No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 3

EP.3

Chapter 1

Candidate and Candidate (3)

“Here we are.”

I said as I opened the door.

What we entered was not a church building but a different structure sharing the same grounds. The building used for worship and for congregants to come and pray was originally a real Catholic church. However, it seems that managing a genuine orphanage with just that one church building was a bit challenging, so several years ago, they bought up multiple buildings behind the church and constructed something resembling a small university.

It was somewhat absurd that a relatively new religion, not even half a century old, had opted for such an old-fashioned architectural style.

The place called the convent had a vintage design on the outside, but unless a particular design was necessary, the interior was practical. The area where the nuns lived was basically just a “dormitory.”

There were rooms for two and four people lined up, a separate communal kitchen, and a dining hall. There was even a prayer room just for the nuns. Aside from helping with worship or going out for volunteer activities, all daily activities was done within these walls. Except for weekends when they had a few hours to go out, they rarely stepped outside the convent grounds.

“It’s a bit cramped compared to where you used to live, huh?”

I said as I placed the suitcase I had brought in front of the wardrobe. It was the wardrobe that Lee Chae-eun would be using from now on.

“Well…”

Lee Chae-eun entered and glanced around the room, her expression a bit complicated.

After all, she was the daughter of a hero. Her family must have lived quite comfortably. If a first-rate Hunter makes an incredible income, then it goes without saying that a hero’s family would have it even better.

It wouldn’t be strange for someone who lived in such luxury to feel shocked about suddenly having to stay in a cramped double room.

“It’s not much different from the dormitory at the academy.”

Hmm. That might not be entirely true. The original story wasn’t focused on an academy setting. The male protagonist was a Hunter, not a student at an academy. Though it wasn’t a typical academy story, the events occurring within the Hunter Association had similar elements: attending classes, practical training, and getting involved with the heroines as they were in the process of nurturing new recruits.

Ah, of course, both Lee Chae-eun and Saintess Anna—who is me in this world—were associated with the convent in the original story and had to attend classes as well. The protagonist visited once or twice a week to attend a lecture about divine power.

“…”

Now that I think about it, I might run into the protagonist soon.

“Um, so…”

While I was lost in thought, I heard someone calling me from the side.

“Anna, right? What’s your last name?”

“I don’t have one.”

I took off my veil and tossed it carelessly onto the bed before flopping down next to it. The not-so-luxurious mattress creaked a little beneath me.

“No last name… Ah.”

At my response, Lee Chae-eun fell silent. That’s right; I don’t have a last name. The reason is simple: I don’t have parents.

Even though I’m an orphan, one could question how it makes sense in modern society to have no surname, but in this world, it does. I’ve heard the church priests say that those without parents are all children of God and should not be treated lightly, but that’s not really the reason.

It’s just that administratively, it hasn’t been defined. When growing up in the convent, we were referred to by our baptismal names, and when we left the convent, we were given the chance to choose our own surname and name. My name is registered in the church’s administrative system, but it’s left blank in the government’s records.

There’s an entity called ‘me’ and a baptismal name ‘Anna,’ but the ‘name’ field is empty. This also has another effect.

Not all of us in the convent are orphans. Some are the children of notorious criminals, and there are even cases where both parents are alive, but due to various political reasons, they’re placed in the convent for protection.

In such situations, it’s best to keep one’s real name hidden. Here, we are all called by our baptismal names. So whether an orphan, a politician’s child, or the child of a serial killer, we’re all just ordinary practitioners in this place.

…In theory, at least.

Theories don’t always perfectly align with reality.

“You’ve heard the rules, right? Here, we must be called by our baptismal names. It’s the rule. Do you have one? If not, you can just pick a pretty one.”

I said, loosening the belt I had tightened under my chest while lying on the bed. Once the belt was undone, my previously emphasized chest was now hidden under a slightly loose garment.

Lee Chae-eun stared at me for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, then replied as if she had just remembered.

“Um… I do have one.”

Of course, I knew that. I only asked because it seemed more natural to pretend I didn’t know.

“Can I choose a different one?”

Huh?

“Is there a reason for that?”

I turned my head towards Lee Chae-eun, surprised by her response.

“Um… No, not really. It’s just that I don’t really like it.”

“If you didn’t have a baptismal name, that would be one thing, but if you were baptized and a name was chosen, it should be registered in the church’s administrative system. That’s something I can’t change.”

I said, reasoning with her.

Of course, it would require going through administrative procedures, but I’m not familiar with them. And I doubt Lee Chae-eun would feel inclined to go through the trouble of changing her baptismal name. After all, she could just use her real name once she leaves the convent.

“…Maria.”

“You don’t like that name?”

“It’s just… kind of old-fashioned, isn’t it?”

Huh.

Of course, it’s not the same ‘Maria’ that the Christian saints used, but it is a name associated with the saints of this country’s state religion.

In the original story, she was simply called by her name or Maria. Did she not like her baptismal name from the start?

“Then I’ll just call you Ria.”

I said casually.

“Ria?”

“It’s just a shortened version of Maria, right? If Ria doesn’t work for you, I can come up with something else.”

“Is it okay to shorten a saint’s name like that?”

Is she really the one asking this, after calling the saint’s name old-fashioned just a moment ago?

“The saint is generous; she won’t mind if we shorten her name a bit.”

I said as I casually kicked off my socks and tossed them under the bed.

“……”

Lee Chae-eun looked unsure of how to respond, sitting on her bed with a perplexed expression. Her head was still covered by the veil.

“Why don’t you take off that veil? It looks uncomfortable.”

“Um, okay.”

Without further prompting, she immediately removed it. Was it that uncomfortable? No, she probably just thought it was fine to follow my lead since I took mine off so naturally. After all, regular people wouldn’t know much about life in a convent.

I don’t really know what life in a convent is like from my previous life either; this convent is the only one I’ve experienced. But ideally—if we were to follow the ‘textbook’ rules—veils shouldn’t be removed during daily life. They’re meant to keep one’s body and mind pure and to conceal one’s individuality, meaning hair should be covered at all times.

Having my socks off and lying on the bed like this is also something that normally wouldn’t be done. Today, I had the time to show Lee Chae-eun around because I was responsible for her, but usually, I’d be cleaning various parts of the church or preparing holy water.

“Uh… what’s the plan?”

As I began to doze off on the bed, Lee Chae-eun finally spoke up.

Turning my head, I caught sight of her bright red hair. The short bob with one side tucked behind her ear looked more elegant than I had expected. Though her fierce image wasn’t completely gone, it had softened a bit.

“Don’t you have things to do? I heard life in the convent keeps you pretty busy.”

“Right now? Hmm, I don’t think it’ll matter much if I slack off a little.”

“Really?”

“Well, they say the one watching over us from above is so great that He forgives all our sins. So, wouldn’t it be okay to delay our tasks a bit? He’ll forgive us anyway.”

Lee Chae-eun’s expression became complicated at my words.

She had come here prepared for something much more intense, even ready for a potential clash if things didn’t match up. I felt a bit bad for her, but I had no intention of becoming that diligent saintess from the original story.

In the original, whenever Lee Chae-eun did something inappropriate for a nun, the saintess would scold her, leading to a lot of bickering between them. But judging by her expression now, it seemed like she would be the one to scold me first.

Seeing me wave my hand dismissively as if to brush away the bright light shining down on my face made her look even more incredulous.

Well, as far as I was concerned, this was me doing my job quite well. I was only showing a mirror treatment to convince her. If I showed her something worse, she might start thinking this wasn’t right.

It was a theoretically perfect plan.