saint ch24

Lesson (6)

“Don’t concern yourself with such trivial matters, young Saint!”

It’s not trivial at all.

Why am I even here?

As I remained still, the captain of royal guard approached, intending to take me away. Judging that I couldn’t let this happen, the princess returned to me.

“Wait, just a moment, Sir Gorg. Why are you here, of all places?”

“Is that even a question, Princess? Naturally, I’m here to take the farming class!”

“Farming class? Sir Gorg, you…?”

The princess’s eyes darted around so frantically it was almost pitiful.

She looked as if she was begging me to say it wasn’t true.

I understand that feeling all too well.

What on earth is this dwarf talking about?

Doesn’t he consider his social standing at all?

“Of course. I even received formal permission from the academy.”

The captain of royal guard proudly produced his course registration form, which bore the same academy seal as mine for the agriculture-related subject.

Vice-principal…! I trusted you!

After seeing you tie up and beat the Cardinal, I believed we were on the same side!

To betray me like this!

“But… why?”

The princess’s voice trembled as she spoke.

“Is there really a need to explain?”

In contrast, the captain of royal guard remained nonchalant, scoffing and then giving me a once-over.

Me…?

Is it because of me again?

“The princess has proven her faith, so allow me to offer some advice.”

When did I prove my faith?

Did you two do something behind my back?

Could it be that you actually connected through that brawl?

I thought you stopped because the building was getting destroyed?

Is there really such a thing as a conversation of fists where you exchange true feelings that only you two know about?

“The fact that the young Saint is relying on only you to walk the soil represents a problem prevalent among the human race. Isn’t he a precious Saint, the first in hundreds of years? Don’t commit an irreversible mistake.”

“…I will keep that in mind.”

“Now, let’s hurry, young Saint! Can’t you see everyone is waiting for you?”

While I was contemplating whether I should abandon my identity as the last intellectual of this era, the captain of royal guard, having finished his story, grabbed my hand and started pulling me along.

Ugh… suddenly I don’t want to take the class.

It was nice and peaceful during class because people didn’t bother me, but if he’s here, I’ll have to play the role of a diligent Saint throughout the entire class.

I want to drop this course.

Princess, help!

…

“Erm… then… please welcome Ronan, the Saint Apprentice, and Gorg Steelhammer, the captain of royal guard, with a round of applause.”

“Hello. My name is Ronan.”

“Gorg. Just call me Sir Gorg, don’t bother with the rest!”

Clap clap clap clap

As the captain of royal guard and I, standing at the center of attention, gave a simple introduction, stiff applause echoed.

They really don’t need to be so nervous.

Everyone was clapping, but their faces showed they had no idea why this ordeal had befallen them.

I understand that feeling perfectly.

If an armored knight with a grim face and a mace on his back suddenly came to you asking to be taught something, anyone would make that face.

It’s definitely not because of me.

Even if it is, it’s only a very small percentage.

Because I’m a commoner-friendly Saint.

I can read other people’s emotions, so what I’m saying is definitely right.

“Now, today we will continue with the cultivation of small plots.”

The agriculture professor, pretending not to notice the atmosphere, started the class, trying to lighten the mood.

His sense of professional duty is admirable.

“Oh. Er. Um. Oh dear! Now that I think about it, our class covers the process of cultivating farmland over a year, so there’s really nothing for the Saint Apprentice to do right away.”

No sooner had I thought that than the professor recited those words in a monotone.

Seriously, even in these minor details, my predictions are off.

I really can’t understand how he can feel even a shred of satisfaction after saying that.

It’s as if he spent all night researching excuses to keep me from participating in the class, with the sole determination of not letting me hold a plow.

…But wait a minute.

Then what am I supposed to do?

“Are you… saying that you have no intention of teaching the young Saint when he wants to learn farming?”

While I was blankly staring at the professor, not yet having grasped the situation, the captain of royal guard interjected with a look that said, “Are you crazy?”

His sudden outburst is no longer surprising.

“Absolutely! That’s not what I meant at all. But crops don’t yield results in just a day or two. We can’t just conjure up crops that have been growing for nearly half a year, can we?”

The flustered professor eagerly elaborated on the justification for his actions, but the captain of royal guard isn’t the type to care about such things in the first place.

You really don’t know much about clerics yet, do you?

Even the vice-principal didn’t know.

“Don’t you understand? If the Saint wishes it, the proper attitude is to offer him all of these plots. Don’t argue about what is possible or impossible.”

“W-well, that’s…”

Depending on how you hear it, it’s an excessive outburst.

Yeah, this is the kind of thing a cleric would say.

It’s truly the logic of a fanatic that sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it.

“Sir Gorg, please stop. I didn’t come here to learn by resorting to such tyranny.”

Unable to watch any longer, I intervened to calm the situation.

“Are you saying you didn’t apply for this course to learn farming?”

Gorg furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.

I just applied to appeal to the commoners, okay?

You’re ruining everything!

“Who would be happy if we were to seize the fruits of their labor after they’ve worked so hard for half a year? It’s something that only makes people unhappy, with no one benefiting.”

And it’s great to be able to skip class with the professor’s approval.

If I take that away and start cultivating it myself, the person who had it taken away will be upset, and I’ll be upset because I can’t skip class.

Who benefits from that structure?

“You’re saying everyone is unhappy?”

“Yes.”

“Why would everyone be unhappy when there’s someone who gains results without effort?”

Well, of course, getting something for nothing is great, but that doesn’t apply to me right now.

What am I going to do with something that’s worthless to me but precious to the owner?

But I can’t say that.

“Aren’t both the one who gains results without effort and the one who puts in effort without results sad?”

“…I feel this every time, but young Saint, you are truly unique.”

Well, it’s normal to seem strange because I’m always spouting nonsense that sounds good but has no substance.

I was wondering if he was displaying some unnecessarily sharp insight, but the captain of royal guard seemed to have come to some conclusion on his own again.

Still, maybe it’s because I’m a cleric, but even when I say something nonsensical, he somehow accepts it perfectly in his own way.

Why is the Orion Church in that state?

Is it bugged?

“I apologize, Professor. I was rude.”

The captain of royal guard seemed to have calmed down, so he turned around and said that to the professor.

“Oh, there’s no need to use honorifics with someone as lowly as me… you really don’t have to.”

This is also one of the elements of creating an ideal Saint image, so I can’t stop.

“What does social status matter to someone who is trying to give me guidance? Don’t worry about it. But what should I do?”

Can I really just slack off?

“I will create another small plot with varieties that can be grown in a short amount of time as soon as possible. In the meantime, please bear with us by observing the others…”

The professor kept glancing at the captain of royal guard with trembling eyes, seemingly saying those words while being conscious of the captain of royal guard.

The opportunity to slack off for an entire semester is finally slipping away…

“Ah, although it’s not covered in the basic course, there are also many fruit-bearing trees inside. If you’re bored, how about taking a slow look around there? I’ll guide you.”

I was so disappointed that I couldn’t answer for a moment, and the professor, taking it that way, added those words.

Still, a stroll for the time being… isn’t so bad.

I came prepared to wield a hoe from the first day.

“The professor should be teaching the others. I’ll take a slow look around by myself.”

Honestly, it would just be uncomfortable if a professor who is much older than me were to bow and offer to be my guide.

There’s nothing in it for me either.

“Is that so?”

“I’ll accompany you.”

Just when things were wrapping up in a good direction, the captain of royal guard interjected again.

He came because of me, so I was wondering when he would say that.

But he’s treating me like a Saint now and doesn’t seem to have any murderous intent, so I should be fine.

…Right?

I’m not going to suddenly get my head smashed in, am I?

…

Wow.

I’m feeling the power of the fantasy genre even in agriculture.

I walked in the direction the professor guided me, thinking I was just going for a stroll, and a greenhouse appeared instead of a simple forest.

It seemed that the trees and cultivated plants grown in each greenhouse were different.

Moreover, it went beyond simple measures like increasing sunlight, with various magical measures such as temperature control magic in place.

Is this not just a fashionably medieval setting?

I chose a greenhouse nearby and entered, where apple trees were planted.

I was looking at the trees, which had started to bear fruit but still felt like green apples, when I turned my gaze to the captain of royal guard, who had been silently following behind me.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Did you know about this and come here?”

I was just taking a walk and noticed you looked complicated, so I thought I’d ask.

“You had a complicated look on your face.”

“It showed on my face? I must be getting old.”

Don’t be disheartened.

I have cheat abilities, you know.

“Young Saint, you…”

I’m so afraid of what kind of words will come out every time people drag out their words like that.

“You are very heterogeneous.”

“Heterogeneous?”

The words the captain of royal guard uttered were difficult to understand right away.

“I don’t mean to disparage the human race, but you are too idealistic for a Saint of humans.”

Is that a compliment or an insult?

“Not just humans. Even based on dwarves, elves, and beastmen, it’s the same. Your way of thinking and attitude are too far removed from the intellectuals of the world.”

That’s because the world around me is all trying to screw me over.

“It’s as if a celestial being who attended to God’s side suddenly fell from the sky.”

“I’m embarrassed, but could it be because I’m a Saint?”

“No. Even when judged by the standards of a Saint, it’s the same. To put it bluntly, our dwarf Saint is stubborn.”

Eh?

“Of course, the actions a Saint intends to take must be the will of God, regardless of my thoughts. Because the Saint is God’s proxy. But that doesn’t mean he is God. Our Saint is God’s proxy, but he is still a dwarf.”

What on earth does that mean?

“Like other dwarves, he likes alcohol, likes to make or tinker with things, likes being open-hearted, and likes smashing the skulls of enemies. As I said before, he’s also stubborn. It’s a real headache when he gets fixated on something strange.”

That kind of person is… a Saint…?

“Look at the elven princess. Does the young Saint see the princess as something that transcends the elven race?”

I only remember her as a very pretty older sister.

“That’s the future elven Saint. When she becomes a Saint, she will uphold God’s will, so there will be some changes, but her essence will not change.”

So… to summarize, a Saint is someone who lives doing whatever they want and only takes the rights?

How envious.

Why is there such a difference between me and other Saints that it’s embarrassing to even compare?

“Do you understand what I mean? You’re excessively idealistic. Even though you’ve grown up so purely, there isn’t even the smallest speck of dust to be seen. That pure white is so beautiful, yet so precarious.”

Strange.

When did my favorability rating with the Captain of the Royal Guard rise so much?

Of course, I’ve been trying to build that kind of image, but isn’t he falling for it too easily?

“Just now, for example. Most ordinary intelligent beings feel a base pleasure when they take something from others without effort.”

…Am I that?

I feel a little guilty.

“If they have faith and a conscience, they wouldn’t even consider taking something from others. That’s the mindset of a typical intelligent being.”

Then, the Captain of the Royal Guard looked at me and sighed.

“If they’re thoughtful, they might consider the circumstances of the person they took from. If they’re innocent, they might feel sadness for this harsh world.”

When the introduction is this long, the conclusion is usually very strange.

“But without any of that, you take something from someone and feel sadness for both the taker and the taken? Unless you unconditionally love even those who commit sins, who would ever think like that?”

Right.

Who would ever have such a crazy idea?

…Is that also me?

Listening to him, I guess that’s what agape love is like, but that’s not a story that applies universally. The situation earlier was special, you know?

It’s just frustrating that I can’t say this openly.

“You seem like you’d defend a murderer, regardless of the circumstances that led them to commit murder.”

What nonsense is he talking about?

Why would I defend a murderer?

“And you’d probably get stabbed by that murderer’s knife. There’s that precariousness and purity about you. Looking at you makes me feel like I have to protect you.”

“That’s an unnecessary worry.”

Even though I said that because his worries were too far-fetched, he didn’t seem to understand.

I’m really okay because of my cheat ability.

For some reason, people in this world don’t believe me when I speak my mind.

“Take it to heart. Everyone in the priesthood feels it. Do you think I’d be in this position for no reason? It’s because the Elven Princess and the Beastkin doctor representative stepped forward themselves.”

…Huh?

Wait, what does that even mean?

“Other…priesthood?”

“The Elven Princess decided to take gardening classes. The Beastkin doctor representative decided to take riding lessons. To get close to you, young Saint.”

What does that even mean?!

Dizzy from the Captain of the Royal Guard’s absurd remarks, I leaned against a nearby tree trunk for a moment.

“Are you alright?”

Would I be alright!

“I’m fine. Thank you for letting me know.”

I sighed, straightened myself, and decided to think positively, mulling over the Captain of the Royal Guard’s words once more.

Well, at least I know now.

I interacted with the Dwarven Captain of the Royal Guard relatively often, so that was fine, but I hadn’t met the other representatives privately yet.

If the Elven Princess had been waiting for me in the next class, I might have fainted.

Thank you, meddlesome neighborly Dwarf.

Thanks to you, I can prepare myself mentally.

I don’t really have anything to give you… Ah, I do.

I infused Divine Power into the apple tree next to me and manifested holy magic, and the unripe green apples on the tree instantly began to ripen and turn red.

It takes a lot of Divine Power, but it works.

Well, the Elf can make flowers bloom from bare ground, so I should be able to do this much.

I can’t seem to make flowers bloom from bare ground no matter how hard I try.

I reached out and picked a nearby apple, then handed it to the Captain of the Royal Guard.

I’m a Saint, so he wouldn’t say anything about me taking one apple, right?

“It’s not mine, but would you like to have this?”

“…”

Instead of taking the apple right away, the Captain of the Royal Guard looked back and forth between the apple, me, and the tree.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why did you decide to learn farming, anyway?”

That’s a good question.

If the representatives of different races are going to stick to me for every subject, why did I only apply for life skill subjects?