The Saintess Contest (2)
The protagonist of this real-life Cinderella story, Ibril Barnet, was now acutely aware of what it meant for one’s entire life to change overnight.
She stepped out of a luxurious floating car favored by nobles, escorted by her knight guards.
Instantly, countless eyes turned toward her.
“Huh? Isn’t that the girl who appeared on the broadcast with the lord?”
“Hey, watch your mouth. She might become the Saintess.”
“Oh no, do you think she heard us?”
“Let’s get out of here.”
She had always stood out with her striking appearance, but thanks to the broadcasts and media coverage, she had become a full-blown celebrity. The number of people who recognized her had skyrocketed.
Considering that just a month ago she had been a low-income girl working part-time at a convenience store, this kind of attention was something she still couldn’t get used to, no matter how many times it happened.
-Rumble.
Moreover, the size of her entourage was as extravagant as any noble’s—nine people in total: one secretary, two Vanguards, four regular knights, and two Holy Knights.
For a commoner like her, it was an excessive number.
But Adrian had insisted that they prepare for any unexpected situations from now on, and Archbishop Fried, one of her sponsors and mentors, had agreed. He even assigned two Holy Knights covered in every blessing imaginable.
As a result, an utterly mismatched group now stood out against the backdrop of an old, rundown villa district in the lower-class part of the old city.
A short while later, they arrived at their destination: a low-rise villa with black mold thickly covering the entrance.
“It’s my house, so I can go in alone,” Ibril said in a timid voice, embarrassed to be standing in front of her home in such fancy clothes while leading so many attendants.
But the entourage shook their heads firmly.
“There’s no need to feel ashamed. The place where Lady Ibril was born and raised may look shabby on the outside, but to us, it is practically a holy site.”
The cringeworthy remark came from a Holy Knight who served as Archbishop Fried’s close aide and was now in charge of Ibril’s protection.
He was already treating her half like a Saintess, following the archbishop’s lead.
Ibril’s face flushed red with embarrassment. She quickly fled up to the second floor, opened the familiar door, and stepped inside.
“Mom, I’m home.”
The small door and narrow entryway opened into a living room of barely ten square meters.
“Oh? Our daughter’s here?”
For some reason, more than a dozen people were crammed together in that cramped space.
The Lheinhatz Kingdom used standing culture rather than sitting on the floor, but when commoners entered a home, they took off their shoes like in Korea and went in barefoot or changed into indoor slippers.
That was why the entryway was packed with shoes, making it hard to even step inside.
Somehow, she managed to kick the shoes aside with her feet and, with the help of her personal maid—who was practically her secretary—removed her own footwear.
“Oho! What great timing! Ibril’s here!”
“Ibril, it’s been so long. I’m your eldest uncle, remember me?”
“Wow, those shoes look really expensive. Are those Royal Elven? I heard elves make them and one pair costs over five million.”
“It’s not just the shoes. The dress, the terminal—everything on her is expensive.”
“As expected of a Saintess candidate. The lord must really cherish her.”
The moment Ibril stepped into the house, the relatives swarmed forward, each throwing out a comment.
They all greeted her with smiles.
But their eyes scanned her up and down as if appraising merchandise, like hawks eyeing prey.
Naturally, as soon as the crowd surged forward, the guards behind Ibril stepped up and blocked them.
“Stay back.”
“Oh? You must be Ibril’s guards?”
“We’re Ibril’s relatives. There’s no need to be so wary.”
But the knights paid no attention to whatever they said.
The relatives looked awkward, and eventually all eyes turned to Ibril.
“They are indeed my relatives,” she said.
However, her response was ambiguous.
It carried a clear sense that she didn’t welcome them.
The guards frowned, while the relatives put on innocent expressions as if asking why she was acting this way.
“I’m sorry, but I will have to ask them to leave.”
The two female Vanguards Adrian had assigned for close protection were both women.
Sharp-eyed, they easily read the situation from Ibril’s attitude. Even if it meant taking on a bad image, they decided to deal with the relatives forcefully.
“Lady Ibril has come to speak with her parents. Everyone except her mother and father must leave immediately.”
The knights only used polite speech toward Ibril and her parents. The rest of the relatives were cleanly ignored.
Their intentions were obvious even without looking.
When someone succeeds, the first ones to come wagging their tails are always relatives.
“I-Ibril, isn’t this too much for your uncle whom you haven’t seen in so long?”
“Ibril, it’s me, your aunt. I took care of you so much when you were little.”
But Ibril’s relatives were formidable opponents.
They flinched for a moment at the knights’ command, but they knew the knights wouldn’t dare attack relatives in front of Ibril. So they stubbornly refused to move.
When the Vanguards reached for their swords, the relatives finally scrambled backward and took refuge deeper inside the house.
In the end, Ibril let out a sigh and shook her head at the female Vanguard who had been playing the villain.
“It’s all right. They are still my relatives, after all.”
“…Understood. We will keep watch, then.”
“The house is small, so only the senior Vanguard, the senior Holy Knight, and the secretary may come inside with me.”
There was no need to mention the Vanguards’ combat power, and the Holy Knights, armed with various blessings and holy artifacts, possessed formidable strength that could not be ignored.
The rest of the group obediently followed Ibril’s instructions without complaint.
“Yes, then we will stand guard at the entrance and outside the door.”
Watching Ibril command the knights, the relatives who had been cowering in the corner let out gasps of admiration and tried to approach again.
But when the Vanguard who had tried to drive them out grabbed her sword hilt once more, they froze in place.
“All of you will maintain a distance of two steps. If you close the gap without permission, I will cut your throats—even if you are Lady Ibril’s relatives.”
The relatives shot Ibril resentful looks, as if asking if this wasn’t too much.
“Hey now. These people…”
However, such reactions only fueled even stronger hostility from Ibril’s guards.
“We understand. We’ll follow the instructions, so please stop glaring at us like you want to kill us.”
“We will be watching.”
Ibril’s parents, who had been watching the tense standoff between the relatives and the knights with troubled expressions, finally approached their daughter and asked how she was.
“Our daughter. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I told you I’m doing well. Please don’t worry too much.”
“But is this really okay? You’ve drawn so much attention—if something goes wrong…”
“Even if I don’t become the Saintess, the lord said there’s no need to worry about what comes after. He said I could become a priestess in the Lawrence Marquisate or, if I wish, work as one of his retainers.”
“R-really? That’s a relief, but… still, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Hehe.”
“I’m sorry. Your parents are so lacking that we can’t help you with anything.”
Just because someone is poor doesn’t mean they’re unhappy.
Of course, poverty brings more inconveniences and forces them to watch others’ moods more often than those with means, but this family cherished one another deeply. They were the kind of people who could be happy lighting a single candle on a small birthday cake.
The sight of this poor but warm family worrying about each other more than themselves softened the expressions of the guards, who had been frowning at the relatives.
“Ah, I came today because I have something to tell you.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“The lord wishes for both of you to come live in the castle. If you want work, he will also arrange positions for you inside.”
Working at the castle was practically the same as becoming a government official.
The salary was high, the retirement age was long, and the pension was generous.
It was a dream job that every commoner longed for. An ordinary person would have been overjoyed, but Ibril’s parents couldn’t easily accept it.
“Wouldn’t we be imposing too much? We already feel guilty that you’re being treated so well…”
“That’s right. If we receive special treatment, it somehow feels like we’re selling you off.”
The parents’ strong desire not to burden their daughter was clear.
Seeing the two of them overthinking things, Ibril’s exclusive maid and secretary, who had stayed silent until now, was about to step forward.
After all, providing lodging and jobs for two commoners was hardly a big deal for a marquis of the mighty Lheinhatz Kingdom.
“Ugh, this is so frustrating. Why overthink it? Just say ‘thank you’ and follow along. Right?”
“Exactly. And this isn’t just your problem—it’s a matter for the entire family. Don’t you know how different life becomes depending on whether you have connections to the castle or not?”
But two relatives spoke up even faster than the secretary.
“Brother, what are you…”
“Oppa, please.”
They were Ibril’s eldest uncle and her maternal uncle.
Anyone listening could tell they were clearly hoping to benefit themselves.
Ibril, who had been trying hard to forget her relatives’ existence, couldn’t help but ask.
“By the way, why did you relatives suddenly come here? You’ve always treated us like strangers before.”
The eldest uncle, who acted as the leader among the relatives, stepped forward.
“Your family has been struggling a lot all this time, hasn’t it? So we came to suggest that we all stick together as a family and start a business. Here’s the business plan.”
It was absurd enough for them to hand a business proposal to a fifteen-year-old girl, but the content was even worse.
Emphasizing that this is a business of the Saintess candidate Ibril’s family guarantees it cannot fail.
In other words, they had come to her parents to use her name for their business.
“Daughter, don’t worry. I have no intention of going along with such a ridiculous plan.”
“No, why won’t you do it?”
“Whatever we do, we’ll do it among ourselves. We don’t need help from you elders.”
“That’s right. And don’t even think about using Ibril’s name for business elsewhere. If we catch you later, we won’t let it slide.”
“What kind of family is this? Aren’t you being too cold to your siblings?”
To a third party, the relationship between this household and its relatives clearly wasn’t good.
And the reason was soon revealed through Ibril’s father.
“Four years ago you ran away after saddling us with debt as guarantors, and now you show up? Cold?”
“We’re sorry about that. That’s why we’re trying to make up for it now, even if it’s late.”
“If you were sorry, you should have helped when we were drowning in debt. Instead you ran off to another territory and lived comfortably.”
“I’m telling you again, it wasn’t that we wanted to do that. We tried to pay off the debt. And honestly, it wasn’t entirely my fault. The whole guarantee thing was first brought up by your in-law’s nephew, and you also didn’t check properly…”
“Ha, so it was my fault for trusting my brother?”
“No, no. It’s my fault. My fault is the biggest, but still, isn’t it ugly for siblings to only talk about money, money, money?”
A story that gave even the listeners a headache.
To think that such relatives existed for Ibril’s family, who supported each other through poverty with warm hearts.
The guards felt a strong urge to commit murder.
“Just go back. I don’t want to get involved with you, eldest uncle. Let’s just keep treating each other like we don’t exist, like before.”
It would have felt good to pour out all the resentment she had kept in her heart, but Ibril held back until the end, afraid that her behavior might disappoint the people who believed in her.
But if they had any common sense or conscience, they wouldn’t have shamelessly shown up like this.
“Ibril. You shouldn’t speak so rudely to your elders. We are still the siblings of the parents who gave birth to you.”
“That’s right. Can’t you help us just a little?”
They were people who didn’t know what shame was.
Though they were too afraid of the knights to come close, the way they still said whatever they wanted looked incredibly cowardly.
In the end, the guards could no longer hold back their anger and reached for their swords.
“What the hell are these parasitic beggars with their greedy attitudes?”
But at that moment.
A man appeared beside Ibril.
As if color had been painted into empty space.
The guards were startled, but they soon recognized who he was and immediately knelt on one knee to pay their respects.
“Jasmine Tranton, 3rd Company Commander of the 1st Battalion, Lawrence Strategic Mobile Knight Order, greets my lord.”
“Rick Castro, First-Class Knight of the Lheinhatz Kingdom Archdiocese Holy Knight Order, greets Marquis Lawrence.”