Stop Liking Her Already!
Stop liking her already! Definitely, Hames had been a blue-haired, stoic man. If this blue-haired woman was Hames's female version, then why was she here right now? In the original story, Hames never showed up at this point. He only appeared later to verify the rumors that Seres was a witch. I stared at her curiously, and perhaps noticing my gaze, she turned to look my way.
"Indeed. That man, huh."
"Hey!"
The soldiers tried to stop her, but she ignored them and headed straight toward me. She approached without hesitation, only to be blocked by someone.
"Stop right there. No one here has permitted you to meet him."
"...Hero Arios, is it."
With Arios blocking her path, even Hames couldn't ignore it and halted her steps. Arios narrowed her eyes.
"By whose permission are you doing this?"
"I'm just here to meet someone. Do I need permission for that?"
"Of course you do. Seres is the only son of the Huferion Count family. It's only proper to contact his mother, the Countess, in advance and receive her permission first."
Exactly. If I compared this to the original world, it was like some outsider trying to meet a noble family's daughter without permission. Even if the intruder was a priest, it wouldn't be welcome. Arios, who always got permission before meeting me, had made a perfectly reasonable point, but
"I couldn't care less about your noble society's rules."
Hames wasn't the type those common-sense rules applied to. Stoic and focused only on her duties, she ignored everything else. That's why the original Hames had barged in out of nowhere to check if Seres was a witch. He'd brushed off Ares's furious outrage, invoking the temple's authority with complete nonchalance. In a way, he was even more arrogant than the emperor himself—I could see Arios stunned by it.
"I'd heard the rumors, but seeing you in person makes them sound tame by comparison. How rude."
"I'm just here to hear the circumstances, and you're overreacting."
"What circumstances?"
"I heard the man over there is being called a saint."
Ah, so that's why she came. With the gender swap, what was originally the saintess had become a saint. The people I'd helped had started calling me one, and she'd come to verify it. No wonder she showed up way earlier than in the original.
"Seres Huferion, are you really a saint?"
Still blocked by Arios, Hames fixed her gaze on me and asked.
"Answer properly."
"I don't know."
"What?"
"I said I don't know. How the hell should I know?"
I answered with a sarcastic edge, though half of it was true. At this point in the story, Seres still didn't fully understand his own power or what he truly was. It took Hames months of observation to realize she wielded divine power as a saintess.
"I've awakened something like holy power, but I don't really know what it is exactly."
That's what I'd told the people around me, so I repeated it to Hames. Her eye twitched.
"Then what's this about being a saint?"
"Other people started calling me that. I've never claimed it myself."
I had no intention of hiding it now that things had come to this, but I wasn't about to say it out loud and give her ammo to nitpick later. I'd explained enough, but Hames looked dissatisfied, her eyes oddly intense.
"Why are you talking down to me?"
"You're doing the same."
"I'm much older than you. You're probably a good ten years younger."
True. Hames looked young, but she was in her early thirties, while Seres was early twenties.
So what?
"Must be nice being older. You're the senior here, so what are you bothering with a kid ten years younger at your age?"
"..."
Hames shut her mouth. The priests she'd brought with her did the same. The locals and servants around me held their breath too.
"Seres, isn't that a bit much?"
Even Arios, who'd been hostile toward Hames, spoke up in surprise.
"That's High Priestess Hames you're talking to."
I knew. That's exactly why I was doing it. From the start, Hames had taken a liking to Seres because she was polite and fragile. When Hames went to check if she was a witch, she ended up flustered upon meeting her. Seres was too kind-hearted and timid for a witch, so Hames felt guilty for troubling her and developed fondness. In other words, the colder and more arrogant I acted, the less likely she'd warm up to me.
"You've confirmed it? Then get lost. I've got work to do."
I didn't want to be polite to her emotionally anyway, and now I had a reason—perfect. I spoke coldly and turned away.
"Wait, I haven't finished verifying yet!"
Hames protested, but I ignored her and went back to treating patients.
"Can't you hear me?"
"Ah, shut up already. If you wanna verify so bad, just watch me treat them!"
I yelled at Hames for keep interrupting.
"Can't you see I'm using my power right in front of you? Watch and verify already—stop yapping!"
"...Fine. Then I'll observe."
Hames looked like she had plenty to say but couldn't argue back and did as told. And so, the treatment continued under the priests' watchful eyes. I healed patients one by one, and then came an unusual case.
"This looks like malnutrition?"
A severely emaciated person arrived—not from illness or injury, but their condition was dire.
"Does that mean you can't heal it?"
"I can heal it, but it'll just happen again later."
"...No choice. It's my fate. Please heal me now, at least."
A woman who looked more beggar than commoner spoke in resignation. Others who'd come with her from the same area reacted similarly. They seemed to be from the slums, coming for group treatment, but this made healing pointless in the long run. I glanced at Arios.
"Hey, got any gifts today?"
"A diamond-encrusted platinum ring."
"Hand it over."
I took the ring and passed it to the beggars.
"Sell this for money first. It'll hold you over for a while."
"We can't accept that! We're already receiving your healing grace—how could we take something so precious too?!"
"I've got tons of this stuff. It's fine."
They were pitiful, and it would boost my reputation, so I forced the ring on them.
"Seres."
Arios trembled as I immediately gave away her gift, but I didn't care. If she got disillusioned with me for giving away presents so casually, all the better for me.
"Why are you so kind? You're like a lovely angel descended to earth."
...This was maddening. I swallowed my exasperation and finished the treatments.
"My goodness."
"How is that even possible?"
As I neared the end, I heard the priests murmuring.
"The treatments themselves are possible for a high priest."
"But sustaining holy power for so many people over so long? Impossible."
"It'd require holy power on another level."
"Or maybe the legendary divine power."
The priests exchanged words with a shiver of awe.
"..."
Hames kept watching me intently, her expression hard to read. Finally, as the day's treatments wrapped up, she approached.
"Seres Huferion, I apologize for my rudeness."
"What?"
No way this rude one would apologize. I was caught off guard.
"Did you confirm if I'm a saint or something?"
"No, I couldn't verify that. But one thing's clear: you're not healing people for some evil purpose."
Hames bowed her head.
"You've treated so many. Even if you're not a saint, you deserve the temple's respect. I respect you too."
"So you're giving up on checking if I'm a saint?"
"For today. Once you get formal permission later, I'll come back for a thorough check. Invite me when you have time."
Hames gave a curt bow and left with her priests. She seemed to hope for an invitation later, but fat chance. I sneered inwardly that it would never happen.
"High Priestess Hames, do you really think he's a saint?"
One of the priests asked curiously as they left the territory.
"He healed all those people without his healing power waning. Impossible for normal priests—maybe he really has divine power?"
"Can't say."
Hames answered bluntly to the excited priest.
"Some are born with vast holy power. No one's ever encountered divine power, so how could we tell it apart?"
As Hames cautioned against jumping to conclusions, one priest grumbled.
"I hope he's not a saint. Did you hear how he talked to you? Beautiful, sure, but so arrogant."
Several nodded in agreement.
"With looks like that, some arrogance is expected."
"The count family's only son, spoiled rotten, no doubt."
"What do you think, High Priestess?"
When asked how she viewed Seres, Hames fiddled with a nearby structure as if dodging, paused, then answered.
"She was certainly bold. But I didn't dislike it."
At first, the brash attitude had thrown her off, but watching her actions after sparked fondness. She'd been harsh to Hames herself, yet kind to patients and freely gave away a valuable gift. Hames felt a sense of kinship in how she quietly stuck to her duties regardless. 'Not like I'm in a position to judge anyone.' Hames was the same—ignoring others and steadfastly doing her job. Their similar demeanor appealed to her.
'Heh, looking forward to meeting again.'
The bold attitude that didn't match her pitiful appearance floated to mind unbidden. Hames smiled without realizing it.