels handled cleaning, meals, fresh linens daily. Valuables? Guild storage or carry them.
Bottom line: house management was a hassle.
'Well, my reasons are a bit different...'
Ian didn't mind housework. As the house husband, he'd gladly handle 'cooking, laundry, cleaning? Fuck yeah, easy' while Cheong-ah and Bella rested.
He'd even casually suggested buying a house before, but...
'Housework for you, my lord...? We have no choice while camping, but I could never allow it otherwise—not even over my dead body.'
Cheong-ah insisted she'd do it herself. Problem: she could barely wash clothes, let alone chores. Still, her fierce opposition made Ian nod, 'Mm. Fair enough?'
Bella too: 'Hey, fuck. That money could buy how many bottles of booze...?'
His resolve wavered. But the decisive factor? Dina.
'Hee... So we'd eat Yeonja's food every day?'
Ian nearly nodded eagerly, then recalled her usual portions.
'...No way I could out-eat Dina.'
Cooking that daily? He'd spend at least 12 of 24 hours on chores. He shelved the idea.
He refused, but Ashera cut him off, as if the talk wasn't over.
"Sorry, Ian. Could you hold off on answering till I've said everything? I have more offers."
"Ah, sure. Got it."
Interrupted mid-reply, Ian's opinion of Ashera dipped slightly. Naturally, she had no clue.
Her proposals continued. A bit miffed, Ian half-listened while stroking Dina's hair on his lap and feeding her cake.
"Tasty, Dina?"
"Mmm, tastes even better when Yeonja feeds me."
"Heh, where'd you pick that up?"
"Hm? This body never learned such words? They spring from my heart."
"Yeah, yeah."
Ashera listed churchy perks: free prayers anytime at the cathedral, waived confessional fees, monthly free holy water. Medical care for illnesses/injuries, educational aid, various welfare benefits.
Even a hefty monthly stipend. Basically, unemployed heir to a Gangnam high-rise.
"And if you have kids later, free education for them too! W-what do you say?!"
But even after all that...
"......Still kinda."
Refusal. Scratching his forehead, ambiguous expression.
Why? He couldn't fathom why she'd go this far to lure him. A bare invite was weird enough—now this?
Ashera was shocked. Even this, and still no?
"What the hell, why?!"
Her true nature slipped—respectful tone, but the sharp rise betrayed irritation.
"There's gotta be a reason, right? Why refuse? Ian, are you an idiot or something? This is huge! Full room, board, health care—everything for an easy life. Why say no?!"
That made Dina, peacefully munching cake happily on Ian's lap, narrow her eyes oddly.
"Saintess, your tongue is foul. Speak to my Yeonja like that, and friend or not, I shan't stand idle."
"Dinaria..."
Ashera glared at Dina. Dina glared back fiercely.
"What, shall we fight? Might be simpler that way—for you or me."