The Smile Did Not Leave the Saintess's Lips

Haa - .

Franz let out a sigh and stood up from his seat.

“I-I’m serious, you know? With something like a Holy Relic, you could probably make the item you’re thinking of.”

“If the material used is a Holy Relic, it’s not a matter of whether I can make it or not.”

It wasn’t as if Holy Relics sprang up everywhere like mass-produced magic tools.

Unless it was an item directly bestowed by a god, only objects with profound religious significance were given the title of Holy Relic and imbued with divine power.

Naturally, such Holy Relics were carefully preserved by the religion, so there was no way he could use one to make a magic tool.

“Or how about you make a Holy Relic for me, Goddess?”

Sitting back down, Franz spoke slyly and took a sip of his tea.

Even though they had been talking for quite a while, the tea was still hot. It was a sort of cheap trick using divine power.

“A H-Holy Relic. But that’s not so easy either…”

“Is it because I possess your power, Goddess?”

“It’s not that. Even though I gave you my power, creating a single Holy Relic is easy enough.”

Then why?

Franz was about to show that thought on his face.

“Actually, I’m in a desperate situation just trying to block the dimensional rifts. It might look like I’m leisurely drinking tea like this, but I’m working quite hard in my own way.”

The dimensional rifts the Goddess mentioned were undoubtedly about the Gates and Labyrinths.

That meant if she didn’t intervene, the Gates wouldn’t appear sparsely like they did now, but would all spring up at once.

He could guess the result without even having to ask. Gate overflows would occur everywhere, and the world would ultimately walk the path of destruction.

“Is there still no way to take the power back from me?”

Franz thought. If she took back the power inside his body, wouldn’t she be able to block the dimensional rifts with a bit more ease?

“Sadly, that’s the case for now. But I think leaving it as is isn’t too bad either.”

“Why is that?”

“Because you’re working hard in my place, I can focus on other things too, thanks to that.”

To Franz, those words somehow sounded like she was happy to have gained a free slave, but he decided to ignore it. He couldn’t deny the fact that this power had saved his life.

“Still, don’t worry too much. When you die, it will naturally return to me.”

“I plan on living for quite a long time, though.”

“If I had my way, I’d want to let you live for 200, 300 years, you know?”

“…I will decline that.”

It would be one thing if he didn’t age. But living for 200 or 300 years while aging just like everyone else was no different from madness.

Having seen the end of Deliaspi Dyne, who had replaced his aging body with those of other creatures, he couldn’t help but feel that way even more.

Afterward, Franz listened to the Goddess’s complaints for a while.

It was a bit bothersome, but knowing that the Goddess had no one suitable to talk to, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

Seeing that, it seemed that being an omnipotent god didn’t necessarily mean living happily. Though he didn’t know from what perspective it felt happiness.

No, did they even know what happiness was in the first place?

It was a truly difficult question for a mere mortal to ponder.

A little more time passed after that.

Franz visited the Saint Seraphia Cathedral.

The Saint Seraphia Cathedral was bustling with Followers as always. As people in unique attire were seen here and there, it seemed they were visiting the Cathedral from other countries as well.

After watching them for a while, Franz timed it right and took a step forward.

“Yusti-ah.”

“Franz…?”

Franz met Yusti-ah as she was heading to the back of the Cathedral.

Was she surprised by the sudden visit? Yusti-ah’s eyes were wide open.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“S-Sure.”

Franz walked alongside Yusti-ah.

The place they soon arrived at was the Cathedral’s backyard, with a small bench under a tree.

He felt the gently blowing breeze was quite pleasant.

“What’s the matter?”

Yusti-ah tilted her head and asked.

How should I explain this?

After pondering, Franz explained the continental summit that had taken place the day before.

Of course, that was merely the beginning; the truly important story was something else entirely.

“To think there are no usable materials for the magic tool is definitely a big problem.”

“Even so, I briefly met the Goddess yesterday because of that…”

“Wait, you met the Goddess?”

Yusti-ah asked back flustered.

Wasn’t this a world where merely receiving the Goddess’s grace turned one into a Saint? Meeting the Goddess in person was something no one could even dream of.

“As you know, I absorbed the Goddess’s power and became a demigod, right? Since then, I’ve been able to meet her whenever I set my mind to it.”

“I’m telling you, looking at you makes me feel like my common sense is crumbling.”

Yusti-ah let out a long sigh.

Franz had nothing to say about that part either. It was true that he was becoming an existence beyond common sense.

“So? Well, was the Goddess pretty? It must be nice meeting her so often.”

“Well…”

Franz couldn’t answer easily.

Judging objectively, the Goddess was pretty, to the point where the words written in the scriptures didn’t feel like an exaggeration.

But that wasn’t the reason he couldn’t answer.

“…Why can’t you answer?”

Yusti-ah glared at him with sharp eyes. She even poked his chest with her finger, so she seemed quite displeased.

Franz pondered her reaction for a moment, then quietly confessed his inner thoughts.

“She was pretty, but she looked a lot like you.”

“Pardon…?”

“The Goddess is pretty, and she looks a lot like you.”

“A-Ah, no, wait… Wait a minute.”

Yusti-ah, with a flustered expression, seemed to think about something for a moment before suddenly covering her face with both hands.

It was a bit embarrassing, but he hadn’t said anything he didn’t mean.

The Goddess really did resemble Yusti-ah, from her appearance to her way of speaking. It was to the point where he instantly understood why she called Yusti-ah a child.

“Anyway, that wasn’t what I wanted to talk about. When I asked the Goddess, she said something like a Holy Relic could be used as a material for the magic tool.”

“Is that so. Yes, I understand. I completely understand.”

Yusti-ah was still covering her face with her hands.

Franz, unable to understand her behavior, was merely puzzled by it.

In any case, they were communicating, so it was a good thing regardless.

…Probably.

“That’s why I came to find you. I thought you might know something.”

“I’ll look into it for now. Come back in the evening. I’ll give you an answer then.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes, have a safe trip back.”

Franz immediately stood up from his seat. Leaving Yusti-ah behind, he returned to the Magic Tower.

As light flashed and his figure disappeared, Yusti-ah slowly pulled away the hands that had been covering her face.

Her face was so red it looked like it would burst. Furthermore, she was grinning from ear to ear.

“He could have just told me honestly I was pretty…”

Yusti-ah tilted her head back and looked up at the sky.

The exceptionally blue and clear sky was beautiful today. The chirping of the birds sounded like a song, and the cool, blowing breeze felt truly wonderful.

“I have to go deliver teachings in the afternoon too.”

Muttering to herself, Yusti-ah suddenly jumped up from her seat.

Aside from feeling good, she still had to fulfill his request.

* * *

Returning to the Magic Tower, Franz resumed his temporarily halted research on the magic tool.

“If I can measure divine power using a Holy Relic…”

The blueprint that came to mind floated in the air as a hologram.

The circuits, magic, structure, and power source, in every aspect, were so complex that they couldn’t even be compared to the magic tools he had made so far. It was to the point where repair or production would be impossible for anyone other than the creator himself.

Of course, it would have to undergo gradual modifications in the future. There was no such thing as a perfect item from the start, after all.

The only thing he could take comfort in was…

'As long as I have a Holy Relic, it’ll work out somehow.'

It meant he had reached the point where the magic tool’s operation was theoretically possible. Until now, he had been completely at a loss, so this could be considered a huge development.

While he was spending his time continuing his work and research like that, evening finally arrived.

Franz went to find Yusti-ah as promised.

“Wait just a moment. I’ll be right out.”

Yusti-ah, who had spoken through the window, went back inside.

Not long after that, Franz was able to face her in the Cathedral’s backyard.

“Franz, I did some investigating in my own way. It seems most of the Holy Relics are being managed by the order. If you want to take and use them, you’ll probably have to make a formal report and hold a meeting.”

“I see…”

It was a shame, but not enough to make him give up.

It wasn’t a personal matter, but using a Holy Relic to save the world. Even if it took a little time, the order would definitely hand over a Holy Relic.

“So about that. I actually prepared one thing, you see?”

“What is it?”

“Really, really don’t misunderstand. I just brought it just in case.”

Yusti-ah held out a small pouch made of cloth.

Franz received it while harboring doubts, and immediately opened it to check the contents.

“…”

“R-Relax your expression…! I really just brought it just in case…!”

Inside the pouch was a tooth.

But why was it? It looked strangely familiar, and at the same time, he could feel divine power from it.