The Name Bestowed by a Saint
To think that little kid was a God—I, who had been held in her arms for quite some time, felt my face flush so deeply it felt as if it were burning. I eventually pushed her away.
"G-go away…!"
But the voice that slipped from my lips wasn't cold at all, unlike before. It sounded more like the petulant mewling of a kitten.
It was such a pathetic, tiny sound, even to my own ears, that I hurriedly changed the subject.
"U-um… what was that you brought earlier…?"
She looked at me, the corners of her mouth curling into a smirk.
"Are you hungry?"
Her attitude was like someone coaxing a cute toddler. As a person who possessed the soul of a man, I absolutely could not accept being treated like that.
"W-what are you talking about?! I'm not hungry at all!?"
Grrrrrrr.
A sound even louder and more resonant than before. I instinctively covered my face with both hands and slumped over. She stared intently at my ears, which were burning bright red, and finally burst into laughter.
"…Pfft. My baby, your ears are so hot."
And then, she actually started stroking my ear!
"Hyaak!"
I recoiled in shock at the strange, tingling sensation I had never felt before. She licked the finger that had just touched my ear with her tongue and muttered something so softly it was hard to make out.
"…Must endure it."
Soon, she composed her expression and brought the food over with a smile.
Steak and fried rice.
One might think it wasn't much, but this world was a Fantasy setting, so food was a rare commodity. No, it wasn't just that food was scarce—'delicious' food was rare. It wasn't a world where culinary techniques were widespread, and even if they were, there were no chefs to cook for commoners.
In the original game, Astral Saga, these were top-tier dishes you only received after saving a few villages.
"C-can I really eat something like this…?"
"Of course. If you don't eat this, who will? That old geezer of a Pope? Or the rotten bishops sitting upstairs?"
She shook her head firmly.
"My baby is far, far more important than them. Eat up. If it's not enough, I'll bring you more anytime."
"……Thank you."
I pushed aside the doubt of whether it was okay for someone who looked like a member of the clergy to be badmouthing the Pope, and picked up the fork and knife with trembling hands.
The moment I managed to cut a piece of meat and put it in my mouth.
"…*Sob*."
Tears fell before I could stop them. Steak, something I had never even tasted in my previous life. I was eating food I had only ever seen on TV for the first time only after I had died.
The meat was so tender that I wondered if someone like me deserved to eat it… but my hands didn't stop. I just kept shoving the food into my mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.
She simply stroked my back gently, without a word.
After I finished eating, I decided to express my sincere gratitude to her. Even if I were to be used and discarded later… the warmth she had shown me right now was real. Or rather, I wanted to believe it was.
"…Big sister."
"What?"
The expression on her face, which had been smiling kindly until just a moment ago, froze coldly in an instant.
"D-did I do something wrong…?"
As I lowered my gaze to the floor in fear, she grabbed both my cheeks and forced me to meet her eyes.
"Repeat after me. Big... sis."
"…Yes?"
"You have to call me big sister. You are such a beautiful 'girl', aren't you?"
"……."
Big sister. Even though I was a boy in my previous life who grew up malnourished, short, and skin-and-bones, the fact that I was a 'man' to the core was certain.
"If you won't do it, we'll just have to keep staring at each other until you do."
Then, she began to stare intently into my eyes, her own sparkling as if she were having the time of her life.
Tremble.
My pupils were shaking like a willow in the wind, enough that I could feel it myself, and soon tears welled up in my eyes. Even so, she didn't let me go, just watching me with a smile.
Eventually, I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.
"Big, big sister! Thank you!!"
Only then did she release my cheeks and pull me into a tight embrace.
"That's right. That's my little sister."
The terrible shame of calling myself a 'sister' despite being a man, mixed with the overwhelming warmth she radiated, made me burst into tears.
"…Why, why are you forcing me… *sob*, you're mean!!"
"Yes, yes, this big sister is a bad person. Feel free to hate me all you want."
After crying for a long time, a question suddenly occurred to me, and I asked her.
"…I'm sorry to ask this now, but what is your name?"
She looked down at me with an incredulous expression. 'Does she not want to tell me her name…?'
Seeing my dejected expression, she hurriedly waved her hands and replied.
"Oh, no! I was just dumbfounded at myself for not even introducing myself to you yet!! My name is Seraphina."
Seraphina. Seraphina?
Could it be the person who appeared as the Saint's mentor in the game?! According to the lore, she was a character who had suffered a major injury in the past and was only briefly mentioned by name throughout the entire world-building.
I see.
Since she was the kind and benevolent mentor of the Saint, she was embracing someone like me without prejudice. That meant all the favor and affection she had shown me until now were pure, selfless acts of kindness!
Overwhelmed with emotion and joy, I threw my arms around Seraphina.
"S-Seraphina! Thank you!!"
Whoosh.
Was she surprised because I suddenly hugged her? Seraphina's face turned bright red in an instant.
"Y-yeah. I thank you too…"
Why would she be thankful to someone like me? Was she being considerate so I wouldn't feel burdened, fearing I might feel sorry? I squeezed my arms even tighter, feeling immensely grateful.
"Must endure it. Must endure it. Must endure it. Must endure it. Must endure it. Must endure it."
I finally let go of Seraphina, who was muttering things I couldn't possibly understand.
"But Seraphina, how did you know I was collapsed there and save me?"
"Gasp!"
No sooner had I finished my question than she scooped me up and started running somewhere in a hurry.
"It might be strange to ask while we're moving, but what is your name, my baby?"
My name? My name from my previous life was… strange. I couldn't remember it. Even if I could, I didn't want to use the name from those difficult days…
I had to come up with a new name right away.
What should I call myself?
Hanson? Robin?
No. Those sound like men's names no matter who hears them. Even though my essence is male, people around me might look at me with 'those' eyes again, so I had to come up with a name that sounded as much like a girl's as possible—
"Actually, now that I think about it, your eyes are so sparkly, they look like jewels."
Seraphina stopped running and looked at me with a bright smile.
"Yes. Your old name doesn't matter at all. From today, your name is 'Ruby'."
"…Yes?"
"Oh my. Your big sister, who is like the heavens, has personally given you a name, and you're talking back?"
Seraphina grabbed both my cheeks and pulled them upward, forcing a smile onto my face.
"…Pfft. Hahaha! What is that."
I couldn't help but laugh, though I didn't know why.
She laughed along with me, then suddenly looked surprised and spoke to me.
"Ruby. We don't have much time, so listen carefully. That 'God' fellow, who never gave a single command in his life, issued an Oracle to bring you to him."
"…God?"
"Yes. As you know, a God who never even intervened in anything issued an 'Oracle' to bring you. Actually, I should have taken you sooner, but our Ruby was just too cute…"
I couldn't hear the rest because her voice trailed off, but… my mind was already filled with confusion. There was a God in Astral Saga?
Of course, the concept of divine power existed, but I didn't know a God actually existed because they never showed their face even when the world was on the verge of destruction. Even in the Bad Ending where the world was devastated by the Demon King due to a failed game clear, God never appeared once.
No, God didn't appear in any ending where the world was openly destroyed.
Before I could even finish organizing my thoughts, Seraphina shoved me into a magnificent chapel and hurriedly turned back.
"S-Seraphina! Where are you going!?"
I called out to her urgently, but.
"Sorry. Even though I'm part of the church, I really hate that guy called God."
The Saint's mentor hates God…? The thought was fleeting, but I was terrified of being left alone in this strange place, so I shouted desperately toward her back.
"D-don't leave me… Big, big sister!!"
"…Big sister?"
Pause.
With that sound, she whipped her head around, wiped away a nosebleed, and started walking toward me.
The moment she reached out to me.
She, who had been approaching with a nosebleed, stopped dead in her tracks.
No, it wasn't just Seraphina. The bells ringing outside the window, the birds flying by, even the dust scattering in the air.
Everything in the world stopped as if it were a lie.
A light that would blind me was shone into my eyes.
Soon after, an intense light that would blind me filled my vision. A moment later, as the light gradually faded and my vision cleared…….
"Hello?"
A little kid was waving at me brightly.
I might be afraid of making eye contact with people, but a child like that was a different story. Especially if they had a face as cute and dainty as a doll.
"Little one. Do you go to church here too? If you're lost—"
"Hmph!"
The little kid began to throw a tantrum, furrowing their brows. But what do I do… even the way they get angry is so cute?
As I continued to look down at the child with the satisfied gaze of someone watching a baby.
Thump!
A small fist made of light instantly formed and struck the top of my head.
It clearly felt like a light tap, as if a child were rebelling, but… there was no way I, who possessed the lowest stamina stat in the world, could withstand it, and I ended up fainting for the umpteenth time since coming to this other world.
"Oh, huh?! You fainted from that?"
It was a level that even a 5-year-old could withstand…? God was the most bewildered he had ever been since creating the world.