No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 100
EP.100 Stubbornness and Arrogance (12)
At least we had three whole days. With hundreds of thousands of people living in the Dwarven Kingdom, things would’ve been far worse if this were happening within a few hours. But with a few days to work with, we could at least manage an evacuation.
The Dwarven Kingdom’s territory was limited. There were no vast plains like in other nations, nor any deep forests where people could vanish without a trace.
What we did have were caves—narrow crevices just big enough for a person to slip through, or tunnels so deep you’d never find your way back out. But no one in their right mind would try hiding in a place like that. And most importantly—the Dwarven Kingdom was still a kingdom. Which meant it had nobility.
In most kingdoms, nobles managed their own fiefs, and the people living there were practically their property. Dwarves had a more… direct approach, though. Push them too far, and you might find a pickaxe embedded in your skull. Even so, life under a noble here wasn’t much different from being stuck in a job you could never quit.
Since expanding a fief always required manpower, nobles kept meticulous records of their people. The lists weren’t perfect, of course, but they were better than nothing.
“Their lands may be called fiefs, but they can’t be too far apart geographically,” the princess explained when I mentioned how surprisingly obedient the nobles seemed to the king. “And when it comes to magic, no noble can compare to the royal family.”
Rebellions here never lasted long—they were always crushed before they could gain momentum. And with the war still ongoing, even the expansion-focused nobles knew better than to ignore the current situation. Which meant they were keeping a close eye on me, too.
“I told you before,” the princess said. “If anyone can bring this to a proper conclusion, it’s you, Sister.”
“……”
“And since you’re so devoutly religious, you don’t even expect a reward. Nobles love free labor.”
That was… a little overwhelming to hear, to be honest.
What was this country starting to think of me?
I had even met the king in person. We hadn’t spoken much—he just listened to my explanation, then gave a weary nod.
His fingertips had darkened slightly.
There were too many people around for me to offer ‘healing,’ so I let it go for now.
We had finished setting up our defenses as well. The knights had been mobilized to protect the citizens, while in this chamber, only the protagonist’s party, Ria, the princess, and I remained.
All our efforts over the past three days hadn’t been completely in vain—we had at least managed to establish a formation to shield the people. After all, their only real target was the princess.
“……”
Inside the royal palace, in the princess’s chamber, everyone wore tense expressions.
Well—almost everyone.
If there was one exception, it was Gloria.
“Hey, Anna,” she whispered.
“Yes?” I answered just as quietly.
“The princess… she’s supposed to have the highest magical power in the entire kingdom, right? That’s what people say. And I definitely got that impression last time.”
“……”
“But now, she seems…”
“She had things she needed to do,” I replied with a slight shrug.
Yeah. Things she had to do. At the very least, she was someone willing to give up something for what she wanted.
Or maybe…
Maybe she’d simply been carrying too much weight on her shoulders all along.
*
The attack came suddenly. Even knowing what was about to happen, it still felt abrupt. No wonder they hadn’t been able to react properly in the original story.
Black liquid—thick, viscous magic itself—began seeping down the walls, trickling in through the gaps between the ceiling tiles as if it were water.
Drip. Drip.
That level of magic was easy enough for me to purify with my divine power. In fact, I had already cleansed this entire area once before, so just entering this space was enough to weaken it. But that didn’t mean our enemy would give up so easily.
Realizing it couldn’t break through the ceiling, the magic soon stopped.
“...Si-yoon.”
At my call, Si-yoon gave a firm nod and drew his sword. It was an ordinary hunter’s blade, but unlike others, this one glowed. After all, wasn’t he the protagonist, the one who had awakened his power? Perhaps even that being above had taken an interest in him. Following Si-yoon’s lead, the others also unsheathed their weapons and turned toward the door.
“……”
How would they use the magic sphere?
Collapsing the entire place was out of the question—if they could do that, they would’ve done it already. That left a second option: shaping the magic into something and sending it through the entrance.
To them, I was the highest-priority target. If they wanted to overpower my purification, they’d have to unleash a concentrated burst of magic all at once. With both me and the princess in one place, we were an irresistible lure. If they managed to take down everyone in this room, their victory would be assured.
The path to this chamber had been left completely open, ensuring they could reach us without obstruction. In other words, I had deliberately created a bait room, filled with the most crucial figures.
Was that the right call?
The thought gnawed at me. Even if it was for the greater good, was it truly right to place my friends in such danger, to keep them by my side in a situation like this?
“……”
Light.
The same light that had remained by my side ever since I prayed before battle now rested gently on my face.
…As much as I hated to admit it—that being above clearly cared for me. It never told me whether I was doing the right thing. It never dictated my choices. But it always gave me the strength to believe in myself. As if to say that concepts like right and wrong weren’t something to be handed down, but something one had to decide for oneself.
I didn’t fully understand, but—
Boom.
“They’re here,” Ria murmured.
Something struck the princess’s chamber door.
“Everyone, you remember what I told you,” I said.
“Yeah,” Ria replied. “Even if your vision goes dark, stay close to the light.”
Then—
A gust of air.
The candlelight in the room flickered out. It wasn’t the only light source, but in a place where not even a sliver of sunlight could reach, every source of light mattered.
There were other magical lights burning, and each of us carried a personal light source. The holy radiance emanating from me, Ria, and Si-yoon also shone steadily.
Even so, the slight dimming of the room made everyone tense.
“Princess, stay close to me.”
“…I’m counting on you.”
At my words, the princess shifted closer.
I knelt on the floor.
And then—
Bang!
The door shuddered violently before it exploded inward.
Si-yoon shot forward.
His glowing sword cut through the encroaching darkness, his figure radiating with light—like a warrior straight out of legend.
Yu-ri and Gloria unleashed waves of blue magic, burning away the invading force. The scene unfolding before me was something straight out of a fantasy epic. And standing protectively in front of me—was a knight.
Ria didn’t turn to look at me. She didn’t need to. We both knew—we didn’t need to see each other to trust each other.
I pressed my hands together. Then, I closed my eyes.
Alright. Time to do my part.
*
In the original story, I had read that there were enemies who targeted the Saintess. And I knew how the Saintess had found them.
Divine power, at a glance, appears to be nothing more than light. But that’s only because that’s how human eyes perceive it. In truth, it isn’t light at all. People think it’s light because they only ever see it in its raw, uncontrolled form.
So, what I needed to do—
Was simply focus, and let my enemy guide me straight to them.
—This way…
A voice.
Or perhaps a whisper in my mind.
One thing was certain—it was the same voice that had guided me before. I knew it instinctively.
Slowly, I followed its presence.
Ahead of me, there was only darkness. A void so deep that even my light couldn’t fully pierce through it.
And yet, I walked forward.
My body shone with a white glow, and with each step I took on the stone floor, the darkness receded—bit by bit.
Silence. Not a single sound could be heard.
"Yeah. Of course, that wouldn’t be possible."
At my thought, the entity answered.
“……”
I stopped walking.
Beyond the darkness, something was lurking. Watching me.
“They will all die.”
It spoke.
“Everything beyond the reach of your power… will perish.”
“You talk as if you are death itself.”
I replied calmly.
To be honest, I was a little afraid. Ria had always been by my side. She probably was now, too—whether I was unconscious or in some other kind of trance.
This body wasn’t my real one. It was nothing more than a vessel of divine power, a projection of my divine power. It wasn’t entirely without substance, but if I lost consciousness, I could simply return.
I wanted to return.
But I couldn’t.
If I turned back now, it would kill us all.
And even if someone did survive—I'd be the only one left.
“…Ah, death.”
The entity’s voice held a strange reverence.
“Yes… that would be fitting. To transcend death—that is our goal. And once we achieve it, perhaps we shall become death itself. Or perhaps, something even greater—an existence beyond even death’s meaning.”
“……”
Yeah… I think I’ve heard enough.
“Your power.”
Its voice was heavy.
Beyond the darkness, a pair of yellow eyes glowed. Beastlike. They gazed down at me from high above.
“Do you believe it to be the power of a god?”
“…That’s a complicated question.”
I smiled slightly.
Strangely enough, hearing that made my nerves settle.
I’d heard this argument before—more times than I could count. And I already had a pretty good idea of what came next.
“Does the light comfort you? Is that why you follow its power?”
It continued.
“There is no inherent good or evil in power—”
“Hah.”
I laughed.
“Seriously? That cliché?”
“……”
“Let me guess. You’re going to say that there’s no such thing as right or wrong. That maybe I’m the one in the wrong. That maybe wiping out monsters with my divine power is actually some kind of genocide.”
The beastlike eyes remained fixed on me.
There was no discernible emotion in them.
“But here’s the thing.”
I met its gaze head-on.
“I do what I want to do.”
Because in the end—
I had no religion. No god to serve.
No divine will to bind me.
No one would blame me for denying my own beliefs if it meant saving a dying person.
After all, my beliefs were mine alone.
I could claim there was no god one day and then insist there was the next—it was entirely up to me.
But even within that contradiction, I had my own stubbornness.
And that stubbornness came down to one thing.
Even if, one day, someone pointed out every single hypocritical thing I had ever done—
There would still be one truth I could stand by.
“I helped someone.”
That was it.
My greatest sin was refusing to follow someone else’s doctrine.
My only crime was never believing in a god—was turning my back on faith, over and over again.
My thoughts were my own. Whether I changed them or not was my decision alone.
What was so wrong about that?
I had only ever lived for others.
And when the time came for me to stand before judgment, that was all I would say.
“Let’s make one thing clear.”
I raised my hand toward those glowing eyes.
“I don’t believe in god.”
Yeah. Now that I was here, I finally understood.
Why they had put me in this position.
“I only do my best to save the people I care about. And while I’m at it—everyone else around them. And if I have time, then the rest of the world too.”
“…In that case, your purpose today is misguided.”
It spoke as it retreated, its darkness fading against my light.
“Do you believe this is reality? What we are capable of here—”
“Oh, come on. You think I wouldn’t know?”
I cut in with a smirk.
“I’ve heard all about how high the dwarven palace ceiling is. Seen it for myself, actually.”
I locked eyes with it, grinning.
“You got a little too arrogant, didn’t you? Grew yourself a bit too big. You’re standing at a height that’s physically impossible inside the dwarven palace. If you were just a pair of floating eyes, maybe you could’ve passed it off, but with that whole head of yours? You would've smacked your skull against the ceiling so hard your brains would be dripping down the walls.”
And another thing—
Don’t underestimate me.
I read the original story. I know how magic works.
Controlling people with magic is possible—if you can control every breath they take.
Or, more precisely—
You can pull someone into a mental world. Just like how I once communicated directly with that being.
“…Then wouldn’t your choice be just as mistaken?”
It asked.
“Getting flustered?”
I laughed.
“Fine. I’ll answer your question.”
I met its gaze head-on.
“It can’t be wrong. The voice that brought me here—the one I’ve always followed—was the same voice. How do you think I got here?”
…Though, I might be pushing my body a little too hard.
But I could hear them.
Not everyone—but someone.
The sound of people straining against this force.
I didn’t know if any of them were voices I recognized.
But at least some of them…
Had already been pulled into the same mental world as me.
Then, even here, there was only one thing for me to do.
I dropped to my knees.
And brought my hands together.
“What the—”
“I am a saintess, aren’t I?”
I said with a small smile.
“I don’t believe in god. But I do know something exists up there.”
A being that takes pity on humanity.
And that’s why, even someone like me—who refuses to believe in myself, who spends every day doubting and mocking that existence—was sent here.
Because they could see the future. And they must have decided that placing me here was the best possible move.
Now, I was starting to understand. Just a little.
“That’s why… at the very least, he will lend me his power.”
Light rained down from above.
Just as I thought—there was no ceiling.
The swirling black clouds scattered, revealing a sky brimming with stars.
Starlight wasn’t as bright as the sun. Maybe even a god had limits when reaching into a world created by another.
But even so—
There was light.
And that was enough for me.
“W-What the—!?”
Oh, one who dwells above—
I don’t know how to pray. I have no intention of learning, either.
But I do know how to ask someone for a favor.
Please, help me.
This is a problem that cannot be solved without you.
And if the price is for me to serve you—then from this day forward, I am your disciple.
As long as that is payment enough.
— That won’t be necessary.
A voice answered.
And I smiled.