No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 73

EP.73 Kindness and Calculation (7)

Purifying the lake, which seemed immensely dangerous to leave unattended, came with several challenges.

For starters, the surrounding sand was contaminated with magic. The sand, carried by the wind, would undoubtedly have a significant effect on the human body.

Wearing a mask to cover one’s face under the scorching sun—so hot it felt like it could incinerate everything—was no easy task.

And in such conditions, we had to camp out on the sandy desert.

The lake was quite far from the Gnomes’ settlement. Traveling back and forth, working for only a few hours a day, was far from sufficient to purify the entire lake.

Back then, magical spheres had risen from the ground, but now they were nowhere to be seen. Whether they were submerged in the lake or hadn’t yet formed was unclear. Either way, the only way to stabilize the situation was to forcefully pour divine power into it.

At least there was a way to protect the area we lived in. I used the small relics I had created as the focal point, placing them at the center of our camp. Around the perimeter, I planted the knights’ swords into the ground. With this setup, the space we occupied was free of contamination—leaving behind only “ordinary sand.”

The purification method I chose involved blessing the surrounding sand.

If magic seeped into the ground through water, then blessing the sand that would mix with the water seemed a logical countermeasure.

It worked to a degree. At the edges of the lake, in the areas I purified, the water briefly regained some clarity. Though it quickly darkened again, like ink dissolving into the water, the surrounding sand consistently caused faint ripples, steadily purifying the water.

“Are you alright?”

The issue, of course, was the toll it took on me.

Ria reached out and held my arm to steady me. No, she didn’t just hold my arm—she let me lean against her entirely.

Well, she had carried me in a princess-style embrace before, so this wasn’t a big deal, right? But even so, there was a difference between casual contact and leaning against someone you were close to.

It’s like the difference between a hairdresser touching your hair to style it versus someone touching it just to be affectionate.

Still, I couldn’t very well lean against anyone else, so it was even more awkward.

“At this rate, purifying the entire lake is going to be tough.”

“Well, we can at least purify the ground nearby. Slowing down the contamination is still something, right?”

“……”

Ria furrowed her brow at my words.

I understood her concern. Her expression seemed to ask, Is this really worth all this effort?

If we didn’t intervene, though, it was bound to cause major problems someday.

In the novel, the situation had become dire enough to displace Gnome refugees. Even putting aside the societal chaos, the sheer number of casualties made it impossible to ignore.

And above all, this would eventually escalate into a catastrophic event for Earth itself.

“If we could just get on the lake and dump sand into it, we could manage something.”

“But any electronic or magical device will malfunction, so you’d have to row a wooden boat to get there.”

“I know…”

For now, I kept purifying the sand little by little. Even if we didn’t pour it into the lake immediately, having purified sand ready could still prove useful later.

“Ugh.”

Ria let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, clearly meant for me to notice.

“At this rate, you’ll just collapse when we really need you to fight.”

“Have some faith in me.”

When I said that, Ria stared at me intently. I stuck my tongue out at her slightly.

For some reason, Ria turned away, her face reddening.

Hmm. It seems this face of mine is still useful, after all.

I thought it had lost its charm entirely after that awkward dancing incident.

*

Though Ria insisted it was too dangerous, my idea was eventually conveyed.

“If that’s the case, this maiden can handle it,” Gloria said with a smile.

“It’s simple. We just need to create a thick sheet of ice over the lake,” Gloria explained. “Not the whole lake, and it doesn’t even need to be permanent. Just enough to let us toss in the sandbags.”

“That would work, but... are you sure it’s okay? Devices using electromagnetism or magic will all fail in the face of that much concentrated magic,” I pointed out.

“Heh.”

Gloria tilted her chin upward with confidence.

“It doesn’t matter. The most effective countermeasure against magic is something alive. How could I call myself the kingdom’s greatest mage if I couldn’t handle even that?”

The kingdom’s greatest mage, perhaps, but she’d been powerless against poison.

Well, that explained why poison had been the go-to method to take her out in the first place.

As Gloria spoke, a scoff came from nearby.

“You think one person can handle this?”

The one who spoke, wearing an expression strikingly similar to Gloria’s as she raised her chin, was Han Yu-ri.

Determined not to lose to Gloria, Han Yu-ri promptly volunteered to join the plan. In truth, she’d already been following Gloria closely before the plan was even suggested.

Was she trying to impress Lee Si-yoon?

Unfortunately, Lee Si-yoon wasn’t present here to see it.

Even though her rank was relatively low for now, Han Yu-ri was already well-known as a genius. Starting as a 6th-rank Hunter—skipping the usual progression entirely—was impressive in itself.

“I’ll help too. Freezing things is one of my specialties.”

Although creating something akin to an air conditioner through magic would waste too much magic, I trusted her abilities.

With a few senior Hunters and knights joining us for protection, the number of people who could support Gloria and Han Yu-ri’s magic grew.

On the surface, the plan seemed promising. Create a giant bridge of ice across the lake, walk onto it with sandbags, and toss them in.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t go so smoothly.

“...Magic can also give birth to monsters,” I said.

“We’ve only been purifying the outskirts for now, so it’s no surprise there’s been little reaction. But if we reach the lake’s center, who knows what might happen?”

The magical core in the lake had looked like a giant beast’s eyeball. Judging by how it immediately attacked Ria and me upon detecting us, it probably had some level of intelligence.

I didn’t know exactly what the core was, but I knew it wouldn’t be safe.

“Are you sure this is okay? It could be dangerous,” I asked again.

“You seem to think it’s fine for yourself, though,” Ria retorted, raising an eyebrow at me.

“Do you really believe it’s safe for you to head to the middle of that lake? You’d be in just as much danger.”

Since the center of the lake was the focal point, it was logical and rational for someone blessed by the divine to accompany the group as a precaution.

But logic didn’t always align with human emotions.

To Ria, friends were precious. Even the heroines she’d initially butted heads with eventually became people she felt compelled to protect.

This was especially true for the saintess. Despite their frequent fights, Ria would lose all reason if the saintess’s safety was jeopardized.

...The saintess had felt the same way, of course.

Then again, since this was a web novel, maybe it had ended with a harem ending. All the heroines making peace and marrying Lee Si-yoon—

...

Ugh.

I wouldn’t be part of that scenario, but the thought of Ria being in the middle of it still annoyed me. I quickly stopped that train of thought.

R-right?

After all, the childhood friend is always the true heroine. Who needs the others, anyway?

"Anna."

When I didn’t respond, Ria called my name again, almost urging me.

"...It’s not fine, to be honest. Emotionally speaking, I really don’t want to do it," I admitted.

"And yet?"

"And yet, it’s something only I can do. If left alone, it might cause serious problems later."

It wasn’t just that it might cause problems; it would. That was the real issue.

Ria looked at me silently for a moment, then let out a small sigh and nodded.

And just like that, the operation was decided.

"I have a question for you," Gloria said as the others left the tent after a short meeting. She turned to me, her expression curious.

"You saved those gob... no, goblins last time."

Ah.

She was dredging up a memory I’d rather forget.

Were they still treating me like a goddess over there? Ugh, better not ask. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss.

"And now, you’re trying to save the gnomes," she continued. "Even though they neither begged for your help nor showed any special reverence toward you. They even refused your suggestion to use the holy relic, claiming it would be too troublesome. So, why are you so intent on saving them?"

"Intent on saving them," huh.

I didn’t see it that way. If anything, I was more focused on addressing a root cause now before it snowballed into a bigger issue later.

Sure, it could end up saving many lives, but who could say how things would unfold in this world?

For all I knew, Lee Si-yoon could suddenly awaken to his hidden potential and take care of everything himself. Or the higher being could find someone better suited than me—an ideal saintess who could save the world effortlessly.

But all of that was uncertain, unwritten.

If you see a rock on the road, you don’t leave it there just because no one’s tripped over it yet.

I saw the problem, so I would deal with it.

The radiant presence of that higher being lingered as if it had something to say, but I waved it off dismissively before turning back to Gloria.

"It’s the same reason I helped you, Gloria," I said.

"People in danger, who couldn’t resolve the threat on their own, asked for my help. So I helped them."

"...I see."

Gloria paused for a moment, lost in thought, then nodded.

"That’s all there is to it," I confirmed.

If I didn’t have the power, I probably wouldn’t even think of trying to help. If someone was pinned under a bus or hanging precariously from a ledge, I wouldn’t be able to save them.

But if it didn’t require much effort to help, I wanted to do it.

And if that help could save the world, all the better.

I glanced at Ria. She blinked, seemingly puzzled by my sudden attention.

...Originally, I’d just wanted to quit everything and live a comfortable life. But now, I had a goal.

After all, you can’t live your life taking only what you want, can you?