No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 82
EP.82 The Saintess and the Knight (6)
What followed was… well, predictable.
They commended me for my contributions in the Gnome region, discussed the benefits the church had gained, and, most notably, highlighted the newfound ability to store divine power.
Apparently, when I purified that lake, I poured in way too much divine power. Now, the lake itself had become somewhat sacred. It wasn’t on the same level as the gem in my ring, but it was still potent enough to serve as a vessel for storing divine power—something that regular clergy members could use.
“……”
I sat there silently, listening.
There was no way the Cardinal had come all the way here just for that. No, this conversation was heading toward something much bigger—something I absolutely did not want to hear.
“Sister Anna,” the Cardinal called my name in a surprisingly gentle tone.
“…Yes, Your Eminence?”
“Do you still have no thoughts about taking the position of Saintess?”
I pressed my lips together.
Seeing my silence, the Cardinal nodded as if he expected my answer.
But that didn’t mean he was ready to give up on persuading me.
“This time, many members of the church bore witness to your actions. While there were no envoys from the Vatican present, the fact that members of other races saw it… That’s quite significant.”
“Uh, I…”
“Oh, don’t worry. This doesn’t mean you’ll be designated as the Saintess immediately. Since there was a government official involved in this expedition, the Advocate wasn’t present. At the very least, she hasn’t seen your power firsthand.”
Divine power doesn’t show up on camera. It can only be seen with the naked eye, which is precisely why it’s considered sacred.
I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried that the Advocate hadn’t witnessed it herself. But at least, for now, nothing was finalized.
“Still, we must follow protocol. Reports will be submitted, and the Vatican may even send an official delegation to evaluate the situation.”
“……”
I guess that was inevitable.
“Your Eminence.”
As I sat there, unable to form a proper response, Ria suddenly spoke up. Her voice was respectful, yet firm.
“Sister Maria.”
“May I offer a suggestion?”
The Cardinal widened his eyes slightly, as if intrigued, before nodding.
“The church’s criteria for defining a Saintess remain ambiguous, do they not?”
“That is true. Unlike the elected position of Pope, a Saintess is simply someone chosen by God.”
“Then wouldn’t it be best to establish a clear and precise standard first?”
“Hmm… That is a valid point.”
But there was no way this discussion hadn’t come up within the church before.
Some had even outright opposed the idea of appointing Saints altogether.
Unlike the Pope, who is chosen by people, a Saintess is supposed to be appointed by God.
If a Saintess truly had no interest in power, then fine. But if they ever decided to engage in politics, it could tear the church apart.
In the worst-case scenario, the Saintess could even establish an entirely new denomination and break away. If that happened, the ones left behind would face a serious crisis. After all, they would have been abandoned by the very person they themselves had declared to be “chosen by God.”
The church’s entire existence is held together by legitimacy. Without it, this fragile institution—one with barely any real history—would crumble in an instant.
“…However, the current Saintess candidate, Anna, firmly believes that God does not exist.”
The Cardinal’s gaze flickered toward me for a brief moment.
“The one who most naturally receives divine power says such things… and her words differ quite a bit from the doctrine the church has taught thus far.”
He remained silent, listening intently to Ria.
“What if,” Ria continued, “the church’s teachings have been limiting divine power all this time? What if those teachings have actually hindered people from receiving it?”
“You mean to suggest that by embracing Sister Anna’s perspective, other clergy members could potentially wield divine power as she does?”
I blinked.
Wait… could it really work like that?
Regardless of my own doubts, the Cardinal seemed deep in thought.
“……”
Poke.
While I was lost in thought, Ria nudged me with her elbow.
When I turned to look at her, she whispered, “Try praying.”
“…Huh?”
“That light that always shines on your face whenever you use divine power. Show it to them.”
I mean… that’s not my doing, though?
And besides, in this situation—
But before I could protest, a soft glow descended upon my face.
…Of course. Always so cooperative. No matter how irreverently I act, it still responds every time.
The Cardinal’s expression shifted—his eyes widening slightly, as if an exclamation mark had popped up over his head.
And then, right in front of him, Ria confidently waved her hand through the light surrounding my face.
In an instant, the glow dissipated into nothing but wisps of smoke.
The knights who had been traveling with us barely reacted—they had already witnessed this phenomenon before.
But for those seeing it for the first time, it was a shocking sight.
Until now, they had believed that only I could interact with divine power like this. But now, they had just watched Ria physically touch it.
“After spending so much time by Anna’s side, I can now manipulate divine power as well,” Ria stated matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that a possibility worth considering?”
“……”
The Cardinal’s expression shifted slightly.
I was certain this wasn’t the first time the church had discussed such a theory. The clergy spent their entire lives debating religious matters, after all. But this was probably the first time they had actually seen proof of it.
“Would the two of you be willing to discuss this further at a later time?” the Cardinal asked.
Ria and I exchanged glances before nodding.
“Of course.”
“…I’ve kept you here for too long when you’ve only just returned from your journey. Please take the time to rest—both in body and mind. The matter Sister Maria raised is an important one, and it will take some time to be properly considered.”
“Thank you.”
Ria gave a slight bow in response.
And with that, we were finally able to leave.
*
As we stepped into the hallway and made our way back to our room, Ria seemed lost in deep thought, her expression unusually serious.
Unlike her, I was actually in a pretty good mood.
We weren’t completely off the hook, but thanks to Ria, we had created some wiggle room. And more importantly, we had bought ourselves time.
“Ria.”
“……”
“Ria?”
Even after calling her name twice, she remained deep in thought, her hand resting on her chin.
Then, without breaking her serious expression, she finally looked at me.
“Anna.”
“…Yeah?”
Her tone made me tense up a little. Was she worried about something? Did she notice something that I hadn’t—something only the daughter of a hero would recognize?
I waited, slightly nervous, expecting something profound.
Then, still completely serious, Ria asked:
“You don’t have a swimsuit, do you?”
“……”
I stopped walking.
And then, staring at her, I started thinking really, really hard.
Usually, when I stared at Ria like this, she’d be the first to look away. But this time, she didn’t budge.
“…Why?” I asked cautiously. “Are we going swimming? Are we going to dive into that lake or something?”
I mean, I can’t swim.
Of course, if Ria was teaching me, I’d try to learn… but I wasn’t sure how fast I’d pick it up. And if we were actually diving underwater, wouldn’t we need wetsuits or something instead?
But Ria crushed my overthinking in one swift sentence.
“It’s June now.”
“……”
“It’s summer.”
“…Wait.”
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, right?”
“I—I remember, but hold on.”
I held up my hand, signaling her to pause.
“Isn’t June way too early? It’s only just starting to get warm—”
“If you want to learn how to swim, we need to start early. You never know what might happen in the ocean.”
“…The ocean is just the ocean, though? Even if I’m bad at swimming, I can just float on a tube. And I can just wear this instead of a swimsuit, right?”
I’d never really worn a proper swimsuit at the beach. I’d always just jumped into the water in whatever I was wearing.
At my words, Ria gave me a knowing look and smirked.
“You’ve never been to the ocean, have you?”
Ria let out an exaggerated sigh and spoke as if explaining something painfully obvious.
“Anna, listen carefully.”
“……”
“The ocean covers 70% of Earth’s surface.”
“…Okay, and?”
“If a Gate were to appear, do you think it’s more likely to form on land or in the ocean?”
“…Oh.”
“Exactly. And this isn’t just Earth—we’ve seen the same pattern on other planets too. Naturally, Earth’s marine ecosystem has drastically changed since Gates started opening in the ocean.”
“…Are you saying monsters could come out of the sea?”
“There’s no guarantee that they won’t.”
I stood there, mouth slightly open, trying to process that. And then I said what seemed like the most logical response.
“Then… wouldn’t it just be better to not go to the ocean?”
“It’s summer.”
That one sentence shut down all of my reasoning.
“…Huh?”
“We have to go to the beach.”
“……”
I mean… I get what she’s saying, but…
“So,” Ria continued, “we’re going out tomorrow. To buy swimsuits.”
“…You’re seriously using my authority as a Saintess candidate for personal shopping now?”
“This isn’t personal. As a knight, I’m simply teaching a potential Saintess survival skills.”
Once again, I had no comeback.
She made sense, but it was also completely ridiculous.
…Well, whatever.
If we’re shopping for swimsuits, it’s not like I’m the only one who’ll be wearing one.
Ria gets embarrassed way more easily than I do.
Feeling just a tiny bit smug, I followed her back to our room.