I’m Not A Saint Though?

chapter 5

“…What is it?”

Was there another restriction?

Something like, since I was chosen as the Beloved, I couldn’t return to the human world.

‘Oh, that would be problematic.’

I waited for the lion’s words, filled with tension.

Finally, the lion’s mouth slowly began to open.

Yes, it opened, but…

“Because… I’m so bored.”

“…”

I stared at the lion with cold eyes.

As if embarrassed, the lion hurriedly waved its paws and made excuses.

“Do you know how many years I’ve lived alone, stuck in this dark cave? A whopping fifteen hundred years, fifteen hundred years! Do you know how tedious and lonely it’s been? My mouth is practically atrophied from lack of use!”

Then, it looked at me with teary eyes and pleaded, “So, couldn’t you stay here and be my conversation partner?”

Its droopy eyes were so pitiful that a slight sense of sympathy welled up.

But I wasn’t foolish enough to ruin my life by being swayed by such meager emotions.

“No.”

“Why?!”

“How can I live in a cave where not a single ray of sunlight enters! Besides, there’s nothing to eat here!”

“Of course there is!  It’s right here!”

The lion hurriedly pointed its paw at something, and it was the moss.

The very moss that was the lion’s staple food.

“How can I live off this!”

As I yelled in disbelief, the lion hurriedly made excuses.

“Of course, it looks a bit like that, but you’ll get used to it.  Once you try it, it’s not as bad as you think. Here, try some!”

It tore off a clump of moss with its mouth and offered it to me.

I quickly backed away, avoiding the giant face thrust in front of me.

“No, thank you. You endured eating this because you had the goal of becoming a divine beast, but I can’t live like that.  I’ll be going now.  May you be well.”

Placing a hand on my chest and bowing politely, I dashed towards the entrance.

But the lion was a persistent creature that didn’t know how to give up.

“No! Please don’t leave me alone.  Please?”

“Ah, stop following me!”

I desperately ran away, avoiding the lion that was chasing after me with heavy footsteps.

I didn’t want to live in this place, eating moss, after barely escaping death.

But no matter how fast a human runs, there’s no way to outrun a lion.

“Gotcha!”

A body as big as a house instantly pounced on me.

Looking at the lion staring at me with sparkling eyes, as if I were the lifeline of its existence, I prayed earnestly.

‘Oh, Goddess Hedel.  Please take pity on me and drive away this foolish lion that mistakes me for a tick!’

Perhaps my prayer was answered.

As soon as the lion wrapped its massive paws around my waist, a blinding light poured down on me.

‘This is the Goddess’s light… It’s not.’

It was sunlight.

So I had escaped the cave.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately…

“Ugh, it’s so bright!”

Along with the tick.

“…What? You said you couldn’t come out?”

When I questioned it in a bewildered tone, the lion blinked in confusion.

“That’s right? How did this happen? I’ve tried so many times, but I couldn’t get past that entrance…”

The lion tilted its head repeatedly, saying it was really strange.

‘What, are you really a divine beast in training?’

As I shook my head with a disgusted look, I heard murmurs from somewhere.

Turning around, I saw countless people below the cliff looking up at us with surprised expressions.

“Th-The Lady has come out again.”

“How did she come out?”

“What’s that white furry lump next to her?”

“It looks like some kind of beast… W-Wait.  Could it be a lion?”

“It is, it’s a lion! That very lion, the Goddess’s Representative!”

“Not only did the woman offered as a sacrifice return alive, but the Goddess’s Representative appeared with her.”

“Could it be that the Goddess is protecting the Lady?”

“If that’s the case, then could it be…”

The crowd hurriedly exchanged glances.

‘What are they doing?’

As I watched them in puzzlement, I burst out laughing at the faintly heard word “Saintess.”

‘What, are they thinking I’m the Saintess now?’

How naive could they be, calling me a Saintess just because I came out of a cave.

As I was laughing in disbelief,

“Hey, even so, how could she be the Saintess?”

“Right, if Lady Veloce is really the Saintess, there should be some kind of sign.”

“Like a sign that this terrible disaster has stopped.”

Fortunately, not everyone was completely ignorant, as some began to raise objections.

“Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

“If she’s the real Saintess, at least the hail falling from the clear sky should stop.”

That’s right, that’s right.

I nodded vigorously, watching the citizens gradually regain their senses.

But then.

“…?”

What an incredible coincidence.

At that moment, as if by magic, the hail stopped.

The hail that had been pouring down non-stop for seven days suddenly stopped!

‘Wait, why did it suddenly stop?’

Staring up at the sky with a blank expression, I was suddenly gripped by anxiety.

‘Wait, if this happens…’

And as I feared,

At that moment, someone shouted like thunder, “Th-The hail has stopped! The disaster has stopped! It’s the return, the return of the Saintess!”

At that signal, the crowd bowed their heads with expressions of awe.

At the same time, cheers filled with reverence echoed through the air.

“Saintess, save us!”

“Save Catalon!”

“Save us! Save us!”

Blinking blankly amidst those desperate cries, I gaped.

‘What are they talking about?  I’m not the Saintess.’

***

‘Why are things turning out like this?’

What was with this Saintess nonsense, when I was nothing but a noble, with no divine power or anything special!

I tried to deny it quickly, but the crowd didn’t give me a chance.

“Ah, now that the Saintess has appeared, this terrible disaster will stop.”

“There will be no more erupting dead volcanoes, no more hail falling from clear skies.  We won’t have to suffer from hunger due to crop shortages anymore!”

“Yes, Catalon will regain its former peace.”

“Of course!”

“Our Saintess will surely make it happen!”

They were filled with hope without even confirming the truth.

At this rate, I might really become a Saintess against my will.

‘That would be a real problem.’

Since I had no power to stop the disasters, it wouldn’t be long before they found out I wasn’t the real Saintess, and the citizens would be overcome with indescribable disappointment.

‘And that disappointment would soon turn into anger towards me.’

Even if it was their misunderstanding, not my intention, that made me a Saintess.

‘Crowds are always selfish.’

Just like how those who had rejoiced in my death a moment ago were now hailing me as a Saintess and pleading for salvation.

I might end up being falsely accused and facing the criticism of the entire Empire, and perhaps even execution in the end.

On the charge of impersonating the Saintess.

‘Damn it, this is really bad.’

Panicked, I turned to the lion, one of the causes of this misunderstanding, and whispered urgently, “Because of you, I’m being subjected to this ridiculous misunderstanding. Do something before this gets any bigger!”

Then, the lion, wagging its tail and humming, *hmm*, grinned and nodded.

As if telling me not to worry.

Seeing its confident face, it seemed to have a plan.

‘But how is it going to fix this? Is it going to explain to the crowd?  How?’

Although I understood the lion’s words, hadn’t it said that wasn’t its intention?

‘Was it lying? Or was it using lion language at the time, but it can also speak human language?’

I was curious, but not particularly worried.

It seemed a bit simple-minded, but it was a divine being that had lived for over a thousand years.

Surely, it had a way.

While I was lost in unfounded faith, the lion had already approached the cliff right in front of me.

I looked at the lion with sparkling eyes, anticipating what was about to happen.

But then.

‘…Huh?’

The lion’s behavior was a bit strange.

The lion, which had been staring up at me with its back to the crowd, sat down at my feet and bowed its head.

As if in submission.

“Um, what are you doing…?”

When I asked with a bewildered expression, the lion grinned.

“Wait, could it be…”

A sudden sense of unease washed over me.

Sure enough, the crowd began to stir again.

“Look at that. The lion is kneeling at the Saintess’s feet!”

“The Goddess’s Representative has acknowledged that the Lady is the Saintess!”

“It’s certain. It’s the true return of the Saintess!”

I felt dizzy from the fools’ absurd cheers directed at me.