Chapter : 07
The Magical Saint Seraphina
“I’ll work for exactly one year. Of course, even before then, I should be able to quit whenever I want.”
“Fine.”
“If I successfully complete one year, write me a recommendation letter when I apply for a position as a government official in the Imperial Palace. In the name of the Great Temple.”
“Understood.”
“And all medical expenses, activity expenses, and so on that occur while I’m working will be covered by you, my employer, Dubu.”
You saw what happened earlier, right? I almost got shot.
I glared at him.
“If my activities as a Magical Saint continue for a long time, chronic injuries will follow me like an occupational disease.”
I’m not the kind of person who would grow old, suffer from aches and pains everywhere, lie alone in a tiny room because I couldn’t afford to call a doctor, and think, At least I saved the world when I was young, so I have no regrets.
So hand over the money.
Pay me a fair price for my hard work and dedication!
—Question. Doesn’t it hurt your pride to receive money from a dog who employs you?
—Answer. Why would it? There are so many bosses in this world who are worse than dogs.
“Put it in writing.”
“Understood.”
Dubu nodded and brought over a sheet of paper stamped with the seal of the temple from the desk.
The desk was too high for Dubu, so I took the pen out for him.
We carefully considered every single word, wrote and signed the agreement, and each took one copy.
Since Dubu couldn’t sign his name, he stamped his paw print on it.
“Then I’ll be going now. I have to go to work in a few hours.”
The clothing shop was a complete mess, so even if I went to work, I wouldn’t be able to do any actual work.
Still, I had to go to work and pretend I knew nothing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to get myself off the list of suspects.
I stood up, looking out at the still-dark window.
If I went home right now, I could at least get thirty minutes of sleep.
As I hurried toward the door, Dubu called me from behind.
“Seraphina!”
“Why?”
When I turned around, the tiny dog was standing alone in this enormous room with its tongue hanging out.
When our eyes met, Dubu wagged his tail.
Cute…….
I had no choice but to turn back and scratch the bridge of his nose.
“Seraphina, why did you leave a message on the back of the letter earlier? The message saying to have a righteous day!”
It would actually be better for me to work if nobody knew you existed!
“Ah, that.”
I touched his furry front paw too.
His paw pad was so soft.
This guy only has three toes.
“There are too many evil people in this world. So many that I can’t punish all of them by myself.”
If I was going to work as a Magical Saint, I wanted to do it properly.
But at this rate, even if I didn’t sleep and spent all twenty-four hours of every day punishing evil people, it wouldn’t be enough.
And even then, I wouldn’t be able to get them all.
“Besides, I’m only going to do this for one year before retiring. So……”
“So?”
“I’m going to be as loud and spectacular as possible.”
I’ll make sure everyone knows that if they do something wrong, they could receive a visit from the Magical Saint at any time.
I’m watching everything.
Even if the laws of this country and those in power have forgiven you, the Magical Saint hasn’t.
“Then whenever they’re about to do something wrong, they’ll hesitate at least once. They’ll wonder if the Magical Saint might be watching them right now.”
“Woof.”
“Ah! It’s already this late… I’m really going!”
Don’t forget to calculate today’s wages retroactively!
“Hand over the money!”
After giving him a firm warning, I left.
After the new Magical Saint Seraphina had left.
The one left alone, Yohan Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Park Yeon Strauss III, said,
“Come out now!”
Then the space behind a painting that had looked exactly like a wall opened, and a tall man emerged.
The man took off his hood and raised his head.
His eyes were a cold, pale blue.
The man took some dried meat out of his pocket and threw it to Yohan Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Park Yeon Strauss III.
With a snap, Yohan—whatever his name was—caught the dried meat skillfully in midair.
Holding it in both paws, the dog began eagerly tearing into it.
Crunching away, he asked,
“So, how was it after watching her?”
“What?”
“The new Magical Saint!”
Without answering, the man walked toward the window.
After waiting for a while, he saw Seraphina just leaving the building.
Her thick black hair was loosely tied up, and she had large, round pink eyes.
Her thin wrists were hard to believe belonged to someone who possessed such incredible strength.
While he watched, the hair tie that could no longer hold all her hair together seemed to have snapped.
She stopped and looked annoyed.
As black hair spilled down over her long, pale neck, the man spoke.
“Did you know? Every Magical Saint in history had a happy family.”
Kind and loving parents.
An older brother or younger brother who acted cold but still cared deeply for the Magical Saint……
Even friends she could rely on.
“That’s why they could all carry out their duties as Magical Saints without worrying. Even if they couldn’t study because they were out at night, or even if something went wrong and they ended up in a crisis… they had someone they could rely on.”
Because they had all grown up without hardship, they were bright and cheerful by nature.
They were said to have taken care of the people around them who had been hurt.
“She’s the first Magical Saint in history with nowhere to lean on like that.”
With nowhere to return to.
With no one to depend on.
Every choice made by someone who had to take care of themselves carried a different kind of weight.
“A new era, and a new Magical Saint.”
“Then will you help her a little?”
“Why should I?”
Everyone should take care of their own problems.
The man shrugged provocatively.
Suddenly, the new Magical Saint looked back, and her eyes met the man’s.
She shouldn’t have been able to see them from down there, yet she stared straight upward.
Her eyes were dark beneath them from exhaustion, but her gaze itself was still full of life.
As if responding to that gaze, the man stared back and murmured,
“Still, I’m curious, so maybe I’ll watch her up close……”
“My hands and feet are curling up just thinking about it. A saint, seriously.”
There’s a certain feeling that comes with the word saint.
No matter how hot it is, you’re never supposed to wear short sleeves or shorts.
Even when you’re furious, you’re not supposed to raise your voice.
You’re supposed to always wear a gentle smile and speak softly.
And whenever something happens, you’re expected to step forward first and take the loss.
Even if you’re a Magical Saint, it’s the same.
What the hell is that battle uniform, anyway?
“Haa.”
No.
Let’s think positively.
With the money I’ll earn from working as a Magical Saint, I can pay off all my student loans and even the school development fund.
Then applying for the Imperial Palace government examination right away this coming autumn won’t be a dream.
I can save an enormous amount of time.
If I somehow end up completing the full year, I should ask for severance pay……
“Mom!”
“Pepper!”
While I was nodding to myself and calculating everything, a little kid ran past me.
A woman coming from the opposite direction quickly bent down and picked up the child.
“Why are you outside at this hour of the morning! It’s dangerous!”
“I came to meet Mom! It’s time for you to get off work!”
“Oh my!”
Still, what was she thinking, letting a child come outside alone at this hour?
Although she scolded the child, a smile appeared on the woman’s face.
“Where’s Collie?”
“Sleeping right now!”
The little child, held in her mother’s arms, puffed out her cheeks and smiled.
“Did you wait long? Weren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine!”
“Mom brought you some roasted sweet potatoes.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Let’s hurry home and eat.
After carefully fastening her daughter’s outer clothes so there were no gaps, the mother took her little hand and hurried along.
I silently watched them.
A sigh escaped my mouth, turning into white breath before disappearing.
I had a mother too when I was that little.
‘Sena! Where are you going?’
‘I’m going to meet my friends!’
‘I was going to make your favorite onion soup for dinner tonight!’
‘I’ll be back soon!’
‘Wait, Sena! You have to wear your scarf!’
‘But Mom, why do you and Dad call me Sena? I heard Seraphina’s nickname is Sera.’
‘That’s because……’
‘Because?’
‘I’ll tell you when we eat dinner.’
‘That’s not fair!’
In the end, I never got to hear the reason.
When I returned home after playing to my heart’s content with my friends, my house was already engulfed in flames and collapsing.
My mother, who had been cooking onion soup in the kitchen.
And my father, who had rushed into the burning house to save her.
They were both inside.
The person who had started the fire was never caught.
If that hadn’t happened, would I have had a family too?
“What’s the point of thinking about it? Apparently, they think it happened because someone carelessly knocked off a cigarette.”
It seemed the person who started the fire panicked and ran away……
“Ugh!”
To shake off those thoughts, I jumped and climbed onto the wall.
I thought I would lose my balance, but surprisingly, I found my center of gravity easily.
“As expected.”
I really was a Magical Saint chosen for my physical abilities.
The view that appeared as soon as I climbed up made me gasp in admiration.
A clear, transparent river divided the center of the capital in half.
The lights from the streetlamps reflected across its surface.
Along the riverside stood the mansions of high-ranking nobles, the Imperial Art Museum, the War Memorial, the library……
The windows of the famous buildings that even appeared in history books were engraved with ancient protective spells.
The pure glass windows sparkled a bright sky blue.
They looked like ice castles.
I never knew the night streets could be this beautiful.
My neighborhood looked gloomy even during the day.
Come to think of it, even the people living on Demarcy Street would come outside dressed in their pajamas at this hour without any hesitation.
If someone tried that in my neighborhood, they’d get robbed.
“I should make lots of money later and move here.”
Just as I was stomping my feet in admiration—
I came face-to-face with someone who had just come around from beyond the wall.
The light green eyes of the person who met my gaze grew wide.
