The Saint’s Surprise Meal and the Mystery of the Barley Trail
I had spent about two hours wandering around with Chloe before heading back toward the church. I still hadn’t seen the saint, and she wasn’t anywhere nearby.
Well, of all things. I never imagined my face could be that good-looking. My confidence was higher than ever.
When I thought about it, it made perfect sense. I was inside the protagonist’s body, after all. The hero and heroine were supposed to stand out, right? Otherwise the whole thing would be boring.
...Maybe this is the perfect chance to actually pull off polygamy?
“The saint hasn’t come out yet?”
“Yeah. It must be taking longer than usual.”
There was something I wanted to ask her, though.
“Hero-nim, should we head into that restaurant next door? I’m stuffed from all the snacks, but it’d be better to sit somewhere, don’t you think?”
“Um... sure, why not.”
I walked into the restaurant near the church. Chloe and I ordered simple soup and started munching.
“Welcome~ Oh my!”
The waitress jolted, startled. I’d always thought those shocked reactions were for the saint, but it turned out they were for me.
Especially the waitress, who was a woman. Up until now I’d been walking around with this perfect face and never once bothered to use it. I was such an idiot.
Anyway, Chloe and I sat down and scanned the menu. Where were the soups...?
Suddenly, a clink sounded. I looked up and saw a steaming bowl of soup placed right in front of us, followed by a smiling waitress.
“We haven’t ordered yet.”
“It’s our service! Take your time picking what you want.”
“Ah, thanks.”
The waitress stepped aside so we could choose comfortably.
This place had great service. I was satisfied with the kind treatment, but Chloe’s gaze seemed off.
“...Chloe?”
“That woman over there is eyeing Hero-nim. Be careful.”
“...What?”
What did she mean?
“She’s a fox trying to eat the hero. Be careful.”
“Huh? What are you suddenly—”
“Did you notice how the restaurant is offering soup as service? She’s doing it to build favor with Hero-nim.”
“...Isn’t it just service?”
“Other tables don’t have soup bowls either. If it’s a standard service, it should appear at every table.”
“Maybe they already cleared them...”
“Nope!”
...Yeah.
Chloe crossed her arms and sighed deeply.
“It’s all because Hero-nim is so handsome. Have you never felt this before?”
“...Uh... I haven’t.”
This was for real. I’d never noticed?
Chloe thought for a moment, then nodded twice as if she’d figured it out.
“...I get it. Probably because the saint is right here.”
“The saint?”
What had she done? She only ever said stupid things to me.
“The saint keeps people with impure intentions toward Hero-nim in check. Her scary glare must have scared the women off.”
...Is that it?
Thinking back, I’d never met a woman who reacted this strongly before. It must have been the saint’s influence.
Why did she do something so unnecessary?! My rose-tinted life...!
“So, Hero-nim, don’t smile at just anyone. You’ll just attract weird women. The only ones who deserve your smile are me and the saint.”
“...What are you talking about?”
“It’s right here! Do you really think two people are enough?”
“Two? Wait, why is the saint even here in the first place.”
“Huh?... Ah, I see you don’t know.”
What. Don’t tell me only you know the story.
“If you don’t, then great. You’ll only smile at me then~.”
“No way.”
“Why?!”
“I should smile at everyone to give a good impression, right? I’m the hero, after all. I have to look good to the public.”
“...Suddenly turning it into some noble speech, I have nothing to say.”
Chloe sighed loudly, then scanned the menu again.
“What are you having, Hero-nim? You were going to order soup, but it showed up like this.”
“Um... if the saint comes out, should I order something for her? She’ll probably be here soon... We already ate a lot anyway.”
“That’s fine. Then we can eat while it’s still warm...”
#
“It’s an honor to meet you, Saint.”
“Saint! See you again next time!”
“Take care, everyone.”
After the service ended, Estelle could finally be freed once she’d greeted all the visitors. Cardinal Yohan approached her.
“You worked hard, Saint.”
“Thanks to who?”
“Haha, don’t hate me too much. I’m just a lowly servant who hopes your goddess’s followers are happy.”
“Jokes aside, is there anything else you need?”
“Ah, this isn’t a personal request. It’s an order from the church.”
At the word “order,” Estelle tilted her head.
“An order?”
“It’s an order sent to every church. It says the saint of the Rudria Church has disappeared, and we’re to report the moment we find her.”
“...Huh?”
The Rudria Church’s saint had been the one traveling with the Hero of Joy, right? But she was gone?
“Why has the Rudria saint disappeared?”
“It seems like a conflict with the hero. Before this incident, the Hero of Joy apparently had a terrible argument with the Hero of Trust.”
“...What does that have to do with anything?”
“At the time, it was the Rudria saint who tried to calm the Hero of Joy. The Rudria Church must be suspecting that’s the cause.”
Estelle rested her chin, thinking.
“I’ll look into it. If I find the Rudria saint, I’ll let you know.”
“Thank you. Are you heading out now?”
“Yes, I should. Once the search is done, I’ll return.”
“Stay safe.”
After the cardinal bowed respectfully, Estelle returned the greeting. Then she left the church and headed toward Abel at a brisk pace.
I’m uneasy. What kind of mischief did that black cat do to Hero-nim?
Estelle entered the restaurant closest to the Athens church and immediately spotted Abel and Chloe sitting at the table, untouched food in front of them.
“Hero-nim?”
“Ah, you’re here?”
“Why aren’t you eating when you ordered food?”
“It’s for the saint. I ordered it right away. It hasn’t even cooled off yet.”
Estelle looked at the food Abel pointed to. While they avoided anything that would quickly cool, they had ordered pies and other things that stayed warm.
She’d prepared it all so Estelle could eat as soon as she arrived. Her warm heart made Estelle’s feel tingly.
Really... how beautifully kind you are,♥
Estelle smiled softly and laughed. “I can’t eat this much, you know.”
“Ah, really?”
“You said it looked like too much for me, Hero-nim.”
At Chloe’s jab, Abel smiled awkwardly. Even though the food was too much for Estelle alone, the thought that Chloe had meant no harm touched her deeply. Earlier worries about her stealing food had been for nothing.
Watching the two of them, Estelle wore a gentle smile.
“Let’s eat together.”
“...Huh?”
“...Huh?”
Estelle tilted her head. She’d only invited them to eat, but why were both of them looking so surprised?
“What did you eat?”
“Ah, yes. I’m a bit hungry, haha...”
So she’d ordered only for herself. Estelle had no choice but to say, “I see. I don’t like leaving food behind, but it can’t be helped.”
“Then I’ll eat a little.”
“There’s plenty~. Besides, Hero-nim turning into a pig would be a disaster♡.”
“I’m not the fattening type...”
Estelle chuckled.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to force yourself. Just eat whenever you want.”
“...Okay.”
#
After eating a suitable amount, the saint shared what she’d heard.
“By following the barley distribution routes, we might find it?”
“Not confirmed, but the possibility is high.”
“Then how do we find it?”
“We’ll split up. Chloe, you stay here because it’s dangerous.”
“I want to search too!”
Chloe insisted she wanted to do it herself and appealed to the saint. The saint looked troubled.
“Chloe, if you get caught while searching the routes, everything will be ruined.”
“Then once I find the route, I’ll immediately tell the saint! And I can protect myself!”
“...Sigh, fine.”
She was clearly weak against Chloe’s push.
“Hero-nim, east district. I’ll take south and central. Chloe, you take west.”
“What about north?”
“North has the royal palace~. I told you that already. Your memory is worse than weak, hero-nim♡.”
...Oh, right. That’s true.
So stupid I forgot something so basic, I heard the dumbest things about myself.
“Bring this when you go searching.”
The saint handed hooded black cloaks to Abel and Chloe. To hide their faces?
“Hero-nim, use this cloth.”
“What’s this?”
“You have to hide the holy sword. If people see the pure white sword, they might suspect us.”
“Ah, I see.”
She was so meticulous. I wrapped the Holy Sword of Order in the cloth, tied the cloak around me, and said, “...Shall we go now?”
“Yes. When the search ends, come back here. We’ll gather in three hours from now. If anyone hasn’t shown up after that, the ones who are here will go look for them.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
After leaving the restaurant and seeing them off, I headed to the east district using the saint’s information.
The east district of Athens was a commercial area filled with shops—groceries, clothing stores, weapon shops, and more.
So many shops, it’d be hard to find anything specific.
“...Start from over there.”
No rush. I’d find it slowly, just like hunting monsters.
A couple hours later, I was following their trail through increasingly dark back alleys. Were there shops here too?
The barley distribution route showed groceries in this direction. But it didn’t seem like the kind of place...
“...This is suspicious.”
I steeled myself and kept moving. The moment I advanced, I felt a presence behind me and twisted my body instinctively.
I grabbed the arm that came flying at me and flipped the attacker over.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
When I looked up, a man holding a knife stared back. Dammit, I almost got stabbed?
“Attacking a civilian during broad daylight... huh?”
Looking closer, something was drawn on the man’s hand. A black symbol resembling a sword. It looked like a mark of his affiliation.
...Is this it?
If this guy was one of the people I was looking for, I could use the situation to get answers. I chose my words carefully and spoke to the fallen man.
“...I came to buy something, but I end up getting ambushed. Is the customer service really this bad these days?”
“...What?”
“Hiring someone who can’t even listen once is a poor choice. The farther I go, the less I like it.”
The man wore a mask, but I could tell from his eyes he was clearly panicking.
My guess was right. This was a member of the group dealing the mutation stones we were searching for.
The man seemed to chew over my words with bewildered eyes, then suddenly stood up. He bowed deeply to me and apologized.
“Oh no! You’re a customer! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were coming because it’s not the usual person! Please forgive me!”
...The usual person?
“...He’s not coming today because of something else. I came in his place. As you said, this is my first time here, so guide me to the place.”
“Of course! I’ll lead you right away.”
“...Good.”
It went smoother than expected.... Hopefully nothing bad happens...?