Chapter 4: The Saint Is in a Bad Mood

A cloudless sky and a refreshing breeze.

'How long has it been since I've been out like this?'

For Franz, who had been practically confined to the magic tower due to work, everything felt pleasantly welcoming.

By now, Arian must have discovered the letter on his desk and was building up his anger gauge, but Franz figured it could be put off for later.

After all, saving the world was more important than tower duties.

As Franz strolled through the streets at a leisurely pace, he arrived at St. Serpia Cathedral just in time for the requested appointment.

While the Empire guaranteed freedom of religion and numerous faiths existed, the Goddess Religion stood out as the dominant one with the largest following.

St. Serpia Cathedral served as the headquarters for this Goddess Religion.

Its grandeur and magnificence never failed to impress, no matter how many times one saw it.

The cathedral was so massive that it could be seen even from the distant magic tower, which spoke volumes about its size.

Come to think of it, the last time Franz had been here was about 10 years ago.

He remembered being dispatched to clean the cathedral's exterior walls when he was still a tower apprentice.

For a deity, it seemed rather incompetent not to be able to clean their own cathedral. Quite inefficient, if you asked him.

Not that he had any right to say that, having had his life saved by divine grace.

As Franz approached the cathedral, lost in his personal musings, he soon stepped inside.

Regrettably, he wasn't here for leisure today.

"Ah, perhaps you're the dispatch from the magic tower... Oh?"

A priest who spotted Franz started to greet him naturally but then widened his eyes in surprise.

From the cloak draped over his body to the small bag at his waist, Franz's appearance was unmistakably that of a mage. However, his face was oddly familiar.

As a member of the Hero's party who had made significant contributions to bringing peace to the world, even the most devout religious folk couldn't fail to recognize him.

"Could you be... Magician Franz? The current Tower Master...?"

"Yes, well, that's correct. I've been dispatched for the village relief effort, but..."

"Ah, right, preparations are underway at the back entrance. I'll guide you there immediately."

The priest, belatedly remembering what he had forgotten, scratched his head sheepishly.

Soon, Franz arrived at the back entrance under the priest's guidance.

The area was bustling with activity, preparing for the village relief effort.

After all, village relief wasn't something that ended simply with the Saint bestowing divine blessings.

There was much to prepare, from repairing damaged buildings to replenishing food supplies.

Yet, even amidst all the busy movement, countless eyes were drawn to the arrival of the world-saving hero.

'This is uncomfortable...'

Franz didn't particularly enjoy being the center of attention.

Having people watch made him feel constrained in his actions.

If he were to coolly sip a cold drink on a day like this, rumors would spread across the world.

The world-saving hero, in reality, had no manners whatsoever - or so they'd say.

But then again, St. Serpia Cathedral had its own Saint.

They must have had a world-saving hero right by their side, so why were they so interested in him?

Contrary to Franz's thoughts, however, there was a difference between a hero you could see every day and one who rarely showed his face to the world.

Franz was truly a hero among heroes, a celebrity among celebrities.

Just then, another world-saving hero appeared before Franz's eyes.

Long blonde hair reaching down to the waist, a pure white nun's habit embroidered with gold.

It was the Saint.

Franz immediately approached her.

"Long time no see."

"Huh...? Why are you here...?"

The Saint's eyes widened upon seeing Franz.

In response, Franz pulled out a rolled-up document from the bag at his waist.

It was the request form from St. Serpia Cathedral for a mage dispatch.

"You requested a mage from the tower, right? That's why I'm here."

"Since when does the Tower Master personally come when a mage is requested from the tower?!"

The Saint's words were reasonable.

It was rare for the Tower Master to personally make an appearance unless the fate of the world hung in the balance.

However, that was merely because previous Tower Masters had been too full of themselves to do any work, not because the Tower Master was prohibited from going on field assignments.

If Arian had heard this, he would have narrowed his eyes and launched into an hour-long lecture.

Franz shut down all objections with a single statement.

"That's up to the Tower Master's discretion."

Dispatching mages was the Tower Master's decision.

Going on dispatch personally was also the Tower Master's decision.

If you don't like it, you should have become the Tower Master yourself - that was the quintessential old-fashioned mindset.

Of course, hearing this, the Saint let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Hah, fine. Do as you please, oh great Tower Master."

With those final words, the Saint hurried off to attend to her duties, thinking she'd only lost out by engaging in conversation.

Well, what could Franz do?

As a dispatched mage, he couldn't just stand around doing nothing, so he had no choice but to help the clergy.

"Ah, please put that down over there. I'll move it for you."

As Franz gestured towards the air, all the relief supplies simultaneously rose into the air.

It was a spectacular sight that only a great mage could produce - hundreds of items floating in midair.

"Where should the food go?"

"The food goes this way."

The clergyman pointed to one of the wagons.

With a slight gesture from Franz, the food was neatly stacked in the wagon.

"Please tell me where the rest should go as well."

"The timber goes in that wagon, and the blankets and clothes are over there. The miscellaneous items go in the very back."

Once again, Franz merely made a slight gesture.

The relief supplies floating in the air sorted themselves out and stacked neatly in each wagon.

The clergy's eyes widened at the feat displayed by the great mage.

Amidst all this, there was just one person wearing a sullen expression.

The Saint was glaring at Franz while holding a box of food supplies.

"I told you to just put it down."

"No thanks. I'd rather do it myself than accept your help."

Just as the Saint was about to take a step, ignoring Franz's words.

All the clergy's eyes turned towards the Saint.

Simultaneously, something flashed across Franz's vision.

<Warning!>

<Saint Yustia's emotions are running wild! If left unchecked, it could negatively impact the ending!>

Franz stared blankly at the sudden notification that appeared.

In simple terms, it meant this:

The Saint was currently in a very bad mood, and if left unchecked, it could lead to the end of the world through the butterfly effect.

Haah-.

Franz let out a short sigh and gestured in the air. The box in the Saint's hands slowly began to float.

The Saint turned her head to glare at Franz.

"I said I didn't need help, didn't I?"

"You told me to do as I please, so I'm doing just that."

Franz said this as he lowered the floating box onto the wagon.

The Saint's expression, which had been full of discontent, softened slightly, and at the same time, the notification that had filled Franz's vision disappeared.

In truth, Franz had initially planned to leave her be.

There was no reason to go out of his way to help when she insisted on doing it herself.

It didn't seem likely that the Saint would turn into a villain over something so trivial.

However, with the fate of the world at stake, he didn't want to leave even the slightest possibility.

If moving a single box could prevent the world's destruction, he was more than willing to do it.

There was some progress, at least.

The percentage next to the Saint's name had jumped from 1% to 5% in an instant.

Though what exactly this percentage measured remained a mystery.

Not long after, all preparations for departure were complete.

The clergy and the Saint boarded the wagons, and Franz, following instructions, got into his designated wagon.

Franz found it rather disappointing that he couldn't ride in the same wagon as the Saint. If they had been together, he could have asked her various questions during the journey.

But what could he do?

While it might have been fine when traveling as part of the Hero's party, now that she had returned to her role as the Goddess Religion's Saint, it wasn't appropriate for her to ride in the same wagon as a man.

Franz thought to himself.

The Saint really lived a rigid life.

* * * * *

The condition specified in St. Serpia Cathedral's document was just one thing.

Escort duty.

Of course, the Goddess Religion had its own order of knights.

But unlike in other fantasies, the Holy Knight Order didn't possess overwhelming military might.

They were just knights who happened to be religiously inclined, gathered together.

Even so, that was enough to deter most riffraff.

The kind of people commonly referred to as bandits, for instance.

Franz, knowing this, maintained a somewhat relaxed state.

No matter how much one loved gold and silver or was inclined towards banditry, life was still precious.

If there were to be an exception, it might be an attack by evil cultists who worshipped the Demon God, but...

'Nah, no way.'

Cultists weren't that common, and the chances of them appearing just now were slim.

But that 'no way' became reality.

"Cultists!!!"

"Knights, prepare for battle!!"

"Protect the Saint!!"

Franz put his hand to his forehead at the commotion coming from outside the wagon.