NOVEL WEB Chapter 1
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〈 Episode 1 〉 Reason for Resignation
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Cover view
The Saint’s chapel.
Among the sacred places where only those qualified as Saint’s Assistants who are devoted to the Saint live, it is said that only those worthy can enter this sacred sanctuary that few can ever hope to admire or desire.
Even at this moment, all who are captivated by the Saint’s radiance are polishing their faith and honing their belief to bask in the supreme glory of praising that precious existence from the closest position.
All this is to praise the kind-hearted Saint who selflessly spent her life to achieve the Demon King Tado’s grand ambition.
The love of the faithful towards the Saint never fades, never stops, is relentless, and will not cease.
But.
At this moment, my footsteps toward that glorious sanctuary were anything but light.
No, they were heavier. I didn’t want to be here. If possible, I wanted to escape to my cozy room right now and relax my feet while sleeping.
If only someone would show up to take my place, I would gladly hand over this position with a smile.
Thud. Thud.
The ghastly corridor, devoid of any presence, emphasized only the sound of my footsteps, wrapping the air in an ominous aura whose origin was unknown, and the arranged glass windows exuded a chilling, almost unpleasant strangeness.
The fundamental source of such thoughts would be the familiar silhouettes clearly visible beyond the far end of the corridor.
Just after I sighed out my grievances, I turned my sluggish gait into a hurried one.
”Breakfast time for the Saint is just around the corner, so where the hell is that lazy ass Regis again!”
”That lazy bastard is probably sleeping somewhere again…”
”Why on earth did the Saint choose such a lowly man as her Guardian Priest…”
The sound I hated hearing more than an alarm in the early dawn. A voice that I desperately wanted to ignore.
”G-Good morning~! Seniors~!”
I greeted with the brightest smile I could muster to lighten the bleak atmosphere, but it seemed to have little effect.
The expressions of the men in their white priest robes, distinct from my black priest robe, were smeared with hostility and disgust that didn’t match their pious appearance.
”I told you to hurry up, you idiot!”
”Hah… That fool…”
”Tch!”
”Hah… Hahaha… S-Sorry…”
I wanted to show the one who made that ridiculous remark the faces of these men.
”From the very beginning! You lack awareness of your position serving the Saint! Do you even understand what a great honor that is for us Guardian Priests!? If you’re going to take a position that doesn’t suit you, at least show some minimal responsibility and sincerity! Got it!?”
”Hah…”
In situations like this, anything I say would just get me berated, so it was best to just laugh it off.
While getting a warm scolding from my heavens-like seniors, I suddenly heard.
”Nice to see you, Priest Regis. The Saint is waiting. Please come in quickly.”
”Ah, yes! Understood!”
”Hmph…”
Thanks to the nun who unexpectedly showed up, I avoided a crisis.
I always barely managed to show up just in time for work because of this reason.
Those folks wouldn’t hesitate to wake up an hour or two earlier than the scheduled time, just so they could wait for me in the path I would pass through, all to mercilessly pick on the new recruit they disapprove of.
I could honestly understand their feelings to some extent.
Being the personal Guardian Priest of the Saint is a role that is like supreme glory to those who serve her.
It’s only natural they’d feel resentful toward me, a rookie priest who they believe shouldn’t be in such a prestigious position, instead of them.
Long ago, I was dragged into the servitude due to the crime of just being born healthy, and I had experienced the unfair grievances and jealousy directed towards me from the public, so I could empathize with what my seniors felt.
But typically, some things in this world can only be understood once you experience them firsthand.
You can’t tell if a Yu-Gi-Oh card on the street is rare until you flip it over, right?
A smart kid who quickly grasps worldly affairs would realize that rare cards wouldn’t just be lying around.
I feel like I’ve strayed from my point a bit. To sum it up, what I wanted to say is this.
Please don’t judge someone’s life harshly based on your narrow perspective, without understanding their circumstances.
”Priest! Please hurry up!”
”Ah, yes!”
With the nun calling my name in a calm voice, my muddled thoughts snapped back to reality.
As I glanced ahead, I was met with a majestic door adorned with unnecessarily large and flashy decorations.
‘This is all solid gold, huh…’
It’s enough to make you question if the folks in the Vatican have some sort of fetish for throwing money into the gutter.
It would be quite a sight to see the expressions of citizens realizing their donations went towards such things.
”Here, please take this.”
”Yes.”
The nun handed me a small food tray. On it was the Saint’s breakfast for the day.
Steam wafting from freshly baked delicious bread. A vibrant salad, made from select fresh vegetables. A stew with a harmonious sweet milk flavor mingled with a faint herb scent. From the smell, it seemed today included meat too.
Slurp.
”You can’t eat this.”
The nun’s fierce reproach caught me off guard as I drooled over the meal.
Honestly, even though I hadn’t seen meat in months, it’s a completely inappropriate act for a Guardian Priest to eat the Saint’s meal. Not to mention, the nun is quite perceptive.
”It feels like a cruel mission for someone who hasn’t seen a proper meal in ages… Could you deliver it for me just this once?”
”It’s not allowed. You know well that you can’t put your mouth on anything unless it’s given by the priest there, right?”
”Ah… Yes… Well, that’s true…”
She wouldn’t know how tough it is to ask someone who’s eaten nothing but potatoes for the past month to have someone else feed them this feast.
I firmly believe that’s why Adam bit into the apple in Eden, having eaten nothing but the same food for centuries.
”Then, off you go, Priest Regis. I must stress again, you can’t eat it.”
”····Yes.”
With the worried gaze of the nun watching me depart as if sending off a fresh errand boy, I pushed open the heavy door.
◈◈◈
It is white.
Honestly, that’s the only adequate description for this mysterious room.
Westerners who enjoy entertainment films would liken it to the white room featured in Batman, while old men like me who’ve watched many cartoons as kids might say it’s identical to the Room of Spirit and Time from Dragon Ball; it’s an absurdly white and vast, alien space that feels somewhat uncomfortable.
The Meeting Room of the Saint.
It is said that nobles spend astronomical donations annually to set foot in this odorless, flavorless space devoid of any hint of human life. Honestly? I think they’d roll on the floor, begging for a refund if they saw it in this state.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
The eerie mechanical sounds that occasionally echo filled this already chilling white space with a foreboding atmosphere.
I slowly moved toward the source of that sound, my steps cautious, and I soon stumbled upon the person whom everyone loves but I personally despise.
”Saint! I brought breakfast!”
To hide the impious feelings inside me, I cheerfully greeted her confidently as I tapped her on the back of the head.
As always, there was no response. To be honest, I didn’t really expect one. It’s safe to say I’ve rarely heard her reply to my greetings.
Well, I can barely recall a time when she even spoke properly.
Her appearance could be nicely wrapped up like a doll, but to put it bluntly, if I said she looked like a corpse, no one could protest.
Her serene presence was too quiet to be referred to as a living being. Being with her naturally made me tune into her breathing and heartbeat, as she seemingly existed without sound.
”Ahem! Saint! It’s breakfast time!”
”····”
”Saint, breakfast…”
”····”
”Hah…”
Silence. More silence.
By now, I should have grown accustomed to this, yet every time, it makes me absentmindedly scrutinize her impassive expression.
Her milky white hair, resembling someone looking into an untouched snowy field, and her Rubellite-colored eyes shimmering even without emotions.
Her skin, whiter than that of any porcelain, makes me question whether the door I opened was a door at all or if it was a treasure chest instead, ensnaring me in childish delusions about her ethereal beauty beyond this world.
Saint Welna Angelas Ashes.
This petite woman, fixated on the flickering TV screen in front of her, is referred to by such a name in the outside world.
And then.
”Hah… Welna. I’m here…”
”─!!!”
Thump!
Upon hearing my voice call her name, this girl, in a panic, rushes to grab the hem of my pants.
”Ah! Ahh…! Ahh!”
”See? If you’d just answered sooner that would’ve been great. We’ll read the fairy tale later, but let’s eat first, okay?”
”Ahh!!”
Honestly, I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.
But taking a guess, I patted her silky hair lovingly today as well.
◈◈◈
”Now, say ‘Ah~!”
”Chomp!”
”Alright! Last bite! Say ‘Ah~!”
”Chomp!”
After a few dozen minutes of experiencing the feeling of feeding a baby bird, I finally accomplished my assigned task.
It seemed I could’ve left some for her, but watching her gobble down everything I offered made me slightly doubt the nun’s claim that she wouldn’t eat a thing without me.
”Ahh!!”
”Huh? Oh, you want me to read a fairy tale?”
After she finished eating, she seemed to demand something remarkable from me.
While some have to endure a heap of curses to get a single delicious meal, others only need to eat what’s offered to them for rewards; it truly is an unfair world.
”Alright… just give me a moment, please… Ahem!”
”Yes!”
I knew perfectly well that no one else was in this space, yet I still couldn’t help but look around cautiously.
If any other faithful saw me treating the revered Saint like a child and talking to her informally, they would surely condemn me to execution on the spot for blasphemy.
I may need to consider death itself a blessing. After all, I might have to live a life of endless torture, begging for a release from it, much like the hellish existence they would impose on me if they were anything like the Vatican folks I know.
”Ah…! Ahh…!”
”Ah, I got it… I’ll read it to you right now…”
She perched on my lap, pounding on my thigh with her fists, insisting on hearing a story.
The faint heartbeat from her little back against my chest was a reminder of her life. The warm touch of her skin constantly reminded me that she isn’t a doll but a living being, and the sweet scent wafting from her white hair brought forth memories of milk.
Tick-tock.
I strained to focus on the delightful words in front of me, straining to listen to the ticking clock echoing from my wrist. I felt compelled to do this, as though I might never escape this enchanting space unless I did. It was a near instinctive reaction born from a sense of crisis.
”And so, the princess, awakened by the prince’s kiss, lived happily ever after~ What a delight~ What a joy~”
”····”
How much time had passed?
Finally, the storytime known as breakfast came to an end.
It seemed this tale had made quite an impression, as she was still staring intently at the book, showing a rare emotional response.
Her cute little lips and innocent cheeks blushed a faint red, which was adorable enough to make me smile unintentionally; however, I had no time to get lost in such sights if I wanted to avoid running late for meal time with the priests.
This dining hall, strictly regulated by people who are not only severe but also nearly suffocatingly meticulous, would not serve food to anyone, not even a Guardian Priest, who didn’t comply with the designated meal time.
If I missed this chance, I’d have to settle for only potatoes for breakfast again.
That was a fate I’d rather not face.
”Well then! I’ll see you again at lunchtime─”
Just as I carefully set the Saint back down from my lap, in a moment of hurry fueled by a deep yearning for breakfast, something gripped my pants tightly.
”Huh?”
With a clear ringing like a gem, the holy voice, like a divine will, wrapped around my consciousness.
”This…”
Her slender finger pointed slowly in the direction of the fairy tale book I had just read to her.
On the open page was a beautiful illustration of the prince kissing the princess, illustrating the story’s conclusion.
····So it begins again…
I barely kept in the sigh threatening to escape and forced a strained smile as I relaxed my tensed brow, trying to convey my firm intention to her.
”Ah… No…”
But.
”I’m going to do it…”
”I said not now…”
”I’m going to do it…”
”Saint, it’s not allowed…”
”I’m going to… I’m going to… I’m going to… I’m going to… I’m going to… I’m going to…”
Every time I conveyed my refusal, the light in her Rubellite eyes dimmed, and her chilling repetitive voice sounded like a solemn decree, declaring an end to my life.
Ah, I want to resign.
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