No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 34

EP.37

Chapter 4

Escape and Service (3)

The details were a bit hazy now, but I still remembered the major developments of the novel. In the main story, the Saintess had already been a Saintess for quite some time. Whether she had transferred her powers to the protagonist, like I did to Ria, to help him shine wasn’t entirely clear to me, but she was undoubtedly a closer presence to him than I was now. In that sense, I could at least say I had somewhat diverged from the original plotline.

After all, I wasn’t particularly close to Lee Si-yoon. At best, we were acquaintances, and even among acquaintances, we weren’t particularly friendly.

However, the events I needed to be cautious about weren’t limited to those involving Lee Si-yoon. The Saintess, in the main storyline, was a widely admired figure, and Lee Si-yoon had harbored a faint admiration for her as well.

Could this incident be related to the original storyline?

I concluded that it likely was.

Of course, if I had significantly altered the main storyline of this world, the resulting butterfly effect could have caused political upheaval in that world as well. But I hadn’t done anything drastic.

Since this was still before the start of the main story and relationships were being established, this event could very well be one of those pivotal moments.

Who could it be?

Since there was a path open to what could be considered an “otherworld,” there would also be heroines from that “otherworld.”

And among them, it wouldn’t feel complete without an elf, would it?

What I knew about the “world of elves” also came from reading the novel.

But there wasn’t a princess.

Hmm.

I tilted my head in thought.

“What’s bothering you?”

“It’s nothing.”

“You do realize that when you say something is ‘nothing,’ it’s usually something wildly out of the ordinary, right?”

That assessment felt a little unfair.

I was a perfectly reasonable and logical person operating within the bounds of common sense. If anything, it was this world that was irrational. Of course, I was willing to view it through a lens of cultural relativism.

“Is it because this is your first time going this far out?”

Ria made a strange guess.

“Even though I live in the church, I’ve gone out for volunteer work and such. I’ve even been to Chungcheongbuk-do.”

I said, puffing out my chest.

Ria let out a small sigh, her expression subtly conflicted.

“Yes, you’ve certainly traveled far…”

Well, considering Ria’s status, she might have even traveled abroad before. Her father was a busy hero, but her family was well-off. Even if she didn’t travel often, she might have at least one memorable trip.

If this vehicle were a gateway to another world, in a sense, it would truly be a “very far” journey. But neither the church nor this country’s government had any intention of sending a Saintess candidate to the other side.

It was a bit much for me, but hadn’t the Saintess candidates themselves pointed me out as a potential Saintess? And with the government already aware of my powers through the hunters, they likely had no desire to send such a valuable asset to another world. As a result, we were headed to a gate somewhere in Gyeonggi Province.

When it came to negotiations, the one with the greater need was always at a disadvantage. The country on the verge of losing their princess without our help had no choice but to comply.

“By the way,” I said, glancing around.

The bus we were on was different from the minibus we had taken before. This time, it was closer to a regular-sized bus—though the interior felt more like a long-distance express bus.

The exterior, painted entirely black, gave off a somewhat imposing aura, but the interior was far less intimidating.

And the bus was packed with people.

Ria and I were seated side by side in the third row from the front. Behind us sat the priest and the Mother Superior.

There were a few people who seemed to have been sent by the church, along with several nuns from our congregation.

However, the people who stood out the most weren’t the clergy like us.

“Why is Lee Si-yoon sitting over there?”

I asked.

At my question, Ria smirked mischievously.

“Why? Do you like him?”

“No.”

I replied firmly, my expression turning serious.

In this world, I didn’t harbor any personal attachment toward Lee Si-yoon.

However, my belief that childhood friends should end up together had not wavered in the slightest.

The chances of me developing feelings for Lee Si-yoon were practically zero, but the odds of Ria falling for him were very, very high. There was nothing strange about liking someone good-looking, after all.

…Seriously, they should just live happily ever after somewhere out of my sight. Sure, if the story required it, we might cross paths, but otherwise, stay out of my way.

“Sigh.”

“Hm.”

As I let out a deep sigh and turned to look out the window, Ria chuckled softly.

I shot her a glare before turning my eyes back outside.

The moon hung beautifully in the night sky.

*

The gate itself wasn’t all that different from the one I’d seen at Bukhansan.

It looked like someone had taken the surface of a mercury lake and propped it up vertically. Honestly, it was amazing that someone had dared to think of stepping through it for the first time.

At a glance, it seemed like nothing more than a peculiar art installation. Until you saw something emerge from it, most people would likely assume it was some kind of highly toxic liquid.

I had meant to ask why Lee Si-yoon was here, but Ria had started teasing me so much earlier that I’d forgotten to follow up. Judging from the situation, his role was probably to serve as my bodyguard.

“Hunters are the best at dealing with unexpected threats from beyond the gate.”

Ria had explained.

It wasn’t an unreasonable explanation. The knights’ order was technically established to handle entities from beyond the gate, but when it came to practical experience, hunters were far superior.

Apparently, it all had to do with tangled interests and politics, but I didn’t care enough to dig into the details. I simply nodded along.

Thwack.

“Guhk!?”

A sharp pain shot through my ribs, and I barely managed to stifle a yelp.

A few people turned to glance at me with questioning expressions. I forced a smile, pretending nothing was wrong, and they eventually looked away.

Once their attention had shifted, I turned to glare at Ria.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you planned to go talk to him.”

“Who? Lee Si-yoon?”

I asked in a tone thick with disbelief. Ria simply shrugged, as if to say, ‘why not?’

Why would she even think that?

The answer came to me almost immediately.

While not as secluded as most nuns, Ria had still spent a considerable amount of time away from men. It wasn’t as if she had no interaction with them, but the men she encountered at church were usually either elderly priests or lay believers she wasn’t supposed to talk to.

Ria, who had been explicitly described as never having had a boyfriend and wasn’t the type to openly flirt with men, was still subject to basic human tendencies.

You know how people in the military suddenly find idol groups fascinating or start noticing every passing woman’s beauty as if it’s been dialed up several notches? It’s like that.

Now imagine someone who was genuinely very good-looking, happened to be the same age as us, and was someone she knew personally. She might not actively plan to seduce him, but she could at least feel tempted to say hello.

However, before Ria could act on anything, Han Yu-ri—who seemed to have picked up on our furtive glances—immediately locked her gaze on us. Then, as if claiming territory, she grabbed Lee Si-yoon’s wrist and dragged him off as far away as possible.

Good, you’re very quick-witted.

I nodded in satisfaction, turning away from the scene.

“Hey, wait.”

Ria seemed startled by my abrupt retreat and followed close behind.

Sorry, Chae-eun, I have no intention of pairing you with Lee Si-yoon.

Anyway, that kind of meddling isn’t something I’m interested in. Ria seemed a little annoyed at not getting the chance to talk to Lee Si-yoon, her expression darkening slightly in a way that was a bit intimidating. Still, I avoided looking directly at her and headed toward the gate.

*

“…They sure are keeping us waiting.”

One of the hunters muttered under his breath.

“They say she’s a princess. Probably took her some time to sneak out. Sounds like she’s got political enemies too.”

“Still, isn’t it rude to keep us waiting this long when they’re the ones asking for help? What if they’re just looking down on us—”

“Hey, hey.”

Noticing the stares from the church members, a hunter nudged his companion’s arm to stop him.

The hunters who had been talking quickly shut their mouths when they saw me.

Did they think their words had upset me?

I wasn’t particularly bothered.

As I idly stared at the gate, lost in thought—

“Wait a second.”

Ria suddenly reacted.

Her expression hardened, and in a swift motion, she stood, unsheathed her sword, and stepped in front of me.

She wasn’t the only one. The hunters who had been chatting moments ago immediately fell into combat stances.

“Ria, what’s—”

Before I could finish my question, a face emerged from beyond the gate.

At first glance, I thought it was a neat-looking Caucasian woman. But as her body fully emerged, I realized she wasn’t human.

Her long, pointed ears were strikingly visible even from a distance.

In her arms was another woman—her body riddled with blackened, decayed wounds.

“Oh my god.”

I instinctively moved forward, but Ria stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

“Ria?”

Before I could get another word out—

Whizz!

An arrow shot through the air, grazing the elf’s ear and embedding itself in the ground nearby.

Had it hit her, it would have been fatal.

The elf herself was covered in blood, with arrows protruding from her back like a pincushion.

It was a wonder she had made it this far.

Before anyone could shout a command, the people around us sprang into action.

Some rushed to assist the wounded woman. Others carefully took the person cradled in her arms. Meanwhile, another group stood guard at the gate, ready for whatever might come next.

“Don’t you dare step forward.”

Ria shot a sharp look back at me, her tone leaving no room for argument.

Her expression was so intimidating that I nodded instinctively, not daring to protest.