Chapter 198: The Truman Show-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 198: The Truman Show-2
The personnel for the journey to Madini Village were selected.
The group consisted of:
Twenty-two apprentice priests and nuns to handle the menial labor,
Six priests and nuns to lead them and care for the poor,
Four Inquisitors to identify and suppress any potential subversives,
Two Holy Knights to ensure the Saint’s safety,
One attendant to assist the Saint at his side,
And finally, one Saint.
Originally, the number of Inquisitors and Holy Knights was double that, but I refused on the grounds that it would be a burden on the Pope.
The Pope resisted, uncharacteristically stubborn, but when I spoke firmly, he reluctantly reduced the numbers.
Even with the reductions, it remained an incredibly lavish lineup.
According to Maria, the scale of this personnel selection for a relief mission was entirely unprecedented.
"We are departing."
With those words from the Holy Knight acting as the coachman, the carriage began to move.
The stationary carriage lurched forward with a rattle, causing my body to sway.
Inside, Maria and I sat facing each other.
As the carriage shook, her massive... assets swayed and bounced.
Having nowhere else to rest my eyes, I looked outside through the small window of the carriage.
I saw crowds of people seeing me off. To an outsider, it would look like a crowd gathered to see off a head of state.
"This is your first time leaving the Church Headquarters," Maria said, as if to block out the noisy clamor from outside.
"That’s right. It’s been a while for you too, hasn't it, Sister Maria?"
"It has. When I was an Inquisitor, I went out often for missions, but I haven't been able to lately."
Sitting demurely, Maria nodded in agreement.
Clop, clop, clop.
As we talked, the horses' rhythmic hoofbeats signaled our descent down the slope.
It seemed we had left the headquarters.
"Once we finish descending this hill, we will be completely out of the Order's territory," Maria added.
The scenery through the window gradually changed.
The dense clusters of buildings began to thin out.
Surrendering my body to the vibrations of the swaying carriage, I leaned my back comfortably against the seat.
It was a journey that would take three full days by carriage. If I didn't maintain a comfortable posture, my back would surely ache.
In my previous world, my body was so well-trained that I could ride a horse for three days straight without a problem, but my current physical form was so poorly conditioned that it was embarrassing to even compare the two.
The only reason I could even react to things was that my instincts and knowledge of martial arts hadn't vanished. If it came down to a life-or-death struggle, I certainly wouldn't be able to defeat the Order's Holy Knights.
"Would you like something to drink?"
As I sat quietly watching the scenery, Maria spoke up.
She was already holding a water bottle in her hand.
"Please."
"Yes."
Maria gave a bright smile.
She seemed to be in a very good mood lately.
With a trickling sound, water poured from the bottle into a cup.
Meanwhile, the carriage completely exited the Church grounds and entered a somewhat bumpy dirt road.
A vast expanse of golden wheat fields came into view.
The movement of the wheat swaying back and forth in the wind created waves of gold.
Through the open window, a cool autumnal breeze drifted in.
"Saint, here is your water."
Maria, sitting opposite me, stood up slightly to hand me the cup.
I reached out to take it, and just then, the carriage jolted as if it had hit a rock.
Thump!
The carriage bucked violently, and naturally, Maria—who had been standing in a half-crouched position—toppled straight onto me.
"Kyaah!"
Along with Maria’s scream, the water in the cup splashed all over me.
The lukewarm water hit my chest, soaking my clothes through.
"S-Saint! I am so sorry!"
Her upper body was now resting firmly on my thighs.
I felt the sensation of something heavy pressing down on my legs.
Maria hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief and tried to dab away the spilled water, but it was useless since the water had already soaked into the fabric.
"Give it here. I'll do it myself."
I took the handkerchief from her, intending to at least wipe the water off my neck.
Maria briefly pulled back, insisting she would do it, but I snatched the handkerchief from her hand like a hawk snatching a mouse.
While I silently wiped myself down, Maria kept glancing at me like a large dog that had caused a massive accident.
"I-if you could give the handkerchief back to me..."
Once I had mostly cleaned up, and just as I was wondering what to do with her handkerchief, Maria murmured in a voice as tiny as a mosquito's buzz.
Her face flushed bright red, she timidly held out her hand. I exhaled a long breath through my nose and handed the handkerchief back.
"T-thank... no, I am so sorry."
Maria apologized again for spilling the water, and I raised a hand to stop her.
The carriage had shaken at a bad time, so there was no need for an apology.
But... she really did spill it by accident, right?
Watching Maria tuck the handkerchief back into her inner pocket, I prayed that it had indeed been an accident.
Over the three days it took to reach Madini Village, Maria’s "accidents" repeated themselves.
She would lose her balance in the carriage and spill water on me, or fall into my arms, or if I was taking a nap, she would suddenly be sitting next to me with her head resting on my shoulder...
The hardest thing to ignore was during our camps.
She would leave for a moment under the pretext of "scouting," and I didn't even want to imagine what she was doing in those secluded spots.
I simply thought this:
Maria, you're going to wear yourself out at this rate.
After enduring various incidents like these, we finally arrived at Madini Village.