Chapter 94 – Changing of the Guard

Ted-san was happily striking a guts pose, but I felt kind of conflicted.

Heart-san won’t just vanish from in front of me like this, right?

“Marie. I’m switching to support, so don’t make that face. Okay?”

Heart-san looked at me with concern.

Right, it was Gain-san’s decision.

“Yes.”

I nodded firmly. Seeing that, everyone’s expressions softened.

They’d all been worried about my reaction. Even the Holy Knight… How embarrassing.

“It’s fine. Gain-san and I are here! Right, Gain-san!”

Fernet-san said that and roughly slung his arm around Gain-san’s shoulder.

“Wahaha. Yeah, yeah. Use this chance to graduate from chick status.”

“Muu. I’m not a chick! Gain-san just doesn’t get this complicated maiden heart of mine!”

I pretended to pout angrily, and everyone burst out laughing in relief all at once.

“Thought you’d throw more of a tantrum.”

“Thought you’d start bawling about missing him.”

Even so, this father-son-like duo kept chattering away freely.

“Hmph. I’m an adult now. I won’t butt into personnel decisions on the job.”

“What?!” “Cheeky!”

Gain-san and Fernet-san grumbled at me. How unfair.

I thought it was a pretty good line.

I ignored the noisy pair and gave Heart-san and Ted-san a polite bow.

“Heart-san, Ted-san. Looking forward to working with you both from here on out.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.” “Likewise.”

They broke up right away, each heading off toward their horses.

“Marie, over here.”

I walked over at Ted-san’s call, but something felt off.

I glanced back on impulse, and Heart-san gave me a wry smile.

“Master said to use wind magic to float and lighten the horse’s load.”

“Float? Huh. That time, Sid-san was…”

Ted-san helped me onto the horse, urging “Hurry, hurry” with an innocent, excited grin.

Just like back then, I wrapped myself in wind magic alongside Ted-san and fine-tuned the output.

“Like this?”

“Amazing—no weird sensations at all. This’ll be comfy.”

I turned back with a smile. “Right?”

“Not straining you, is it, Marie?”

“Oh, not at all. It’s actually easier than the carriage.”

He seemed worried about my mana, but I was really only using a tiny amount—no problem at all.

Mana control precise to the milli-unit would’ve been impossible without years of training since childhood.

“From now on, if anything comes up, just tell me.”

“Yes.”

I turned to see Heart-san positioned right behind us.

It was a strangely wondrous feeling. With a steady clop-clop, we slowly left the campsite behind.

“Today, we’re aiming for the campsite near the mountaintop!”

At the campsite near the mountaintop, there happened to be a merchant dealing in alcohol.

The moment everyone spotted him, they were thrilled and naturally started prepping for a banquet.

The Holy Knights need a breather now and then too.

The magical beasts around here are in for a shock, no doubt.

“Marie.”

Before turning in, as I gazed blankly at the stars, Ted-san came over.

His silhouette overlapped with Gain-san from long ago, blanket in hand.

Unlike back then, the campsite itself felt nice and warm.

“The stars look so beautiful from the mountains.”

“They really do. Do you like stars, Marie?”

“Girls love anything sparkly.”

Ted-san murmured “Sparkly things, huh” as he gazed up at them.

“Long ago, when I was stargazing with Gain-san, we unusually talked about the future.”

“With Gain-san?”

“Yes. I never imagined I’d become a Saintess back then.”

“Huh. What did you want to be?”

Grow herbs without magic and live a quiet life.

Back then, I saw it as Mom’s curse, but now it’s my true calling.

I’ve changed so much.

I can’t even picture Mom’s face anymore.

I cut ties in the heat of emotion, but I wonder how she’s doing.

Is she still mad at me? Or has she forgotten all about it…?

I forced a smile to shake off the sentimental mood.

“Fufu. I fell asleep in Gain-san’s arms and forgot all about it.”

I laughed and mimed the hugging gesture, and Ted-san looked shocked.

“Hahaha. I can’t picture Gain-san soothing a kid like that.”

“He was actually pretty good at looking after people.”

The next morning, over breakfast, Ted-san was asking Gain-san about the schedule.

I’d slept in a little and quietly slid into the seat beside them, pretending to listen intently with little “hm hm”s.

“After we descend the mountain, there are a few small villages, but no stops?”

“Nah, none. We’ve already put out announcements—stopping anywhere would spark a panic.”

Ted-san jotted down detailed notes as usual.

“I see… So straight to the target town after the descent.”

“Not that far.”

“Yes.”

“More importantly, Marie. Flash those smiles at all the folks coming to see the Saintess.”

Gain-san shifted the topic and looked my way.

Doesn’t look like he noticed I overslept.

“Heal them with smiles?”

“Think of it as spreading the faith in the Saintess.”

“Spreading the faith?”

“Yeah. Like I explained before, the real point of a pilgrimage is healing poor injured or sick folks who can’t pay. That’s key work too, but this trip’s main goal is putting your face out there.”

“Selling my face?”

As I tilted my head, he chuckled. “It’ll cut down on dispatch troubles too.”

Ah, got it.

But now that I’ve got the lay of the land, I’m ready for rocks or spears or whatever.

The Pope even planned that far ahead for me… Tough gig.

Does he oversee Saintesses from every country? Or are there branch managers elsewhere?

“Would be nice to sneak recovery potions to places we can’t reach.”

“Idiot—if you start in one spot, it’ll spread nationwide fast.”

“Ah.”

True, circulating them cheaply isn’t the same as handing them out free.

If charity bankrupted the church, it’d defeat the purpose.

Keeping it special through Saintess pilgrimages sells favors most efficiently.

I absolutely can’t waste this chance everyone made for me.

Anyway, I’ll grin and bear it—no, grin and give it my all.

Thank you for reading.

Gratitude to everyone who bookmarked, rated, or liked!

Typo reports—thank you so, so much!!