“Mister, Mister! I bought roasted sweet potatoes from the market! Do you want some?”
“Aslan! I bought too many chicken skewers… Do you, uh, want some?”
“…”
Charlotte and Julia returned from their city tour, their arms full of various items.
Now that I think about it, the market must be in full festival mode by now.
This world also has religious holidays similar to Christmas at the end of the year.
Up until last year, the Vermont territory didn’t have a festive atmosphere during the year-end. Instead, they simply commemorated surviving another year.
But looking at the brightly lit city, both day and night, it’s hard to imagine how bleak last year’s celebrations must have been.
“Oh, right! And there was a huuuge statue of Mister in the plaza!”
“It was made of ice, and it was incredibly well-crafted! Just looking at it made me want to applaud…!”
“…”
The moment I heard that, a headache surged through me.
I remember warning people before that if they ever tried to make a statue of me, I’d punish them severely.
But they went ahead and made it out of ice instead…
Of course, if I personally go there, they’ll probably destroy the evidence before I even see it.
And the moment I leave, they’ll just carve it again from ice.
“Urgh…”
“At this point, why not just enjoy it, my Lord?”
“With the religious holiday approaching, they should be more careful. If my ice statue is just standing there, it’ll look like they’re worshipping me.”
“Ah. That’s because they are worshipping you, my Lord. A religion dedicated to you has already gained popularity among the citizens. You didn’t know?”
“…”
Sylvia’s answer left me speechless.
A religion that worships me actually exists…?
If the Holy See finds out, they wouldn’t hesitate to charge me with blasphemy.
“Immediately ban all religious activities related to me and disband any existing organizations.”
“Yes, my Lord. But… you look really happy about it.”
“Ahem. That’s ridiculous.”
Hearing that such a reckless thing was happening in my territory, there’s no way I could be happy about it.
There’s no way I’d feel a sense of pride or satisfaction from being worshipped as a god.
Suppressing the corners of my mouth, which seemed to twitch involuntarily, I let out an exasperated sigh.
“Huh? Looks like a letter arrived!”
“…?”
Charlotte perked up her ears and immediately dashed outside.
A letter? The post office should be closed by now.
Tilting my head in confusion, I looked out the window and saw a courier dropping off mail before quickly departing.
Judging by the uniform, they weren’t a regular postal worker but from an express delivery service.
If it was sent through express delivery, it must be quite urgent.
Charlotte grabbed the letter so fast that I could barely see her move and dashed back to the mansion.
With a loud thud, she burst into my office, holding the letter in her mouth.
“Mmph!”
“…Why are you carrying that in your mouth?”
“Hehehe! It’s faster to run on all fours up the stairs! Since it seemed urgent, I wanted to deliver it quickly!”
“I see. Thank you.”
Taking the letter from her, I ruffled Charlotte’s hair.
She leaned into my hand, melting with a blissful expression.
The way she enjoys being petted and runs on all fours… she’s basically a puppy.
‘Anyway, express delivery, huh…’
Without stopping my hand from patting Charlotte’s head, I used my other hand to break the seal and unfold the letter.
It was from none other than Yuri.
And it was addressed to Mr. Black.
‘Why is Yuri…?’
Yuri usually sends normal letters. Why suddenly use express delivery?
I had a bad feeling about this.
Feeling tense, I began to read the letter.
– To Mr. Black,
– Mister, this is the first letter I’m sending you since the start of vacation.
– I just wanted to let you know that I might not be able to send letters for a while.
– The people from the Holy See said I have the qualities of a Saint… Ah, I have to go now. I’ll tell you more when I return.
That’s it?
Yuri, who usually crams letters full on both sides, often sending two or three pages, only wrote three lines this time?
The letter didn’t explicitly say anything alarming, but it was clear she had been forced to stop writing.
‘And they think Yuri has the qualities of a Saint…?’
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is outraged, claiming that our Healer could never be a puppet of some so-called Holy God!]
On top of that, the people from the Vatican took Yuri, calling her a Saint candidate…
It reminded me too much of how Charlotte had been forcibly designated as the Hero.
If she had been recognized as a Hero, as per the original story, I wouldn’t have had much to say about it.
But now, because they wasted that designation, they’re trying to drag her off as a Saint instead?
And considering Yuri had to urgently write this letter and send it via express delivery…
And that she mentioned she wouldn’t be able to send letters for a while…
That could only mean one thing—the Vatican intends to appoint her as a Saint and severely restrict her freedom.
‘Does fate actually exist? This world keeps trying to push Yuri toward misfortune…’
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder if some kind of world enforcement force was at play.
It’s as if they were determined to make Yuri miserable, even if she avoided being appointed as the Hero—by forcing her into the role of a Saint instead.
Maybe… maybe becoming a Saint is actually the correct path for Yuri.
If she becomes a Saint, she might awaken new abilities.
And soon enough, a final boss or a crisis of similar magnitude will appear, giving Yuri a chance to shine.
If that’s the case, then perhaps becoming a Saint is the right choice, but…
“Charlotte, Julia. It looks like Yuri has been taken by the Vatican.”
“What!? Taken!? Why!?”
“D-Did Yuri do something wrong…?”
“They took her, claiming she has the qualities of a Saint. If Yuri becomes a Saint, it might be difficult for you to freely meet or play with her in the future.”
“I really, really hate that! I don’t want Yuri to be a Saint…!”
“She might be forcibly appointed.”
“That can’t happen! We have to stop it…!”
Seeing the children’s intense reaction, I realized how foolish my thoughts had been.
Who was I to talk about the world’s enforcement or the fate of the original story?
I had already shattered the original plot beyond recognition—then traveled back in time and tore it apart again.
And now, after all that, I was suddenly talking about destiny? What a joke.
“Alright. We’re leaving immediately.”
My hesitation was brief, and my decision was swift.
There will be no forced appointment of Yuri as a Saint.
Because we will stop it—no matter what.
.
.
.
“Hah…”
Inside a carriage belonging to the Vatican, Yuri let out a long sigh, resting her chin on her hand.
Outside the window, the vast green fields stretched endlessly, making it hard to believe it was winter.
The realization of how far she had traveled—deep into the southern regions, far from the Vermont territory—finally hit her.
‘I left in such a rush that I couldn’t even write a proper letter…’
She let out a dry chuckle.
She had barely managed to send her letter via express delivery before being forced to depart.
How shocked must Mr. Black have been when he received it?
Still, if she hadn’t sent it, there would have been no contact for days, which would have worried him even more.
“Haaah…”
“Is something troubling you, Saintess?”
“You suddenly dragged me all the way out here. How could I not sigh?”
“Dragged you, you say… If someone overheard, they’d think we abducted you by force.”
“Didn’t you say the Pope is critically ill and needs my power immediately? You rushed me so much that I barely had time to inform my friends.”
“For that, we sincerely apologize…”
She hadn’t realized it while writing, but now that she looked back on it, her letter could be misunderstood.
It practically sounded like she had been abducted by external pressure, forced into the role of Saint, and was about to lose all her freedom.
In reality, the Vatican had simply requested her help, hoping her abilities could heal the ailing Pope.
Though they were calling her a Saint, they weren’t forcing the title upon her if she didn’t want it.
‘I need to hurry back and reassure Mr. Black.’
She didn’t care about anything else—she just wanted to heal this so-called Pope and go home as soon as possible.
Her mind was filled only with those thoughts when—
Suddenly, the bright sunlight dimmed, and an enormous shadow fell over the carriage.
“Huh…?”
Was it a cloud?
No, it wasn’t.
A massive object was descending from the sky—hurtling toward the carriage at an incredible speed.
The Vatican’s escort knights turned pale as they realized what was happening.
[Kyaaaah! Behold my arrival!]
“…!?”
BOOM!
A massive brown figure crashed onto the road, blocking the carriage’s path.
[Kraaah! I have arrived too!]
Right after, a colossal blue figure slammed into the ground behind them, cutting off their escape.
In the split second when the carriage and its guards were separated—
A man in pitch-black attire flung open the carriage door.
“Yuri. I’ve come to rescue you. Take my hand.”
“Wha—?”
Aslan Vermont?
Why are you here…?
