Chapter 13

After about ten minutes of listening to Mirna’s full of self-love boast, I began to feel like I was truly losing my mind, when I finally sensed three people approaching us.

Earlier, I had mentioned that I would go to inform them that I had awakened to peel some fruit…

“One of them is Melina… and this overwhelming Divine Power must be Asclyna.”

So the Pope has decided to come in person.

That’s only natural.

Surely, nobody would have imagined that a young girl who insisted on going into asceticism would return as a Saint.

No… perhaps it wouldn’t be beyond imagination.

In any case, when they brought me to the cathedral, I could only explain that they must have seen me as a candidate for the Saint, so it would be something she expected after living for thousands of years.

Then who could the other person on the other side be?

Creak

“I… I brought them.”

While I was pondering who it might be, the three people who had arrived opened the door and entered the room.

Perhaps due to the presence of the Pope, who holds the highest position in the Holy Kingdom right next to me, they appeared quite intimidated.

I only barely knew that the person was human, but now I saw that he was an elderly man with a wrinkled, kindly face.

In the game, he didn’t appear in the form of the Pope but only as Asclyna, so I didn’t know exactly what his disguised appearance was like until now.

Well, if he wanted to portray the image of a Pope, that appearance would be the most fitting.

“How is the fruit… ah, right… I’m peeling it now…”

I was about to ask what they were going to do with the fruit when I realized the atmosphere had changed, and Melina’s mental presence tightening indicated that a serious discussion was about to begin.

It was hard to believe she was someone who used to resist participating in dangerous requests as a novice nun.

Ultimately, Melina quietly went to a corner and began peeling the fruit.

The rest of the people sensed that a serious conversation was going to start and tried to leave the room, but Asclyna stopped them from going out.

While it was indeed an important issue, she insisted that there was no need to leave.

“Sister… are you feeling alright?”

As Melina focused on peeling the fruit, Asclyna asked if I was okay.

My body felt to be in the best condition.

I nodded my head.

“[I feel as light as if I could fly… what happened…? I should have definitely died…]”

“Indeed… it seems you expended all your life force for them.”

Asclyna said with an oddly sad expression.

Inside me, I was merely savoring the pain felt from sacrificing and dedicating myself, hoping that those around me would misunderstand that sight, and thinking about how I nearly ended the lives of innocent adventurers because I planned to become a Saint made me feel guilty.

However, since I had already decided to push forward with this concept, there was no turning back now.

“Sister…”

That gaze of sadness truly hurt my heart, especially since it was based on the feeling that I had set out on asceticism and lost my life to sacrifice for someone.

Of course, I was alive now, but if I hadn’t been selected as a Saint, I would have either been returning to the original Earth or simply dead by now.

It was a crazy thing to think about.

“I feel… sorry…”

I shouldn’t be having these thoughts in front of Asclyna.

As expected, Asclyna, as if she could read my surface psychology and the guilt I felt, showed an even more somber expression than before.

“Please do not blame yourself, Sister Aria. This is not your fault.”

Look at that, she’s getting the wrong idea.

“Oh…”

It’s not for nothing that she has been safeguarding humanity for thousands of years…

In my heart, I wanted to confess all my desires and even offer a bow of repentance, but I knew that wouldn’t be right.

Since I had already adopted this concept, it was best to continue on just as I am.

I shook my head.

“[No… if I had done a bit better, this could have been avoided.]”

“Sister Aria.”

Asclyna’s voice became tense.

Oops, I made a mistake.

It’s a dragon who extremely dislikes seeing others sacrifice, and here I was, saying that I—the person who had sacrificed—had failed in front of her.

From her perspective, those words must have been unpleasant to hear.

“…”

“Further self-blame than this is unacceptable. You are a magnificent nun who saved the people here.”

Even so, instead of getting angry with me, she was encouraging me to not feel guilty and urging me to have more confidence.

“[Yes…]”

This is so uncomfortable…

To hastily agree in order to end this conversation, I responded, and her previously stern expression returned to one of kindness.

I was relieved.

“[So what happened to me…? I determinedly went to save Brother Dannes…]”

“Yes, that’s right. You certainly sacrificed yourself for Brother Dannes and went to be with the divine.”

“[Then why am I…]”

“Because the divine has bestowed you with a blessing and an opportunity.”

Asclyna approached and placed her hand on top of my head.

The warmth flowing from her Divine Power wrapped around my hand.

It felt comforting and pleasant.

“Sister Aria… what I am about to tell you may be brutal.”

“…”

I had an idea of what kind of story she was going to share.

Since I had been chosen as a Saint, it was undoubtedly going to be about the trials ahead that would be incomparable to anything to this point.

“To speak frankly, I serve Lady Romania.”

“…”

“However… I could not follow Lady Romania’s will.”

What does that mean?

The others listening in were appalled by the Pope’s sudden contradictory statement.

What does it mean to serve your god yet be unable to follow their will?

And to think this was said directly by the Pope.

It wasn’t surprising that everyone was astonished rather than questioning.

“Why must this poor child… this child who is naturally deaf, blind, and cannot hear, endure such a painful fate? I held an irreverent question in my heart.”

I had ceased being an ordinary nun.

I found myself burdened with the fate of slaughtering the demon that seeks to lead this world to destruction… and the Demon King.

Asclyna was dissatisfied with that.

Questioning the divine that had decreed such a fate upon a girl whose life was bound to be hell itself.

Those who originally believe in a god sometimes occasionally have doubts about the very god they believe in.

If that sentiment is misguided, they could easily become heretics or apostates.

For the Pope to openly declare that he harbored such thoughts in this gathering was utterly unfathomable.

Hence, it was normal that everyone was surprised.

However… the Pope, Asclyna, understood her place.

When weighing the peace of the world against the life of a girl, it was only natural that the scale would tip towards the former.

Therefore, she had no choice but to accept it.

“Many thorny paths await you in the future, Sister. It will undoubtedly be painful. You will want to give up.”

But her deity does not force her will.

Asclyna was saying that.

The guardian of light who has safeguarded humanity for thousands of years, the Dragon Lord of Light.

One of the three distributions bestowed upon the world by the goddess Romania.

“Yet… will you truly walk the path of a Saint?”

Thus, Asclyna would have been wishing for it.

Because she loved humanity so dearly, she hoped this poor girl would not have to tread that grueling path.

She wanted to tell me that I have the right to live happily.

Truly…

“I’m in awe.”

Having already chosen to become a Saint, there’s no way I could go back now.

Her statement was tantamount to challenging her creator.

I felt an overwhelming sense of admiration, making me feel infinitesimally small.

But still.

“That would make everything I’ve done until now meaningless.”

I chuckled to myself.

There’s no way I would give up.

I’m the character with the highest potential from the hidden class I risked my life to obtain.

I will never stop.

“…”

My surface psychology was probably filled with a strong will.

As I mentioned before, since it wasn’t something that could be perfectly read, Asclyna would know that I would not give up on the path of a Saint.

Even so, she was wishing.

She hoped I would refuse.

She hoped I would want to respond by saying I want to live a happy life.

But,

“[My answer is…]”

I hesitated to respond and turned towards Mirna.

Mirna looked surprised, her eyes wide open as I suddenly turned to face her.

I instinctively summoned my Divine Power.

After becoming a Saint, controlling Divine Power had become much easier and more straightforward.

Above all…

“I can use it…!”

I was able to activate the power of healing.

So naturally.

I smiled at Mirna and invoked the healing power.

Soon after,

“Keh… cough cough…”

As I held back the blood that was coming up with my hands, my body trembled.

The pain that nearly caused my consciousness to fly away struck my entire body, then disappeared.

“You endured this…”

She must have surely taken some kind of pain relief potion.

What a madwoman.

More than that…

“Did it succeed?”

While transferring all the side effects caused by consuming the mana potion to me, I completely healed Mirna’s wounds.

Since a Saint’s body always maintained an optimal condition, I only coughed up blood for a brief moment due to a temporary breakdown caused by side effects, and my body returned to normal almost instantaneously.

“S-Sister Saint?”

Her expression was one of astonishment, as if she realized what had just happened to her body.

Thank you, Mirna.

It was a good pain.

It felt incredibly refreshing.

“[Is this enough?]”

I said that and turned back toward Asclyna.

With that series of actions, I had essentially made a declaration.

I would willingly accept becoming a Saint…

“…I understand. I will respect your will.Sister Aria.”

Asclyna, or rather the Pope’s words made everyone inhale sharply.

Casually, almost as if flowing, she had stated it, but the Pope had just made an announcement.

‘It’s done.’

At this moment…

The Light Saint had been born here.

It was the end of the tutorial.