Chapter 5
Chapter 5
“That Name Is Not Allowed, Goddess!”
While I was unconscious, the knights of the Eris Order brought me to the main headquarters of the Holy Empire of Sektia.
The filthy back alleys of the “Kingdom of Orphans,” filled with freezing winds and the stench of rot, were gone without a trace.
Instead, I was welcomed by a warm, soft blanket that carried a faint pleasant fragrance.
My dull gray hair had regained its glossy silver color, and all the soot covering my body had already been washed clean.
They dressed me in a nun’s robe that looked like something a little girl would wear, but every time I tried to put it on, I had no idea how. The priests always had to help me.
Whenever that happened, the older priestesses would tear up and mutter things like, “Oh my… just how much hardship must she have endured to become this thin…”
But I barely had time to respond.
Because inside my head, two thoughts were violently crashing into each other.
Should I run away right now?
Or should I stay here a little longer?
Becoming the saintess of the Eris Order meant drawing closer to the miserable future that awaited the original Beatrice.
And this place was the Holy Empire of Sektia.
The strongest nation on the continent of Lorencia, standing at the front lines against the Demon Realm.
At the same time, it was also the place where disasters and incidents constantly exploded because the protagonists were here. And in the end, it was a country doomed to be destroyed by demons.
In other words, my current situation was basically the same as walking straight into a tiger’s den.
Well, technically, I hadn’t walked here on my own feet.
For the sake of my future, escaping this place was obviously the correct choice.
But the meals provided by the temple and the comfortable sleeping arrangements were more than enough to destroy my determination to flee.
Freshly baked soft bread and fragrant soup that couldn’t even be compared to the garbage I used to pick up from the streets.
The first time I tasted that food, tears streamed down my face.
Because it was so delicious.
And because my previous life had been so painfully miserable.
Then there were the nights where I no longer had to shiver from the cold.
A soft, comfortable bed.
Clean clothes wrapping around my body instead of itchy rags.
And most importantly, the ability to sleep deeply without keeping one eye open in fear.
Once all of those things piled together, the thought of “I need to leave this place” gradually transformed into the naive hope of “Maybe it’s fine as long as I don’t become the saintess?”
And when I added the pathetic excuse of, “Even if I run far away, the entire continent will eventually fall to demons anyway,” the comfort offered by the Order became even sweeter.
About a week passed like that.
One day, after being properly cleaned up and dressed in a neat nun’s robe, I was guided somewhere.
Waiting there was none other than the Pope of the Eris Order.
Since he was the Pope, I figured I should at least behave respectfully.
“…Holy shit. He’s freaking huge.”
…My ambitious resolution shattered instantly the moment I saw him, replaced by an unconscious burst of vulgar admiration.
An old man with white hair tied neatly behind his back and a magnificently groomed beard.
Wrinkles deeply lined his face with age, but the muscular body hidden beneath his loose robes made him look less like a holy man and more like a veteran warrior who butchered monsters on the battlefield.
“That is certainly an amusing first impression, Saintess.”
“Uh… are you really the Pope? You look more like someone who hunts monsters for a living.”
“Hoho, I did once live that sort of life. Though now I’m merely an old man retired to the background.”
…Yeah, I seriously doubted that.
One flick to the forehead from those massive fingers and my tiny head would probably explode like a watermelon.
“And I’m not a saintess. Someone like me could never be one.”
“That is for the Goddess to decide.”
Even after my disrespectful remark, the Pope simply smiled gently and rose from his seat.
Then, incredibly enough, he personally guided me to the prayer chamber.
He said it was a room only the Pope and the saintess were permitted to use.
I had expected something incredibly luxurious, but the chamber was actually small and simple.
“This is the prayer chamber. Please enter. The Goddess is waiting for you.”
“……”
As I reluctantly stepped inside, I turned back to look at the Pope.
“Hey, Grandpa.”
“…?”
The Pope blinked in surprise at the way I addressed him.
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Hoho, not at all. It has simply been a very long time since someone called me that.”
“Should I call you Pope instead?”
“I think I prefer Grandpa. It sounds much warmer, don’t you think?”
The Pope grinned and winked.
Unexpectedly friendly for a Pope.
“So what am I supposed to do here?”
“Pray. The Goddess called for you herself, so she will answer immediately.”
With those words, Grandpa Pope slowly closed the door behind him.
“I shall wait outside.”
The door shut completely.
I had lived my entire life as an atheist, so I had absolutely no experience with prayer.
And I certainly didn’t know how prayers worked in this world either.
“Umm… I should at least try something, right?”
Feeling awkward, I knelt politely and clasped my hands together the way I’d seen people do before.
At that exact moment, dazzling light flooded the silent prayer chamber.
The pure white brilliance filled my vision completely, forcing me to shut my eyes.
Only after the blinding light slowly faded did I open them again.
A woman was sitting atop the simple altar meant for prayers to the gods.
Black hair.
White eyes.
A beauty so breathtaking that she also felt terrifying.
“Welcome, my child.”
She smiled softly.
Despite the cold and overwhelming aura surrounding her, her voice was unbelievably warm and gentle.
“U-Um… are you the Goddess?”
The pressure she radiated was impossible for a human being.
And there was only one existence who could appear inside this chamber wrapped in holy light.
Eris.
The Goddess of Love and Battle.
…She could descend personally instead of merely sending a voice?
I completely forgot about my plan to refuse becoming the saintess and could only stare at her with my mouth hanging open.
“What a clever child. Correct.”
“Uh… can gods normally descend this easily?”
“It is not easy. But this is the first meeting with the saintess of my Order. Would it not be rude if I failed to greet you personally? Though because of certain limitations, I cannot stay long.”
Goddess Eris puffed her cheeks slightly as she complained.
Maybe because of that unexpectedly human gesture, the overwhelming divine aura surrounding her finally faded enough for me to truly notice her appearance.
Hair like melted night.
Eyes like precious jewels.
Even the slight wrinkle between her brows looked elegant enough to belong in a masterpiece painting.
The overwhelming beauty of a god left me completely stunned.
‘Holy shit… she’s insanely gorgeous.’
Even celebrities from my old world wouldn’t dare compare themselves to her.
I could only swallow nervously.
But my admiration lasted only a moment before survival instincts screamed alarms inside my head.
Get ahold of yourself. Are you planning to ruin your entire life because of a pretty face?
I shook my head hard and forcibly cleared my thoughts.
Then I spoke with determination.
“Goddess, listen. Everything else is fine, but…”
Yet despite my resolve, my voice trailed off.
Saying “I don’t want to be the saintess!” directly to a goddess required a lot more courage than expected.
“Are you trying to say you do not wish to become the saintess?”
“…Wha— can you read minds or something?”
Caught instantly, I looked away awkwardly like a child caught playing a prank.
“When one lives as long as I have, one no longer requires powers such as mind reading to understand people.”
Eris smiled gently.
“I will not force you to become the saintess. A life forced upon someone will eventually become miserable, no matter how luxurious it may appear.”
“Huh?”
That answer was completely different from what I expected.
I had been fully prepared for something like:
“You must become the saintess.”
Or:
“How dare you defy the will of a god?”
“But destiny will eventually guide you toward the seat of the saintess regardless of your wishes.”
“Uh… no offense, but that sounds a lot like a threat.”
“If it sounded that way, then I cannot help it. I merely spoke the truth.”
I pouted unhappily.
If what she said was true, then I never had a choice to begin with.
Thinking about it carefully, she was right.
Maybe if I had never approached the Order at all, things would be different.
But it was already too late now.
Rumors about a “silver-haired, white-eyed saintess candidate” had undoubtedly spread throughout the Order already.
What was I supposed to do now?
Declare, “I quit being the saintess!” and run away?
There was no chance the Order would simply let me go.
And even if they did, that would create another problem.
Precognitive dreams were the privilege of the saintess.
Without the protection of the Order, I would become prey for every noble, ruler, and demon who desired such power.
‘…At this point, refusing isn’t even possible anymore.’
It was a perfect dead end.
Still, it was far more reasonable to remain inside the Order and prepare for the one confirmed threat named Cassian than to wander outside facing countless unknown dangers.
In the end, there was only one answer.
Instead of whining and delaying things, it would be smarter to accept the position quickly and build my strength.
If I gained both overwhelming power and the authority of being second only to the Pope, nobody would be able to mess with me easily.
“Fine. I’ll do it. I’ll become the saintess.”
“Fufu, a wise choice. Still, do not look so unhappy. The saintess of our Order receives many special privileges. You will not regret joining the Eris Order.”
The Goddess smiled softly before adding:
“If you must become a saintess, should you not at least enjoy it?”
Her smile was beautiful, but the only words my ears focused on were special privileges.
“Privileges? What kind?”
Don’t call me shallow.
You should always claim every benefit available to you.
“Freedom to date.”
“…What?”
“And freedom to marry as well. I am the Goddess of Love, after all. Marriage is something I gladly bless. In simpler terms, you are not required to remain chaste or live alone forever.”
“Excuse me, Goddess! I have absolutely zero intention of dating or marrying a man!”
I shouted reflexively.
Sure, my body was female now, but mentally I was still a guy. There was no way I’d date or marry another man.
“…I suppose after witnessing so many terrible things in the slums, it makes sense that you dislike men.”
Apparently misunderstanding me completely, the Goddess looked genuinely sad.
I wanted desperately to explain that wasn’t the issue at all, but she spoke faster.
“Though women would be acceptable too. Men have wonderfully firm muscles, but girls possess such delightfully soft skin…”
“Hey! What are you saying to a child?!”
“Ah, my apologies. You seemed more mature than expected.”
The Goddess covered her mouth and laughed softly while I trembled in outrage.
Finally regaining my composure, I immediately moved to the main issue.
“More importantly… can I become stronger? Strong enough to destroy anything that stands in my way?”
“Oh my. It seems my little child wishes to become not a saintess, but a warrior who cuts down her enemies. Am I correct?”
“Yes. Sitting in the back praying, healing people, and handing out buffs doesn’t suit me at all.”
Even in my previous life, I was never the type to quietly endure being pushed around.
I had absolutely no intention of becoming some fragile flower protected by others just because I was a saintess.
Perhaps she noticed that part of my personality.
The Goddess looked at me with great interest.
“What kind of goddess am I?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I blinked stupidly.
“I am not merely the Goddess of Love. I am also the Goddess of Battle. The children of my Order are strong souls willing to fight for the things they cherish.”
“…Oh.”
“If you choose the path of a warrior, then I shall bless that path. Besides, you already know about the talent sleeping inside your body better than anyone else, do you not?”
“Yes.”
I knew that very well.
Back in the slums, I had realized it painfully clearly.
No matter how useful precognitive dreams were, without the overwhelming physical abilities supporting them, I would have ended up buried in some nameless ditch long ago.
“But my child, what is your name? Now that you belong to my Order, I cannot continue calling you ‘child’ forever.”
“I don’t have one. People just called me things like ‘that filthy gray brat.’”
What kind of homeless orphan had a proper name?
Even if this body once had one, I didn’t remember it.
Of course, I still had my name from my previous life… but it wouldn’t fit in this world anyway.
“…How heartbreaking.”
The Goddess looked genuinely saddened as she gently stroked my head.
“Then I shall give you a name myself.”
“Hng…”
Her hand was unbelievably warm and soft, making me unconsciously let out a pleased little sound like a puppy enjoying affection.
Still, what kind of name should I ask for?
If possible, I wanted something cool and masculine.
“Your name shall be Beatrice. A name meaning ‘one who is blessed.’”
“…Wait, what?!”
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly at her words.
No, seriously, absolutely not!
That was the exact same name as the original character!
Wasn’t that basically a giant death flag?!
Before I could even protest, the Goddess dissolved into light and vanished.
I stared blankly at the altar.
“…There’s no way I can ask to change it now, right?”
And so, my life as Beatrice began.