[Saintess for You - 02]
[Saintess for You - 02]
Time passed, and I turned 15.
"So this is what they call an ID card."
I said, staring at the rectangular ID card.
An ID card.
There was a system that issued cards to certify the identity of anyone over the age of 15.
According to Ed, while there wasn't a strict standard, it seemed to be the general perception that if you had this ID card, you were a commoner, or perhaps a pauper.
When I pointed out that this meant people under 15 were neither commoners nor paupers, he simply said, "That's just how the perception goes." Since it cost money to make the ID card, in a sense, it was a measure of status.
"It is convenient to have. I would recommend carrying it with you."
"Is that so?"
"You don't have the luxury of explaining who you are every time you need to prove your identity. Besides, there are times when even if you say 'I am the Saintess,' you have no way to prove it. That card will serve as proof of your status as the 'Saintess.' There are two pictures drawn on the card, right? Next to your name."
"Hmm?"
Looking closely, I saw two marks next to my name, 'Anastai Lacroix.' One seemed to represent the cathedral, and the other looked like praying hands.
"The one that looks like a cathedral is proof that you belong to the 'Goddess Religion,' and the praying hands mark signifies that you are the 'Saintess.'"
"Hmm, so if I show this, everyone will know I'm the Saintess without me even having to introduce myself? What happens if I lose it?"
"You can have it reissued if you pay the fee."
As expected, money is everything.
Recently, I've come to understand that money is an essential thing that people cannot live without.
From the moment I was born, I had never once struggled with food, clothing, or shelter; everything was abundant, and if I needed anything else, I would just say so, and it would be brought to my room a few days later.
Because of that, it was hard to understand the feeling of being short on money, but now I could understand that it was an absurdly difficult and painful thing.
"It would be annoying if someone tried to abuse it. Or if they forged one and carried it around."
"Since they compare the magic power contained in the ID with the person themselves, it's rarely a problem. However, it's not like such issues don't exist at all. No countermeasure or method is perfect, after all."
"You said it proves I belong to the Goddess Religion earlier, right? What if I leave the Goddess Religion?"
"In that case, you have to apply for a new issuance. If you use an ID card with the affiliation mark when you have already quit, it's a fine."
"I see....... Do you have one too?"
"Of course I do."
"Can I see it?"
"Yes, well....... Go ahead."
Ed handed me his ID card from his inner pocket.
Next to the name Adrian Valtus was a sword and shield emblem.
I thought this was probably the proof of his status as a 'Holy Knight.' And then, I couldn't help but furrow my brow at the emblem next to it.
"Ed."
"Yes."
"The sword and shield emblem next to your name seems to be the mark for a Holy Knight."
"What is the emblem next to it? A tree? Is this a tree?"
"Ah, that is the mark for those with Elf blood flowing in them. Eris also has Beastkin blood flowing in her, so there is a corresponding mark on her ID card."
"Elf?"
"Yes, Elf."
"Elf blood flows in you?"
"It does. Though it is faint."
"......."
This was the first time I had heard this.
I'm quite something myself, but this guy is also something else.
He really doesn't answer anything unless I ask.
Perhaps that's why I developed the habit of asking Ed questions.
Still, he tends to answer everything when I ask, so I didn't have any major complaints.
"Even if Elf blood is mixed in, it's really faint. You don't have almost any Elf-like characteristics."
"True, my ears are normal human ears, too."
I had read in books that Elves are characterized by long ears.
As a race that lives in the forest, many of them are said to have talents specialized in long-range attacks like bows or magic.
That didn't mean there were no people who engaged in close-quarters combat, including using swords, though.
"They say my great-great-grandmother's husband was an Elf. Since then, the blood has kept thinning, and it ended up like this. Up until my mother, there was a slight hint of it in the ears."
"Great-great-grandmother......."
So.
That means he's the child of the child of the child of the child of an Elf, right?
Since then, no other race's blood was mixed in, and he kept marrying humans, so the blood eventually thinned out.
It became 1/2, then 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, and the blood gradually decreased. It wouldn't decrease that cleanly, but anyway, it decreased.
"You're just a human, right?"
"Yes, so I heard that they are trying to change the law itself to just call people like me humans these days."
"Then do you have no Elf-like characteristics?"
"None. Ah, according to books, it's not like there's zero influence; they say it's subtly there."
"For example?"
"You know that Elves have long lifespans, right? Because of that, the book said there could be an influence on my lifespan as well. Simply put, the time I maintain my youth is longer, and I can live a bit longer than the average human lifespan. Well, since it's only a difference of about 10 to 20 years, I don't know if I just lived long because of my own lifespan or if the Elf blood exerted its power."
"......."
A long lifespan?
The time to maintain youth is longer than normal people?
"Then Ed, you don't age?"
"No way. Just to tell you what's written in the book, they say there is almost no damage from aging until your 30s. ......They said there's no change in appearance until your 40s, or 50s at the latest, and then you gradually age. I suppose when I become an old man, I'll hear people say, 'You look young for your age.'"
"......."
I fell silent.
Let's calculate.
Right now, I am 15, and Ed is 27.
When I become an adult at 20, Ed will be 32.
If aging doesn't occur until then, and if aging occurs in his 40s at the earliest, by the time Ed is 40, I will be 28.
If we look at a really lucky situation, if Ed becomes 50 and I become 38, that's when aging starts in earnest.
Isn't the timing roughly similar?
'I was worried about it.'
No, honestly speaking, I didn't care about other people's gazes, and I had no interest in them, but since it's a social gaze, I thought Ed would worry about it, and in some cases, I thought about the possibility of Ed being called a thief and getting hurt.
But if this is the case, it seemed like there would be much less need to worry about what people around us think.
It's fate.
This is a situation where no other words are needed besides fate.
Why do I want to have you in my hands more and more as we spend time together?
I don't get bored, and I just want you to be by my side.
Then I could be a good Saintess-nim for the rest of my life.
If you say you will be by my side, I thought it wouldn't be bad to wear a mask for the rest of my life and pretend to be a good person.
If that is what you want, that was enough.
In my life, where nothing felt valuable and I only solved questions to soothe my boredom, something valuable has emerged.
I am so happy and delighted that I don't know what to do.
I decided to call this emotion love, and I decided to keep Ed by my side no matter what. I haven't ruled out confinement or things like that, but considering Ed's skills, he would definitely escape.
Above all, I didn't want to do that because it felt like Ed, whom I deemed valuable, would die.
I had to make Ed stay by my side voluntarily, no matter what.
'I don't need a physical leash. What I need is a mental leash. It's important to make Ed think, "I should be by the Saintess-nim's side for the rest of my life."'
"By the way, Saintess-nim, I've been wanting to ask you something for a while."
"What is it? Are you curious about my chest size, which has been growing lately? If it's you, Ed, I'll let you touch it as a special treat."
"Shut the f*** up....... That is a vulgar thing to say."
"Ahahahat."
I laughed sincerely and looked at Ed.
Sometimes, seeing him try to use rough language as if to show he had been on the battlefield for years made me laugh for some reason.
"Well, half of that was a joke."
"......."
'So what are you curious about?'
"Why are you in my room so naturally?"
"Don't say things that make it seem like there's such a distance between us."
"No matter how much of an age gap there is, we are a man and a woman. You are of age, too, Saintess-nim."
"Don't worry about it."
"......."
Well, that's because I'm aiming for it on purpose.
First of all, the people at the Grand Cathedral all knew that I was interested in Ed.
I had properly acted the part of a 'girl in her first, pure love' to the nuns and Holy Knights I had intentionally become close with.
Everyone wants to support a girl's first love, so they always left me with words of support.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there were no allies of Ed among the people around us.
It wouldn't be of much help, but there might be a moment where one step is lacking, so if I could provide the possibility of creating the trigger for that one step, that was enough for now.
"Haa."
Ed sighs, pretending not to care even though he knows everything.
I suppose so.
If it were you, you would definitely consider my feelings to be a temporary emotion, or judge that it's not a problem to be dealt with right now.
My rational, efficient, and logical Ed.
But I can say this for sure.
I will remember your value until the moment I die as an old woman.
Yes.
I will love you.
"Then, here is my second question."
"Yes."
"What is that letter?"
It seemed Ed was bothered by the letter I had been reading for a while.
"Ah, it's a letter that came for Ed."
I said, handing it to Ed.
"Ed's family says it's about time you came to visit."
"It's my letter?"
"I know, that's why I'm giving it back."
"......Isn't your attitude toward me getting worse and worse?"
"It's strange, that attitude....... I feel it too, isn't Ed's attitude toward me getting worse and worse? Aren't we fate, after all?"
"My head hurts."
"Shall I treat it for you?"
I didn't show it on the outside, but I felt like laughing right now.
The time has finally come.
The time to meet Ed's family.
"Saintess-nim."
"Why?"
"I'm not taking you."
"What can you do if I say I'm going with my authority?"
"Your personality is really getting worse, ha."
"Only for you. Enjoy this special treatment to your heart's content."
The people around me were increasingly calling me the 'perfect and kind Saintess-nim' and praising me.
No one saw me in a bad light, and everyone was deceived by the act I was putting on.
Everyone thanked me, and the ratio of believers who came to the Grand Cathedral after being saved by me increased significantly.
Sometimes when I went outside the village, everyone would bow their heads and greet me.
It seemed even more so after I treated a famous person who came in with a fatal wound last time.
Achievements pile up.
Trust piles up.
Honor piles up.
It consumes concentration as if building a tower of cards, but it felt like I was doing something worthwhile.
"What do your family members like? I should prepare a gift before we go, right?"
"......."
Fortunately, he didn't refuse.
If he had refused again, I would have tried to follow him secretly, but fortunately, it didn't come to that.
Or maybe Ed also read that I would follow him even if he refused.
Either way, the moment I had been waiting for was finally arriving.
'I will definitely make them call me their future daughter-in-law.'
It's fun.
So much so.
Everything related to you is fun.
Isn't that why I have no choice but to keep loving you?