The Saint's Sun-Soaked Welcome and the Saintess's Mesugaki Lesson
Estelle blinked, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the nun. What a pretty person. Reina, who had saved her, had also been pretty, but she possessed a charm that drew people's attention.
“From today, Estelle, I’m going to play with you while we live together!”
“...Really?”
“Of course. Shall we start playing now? What should we play with?”
“Let’s play with Grandfather Pabiano’s beard.”
Katarina stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Estelle’s words, then burst out laughing loudly.
“Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!”
“Katarina, stop laughing.”
“No, Your Holiness. How did you end up in this situation?”
Estelle tilted her head in confusion, wondering what she had said wrong. Katarina managed to hold back her laughter and spoke to Estelle.
“Ahaha... Estelle, I’m afraid Grandfather Pabiano’s beard is exclusively yours. Playing with you will be difficult for me.”
“Don’t teach me weird things.”
Pabiano patted Estelle’s head lightly a few times and stood up. Estelle looked at Pabiano and asked him.
“Where are you going, Grandfather?”
“I have some business to take care of for a moment. If you have any questions for the two teachers, feel free to ask. And if you want to play with that cheeky sister, I’ll let her play with you.”
Pabiano asked with a kind smile.
“Can you wait?”
“Yes.”
Waiting was not difficult. Even when she lived with her family at home, waiting for her father and older brother to come back from their outside work had been part of her daily routine.
Pabiano stroked Estelle’s head once more.
“You’re a good girl.”
After Pabiano left to handle his duties as the Pope, the remaining three people were left. Antonio asked Katarina.
“Katarina the nun, since His Holiness entrusted the childcare to you, you should set the schedule.”
“Schedule? What do you mean?”
“You’re asking because you don’t know... His Holiness assigned me to you for knowledge education. Please decide on the appropriate time.”
“Um... then thirty minutes a day.”
“What?”
Katarina suddenly lifted Estelle into her arms. Pointing at Antonio, she said to him.
“Estelle, this uncle is a bad adult who tries to teach you boring things.”
“Boring things?”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about to a child.”
“Yes, so let’s go play with your sister~.”
“Wait, Katarina!”
After Antonio’s shout, Katarina carried Estelle around the cathedral while the latter looked up at her curiously.
“Eh? Aah.”
At Estelle’s question, Katarina smiled sweetly and answered.
“A pretty place.”
Katarina exited the back of the cathedral and headed toward a gentle hill where the wind blew softly. Although the grass in Apollo Kingdom didn’t grow beautifully due to the cold weather, the view wasn’t bad at all.
“Here?”
“Eh? Is it pretty here too?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe, if we go a little further, there’s even prettier scenery. Is it not cold?”
At Katarina’s question, Estelle nodded. She had always been sensitive to cold, but today she surprisingly felt no coldness at all.
“Okay, we’re here.”
Katarina pointed ahead, and Estelle followed her finger with her gaze. Then she opened her mouth wide at the vast landscape.
“Whoa...”
“Pretty, right?”
Below the hill stretched the scenery of Delphoi, the capital of the Apollo Kingdom where the Solaria Cathedral was located. White snow covered the colorful buildings, giving the entire world a white feeling.
“This is where we live, Delphoi.”
“Delphoi...?”
“Yes, Delphoi. It will be your new home.”
Home. Estelle still couldn’t fully understand the depth of that word, but seeing Katarina’s expression, she thought “good word” and nodded her head.
Estelle grew up plump and healthy. She was smart and absorbed everything she learned quickly. She was precocious for her age and rarely made mistakes.
In addition, her appearance was cute like a doll and pretty. Her popularity in the cathedral was only natural—it soared to the heavens.
Even the Pope, Pabiano, had publicly declared her as the next Saint. That was a huge honor for a nun. Some people had approached her deliberately to try to stand out, but...
“Hey, stop getting in the way!”
“No, Sister Katarina. Why are you saying that? I was just trying to give the child something delicious...”
“Your sneaky intentions are obvious, so get lost. When you do charity work, what kind of person shows no interest in a child?”
It was Katarina. Today, Estelle ran over to the Katarina who was driving out people with impure intentions toward her.
“Katarina unnie.”
“Yes, Estelle. What’s wrong?”
“Teacher Antonio said I got everything right.”
Katarina, who was handing over a perfect score test paper to her, laughed with glee.
“Aigoo, really? Our Estelle got everything correct!”
“Yes.”
Katarina hugged Estelle and stroked her head.
“You did well~! Who do you look like to be this smart~?”
Katarina walked in a circle around Estelle, giving her a thumbs-up gesture toward the man who had tried to approach with impure intentions. Perhaps because she didn’t want to show a fight in front of a pure child, the man quietly left.
“Katarina unnie, I got a hundred points... Are Ludwig and Reina coming soon?”
“...Hmm.”
Estelle was already six years old now. But Ludwig and Reina, who had promised to visit once or twice a year, hadn’t been able to stop by the cathedral due to their own circumstances.
Katarina understood. Heroes and Saints were always busy people. But she couldn’t expect a young child to understand that.
Katarina told Estelle.
“Then~! You’ll come once, right?”
“...Yes.”
But Estelle was far more precocious than Katarina thought. She had already sensed that Katarina had no real confidence in her response.
A voice that gave Estelle confidence rang out.
[You will meet soon, child.]
A warm voice that had been silent for a while echoed in her mind. Hearing those words, Estelle’s expression brightened instantly.
Katarina noticed Estelle’s expression suddenly lighting up and felt a vague unease, but since Estelle looked happy, she let it go.
And just as the voice had predicted, Estelle soon met the two of them.
“Estelle!”
One day, while Estelle was playing with Katarina, a woman with vibrant red hair called her name—Reina. Estelle immediately abandoned the toys she was playing with and ran toward her.
Estelle, who had been warmly hugged into her arms, rubbed her face against Reina’s.
“You’ve grown so much~! Right, Luo?”
“That’s right.”
Reina watched Estelle silently greeting her, her expression full of cuteness she couldn’t quite handle. Katarina politely greeted the two.
“I am Katarina the nun who has been assigned to take care of Estelle.”
“Ah, nice to meet you. I am Reina, a nun. This is Ludwig the Hero.”
“His Holiness wanted to meet you immediately. Have you met him?”
“Ah, we have to go. I want to see Estelle.”
Estelle, who had been rubbing her face, looked up slightly.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to meet Grandfather~.”
“Grandfather... Can I go too?”
“Eh?”
Reina looked at her with a questioning expression, and Katarina explained.
“Recently, His Holiness has been very busy and couldn’t come to meet Estelle.”
“Ah?”
Reina smiled gently at Estelle and said.
“Yes, let’s go together!”
Estelle nodded her head. She also gave Katarina a little bow.
“Katarina unnie, I’ll go and come back.”
“Be careful~.”
Estelle, who was carried by Reina, visited Pabiano’s study with the two of them. Pabiano looked at Estelle being brought by Reina and widened his eyes in slight surprise.
“Why are you coming together?”
“Haha, I met Estelle first and came.”
“A nun should prioritize the Pope...”
Reina set Estelle down. Estelle immediately ran and clung to Pabiano.
“Grandfather, I missed you.”
“Oh my, Luo! Look at her. She’s so cute!!!”
“I’m watching.”
“As I thought, daughters are the best.”
“What are you talking about...”
At Estelle’s cute antics, Pabiano stopped his work and laughed heartily.
“Did you miss this old man?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been really busy lately and couldn’t make time.”
Pabiano sat Estelle on his lap. Then he asked Reina.
“So, have you finished sorting things out?”
“Yes. Thankfully, it worked out. But because of that, it might be better to return now.”
At the word “return,” Estelle always searched for the sword she had been carrying on Ludwig’s back.
“Oppa, the sword is missing.”
“...I returned it. To its proper place.”
Estelle tilted her head, not understanding what he meant. Ludwig only smiled.
Pabiano nodded at the two.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Ahaha, being praised like that by His Holiness makes me feel embarrassed.”
“Not you. It was Ludwig I was talking about.”
“Eek, that’s too harsh?”
Pabiano laughed heartily while looking at the two.
The strongest and most active Hero and Saint of this era. They had poured all their power into stopping the Agares-class calamity monster. Now they needed rest.
“So, where will you live?”
“I’m thinking of going to the warm Vesta Kingdom.”
“...That would be good.”
Pabiano opened a drawer with a creak. He took out a heavy money pouch. Reina waved her hand, thinking it was far too much.
“Wait, Your Holiness?”
“The only thing I can give you is this. I’m sorry for you who gave your youth and life to work for me. Go and live your remaining life without worrying about money.”
“No, even so this is...”
Reina hesitated, stared at the money pouch for a long time, then sighed deeply.
“...Thank you.”
“Yes. Adults give with a light heart.”
“Ugh, you sounded just like an old man just now.”
“...I am an old man.”
Pabiano stroked Estelle’s head once more and set her down on the floor.
“Reina, go play with Estelle a little while I still have some work left.”
“Yes, of course. Estelle, let’s play!”
Reina and Ludwig took Estelle back to where Katarina was.
Estelle had a wonderful time playing with the two of them after a long while.
Then, when she briefly separated from Reina and Ludwig to talk, she suddenly became curious and asked Katarina.
“Katarina unnie.”
“Yes?”
“Reina unnie and Ludwig oppa... what’s your relationship?”
A young child who didn’t yet understand love. So she knew they were close but didn’t know more than that.
Reina, talking with Ludwig, had no smile fading from her face. She looked very happy. Estelle felt curiosity at that sight.
To Estelle, Katarina said with a smile.
“They’re in love.”
“Love...?”
Katarina placed her small hand on Estelle’s chest.
“Yes, love. Love is a natural feeling everyone experiences. When you fall in love, your heart feels like it’s beating fast, right?”
“It’s still beating fast now...”
“Much, much faster than now.”
Estelle couldn’t imagine it. To her, Katarina explained.
“Our Estelle is a shy girl, so she might not be able to express it well.”
“...I’m not shy.”
Estelle denied it, but in reality, despite being precocious, she wasn’t very honest in expressing emotions compared to her peers.
Partly because of that... She worried whether she might not know how to honestly express her feelings later.
Katarina made a thoughtful “hmm” sound, then said as if something had occurred to her.
“When you get someone you like later, I’ll teach you a way to definitely appeal to them!”
“Really?”
“A way that even our shy girl can do!”
Estelle tilted her head. Her words were hard to understand easily. At that, Katarina raised a finger.
“If you use this method, you can attract the person’s interest and appeal your charm~!”
“...Yes.”
Estelle’s reaction was listless, but Katarina giggled at how cute she was.
“But you must be careful! You can only use this method on the person you like?”
“Yes...”
Whatever she was teaching, it seemed odd. Estelle quietly waited for Katarina’s next words.
“Okay, try it~.”
Katarina’s mouth opened.
“Hey... hey~ scrub♡”
“...Yes?”
“Try following me, hey~ scrub♡”
At the strange words coming from Katarina’s mouth, Estelle looked a little displeased.
But Katarina didn’t care and urged her to repeat it, and Estelle, with her kind heart, had no choice but to follow.
“Hey... hey~ scrub♡”
That was the root of all things.