In any case, they would have to somehow talk her into obeying them, contact the Temple, and make an arrangement so she would be recognized as a saint. They would then use her as a pawn to build a connection with the Temple and influence over the masses. She would also be useful for raking in money, and would benefit from the arrangement herself. Their group, the girl, the Temple, and the people would all be happy, with no one getting the short end of the stick. It was in fact, an altruistic effort and nothing to be ashamed of. So why were they being treated this way? The only thing that didn’t make sense was the Lord Chancellor’s actions. The little girl’s attitude was understandable—her foolish actions were that of an ignorant, rude little girl, which was nothing out of the ordinary. It was unlikely that the wise Lord Chancellor had been fooled by that commoner’s lies, and even if he had, he had enough influence to treat the highest authorities of the Temple as equals. There was no reason for him to be so humble with the girl, even if she really had been blessed by the Goddess.
They just couldn’t understand it. However, they couldn’t speak openly about their true feelings with the soldiers keeping an eye on them. Whatever the Lord Chancellor had to say to them later, they knew it couldn’t be good. After all, he had clearly stationed the soldiers here so they wouldn’t try to flee.
I was waiting in the guest room with the tea and expensive-looking snacks I’d been served when the Lord Chancellor arrived...along with several men and a few maids pushing a wagon full of more snacks and a tea set on it.
I thought he brought me here so I could rest!
“Apologies for the wait. Please allow me to introduce His Majesty the King, one of his ministers, and several civil officials. They wished to meet you in person...”
Are you being serious right now?! And where’s the king’s crown?! I had no idea who he was!
Though, come to think of it, wearing that thing on your head all day would probably be pretty annoying and could cause a sore neck and shoulders. It’d probably be bad for your hair too. It made sense not to wear it unless it was for a ceremony or something.
I was afraid to find out what they wanted to discuss, but the king and his cohort just wanted to make small talk. They’d asked me about my family, but I’d told them my status and relatives in the secular world had nothing to do with my work as a priestess, and they’d left it at that. If I’d told them I had no relatives, they might have taken it to mean I had no one to support me and gotten some funny ideas, so I’d been deliberately vague with my answer. Besides, if I had no family, it would’ve contradicted my backstory about not needing money.
On the way home, I was told to come and let them know if I ever needed anything, and that they would send someone right away if I said my name at the gate.
What the?! This king is so kind to a mere commoner priestess... Well, I’d acted in a way that’d make him assume my family was wealthy, but still, a king wouldn’t normally be so considerate of a random priestess like me! This guy’s a man of character! Maybe I can count on his help if some weirdo aristocrat or rich person starts messing with me... No, I can’t let my guard down.
Even if there was a good person at the top of an organization, the middle and lower levels could still be involved in criminal activity or accept bribes and favors from crooks. Still, I felt a lot safer knowing there was someone good at the very top.
It’s good to see this is such a nice country!
A private meeting was taking place in a conference room where the king, Lord Chancellor, and other important figures were gathered.
“Thank goodness, she didn’t seem too upset...” the Lord Chancellor said.
“Indeed. I thought my heart would stop when I heard what those idiotic nobles were up to. I can’t begin to express how relieved I am that things didn’t get out of hand. If the Goddess is enraged, I wouldn’t mind taking responsibility by being beheaded, but I wouldn’t want to go down in history as the sinner who’d caused the entire continent to be destroyed,” the king said, and everyone nodded in agreement. “In any case, that lord who notified us by sending an express message with multiple horses and riders deserves the highest of praise. He’s this country’s—no, this continent’s savior. Give him a medal, and come up with some kind of reward for him. Given the situation, we can’t publicly announce the reason, but his merits shouldn’t go unrecognized. The Hunter’s Guild branch and Commerce Guild in that town deserve some sort of reward as well. We were fortunate that the incident happened in a town with a proper lord and guilds. Oh, and as for the noble families who attacked the Angel—I mean, the free priestess and devout servant of the Goddess...take them out!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
There was the only possible option. He also had to figure out a punishment for the moronic aristocrats who’d put the entire continent in danger with their selfish actions.
The Lord Chancellor would be quite busy for a while. However, although he felt immense pressure knowing he had the responsibility of protecting his homeland, there was no cause that could be more worthwhile, and he found himself filled with a sense of excitement and elation.