AN: I apologize for falling off the face of the earth like that! 2025 hasn't been particurly kind to me, and the past two weeks have had some of the worst days of my life in them. But I'm back now, and I pn to (hopefully) return to a more regur release schedule again!

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  “...What? Excuse me, Your Holiness, but you can’t possibly-”

  “You heard me, Dame Rayanne. I’m going to that mine whether you come with me or not.”

  “But we can’t let you do that, Your Holiness! Didn’t we just finish telling you-”

  “I know what you said, and I understand why you said it, but I’ve made up my mind.”

  “Wha- Huh- So you’re just- B-but! But doing such a menial thing is beneath you, as a Saintess! Please, you have to reconsider!”

  Oh? Is that what this has all been about? She didn’t want me to go there because she worried for my safety or about getting in trouble ter if anything happened, but because she thinks going there is 'below my station as a Saintess’…? Wow. You know, the more I speak to her right now, the more I’m starting to realize that Kale was right; Why did I ever let her try to control me like that…?

  Still, if Kale wasn’t here by my side right now watching me, then I don’t think that I’d be able to keep up with her momentum like I am right now at all. If anything, I think I’d cm up and fail again. I’m honestly amazed that I’m even talking to her like this right now.

  …Is it bad if I feel a little bit excited about this, though? It kind of feels like I’m finally putting someone who was rude to me into their pce. …Is this what ‘power tripping’ is like…?

  “It’s not menial at all, though? These people need help, and I’m the one avaible to help them. Isn’t that what being a ‘Saintess’ is supposed to be about? Isn’t it about helping people?”

  Oh… Oh wow. Look at that. I don’t like that I feel so triumphant about her smming her mouth shut like that. I’m kind of scared about what this might mean about me as a person… I really hope I don’t get used to this and start abusing my power one day.

  …Maybe I should just hurry up and get out of here.

  “Ah, wait, Your Holiness! So you’re just going to go up to that dirty pce alone?!”

  Oh, she’s talking again. Well that was short lived, huh?

  “Hmm… No? Can’t you see that Kale is coming with me? And-”

  And then there’s that one, over there. The other padin, who’s just been sitting off quietly to the side and watching everything. Even when I came over and decred my intentions, he still didn’t say a peep, just watching the dy padin freak out about everything while looking at us with a calcuting face. Really, I don’t know how to read him, but considering how much he seemed to agree with the dy padin earlier, I don’t really expect him to suddenly change his tune now.

  “...Well, I guess it’s just going to be Kale and I.”

  That’s fine. I don’t really feel comfortable around those two anyways, so I wouldn’t mind some alone time with Kale at all. It’ll be like when we went out hunting for those undead before. Kale did a super good job at protecting me then, so I’m sure I don’t need anyone else to-

  “Ah, excuse me, Your Holiness, but may I also be allowed to come along?”

  Huh? Well that was certainly unexpected. Wow, and look at him smiling at me like he never did anything wrong… I show a little bit of authority and suddenly he wants to go along with me without a single word against it? Is that how this is supposed to work…?

  “Um… Sure. Yeah, you can come.”

  “Splendid! Well then-”

  Ummm, wait a minute though? W-why is he wedging himself between me and Kale? Can’t he tell how awkwardly close he is right now?!

  “Let us be off! Don’t worry, Rayanne, I’ll make sure to keep the Saintess safe during this expedition.”

  Oof… That smile that he just sent back to her was exceptionally bitchy. It’s a bit strange to see, since he’s mostly been on her side and pcating her until now. …Is it possible that me holding my ground against her has made him change sides…?

  ~~~

  I don’t know what I was expecting from this fantasy world I’ve found myself in, but the mine that the Chief brought us to was basically the textbook picture of an ‘abandoned mine’, complete with cobwebs at the entrance and all. Honestly, for housing weird metal-spitting slimes or whatever, it looked pretty darn boring and tame, if not a little spooky. I really don’t bme the Chief for running back to the safety of the town as fast as he did.

  “Shall we head in, Your Holiness?”

  Huh… Ick. It’s not like the guy padin has never treated me well or anything, but dropping down onto one knee just to ask a simple question and acting all servile like this is, uh… kind of new. I don't think I like it, if I'm being honest.

  “Um… Yeah, let’s. Oh, but first I should put these on everyone. [Benediction]!”

  Even if the padin is here with me, I have to do things right. Getting hurt unnecessarily would be absolutely dumb of me here. Maybe I could scrape out a few extra bits of exp if I wasn’t so cautious, but that’s idiotic to do when I don’t know how strong of monsters I’m gonna find in here, or when they’re gonna attack me. Who knows? Maybe it’s just the slimes at the front that the vilgers and adventurers that I’ve healed so far have seen; There could be something 100 times worse lurking back there that nobody even knows about.

  “Oh… Oh my, Your Holiness… Is this skill of yours normally like this…?”

  “Huh?”

  What’s wrong? He looks kind of confused. …I don’t feel anything wrong with my [Benediction] I don't think, and Kale looks like there’s nothing wrong with him either, right? So then what’s the problem?

  Oh, wait. Don’t tell me, does he look confused because he thinks my shield is cking or something? He’s a padin, so he’d probably have simir defensive skills to me, right? I’m sure he’s experienced a bunch of different shield type skills before. I’ve always been pretty confident in my [Benediction]’s power, at least against monsters, but if he says that mine is somehow worse than a Saintess should have or something like that, then-

  “I see… As to be expected of a Saintess.”

  …I guess that means he must approve of it, then? The way he’s smiling and nodding his head at me feels a bit off somehow, though. I don’t think I like the way his eyes are looking at me…

  You know what? L-let’s just get in there already! If we get busy then I won’t have time to worry about how he’s looking at me! Come on Kale, hurry up and come in here with me before that guy ends up saying or doing something burdensome!

  ~~~

  “I do hope you’ll forgive Rayanne for her foolish actions, Your Holiness.”

  Oh? Is he talking to me again? The guy padin’s actually been rather quiet ever since I grabbed Kale’s hand and rushed into the mine. Even when the first bulky, dog-sized, rock-like slime came around the corner and was swiftly dealt with, he didn’t even say a word. Well, no, I guess he did make a little surprised sound watching my [Judgment] go off, but then again I feel like everyone who watches it happen should feel that way, right? Especially a padin who devotes themselves to the Goddess, considering how obviously holy the ray of light that disintegrated the slime looked.

  Still, I can’t help but wonder what made him suddenly bring this up now, 15 minutes into this mine trek of ours.

  “Um, it’s fine. I can tell she’s probably just acting the way she is because she has a lot of pride in the church or something. …It’s probably hard for her to see a Saintess that doesn’t live up to her ideals.”

  There are always gonna be people like that, right? Saintesses are rare, and I’ve seen how hyped up they are in the history books. It’s obvious that people are gonna be disappointed when they meet me, and realize that I’m not the magical, mythical, beautiful existence that they figure I should be. I’m sure anyone super devout would be upset that the direct representative of the Goddess isn’t the absolute perfect being in the world or whatever.

  Can’t deny that the dy padin has been way out of line though, disappointed or not. If anything, she’s starting to border on unprofessional. I may understand a bit where she’s coming from, but damn if it isn’t upsetting to be treated like she dislikes everything about me.

  “Ah, well, I can’t say that that’s not the case, although it’s not her pride in the church that’s causing her to act in such a way.”

  “It’s not?”

  “No, it’s something far more personal. Would you like to hear about it?”

  …With the way he’s leaning towards me and acting all conspiratorial, it’s looking like he’s gonna tell me some kind of secret or something. If I’m being honest, I’m really not that big into gossip like this. I’d really rather hear all this straight from the dy padin’s mouth, so I can know that what I’m hearing is 100% the case. …But then again…

  “...Alright. Tell me, I guess.”

  …I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t want to know what was making her so overly bitchy towards me.

  “You see, Your Holiness, Rayanne is descended from the same bloodline as Saintess Seria’s knightly lover. It’s why she takes anything reted to Saintesses with such pride.”

  Oh! Oh wow! I wouldn't have guessed that! Was that the case?! No wonder she thinks so badly of me if I’m stepping all over her family legacy!

  Wow wow wow! I knew it was possible to get married and have children with the same sex here, and I knew that Saintesses were allowed to get married and everything as well, but I never knew that Seria had left any descendants behind! That’s crazy to think of! I wonder why I never heard about it while looking at her chapter in the book? It clearly detailed that she’d taken the knight as her partner, but why didn’t it-

  …Hey, wait. Now that I think of it, it mentioned every Saintess’s partner, but I don’t think it ever mentioned any of them having any kids or anything.

  “So you’re saying that she’s descended from Seria and her knight…?”

  “Hmm? No, of course that’s not the case, Your Holiness. I’m sure you’re aware that Saintesses such as yourself do not bear children like the rest of us.”

  Oh… Um, yeah. I guess I was. Wow, I kinda sorta figured that out from the book, but I guess it didn’t really click with me until now… I knew this body of mine had been made ‘special’ by the Goddess, and it’s obvious from my character screen that I’m made more like a monster than a human, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise… But still…

  …I can't say that having how different I am shoved into my face like this once again doesn’t hurt any less than the other times.