saint ch33

Outing (4)

“This is…”

The priest seemed to have lost his words, only staring at the completely changed flower crown with a surprised expression.

“Pretty!”

The little girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the flower crown in her hand, wriggling her body.

She seemed to be expressing her own joy.

“Mister, who are you? How did you do this? Are you a magician? Can I do it too?”

The excited little girl circled around me, constantly bombarding me with questions.

The wary look she had just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

I stroked the little girl’s head.

Cool, right?

I think I’m pretty cool too.

But I can’t say what I really think because the person I need to work on is right next to me.

Suppressing the urge to show off to match the little girl’s excitement, I spoke calmly.

“It’s a small miracle brought about by Anna’s beautiful heart towards Orion. If Anna maintains her faith in Orion, she might be able to do it too.”

“Mi…racle? Faith?”

Sorry.

That was unnecessarily difficult.

Actually, I wanted the priest next to her to hear it, so it must have been difficult for the little girl.

“Orion gave it to you because he thinks Anna is pretty.”

“Orion did this for me?!”

“Of course.”

“Father! Orion did this for me!”

“That’s… haha, that’s really great.”

The priest forced a smile while subtly moving Anna behind him.

He was clearly wary of me.

“Don’t worry about me and continue what you were doing.”

I’m not that dangerous.

“That’s right! Father, hurry! If it’s such a pretty flower, Orion will surely be pleased! Then he might give our church a huge amount of cheese, fruit, meat, and… and… anyway, a lot of things!”

“Yes, that would be nice. But don’t run this time.”

“Okay!”

Once again, the little girl approached the statue with the same fuss as before.

“Father Leeseu, but this was given by Orion, so would Orion be happy if we offer it back to him?”

“He would be very happy. After all, Anna, you picked the flowers.”

“Hehe. That’s a relief.”

The priest picked up the little girl.

The little girl smiled and placed the flower crown on the statue’s head.

After putting the little girl down, the priest quietly closed his eyes and began to pray in front of the statue.

The little girl next to him glanced at the priest and carefully put her hands together.

It was quite a torment for her to stay still, and she kept fidgeting, but she didn’t move from her spot and prayed with him until the priest lowered his hands.

Hey, little girl.

You’re much better than some Cardinal living somewhere.

After finishing his prayer, the priest looked at the flower crown on the statue and bent his knees to meet the little girl’s eyes.

“Anna, shall we keep the story about this flower a secret between you and me?”

“Why?”

Innocent questions filled the little girl’s face.

“Well…”

Conflict flickered across the priest’s face.

He had brought up the story, but he didn’t know how to make her understand.

It’s my turn to step in again.

Do you need some nonsense that sounds real when you listen to it?

Do you need a plausible excuse to get through the situation right now?

Just trust me.

I have a lot of experience cosplaying as a fanatic.

I’ll solve it neatly with perfect lies that even notoriously picky priests will fall for.

“Anna.”

When I said that, the eyes of the little girl and the priest turned towards me.

“But why are you using honorifics with me?”

It’s part of the act.

“It’s a habit, don’t worry about it.”

“Weird person…”

Hey, I know it well enough, but it hurts if you say it to my face.

“Have you ever heard of demons, Anna?”

“Demons! They’re very bad and scary monsters!”

“You know it well.”

When I agreed, the little girl happily continued.

“They’re very bad monsters, so Orion punished them and drove them out!”

I nodded and took her words.

“That’s right. Orion drove out the demons. But they haven’t disappeared. They’re always looking for an opportunity.”

“Loo-king for an op-por-tu-ni-ty…?”

It’s so hard to talk to this little girl.

“The demons are always after Orion, who drove them out.”

“Gasp! Is Orion in danger?”

“Of course, Orion is so powerful that those demons can’t do anything to him, but that’s why the demons target other things.”

“What…?”

The little girl’s eyes were shaking wildly, as if she was already immersed in the story.

It’s been so long since I’ve had such normal reactions and interjections.

It’s fun telling this fairy tale to a little girl after only spreading pseudo-logic to fanatics all the time.

“Things that Orion cherishes.”

The little girl’s eyes grew as large as they could possibly get.

And she hurriedly looked at the flower crown hanging on the Orion statue.

“No way!”

Good reaction.

“That’s why he’s trying to keep it a secret. If rumors about that flower crown spread to the demons, they’ll come to take it.”

“Then shouldn’t we hide it…?”

“The demons won’t target it if the story that Orion gave it doesn’t spread. Anna, so you have to keep it a secret. If it becomes known that Orion gave this flower crown…”

I deliberately trailed off and quietly looked at the flower crown to create dramatic tension.

“I’ll definitely! Definitely keep it a secret!”

Very good attitude.

A person who lies to a little girl and then feels satisfied watching the little girl being deceived by the lie.

That’s me.

…That’s a bit of a buzzkill.

“Okay, Anna. Shouldn’t you go wash up now? Sister Rosetta will be back soon too. You’ll get scolded if you stay like this, right?”

“Sister Rosetta always scolds me!”

“Okay, so go wash up. I’ll follow you after I see this mister off, so go ahead.”

“Okay~”

“Don’t run!”

“Okay~”

As the little girl ran out of the church for the last time, a cold silence settled in the church.

The priest still looked at me with a wary expression and said nothing.

Where did the priest who was paying for my meal and showing me kindness go?

Give him back.

“Demons like to corrupt priests, so in a way, it’s not wrong.”

You can speak casually like you were doing earlier.

“Who exactly are you?”

“I’m a naive kid who owes a kind priest 2 silver.”

“Don’t try to get away with it so ambiguously.”

Why does no one believe me when I tell the truth?

Is this really some kind of curse?

“How many people in the world can perform holy magic that grows flowers that aren’t even on the ground, flowers that have already been picked?”

I’m telling you for the 187th time that I’m an elven princess.

“It’s a humble talent borrowed from Orion’s grace.”

“Seeing you call such a thing a humble talent makes me wonder if my faith has really been lacking…”

I was embarrassed to see the priest so intimidated.

Is it that much?

“Are you perhaps an Inquisitor? If there’s anything you want from me, do as you please. I earnestly hope you’ll end it with me alone.”

What are you misunderstanding?

What’s with the seriousness?

While I was flustered, I started a full-scale background check.

“Do many worshippers visit this place?”

“All the worshippers who can’t afford to go to the church in the central square come here, so I can’t say it’s few.”

Okay, the basics are okay.

“Anna doesn’t seem to be your daughter.”

“She’s a child from the orphanage that the church runs on its own. She’s an innocent child who doesn’t know anything.”

Bonus points.

“Do people who are hurt or sick also come here?”

“People who can’t afford to go to the hospital or receive treatment with the church’s holy power often come here. I’m not able to help them much.”

Very good.

“Do you, Leeseu, fully believe in Orion’s mercy?”

A moment of hesitation.

Bingo.

“Of course.”

He answered immediately, but the swirling emotions were visible to me, so the bravado didn’t mean much.

I wondered if he was really lacking in faith or if he was talking about Inquisitors, but I suspected it.

This priest has lost faith in Orion.

To be exact, it’s not that he’s completely lost it, but that it’s wavering.

Well, the Order is such a mess, so a normal person would waver a bit.

This is completely amazing.

Could there be a more perfect base for building fame than this?

You have to take a chance sometimes.

While I was gleefully thinking, the priest knelt down to me, misunderstanding something because I didn’t answer.

“Please. I’ll endure anything, so please, the children…”

If you say that, I look like a despicable villain!

I hurriedly lifted the kneeling priest up.

“That’s not it. I just… please let me repay the 2 silver debt.”

“…The 2 silver debt?”

“I will come here every weekend to pray as much as possible. I will clean the church and play with the children. I will treat the injured and take care of the animals. It’s a repayment for the kindness Leeseu has shown me.”

The priest’s eyes were full of confusion.

“I didn’t show kindness to get something in return.”

That’s why I trust you.

“You didn’t show kindness to get something in return, so you’re getting more.”

“That’s too much. 2 silver doesn’t even get you a speck of the holy magic you showed.”

If it wasn’t for that 2 silver, things might have really gone wrong.

“Everything is relative. The 2 silver you gave me was much more valuable than my holy magic.”

“Who on earth are you? Why don’t you show your grace at the church in the central district?”

I’ll get caught right away if I do this there.

“My humble identity is not important. I believe that Leeseu and I are in a similar situation. I just thought this place needed me more.”

“Orion…”

As if he couldn’t believe it, the priest closed his eyes and began to seek Orion.

“If I bother you, tell the Order about my meeting with you. I will never bother you again.”

The priest looked at me again as if he couldn’t understand.

It was the same as admitting that I was doing this secretly from the Order.

From the priest’s point of view, whose faith was wavering, he might have felt a sense of camaraderie, thinking, “Maybe?”

If I’m going to use this place as a base, the priest can’t report me to the Order.

If he does, I can’t use it as a base.

If I can reveal my weakness in advance, which the other party can ruin anyway, and gain the other party’s favor with that weakness, it’s a worthwhile deal.

“Is your faith in the Order being tested? But how on earth…”

How can you use holy magic so freely?

I don’t believe that God will show mercy, but I do believe in the existence of God.

It seems like people in this world can’t separate the two well.

Stop believing that God will take care of you, human.

You get betrayed because you have expectations.

“It’s because I think this is Orion’s guidance.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean people in this world shouldn’t believe in Orion.

There’s no better excuse to sell than Orion.

The priest slumped down in the chair next to him after hearing those words.

His aura was incredibly turbid, and he was in a state of extreme confusion.

But in my opinion, the answer that priest would give was already decided.

“As you wish… I won’t stop you.”

Yes!

As a priest, if he’s a genuinely good person loyal to those around him, it wouldn’t be easy to ignore the merit of my holy magic.

Moreover, he probably hasn’t determined yet whether I’m an inquisitor setting a trap, or a priest who has truly lost faith in the Order and is deviating.

If he starts thinking that rashly provoking me wouldn’t be good, the conclusions he can draw are very limited.

Let’s work well together in the future, Priest Rhys!

Although you might not trust me right now, I’m telling you, I’ll really be helpful!

Of course, to me too.

This is true mutual benefit.

Acquired a second healthy partnership.

Inwardly beaming, I placed my hand on Priest Rhys’s shoulder and infused him with Divine Power.

“Will you promise me that you won’t lose faith in Orion, even when things get tough in the future?”

Losing faith in the Order is fine, I’d almost encourage it, but faith in a god ultimately becomes similar to faith in me.

That’s why I kept emphasizing Orion.

Looking at Priest Rhys, whose eyes widened as if he’d heard something unexpected, I said my goodbyes and left the church.

Disappearing around this point will allow me to maintain at least a few weeks of a mysterious image.

If I reveal too much too soon, and they start suspecting my identity is related to the Saint, it’ll be troublesome.

The moment I stepped outside the church walls, a priest with a very similar appearance to the person who guided me from the church in the central square entered.

That must be Sister Rosetta.

Are they siblings?

Exchanging small bows as we passed, I looked up at the still-blue sky and thought.

Can things really go this smoothly?

Should I play around for a bit before going back?

…Ah, I don’t have any money.

I’ll have to run to the central square.

Would I look pathetic if I asked to borrow just 3 silver?