The Plunderer's Saintess
The High Priest was a young and beautiful man.
Even the prince was handsome, but the High Priest's beauty surpassed even that.
If I had to choose just one of them, it would of course be the prince, yet the High Priest was equally difficult to discard.
Of course, my status probably wasn't high enough to weigh the two of them against each other.
Even to Sohee, who knew little about the prince or the High Priest, they both appeared to be people of extremely high standing.
No matter how much of a Saintess she was, they would not be easy to reach.
Still, perhaps it might be possible.
Both the prince and the High Priest had been kind to her from the very first moment they met.
Their eyes had been incredibly gentle, as if carrying some deeper meaning.
Maybe they had fallen for her at first sight.
While she entertained these meaningless thoughts, the High Priest approached and stopped right in front of her.
Sohee's face flushed red on its own.
"Saintess, did anything happen during the night? If you felt any discomfort or something strange in your body…."
"Nothing happened at all. Thank you for your concern, High Priest."
The High Priest smiled softly.
"That is a relief. Summoning places a burden on the body, so I was worried."
His tone was so sweet.
Sohee's face grew even redder.
"Um, today… what brings you here…."
She had an appointment to meet the prince in a few hours.
She was to have an audience with the king.
Her clothes had been prepared in advance, but she had heard that any parts that didn't fit would be adjusted by the maids while she wore them.
She was happy to see the High Priest, but dragging out their time together right now would be troublesome.
"I am aware that you will be having an audience with His Majesty today. The reason I have come to see you is because of His Majesty's command."
The High Priest spoke gently.
"I have been ordered by His Majesty to assess what kind of abilities you possess, Saintess."
"Ah… is something like that really necessary?"
If her abilities turned out to be insignificant, wouldn't she be looked down upon?
When that thought made her flustered, the High Priest smiled softly once more.
"There is no need to worry. This summoning was carried out according to an oracle. You are one sent by the gods, Saintess. No matter what abilities you possess—or even if you possess none at all—we would never treat you with disrespect."
Still, what these people needed was spirits.
What would they do if she didn't have the ability to create spirits?
They spoke of an oracle, but Sohee had never seen it herself.
They might simply be glossing over things with pretty words.
People lie all the time.
When Sohee hesitated, the High Priest lowered his body slightly to look directly at her face.
"Oracles are delivered in extremely ambiguous language. There are times when even the priests' interpretations prove wrong. If our interpretation was mistaken, then your role as Saintess would naturally change as well. It is best to confirm these things clearly for the future."
"…."
"This is also for your sake, Saintess. If our response is wrong and your abilities fail to manifest, there will surely be those who begin to doubt you."
His words were slightly different from before.
He had just said it would be fine even if she had no abilities.
"Please… allow me to help you, Saintess."
Sohee had no choice but to nod.
"What should I do?"
"I will use magic. You simply need to remain still, Saintess."
The High Priest smiled gently as he spoke.
"Saintess, may I take your hand for a moment?"
"Yes."
When Sohee extended her hand, the High Priest took it gently between both of his own and began to murmur something.
She couldn't understand what he was saying.
The nearly toneless words continued for more than ten minutes.
Just as she was thinking it would have been better to sit down rather than stand like this, the High Priest's hands began to emit a faint glow.
Tiny particles of light rose into the air.
They moved slowly, gradually forming the shape of letters.
[NTR Attribute Charm, Plunderer]
The High Priest looked at the letters floating in the air with a bewildered expression, then turned his gaze toward Sohee.
Sohee's eyes widened as she stared at the characters.
Oh my god, what is this?
The glowing particles floating in the air were written in the language of Earth, not this world.
[NTR Attribute Charm, Plunderer]
The High Priest asked what the words in the air meant, but she could not answer.
We walk all day, rest, then walk again.
The scenery around us barely changes.
An endless stretch of dry, barren land that looks almost like human skin continues on forever.
There are water barrels placed at the back and sides of the carriage, so during rest stops we scoop water from them to drink.
It isn't boiled.
Yet no one points that out.
Boiling water in a place like this might be difficult.
When I scooped water into my iron bowl, Popcorn suddenly plunged right into it.
The water didn't splash much, but tiny ripples spread across the surface.
This guy, jumping into someone else's drinking water.
When I fished him out with my finger, Popcorn wriggled and flapped around as if it tickled.
I placed Popcorn on my palm and dripped a few drops of water onto him. He chewed busily with his tiny mouth.
He let out occasional pee-pee cries, seeming quite pleased.
I was fine after drinking the water, but several people in the procession seemed to have upset stomachs.
Whether it was because we didn't boil the water or because they already had health issues, I couldn't tell.
The procession didn't stop for them.
It only halted during the occasional rest periods.
Those with stomach troubles would relieve themselves in full view of everyone at the stops before hurrying to catch up.
It looked like some people would die before we even reached the Frontier.
A few were already growing anxious, saying their water was running out.
It was on the third day after I joined the procession that we found a well.
"We'll rest here for a while! Anyone with water barrels, fill them up here!"
At the leader's shout, people rushed toward the well in a crowd.
Would there really be water?
I headed there too.
There had been wells in other places as well.
But their water sources had dried up, and only dust swirled up from the deep holes.
This one didn't look any different from the outside.
Yet when they lowered the wooden bucket attached to the rope, a clear splashing sound echoed from the bottom of the deep shaft.
There really was water, just as the leader had said.
In this vast land where everything looked the same in every direction, how did the leader know the way and find it?
Maybe there were markers only he could recognize.
When I asked, the leader only shrugged and refused to tell me.
"It's my business secret. For people like us, knowledge is directly connected to money and survival."
I learned later that the leader and his men weren't affiliated with the royal family or any lord.
They were escorts who accepted requests from the royal family through the guild to transport people.
They received a set amount for each person who signed the contract.
"Meeting you was a special bonus."
No wonder he had tried so hard to persuade me.
The leader laughed loudly, his teeth gleaming yellow in the sunlight.
Well, meeting them had been lucky for me too.
If I had been alone in this desolate wilderness, I would have surely died.
Especially since there were wells like this that only those in the know could find.
"When I first saw your clothes and belongings, I was truly shocked. I'd never seen anything like them before."
The leader looked at me quietly.
"Well, I won't ask where you came from. Judging by your speech and clothing, you seem to be from quite a good family, but ending up alone in a desert like this… I can imagine what happened."
He grinned.
"Don't worry. People heading to the Frontier are accepted without question about their past—whether they committed murder or were political prisoners."
I had no idea what misunderstanding he was under.
When I smiled, the leader slapped me hard on the back.
"It'll be tough, but hang in there just a little longer. We'll arrive after going just a bit farther."
That's what the leader said, but that "little bit farther" turned out to be an incredibly long distance.
After walking for well over ten days, we finally arrived at the Frontier.
I had thought the Frontier would be vast since it was called a pioneering land.
Because I'd heard the leader's explanation, I also knew this was a newly established village.
Yes, I fully understood that life here would be difficult.
But this is too much.
All around us were only trees and land that looked completely unsuitable for farming.
A little farther away was a dense forest.
There were weeds, tall trees, and plenty of rocks and boulders.
It was the complete opposite of the desert-like land we'd walked through until now—terribly poor soil.
They expect us to farm on land like this?
There doesn't even seem to be space to build houses?
Even if we tried to build houses, the ground is covered in weeds and stones. We'd have to clear all that first.
"Oho! There's plenty of timber for building houses. This is excellent!"
The leader laughed loudly.
If we were building houses out of wood, his words weren't entirely wrong.
We could build not just hundreds but thousands of houses.
There really were that many trees.
"Are we the only people living here?"
I had heard that many others besides us were heading to the Frontier.
Yet there wasn't a single person here.
Where did they all go?
The leader smiled with a refreshed expression.
"The Frontier isn't just this one place. People have settled in huge numbers all over in this manner."
Despite that, there were quite a few items scattered around that looked like they'd already been used.
If you looked closely, there were also traces of attempts to build houses.
They were just hidden by the weeds and hard to see.
When I pointed that out, the leader glanced around before speaking in a low voice.
"To be honest, this place was actually settled by people once before. We didn't bring them here. But most of them ran away, and I heard the ones who remained moved to other villages. If only a few people stay behind, they'll get attacked by demonic beasts or wild animals."
Hey, you should have told us that in advance. That's too much.
"Do you know why the people ran away?"
When I asked while hiding my feelings, the leader shook his head.
"I'm not sure. It happened several years ago, and we weren't involved."
The leader said that and turned away.
"Everyone, gather over here! Make sure you each take your contract. If you lose this, it'll be a big problem, so keep it safe."
The leader called out loudly to the people.
He handed me my contract first.
"Can this contract be canceled?"
At my question, the leader grinned.
"It can't. This contract paper is special. Once signed, it can't be erased or destroyed. It was made by the kingdom's mages."
It used to be ordinary paper, he said.
But after middlemen started taking money to destroy contracts, they changed it.
They would destroy the documents before they reached the kingdom officials—or even after—by taking bribes.
"It's dangerous, but this is truly an opportunity. I've never seen such generous support and good conditions in my entire life. As long as you don't die, this place is a gold mine."
The leader said that and began distributing contracts to the others.
As long as you don't die….
Those words lingered in my ears.
"Listen carefully! More support supplies will arrive in a few days. Those people will also act as peddlers for a while, so if you need anything, ask them. And don't forget to light fires all around at night. If you're unlucky, you might get eaten by demonic beasts or wild animals on the very day you arrive."
While the leader explained various precautions, his subordinates unloaded the cargo from the carriages and carts.
"Good luck."
Once the leader and his men left, the Frontier instantly fell silent.
Only the sounds of birds and leaves rustling in the wind could be heard.
Even those who had come here full of hope seemed stunned by the forest, weeds, and rocky ground.
"Pee-pee? Pee-pee-pee-pee? Pee-pee-pee?"
Popcorn flew around me, crying in a thin voice.
He somehow looked worried about me.
Did my face look that gloomy?
Was he checking on me?
I'm fine.
I muttered inwardly and caught Popcorn as he flew back and forth right in front of my nose.
When trapped in my palm, Popcorn clung to my skin as if delighted.
I'd learned while spending time with him that Popcorn seemed to feed on my vitality, sweat, or something from my skin.
Whenever he touched me, he suddenly became lively as if gaining strength.
Of course he ate human food too, but he consumed something from my body far more often.
If I accidentally died, this guy might end up starving.
Spirits probably don't die, but wait—didn't the tree say the spirits in this world do die?
The tree had said a spirit died from sorrow.
It seemed I really couldn't die.
Whether it was because we'd spent a few days together or because he came from my body, I had already grown attached to Popcorn.
This guy seemed to like me quite a bit, and if I disappeared, he would surely fly around crying pee-pee while searching for me.
I can't die, if only for your sake.
The white tree had said that the god who gave birth to me called this world my cradle.
Then at least I probably wouldn't be killed by demonic beasts.
After all, a cradle is the safest place in the world.
At least this world is safe for me.
...Probably. Right?
Popcorn wriggled out of my palm.
He flew right up to my face, tilting his whole body as if asking what I was thinking about.
Hey, don't make me anxious, Popcorn.