Chapter 339: The Current Saintess
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 339: The Current Saintess
Her voice was gentle and warm, like a soft breeze drifting by. It seemed to make the early spring sunlight of the south shine even brighter.
Muen turned to look.
Beneath the great gates carved with images of angels, a luxurious carriage approached slowly. White gauze curtains swayed gently, outlining a hazy silhouette within.
The silhouette was breathtakingly beautiful, yet it didn't stir a single wicked thought. Instead, a mere glance felt as if one’s soul were being purified, making any notion of profanity feel like a sin.
"Ah, Her Highness the Saintess..."
The believers along the roadside, still engaged in their morning prayers, suddenly took on expressions of fervor and knelt reverently.
"I actually got to see the Saintess..."
"Saintess, please bless me..."
"Please, everyone, stand up."
The voice remained like a spring breeze. A soft power brushed past, lifting the fervent believers to their feet one by one.
"One must not be distracted during morning prayer, you know."
"Yes... yes."
The believers seemed deeply captivated by the figure, but they quickly snapped back to their senses under the influence of the purest Holy Light, hurrying back to their offerings to the Goddess.
"The Saintess?"
Muen was slightly stunned. He swallowed hard and looked at the Pink Bear beside him, whispering, "Why would the legendary Saintess appear here in person?"
Muen didn't think for a second she was here specifically to welcome him.
While his status as the son of a Duke was prestigious, that prestige was limited to the Leopold Empire. Once abroad, the status of a Great Noble’s heir effectively meant nothing.
Certainly, it didn't grant him the right to be personally received by a Saintess revered by countless followers of the Goddess across the continent.
Unless...
"Heh heh."
Facing Muen’s astonishment, the Pink Bear stood with hands on hips, his nose practically pointing to the sky.
"Impressive, aren't I? For your sakes, I used my excellent connections and my sun-like charisma to invite the current Saintess here! This is an honor others might not enjoy in a lifetime, and only someone as awesome as me—"
"Oh? Excellent connections? Sun-like charisma?"
A gentle, smiling voice cut through the Pink Bear’s boastful gloating without mercy.
"Mr. Pink Bear certainly knows how to joke. Why do I remember someone kneeling and begging me for an entire day before I finally..."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait..."
The Pink Bear’s face instantly crumpled. "Give me some face in front of the kid."
"Face is something you earn for yourself, not something you get by performing your strange, shameful dramas in broad daylight, Mr. Pink. Bear."
The Saintess’s tone was slightly playful. Even through the light gauze that shielded her from all sight and perception, one could almost see the corners of her mouth curving like a young girl's.
The Pink Bear, however, shuddered. He crouched down to the side, hugging his head in a fit of self-imposed isolation, falling into a rare silence.
Huh? As expected of the Saintess. She can actually make even that shameless Pink Bear behave so submissively?
Muen blinked in surprise. As his gaze shifted, it happened to meet the eyes looking out from behind the gauze for a fleeting moment.
Muen’s heart tightened. He immediately straightened his posture and offered a respectful greeting using the most standard noble etiquette.
"My first greetings to you, noble Immaculate Saintess. I am—"
"Muen Campbell. I know your name."
The Saintess, known by the title 'Immaculate,' spoke with a melodic smile that left no room for stray thoughts. "I have heard of you."
"Eh?"
"You seem a bit more handsome than the rumors suggested."
Muen could feel that holy gaze scanning over him.
"The Saintess overstates it," Muen replied with a smile, hand over his chest. "My radiance does not reach a ten-thousandth of yours."
"Giggle, what a sweet-talking child."
A glimmer of light suddenly enveloped Muen, causing the fatigue accumulated from his hurried two-day journey to vanish instantly.
But before he could fully process this strange power, he heard the Saintess speak again.
"Alright, hand that child over to me."
"That child..."
Muen paused, then realized who she meant.
She was referring to Liya.
Saintess Candidates were personally designated by the current Saintess. In a strict sense, Liya and the current Saintess were in a teacher-student relationship.
Realizing this, Muen quickly stepped aside.
"Liya is inside the carriage."
"Giggle, no need to be anxious. As long as I am here, there will be no problems."
A curtain of light, far holier than any Holy Light Muen had ever seen, enveloped the carriage. Liya’s body slowly floated out, drawn into the gauze-covered carriage by the light.
"Hmm, it is indeed the Black Mist left by that Calamity. You are quite lucky to have escaped with your lives from a Calamity’s hands." There was a hint of surprise in the Saintess’s tone.
"Then... will Liya be alright?"
"You really are worried about her."
The gaze from within the carriage suddenly turned meaningful.
"Ahem." Muen coughed dryly. "It’s just concern between friends. Besides, Liya ended up like this because of me, so I have to see her get better."
"Is that so?" The Saintess chuckled softly. "I’ll take your word for it. As for Liya... don't worry. As I said, with me here, there will be no problems."
The Saintess’s voice was gentle, like an older sister next door, yet it gave Muen an immense sense of peace.
He breathed a long sigh of relief, the tension he had been carrying finally snapping. He bowed respectfully once more.
"Then I leave her in your hands."
"Giggle, you aren't really in a position to say that to me."
The Saintess teased him, then looked toward a spot slightly further behind Muen.
"Lord Adolf, you have come a long way. Won't you enter the city for a rest?"
"I'll pass," Adolf replied with a smile, stroking his beard. "Though I'm ashamed to say it, my mission is complete. I must return to the Empire as soon as possible. The awakening of a Calamity will surely cause a massive stir; I must head back just in case."
"That is a pity. The spring tea in the Holy City is at its best right now."
"It is indeed a pity. If there is an opportunity in the future, I shall certainly come to taste it."
The figure behind the gauze nodded slightly. "Safe travels, Lord Adolf."
"I thank you for your kind words, Saintess."
After Adolf’s ritualistic response, the convoy that had brought Muen turned around on the spot and departed.
The self-pitying Pink Bear finally looked up, watching the departing convoy with a miserable expression.
"Alright, it's fine," Muen said, patting the Pink Bear’s shoulder to comfort him. "With Ariel’s abilities, she’ll definitely make it out of the forest. Besides, I’ve already asked Count Eller to keep an eye out. Nothing will happen."
She was, after all, the protagonist of destiny. Given her capabilities, Muen wasn't worried about her safety at all—there was no need to be.
For all he knew, she might not only be fine but could accidentally stumble upon some massive fortuitous encounter in the forest and level up three times on the spot.
"...Who's worried about that flat-chested brat?"
The Pink Bear turned his head, a hint of grief and indignation appearing on his bear face. "I was just thinking, if that old bastard Prang really 'kills the hostage,' what kind of method should I use to kick his ass as hard as possible!"
"..."
*
"Let us enter the city as well."
The luxurious carriage, pulled by snow-white steeds, turned and drove toward the towering, majestic city.
"Us?" Muen blinked, pointing at himself. "I'm coming with you?"
According to Muen’s original plan, he was supposed to meet up with the others from the Academy first...
"Of course," the Saintess answered with a smile. "You are one of the major reasons I personally came out of the city to welcome this group."
"Me?"
"His Holiness wishes to see you."
"..."
Muen’s breath hitched.
His Holiness.
In this city, there was only one person who could be addressed that way.
The true Acting Lord of the Goddess on earth, the one at the pinnacle of humanity, the most noble existence on this continent—bar none.
The Pope of the Church of Human Life.
"His Holiness the Pope... personally asked to see me?"
"Yes." The Saintess nodded slightly. "Though I don't know the details, I heard it has something to do with your teacher."
"Teacher... I see..."
Muen instinctively touched the letter in his breast pocket, a trace of warmth flowing through his heart.
He had originally thought he would have to go through some grueling procedures, apply for an audience, get mocked and rejected by some look-down-their-nose clergy, and then pull out the letter to slap their faces—walking the path a protagonist usually takes—before he could see the Pope.
He hadn't expected it to be this simple.
Could it be... that Teacher Mela didn't screw him over this time? Was her relationship with the Pope actually good?
"It seems I really overthought it this time."
Muen felt completely at ease, muttering to himself with deep emotion, "On the way back, I should buy Teacher Mela her favorite strawberry-flavored lollipops!"
Well, they were her favorite... probably?
*
Muen walked alongside the Saintess’s carriage as it entered the city.
However, entering the city was a bit more troublesome than leaving it.
The believers, having finished their morning prayers, caught sight of the hazy figure behind the gauze and immediately swarmed forward with fanatical expressions.
"Saintess, my child’s illness..."
"Take Goulan, Azure Grass, and Domo flowers, boil them in water, and drink it three times a day."
"Saintess, my husband has committed a sin..."
"Send him to the Tribunal. The Goddess shall decide his fate."
"Saintess, how may I obtain wealth?"
"Diligence, frugality, and wisdom."
"Saintess, I..."
A slender, porcelain-white hand reached out from the swaying gauze, touching the forehead of a withered believer who was clutching a statue of the Goddess.
A holy light flashed. The believer, who was blind but refused to use a cane—clutching the statue and praying every day to the point of being covered in injuries from falls—suddenly regained his sight.
"The Goddess granted you a healthy body not so that you could spend every day holding His statue."
The gaze behind the white gauze fixed on the believer’s ecstatic eyes, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Tomorrow, go to the Workshop and find a job. Donate one-third of your remaining monthly income to the church."
"Yes, Saintess!"
The believer’s expression became even more fanatical. He placed the statue in front of him and knelt reverently.
Following his lead, more believers knelt, spreading out like a dark, surging tide into the distance.
*
"Apologies, that took a bit more time than expected."
With the help of the Temple Knights who had rushed over, the carriage finally broke free from the crowd and stopped before a tall hall with a colorful stained-glass roof.
Then, the white gauze was lifted. A figure that made the surrounding spring scenery pale in comparison stepped out slowly, accompanied by a holy glimmer.
Her white dress swayed—simple but not plain. Her pale gold hair flowed down like silk.
Golden magic patterns extended from her back, covered by her long hair, following her fair skin and disappearing into the white silk gloves that lightly wrapped her slender hands, looking incredibly holy.
Her exquisite face bore no marks of time. Between her brows and eyes, there was only grace and gentleness.
"You must be tired of waiting," the Saintess asked Muen warmly, a smile on her face.
"No... no, not at all."
Muen, feeling as if his soul had almost been snatched away by that smile, quickly snapped back to reality and waved his hands vigorously. "It is my honor to witness such an incredible scene."
"What honor is there? They only revere the Saintess."
"The reason a Saintess is called a Saintess is because she is qualified to be one, not because she was born one. Otherwise, there wouldn't be that upcoming ceremony, would there?" Muen said with a smile.
"Heh, what a silver-tongued boy." The Saintess narrowed her eyes. "I wonder how many innocent, naive young girls you've deceived with that mouth of yours."
"Ahem." Muen looked solemn. "The Saintess misunderstands. There isn't a single innocent, naive young girl."
"I feel like there's a double meaning there. Oh well, now is not the time for idle chatter."
The Saintess waved her hand casually, and a thick flow of Holy Light gently wrapped around Liya.
"I will take this child for treatment first. Wait here patiently. His Holiness’s decree should arrive soon. Until then, you may tour the area as you wish. If you have any needs, you can ask the clergy here. As long as it isn't excessive, I believe they can satisfy your requests."
"Thank you."
"Then, I shall see you later."
The Saintess glanced at the Pink Bear, who had followed along eagerly, said nothing, and walked through a side door with Liya.
"As expected of the current Saintess..."
Watching that exquisite retreating figure and recalling the spectacular scene of thousands of believers kneeling at once, Muen couldn't help but sigh. "What beauty and gentleness."
"Heh. I agree with the beauty part, but where did you see gentleness?" the Pink Bear sneered from the side.
"Hmm?" Muen turned his head in confusion. "She’s so kind to me, and she patiently solved the problems of those believers. Is that not gentleness?"
"Tch." The Pink Bear curled his lip. "Did you forget how naturally she attacked my character earlier? Is that something a gentle person would do?"
"Character attack? Oh... calling you non-combustible trash?"
"Exactly! That counts as—"
"Uncle." Muen suddenly rubbed his chin, looking at the Pink Bear with extreme seriousness.
"Wh-what?"
"I think the reason you were called trash isn't because of the Saintess."
"Huh?"
"It’s clearly because of you!"
"Nonsense!" The Pink Bear glared. "I am so handsome and have such extraordinary temperament, how could I possibly—"
"...Excuse me, Miss over there. Yes, you. Could you come here for a moment?"
Faced with the Pink Bear’s shamelessness, Muen remained silent for a moment before calling out to a passing young nun. He pointed at the Pink Bear and asked, "What is this?"
"A cute pink stuffed bear?" The nun blinked and said.
"Hmph, see?" The Pink Bear was triumphant. "She said I'm cute."
"Very well."
Muen took a deep breath. Suddenly, with lightning speed, he barked a question at the Pink Bear:
"Pink Bear! Don't think! Answer me! What are this lady's measurements?!"
"91! 60! 8—"
The Pink Bear suddenly covered his mouth as he realized what happened.
But it was too late. A string of visually estimated data had already slipped out.
"..."
After a brief silence, the light faded from the young nun's eyes. She kicked the Pink Bear in the shin and spat out a single word:
"Trash!"
Then she stormed off in a huff.
Muen stood there, spreading his hands toward the Pink Bear, who was rolling on the ground in pain. He said gloatingly, "See? I told you so."