I'm the Saintess, Even Though I'm the Villainess (2)
Next morning.
I woke to the cheerful chirping of birds.
I was nestled between Elijah and Haruna.
Haruna had surely been sleeping at the far end of the wall, yet here I was on top of her. Was I a restless sleeper?
They had both slept soundly, while I was the only one who had woken.
I didn’t feel like moving, so I simply fidgeted under the blanket.
A noble’s bed was incredibly fluffy and comfortable.
Once I experienced this, I would never again be satisfied with the old, worn mattress back home.
Normally I would have woken up with Elijah and headed out to the delivery job, but lying here was perfectly fine.
After all, the maid would prepare a proper meal.
Was this what it felt like to be unemployed? I didn’t need the academy at all. I just wanted to keep living here.
I closed my eyes again, trying to drift back to sleep.
“Miss! Therese-nim! Elijah-nim! Wake up!”
Lugna appeared, throwing open the curtains and calling out loudly.
I couldn’t suppress the sigh that rose in my throat.
Elijah blinked awake, and Haruna roused a moment later.
“Good morning, Elijah.”
“Uh…”
Elijah greeted me familiarly and sat up.
“Good morning, Haruna.”
“Yes… uh, uh uh?”
Haruna saw us sharing the same bed, woke up instantly, and bolted upright.
After the initial shock, she realized she had been the first to fall asleep last night and shivered in embarrassment.
After that, we washed up, ate breakfast, and set out for the cathedral with the four of us.
This was the first time I had left the slums and stepped onto the main road.
The bustling street.
Seeing the dazzling white medieval buildings, I let out a sigh of admiration.
People with every shade of hair color passed by.
“Whoa…”
I wandered around with a curious, exhilarated feeling.
The warriors in adventurer-style outfits, the children playing casually.
The woman who looked like a mage, wearing a wide-brimmed hat.
When I looked up, I saw dragons soaring through the sky, and dragon knights riding them.
“Dragons! Dragons! There!”
I excitedly grabbed Elijah’s hand and exclaimed.
Dragons! Finally feeling like I was in a fantasy world, I jumped around shouting.
I was entering such an academy.
As I bounced around, passersby glanced at us.
“People are staring… Please don’t do anything embarrassing…”
Whoops, I had gotten too excited.
To them, I probably looked like a slum kid who had never seen the city before, or a country bump. I had done something embarrassing to Haruna, a noble girl.
“Sorry.”
I scratched my head and apologized.
“There are so many people.”
Elijah, who had never seen such a crowd, looked around curiously.
“I know this place well. There’s a really delicious tea shop. Let’s go together later.”
“What’s tea?”
“Have you never tried it…?”
Elijah had never tried it. Of course, I hadn’t either with this body, so we were on the same boat.
Haruna’s shocked expression made me feel a little guilty.
“Eek!”
I poked Haruna’s side.
“Kyaa! What are you doing?”
“Because it’s cute, stop.”
“Hey, Tere. I’m not cute?”
Elijah smiled brightly.
“It’s almost time to reach the cathedral.”
Lugna, who had been watching us playfully, pointed with her finger.
At the tip of her finger stood a massive cathedral. The largest cathedral in the kingdom. Even the doors looked bigger than most buildings.
Statues of every kind lined the cathedral grounds.
“I saw those statues in the mansion too…”
Elijah muttered. Lugna heard this and explained to her.
“Ah, those? They are statues depicting the Saintess and Echion, who bestowed power upon her.”
Lugna went on to explain in detail about goddesses and myths related to the Saintess, and Elijah listened intently.
I wasn’t particularly interested, so I half-listened, but Elijah seemed fascinated and absorbed every word.
From now on, since I would become the Saintess, she was probably trying to gain as much knowledge as possible.
‘Wait, if I enter the academy, will I have to study?’
People usually imagined the academy as classes in mana, duels, and battles against virtual monsters, but in reality it required studying at least as much as a high school in Korea.
At the same time, I would have to be skilled in martial arts. It was a place where talented people who were both literary and martial were forged.
Waking up every day to study, training, study, training, exams.
‘No. I can’t accept such a future…’
I clutched my head. Just hearing the word “study” made it hurt. When asked if I was good or bad at studying, I was good at it, but if told to do it, I could flatly refuse.
Elijah was listening to Lugna and Haruna explain the history of the Saintess and the kingdom’s church.
Was I the only one despairing over this? Rather, the two of them seemed even more motivated, hearing that they could study a lot at the academy.
Yeah, is studying important?
There were many things I had to do after entering the academy. For example, rescuing citizens from the terror of monsters or demon races.
I didn’t need to focus on studying.
Um, I nodded while rationalizing myself.
Feeling a bit refreshed, I looked around calmly.
Children, adults, women, men, the elderly.
Various people were living there. Their faces looked bright, and they seemed to be living peaceful lives.
Yeah, I have to protect these people. And no matter what method, stop the development of the original novel.
Three years until entering the academy. Two years until the kingdom perishes after that.
I can do it.
“Ah.”
While making a resolution, I bumped shoulders with a passing girl. The crowd was so dense I hadn’t noticed.
“Sorry.”
I reflexively apologized and looked at the girl’s face.
“No, it’s my side that should apologize.”
It was a girl with red hair in twin tails.
A girl of similar age to me. If she was cute, her face was cute. But that was thanks to the twin tails; the face itself had a charming shyness.
“… Is there something you want to say?”
As I stared at the girl, she frowned slightly and spoke.
Staring at someone’s face was rude. I waved my hand.
“Ah, nothing.”
“… Yes, then I’ll take my leave.”
The twin-tailed girl bowed and disappeared.
I watched her back. Wavy twin tails, unhesitating steps.
Something familiar.
“Therese? What are you doing?”
“Ah, yeah. I’m going.”
At Elijah’s call, I matched her pace and walked.
“Ah. Look there. Those are academy students.”
Haruna pointed with her finger to where students in academy uniforms stood.
They wore a uniform that blended half realistic and half fantasy aesthetics.
An academy uniform in a fantasy world… I thought this genre was oddly inaccurate.
After seeing the white-based uniform, I suddenly realized.
“Aaaah! I remember!”
I shouted suddenly, and Elijah and Haruna looked at me with strange eyes.
The girl who had just passed was one of the heroines from the original work.
A girl who used fire and one of the academy’s leading figures.
If I had known, I should have let my mouth run more!
The central church and cathedral of the kingdom.
We arrived at the First Milia Cathedral.
Coming this far, I thought Lugna had been kind enough to let us visit our mother.
I couldn’t help but stick out my tongue at the glossy, sparkling interior.
And the many nuns walking around in their habits.
Was it just my imagination that their gazes were focused on us?
It wasn’t just my imagination.
“Mother, little miss, are you perhaps nun trainees?”
“Ah…”
One of the nuns approached us and spoke. We seemed to look somewhat nun-like or holy at first glance.
While I was pondering how to politely withdraw, Lugna intervened.
“These children are friends of Miss Ray.”
“Ah! I apologize. Have a good time.”
Why was she blushing and leaving?
Anyway, the interrupter had disappeared. We walked inside the huge cathedral.
Probably, there were separate areas for ordinary people, for praying, and for treatment.
Along the way, we were approached, but since it was the Ray family, they knew the situation and stepped aside.
“They’re nobles after all.”
“Cheer up. It’s not that much.”
Elijah’s casual sigh was unavoidable.
I looked back at Lugna. We had been friends for just one day. Even though we were suddenly saying we wanted to visit our mother, Haruna had no intention.
Perhaps she wanted to introduce us to her mother as soon as possible, since she might leave soon.
Lugna had hesitated at first at our sudden proposal, but eventually, after we pleaded earnestly, she agreed.
“Here it is.”
Lugna opened the door.
There was a woman lying on the bed in a white gown, eyes closed.
Her face was pale and haggard, but even so, she was a great beauty.
She opened her eyes slightly, looking at us.
“Haruna… and who are you…?”
A cracked voice came out.
By any measure, she seemed to be suffering from a serious illness.
“… Mom.”
Haruna approached her mother and hugged her.
“Yeah, Haruna. … But who are those two kids behind you?”
“Haruna’s friends. I’m Therese.”
“Elijah.”
We both bowed our heads in greeting. She looked surprised at the word “friends,” widened her eyes for a moment, then stroked Haruna’s head and said.
“You’ve made a friend.”
“Yeah…”
“By the way, sorry for the late introduction. I’m Heline. I hope you get along well with Haruna.”
She smiled with her haggard face. There was resignation to the impending death on her face.
“I’m sorry I can’t celebrate properly because I’m like this. If there’s anything you want, tell me.”
I don’t really want anything.
At best, getting an academy recommendation letter and living at Haruna’s mansion?
“Therese.”
Elijah extended her hand to me.
I took her hand.
Platinum light mana surged from Elijah’s body.
Everyone except me and Elijah widened their eyes.
I understood. I had been shocked too when I first saw Elijah’s mana.
Whether Elijah was a villainess or not couldn’t be confirmed yet. There might be some circumstances.
But one thing I could say for sure was that Elijah was the Saintess, and I was her childhood friend.
A white light covered the room.