Volume 2 - CH 7

After a while, Wanda, who had finished her chores, found Hirune and quickly got her off the hammock.

After lunch, she was given an hour-long sermon in her room about what it means to be a Great Saint.

（It’s been a while since I’ve had a sermon from Wanda. Sleepy.)

Somehow she managed to listen to the sermon without losing consciousness, but she almost did.

At the end of the sermon, Hirune’s head was bobbing like a ship in rough seas.

Wanda’s sermons were always long.

It’s all because she’s worried about Hirune.

“Therefore, you must act with the awareness of a Great Saint etched in your mind. You should never act on the spur of the moment. Is that clear?”

Wanda glanced at Hirune.

She  was using holy magic to pull her eyelids and under her eyes as hard as she could to keep them open. The beautiful girl was ruined.

“……”

Wanda huffed and sighed.

It was torture for Jeanne, who waited by her side until the sermon was over.

She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t, so she pinched her thighs, mumbling, “What a terrible face!”

“Understood?”

Wanda, knowing that Hirune was trying to stay awake, put her hands on her hips and looked into Hirune’s eyes.

“Yes”

Hirune manages to reply.

(Why do sermons make me sleepy?…. Mystery…..)

She asks herself as if searching for the truth of the world.

She’d like to think it’s the sleepiness from eating lunch.

“And I hear from Holly that you’re getting lazy because of the long trip. I hear you’re like slime in the middle of summer. It’s not right for a great saint to be like that. Human beings need to have a sense of balance in their lives.”

Wanda’s sermon was about to begin again.

“Tomorrow, in addition to the pre-departure prayers, we will have Bible readings in the carriage. Let’s correct the disorder in our lives. Is that clear?”

“Yes!”

Hirune somehow managed to reply.

Wanda gave her a worried look and then left the room as if she had already realized that she’d reached her limit.

At that moment, Hirune went to sleep.

“Guu ……”

“Oh, Hirune-sama. Have you  fallen asleep already?”

“Guu……”

Jeanne took Hirune and laid her on the bed in the room.

She’s a high-spec maid who receives two blessings every night: ‘she never gets tired’ and ‘she can move quickly.’ It’s no problem at all to lift one Hirune.

“You got in trouble …”

Jeanne gently draped the comforter she always used over Hirune’s body -her partner.

Hirune’s long eyelashes twitched.

Her sleeping face was as beautiful as an angel’s.

Jeanne decided to read the economics book she’d brought into the room while watching over Hirune.

After reading for a while, Jeanne suddenly looked out the window.

Outside the window, she saw a blue lake with large white birds bathing in the water. Away from the lake, townspeople in straw hats were rowing small boats across the lake, probably to catch fish.

“It’s a very nice town.”

Jeanne closed her book and opened the window.

A refreshing breeze swayed Jeanne’s ponytail. She could smell the sweet aroma of jam simmering in the innkeeper’s garden.

“Oh, it’s Holly.”

She found Holly, who had been given some bread and jam by the townspeople and was eating it with relish.

Holly’s light blue hair stood out well.

Jeanne smiled and waved her hand.

“Holly-sama.”

Holly noticed Jeanne’s voice and looked around, then looked up at the second floor of the inn.

When Holly’s eyes met Jeanne’s, she quickly hid the wooden plate she had in her hands behind her and her cheeks turned red.

She was embarrassed that she’d been caught eating jam.

“Jeanne, Is Hirune asleep?”

Holly asked with a sober expression.

“Yes, she’s asleep.”

“I didn’t even have to ask.”

Holly shrugged her shoulders.

“Is it Mini-berry jam? It’s famous in the southern region of the country!”

Jeanne asked innocently. Jeanne, being Jeanne, was a bit of a natural air-head.

Holly’s face turned red.

“Yes, yes, that’s right! It’s a specialty of this town! They insisted on giving it to me as a thank you for helping with the purifying earlier.”

“I see. As expected of you Holly-sama.”

Jeanne smiled at her.

The lady who made the jam nodded her head in agreement.

“Well, you know, as a saint, I did what I had to do. I am the youngest saint in the world.”

Holly looked up, her cheeks twitching.

Then, Hirune suddenly appeared from beside  Jeanne, wondering what was happening before she knew it.

“I smell something sweet, I knew it…….Holly’s a foodie.”

Holly’s cheeks flushed red again, though the redness had just started to recede.

“Don’t say such a disgraceful thing.  Hirune, you should come down too. We’re going outside the town. Let’s reduce the miasma near the town as much as possible.”

“Ahh ……, I understand.”

Since there was miasma involved, Hirune readily agreed.

Thanks to the lake, the miasma hadn’t entered the town, but she could feel its presence nearby.

The woman making the jam smiled when she saw Hirune yawn.

(Let’s purify it quickly and get a good night’s sleep. Let’s do that. And let’s get some jam.)

“Jeanne, your coming with us.”

“Yes.”

Jeanne fixed her sleepy appearance, put on her Great Saint’s robe, and they walked out the inn’s entrance.

(Oh, there’s a line for the hammock.)

The townspeople were lined up in front of the hammock where Hirune had slept earlier.

A middle-aged man was sleeping in the hammock connected to a beam at the eaves of the inn, his eyes closed in a comfortable manner. The swaying of the hammock lulled him to sleep.

Hirune called out to a nearby soldier who was manning the line.

“What’s going on?”

“ Great Saint-sama!”

The soldier made the holy seal and bowed.

“The Great Saint Hirune’s sleeping net has become the talk of the town, as it is said that you’ll be able to sleep within three seconds of lying down. …… Many townspeople have gathered to try it out.”

“The hammock is as good as it gets. The breeze feels good, and it’s perfect for napping.”

“Hammock? What’s a hammock?”

An elderly man standing in line called out to Hirune.

He was dressed nicely. He was an executive of the town.

“Yes sir. It’s a net for people to sleep in. I named it a hammock.”

said Hirune, proudly, as if it was her own achievement.

“Oh, so it’s different from Bailiwick. I’ll be responsible for spreading the word.”

“By all means do so. I think it would be appropriate for a lake town.”

“Very well.”

The old man bowed reverently.

After that, the hammock became a specialty of Moderna, and in cooperation with the bedding store Valhalla, it spread throughout the world. It would not be long before Hirune learned of it.

“Let’s go then. Jeanne, thanks for waiting.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Without knowing that, the carefree Great Saint headed for the garden of the inn where Holly was waiting.

()

Hirune took Holly and a few soldiers to purify the miasma around the town.

Riding on a horse controlled by a female knight, the purification took place for about two hours, and all signs of evil disappeared from the surrounding area.

Of course, Hirune was rewarded with jam and bread by the aunt, which made her feel like she was dreaming.

(There’s nothing like a sweet treat after a hard day’s work. ……)

The mini berry jam tasted sweet and sour.

(Is this the taste of youth? Is it a little different?)

Hirune smiled when she saw Holly and Jeanne talking happily with jam buns in their hands.

Thinking back, she didn’t have many friends when she was in school.

Because they were poor, she had to help out at home and rarely went out to play.

She wondered if this was what it would be like to do something with friends after school.

“Hirune-sama, is something the matter?”

Jeanne ate a piece of jam bread and looked at Hirune.

At first, she was adamant: “The maids can’t take it.”, “No, I don’t want it.” But when Hirune strongly suggested it, she ate it. This is a world where sweetness is rare. She must have been happy.

“No no, it’s nothing.”

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Jeanne laughed as she looked at Hirune, whose eyes were less sleepy and more open than usual.

“That’s right. I’m happy to be able to eat delicious food together like this.”

“Hirune-sama, ……”

Jeanne nodded vigorously, suddenly under the illusion that Hirune was suddenly going somewhere.

“Yes. I’m also happy. We’ll be together for a long time to come, won’t we?”

“Yes, we will. I can’t sleep at night without Jeanne, so please keep working with me.”

“Yes!”

With a big smile on her face, Jeanne replied.

“And gluttonous Holly too. Let’s be together forever.”

Hirune looked at Holly.

Holly, who had been standing next to her listening to the conversation, got spooked and turned away in panic.

“Hmm, well If you put it that way, I wouldn’t mind staying with you forever. ……”

Holly’s gaze swung to Hirune as she said this.

“Rather I’ve told you I’m not a foodie. It’s disgraceful, please stop.”

“You’ve got jam on the side of your mouth.”

Hirune smiled, pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped Holly’s mouth.

“–“

Holly was at her mercy, grunting in embarrassment.

She never thought she’d be taken care of by Hirune.

” …….Thank you.”

Holly said quietly and turned her back on Hirune and Jeanne.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew from the lake.

A large bird chirped and flew away.

Several white wings spread out in the blue sky and disappeared like clouds.

Hirune’s long hair fluttered softly.

“I want to come back to this town. ……”

Hirune murmured, and Jeanne and Holly nodded.

“Yes, …….”

“Yes.”

The three of them said, and the townspeople nearby smiled at their words.

(It’s a lovely town. …… After all, there’s a lot of happiness in this world. ……)

Hirune watched the glittering light reflecting off the lake for a long time.