No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 77

EP.77 The Saintess and the Knight (1)

Though I am connected to the existence high above, I didn’t come to realize everything at once.

The conversation wasn’t a long one, like talking to another person.

For the most part, it was just instinctively picking up things while I was watching that light.

For example, things about this body.

This body, or rather, I—am connected to that existence up there.

This is not a metaphor; I mean it literally. Normally, a person is born from another person. Even if one doesn’t know their parents, they can’t exist without them. Whether conceived naturally or through methods like artificial insemination, there must be someone who passes on their genes.

Even if someone is abandoned by their parents or they die in an accident, if you trace things back, you would know who is above them. But not me.

When I recall my earliest memories in this world, I realize I appeared here without warning.

I am literally a conduit connecting to the existence beyond. What this world’s people call ‘God,’ the one they worship, sent me to this world for some reason.

And perhaps, that was my choice.

I’m still not sure. I’m not even sure that I am this conduit as I think I am. But that’s one possibility I can consider.

“……”

Hmm.

I stare at the ceiling, organizing my thoughts, then slowly get up from my seat.

The room I’m in is no different from the one before. It’s the room provided by the Gnome government.

…But the way they treat me here has changed a little.

The strongest feeling I get is ‘bewilderment.’

Why? Why did I risk my life to solve the Gnomes’ problems? On the surface, it seems like I fixed a problem that wasn’t immediately dangerous.

I definitely helped the Gnomes a lot. During the process of the monster turning into sand and collapsing, a large sand island appeared in the middle of the oasis. But over time, that sand will likely return to its original place, and even considering that, the area isn’t large enough to be a significant problem.

The Gnomes, who used to rely almost entirely on underground water sources, now have a new supply of water from outside. And, in the current situation where the population was at full capacity, they now have the means to live outside again.

But then, what’s the cost for all of this?

I’m fine, but the church won’t sit idly by, nor will the government. In fact, the Gnomes probably didn’t expect me to do all this for them.

“I’ve been swindled, haven’t I?”

Or maybe it’s more like coercion?

For me, the goal was to prevent future problems in advance, but political matters are something the higher-ups will handle.

“……”

Normally, when I say something like this, Ria would usually interrupt, but right now, she hasn’t said a word.

I turn to the side and lie down, looking at Ria.

Ria is lying facing the wall, not me. Her shoulder is moving in a regular rhythm, but whether she’s sleeping or not, I can’t tell.

…It seems I showed something embarrassing in front of Ria. Considering Ria’s personality, seeing me in that state must have been a huge shock for her.

I thought we had gotten pretty close, maybe even to the point of calling each other friends.

Depending on the person, the concept of ‘friend’ can vary. For some, a ‘friend’ is simply a ‘friend,’ and they don’t differentiate how close they are. On the other hand, there are people who add layers to the idea of friendship, distinguishing just how close they are under that term.

The former is rare. And as I know Ria, she takes a while to consider someone a ‘friend,’ but once she does, she fits into the first category.

“……Ria.”

I cautiously called out to Ria. Her back didn’t move at all.

“Are you sleeping?”

Once again, there was no response.

I had no memory of how the situation unfolded. I had lost consciousness for a brief moment, and everything after that was a blur.

Could my wounds have healed on their own? Was I able to survive, with all my blood drained from my body, simply because my wounds closed before I died?

Or was it because of the chocolate Ria gave me that I managed to live?

“I’ll have to make more chocolate.”

Well, no matter what, the reason I recovered so quickly was certainly thanks to the divine power I had stored away. Whether I could have survived or not doesn’t matter, but I definitely healed faster than usual.

At my words, Ria’s shoulder finally twitched. From the slight reaction, it seemed like Ria was embarrassed about the situation.

Was she embarrassed to hear that I was saved by her?

“…Aha.”

Actually, that wasn’t it.

Ria seemed to have been terrified that I might die. So, in her panic, she forced chocolate into my mouth and hugged me, crying.

That’s the key part.

Ria was crying. At least, it was the first time I had ever seen Ria cry, even including all the stories from the novel.

Naturally, she’d be embarrassed.

“Ria, actually, at that time—”

“…Hey.”

But I couldn’t tease her about it any further. The tone of Ria’s voice when she called me was, well… it sounded like a warning.

“……”

Ria, who had started to speak as if she was going to warn me, suddenly paused.

Was she about to say something like “If you keep talking, I won’t let it slide”?

She was silent for a while before finally speaking again.

“How much do you remember?”

Her voice bounced off the wall in front of her before coming toward me.

“How much?”

“I mean, back then.”

“Hmm.”

How much did I remember exactly? Well…

I had pushed Ria aside, knocking her down, and I had been pierced by the attack, with my abdomen punctured in several places. Honestly, if the angle had been just a little off, my heart would’ve been pierced instead, so it wasn’t exactly that low. Thinking back on it now gives me chills.

And then—

Everything started to collapse.

The sandbags I threw in were just sand, but each one had been properly consecrated as a sacred item.

Given the chaos, the bags must have burst, and naturally, the small sacred items would have scattered throughout the lake, mixing with the water and doing their work.

It probably flowed all the way into the water source of the oasis.

Moreover, a lot of magical energy must have been used to create the magical circle. Since I had purified the core of it, there was no longer any "focal point" left, except for the final desperate attack that came toward me.

So—everything else collapsed. The body of the monster we had been in slowly disintegrated and sank, leaving behind a shallow sandbar, and the water in the lake gradually turned clearer.

I had lost consciousness and then woken up. There was chocolate in my mouth, and my body had healed.

“Here we are.”

“…Really?”

At my response, Ria let out a small sigh of relief, though her expression was still hidden from me.

“Why?”

At my question, Ria flinched and froze.

……

Ah, this was my fault.

From Ria's perspective, that must have been a traumatic scene. After all, she had lost someone precious to her before.

I realized that I had been careless.

“…I’m sorry.”

I spoke carefully, addressing Ria’s back.

“Sorry? For what?”

Ria asked in a slightly angry voice.

“I—well…”

But I didn’t know exactly how to apologize. After all, I had saved Ria, but if that was wrong, then the only alternative would have been to leave her to die.

It was the best I could do in that brief moment. If I had pulled her back or pushed her to the side, it would have only created an opening for the attack to hit her.

“…I’m sorry.”

In the end, I apologized again.

Ria suddenly sat up straight from where she had been lying. At that, my shoulders involuntarily jerked.

It seemed like she was trying to sit and talk, so I was about to get up too—

But then, I heard the sound of fabric fluttering, and before I knew it, my vision was covered in red.

It was Ria’s hair.

“….”

I stood there, momentarily stunned, before cautiously speaking toward her.

“Hey, Ria, I know you’re angry, but… could you maybe not do it like this?”

Although Ria wasn’t actually sitting on top of me, she was looking directly down at my face while I lay there.

Her short hair didn’t touch my face, but…

It was dark, since it was night.

However, thanks to the moonlight streaming in through the window, I could clearly see Ria’s expression.

Ria looked as if she were about to cry.

“Hey.”

“…Yes, yes?”

“What do you think I am?”

“…Ria, of course.”

“No, not that.”

“……”

I thought I understood what Ria was trying to say.

“…A knight. My knight.”

“What do you think a knight’s job is?”

“…To protect me.”

“Right.”

Ria looked directly at me as she spoke.

“That’s right. When it looks like you’re going to die, my job is to die in your place. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“……”

I couldn’t agree with that.

“That’s not going to happen.”

“What?”

At my response, Ria’s eyebrows shot up.

She looked like she was about to get angry, but I decided I needed to make one thing clear.

“A knight isn’t meant to die.”

I looked directly at Ria.

“Protecting me isn’t about dying. If you die, who will protect me next?”

No, even more than that—

We’ve only known each other for a few months, haven’t we? What kind of nonsense is it to say you’d die for me? There has to be a limit to professionalism.

“…So, you’ll just get another knight then?”

“Right now, you’re the only knight I have, Ria.”

“……”

At my words, Ria lost her retort.

Even if she called me stubborn, I had to say it.

“The reason I accepted you as my knight is because I trust you. Have you ever seen me trust anyone else the way I trust you?”

“…I haven’t.”

“See?”

I stood up, and Ria hastily backed away. What’s this? She went from looking like she was about to charge at me to suddenly becoming hesitant?

“Let’s have a serious conversation about this.”

I suggested.