No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 38

EP.38

Chapter 4

Escape and Service (4)

*

Chae-eun had always thought of herself as someone who didn’t harbor many complaints.

When her father was absent, she accepted it as something inevitable. Even when her mother passed away, though her heart refused to accept it, her mind told her it was something she couldn’t change. After all, having complaints wouldn’t change anything.

The few times she felt genuine dissatisfaction were when she fought with her father, leading to her ending up at the church. Other than that, there hadn’t been many instances.

But somehow, ever since coming to the church, she often felt something bubbling up from deep within. A simmering frustration that never quite erupted but instead steadily released steam, leaving her feeling stifled.

The source of that frustration, naturally, was Anna, with whom she now spent her days. Not because Anna behaved in some absurdly unreasonable way. Sure, she was stubborn about strange things, occasionally said incomprehensible things, and could be irritating, but none of it was beyond tolerable.

“I mean, I’m pretty, aren’t I?”

Anna once said this with an incredibly serious expression, as though it came from the depths of her soul. And Chae-eun begrudgingly agreed that it wasn’t entirely untrue.

Not that being pretty excused everything, but rather that she always knew where to draw the line, so there wasn’t any reason to get angry with her. There was, however, one thing Chae-eun found a little frustrating.

Anna, despite always portraying herself as a greedy and selfish person, would choose to take on all the losses herself. If she saw someone bleeding right in front of her, she would rush to help them without hesitation, regardless of the danger.

On top of that, if she thought she had to give something up, she would do so with stunning ease. For example, she seemed to have quickly given up and distanced herself from the first man she ever showed interest in after becoming a Saintess candidate. The person she had been so intent on speaking to.

“……”

Even now, she was doing it again.

Seeing someone emerge from the gate—a person whose identity was still unclear—Anna seemed ready to leap forward just because they were injured. Foolishness at its finest.

Chae-eun was aware of the sacrifices made by the Saintess who appeared decades ago, giving her life for others. She knew that the Saintess had fought off invasions, wrapped in magic, against enemies that no modern weapons could harm.

There was no guarantee that such a fate would await this Saintess, but somehow, if it were Anna, Chae-eun felt that she might willingly take on that burden.

And that thought frustrated her.

Her father never told her how her mother had died, but Chae-eun had pieced it together from his behavior and how his comrades treated her.

“Don’t you dare step forward.”

Chae-eun shot a firm look at Anna. Perhaps it even bordered on a glare. Anna seemed startled and nodded as though a bit frightened.

Chae-eun felt a little guilty—but she couldn’t help it.

She had seen too many times how Anna thought and acted. And, frustratingly enough, Chae-eun also agreed that Anna’s way of thinking wasn’t entirely wrong.

*

The person riddled with arrows had come through the gate, but the situation didn’t last long.

It seemed that the group on the other side wasn’t willing to step through the gate themselves. Perhaps it was their first time encountering one. From what Chae-eun had heard, gates were considered highly classified information on their side.

And the group beyond the gate seemed intent on taking advantage of that hesitation.

“The gate is—!”

“Everyone, don’t cross! You might get cut off somewhere!”

The hunters quickly retreated.

The gate was shrinking rapidly.

*

Since we had no intention of closing the gate from our side, it was clear that the people on the other side were closing it. And those who knew about the gate’s existence were the ones who sent these two through. It must have been the princess’s close aides. Whether out of loyalty or due to some other ability possessed by the princess, they had chosen to close the gate to ensure her survival.

As soon as I saw the gate closing, I tried to run towards the people lying on the ground—

“Ria?”

But Ria grabbed my arm, stopping me in my tracks. Before I could react, she pulled me toward her. Since I had already been about to sprint forward, the sudden force made me stumble, spinning around and collapsing into her arms. Something soft touched my face, making me incredibly flustered.

I quickly broke away, but even then, my face remained uncomfortably close to hers.

“I told you not to rush forward.”

“But—”

“……”

I was about to argue that the gate had disappeared and everything was fine, but the look on Ria’s face silenced me.

“…Sorry.”

She was right—it was my fault. Even though the gate was gone, there could still be unforeseen dangers.

Worst-case scenario, if someone had slipped these two a bomb, getting too close could have meant my complete obliteration. …Though it wasn’t a thought I’d considered until now.

Realizing this, it dawned on me that my recklessness could have endangered more than just myself. That realization drained the blood from my face.

“…As long as you understand.”

Ria released my arm when I lowered my head.

“Stay behind me until we’ve fully assessed the situation.”

Obediently, I hid behind Ria.

For a while, I heard the murmurs of the crowd. Then—

“Sister Anna!”

Someone called out to me.

I glanced at Ria, who nodded. The two of us ran forward together. Not that it mattered much—I could sprint as hard as I wanted, and Ria would still be faster, maintaining just the right distance between us.

Ria reached the scene first, and I arrived shortly after.

Kneeling by the fallen figures, I quickly assessed them.

Up close, I realized that the one with the decayed skin wasn’t actually smaller. Their builds were almost identical, though the one with the arrows embedded in her back appeared a little older.

As an elf, her exact age was hard to determine, but she seemed about five or six years older than I was. The one with the decaying skin, however, was impossible to age.

“Should we remove the arrows?”

Ignoring the question, I extended my hands to check their pulses. The arrow-pierced one was in critical condition—every second mattered. Wasting even a minute could cost their life.

Without bothering to answer, I urgently reached out with both hands. As if acknowledging my desperation, the higher power granted me an immediate outpouring of divine power.

The wounds on the elf’s back began to close almost instantly, the flesh pushing out the arrowheads as it healed. Though the blood she’d already lost couldn’t be recovered, I managed to mend the injuries threatening her life. The one cradled in her arms underwent a similar transformation.

The blackened, decayed skin gradually reversed as though time itself were rewinding, becoming smooth and pale once again. She appeared to be around my age—perhaps slightly younger.

Her hair remained largely intact, surprisingly enough. For someone in such a dire state, retaining her hair seemed like sheer luck. However, her extremities—fingers, toes—had turned a deeper black, suggesting her companions had acted just in time before the decay fully consumed her.

As always, awed murmurs surrounded me as I worked, making me feel a little uncomfortable.

As the wounds on the two individuals gradually vanished—particularly the face of the woman whose features had been nearly consumed by decay—her appearance returned to its original state.

She’s beautiful.

Perhaps because I felt a bit relieved, that thought crossed my mind.

And then—

“Huh?”

Looking at her face, I felt something strange.

Her beauty, while remarkable even by elf standards, wasn’t what caught my attention. It was the tear-shaped mole beneath her eye—something about it felt oddly familiar, as though I’d seen it somewhere before.

Now that I think about it, I’d never heard what the princess looked like. Not that it would have mattered much. Since we’d had no idea of her original appearance, our only role was to treat her condition, not judge her looks.

“……”

“Why? Is there something wrong?”

Ria’s voice brought me back to reality as she noticed me staring intently at the woman’s face.

I shook my head, trying to dismiss the thought.

No, it can’t be.

Or at least, I hoped not.

After all, the elven heroine wasn’t supposed to be the “princess.” Sure, she had the typical elven pride in her lineage that could get a bit grating, but that was beside the point.

“Ah.”

I felt a bit dizzy. It wasn’t because of the elf, but because I had used too much power. The poison had been too potent, and the wounds on the second individual had been far too severe.

“Anna, that’s enough.”

Ria gently supported my shoulder from behind.

“It’s okay now. You can stop.”

“But…”

I hadn’t even confirmed if they were completely healed yet—

Before I could finish that thought—

“Ugh.”

The elf lying before me let out a faint groan.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, her half-lidded gaze revealing a pair of strikingly luminous irises.

One was a pale sky blue, clear as a tranquil lake.

The other shimmered like emerald glass, its light piercing through.

“…Ah.”

No doubt about it.

It’s her.

No matter how I looked at it, it was the heroine.

Of course, I’d suspected it from the start, hadn’t I?

“Anna? Hey, Anna!”

Ria’s voice barely reached me before my vision faded, and I slipped into unconsciousness.

So that’s how it is.

The reason the Saintess had been competing with the other heroines at the start of the main story…

It all made sense now.

…Maybe I should just let the harem form naturally.

It doesn’t seem like I have any control over it anyway.