No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 94
EP.94 Stubbornness and Arrogance (6)
“I don’t know why the Dwarves are researching the Gates.”
The reason itself was simple enough. The Gnomes had Gates, but the Dwarves didn’t.
While the Gnomes openly traded with other worlds, bringing in all sorts of goods and knowledge, the Dwarves were unable to do the same.
I had no idea what exactly they were planning to do by opening a Gate. But one thing was certain.
Religions, over time, tend to become dogmatic. Even if they don’t fully ossify, there will always be parts they refuse to compromise on. For churches, those sacred absolutes are their god, the words of that god, and the teachings of their chosen prophets. To deny those words is heresy. To actively oppose them is to invite annihilation.
The world is already overflowing with massacres justified by religion. The only reason it’s less common in this world is that it’s a fantasy realm. Back in my world, it was a different story.
The Dwarves knew nothing about our world.
And that Gate? It had appeared right in the middle of Seoul.
Every entity that came through had been armed. They had already been dead by the time they arrived, which only made it more suspicious. Who would go through the trouble of equipping the undead before sending them through a Gate? It was far more plausible that they had been armed and waiting while still alive.
I couldn’t be sure, but the possibility was worth considering. Of course, it wasn’t something I could bring up here—it was a sensitive topic.
“Princess, the magic within your body is far greater than that of other Dwarves, isn’t it?”
The Dwarves didn’t just release their magic in raw bursts. They carefully wove intricate circuits, connecting them to create powerful, refined spells.nSo, naturally, someone with more magic in their body would be capable of casting even greater spells.
“……”
The princess hesitated for a moment before setting her glass down.
“So… are you saying this isn’t intelligence, but a prophecy? That the ‘god’ you believe in told you this directly?”
Of course not.
This was nothing more than an analysis, pieced together from my own deductions based on the novel.
To those who worshipped the power of the Gates as divine, that power was sacred. To them, conquering new worlds through that power was only natural. And to those zealots, the Dwarven princess would have been an exceptional ‘tool’—a living, breathing magical conduit.
…Right.
There was only one reason, according to the novel, to create a ‘magical conduit.’
To open a Gate.
I couldn’t say for certain whether such conduits were exclusively created by individuals or if they could form naturally. But one thing was clear. They could be created.
“……”
The princess wiped her face.
“You wanted to create a Gate… to set foot in our world, didn’t you?”
“…Even if I denied it, you would still believe it to be true. That’s just how the devout are.”
That was an interesting response.
“Are you saying you aren’t one of them, Princess?”
“I’m not an idiot who worships power as if it were a god.”
Oh.
Beside me, Ria frowned slightly, but I found myself more intrigued than ever.
Does this mean the Princess is open to negotiation?
“What exactly is your ‘religion’ trying to achieve, Princess?”
“Oh? It seems your god hasn’t informed you of that.”
Her tone carried a hint of mockery, but I didn’t particularly mind. After all, she was right—there had been no divine revelation about this.
“You’re not preparing for an invasion or a holy war, are you?”
“……”
Smack.
The princess pressed a hand against her forehead and tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling. If she had a god she believed in, this would probably be the moment she muttered, Oh, my god…
*
“Just so we’re clear, I’m on the side that wants to prevent a war. Honestly, being found out like this is the last thing I wanted.”
That was the truth.
The moment war became a tangible possibility, there would be those on our side who would push for preemptive action.
And really, that was the logical response. Even if we didn’t immediately march an army across the border, we would at least load the artillery, reposition troops along the front lines, and keep our eyes locked on the enemy.
“You seem skeptical about the chances of victory, Princess.”
“It’s not skepticism—it’s fear. We don’t know anything about our enemy’s strength, so we have no way of knowing whether we’d win or lose.”
The princess let out a deep sigh, poured herself another drink, and downed it in one go.
Her face flushed slightly—not enough to suggest she was drunk, but just enough to show the alcohol was working.
Perhaps the Dwarven proverb about drinking wasn’t entirely about avoiding intoxication. Judging by how her demeanor had softened, it seemed to imply that alcohol had its uses—like loosening stiff conversations.
“The one small relief in all this is that our priests are extremely wary of you. Some are even outright afraid.”
“Because of my power?”
“Yes. Thanks to your power, Sister. I suppose I should be grateful for that—though under normal circumstances, this would never be a reason for gratitude.”
The princess raised her glass.
“So, does that mean you trust me now?”
“…That’s hard to say. As I mentioned before, I’m not someone who worships power for its own sake. Whether the entity you follow is truly a god or simply a force of power—I can’t say for certain. And even if it is a god, there’s no telling whether it exists for our benefit or not.”
Wow.
Every word she spoke struck a chord within me.
Of course, she wasn’t saying these things with any grand conviction—more like someone who had resigned themselves to uncertainty, throwing their thoughts out into the open.
If she were a diplomat from my world, she’d be greeted with open arms. But if she were speaking before a more conservative church, they’d find her words deeply offensive.
I was neither of those things, but I did find her perspective fascinating.
Honestly, I had been worried she might be as rigid as the church. If she had declared my words heresy and started shouting for my execution, things would have gotten very troublesome, very quickly.
“Then, what about His Majesty? Is he preparing for war as well? Or is he someone who seeks peace?”
“Whichever the case, he supports the creation of the Gate.”
The princess answered in a rather neutral tone.
“Whether we go to war or not, the gnomes must be kept in check. Besides, one of the reasons we can’t trade with them is that we’re unable to transport our equipment to their lands and place it into the Gate.”
“……”
I paused for a moment before speaking.
“Then… what do you think about the possibility of being kidnapped?”
The princess fell silent, as if deep in thought. Then, after a brief hesitation, she replied,
“…It’s frightening. Whether you’re saying this to threaten me or out of genuine concern, the end result doesn’t seem like something that will benefit the dwarves.”
“……”
Telling the princess about her potential fate was a delicate matter. If I handled it poorly, it would sound like emotional manipulation.
But still…
“It could be something that benefits the dwarves. Because, to them, your safety represents hope.”
That was all I said.
The princess stared at me intently.
“And to be clear, I’m not against the dwarves creating a Gate.”
“Then…?”
“The truth is, I need that technology as well.”
More precisely, it’s not me who needs it, but Gloria.
At this stage, I still didn’t fully understand what those who sought to build the Gate were truly trying to achieve. But one thing was certain: it was unsettling that they could do something that we could not. If we learned how to create a Gate, wouldn’t we also gain a much more effective way to close one?
“You’re saying… you want us to hand over our technology? In exchange for my life?”
“No. I’m proposing an exchange. If I solve one of the dwarves’ problems, then I hope that when the time comes, you’ll be willing to help me in return.”
“……”
Once again, the princess looked at me as if I were some strange, unfathomable being.
*
“Are you sure about this?”
As we left the meeting with the princess, Ria spoke up.
“Hm?”
“Your power.”
There was a hint of concern in her voice.
“Your power is something everyone desires. You say you want the princess’s power, but no matter what, you can’t afford to use your power as a political tool. And really, what was that? Giving her a task, as if you were testing her, when she’s just someone concerned for her own survival?”
“……”
“Wouldn’t it be better to ask for something in return when you use your power? If you just keep giving without expecting anything—”
“Ria.”
I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“……”
That was enough to silence her immediately.
“I won’t say, ‘It’s fine,’ anymore.”
I spoke as gently as I could.
“Instead, I’ll say, ‘Thank you.’ Thank you for worrying about me, Ria.”
“Oh, uh… okay.”
Ria blinked, caught off guard by my response.
“So, will you trust me?”
“……”
“If I thought I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”
“…Jeez. When you say it like that, how am I supposed to respond?”
“You just say, ‘I believe in you.’”
Ria let out an exasperated laugh.
I simply shrugged and turned back around. Then, with a confident stride, I spoke once more.
“Well then, shall we get going? Let’s find out exactly what the princess wants. I mean, it’s only fair they’d want proof of my power before trusting me.”
*
“……”
And so, I met the Dwarven priest.
And—
“…So? Regretting it yet?”
“…Don’t talk to me. My head hurts.”
“Should’ve asked for payment, huh?”
“Ugh.”
Ria teased me with a grin, while I clutched my head in frustration.
Seriously.
What kind of religious temple is tucked away in a mine?