Chapter 135 - The Saintess's Plan!
"I see... So while trying to shake off Bivora as he lunged at you, you ended up stabbing him with the knife that had fallen to the floor."
"Yes... I'm sorry."
After Bivora died by Klea's hand, we reported it to the church, and knights were dispatched from the kingdom along with the priests. They confirmed Bivora's corpse and investigated the path he had taken to breach the security magic. Naturally, the knights came to take our statements too...
But no matter what, I couldn't just say that Klea—my bitch—had killed him. So I told them that Bivora had broken in and gotten tangled up with me in a fight, and that's how he died. It might affect Klea's saintess appointment... And above all, I should take responsibility for my bitch's actions.
"Will there be any punishment for the killing...?"
"Pardon? No way. This guy kidnapped a Hero Knight's family and hid a seal issuer—he's a vicious criminal. If anything, you'd deserve a reward, not punishment."
I'd asked anxiously just in case, but it seemed there was no need to worry. As expected of a monarchical society. No one else matters, but a criminal's life is worth nothing. I like it.
"...That said, we're a bit concerned that we haven't located that issuer yet..."
The knight who'd been taking notes from my account gave an awkward smile, looking a little troubled. They still hadn't found it...? The one I'd seen at the guild office wasn't something he could carry alone.
"...Well, anyway. That's our headache for the time being, so don't worry about it, Divine Beast. You must have been quite shocked by this incident—leave the rest to us."
He finished writing and smiled as if telling me to trust them alone. Fine. Suits me. With Bivora—the loose end I'd been worried about—gone, everything really seemed sorted now...
"Saintess, will you be all right for tomorrow's appointment ceremony? We can postpone it if needed..."
A priest standing next to the knight who'd been questioning us asked Klea with a worried look. Calling her "Saintess" already... The appointment wasn't official yet, but among the priests, it seemed like Klea becoming the saintess was a done deal.
Hmm... yeah. He deserved to die, but killing a person might still weigh on her. She probably needs time to sort out her feelings. I glanced at Klea thinking that, and she opened her eyes toward me with a small smile before reassuring the priest not to worry.
"I'm fine. If anything, with this incident, we should hurry and get the appointment over with."
"I see. Then you'll need to head straight to the pre-appointment preparations scheduled for today..."
"Yes. I'll prepare and come right away, so please let them know."
"Understood. Then..."
After the priest left and the knights finished wrapping up, we moved to the next room, where Klea opened her eyes and smiled.
"Hehe. Feels like a weight's been lifted off my chest."
"Klea, you were so cool~! Slicing that trash's throat in one go! Kyaa~♡"
My bitches giggled like they'd just played a fun game. Well... Bivora was someone who needed to be eliminated to avoid future trouble. It worked out fine.
"That trash is done with now... Master. Unfortunately, we won't have time today."
Klea bowed her head with a genuinely regretful expression. Yeah. Now that we're here, she has to become the saintess. The mood got a bit ruined by Bivora's sudden intrusion... It's a shame, but we'll have plenty of time ahead.
"Mm... Can't be helped. We've got time, so let's take it slow and enjoy. You heading out right away?"
"Before that, Master... I have something I'd like to ask. Do you plan to keep operating out of Radia?"
"Huh? Well, Radia's great for adventurer life... But leaving you alone in the Royal Capital feels off, so I was thinking of just moving there. Why?"
From what I'd seen, the Royal Capital wasn't ideal for adventuring. The guild office was even smaller than Radia's, and the adventurers didn't seem that high-level. With the kingdom's knight order handling most things and those monstrous Hero Knights around, they didn't need adventurers much. Any strong ones just joined the knights anyway, so the capital's guild felt like it was just for errands.
Radia was the opposite—the lord's soldiers were mediocre, and the adventurers seemed stronger than needed. If I went to the capital, I'd probably level up a bit and consider joining the knights...
"I see. So if you had a choice, Radia would be better, right?"
"Yeah...? The capital's too spread out and inconvenient for daily life too."
"Understood. Then we'll go with Radia."
Huh? Choose Radia?
"...Is that even an option? Don't saintesses have to stay in the Royal Capital?"
"Hehe... Leave it to me. As your bitch, I'll deliver the result you want."
Klea smiled with a reliable expression. "On top of that, I've prepared an event to make up for today's disappointment. I'll show you both at tomorrow's appointment ceremony."
"...Heh. Looks like my bitch has something fun in mind."
"Hehe. If you're that curious, Master, I can tell you now..."
"Nah. Let's see what you've got."
She's building up the hype—no need to spoil it early. Let's see what my bitch Klea prepared.
"Looking forward to your event, Klea."
"Hehe... I'll make sure to satisfy you, Master♡"
Klea smiled, and her demon eyes seemed to gleam seductively.
And the next day. The day of Klea's appointment ceremony.
Klea hadn't returned to the inn last night; she'd gone straight to the preparations. In the plaza near the royal palace, citizens of the Royal Capital gathered to see the new saintess. Behind the platform sat the church's high executives—the archbishops—and behind them, priests including Baul.
A good distance away in the VIP seats, the king and royals watched the citizens and the entire platform. In this plaza filled with all sorts of people, Klea would finally become the saintess today.
"The Goddess has sent a new saintess to us on this day..."
Thanks to the church's consideration, Lizbet and I had prime seats, watching the pope speak to Klea, who looked dazzling in her ornate white saintess robes.
His tedious thanks to the Goddess dragged on for a while, until the pope smiled at Klea.
"...in Her name, I hereby declare the birth of a new saintess of the Goddess Church."
Finally, Klea's saintess appointment was officially proclaimed. I clapped along with the cheering citizens as Klea waved toward us. She had her eyes closed—probably couldn't control her demon eyes yet—but even so, it felt like she was smiling right at me.
Heh heh. My bitch is a saintess. Feels pretty damn good. Not my taste with zero exposure, but those robes suit her well... Yeah. Pretty. My bitch.
"Now, Saintess Klea will share her thoughts."
The hosting priest announced, and Klea stepped forward to the magic amplifier like a microphone. As she took a breath, the plaza quieted, the citizens waiting for her words. Holding what looked like a prepared statement, Klea stared at the paper silently.
Soon, the shocking announcement from the newly chosen saintess began.