Chapter 53 – Behind the Parade
Chapter 53 – Behind the Parade
Led by the Holy Knights, with the drum corps, flag bearers, and everyone else in tow, we stepped out onto the main avenue.
Wow, there are so many people—it’s overwhelming.
Even though the announcement was last-minute, this many people showed up…
“Heart. You okay? Sid-san, take a recovery potion early. Fernet… just hang in there.”
Ah, Fernet-san,
is suffering from scouting sickness…
If my guards and the Pope’s can’t fight in an emergency, it’d be a problem. Directing the performance like this must be tough on Gain-san.
He’s all pumped up since it’s his daughter’s big day, but it has me worried.
Everyone, don’t push yourselves too hard, okay?
“My arms are at their limit already, ja.”
Yes, yes, and while I’m at it, I cast fatigue recovery magic on the Pope too.
Flinging fatigue recovery magic left and right with a rigid smile—my facial muscles are starting to cramp.
First time burning through this much mana. I had no idea depletion hits you with fatigue like this.
Hahaha. Fatigue from recovery magic… not funny at all.
“Good work, everyone.”
“Mm, ’twas tiring, but the performance was a success, ja na.”
“Was all that really necessary?”
“‘Twas to gloss over everything we’d kept hidden till now. You did well today. Go get some proper rest.”
After seeing the Pope off as he entered the church, surrounded by priests, I showered the Holy Knights and all our parade companions with fatigue recovery magic, full of gratitude.
“Whoa, that’s amazing.” “Wow.” “This is incredible.” “My body feels so light.”
“Ah! Grandfather!”
I spotted Grandfather waiting for my return and dashed over. “Marie is the best in the world,” he said in his usual doting-grandpa mode—what a relief.
Gain-san and the others gathered around, praising me for a job well done.
Ehehe. Deep down, those words from Gain-san were what I really wanted to hear.
“Today, I’ve come of age. From now on, as your comrade, please take care of me!”
Heart sent flower petals dancing through the air, while Master released motes of light into the sky, weaving a gorgeous rainbow.
Gain-san and Fernet-san gazed up at it, smiling. “The very picture of a goddess.”
My guard Heart extended his hand with a dashing, “Allow me to escort you, Saintess-sama.” It’d been ages since my last Cinderella moment, so I let him walk me all the way back to that opulent waiting room.
“Fwew—finally over~.”
Shoes off, dress off… or so I thought as I dove face-first onto the sofa.
“Urgh… wrecked…”
Knock knock knock.
Oh crap.
I scrambled to slip my shoes back on and opened the door. In filed the White Priestesses, one after another.
“Saintess-sama, time to change.”
Oh, right.
Yeah, no way I could do it alone.
“Thank you.”
They helped me out of the dress, I took a bath, scrubbed off the makeup, and just like that—back to my usual, squeaky-clean self.
“If you’re tired, why not rest here a little?”
“Yes, I’m at my mental and physical limits. I’d love that if possible.”
“This way.”
A spacious sofa waited in an area cordoned off by partitions. They really thought of everything.
The White Priestesses’ support was so perfect it caught me off guard.
I flopped onto the sofa, and they tactfully left me alone.
A quick rest revived me, and with the dinner bell tolling, I hurried to the cafeteria.
Grabbed a tray like always and stepped in—the crowd parted like the Red Sea before Moses.
And then… silence fell over the room.
…Huh?
I headed to the buffet like usual, slapped on some sides at random, but since the Pope’s always drilling me to act like a proper Saintess, I ate with extra grace.
No one moved.
Everyone was staring.
Eh?
I’ve been eating here since way before I became the Saintess, so it should be fine, right?
Wait… was it not?
Waaahn.
What did Note-san say again~?
She rattled it off so fast I zoned out.
Panicking inside, I kept elegantly munching away.
Finished my meal, stood, cleared my dishes, and left the cafeteria. The usual racket kicked right back up.
“Was that Marie? She’s the Saintess?!”
“We won’t let anyone call the Saintess-sama by her name!”
“The document room mage is the Saintess? No freaking way. I worked her to the bone.”
“I yelled at the Saintess once. I’m toast.”
“Forget that—what happens to the document room starting tomorrow?!”
Almost every conversation was fretting over the document room. Heartbreaking.
Makes sense for the regular staff, but somehow, to the priests, the Saintess might as well be a goddess.
Does that mean I can’t chat casually with the big sisters anymore?
That’s… kinda lonely.
And the news of the Saintess’s debut spread faster than I’d imagined—across the whole kingdom.
The next morning, Note-san burst into the waiting room and laid into me. “What kind of Saintess changes at the church, skips heading home, eats in the general cafeteria, keeps the carriage waiting, and crashes overnight in the waiting room?!”
Oh yeah—now that I’m an adult, I was supposed to leave the church and move into Grandfather’s house.
Looks like the priests were being considerate since I seemed wiped out.
No one can bring themselves to scold a Saintess, huh? Sorry about that.
From now on, when eating in the church, have a priest deliver it to my room.
Curfew’s still curfew—no outings past hours till morning—so be careful holing up in the research room.
Haha, yeah, I got that rundown. My bad.
Note-san, totally unchanged from before… it put my mind strangely at ease.
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thanks for the chapter