No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 90
EP.90 Stubbornness and Arrogance (2)
A rare day off from training.
The church turned a blind eye to us wandering outside from time to time, perhaps because I was a strong candidate for Saintess and because Ria and I were undergoing rigorous practical training. But that didn’t mean they let us do as we pleased. When we weren’t doing anything else, we naturally participated in church work. If there was an event, we helped run it. On regular days, we took care of chores like cleaning.
The church felt especially quiet at times like this. It was bustling during prayer hours, but the convent wasn’t usually such a lively place. When I held a broom, the only sound was the soft swish swish of bristles sweeping across the floor.
It was a weekend without any Hunter Association classes. Ria and I were cleaning the convent’s backyard with our brooms. Of course, it wasn’t just the two of us. Other nuns were cleaning as well, and among them, there were two who weren’t nuns.
Gloria was also staying at the church. Though not a nun herself, she still wore a habit and a veil inside. Maybe she had picked up some bad habits from us because, like Ria and me, she just draped the veil over her head carelessly.
Beside her was the servant who had accompanied her. She, too, was dressed in a nun’s habit, but unlike Gloria, she wore her veil properly. All of her hair was tucked neatly under a white coif, with the black fabric draping over it, concealing her long hair completely.
I wondered if elves had similar customs. Well, their country had a religion similar to ours—one that worshiped the beings above, just as gnomes and dwarves did.
Though there were a lot of people sweeping, no one was really talking. If anyone spoke, their voice would carry to everyone else.
"Ah, by the way…"
That’s why I thought now was the perfect time. It was early July—just the right moment. Especially when considering the events of the original story.
"Hmm?"
No one else reacted much, but Ria, who had been moving her arms in a mechanical daze, immediately perked up.
The way she looked like she didn’t care as long as there was something to pass the time made me chuckle a little.
"It’s about time the Dwarf Kingdom’s princess gets kidnapped."
Swish swish.
The sound of sweeping stopped abruptly.
"……."
All eyes turned to me.
"…Wait, what?"
Ria blinked, as if questioning her own ears.
"I said, the princess of the Dwarf Kingdom is going to be kidnapped."
At least, that’s what happened in the novel.
Because of it, the relationship between the gnomes and dwarves took a nosedive, nearly escalating into war.
A real armed conflict did break out, and there were heavy casualties.
And amidst all of that, the magic sphere crisis erupted, leading to the total destruction of the gnomes' homeland. With nowhere else to go, they were forced to migrate as refugees to this country.
The reason I used the term ‘gnomes’ is because the number of survivors from the dwarf side was not properly estimated. The fact that it was ‘not estimated’ is also an indirect expression, and in reality, the dwarves in that area were simply wiped out.
Just as gnomes dig tunnels into rocky mountains to escape the scorching sun, the highland dwarves dig into the mountains to shield themselves from the cold.
But the disaster that struck that region didn’t just bury their nation in rubble—it drowned it in raw, overflowing magic, wiping out an entire civilization.
The only survivors were the few dwarves who had happened to be outside their homeland at the time. And even they were mostly male politicians, far too few to sustain the race.
In essence, the Dwarf Kingdom had fallen.
…And later, those dwarves who had been corrupted by magic would rise again as undead, invading from beyond the gates.
"Hmm, she hasn’t been kidnapped already, has she? I haven’t heard anything about it."
"If that had happened, we would've heard the news by now, obviously."
Ria said, her expression serious.
"That’s a relief. At least it means we still have time to take action before the princess is kidnapped."
Just as the contaminated lake in the gnome region had eventually swallowed their land, the abduction of the dwarf princess must have been a key trigger for that disaster. The undead dwarves had only stopped moving after the core of it all—the place where the kidnapped princess had been—was destroyed.
The Saintess’s divine power had shattered the magic stone, which had fused with the princess—or, rather, had been created using her while she was still alive. It was only then that the undead, who had been relentlessly reassembling themselves even when torn apart, finally ceased their movement.
That… that was a tragedy, wasn’t it?
We had to stop it before it happened. At least this time, the prior purification of the gnome region would make things significantly easier.
"……."
Ria lifted her head and gazed up at the sky.
The weather in early July still looked endlessly clear. The monsoon season had yet to arrive.
"Was that… a prophecy?"
"Yes."
Still staring at the scorching sun above, Ria slowly lowered her gaze back to me.
Then, she muttered, almost as if talking to herself:
"Wait…"
And then, her voice rose.
"Wait—if you're going to make a prophecy, can you at least set the mood first?! Don’t just blurt it out like small talk!"
Gloria and her maid stood frozen, mouths slightly agape, staring at us in shock.
The sunlight poured down, piercing through the air. It was as if the divine radiance of the higher being above was enveloping us. As if it was affirming my words.
The nuns around us hurriedly scattered, almost as if fleeing. And Ria, still fuming, waved her hand in front of my face to dispel the holy light.
…Hmm.
Had I brought it up too suddenly?
*
I had my reasons for deliberately bringing it up where Gloria could hear. If possible, I needed the genuine cooperation of someone who could use magic.
Yu-ri was, of course, a good person and highly skilled. But at her core, she prioritized Lee Si-yoon’s existence above all else. And Lee Si-yoon… had awakened after eating that chocolate imbued with my power last time.
I wasn’t sure whether he had always had that potential or if his pure and unwavering faith had simply made it possible. If awakening required receiving divine power, then he should have already awakened back when I healed him.
Well, that was something I’d figure out later.
For now, though, thanks to Lee Si-yoon’s sudden rise into the spotlight, tensions were running a little high.
Well, getting those two together was one of my goals, but that didn’t mean they could sit this one out. Both of them had proven themselves quite capable last time, so they were bound to be part of the group.
I decided to place them in the most suitable role—mainly, protecting civilians. Giving them plenty of gnome-crafted gems and chocolates infused with divine power should do the trick.
On the other hand, I wanted Gloria to come with us.
"The power to open a gate?"
Ria’s expression turned slightly skeptical.
"Yes. It's just a possibility, though."
Was it really possible for a person to open a gate with their own power?
Of course, that wasn’t something that normally happened. In the novel, it was described as a massive natural phenomenon—a disaster beyond human control, like a tornado forming out of nowhere.
And yet, the dwarf princess had done it. Not of her own will, but because she had merged with the magic stone—whether she wanted to or not.
There was no existing gate in this country that led directly to the Dwarf Kingdom. In fact, when the gnome refugees had crossed over, the gate leading to their homeland had been shut down from this side.
But the undead dwarf army had invaded through a gate. Just like in the earliest days of the Gate Crisis.
In the original story, there was no mention of the princess creating such a thing. The undead dwarves were simply depicted as being under the magic stone’s control.
But now that I thought about it…
That gate—it must have been her doing.
At the very least, her power must have been involved.
"I think it's worth investigating. What do you think?"
Ria stared at me for a while before letting out a deep sigh.
"Whether it's possible or not… you were planning to save the princess from the start, weren’t you? And the dwarves, too."
"……."
"You think I don’t know you? Sure, we haven’t known each other for a lifetime, but out of all the people I’ve met, you’re definitely one of the easiest to figure out."
"That… doesn’t sound like a compliment."
I frowned, and Ria gave me another long look.
"Why not?"
She smirked, then suddenly reached out and placed her hand on my head.
"No, it is a compliment."
"…What kind of compliment is that?"
"It’s a real one. It means that, no matter what, you’d never just stand by and watch while someone was in danger."
"……."
How was I even supposed to respond to that?
I stared at her, feeling slightly baffled, but Ria only grinned—before suddenly ruffling my hair like crazy.
"Ahh—hey!?"
I let out a half-protesting yelp, but her hand didn’t leave my head for quite some time.