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“Saint, where are you going?”

I had a lot to do in the territory for the next few days, but the other friends who were just guests were obviously free. They were spending their personal time either training by exchanging swords or lazing around in their rooms, but ultimately, they were just staying inside the mansion.

Soon after finishing breakfast, I noticed Mariel getting ready to go out early, and my curiosity led me to stop her and ask.

“I thought I might visit the temple and offer a prayer since it’s been a while.”

It’s not that one needs to be picky about the place when it comes to praying for the Goddess. However, the primary reason people visit the temple to pray is often to find some comfort for themselves.

The temple, filled with a sacred atmosphere and looked over by a statue of the Goddess, stands in stark contrast to the noisy outside world, and even if prayer isn’t the main goal, the ambiance keeps the faithful coming.

And naturally, the temple doesn’t refuse the footsteps of such visitors. On the contrary, it welcomes them, believing that the teachings of Goddess Serena should reach people as closely as possible.

Especially for Mariel, having spent a significant part of her early life in the temple, no other cozy place could be quite as simple as the temple.

“Then please wait a moment! I’ll be ready soon!”

“Huh? Ready for what?”

Instead of answering Mariel’s question, I dashed back to my room and changed into my outing attire. It was just a simple coat, hardly anything special.

I was worried that she might ignore my words and leave before me, but my worries were unfounded as Mariel leaned against a tree waiting for me.

“Come on, let’s go quickly.”

I urged her while playfully tugging on her arm in a half-excited voice. Not stopping there, I even stood to her left and linked my arm with hers. Normally, I might feel guilty about such actions, but perhaps because I was feeling giddy, I didn’t feel that much resistance.

“I wonder what has gotten into our hero? Suddenly acting all different.”

Noticing my change, Mariel looked a bit surprised for a moment but quickly smiled and asked.

“Ehehe… Actually, I also have something to do at the temple.”

The reason for my excitement was simply that for the past few days, outside of my visits to the memorial grounds to see my parents early in the morning, I had been cooped up in my office just staring at documents all day long.

I was trying to finish the schedule as quickly as possible for the friends who had been waiting eagerly to go on adventures again, but due to a span of inactivity, I just couldn’t get through the essential matters.

It felt like my body was stiff from sitting too long, and in that moment, I spotted Mariel heading to the temple, which I took as a perfect excuse to take a breather by following her.

“Huh? To the temple?”

“…What’s with that look? As I just said, I am still a hero, you know?”

Since Mariel’s gaze seemed off, I quickly rebutted. Sure, it’s true that I don’t visit the temple often, but I did mention that I had something to do there.

However, my purpose for visiting the temple was not as the hero, but as the lord. A few days ago, I had mentioned to Gilbert that I wanted to discuss the matter of donations, and I intended to have that conversation at the temple.

Of course, I didn’t need to visit personally. That’s something I had instructed Gilbert to handle and wrap up. But as I said before, I took the opportunity to go outside since I had spotted Mariel who wanted to go out anyway.

“Come on now, don’t take it so seriously. Let’s go already.”

But Mariel brushed aside my argument and rather urged me to hurry. Sensing her playful attitude, I couldn’t help but chuckle and continued walking while still linked with her arm.

*

“So, I plan to triple the donations starting next month.”

“Triple, you say?”

The high-ranking priest at the temple, currently in our territory, was taken aback and asked loudly.

“Even if I say triple, the original amount I was donating was so small that it won’t be much.”

“What do you mean by that? If it’s triple the current amount, that’s beyond what such a small temple can handle.”

I was quite aware of that. It was precisely because of this that I had intentionally proposed the substantial amount of tripling the donations, deviating from the initial plan.

The intention is certainly not to let the donations just pile up in the temple. Naturally, a portion of it won’t be sent to the central church, either.

Instead, I aim to expand the temple. Just enough to manage the donations.

Build another orphanage, add another classroom, distribute free meals one more time… All of these activities will undoubtedly require personnel. Volunteers can only do so much, and clearly, more priests will be dispatched.

“Hahaha, even knowing I shouldn’t be attached to material desires as a priest, I can feel my heart racing—it seems my training isn’t enough.”

The bishop laughed warmly, but beside him, Mariel reacted noticeably to his words.

She must be feeling guilty. After all, Mariel, despite being a saint, loves money more than anyone else. Considering her background, it’s not hard to understand. Her father is none other than the Golden King, the greatest merchant on the continent.

Regardless of her dedication to the church as a saint, it’s only natural that she has merchant instincts deeply ingrained in her.

“U-uh, if we’re going to expand the temple, can’t I come visit here?”

Mariel quickly tried to shift the topic, evidently trying to hide her surprise. In her fluster, she blurted out something nonsensical.

“Hey, come on! You’re a saint—say something sensible. Though you’re roaming outside due to the Demon King now, you’ll be busy working for the central church afterward.”

Naturally, that’s a reasonable statement. If Mariel were to come to our territory, she would certainly be a tremendous asset.

However, Mariel is not just any priest; she’s a saint. As the sole being communicating with the Goddess, her significance and symbolism in the church goes without saying.

In fact, she might even be deemed more important than the Pope, who is merely a figurehead chosen by the church. A saint is directly chosen by the Goddess herself.

Would someone like her settle down in a simple territory run by a Count? I imagine the church would erupt in protest, claiming such a notion is utterly absurd.

They might not protest against Mariel directly but could very well voice their opinions to me, the lord of the territory. Although if those priests were to complain, it’d probably just be in a polite letter, it still wouldn’t be easy to disregard.

I might think I could brush it off because I’m the hero chosen directly by the Goddess, but the personal relationships could indeed complicate matters.

“If I say I will, what does it matter what anyone else thinks? It would require someone of the Pope’s stature to stop me, and I can easily persuade him. What? Are you saying you don’t want me to stay here, my hero?”

Of course, she well understands that coming to our territory is unrealistic. But the reason she reacted that way must be just for spite.

“Ah, whether you come or not, I’d certainly welcome you, Saint! In fact, I’d even want to request it.”

There’s no benefit in making Mariel upset. At times like this, it’s best to play along cheerfully and simply nod. After all, most women prefer that someone agrees with them rather than questioning them.

“Oho… Do you really need me that much, hero?”

“Of course. After all, a hero and a saint are essentially one, right?”

“Exactly, exactly?”

Indeed, it seemed Mariel’s mood lightened at my words as a smile returned to her face.

*

“Then I will send someone to discuss the details later. As for the donations and temple matters, I’ll give that person full authority, so I hope you won’t be too upset that I didn’t come in person.”

“Why would I detain a busy person? The Goddess Serena will surely be delighted with the sincerity you’ve shown, my lord.”

After saying goodbye to the bishop, who had accompanied us to the temple door, Mariel and I headed back to the mansion. Now that I think about it, Mariel mentioned she came out to pray, yet here she was, simply observing by my side instead.

“I saw a café that looked nice on the way here. Let’s stop there before heading back. I’ll treat you today!”

In contrast to when we left the mansion, this time Mariel linked her arm with mine and spoke in a cheerful tone.

“Huh? You’re treating me, Saint?”

“Yep! You can order anything you want to eat or drink! Since a hero and a saint are one, don’t you think I can afford that?”

Thinking I might have misheard, I asked for clarification, but Mariel only affirmed that I should order whatever I wanted.

I was suspicious, wondering if this was some kind of prank, considering how meticulous she is about money and how she had already set a price of 1 gold for my sacred water, piling up the tab for each drop. That was after I had negotiated down from her initial demand of 4 gold.

Naturally, I scrutinized her closely, but she didn’t look like she was joking at all.

Even as we entered the café and ordered a coffee along with some desserts, I still had lingering doubts. However, she genuinely took out her wallet and paid.

As we sat across from each other, I sipped my coffee through a straw while carefully observing her, but she seemed utterly delighted about something and hadn’t even touched her own coffee, just smiling at me.

What on earth was going on inside her mind? After a moment of thought, I soon realized the reason.

There’s no way she could be this happy just because I agreed with her, right?

Perhaps now that I’ve said I’ll donate a large sum to the temple, she feels pleased and reacts this way. No matter how materialistic she may be, she is still a saint.

Even while drinking cold coffee, I could feel the warmth from her kind heart.

 

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