The Saint's Curious Question
The Saint tilted her head, her golden eyes sparkling with that mischievous light I knew too well. “Hero-nim, would you like a... status check~? Hehe♡ I’m giving you a status check♡”
“Um, right now?” I replied, already regretting the casual tone I’d slipped into. “The guild’s still open, and we’ve got a quest waiting.”
“But the guild won’t be there forever, silly~! Especially since your adventurer rank is still so low. How long are we going to stay in Habsburgs?”
“Until your rank improves a bit,” she answered smoothly, as if that explained everything. “We’re not planning to stay as pathetic D-rankers forever, are we~?”
“...Yeah, that’s right.”
It had been two full weeks since we received the request and arrived in Habsburgs. Every day we’d been staying at an inn while bouncing between the adventurer guild and whatever odd jobs came our way. Money had piled up faster than I expected, even after replacing our gear. The last time I checked the ledger, the balance looked ridiculous for a D-rank party.
Now we were handling C-rank requests without breaking a sweat. Was it really time to push for the next promotion?
“Saint, though, what exactly is that outfit?” I asked, gesturing at the frilly, lace-heavy dress she was wearing.
“I bought it last time we were here. Did you forget already? Your memory’s worse than a miser’s coin, Hero-nim~♡ You really are a fool♡ A complete idiot♡”
“...You bought something like that?”
The Saint had switched to civilian clothes the moment she lost her priestly robes to that slime. Honestly, she looked good in anything, but this particular ensemble was ridiculous—almost goth in its excess of frills and ruffles.
“Why? Don’t tell me you think I’m too cute and can’t decide what to do~♡”
“I’ve never said anything like that...”
“But you can’t just cover me up. I’m the Saint, after all~♡”
“Please just listen to me.”
“We’re heading to the guild again today, right?”
“Of course. One or two more jobs and you’ll hit the promotion threshold.”
“Oh, really?”
“You need achievements for promotion. I’m pretty sure we’ll meet the requirements soon.”
She spoke those words and suddenly fixed me with an intense stare.
“?”
“But Hero-nim, did you... forget?”
“Forget what?”
“Your wish. Why aren’t you saying it?”
Wish?
“You fulfilled it last time, didn’t you? Instead of Heavy Rat, you took it down yourself.”
“...You’re not seriously claiming that was my wish, are you?”
The Saint’s gaze turned ice-cold. Goosebumps raced down my arms from the sheer chill in her eyes.
Damn it, why is she looking at me like that? What did I do wrong?
Memories of her expression the last time we’d talked about wishes flooded back. She’d been terrifying then too.
“...Fine. Then, Saint.”
“Yes~♡”
“From now on, no more calling me ‘pathetic’ or ‘trash.’”
“...That’s it?”
Wait, what?
Her voice stayed flat. I stole a glance; her eyes were still as cold as ever.
Damn, what do I have to say to make her happy?
She sighed deeply, then flashed that signature smile again.
“Nothing like that, though. What you’ve been quietly hoping for all this time~♡ Or something you can’t just ask for normally♡ Do you have any of those~?”
It sounded like exactly what she’d just described. But if I admitted it, her gaze would probably freeze over even more.
“...I don’t have any.”
I racked my brain. Nothing came to mind. The Saint let out another heavy sigh, as if she understood something I didn’t.
“...Even the naive ones have their limits sometimes.”
“...Excuse me?”
What exactly am I supposed to be naive about?
She dropped onto the bed right beside me, propping her chin on her fingers in an oddly cute gesture.
She looks even cuter when she does stuff like that.
“Is the Hero-nim... impotent?”
“...What kind of sudden question is that?”
Hahaha, the lies just keep coming.
“Or maybe you’re actually into men?”
“What are you saying over and over?”
“What do you think when you look at me, Hero-nim?”
“...?”
That was completely out of left field. Before I could answer, she pointed at her own face.
“I’m not pretty?”
“Pretty?... You’re very pretty.”
Pretty or not, the fact that I was insulting her behind her back was a separate issue.
“But with a wish like that, you’re not asking for anything?”
“...What does that have to do with anything?”
“...I’m just asking because I’m worried, Hero-nim.”
“?”
The corner of her mouth curved up in a sly smile, eyes narrowing into perfect crescents.
“Hero-nim, are you... still a virgin~?”
“...Eh?”
Virgin. In other words, she was asking if I was a virgin. My soul left my body for a second.
Me? A virgin? Damn it, at this age I should be... what?
This body was only seventeen. Could the original owner of this frame have experienced anything at seventeen?
Wait, why am I even thinking about that? What kind of question is this coming from a Saint? And she definitely wasn’t talking about herself.
“You’ve never had that either, right, Saint?”
“I’m from the church, after all~.” Then she added with a mischievous grin, “From the way you’re acting, I’m guessing you really are...”
“A virgin♡”
“...Seventeen is still an adult, though~♡”
“Wait, seriously?”
Thinking back, medieval times saw adulthood much earlier than modern standards. I’d heard that in medieval Europe a boy was considered an adult at fourteen.
“Fufu♡ He’s a virgin♡ Even though he’s not a priest and still a virgin♡ Hehe♡”
Damn it. She was turning this into a running joke.
“...Don’t call me that.”
“You’re acting exactly like a virgin, after all~♡”
Hahaha, you’re the idiot here.
Irritated, I slammed my palm on the bed and glared at her. “Then I guess I’ll have to pin you down right here, Saint.”
“...Hik...♥”
“...?”
Her reaction was weird.
“...I-I only do what you say~♥ If that’s your wish~♡ Getting hugged by such a perverted Hero-nim would be the worst~♡”
Why does she sound so eager? Am I imagining things?
We were sitting close, but she was noticeably shorter than me, so she had to crane her neck to look up. Her pumpkin-shaped eyes trembled slightly, cheeks flushed pink.
Something felt off. I changed the subject quickly. “...That was a joke. Let’s go.”
I bolted out of the room before she could react, even if she kept staring at my back.
“...Whew.”
Why is she like this?
#
Still a little awkward around each other, the Saint and I walked to the guild without a word the whole way.
“Abel! There you are!”
“...?”
Why is the monkey guy here?
Our local childhood friend Ozu was lounging in the guild lobby, then immediately waved at the Saint when he noticed us.
“Hey, Saint! Nice to see you!”
“It’s nice to meet you. You’re one of Hero-nim’s childhood friends, right?”
She answered with her usual warm smile and gentle voice. She only did that when other people were watching.
“Yes! My name is Ozu!”
Oh, so his name was Ozu. I finally remembered.
Contrary to what I’d expected, it was a normal name. I’d been half-convinced it would be Monkey Nose 2nd or something ridiculous.
“So what brings you all the way here, Ozu?”
“I came because I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
The Saint’s eyebrows pinched together.
“Yes. A monster appeared near our village.”
“...A monster?”
...A monster appeared in the village? But how is he standing here perfectly fine?
“Why are you okay, though?”
“Ah, that’s the thing. If I say it straight out, you’ll think I’m weird. The monster didn’t do anything.”
“What?”
Ozu shrugged. “I don’t really know either. It showed up, but it hasn’t attacked or anything. If I’d tried to fight first, it might have gotten angry, so the village chief told me not to touch it.”
“...Saint, does this ever happen?”
“I don’t know.”
The Saint was as clueless as me. How was I supposed to treat a monster encyclopedia?
“We’ll have to see it up close.”
“Oh, so you’ll come with us?”
The Saint turned to me. “What do you think, Hero-nim?”
“I decide?”
“Of course~♡”
Hmm...
“Let’s head out. I’m curious about a monster the Saint doesn’t know.”
“If you put it that way, I feel like I’m being treated like a walking encyclopedia.”
No.
“Thank you, Saint! Thanks, Abel!”
When we agreed to head to the village, Ozu kept thanking us over and over. He really had a good personality.
“By the way, how did you even make it to Habsburgs?”
“The chief lent me the money for the carriage. Nothing scary happened on the way—monsters or bandits—so it was lucky.”
“...I see.”
People in this era really dealt with all kinds of hardships.
“Saint, we should get going. Shall we take the carriage too?”
“Of course.”
I was finally about to ride a carriage. I’d been isekai’d into a medieval setting and hadn’t ridden one once yet. What would it feel like? I was actually looking forward to it.
#
Clank. Clank.
Clunk!
“Ow.”
“Fufu♡ Hero-nim must be getting a headache~♡ Are you trying to turn into an idiot~♡”
“......”
I hated carriages.
Turns out they were way more uncomfortable than expected. Roads weren’t even paved, and the horses made everything jolt. I was the tallest of the three of us, so every bump sent my head cracking against the ceiling. It had to have been more than three hours already, and I was starting to worry about brain damage.
“...Ozu, how much longer?”
“Almost there. Stop sticking your butt out so far.”
“Fine.”
At least my head was safe now, though the absurd posture of my long torso made me look ridiculous.
The Saint leaned in and whispered softly.
“You look like an uncle, Hero-nim~♡”
Damn it, I had no choice.
“We’re almost there!”
“Oh.”
From the window I saw a familiar sight. It wasn’t my real hometown, but the village the original owner of this body used to live in—Daisy Village. Even from a distance, the name made sense; it probably bloomed with daisies.
“Thank you. Please be safe.”
“Enjoy yourselves.”
We finally reached the village. I checked my head for any new bumps.
“Looks fine.”
“What’s fine?”
“I was worried about a new lump.”
The Saint giggled. “Sometimes Hero-nim worries about the weirdest things~♡”
“...Really?”
Following Ozu, we walked deeper into the village. He led us straight forward without hesitation.
“Where are we going?”
“First I have to greet the chief. It’s been a while since I was here.”
“Can’t we just check out the monster right away?”
I was already tired, and I didn’t remember much about this village. I didn’t want to answer the chief if he started asking pointless questions.
“Hmm, okay. Greeting can wait until after we handle the monster.”
Surprisingly, he agreed to my request without argument. This guy was flexible.
“I’ll guide you straight there.”
We passed the main road and climbed a gentle hill.
“You remember this hill, Abel?”
“...Eh?”
“You used to come here all the time when you were little.”
I didn’t remember.
“...Yeah, I guess.”
I pretended I did. If I acted clueless, he’d probably think I was weird.
Ozu, thinking the Saint didn’t know, explained kindly.
“Just past this hill is a huge daisy field.”
“That’s why the village is called Daisy Village.”
“Exactly. When you were little, you, Anais, and I used to come here often.”
“...Who is Anais?”
Yeah, who the heck is Anais?
“Her full name is Anais. She used to live in this village. She left four years ago. She said she was going to become a mage.”
“Hmm... She sounds like a girl. Right?”
“Yes.”
So I had a childhood friend girl?
“Abel, you still remember Anais?”
“...Kinda fuzzy.”
Four years was a long time. I could admit it.
“Wow, that’s harsh. She liked you so much.”
“...What?”
“Why are you acting so surprised? Did you really not know?”
Ozu grinned like the prankster he was, then urged us forward.
“...I see.”
“...Saint?”
Her voice sounded dangerous.
“You had a ‘girl’ childhood friend who liked Hero-nim~.”
Th-that’s news to me, Saint. I don’t even know who she is!
“...Saint? Your eyes are scary.”
“Yes~? What did I do~?”
“......”
Even after hearing that she liked me because I reminded her of a goblin, her taste really was something else.
...Was she limited to monkeys and goblins and had to choose?
“We’re here. Look there.”
Ozu pointed ahead. A massive cat sat on the hill.
“...A cat?”
“It’s a Cheshire Cat.”
Cheshire Cat? The one from Alice in Wonderland.
“It looks like a regular cat, but it has the ability to create illusions, making it tricky to catch.”
“Illusions?”
“We don’t know if the one we’re seeing is the real thing or a hallucination. We’ll have to get close to tell.”
“Either way, it’s definitely a monster, right? Why isn’t it attacking?”
Monsters usually attacked humans on sight. The Saint shook her head. “I’m not sure either. Shall we get closer?”
“Is that safe?”
“If you fall into its illusion, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry.”
The Saint sounded confident, and I believed her.
I told Ozu to wait here and approached the Cheshire Cat together with the Saint.
Up close, it was enormous. Larger than a person. The cat noticed us and turned its head. What happened next was completely unexpected.
“Nyaa? Humans! Nice to meet you!”