I May Look Like This, But I'm a Saintess? (2)

The dining hall the little nuns led me to was quite spacious. It wasn't as quiet as the restaurants I'd visited before, but that was fine too. The soft clatter of utensils. The gentle murmur of conversation. The warm vitality filling the enormous space. Realizing it wasn't all that different from how the Earth Mother usually treated me, I naturally melted into the atmosphere.

I had always preferred comfort over stiff formality anyway. If not, people wouldn't have constantly questioned whether I was really a professor. Having been scolded by the dean time and again for my mercenary-like behavior, it was only natural that I would fly free once I no longer had to observe petty court etiquette or academy manners.

The comfort, no different from eating at home, stimulated my appetite. My tired body welcomed the food filling my stomach and clamored for more. Once the fork started moving, it never once returned to the table. It was perfectly natural that it had to weave ceaselessly through the air.

"Saintess. Could you not eat a little more modestly?"

"With thish delishioush food right in front of me, how can you ashk that?! It'sh an inshult to the food!!"

"What on earth are you saying… Haah. The young nuns are watching and learning from this."

Even the expensive dishes made with rare ingredients. Even the food crafted by a royal chef who had reached the pinnacle of his craft, the kind that made your thumb rise instinctively with every bite. I had never found any of it so delicious. There were no unwelcome spices in an uncomfortable seat, and no appetite-stimulating spices like those in a comfortable one.

Meat simply sprinkled with salt and grilled. Soup with roughly chopped vegetables. Bread still sending up fragrant steam. Even while having the rather stupid thought, Why is this so good? I couldn't stop my spoon and fork.

What did it matter if they were simple dishes you'd only find in a cheap inn?

"It looks like you're performing some kind of trick. Hehe. Please eat slowly… Ah, Saintess. Would you return my fork? I need to eat breakfast too."

"Huh? Fork??"

I lowered my head slightly but couldn't see it. Tsk. I couldn't remove this useless lump of fat either——. When I held both hands out, there was a fork in the left and a fork in the right.

I must have grabbed the one beside me by mistake.

"Sorry! My bad."

Sorry was sorry, but I couldn't stop eating. While chewing the meat that filled my mouth, I turned the fork and offered the handle. The Pope smiled as brightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as a child.

"Haha. Thank you. Now I can eat as well."

"Pope!! If you keep indulging her like that, of course the Saintess will behave this way!?"

The Head Nun's target had switched to the Pope. Was the Pope perhaps not a healer but a tank? Was it all right for him to be this dependable?

"…Mother. Must I hold back on this food?"

Of all things to tattle to the goddess about, it was my eating habits. So that was how divine power was used… I had learned something new.

What an excellent teacher. This talent should have been an undergraduate at the academy. ——But being the Pope, that would have been difficult, I suppose.

The Pope's teaching, which had allowed me to handle divine power in a single day, was not bad at all. My whole body ached, but that was simply because this flesh was terribly weak. For the learner it was an astonishing schedule, yet from an educator's perspective, it wasn't impossible.

As someone whose previous occupation had been that of an educator, I knew his teaching would become my flesh and blood. Moreover, he was a master who not only taught once but personally demonstrated the applications.

——What a truly dedicated educator.

"The Saintess says it's fine."

"No! Even so…"

The Head Nun squeezed her eyes shut as if she couldn't take any more.

"Ha…! I didn't mean you should endure it… Sigh. Never mind. Please eat."

"Mother, I thank you for providing our daily bread and watching over the young lambs. I will eat well."

Whether the Head Nun shook her head or not, the Pope offering a prayer while drawing up his divine power looked quite papal. The Head Nun, who had been watching the Pope leisurely slicing his meat, shot a glance at me.

Tank! The aggro's off me now!

"Saintess. Please eat a little slower. You'll get indigestion at that rate!"

"Mmph. I'll twy."

She wasn't a Head Nun but a Head Nagger. Now I understood why the children feared her so much. Using her voice instead of divine power——. She was an assassin of considerable skill who left no trace, making it impossible to tell what had hit you.

"Whew… Please speak after you've swallowed your food."

"Gulp. Yesh…"

Just as hunger doesn't register right after an intense battle, I hadn't realized it because I'd been rolling around to relieve stress under the guise of the Pope's training… no, even that was a guise. I had fallen asleep from exhaustion without eating a single meal.

The first meal here was superb, far beyond my expectation that it would merely fill an empty stomach. Every time I ate, my body, which had been screaming in protest, grew docile. Ignoring the Head Nun's nagging while diligently eating was no different from singing heavenly hymns that blessed and awakened my weary body.

I… might have become rather saintess-like… …This is troubling.

Since the party had no Saintess, I had never seen one in person, but the Saintesses recorded in the heroes' old books were generally noble and sacred. It was mortifying that it was now me, yet the current me was undeniably devout.

——I was worried I might end up remembered as the greatest Saintess. A grandfather over a hundred years old being the greatest Saintess. How frustrated the previous Saintesses must feel.

"Delicious. Hehehe."

"Saintess! I told you to speak properly! And your laugh! Laugh more modestly, please!"

Oops. The moment I got cocky, I slipped up——.

"…It's delicious. Heh… Hohoho."

"Then why do you act like that when you can do it properly?!"

If you lived a few years as a grandfather, you'd end up the same.

I didn't say it aloud. It was obvious she would simply reload another lecture about what nonsense I was spouting. My only task ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was to stuff the remaining food into my mouth as modestly and elegantly as I could manage.

Is it a bit large?

I opened my mouth wide with a "waaang" and stuffed the bread inside. The bread, carrying the scent of fresh milk, melted softly in my mouth.

As expected. I need to eat at least this much to feel satisfied.

"Saintess! How did you fit that huge piece of bread in one bite!? Is the knife just decoration?! Aigoo! At this rate everyone in our order will think all Saintesses are like you!"

The problem was still the Head Nun's strict standards. We'd traveled together for several years now. What would the others say?

"Ish fine."

"It's not fine at all!!"

I had figured out the Head Nun's ability. This person had the talent to understand perfectly even when I spoke carelessly.

"Hehe."

"Smiling doesn't make it okay!"

The enjoyable mealtime ended quickly.

I'm full.

Although the Head Nun had scolded me, the few senior nuns who followed me out of the dining hall expressed their gratitude. The little nuns, who normally didn't eat much, had all declared they would follow my example and attacked their breakfast with fighting spirit——.

I still didn't fully understand the value of the name Saintess. Yet their words about wanting to follow their own paths while looking at me, and their desire to take me as a model for walking the right road, left a small pang of guilt in my heart.

The way the Head Nun had squawked at me in anger was probably because she feared the little nuns might imitate me and get hurt. Avoiding their starstruck gazes, I slipped out of the cathedral and reached a field some distance away, where I sat down absentmindedly.

A wide field with a gentle breeze. It was a sight I saw easily every time I traveled, yet the feeling was strange. The wind seeped through my skirt whether I sat with my legs stretched out or pulled together. Sitting cross-legged for meditation made me feel as if that place was completely exposed, which was too embarrassing to face.

…Now what.

Who would be more convenient to meet first? The elf archer Elian's hometown, the elf forest. The dwarf carpenter Selba's hometown, the dwarf mountain range. The imperial palace where the hero summoning magic circle was, the place where the hero had begun his journey.

The locations where I expected the others to be were all not far from this area with the World Tree sapling. Though the distances between them were great, I could decide who to meet first depending on my choice. The fact that this spot was roughly the midpoint had instead become a problem.

No matter where I go, if we miss each other it'll be a headache.

Should I go fetch the World Tree sapling or branch? Since I could handle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠divine power to some extent now, I was confident I could handle small monster groups alone. Even if I grew tired, I could grit my teeth, close my eyes once, and receive healing with a single prayer. What a convenient body this was.

Why didn't the hero take a Saintess-like healer with him?

The hero who had been so insistent on confronting and defeating the Demon King as quickly as possible—why hadn't he accepted a Saintess who could seemingly shorten the time?

I'll have to ask when the chance comes.

Perhaps because my stomach was full and I had decided on my next task. As I sat there blankly, I suddenly looked up at the sky. A clear blue sky without a single cloud. Wondering how many such peaceful days there would be, I was blinking leisurely while feeling the breeze when the sky gradually darkened.

Damn. Is it going to rain? Of all days, right when I'm about to leave.

I jumped to my feet. Getting caught in rain while traveling was an unavoidable part of life. Yet there was one reason I hurried toward the cathedral. I had to depart before the rain poured so I wouldn't show the little ones an unsightly sight.

How pitiful would their idol, the Saintess, look if she walked along completely soaked and drooping?

I absolutely cannot let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠them see that.

How many minutes had I run? The sky suddenly brightened and the cathedral side shone brilliantly. Thinking a cloud had momentarily blocked the sunlight, I looked up, and at that moment an ominous red lightning bolt struck toward the cathedral.

Knowing what that shape meant, I was startled into clasping my hands together and instinctively offering a prayer.

"Mother. Grant me swift speed."

Divine power gathered and wrapped around my legs. Golden shoes that even most emperors would not dare dream of wearing. Wearing those splendid golden shoes, I soothed my still-screaming muscles and took my first step.

Bang!

At a speed I could not have produced during my spar with the Pope, I raced madly toward the cathedral where I heard a bell ringing for the first time. The dark sky had turned into an ominous red-lit sky and was shining brightly. I clearly remembered it because I had seen it recently. It was tolerable when viewed from there because it was part of daily life, but seeing it from here was something that absolutely should not happen.

At the very least, I could not let the children see this terrifying sky. Before joining the hero party. Before the mass appearance of demon realm monsters. The sky I had seen to the point of weariness. The red lightning that struck when high-ranking demons traveled from the demon realm to the Gloria Continent.

Damn! Why is the demon realm's sky already here!