“I’m saying, since you’ve recovered your strength, how about you become the Saintess and give me a day off?”
After sending away that blind trash of a Grand Priest, the Grand Cathedral had fallen silent earlier than usual.
Only the two of them remained, idling about.
Hailey looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
She lay lazily on a cathedral pew, staring at the colorful crystal murals on the ceiling.
An restless hand reached over.
Idledra, who had been under the Statue of the Goddess, had unknowingly closed the distance.
Curiosity piqued, she poked Hailey’s soft, chubby baby fat.
‘We have the same face, so why does it feel like she’s poking a child when she touches me? How undisciplined. Let go…’
“I was wondering, if the believers saw how the Saintess usually acts—this lazy and scattered appearance—what would they think?”
Hailey’s face was soft.
As expected, she only showed this silly expression when Idledra was around.
But then again, who else but Idledra could see Hailey like this?
“Who cares what they think? Even a Saintess needs emotional comfort. I’m the Saintess, not some immortal, untiring, mysterious Vampire.”
“And even Vampires are afraid of the sun. What’s wrong with me being a little lazy?”
Hailey pouted unhappily. Idledra gave a light laugh.
‘Laziness is good. Kick out all those meddling fools so it’s just private time for Hailey and me. And in such a holy cathedral, too… I suddenly feel a sense of sin.’
“Saintess, you—”
Just as the two of them were resting quietly, the cathedral doors were suddenly pushed open by some unknown person.
Idledra immediately felt that something was wrong.
Hailey was still lying on the pew.
Although they had been joking earlier, if someone actually discovered the Saintess in such an undisciplined state…
‘If there’s no other way, I’ll have to silence them.’
Idledra’s gaze suddenly turned fierce, but her right hand stopped in mid-air.
This believer had a bit of a bad habit of being late.
Arriving at the cathedral, he found the usually packed hall empty and the main doors tightly shut.
Unaware of the news, he thought something had happened to the Saintess.
His little girl cried every day about how much she loved her Big Sister Saintess; nothing could happen to her!
Thinking this, the believer dressed as a farmer hurriedly pushed open the doors.
He expected a fierce battle but saw only the empty hall.
“It seems you are late once again today. Good morning, Mr. Leo.”
At a speed Idledra couldn’t even react to, Hailey sprang up from the pew.
In the blink of an eye, she regained her usual holy and gentle posture.
She sat quietly by the pew, eyes closed in gentle prayer, facing the Statue of the Goddess bathed in sunlight with deep devotion.
It was as if the scene from a moment ago had never happened.
Idledra watched her in disbelief.
Hailey, who had just been lying down, had instantly reverted to the noble and holy Saintess.
‘Does Hailey have magic too? Or is “risking one’s life to put on a show” an automatic skill learned upon becoming a Saintess?’
“Heh, after telling Little Mary a story last night, I sneaked a bit of wine and woke up late… As always, the Saintess is so elegant and dignified.”
Hailey didn’t respond, only smiling with her back turned to Leo.
If Idledra looked closely, she would notice Hailey’s legs were shaking uncontrollably.
‘Sss—I sat up too fast. I just banged my foot against the chair leg! It hurts so much, but I can’t scream…’
Idledra was still a bit confused about why Hailey had suddenly gone silent.
Was she unhappy that this uninvited guest had interrupted them?
It wasn’t until she noticed Hailey’s occasionally trembling calves and the tiny, glistening tears of pain in the corners of her eyes that she suddenly understood.
‘Pfft! So Hailey… cough. Seeing her grit her teeth and endure like this, why is she so cute? I feel bad for her, but it’s so funny.’
Although she was close to bursting into laughter, Idledra held it in and walked over to the Statue of the Goddess, gently touching the palm of the statue.
Hailey endured the pain in her foot and explained the day’s events to Leo with a smile.
Although he was a bit confused, he scratched his head in relief upon learning the cathedral was resting today.
“Since no one is causing trouble, I won’t disturb the Saintess’s rest. Little Mary said she wanted to come play with you yesterday, but that child has a bit of a small cold lately…”
After seeing off Leo the farmer, Hailey could no longer maintain her elegant image.
She clutched her foot in pain, nearly screaming and rolling on the ground.
She carefully took off the small boot on her leg, revealing a smooth little foot.
However, the ankle was already starting to swell, looking like a ripe pomegranate.
Looking at the red and swollen ankle, Hailey couldn’t help but complain that this Doll Body was a bit too detailed.
Even the sensation of pain was so clear.
Couldn’t it be turned off?
Although her soul wouldn’t allow her to be too weak, when facing pain, wouldn’t anyone be unable to stop a few tears from falling if it hurt enough?
“Sss—what are you doing? Don’t touch my leg…”
While she was still thinking about how to limp back to their residence, Idledra had already picked up her small foot and was stroking it gently.
‘Why are her hands so cold? It feels chilly when she touches my foot. Fine, let go quickly. Even if no one is watching, holding someone’s foot is too embarrassing…’
“Don’t move, silly Hailey. It’ll be better soon.”
As Idledra’s left hand lightly brushed over Hailey’s foot, the previously swollen ankle visibly smoothed out.
Then, even the redness gradually faded.
This was the first time Hailey had witnessed the Saintess’s true Holy Magic.
To think it could instantly restore an injured area without even leaving a scar.
Seeing the surprise and excitement in Hailey’s eyes, Idledra couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.
‘Amazing, right? Impressive, right? This is magic I cast specifically for Hailey. Ordinary people might not even get to see this in their lifetime. Hurry up and praise me…’
“The Magic Power of the Goddess is truly incredible. It actually allows you to use such wondrous magic?”
At this moment, Hailey was still marvelling at the wonders of mana.
After all, the most mysterious things in an otherworldly realm were swords and magic.
She didn’t notice at all that she hadn’t praised Idledra.
Hailey was immersed in her magical fantasies, but the look in Idledra’s eyes beside her was becoming increasingly strange.
As everyone knows, a boss is often someone who smiles with squinted eyes…
“Hailey, today… you were going to make me happy, weren’t you?”
“Ah, yes, why—you, don’t come any closer…”