Like the Leaves (4)

The elves' dwellings were mostly made by using dead trees or by shaping and firing clay. That didn't mean they were primitive or shabby; if anything, they felt closer to something natural and rugged. It wasn't that there were no houses made of stone, but acquiring stone meant digging into nature, so the demand was inevitably limited.

That was why it wasn't strange for Elia to react the way she did when we arrived at a village large enough to house a proper church, even if it was relatively small. “White stone? Are all human houses built like this?”

“People who can afford to build this way tend to prefer it. Still, when there aren't suitable stones available, they mostly use bricks.”

“Our kin enjoy using bricks as well. But the scale of what humans use is completely different. It's impressive. To solve the inability to commune with nature in such a way.”

Since this was Elia's first time venturing outside the Great Forest, anything that looked different from what she saw in the Great Forest was bound to fascinate her. From the perspective of someone traveling with her, it felt rewarding to show her around. Seeing a sleek, elegant “older sister” type elf acting like this also had a certain unique charm.

“That's because for elves, the Great Forest itself serves as both sanctuary and fortress. Unfortunately, humans often have no choice but to fortify their homes like miniature fortresses, just in case.”

“But isn't this a church? Do humans attack churches too?”

“It's in preparation for monster attacks, not humans. Even though there's a church here, this village doesn't have any proper walls or wooden palisades.”

Not every human settlement was automatically surrounded by walls or palisades. The cost of materials and labor for even a basic wooden palisade was considerable, not to mention the maintenance expenses and time required. Therefore, in regions like the area near the Great Forest where the threat of large monster hordes was low, most places didn't even bother with palisades—except for castles or lords' mansions that served as defensive strongholds.

Still, they needed to prepare for the unexpected, so churches were typically surrounded by brick walls at least as high as a modest barrier. Of course, this was less about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any real threat and more of an inertial tradition—simply how things had always been done.

“As a trading partner, this environment earns high marks. It seems basic safety is guaranteed, doesn't it?”

“Above all, it's a church. That alone deters many thieves and burglars from even considering crime.”

“I suppose so. It's a shame it only stops at ‘many’ rather than all, but that is a human matter.”

Even so, she wasn't simply excited about sightseeing just because it was her first time out. The whole reason she'd come this far was to do something helpful for the elf race as the Forest Priestess, so she really did need to carry out that duty.

Of course, that didn't mean she started hawking goods like a saleswoman. That would have been far too vulgar for the Forest Priestess to do—and far too crude to do to potential customers of such expensive items.

So what did she do instead?

“Thank you for lending us the space, Count. The Forest Priestess said she wanted to experience human culture as quickly as possible, which put us in a bit of a bind.”

“Hoho, it's an honor to be of help to none other than the Forest Priestess of the elves. Moreover, these items… I've seen similar things since this territory is relatively close to the Great Forest, but such top-quality pieces that seem to radiate brilliance…”

It was fortunate that the lord of the first territory we'd chosen was extremely favorable toward elves and very interested in elven goods. In fact, he'd already profited several times from the occasional elven items that had leaked out, so there was no reason for him to dislike them.

Thus, at the slightly rushed banquet that was arranged, the greatest interest was directed toward the elven items that had been subtly displayed. And the one who made that possible was Elia, the Forest Priestess whom even most nobles—and even fairly educated commoners—knew about.

“Aren't they wonderful? It was by chance that I met the elves in the Great Forest, but once I saw such magnificent items, I simply couldn't pass them by. So the Church has formed a trade agreement with the Elven Forest.”

“A trade agreement, you say…”

“It means we'll be selling these kinds of elven goods. Exclusively, at that.”

It was the moment the Count's eyes lit up. He'd already been making quite decent profits from the small amounts of elven goods that had trickled out until now.

Strictly speaking, an exclusive deal would mean the Church would enjoy all the profits, but given the current commercial structure, it wasn't feasible to keep it entirely that way. The biggest issue was the middle wholesalers. After all, this world was far from being computerized.

In the end, we needed someone who understood local conditions fairly well—or better yet, someone with power in the area who would take our side.

“As it happens, quite a few people have asked me to contact them if any elven goods become available. As one of the faithful, might I have the opportunity to lighten the Church's burden?”

“If someone desires the items we possess, as a servant of the Church I could hardly ignore it. I thank you for stepping forward like this, and I promise you suitable compensation.”

“You really do communicate well with the Saintess. It's wonderful. If it weren't for the Saintess, I don't know how long this matter would have dragged on.”

“I feel the same. I'm glad you were here, Count.”

While the title of Count carried considerable power—too much to dismiss with a mere “or whatever”—it was still somewhat lacking when dealing with the Church's direct trading company, which had launched with the entire world as its target.

“Extremely useful. The fact that we could open the floodgates so easily and simply is all thanks to you, Elia.”

“I see. Then I'd like to receive words of gratitude…”

Here she goes again. Well, she had grown frustrated staying only in the Great Forest and had come out, and the other elves had given her a suitable justification by saying they were grateful too. In the end, even this elf had her eye on the crumbs.

So if I just said “thank you” and ended it with a genuine expression of gratitude, she'd probably feel disappointed. The gap of seeing such ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠behavior from someone with a pure, older-sister aura and flowing light-green hair was actually quite within my preferences.

“Thank you, Elia.”

I deliberately jumped in place once with a bouncy feel and wrapped my arms around her neck. She slightly bowed her waist to accept the hug, her eyes sparkling brightly.

I didn't dislike this kind of thing either. The world was what it was, and ultimately my goal was to return home, so I'd been restraining myself from forming deeper relationships.

“Ah, aah…”

“You know, right? That I'm still the Saintess, after all.”

“Y-yes, I know, I know. With this, your gratitude has been sufficiently conveyed, so there's no need to worry.”

The moment I felt a surge of emotion and froze, she immediately stepped back as if jumping away—then smiled with a relaxed attitude as if she were the one leading, speaking like that. Seeing her act this way when she could practically see right through me only made her cuter.

“Will you be traveling separately from now on, Elia? It seems the other elves have come out to escort you.”

“My kin will stay here to establish a base and spend time activating trade, so only I will accompany you, Lucia. Or do you dislike being with me?”

“How could I dislike it? I was just worried that you might feel uncomfortable since the Hero, the Imperial Princess, and the Church's Patriarch will be joining us soon.”

“Why would I feel uncomfortable? As long as I'm with you, Lucia, it's fine. That aside, can the Imperial Princess of the Empire become the Church's Patriarch? From what I've heard, the Empire has separated itself from the Church.”

She really does hear all the news she needs to. Well, even if she was originally the Forest Priestess who wouldn't have had reason to go outside, if she was to serve as the spiritual pillar of the elf race, she couldn't afford to be completely ignorant of external affairs. Moreover, the schism in the human Church was a major event that would have quite varied effects on other races as well. Since it meant the religious influence was being split, they would need to respond to the shock and repercussions.

“By the way, that Imperial Princess…”

From there, it was the story of my recent past. How we'd ended up together at the Academy, a place meant for harmony and cooperation, and how monsters had suddenly appeared there. How I'd done something, and she'd manifested divine power, and so on and so forth.

“The Pope acknowledged it quite skillfully. The Emperor of the Empire accepted it skillfully as well.”

“Right? I find it amazing too.”

“Isn't it all because you were in the middle of it, Lucia? One can tell just by looking. How deep and sincere the favor and respect other humans show you truly is.”

That was true. Because I'd mainly used the money I'd earned for slum redevelopment and relief for the poor, the title of Saintess I possessed had come to mean more than simply a user of divine power recognized by the Church.

I was literally a saintess. Not only the savior of the destitute, but a true saintess who distributed miracles to nobles in place of high-ranking clergy who were usually too arrogant to step forward. The high-ranking clergy of Romano Cathedral in Tellaia had even been stimulated by my actions and begun distributing miracles themselves. That said everything.

“I can tell too. How deep and sincere your affection for me is, Elia.”

“R-really? Y-you can see it?”

“Of course. Thank you for considering me such a good friend.”

“Ah, a-ah. Good… friend… I see…”

I'd thought I had no particular taste for this sort of thing, but teasing her like this somehow felt pretty good. It was oddly satisfying to see her make that kind of expression because of me.

No, still—I should restrain myself from doing this too often. If it accumulates, it'll come back as karma later. Mm, mm. It was best not to create unnecessary trouble.

“Anyway, thanks to you, it seems the work in the Irkesh Kingdom will be handled easily starting from this area, so we'll need to head north.”

“To join up with your other friends.”

“Since it's the Hero and the Patriarch. We have to visit several other kingdoms as well. Above all, the last time I saw them was when they were being kidnapped by the Demon King.”

“Yes, we shouldn't make your friends worry.”

That was the end of the main schedule in Irkesh, the southernmost of the human kingdoms. If I'd come for an official visit, I would have stayed for months, but I was merely in the middle of escaping after being kidnapped, returning with the elves' help, and handling what I could along the way. What proper work could I accomplish in that situation? Securing my own safety came first.

In fact, the only reason this was even possible was because the Church's strengthened escort had been assigned to me. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Once this tour was over, they might even try to lock me up in the cathedral and never let me out again.

That wouldn't do. Whether the Church's integration actually happened or not, visiting the Empire was essential for me if I wanted to find a way back.

“Hmm, by the way… manifesting divine power because of you, Lucia…”

“Why? Does something come to mind?”

Still, this might become some kind of clue. After all, even though I'd learned what I immediately needed according to my attributes first and then studied at the Academy, my learning was still lacking in many areas to master expertise in various fields. There were so many things I didn't know.

“It's not so much that something comes to mind, but it feels like the myth of when one first receives a god and obtains divine power. Perhaps you are even greater than I thought, Lucia.”

“Come on, it can't be that much.”

Even if she'd gotten quite close to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠what I'd guessed, I made quite an effort in that instant to react as if I'd simply heard a joke. Fortunately, the current Elia wasn't in a situation where she was suspecting or deeply examining me, so it wasn't noticed.

Instead, what followed was:

“Even so, perhaps among the humans impressed by you, Lucia, there may be those who manifest divine power. If that happens, everyone will treat you even more extraordinarily.”

“That sounds a bit burdensome. I already have a lot of attention on me.”

I'd never thought of that. If something like that really happened, the future developments might unfold in a very strange way, completely outside my predictions.