Chapter 21
“Please tell us anything, Saintess! We will listen humbly!”
If that’s what the Pope desires so much!
I beamed at him and clapped my hands.
“Let’s change everything.”
“Yes! Let’s change everyth… Huh?”
Change what?
Facing the Pope, who was staring blankly, I briefly listed the first things that came to mind.
“First, we need to change things inside our sect. And the devotees too. Is everyone eating properly and praying? The Empire runs on the power of a good meal. What about missionary work? You’re not out there acting like that, are you?”
“Uh, well… that is…”
His hesitancy suggested my fears were indeed reality.
I swallowed a sigh with great effort and spoke decisively.
“This won’t do. Shall we start today, Pope-nim?”
“Gasp, s-starting today?!”
Pope-nim, why are you so shocked before we’ve even begun?
Hazel, who was watching us from behind, also gasped and swallowed hard.
‘Priest Hazel. You can’t escape now.’
Let’s make a fresh start together with us!
I grabbed the wrists of the Pope and Priest Hazel, who were shaking their heads.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! Many a little makes a mickle! We can do this!”
Don’t stop me. I’m burning with passion right now!
“Let’s do this energetically. Passion, passion, passione!”
Let’s go, let’s go!
I pulled them along with all my might. My plan was to start by changing the gloomy interior of the sect first.
Ding!
Just then. A cheerful sound rang out, and Arte’s status window appeared.
Honestly, I couldn’t see a thing, so I was about to ignore it.
But as if I had done something wrong, donations started pouring in, even simplifying the status window!
[Arte: By the way, you know, Ciela… To celebrate Hazel joining the church, there’s something we need to take care of quickly.]
“…What is it?”
It’s cold. A foreboding feeling stabs my mind like a dagger.
When I urged him with my eyes, another *ding*, and the status window appeared.
[Arte: Well, you see hehe,, that scammer, you see…]
[Arte: He’s trying to report to the Grid Church that our sect bought Hazel as a slave and plans to offer him as a sacrifice… heh? ><]
“Why are you laughing about this! This isn’t right. Why are you telling me this now!”
If Arte is correct, then we’re as good as finished.
The Grid Church treats elves with the utmost respect!
“Of all times for the item to not work! You stopped the scammer, right? Arte-nim, our sect can’t be ruined. Right?”
[Arte: It’s not like I necessarily had to stop him… Umm, well, in the end, I did stop him. I stopped him, but actually, I might have stopped him a bit too… Eeek, I’m scared, Ciela ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ It was, it was like, crunch… Eeek ಥ_ಥ]
Ugh, really! What on earth did he see to end up like this?
While stomping my feet in frustration, I still patted the status window to comfort him.
Judging by his words, it seemed he had successfully stopped the scammer.
Hazel looked at me, who was crying and laughing, with a peculiar expression but soon gave the Pope a look that said ‘I knew it!’
“Ah, our Saintess can communicate with Arte-nim! Probably!”
“Gasp, that’s amazing, Saintess!”
“This is no time for thumbs up!”
The sect reformation will have to wait. I immediately led the Pope and Hazel outside.
“Explanations in the carriage! Follow me for now, we need to go to the Grid Church!”
Ah, before that, I had Hazel change into the sect’s robes. After all, this was a situation where sincerity needed to be evident.
‘Please, please! Let us arrive first!’
Please give the righteous Saintess a chance to report the scammer first, Grid-nim!
Ding.
[Arte-nim has donated 10 Florins!]
[Fighting! You can do it, you can do it, Ciela! Heave-ho! Heave-ho! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o]
Hearing Arte’s cheerful cheers, as if he’d never been crying, we headed straight for the Grid Church.
***
Thanks to the coachman, Randel’s excellent driving skills, we were able to reach the Grid Church quickly.
Even so, I was so anxious that the scammer might have arrived first.
‘Ugh, it’s terrifying just thinking about it.’
Even though Arte-nim said he stopped him, who knows when he might show up at the Grid Church.
To prepare for this, it was better to report him as a scammer first.
In this situation, I felt I had to use everything, so I deliberately parked the carriage conspicuously right in front of the Grid Church.
Seeing the Eisenstein Ducal family crest should make trust skyrocket!
Next, I put Hazel at the front and met with a priest.
Fortunately, the scammer hadn’t arrived, so I could recite the scenario I had fiercely concocted in the carriage.
Although it was a story heavily mixed with lies.
‘Well, since Priest Hazel is leading this lie, it should be okay, right?’
He even made his eyes sparkle and meticulously planned out how to act…
And so, we…
*Ahem*. “I’m ashamed to come here for such a matter. A devotee named William suddenly brought Priest Hazel to our sect, didn’t he?”
“I swear on the name of ‘Ciela Eisenstein,’ we are a truly benevolent sect. The Pope immediately excommunicated that devotee and released Priest Hazel!”
I desperately pleaded with the Grid Church priest, squeezing out tears (even without any).
But whether it was because of our sect’s notorious reputation, or because of some past bad history with the Pope…
The Grid Church priest simply wouldn’t believe the Pope’s words.
“…Paul. Whether your words are true or not, I cannot listen any further. I’m sorry.”
Seeing the priest’s face filled with anguish, the Pope didn’t press further.
‘Well, he did try to be kind to me.’
But it felt less like he believed me and more like he trusted my family… After all, the Eisenstein Ducal family donates vast sums to the four major religions.
Seriously, they value the family’s money highly but don’t believe my words? It’s enough to make me go mad and jump up and down!
Feeling dark, thinking we might fail to gain trust and be ruined, right at that moment…
“Everything she said is true, Priest-nim. *Sob*, how, *ahem*, scary it was… But! Even so! These two saved me, and I was able to escape safely!”
“Is that true, Agent of the World Tree?”
“Of course! I was so moved by their kindness that I’ve decided to become a priest here. Surely Grid-nim would understand me. Priest-nim… you will understand too, won’t you?”
Thanks to Priest Hazel’s passionate acting… no, plea, we barely managed to clear their suspicions.
Moreover, we even got a firm promise that if the scammer showed up at the church, he would be imprisoned immediately.
“*Sob*, really. What an eventful day.”
At the Envy Church, I accidentally caught a thief and handed him over.
After escaping the Envy Church, I had a war of words with the scammer, then rushed to the Grid Church to report him.
Before I knew it, it was already dark night.
I pressed hard on my throbbing head and leaned back heavily against the carriage seat.
Then, I suddenly realized it was unusually quiet around me.
“Huh? Where’s Tete?”
I jerked my slumped body upright. Now that I thought about it, I was so distracted stopping the scammer that I’d left Tete at the sect.
But… was Tete in that room when I was about to go to the Grid Church with the Pope and Hazel?
“N-no way…”
For a moment, my mind felt completely empty.
No matter how distracted I was, could I have completely forgotten about Tete until now?
What if Tete left the sect?
…What if it’s my fault again —?
“F-first, turn the carriage back to the 22nd District, no, I need to mobilize knights to search…”
I forced myself to focus, pushing away the words buzzing in my head.
*Thud!*
“Gasp!”
As if adding insult to injury, the carriage jolted violently. My body lurched and slammed into the seat.
“Ah…”
Why did I have to experience this feeling of falling right now?
The terrible feel of the seat holding me up, the lingering nausea, someone’s absence…
This situation was enough to bring back the memory of a certain day from the past.
For a brief moment, I was in a panic.
But right at that moment.
Ding.
A cheerful sound pierced through my muffled ears.
[Ciela, calm down! Tete is here!]
“Tete. Tete is, here, you say?”
At Arte’s words, my half-dazed mind gradually cleared.
Ding.
[Arte points to the left corner.]
Following his words, I slowly turned my head to the left corner. I saw a robe bunched up and rolled into a ball.
“…Tete?”
