Chapter 05
That’s not a quest I need to worry about right now.
The real problem was where I was supposed to get holy water and a sword.
“Shall we go meet His Holiness the Pope now?”
Her cheerful voice almost made me answer, “Yes!” automatically.
The Pope? I’m meeting the Pope?
As far as I knew, he was someone whose authority rivaled even the Emperor’s.
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“…Do I really have to meet him?”
Both in my previous life and this one, I had always been an ordinary nobody.
Meeting someone as powerful as the Pope was incredibly intimidating.
Seeing how reluctant I looked, the priestesses hurried to comfort me.
“You don’t have to be so nervous. His Holiness is a very kind and gentle person.”
“That’s right. His Holiness is like a father to all believers of God, so you can treat him as if he were your father too, Saint.”
* * *
What kind of relationship did God’s daughter, the Saint, have with God’s representative, the Pope?
A father?
A chill ran down my spine.
It was hard to believe I had someone I could call that.
I didn’t even have a family in my previous life.
…Well, either way, this was good.
Who else would have holy water besides the Pope?
After listening to their persuasion, I finally gave in.
I’ll ask him for some holy water.
Just think about the Good Deeds Gauge!
This was a mission to collect an item worth five whole points!
My steps became much lighter.
Humming to myself, I walked while holding the hands of the two priestesses.
Maybe it was because I was so small, but everything looked huge and impressive.
Even the carvings on the pillars.
“You’ll memorize the layout after walking around a few times.”
“That side is where commoners come to pray.”
“And this side is reserved for nobles.”
What a strict class society.
I quietly closed my mouth.
If I hadn’t become the Saint, I probably wouldn’t even have been allowed to enter this place.
Even the level of maintenance was different.
The commoners’ area had overgrown bushes.
This side had blooming flowers and neatly trimmed lawns.
“Saint, you’re free to go anywhere you like.”
“You just need to be careful not to get lost.”
“Okay.”
I nodded absentmindedly as we turned a corner.
Then—
Bang!
“Ow!”
“…!”
A sharp pain shot through my forehead, bringing tears to my eyes.
When I looked up, I saw a boy with reddened eyes.
He must have hit his chin.
He glared at me fiercely.
His black hair looked strangely out of place in the pure white surroundings.
His pale complexion and dark circles beneath his sharp eyes made him look almost like a corpse.
The boy, only slightly taller than me, gritted his teeth before roughly wiping away the tears in his eyes.
“Y-Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince!”
The startled priestesses hurriedly bowed and pulled me behind them.
That’s the Crown Prince who’s going to become that insane tyrant?
He’s still so young.
“What are you?”
Even his voice sounded nice.
Main-character privilege, I suppose.
Although he looked exhausted, his handsome features were as perfectly sculpted as a statue.
“Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.”
I bowed along with the priestesses.
His hostile expression softened a little.
“Your Highness, this is the newly arrived Saint.”
“A new Saint?”
He answered irritably before letting out a dry laugh.
“Hah. They finally sent one now?”
Oh?
Complaining about God in a world like this?
That’s unexpected.
“When I needed one so desperately, there wasn’t even an answer.”
It seemed the Crown Prince truly hated God.
I looked at the boy who would one day cut off my head…
Then deliberately turned my head away.
He raised an eyebrow.
“What’s with that attitude?”
“Your Highness, the Saint is still very young and doesn’t know proper etiquette yet. Please forgive her.”
The Crown Prince looked coldly at the priestess defending me before smirking.
“A Saint without an oracle? That’s ridiculous.”
“His Holiness will announce it shortly.”
The priestess stepped forward with a firm expression.
I had quietly listened until now, but I was starting to get annoyed too.
“You’re tiny.”
“…!”
“You’re supposed to be a Saint? You’re just a baby.”
“You’re small too, Your Highness.”
“…What?”
He stepped closer to me.
I didn’t back away.
As our faces drew near…
…he was the one who avoided my gaze.
His ears had turned bright red.
What? You’re the one who walked over here.
And I wasn’t even wrong.
Of course, he’d probably grow up into the kind of man who broke countless women’s hearts.
But to me now…
He was just a handsome little kid.
He doesn’t look like a future tyrant.
He was ill-tempered and a bit frail.
Nothing more.
Unaware of my thoughts, he pouted.
“Whatever. I don’t believe it.”
“Believe it or don’t.”
“…!”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I’m the Saint.”
“How dare you.”
How dare me?
So what?
I’m the Saint.
And this is the temple.
I proudly lifted my chin.
Go ahead.
Try something.
Embarrassed by my fearless reaction, the Crown Prince blushed and looked away.
Surprisingly…
He seemed rather shy.
“What’s your name?”
He looked at me strangely before asking.
“Diane.”
“…I’ll remember that.”
After saying those words, he started to walk past me.
Why? So you can really cut off my head later?
Feeling irritated, I secretly plucked several strands of his hair as he passed.
Pluck.
He immediately spun around.
It must have hurt.
“Hmm~ Hmm~”
Pretending nothing had happened, I cheerfully skipped away.
Even humming a tune.
“You…!”
I heard him shouting behind me.
I didn’t care.
Fireworks were going off right in front of my eyes.
[Quest: Can’t Understand the Ghost?]
Progress
Doll: 1/1
Holy Water: 0/1
Sword: 0/1
Fingernails: 0/5
Hair (excluding your own): 5/3 (New!)
Oops.
I pulled out two extra hairs.
Hmph. He looked like he had plenty anyway.
Kids’ hair grows back quickly.
That’s what people say.
Without any guilt whatsoever, I stuffed the five black hairs into my pocket.
* * *
The Pope frowned and let out a deep sigh.
The Crown Prince’s condition had shown no improvement.
It had already become a well-known topic throughout the Imperial Palace.
“…Ha…”
Had they been approaching the problem the wrong way from the beginning?
Whenever a certain time passed, the Crown Prince behaved as though he became an entirely different person.
Recently, it had become so severe that he had begun imitating animals.
Everyone in the palace kept the matter strictly secret.
Even so…
Rumors that the Crown Prince has completely lost his mind are spreading everywhere…
The Pope pitied the young prince.
Although the temple and the Imperial Palace had always been political rivals, there was no personal hostility between them.
That was why he had willingly agreed to examine the Crown Prince.
It had already been six years.
“And after six years… there hasn’t been the slightest improvement.”
Nowadays, every time the Pope visited, the Crown Prince looked at him with eyes filled with annoyance.
The Pope couldn’t even bring himself to meet the boy’s gaze anymore.
Every weekly visit had become painful.
Today, once again, he had failed to find the cause.
He was about to return empty-handed.
In the end, tears welled up in his eyes.
“…Please don’t lie to me. I’ll probably end up going insane and dying.”
“Your Highness, that’s not true. Just a little longer—”
“Even Father knows. He knows it’s useless. What’s the point of drinking holy water every time I feel something strange? It doesn’t work!”
The Pope recalled how the Crown Prince had stormed out in frustration just moments ago.
He sighed bitterly.
Then—
His eyes suddenly widened.
A pure wave of divine power drifted toward him through the air.
The Pope instinctively rose to his feet.
Finally!
Three hundred years had passed without a new Saint.
He had imagined countless times what the next one might be like before eventually giving up.
To be honest, he had doubted it.
An oracle had suddenly appeared.
Then it claimed that a Saint, absent for three centuries, had appeared in this generation.
It all sounded unbelievable.
What an honor.
What kind of person would she be?
The oracle had only revealed the Saint’s location.
Nothing else.
The Pope had no choice but to send Liam without any additional information.
Unfortunately, when the Saint arrived, he had been occupied with examining the Crown Prince and hadn’t had time to hear Liam’s report.
The doors of the grand cathedral slowly opened.
A long shadow stretched across the floor.
“…”
The Pope froze.
A… child?
She was even younger than the Crown Prince.
A tiny little girl who looked no older than three or four.
She was so undernourished that her stomach, which should have been round like a child’s, was completely flat.
Despite her tiny, adorable steps…
Her eyes were lifeless.
“Hello.”
The little girl walked up to him.
She politely bowed and introduced herself.
“I’m Diane Irenne.”
“I’m five years old.”
“…”
“I look forward to your guidance.”
She smiled sweetly as she spoke.
But there wasn’t a trace of hope in her eyes.
How…
How am I supposed to react to this?
Meanwhile, Diane was just as bewildered.
This is the Pope?
To begin with, I barely remembered the original novel anymore.
So naturally, I had expected a white-haired old man with an enormous beard!
He’s way too handsome!
The Pope was much younger than I had imagined.
The stained-glass windows high beneath the massive arched ceiling poured dazzling light down upon him.
His platinum-blond hair shimmered almost like my own silver hair.
His deep green eyes curved gently with warmth.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Saint.”
“…Hello.”
“Was your journey here peaceful?”
“Yes.”
As soon as I gave my short answer, silence fell.
He seemed just as shocked by my appearance.
Well…
A five-year-old child so skinny that her ribs were visible had arrived claiming she would save the world.
He must be disappointed.
I nervously waited for the criticism to come.
If it had been the orphanage director…
“How could someone like you ever become a Saint?!”
…she would have hit me.
The Pope stepped down from the platform and slowly approached me.
As his shadow fell over my face, I instinctively shrank back.
“…!”
“S-Saint…”
At the trembling voice behind him, I slowly opened the eyes I had squeezed shut.
The Pope had frozen with his hand still outstretched.
“…Ah.”
He had probably only intended to bless my head.
Embarrassed, I slowly relaxed.
“Five years old…”
the Pope murmured.
“You’re far too thin.”
“I’m a picky eater.”
I looked at him with trembling eyes.
Realizing his words had startled me, he awkwardly cleared his throat.
“I swear before God that you are safe here, Saint.”
I already knew that.
Of course.
Who would dare mistreat God’s daughter inside the temple?
But unlike my mind…
The habits ingrained over five years wouldn’t disappear so easily.
The pathetic habit of tensing my body in preparation for an incoming blow.
Ashamed that my weakness had been exposed, I lowered my head, my face burning.
The Pope gently stroked my hair.
“Then… you’ll slowly become accustomed to it.”
Trying to lighten the mood, I deliberately changed the subject.
“This place is really huge.”
“I’ve never been somewhere like this before.”
“You’ll become very familiar with it.”
“When you grow up, you’ll hear the confessions of the faithful and grant them blessings as the Saint.”
Confessions.
Blessings.
Those definitely counted as good deeds.
“Can I do lots of good deeds?”
“Can I start now?”
I desperately needed to raise my Good Deeds Gauge!
The Pope smiled and lowered himself to meet my eyes.
“There is nothing you cannot do here, Saint.”
“…”
“Do whatever you wish.”
“But for now, eating well and growing up healthy is already something that benefits the Empire.”
Oof.
That almost made me cry.
Determined not to repeat what had happened in the carriage, I curled my toes tightly.
Thankfully…
I somehow managed to stop the tears.
Whew.
I almost embarrassed myself again.
I had only just been cleaned up.
I couldn’t start crying already.
“Um… then…”
I hesitated before asking,
“Do you have any holy water?”
“What do you need holy water for?”
“I-I’m… thirsty.”
“…”
Even I knew that excuse made absolutely no sense.
“I’ll have some brought to you immediately.”
[Progress]
Doll: 1/1
Holy Water: 1/1 (New!)
Sword: 0/1
Fingernails: 0/5
Hair (excluding your own): 5/3
* * *
The room assigned to me was spacious and luxurious.
I happily jumped onto the bed and flopped onto my stomach.
“Wow… this is amazing…”
For the first time in my life, I had a real room.
And a real bed.
After lying there for a while, I got up and looked around.
On the desk, I spotted a gleaming paper knife.
Even if it’s not a kitchen knife, this should work.
I climbed off the bed and picked it up.
The silver blade was sharp enough.
Good. Now for the fingernails…!
I bit my lip and began pulling off my fingernails.
One.
Two.
Three.
I placed each one carefully in my palm.
After pulling off the last fingernail from my little finger, I counted them.
“Five.”
“Now everything’s almost ready.”
All that remained…
…was my resolve.
[Quest: Can’t Understand the Ghost?]
Progress
Doll: 1/1
Holy Water: 1/1
Sword: 1/1 (New!)
Fingernails: 5/5 (New!)
Hair (excluding your own): 5/3
[Mission Complete]
You have collected all the materials for “Spooky Fun Hide-and-Seek.”
1. Carefully cut open the doll’s belly!
Place the collected fingernails and hair inside.
= Wow! Your doll is coming to life~
2. Put a small weapon in the doll’s hand and hide for ten minutes~
Tip: Have you finished hiding? Even if the doll whispers sweetly to you, keep your mouth tightly shut!
3. If you’re caught… Eek~!
What do you think will happen?
????????????????????????????
4. When the game is over, say bye-bye.
Sprinkle holy water over the doll.
Then kindly say goodbye.
“Thank you, Mr. Ghost~ Let’s play again next time!”
Success Reward
Good Deeds Gauge +2
A special item may be obtained! (Random)
The status window appeared as if it had been waiting.
I’ve heard of this game.
No wonder the materials felt so disturbing.
So in the end…
I had to communicate with a ghost by playing a game with it?
“No way!”
[Your refusal has been refused.]
Oh?
Talking back now?
Just as I was trying to prepare myself mentally…
I heard a faint sound outside the window.
I walked over and looked outside.
Birds chirped as they flew through the garden.
The sunlight was warm.
Flowers bloomed beautifully.
It was a peaceful scene.
“It really feels like a dream.”
I muttered unconsciously.
Even though the future waiting for me was anything but bright.
Then…
Beyond the window, I saw the female ghost standing near the entrance talking with several other ghosts.
“Uuuuuuh.”
“Kyaak! Kek-kek!”
“Uuuuh…”
What are they saying?
As I frowned, I noticed the female ghost chasing away the smaller ghosts.
She looked as though she were disciplining them.
Before long, the other ghosts were lying flat on the ground, making pitiful noises as if begging for mercy.
Seriously…
What is this?
Shuddering, I quickly pulled the curtains shut.
* * *
The moon hung high in the night sky.
Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, I quietly crept toward the temple entrance.
[Warning: Ghosts are not permitted inside this building.]
Leaving this area may result in encountering ghosts.
[Warning: Ghosts are not permitted inside this building.]
Leaving this area may result in encountering ghosts.
[Warning: Ghosts are not—]
“I know already!”
Covering my ears, I silently mouthed a few curses.
A cold wind blew.
It was freezing.
It was terrifying.
I felt like I could faint at any moment.
In my hands was the rabbit doll Liam had bought me earlier that day.
Inside the small slit in its belly were the fingernails and hair.
I had only cut it open just enough so nothing would fall out.
Brr… it’s so cold.
I wasn’t sure whether it was the weather…
…or the ghosts making me shiver.
Either way, I felt awful.
“So… what am I supposed to do now?”
I could feel something watching me from the darkness.
The system window shone brightly, almost as if encouraging me not to be afraid.
[Place the weapon you brought into the doll’s hand!]
[After 10 minutes, the doll will begin searching while saying, “Found~ you!”]
Where should you hide?
Of course, you’ll be caught no matter where you go—
[Searching for a safe zone outside the temple…]
[No available options.]
Please survive on your own.
That wasn’t encouraging at all.
I stuffed the “weapon” I had brought into the doll’s tiny hand.
It was…
A paper knife.
The system window froze for a moment before displaying another message.
[Warning]
[This weapon is too weak to be considered a deadly weapon.]
“Paper can be a weapon.”
“Didn’t you know that?”
[Claim rejected.]
“Have you ever gotten a paper cut?”
“The edge slices your skin wide open.”
“It hurts like crazy!”
[Claim rejec—]
“Whatever.”
“You never specified what kind of weapon I had to bring, and now you’re complaining.”
The system window blinked several times as if confused.
Then it finally changed.
[Unexpected Variable Detected!]
Careful, careful~
Our seeker ghost is holding a paper knife!
If you don’t hurry…
You might get cut by it!
Hmph.
Not scary at all.
Chuckling to myself, I tossed the doll aside and sprinted away.
Pant… Pant…
Cold air filled my lungs.
It had been so long since I’d actually run that I was out of breath almost immediately.
“Huff… Huff… Oh, come on!”
Only five minutes had passed?
Even after running as fast as my short legs could carry me, I had barely gotten a few meters away from the temple.
There was nowhere to hide.
Probably because so many people visited the temple, the roads were wide and open.
“…Damn.”
I wandered around desperately.
The only things nearby were a few small buildings.
In the end, I crouched behind a trash bin.
When the timer reached zero…
I let out a long sigh.
The weapon is just paper.
Even if it catches me, I won’t die.
But…
Just facing a ghost is terrifying enough…
