CH 28

Morning.

The Onee-san staff who came to work from Maytart Village looked around restlessly.

“Good morning, Saint-chan. Where’s Synovidos-san?”

“Good morning. He had some business from the morning, so he left after helping me with the preparations.”

“I see. . .”

The Onee-sans exchanged glances and grinned at me.

“Eh, what, what kind of face is that?”

While enjoying watching me panic, they quickly prepared for work.

“You’re living together with him, aren’t you?”

“Eh?! Ah, well, that’s true, but. . .”

“You’re close, but he’s your boyfriend, right?”

“No, that’s not it! We’ve been indebted to each other since the time of the original Demon King subjugation party, that’s all.”

“Sure, sure♪ Well then, let’s get to work.”

“Let’s do our best today too, Saint-chan.”

While laughing at my panic, they entered work mode without digging any deeper.

“U-um, I feel like I’m being misunderstood. . .”

Left alone, I slapped my cheeks to cool them down and rolled up my sleeves before standing in the kitchen.

“A-Anyway! Let’s do our best today!”

――That’s how I enjoy working with the Onee-san staff of Maytart Village even when Synovidos is not around.

After the peak of lunchtime, I had a meal with the Onee-san staff of Maytart Village and enjoyed the staff meal together.

Today’s staff meal was bread, salad, and cold potato soup!

The dessert I prepared is a prototype of a baked good called [Nun’s Tongue], which I learned during my time at the monastery. It feels like a cookie, but it’s a little different because I use flat beer when kneading the dough and spread it on the surface of the dough when baking without kneading in sugar.

I kneaded the dough last night and just baked it in the oven.

Since I’m using my wheat flour as a saint, it feels like [Saint’s Tongue].

“It’s crispy and delicious.”

“Hehe. . .I received some beer from the master of the rest area, so I made it.”

A relaxing moment after lunch.

At times like this, I’m often asked casually about being a saint by everyone.

For people who are not church officials or members of a subjugation party, it seems that saints are quite mysterious.

“Is it okay to touch the halo?”

“Well, it’s a sensitive area because there are nerves. So it’s okay to touch it myself, but if someone else touches it, I flinch.”

“Oh, I see. Even though it’s such a delicate area, it must be tough for Saint-chan to have such a big one.”

“Hey, hey, isn’t it hard to move around in your saint’s formal wear?”

“It’s difficult to move around!”

“Hahaha, I see. It’s all white, but how do you wash it?”

“For the collar and cuffs, most people use saint abilities to protect them from getting dirty~.”

“Oh, I see. . .saint abilities are so convenient.”

When I share Saint trivia like this, everyone listens with admiration and says “Oh, I see.” Since the church wants to hide the mystique of the Saints, it’s often the first time people hear about it.

“By the way, I heard it at the bar where I used to work.”

It was Lulria-san, a former barmaid, who started the conversation.

“Is it true that there are men who can use [Saint abilities]? Then why are only women called Saints?”

“Oh, that’s a good question.”

I answered while drinking tea.

“Men who can use [Saint abilities] usually don’t become professional Saints and instead advance in their careers.”

That’s right.

There are no male Saints.

However, there are men who can use [Saint abilities] (although they are fewer than women).

“[Saint abilities] are a type of ability called [beloved by the earth]. It’s easier to connect with the power of the earth, and gender doesn’t matter. It is said that there are occasionally male priests in the church who can use it.”

It was an interesting topic, and everyone leaned forward to listen.

“It is said that there are occasionally male priests who can use it. . .but can’t you tell by the halo above their heads?”

“Since everyone is wearing hats, we can’t tell if there’s a halo inside or not.”

I hid my halo in the scarf wrapped around my head. It popped out from the edge and went back up to my head with a “pyu.” It was a failure.

“Hehe. . .well, if it’s a halo with a size and presence that’s hard to hide like mine, then it’s easy to hide with a hat for most people. Some women even use it as a base for their chignon if they want to hide their saint status.”

“But why bother hiding it? As a priest with the ability of [beloved by the earth], wouldn’t you want to show it off?”

“Unlike [saint], we’re not using it directly for our work, so most people hide it considering various influences on those around them.”

“Influences on those around them?”

“Well, let’s say during the recommendation of the Archbishop, there’s a [saint] from the Baron family and a commoner from the Duke family. . .it would become quite complicated.”

As I hesitated with my words, everyone made a subtle expression.

“Ah. . .even priests are just humans with flaws.”

“After all, we’re all just humans.”

“Hahaha. . .even male [saints] don’t stand out much because of those reasons, just like politicians who hide things.”

With that, the meal ended and the staff of Maytart Village cleaned up and left.

As I saw them off and took a break, I heard a voice from afar saying, “Hey.” It was a woman’s voice.

“Yes!”

It was the usual female adventurer party who came over.

Perhaps because they just finished their job, there was a strong smell of beasts. Their refreshed expressions after finishing their work added to their impressive coolness.

They looked at me and their expressions softened.

“Hey, Saint-chan, good work today too.”

The one who raised her hand and said that was Margarette-san, the leader with scars and a muscular, red-brown berry short hair.

“Good work!”

“Hey, Saint-chan, are you alone today? Where’s that gloomy guy in black?”

“Hahaha. . .Synovidos has something to do today. . .”

Well, I guess I’ll be asked about it again here.

“Oh, by the way.”

I quickly changed the subject.

“That big magic cooler, it looks heavy. What is it for?”

“This is a souvenir for Saint-chan.”

Margarette-san winked.

“I have something I want to give you. Can I go to the dining room?”

“Of course. Please, go ahead.”