No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 41

EP.41

Chapter 4

Escape and Service (7)

“Did you like the fries?”

Not wanting to make the atmosphere even heavier by bringing up the whole princess thing, I decided to start with something simple.

“Huh?”

“The ones you just ate.”

“Oh… Yes, they were delicious.”

Gloria glanced at her fingers as she answered.

Ria pulled out a napkin and handed it to her.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

Gloria replied, accepting the napkin and wiping her fingers clean.

She might not have seen a napkin before, but Gloria handled it without much awkwardness. Given her royal upbringing, it was plausible that she had encountered items like this before, especially since her family had interacted with this world. Napkins are the kind of small luxury that quickly becomes indispensable once discovered.

“By the way, fries from here are cooked in the same oil as the chicken.”

“Chicken?”

At her puzzled response, Ria and I exchanged glances.

“Well, you know… domesticated birds? At least, I think they’re domesticated. Are there even wild chickens?”

“Domesticated for sure. I doubt wild chickens fly around in the sky or anything.”

“Ah, so you mean livestock from this world. If it’s fried together with meat, it might have absorbed the smell.”

Listening to our conversation, Gloria quickly caught on to the topic. She paused for a moment, deep in thought.

“To be honest, under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t even touch it. I really can’t stand the smell of meat.”

She seemed to realize only then that what we were eating was fried meat. Still, she didn’t recoil or step back.

I mean, it’s fair that she might not know what chickens are. We don’t know what animals exist in her world either. For all we know, in her world, they might ride lizard-like creatures instead of horses, like raptors.

After witnessing a giant monkey that preyed on massive tigers, imagining that animals from our world might exist in hers wasn’t much of a stretch.

“But…”

“You’re starving, so everything tastes good. I get it.”

Ria answered for her and pushed a small dish of pickled radish toward her.

“What’s this?”

“Chicken radish.”

“Is it made from chicken too?”

“…No, it’s just pickled radish. It’s called chicken radish because it’s usually eaten with chicken.”

“Hmm.”

Gloria picked up a piece of the radish, examined it carefully, and popped it into her mouth.

“Mmm!”

Her eyes sparkled.

“It’s delicious! Though it has a bit of a sharp taste—feels like commoners’ food!”

I couldn’t tell if she was being clueless or not.

She picked up two more pieces of radish with her fingers, crunching on them enthusiastically, but soon noticed that Ria and I were using chopsticks.

“……”

Seeming a little embarrassed, she stopped eating.

I grabbed a pair of chopsticks, split them, and handed them to her. Since we ordered two whole chickens, the restaurant must have assumed more people were eating, so we had plenty of extras.

As Gloria awkwardly fiddled with the chopsticks, Ria and I silently resumed eating our chicken. It was delicious—really delicious—but… the atmosphere was still a bit awkward.

“Ah, right.”

Suddenly, Gloria stopped picking at the radish, raised her head, and looked straight at me.

“Were you the one who treated me?”

“Uh, yeah, that was me.”

I nodded, taking another bite of chicken.

“I was told that the person who saved me managed to completely neutralize a poison we didn’t even recognize. And not only that, but even the scars on the back of the person who saved me healed without a trace.”

“…That’s about right.”

“Incredible. Truly remarkable.”

Gloria carefully set down the chopsticks and stood. Then, she turned to me and bowed deeply. Her movements, including the positioning of her hands and feet, looked like a formal gesture, likely one of those respectful poses taught to royalty in her world.

“It was nothing.”

I replied casually.

But Ria, shifting her gaze back to me, didn’t seem to agree.

“No, it’s not nothing. Things that no one else can do are inherently valuable. If I ever return to my world, I will make sure to repay you generously.”

“That’s unnecessary. It wasn’t my power, anyway.”

For a moment, Gloria froze, her expression blank. Then, as if realizing something, she nodded in understanding.

“Ah, I see. Is this how people in this world show devotion to their gods? I’ve seen something similar a few times in my world. Even so, most priests in my world usually expect some kind of reward…”

I shrugged and glanced at Ria.

Ria, who had been quietly watching me, also shrugged before resuming her meal.

Gloria, watching us eat in silence, looked slightly flustered.

“C-Could it be that such power is common in this world? Is it something anyone can use? And that’s why you all treat it so casually?”

Is it common?

I wasn’t sure, but in some ways, that interpretation seemed fair.

I had the ability to reattach severed limbs, and if someone had even a shred of life left in them, I could likely save them.

Such power isn’t common by any means.

However, curing diseases that were once considered incurable—terminal cancer that had metastasized throughout the body, or severe injuries that could cause permanent disabilities—was already within the realm of possibility in this world.

People had come to regard such capabilities as ordinary. Those who wielded this power as believers in their god saw it as natural, and those who benefited from it also accepted it as such.

…

What can you say about a world like that? Honestly, I didn’t know.

Why did such a world still need saintly figures, mascots like Saintess or holy figures? Why create individuals meant to be revered? Why preemptively select and manage candidates for such roles?

I wasn’t deeply versed in theology, but I knew that Saintess in the early days weren’t just symbolic figures. If a “Saintess” were chosen now, they wouldn’t be someone who had selflessly sacrificed themselves for the world and its people—they would merely be a representative appointed by the church.

And it was clear, even in fictional stories, that such intentions weren’t entirely pure.

That’s why I didn’t want to get too involved.

…

Well, there wasn’t much use dwelling on it now. What mattered was how I decided to handle things moving forward.

Ignoring the princess’s speculation beside me, I focused on my chicken again.

Ria, watching me briefly, returned to eating her meal in silence.

*

All things considered, a princess from another world showing up in this one would normally mean contacting government officials rather than dealing with someone like me.

When I checked on her this morning to see how she was doing, Gloria greeted me with the same formal politeness as though meeting me for the first time. Ria and I reciprocated the gesture out of courtesy. Official meetings like this always felt tedious.

And then there was the other elf, someone who didn’t appear in the original story. This one… still couldn’t speak properly. It seemed they hadn’t fully recovered from their trauma.

Unlike Gloria, who had received various types of training as a princess and had been mostly unconscious during the moment I healed her, this other elf seemed far more deeply affected.

From the state of their wounds—dozens of arrows embedded in their back—it was clear they had been protecting Gloria at all costs. Now, even the mere presence of people seemed to terrify them.

Of course, this world itself must feel terrifying. No matter how dangerous the place being pursued by villains might have been, the instinct to return to the place one originally called home is universal.

There were so many people I wanted to talk to and so much to discuss, but for now, I focused on confirming that Gloria’s condition was stable. Afterward, Ria and I stepped outside together.

As usual, we spent our free time training. Ria’s sword strikes were as sharp as ever. She seemed to tone it down somewhat to accommodate my beginner-level skills, but she never held back completely.

When Ria said she wanted to help me improve, she had meant it with all sincerity. Gradually, I began to develop a desire to surpass her. At first, I didn’t think there was any chance of me winning against her. But after losing repeatedly, I want to achieve at least one victory.

Thankfully, Ria always swung her sword in the same way when sparring with me. It was as if she were silently saying, “Start by overcoming this.” I worked tirelessly to block her strikes in sequence while maneuvering a large shield. My body had grown much quicker and more agile than it used to be.

After observing Ria’s movements over and over, memorizing the sequence of her attacks, I finally—

“…Oh.”

—for the first time, succeeded in aiming the tip of the pink rubber gun at her.

“Well done.”

Ria beamed at me, her smile radiating genuine praise. It was entirely different from her usual playful smirk—it carried a warmth that felt entirely sincere.

“Hah…”

Exhausted from moving around so vigorously under the midday sun, I plopped down onto the ground.

“Here.”

Ria opened the cap of a 500ml bottle of water and handed it to me.

“Thanks.”

I accepted it gratefully and took a sip.

Ria sat down next to me, unscrewing the cap of her own water bottle.

“You know,” she said, “you might actually have a bit of talent.”

“…Really?”

“Well, you’re not exactly a genius or a prodigy or anything like that.”

Ria took a long drink of water, then looked at me.

“But being able to protect yourself makes a huge difference compared to those who can’t. Even if you’re in the rear of the group, if you can pull out a gun and land a shot, at the very least, you can save your own life.”

“……”

I bit my lip, trying to suppress a small twitch at the corner of my mouth.

“And…”

After a brief hesitation, Ria continued.

“Just my opinion, but with your abilities, there will definitely be people who’ll want to drag you into truly dangerous situations.”

“……”

That was true.

The same had happened to the Saintess, after all.

At this point, it would be foolish not to steel myself for what lay ahead.