The Saintess's Departure
I rose early that morning and immediately purified myself with a thorough bath, steeling my resolve. Once I set out on the road again, proper washing would be a luxury, so I meant to enjoy it one last time….
After I finished, I left the nun’s habit behind and pulled my own underclothes and garments from my bag.
“Mm. Pants really are more comfortable.”
Inside the temple I had been forced to wear the habit and dresses to conceal my identity, but I am a man! Unless circumstances leave me no choice, I refuse skirts.
I grumbled as I tugged the trousers on. The instant they settled around my legs, a sense of security returned and my heart eased of its own accord.
“Well then, shall I wake my sister?”
Today was the day we had decided to leave the temple, so I ought to rouse her, right?
“Still… she needs to learn to get up on her own….”
Should I wait until the last possible moment?
My sister only managed to rub her eyes and sit up a full hour later.
“At least she got up.”
The minor detail that everyone else had already finished breakfast and was heading out to work was, well, a minor detail….
I told her to wash and clear her head, then asked Sister Mary to prepare breakfast.
The meal that appeared was… even more of a feast than yesterday’s.
Lobster and shrimp—hard to come by with no sea nearby—sat on the table, and the sheer quantity of food had increased….
“Why does everything look so extravagant today….”
The meals had always been fine, but today was over the top.
“Do not worry. We simply used ingredients prepared for the nobility.”
“Is that so?”
Then it should be fine? Honestly, in this life I had never tasted seafood beyond the freshwater fish I could catch in streams, so anticipation stirred.
In my previous life distribution had been advanced enough that I could eat such things whenever I liked…. The sight of shrimp and lobster made me want to dig in at once.
My memories of that life had grown hazy; I could no longer recall the exact flavors, yet the knowledge that they had been delicious remained, sharpening my curiosity.
“Sister, this is your first time seeing these, right?”
I pointed at the lobster and shrimp.
“Yeah.”
“You eat them like this.”
I rummaged through what past-life recollections I still possessed and demonstrated. Everything was already prepared, so there was nothing difficult about it. The lobster entered my mouth. Soft umami, the distinctive aroma of shellfish, and a bright, tangy sauce wove together into something fantastically delicious.
After the lobster I tried the shrimp; the taste was similar yet cleaner.
“Wow. That’s good.”
I marveled without ever stopping my hands. No—I was so captivated by the seafood that stopping was impossible. Living inland made such things scarce, which only heightened the pleasure. And with every bite, memories of my previous life rose unbidden.
That world had offered such a variety of foods to eat…….
While I drifted for a moment, my sister was devouring the spread with terrifying momentum.
“Ah! No fair!”
I snapped back to myself and set my hands flying. The portions had clearly been generous for two, yet the food was so good we overate without mercy.
“Ah, I’m stuffed.”
I had properly enjoyed our last supper. I was so full that even moving felt like a chore.
Don’t tell me they’re trying to hold me here with this!
The thought that staying might not be so bad if every day brought feasts like this kept bubbling up.
Tsk! I refuse to fall for it!
After the briefest rest I declared that we would leave the temple at once.
“Are you leaving?”
Sister Mary regarded me with pitiful eyes.
“Yes. We have to go.”
I meant to depart before the temple grew even busier. She guided us not toward the main gate but to a side door.
We had to keep our identities hidden, so the main entrance was out of the question.
At the side door the young master was already waiting; beside him the Cardinal, priests, and nuns stood in ranks.
“It is a shame you are leaving so early.”
“The reason is exactly as I wrote in the letter.”
I could not remain at the temple if I meant to research alchemy and gather varied experience.
“Yes. I understand.”
I was relieved he showed no intention of stopping us. Had he begged and clung, my resolve might have wavered; thankfully that worry never arose.
“Saintess, this.”
The Cardinal accepted a box from a priest, held it out, and opened the lid.
Inside, luxurious cloth lined the interior; at its center rested a pendant.
I knew what it was at a glance—more precisely, I had seen others carrying the same.
“It is the token bestowed upon those ordained as nuns or priests.”
An item to prove my identity….
I lifted it carefully. Looking closely… it seemed ordinary?
“Press the side to open it.”
“Pardon?”
When I failed to understand, a nun stepped forward and opened it for me. With a soft click the pendant revealed an interior engraved with a different pattern and emblem entirely unlike the exterior.
“That is the token of the Saintess.”
They had crafted it this way precisely because my identity had to remain concealed.
“Any temple of the order will recognize it. Use it whenever necessary.”
More than that—it had been finished in time….
“Yes. I will.”
I closed my fingers tightly around the pendant. The sense that I had officially become the Saintess struck me full force. The token of the Saintess…. Still holding it, I prayed.
I still do not know what the Goddess desires. Even so, I will do my utmost. I will become someone worthy of the title of Saintess. That is the least repayment I can offer the Goddess who granted me this power.
When I finished and opened my eyes, a brilliant light was pouring from my hand.
“Wh-what?”
Every believer present stared at my hand in astonishment.
I was equally stunned and could only gape at my own palm. When I opened my fingers, the pendant blazed with intense light.
“Divine Power….”
Not Holy Power. Divine Power….
Having experienced it once before, I recognized it at once. Divine Power had settled into the pendant.
The fierce radiance gradually flickered and at last faded, leaving the pendant ordinary once more.
“What… is this?”
I asked because I truly did not know. The Cardinal stepped closer and examined it.
“This is… it has been consecrated.”
Consecrated? The act of imbuing an object with Holy Power. Occasionally special powers accompany consecration, yet ordinarily the effect is slight. This, however, had been consecrated with Divine Power.
And I had not been the one to do it.
“Could it be a gift from the Goddess?”
The involvement of Divine Power could only be called Her blessing.
“As expected of the Saintess.”
The believers gazed upon the pendant with ecstatic faces. It now gave off no aura whatsoever, yet every person here had witnessed the moment of consecration with their own eyes.
They had seen the Goddess’s power—a true miracle. Their reaction was only natural.
“It seems the Goddess is blessing my journey.”
I spoke while keeping my expression carefully composed. Perhaps because of that blessing, they made no move to detain me. Or rather, my own words had made detention impossible….
I hung the pendant around my neck and slipped it inside my clothes. Regret showed on every face, yet none dared voice it.
From the instant the miracle occurred, the Cardinal’s complexion had worsened. No doubt it concerned the matter of Priest Daniel.
He exhaled softly, then opened his mouth with a resolute look.
“I am truly sorry about my son.”
The Cardinal bowed at the waist. Had I refused the apology, he looked ready to drop to his knees on the spot.
“It’s fine.”
“I have given my son sufficient punishment. I thank you for the Saintess’s mercy.”
Well, he is a Cardinal; of course he handled it properly….
“And this is travel funds the order offers the Saintess.”
He held out a heavy pouch. The clink that sounded with every movement told me exactly what lay inside.
He had called it travel funds from the start….
I cracked the pouch open just enough to peer in; golden light filled the interior.
“It is our wish that your journey be comfortable.”
His expression practically begged me not to refuse, making refusal difficult. Ahem! It might sound materialistic, but money matters….
Taking escort commissions as I had before would be entertaining in its own way, yet free travel required funds.
“Ha… fine. I’ll take it. I can just take it, right?”
In the end I accepted the money. From what I had glimpsed it easily exceeded a hundred gold…. Receiving so much felt burdensome…….
Their faces left me no room to decline.
“Sister, put it in the bag.”
“Okay.”
I passed the pouch to her and she tucked it into my pack.
“Now we’re really leaving?”
Having received everything there was to receive, I made the declaration.
When I stepped forward they parted left and right, and the door opened. Every time I passed between them on my way out, they bowed their heads.
I walked past without sparing a glance at the burdensome display.
All right—time to set out on the journey once more!
Together with my sister and the young master I left the temple and descended toward the city.
Saintess Julian has left the temple….
Watching her depart made my heart ache.
The meeting had been brief.
The time I had served her had been brief as well.
Yet those short days spent together had been so joyful. A Saintess who knew how to consider others and possessed a kind heart; a Saintess of beautiful features; and yet a Saintess who was also cute and lovable….
I thought I understood why the Goddess had chosen her.
The Saintesses in fairy tales were always described as sacred and beautiful; she was a woman so lovely and holy it seemed that very fantasy had stepped into the world.
Being permitted to serve such a person had been the greatest fortune of my life. And while serving her I had thought:
I want to remain at her side always….
I want to keep serving her…, I want to be together…….
I had wished to help with her travels and her research.
But I was a nun of the temple. Duties awaited me beyond serving the Saintess.
“You seem regretful.”
“Cardinal?”
“It appears you wish to serve the Saintess.”
The Cardinal saw straight through her heart.
“Losing one capable nun is a pity, yet….”
She held her breath in expectation. She waited so eagerly for the Cardinal’s next words.
“Would the Saintess’s journey not be somewhat more comfortable if she had a personal attendant?”
When the Cardinal put the question to the priests and nuns nearby, everyone exchanged glances.
She knew full well this was greed. From the beginning many others had longed to serve the Saintess. It was not a task only she could perform.
She had merely been fortunate enough to serve first.
Everyone present would wish to serve the Saintess.
“Yes. If it is her, we can entrust the duty with confidence.”
“Mary, you will serve her well.”
“You must serve the Saintess well on behalf of us all.”
She was momentarily stunned. Everyone—every single one of them—was cheering for her. Even though they too desired to serve the Saintess, they supported her.
“I worry that she has no luggage of her own, but well—we have already given the Saintess funds, so there should be no concern.”
“Cardinal?”
“Sister Mary, as a Cardinal of the order I now assign you a mission.”
She dropped to her knees at once and bowed her head.
“I humbly accept.”
“Follow the Saintess immediately, and serve at her side.”
At the Cardinal’s words her heart soared and swelled.
“Representing the faithful, serve beside the Saintess.”
Her heart swelled further.
“You must serve her well.”
“I trust you because you are capable.”
Everyone cheered her on.
“I accept the order.”
She rose from her knees and headed straight for the door.
If she did not hurry she might lose the Saintess.
Leaving the temple, she wore a radiant smile.
“I only hope the Saintess does not find it inconvenient.”
The Cardinal chuckled softly as he watched her retreating figure.