Chapter 4. That's not what I wanted! (3)
Chapter 4. That's not what I wanted! (3)
There's a saying that even if you enter a tiger's den, you can save your life if you keep your wits about you.
That's right. It means that even if one of your limbs gets ripped off, you might somehow manage not to die. Of course, in a normal situation, you'd just get eaten alive in agony while keeping your wits about you, but hey, if there are one or two people in front of me, maybe the tiger would already be full, right?
But what if the tiger came to find me?
And what if, in front of that tiger, I did something... well, how should I put it.
Something that really got on the tiger's nerves.
"Ah, um, this is."
I struggled to keep the conversation going.
"It, it's static electricity! It must be static electricity!"
Damn, my voice was too loud.
If I had just made a joke in a calm, moderate tone and laughed it off, that would have been one thing, but the Saintess in front of me was completely frozen.
"I, I have already heard of Saintess-nim's reputation. The rumors are widespread even in this remote duchy. It must be that your skin has become a bit dry from helping those in need."
"......Is that so?"
The Saintess, who had been staring with wide, round eyes, finally blinked.
I can't tell if she's just surprised or what.
"Y, yes, that's right. This girl has also done volunteer work a few months ago. When you clean here and there, dust gets on you, and your throat gets scratchy. Anyway, it's just bound to be bad for your skin. I suspect Saintess-nim is working without taking care of her own body."
Phew.
Good.
I've found an excuse for now.
Before the Saintess arrived, I had done some research on her in my own way. Since I didn't know what kind of differences there might be between the Saintess I saw while playing the game and the one in front of me now.
Since I wasn't a person who cared much about 'good people,' I naturally didn't know what kind of volunteer work she had been doing, but fortunately, in this world, the Saintess was already quite famous.
She would deliberately visit villages plagued by dangerous epidemics to heal patients with holy power and care for their wounded bodies.
She also went around caring for the elderly abandoned by their families and helped rebuild villages that had suffered great damage from monsters or bandits.
She didn't just stop at praying to spread holy power and making holy water; she was called a 'Saintess' because she worked properly and helped people. If she were a nun of noble birth, it wouldn't have been easy to make her do such things. She would have shown resistance just from being asked to do such work.
Indeed, the Saintess's hands, which I had briefly seen a moment ago, were a bit rough. I couldn't say they were unwatchable, but there were small cuts and her skin was chapped.
"......."
The Saintess looked down at her hands as if she were a bit self-conscious.
"I did feel a slight tingling sensation."
The Saintess, who said that as if muttering to herself, looked at me and smiled slightly.
"I apologize. I was a bit surprised, so my self-introduction was late. I am Cecilia, belonging to the Order of the blessed Saint Lucy. I am Cecilia, a weak human who has undeservedly been entrusted with the glory of being a Saintess."
"Then, this girl shall introduce herself once again. I am Rosalyn von Artena, the Duchess of the Artena Duchy. I hope we can treat each other comfortably while you stay here."
Comfortable, my ass.
I'd rather not even see her face if I could help it.
The problem is, if I did that, it's obvious I'd be suspected for other reasons. Every noble in the world wants to be close to the Saintess. Because the Saintess is beautiful.
Although her appearance might invite jealousy from other women, ironically, the Saintess is in a position where she cannot marry anyone, so that feeling is somewhat softened. In some ways, people might even pity her. After all, she has no options.
Men might also start by sympathizing with her to some extent because of her appearance and the pitiful nature of her position.
If the person in front of me were a Cardinal, there would be many things to be cautious about, but as a Saintess, she is actually an opponent with no political danger. If anything, given the nature of a Saintess who freely wanders around doing volunteer work, it might be a different story if there's something to be gained.
"I heard that a great danger has befallen the Duchy. Although my body is weak, as a spiritual sister of the same faith, I will do my best to help."
"I am...... truly grateful."
And, a brief silence.
Hmm.
But so, what now?
For one, Parish Deputy Arno called the Saintess here out of the blue, but he isn't actually here, is he? The position of Parish Deputy for this territory was still vacant, too.
Did he really believe the Saintess would just wander around and solve it herself? That would be a bit troublesome in its own right.
"You must be suffering from travel fatigue. Shall I provide you with a room first so you can rest?"
"No, thank you."
I was flatly refused.
"It's embarrassing to say, but this is my first time visiting the Duchy. No, it's my first time visiting the Empire itself, so honestly, I'm a little excited."
"Is that so?"
I blinked.
Was she the type to go sightseeing? Well, if she were a person without human emotions, she wouldn't have been able to become the Hero's lover in the first place.
"Yes, I heard that the Duchy also has many churches and holy sites with deep history. If I have time, I would like to visit them."
"Of course. We are in the position of receiving help, so I will allow Saintess-nim to roam around as much as she likes within this place."
I nodded to one of the retainers gathered here. The retainer bowed deeply.
"If you need anything, please tell that person. I hope you will forgive this girl for not being able to guide you personally due to being busy."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Saintess Cecilia bowed her head lightly.
"While you are here, Erna will follow you, so if you have anything to say to me directly, you can go through Erna."
I said that.
The Saintess just nodded lightly without any expression that seemed to suspect anything.
Good.
With this, for now, the chance of me having to follow the Saintess around inside the Duchy is—
"Ah, Duchess-nim."
Just as I was about to let my guard down, the Saintess called me again.
"I heard that there is an orphanage that Your Excellency manages personally. Would it be alright if I visited that place as well?"
"Of course."
I answered with a confident smile on my lips.
If anything, that's what I wanted.
"It is not this girl's merit. I am merely continuing the place that Parish Deputy Arno, the monk, established first, and providing a small amount of help."
"But the fact that it is a noble act does not change."
"That is fine. If you wish, I will tell Erna to—"
"No, Duchess-nim."
The Saintess cut me off.
She was still looking straight at me with a smile, but for some reason, her eyes didn't seem to be smiling.
"I would very much like to be with Your Excellency when I visit that place. If I can hear the wise counsel of the person who runs it, it will surely be helpful when I request donations from other nobles."
"......."
I froze with a slight smile still on my lips.
Ah, this.
She still has a suspicious look on her face. My instincts, having lived a lifetime as a noble, were sounding alarm bells.
Although, my noble instincts are a bit dull since I've spent my whole life ignoring other people's opinions.
If anything, isn't it already ruined from the moment I feel this?
While observing my face, the Saintess was just smiling softly.
*
Whether I should call it fortunate or the opposite.
Even after the Saintess arrived in this Duchy, nothing particularly big happened. It's only been three days, so it could be said that it's natural.
At the very least, it means a new Demon Army hasn't been swarming anywhere in the Duchy.
If so, the Saintess might return without achieving any particular results, and furthermore, it might give me some excuses to make to the Demon King later—
But wait, it seemed the Saintess decided to use that leisure time to observe me.
Did I reach out my hand for no reason back then?
More than that, why did I bother reaching out my hand? Come to think of it, monks and nuns are strictly forbidden from even same-sex contact.
Someone like Monk Arno could move around outside the monastery fairly freely, and someone like the Saintess could travel all over the kingdom, but basically, monks and nuns often live their whole lives inside monasteries or convents.
All sorts of bizarre things happen inside to somehow resolve their sexual desires. I've even heard stories of monasteries that became famous for brewing alcohol because they were trying to forget their sexual desires, or nuns who were burned at the stake after being caught engaging in homosexuality within the convent.
In fact, if you're a Saintess, wouldn't touching her body be something that shouldn't be done, regardless of whether it's same-sex or opposite-sex?
Was my brain paralyzed because I was too nervous?
"This is...... wonderful."
Saintess Cecilia, who had been wearing a stiff smile without saying almost anything until we arrived in front of the orphanage, said with a bit of admiration when we arrived in front of the orphanage.
It's not like the building itself is something to be amazed by. But now, a playground where children could run around had even been installed near the orphanage.
The children's clothes were cleaner than before, and their hygiene was much neater. That's because I, being sensitive to hygiene, have been consistently putting pressure on them to 'manage it cleanly.' Otherwise, it would be disgusting even to come here.
"Duchess-nim!"
The ones who discovered us first from afar were not the caretakers managing the orphanage, but the children.
The children running towards us with bright smiles on their faces— didn't feel very cute.
They're just kids, aren't they? Noisy, uncontrollable kids.
I hate them.
And there aren't just one or two of them. Maybe because I visit too often, they don't seem to think I'm that scary anymore. Should I show them a lesson later?
"......You seem close with the children."
"Of course."
Of course, it's troublesome in front of the Saintess.
I answered while collecting the flowers the children were handing to me one by one.
"It would be troublesome if I weren't close. This is a place that this girl manages personally."
"......Is that so?"
The Saintess's expression becomes subtle.
Why. What now.
Are you going to suspect me even after seeing this?
Isn't that a bit too much? I'm even enduring the children's hands touching my clothes.
Still, it's a relief that they are being washed cleanly. There won't be any chance for dirt to get on my clothes.
Well, I pay them that much, so they should do it properly.