Hello, everyone. The beginning of a new part is just a good place to announce a new translation. Since Saint has less than 30 chapters until the end, I decided to take on one more project, "The Forsaken Saintess and her Foodie Roadtrip in Another World". It already has 10 chapters translated into English, but I still decided to translate from the first one. The release schedule will be the same as Saint’s: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday. And there will be early access to five chapters on Patreon. The first chapter is here.
Part Three, Section One: “A New Pope”
Chapter Eighty-one
"Oh! There’s some here too. Ahoy! This is the herb you mentioned, Miss Philia. There’s tons here!”
He poked his face out from the shade of a tree and called my name loudly with his ever-energetic voice.
"So many. This should be enough.”
"Is that so? Then it was worth climbing all the way up here.”
Responding to my voice with his usual cheerful smile, sharing his joy, was Prince Oswald, the second prince of the kingdom of Parnacota and my fiancé. Today, we came to this mountain to gather herbs needed to create a new medicine.
"I didn’t know there were such valuable herbs on this mountain though.”
"It doesn’t have much utility for inflammation when used alone. It’s considered not very valuable for that reason. But if you dry it, boil it together with other herbs, chill it rapidly, then press it with a heated iron for about an hour—”
"In other words, making the new medicine requires a ton of effort?”
"Oh, yes. You’re absolutely right. I’ll sun-dry these once I’m home.”
Thanks to Prince Oswald, I was able to gather far more than enough of the herb. Now I just need to try producing a prototype following the recipe I formulated yesterday.
"Shall we start heading down then?”
It was a little past noon. Having achieved our goal, I suggested descending the mountain to Prince Oswald.
There were demons around here as well, but thanks to the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle, everything had quieted down.
“Oh, sure. But before that, how about trying for the summit? We’re gonna have to go up just a little bit.”
Hearing my words, Prince Oswald nodded and made another suggestion.
Aim for the summit? Is there something at the top of this mountain?
I had absolutely no recollection, but I didn’t see any reason to refuse his suggestion either.
“Very well. Let us head for the summit then.”
“Thanks. But I don’t think you’ll regret it.”
Following Prince Oswald’s words, we progressed towards the summit.
It was not a particularly steep mountain, so we managed to reach the top relatively easily.
“Alright, made it. It’s been a while since I came here.”
Prince Oswald stretched with gusto, smiling happily. Perhaps, climbing without a clear purpose was a new experience for him.
“Come over here. The view is great from this spot.”
“The view?”
At Prince Oswald’s call, I sat beside him on a rock atop the summit, and a view of the surrounding area spread out before me.
It was the beginning of autumn, the time when the leaves started turning red, and the fantastical scenery of the vivid autumn colors left me momentarily breathless.
“It’s so beautiful.”
“I came here once long ago with my father and brother. Back then, Father said, later when you have someone precious, show her this view too. That’s not the only reason, but the scenery here left an impression on me. I wanted to see it with you, Miss Philia.”
I see. His Majesty the King said such a thing? It’s surprising. I imagined him as quite stern.
"So, His Majesty has a romantic side.”
“Haha, unexpected, isn’t it? Today, it’s a spot my father discovered, but from now on, why don’t we try finding places together? Places that make us want to come back again.”
“Yes, I’d love that. I also want to go to all sorts of places with you.”
It was a delightful proposal. I believe even if I saw the same scenery alone, I wouldn’t have been as moved. This pleasant time was a massive treasure for me.
“By the way, changing topics, but you seem to exchange letters frequently lately. Who are you corresponding with? Not that I intend to meddle with your social relations, Miss Philia.”
Perhaps because he often saw me writing letters—for example, in a carriage on the way here—Prince Oswald asked about it.
“After the Saint Summit, I started exchanging information with the saints of each country. In case something like the mysterious disappearances happen again, having some knowledge may help.”
“I see. That makes sense. Certainly, the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle dissolved temporarily back then, but Miss Mia and Miss Emily promptly reestablished it, preventing trouble. It sends a shiver down my spine to think what could have happened without information sharing.”
As Prince Oswald pointed out, if I hadn’t taught Mia and the others how to form the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle back then, the damage from Asmodeus would have been incomparably greater.
There was a possibility that even Prince Oswald and my bodyguards might not have come to my rescue, and I could have faced defeat.
That was why we swore to share the latest information and cooperate, aiming not only for our own countries’ development but the prosperity of the entire continent.
“The saints of every country can now use the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle, and the demonic cycle has ended too, so I think we’ll have peaceful times for a while.”
“It’s quite an excellent result for just three months. Though seeing you still diligently practicing, it seems you aren’t satisfied yet, Miss Philia.”
Prince Oswald nodded contentedly after hearing my explanation. Training had become more of a routine for me; I did it every day as it had become essential for my peace of mind.
“About the results of my training, if I channel excess magic power into the Pillars of Light, I can now sustain the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle for around a week even when I’m away.”
“That’s impressive! So, the sole weakness of having to stay near the kingdom’s center is overcome. That was the only flaw.”
When I explained that I improved the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle to sustain it for a week, Prince Oswald, surprised yet delighted, couldn’t hide his joy.
“This will allow me to go… on our honeymoon.”
“…”
“Your Highness Oswald?”
And when I stated I could now go on our honeymoon after our wedding, he fell silent with a shocked expression.
D-Did I say something wrong? He must think I was selfish for refining the technique in order to travel on a whim.
“Ahahaha!”
When I began to worry about such matters, Prince Oswald suddenly started laughing.
Did I say something to make you laugh? I thought we were only discussing serious matters.
“I never expected to hear the words ‘honeymoon’ coming from your lips, Miss Philia.”
“Huh? Well, Mia told me that when people get married, they usually go on a trip. So, I thought it was natural for us, too.”
When I informed Mia of our engagement in a letter, she suggested the idea of setting up the Grand Anti-Evil Magic Circle in Parnacota herself during our honeymoon. But, realizing I shouldn’t impose on her to that extent, I hastily worked on the improvement.
“Sorry for laughing. It was just so unexpected.”
“Was it really that odd? I’m sorry. Did I say something presumptuous?”
“Don’t apologize. I’m happy you worked hard for our honeymoon, Miss Philia. How could I not find that endearing?”
At some point, he had taken my hand and held it tightly. Prince Oswald looked delighted.
I will never forget the scenery I saw today. And I would live for tomorrow, to experience such things together again.
◆
After that, we descended the mountain and began our journey back. It had already become evening, so we’d likely arrive around dinner time.
“Returning to our earlier discussion about letters, according to Saint Alice of the kingdom of Dalbhat, the Pope has been diagnosed with an illness and likely doesn’t have long left to live.”
“What? I see, so His Holiness doesn’t have long.”
The Pope of the Clamu Church held the highest authority over all churches on the continent, surpassing even the power of the royalty of each nation.
That said, he rarely flaunted that authority and there were few examples of him meddling politically.
Pope occupied the position of highest authority in the Clamu Church across the entire continent and was regarded as the most virtuous among the faithful, so no questionable individual had ever been appointed that position.
"It’s regrettable, but he’s quite elderly, so lifespan plays a large role I suppose.”
"I-I see. I’d hoped to meet him once, but that’s likely impossible now. But who will be the next Pope?”
"It’s customary for one of the archbishops to inherit the position of Pope. They all reside in the kingdom of Dalbhat.”
The Pope was also called a blood relative of God. He drank God’s blood and served as head of Clamu Church until death.
Upon the death of the Pope, the divine blood would return to the Holy Grail, and the one who would be the next Pope drinks from it to inherit the sacred duty.
There were three archbishops, all belonging to the Clamu Church’s headquarters in Dalbhat.
“Come to think of it, Bishop Bjorn told me that one of the Archbishops, Mr. Henry, was a bishop in Parnacota’s church before him.”
Reminded of that, I casually mentioned to Prince Oswald something Bishop Bjorn told me when I visited the church last month.
Since Archbishop Henry was from Parnacota, perhaps Prince Oswald had spoken with him before.
“Huh? Archbishop Henry? Oh, uh, yeah. Him. Well, I know him.”
When I mentioned Archbishop Henry’s name, Prince Oswald’s expression suddenly darkened. I rarely witnessed such a reaction from him.
“Whoops, my bad. I spaced out for a second. Looks like we’re nearing your estate, Miss Philia. Check you didn’t forget anything.”
“Y-Yes, I got it. But I don’t believe I’ve forgotten anything.”
“I’m not sure. Do you have the important herbs with you?”
“Um, yes. I believe so.”
He was clearly dodging the subject.
My intuition told me Prince Oswald didn’t want me to ask about Archbishop Henry.
“If you’re okay with it, would you like to join me for dinner?”
On the spur of the moment, I invited Oswald to stop by for a meal. Since we got good vegetables, Leonardo was eager to showcase his culinary skills, preparing a variety of dishes today. I figured it best to change topics, and the prince would surely enjoy it too.
“Dinner, huh? My stomach’s empty too, so I’ll take you up on that.”
With his usual smile, Prince Oswald passed through the gate to my home alongside me. Things like casually inviting him over started after our engagement. I used to be nervous, but now we could walk together so naturally.
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