I am back – Chapter 169

“So, you think you’re the apostle sent by the Goddess…?”

I couldn’t believe what I just heard, so I asked again.

“Yeah.”

From what Siyun said, it seems that Louis, Kalia’s brother, thought he would be included in the conversation with Siyun.

And judging by the content of their discussion, I could understand why.

Wow, a country with an official religion can react like this.

Well, it’s not just any religion.

This is a world where it’s revealed that the Goddess truly exists, and believers can use special powers. With such an obvious existence, everything the Goddess does must be taken seriously.

But hold on, even if it’s taken seriously—

No, wait, doesn’t the seriousness of it make it hard to propose marriage?

I thought of Earth.

What if the God mentioned in Abrahamic religions actually existed, and all the words in the Bible were true, and angels really existed?

In that case, it would mean proposing to someone like the Second Jesus Christ or an angel.

“…Nope, still don’t get it.”

As I tilted my head in confusion, Kalia shrugged.

“It’s true the Goddess exists, but that doesn’t mean everyone sees the religion as inviolable. If that logic held, clergymen actually using divine power would already be revered by everyone.”

“…Is that not the case?”

“…There are just too many to praise one by one.”

True, if someone like these ‘clergymen’ existed on Earth, they’d probably be declared saints. Creating miracles that science can’t explain with God’s power would scare religious folks, I bet.

“And clergymen can marry too. Besides, Siyun acted just like a normal person in this world. He didn’t treat people any differently than he does right in front of us.”

At Kalia’s words, Siyun also tilted his head in agreement. He seemed to be questioning what the problem was.

“Ah…”

But I started to piece together what Kalia was saying.

“So, you’re saying instead of acting like a holy figure, he just acted like an ordinary person?”

“Exactly. I don’t see that as a bad thing. Building walls between people in the name of religion isn’t really ideal. But that does mean some could easily be ‘misled.'”

“….”

Siyun and I both paused to think for a moment before nodding.

Honestly, that made some sense. Siyun didn’t have the stuck-up personality usually associated with high society. It didn’t seem likely he’d just dismiss all guests coldly.

“But doesn’t that mean they’re underestimating Siyun?”

“That could be. When Siyun first came to this world, he had no common sense about it. They may have mistaken that clueless, ‘innocent’ look for genuine naivety.”

And then, returning to this world as a beautiful woman sporting that innocent look once more.

I thought it could very well attract the attention of men.

“So, what do we do?”

I asked, a little worried.

Of course, I planned to reject anyone who proposed to me. Back when I was running the bakery, people had tried to give me their phone numbers, and I’d said no every time. It wasn’t like I faced any repercussions, but I was a bit scared the first time I turned someone down.

But if someone proposed to me in this world… that person would almost definitely be a noble.

Even if they thought I was the ‘apostle sent by God,’ they wouldn’t dare act badly, but still, they’d likely hold significant power here. I would definitely shrink back at those kind of words.

“Don’t worry too much.”

Kalia said with a laugh.

“Just reject them all. Even if something like that happens, we’ll help you out. At least one of us will be there to support you.”

“Yeah, I’ll be right next to you.”

Hearing Siyun’s words made my face turn a little red.

Kalia, sitting beside us, looked quite pleased, which made me more embarrassed.

“…But, you know.”

Still, there were some lingering questions I had that we couldn’t simply brush off.

“Huh? What’s that?”

As I continued speaking, my face turned to Kalia, and she asked back.

“Siyun is the only hero, but you all make up the hero party. Right now, all of you, including Siyun, are women. Of course, each one of you has your own responsibilities and may not have seriously thought about marriage yet, but…”

At my words, Kalia’s smile faded a bit. It seemed she understood what I was getting at.

“From the nobles’ perspective, aren’t you all very suitable candidates for proposals?”

“….”

Curiously enough, Kalia, being the only daughter of the Lechubia household, looked utterly bewildered as if she had never considered such a thought.

*

While there aren’t any grand parades with the whole kingdom declaring a festival led by the hero Siyun, it seems like a welcoming ceremony will still take place.

“Normally, it would be appropriate to wear a dress.”

Kalia had this incredibly amused expression on her face again.

Of course, it wasn’t just Kalia present. Me, Siyun, Kalia, Pia, Dana, and Arna were all there.

But naturally, Kalia was the one with the most entertaining expression.

Dana looked utterly disinterested, while Pia seemed excited.

Arna appeared uninterested at all, really.

It looked like everyone had finished up their respective duties without any fuss yesterday.

“It seems the other mages at the Magic Tower actually wrote their reports more thoroughly than expected. And since everything went according to plan, I didn’t really have to comment on it.”

I said as I stretched out my body, having returned to the Royal Palace today.

“I just need to make it clear to everyone that I’ve returned. In fact, the funds being sent to the church are being handled not by clergymen but by specialists. Of course, even if they’re specialists, they need to be devout believers who worship the Goddess to take on church duties.”

Pia said, smiling, while worrying about me.

“Honestly, I haven’t been given a significant role in elf society yet. While it’s certain I’ll become an elder later on, there’s still plenty of time left.”

Elves tend to live much longer than humans, so they seem to take their time handling almost everything. Given that, Arna also didn’t seem rushed to be in a hurry upon her return.

For that reason, it was decided that everyone would participate in the ball scheduled for tonight.

If I were in my early to mid-teens, I might have had some fantasies about it. The image I associated with the word ‘ball’ was the extravagant affairs I’d seen in cartoons back in the day.

But I’ve grown older and realized that noble balls aren’t just lovely parties.

…But then again, I can’t say I’ve seen it from a noble’s perspective.

Perhaps my thoughts are merely prejudices formed from media. It’s something I’ve seen through movies and dramas.

“But… if it’s a ball, what should I wear?”

And it was during this gathering that Siyun asked that question.

“Well, normally, it would be proper to wear a dress.”

Returning to the present, Kalia answered like that. As she said earlier, Kalia still looked thoroughly entertained.

“There are many styles. From proper dresses that don’t reveal much skin to bold dresses that practically show off cleavage. You can choose whatever you want. I’ll help you with it.”

“But there isn’t much time left?”

“You’re underestimating the royal family. They scheduled this knowing the guests wouldn’t have time to arrange their own dresses. It’s only logical to think they already have several dresses prepared to wear. Otherwise, it would be an awful rudeness.”

“That’s true.”

Dana remarked, looking quite bored.

“I borrowed and wore dresses every time I had to attend a ball. So, there’s really no need to worry about types or sizes… The real issue is that I don’t want to attend the ball.”

Hearing that from Dana, Siyun turned pale.

Well… Siyun usually wears skirts without a second thought, but…

Still, I figured she wouldn’t have predicted she’d need to wear a dress.

…To be honest.

While I was worried about the ball, I was also looking forward to what Siyun would wear.