Chapter 5

Coco stood there, fuming at the Pope, who seemed to be pushing for a marriage arrangement like a nosy old lady from the neighborhood.

"If I marry that guy, I’ll end up as a slave laborer for the rest of my life, a toy for the perverted prince and his publicity team! Absolutely not!"

The old man, who was fifty years her senior, looked at the stubborn fourteen-year-old with a helpless expression.

"Really... Anyway, let’s put that aside for now. The important thing is that in three days, we have to welcome the prince."

"Ugh!"

To the whining saint, the old man who led the religious order spoke in a condescending tone.

"Listen, Saint. Whether you like it or not, you can’t avoid the official welcome for the prince. Our Great Cathedral of Gathland, and by extension the religious order, is under the protection of the kingdom. If you treat the prince rudely and relations worsen, what will you do?"

Rebuked by the Pope, Coco blinked.

"That’s just your convenience. I don’t care about it."

"You are the Saint! Don’t you have any sense of responsibility, you fool!"

"What do you mean by that...?"

Even when scolded, Coco had a dispirited look on her face.

"I’m not even a believer, just a hired saint."

"You were chosen by the goddess’s oracle! Don’t talk as if you’re a temporary hire!"

No matter what the saint said, the Pope, with a pained expression, emphasized his point.

"Understand? In three days, we welcome the prince."

"Sure, sure."

"You must do your best to please the prince."

"I get it."

"Four years later, you’ll happily marry and spend the rest of your life as a queen."

"Wait a minute."

The saint, who had been half-heartedly responding, suddenly stopped when she realized the Pope’s lecture was heading in a strange direction.

"I’ve been saying all along that I don’t even want to see that pervert’s face."

"You’ll get used to it after three days."

"How can I end up in a position where I have to see him every day!"

The saint plopped down cross-legged on the low table in front of the Pope.

"Hey, old man, why do you want to push me into a relationship with the prince!"

"You’re being too rude."

"Shut up."

Faced with the clearly agitated Coco, the Pope sighed again.

"...Saint, you should know the relationship between our religious order and the Kingdom of Vignege, right?"

"Yeah."

Coco nodded at the Pope’s words and turned to Natalia.

"Natalia, explain it to the old man."

"Coco... Do you really remember?"

The Gathland religious order, to which Coco belonged, was a world religion with followers across the continent. Despite this, there was a special relationship with the Kingdom of Vignege, one that could be described as a symbiotic bond.

The foundation of the Gathland religious order was the revival of the saint, and similarly, the establishment of the Kingdom of Vignege was also tied to the defeat of the demon king. The kingdom was formed from a border territory that a hero received as a reward for defeating the demon king. The cathedral’s headquarters in the capital was not a coincidence; the Great Cathedral of Gathland originated from a small church opened to support the hero who became the lord of the territory.

Facing the vast "Forest of Death," where the demon king was said to be reviving, the hero protected the land, which would serve as a bulwark against any anomalies. Over five hundred years, the border territory became an independent nation, and the royal family, descendants of the hero, developed it into one of the wealthiest countries in the world. The small church of the saint expanded with the development of the capital. When the capital was established, the main body of the religious order, which had been in other regions, also moved here, making this the center of the order. The kingdom and the religious order, which had been partners from the beginning, were recognized as a single entity by the world.

"...Are you going to spout nonsense like ‘it’s only natural for the prince and the saint to be married’ based on some lullaby, old man?"

"Coco, were you sleeping during the explanation?"

The Pope shook his head at the pressing saint.

"I’m not talking about such outdated nonsense."

"Then what?"

"Indeed, that is..."

Resting his chin on his folded fingers, the Pope looked sharply at Coco.

"You talk about living freely after your term as the saint... but do you have a place to go?"

The Pope glanced at the wall, where portraits of past saints were displayed.

"There’s no need to explain, but for nearly four hundred years, the saints have come from noble families. So, even after retiring, they could return home without any trouble. But you are different."

Coco was an orphan picked up from the streets. She had nowhere to return to after retiring as a saint, and without a religious calling, it was unimaginable for her to stay as a nun. Moreover, how would people treat a former saint who had lost her powers and lived with them?

"Considering this, isn’t it a perfect match for you to wait until you retire and then marry? And the prince of Vignege is the best match in the kingdom. What’s there to complain about?"

"Hmm."

Coco also looked at the portraits on the wall. While the first generation was not among them, most of the thirty or so maidens were from the upper class, as she had heard.

It was hard to believe that the goddess was considerate of earthly power, but no one knew why she rarely chose from the lower class. And no one knew why Coco, from the very bottom, was chosen.

After looking at the portraits, Coco turned her gaze back to the Pope.

"I don’t mind going back to my original life."

"You can’t go back! We can’t let you go back! That’s why I’m pushing for this!"

The old man slammed his fists on the table, agitated.

You’re so easily provoked, Coco thought, as if it were someone else’s problem. Indeed, the Pope’s troubles were basically someone else’s problem.

"Are you really thinking this through!? Do you know how people will look at a former saint who steals bread from the market or rummages through garbage cans on the street! Do you realize how bad the reputation of the church will be if we allow such behavior!?"

"But I don’t mind."

"We mind a lot!"

It seemed the Pope was welcoming the prince for Coco’s sake, whether it was for her future or to maintain the order’s reputation, she didn’t know. But to Coco, it was just meddling.

"First of all, old man, I don’t want to get married and be supported by a husband."

Coco scratched her ear with her little finger and frowned.

"See, I was originally living independently."

"You can’t call living off theft an independent life."

"That’s a matter of perspective."

"Don’t treat it as a matter of perspective. When you were a child, you could get away with a beating, but do you know what would happen if an adult did that? You’d be lynched or handed over to the patrol and hanged."

"I know. Besides, I didn’t say I’d go back to stealing. I have savings now."

Coco placed her hand on her chest, speaking a bit proudly.

It looked like a confident pose, but she was simply touching the key to her treasure chest. The saint, Coco, wore the key to her safe as a pendant instead of a prayer charm.

"I’ll start a business with the money or find a trade to support myself while I live off my savings!"

"Hmm, you seem to have thought about it."

"That’s just a formality."

But, the Pope continued.

"Even if you have savings, they won’t amount to much. Living in the city costs more than you think."

Coco fell silent at the Pope’s remark.

Then, she leaped and delivered a flying kick, using the momentum to choke the Pope.

"Don’t you dare say that, old man! You’re the one who’s paying me eight copper coins a day!"

"That’s true."