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AFTER that, I went to the lounge to take my afternoon break with Professor Martinez, the head of the institute for magical research. He had also attended the meeting. He spoke now while wiping his glasses.
“Good grief, I knew what to expect based on hearsay, but even then, I was shocked to actually see how saints are treated here. I’m frankly baffled by their attitudes, considering the intriguing case study supernatural powers present.”
Professor Martinez was a slender, extremely scholarly man of fifty years old. Though he was the indoor type, he was also surprisingly proactive. When he heard about our rescue campaign, he had enthusiastically decided to accompany us with a “Fantastic! A chance to continue my research on holy women!”
I sat across from him on a long sofa. A coffee table with a tea set on top separated us. I shrugged in response.
“For the people of Kophe, especially the nobles, a priestess’s work is a matter of course,” I explained. “It doesn’t even matter how well we do our jobs either, because there’s no raise or upward mobility.”
“They don’t allow you to live your lives to the fullest, but neither do they kill you. The saints are forced to maintain a strange existence in limbo so as not to threaten the Great Church’s position, eh? But what makes me curious is the fact that the Kingdom has yet to achieve a complete purge of monsters despite the spontaneous occurrence of holy women in the country. So there’s definitely…a need to study this more…”
“I’ve wondered the same thing myself, Professor.”
He continued muttering to himself while drinking water from his thermos. Just as I tilted my cup of tea for another sip…
“Miss Monica! Well done!”
…a voice suddenly came from behind me and I jumped up with a startled shriek.
“G-Gosh, you gave me a fright.”
“Apologies for the wait, Miss Monica, Professor Martinez. It took longer than I expected to convince the opposition to see things my way.”
Richard plonked himself down next to me on the couch and casually crossed his legs. He beckoned for the ever-ready butler in the room to pour him a cup of black tea. Then he spoke while sipping, holding the cup elegantly.
“Concerning the rebuilding of Kophe’s cities, I appointed those who agree with elevating the status of the saints as leaders,” he said.
“And there was no backlash?” I asked.
“A clever lord understands it would be in his best interest to align himself with me. Even if he finds it difficult to accept the situation in his heart, once I impose a system in place, he’ll have no choice but to adapt to my will. And when he does, he’ll realize he was glad he followed me.”
I said nothing.
“Hm? Is something the matter, Miss Monica?” Richard blinked innocently as I stared intently at him.
“Nothing really… Just when I listen to you talk about politics, I’m reminded you really are a statesman,” I remarked.
“You should become familiar with politics as well, Miss Monica, since you’re well on your way to becoming an individual who will stand at the top.”
“Have you forgotten that not only am I a commoner, but the Arousing Priestess as well?”
“Which is precisely why you’ll rise to great heights.”
“N-Not to mention, I’ll be nineteen soon too. Who knows how long my powers will last?”
I fiddled anxiously with a tuft of my hair as I spoke. The silver tresses had gradually started changing color since I first became a saint, and now roughly eight inches upwards from the ends were dyed a peachy pink. Richard wrapped his hand around mine still holding the hank of hair and pulled it toward him. Then, he pressed his lips firmly against the strands, the sound of the kiss loud in the parlor.
“Eeek! R-Richard, what?!”
“Even if you lose your powers, your experiences and accomplishments will remain. All you have to do then is use your history as a stepping stone to change your position. Simple.”
“Change…my position…?”
“That’s right.”
His beautiful eyes caught mine, refusing to let go. Though we were in the middle of a serious discussion, I could feel my heartbeat going wild and my body temperature skyrocketing.
Uh-oh. Am I breaking down again…?
Then, with a gasp, I remembered Professor Martinez sitting on the other side of the table. Eyes sparkling behind the lenses of his glasses, he diligently took notes while watching us.
“Lady saint, for a moment there, you appeared to be disoriented! Your behavior is usually concealed by the special defense mechanism in your attire, so this is my chance to understand your true reactions!”
“D-Don’t treat me like a lab subject, Professor!” I cried.
Wait. He brought up a good point. I’m wearing my saintly garb today as well, so why weren’t my expressions being camouflaged? Are the magical stones losing their efficacy?
“Well…I brought Professor Martinez along with us because this is just how he is, and I knew he could be trusted.” Richard chuckled wryly and released my hand. Now that I’d surfaced from the strange, hazy atmosphere, he winked and smiled at me. “In any case, Miss Monica, I’d like you to become the hope of all the saints. Oh, and you needn’t concern yourself with clamoring weeds. I’ll incinerate them for you.”
“Haha… I’m a bit terrified because it almost sounds like you’ll actually do it,” I said.
“Heh. You never know.” Beaming, he skillfully sidestepped my words before his expression grew more serious and he continued. “Oh, by the way, Miss Monica. You’ve been playing too much with the children lately.”
“Geh…”
“You really need to learn to be more careful even with the guards assigned to you.”
Richard looked exasperated. The truth was, I’d secretly been assisting with the care of the refugee children and had only been granted permission to do so on the condition that I be escorted within the castle grounds.
“It doesn’t suit you to be cloistered inside the castle, so I thought it would be fine for you to do as you please. Everyone needs a diversion and all. But…please be careful, all right? Even children can be dangerous.”
“Hold it right there. Richard, you can’t honestly be suspicious of children…?”
“Miss Monica.” His voice dropped. “You’re no longer just a holy woman or a village girl. You’re my right hand and a saint who came from the Empire. A saint who saved Kophe. So using women and children to attack is an old and common trick.”
“But—”
“You need to be more self-aware.”
“I… All right, I understand.”
I knew he worried about me, and I also knew how careless I could be. Although I agreed with him, pain lanced through my chest when I thought of the children. They needed as many adults as possible to care for them. It was my fault they’d even been forced into such an untenable position.
Despite being denounced as a wanton saint and virtually exiled, ultimately, I was the one who made the decision to leave the Kingdom. I was to blame for not being able to protect what I was supposed to in the first place.
Richard had to look at the larger picture because of his position. From his perspective then, I was most certainly too naive, but…I bore the responsibility for all holy women’s future. Then there was my own responsibility as a saint. I still couldn’t stop thinking of myself as a commoner priestess. So becoming more self-aware was easier said than done.