“Hello, hello! Mr. Knight, do you remember me?”
“I am Lintis, the Saintess of the Holy Church. We met at the church a few days ago.”
Glancing at Lintis, who had just emerged from the jungle with her priestess robes covered in dirt, the youth responded coldly, “Is there something you need?”
Lintis frowned slightly but still took a few steps forward. Pressing a hand to her chest, she said, “Ah… it is like this. My storage ring was stolen. Now I have no money for food or lodging, and I have been sleeping on the streets for several days…”
“If possible, could you please sponsor me with ten gold coins? It would be even better if you could provide a place to stay. Once I become the Great Saintess in the future, I will appoint you as a Temple Knight!”
The youth, who was focused on roasting a chicken, gave a blunt reply: “No.”
The response was so swift and cold that Lintis was momentarily stunned.
Seeing her expression, the youth continued, “Lady Saintess, I imagine someone of your status has been enjoying the service of others since birth, haven’t you?”
Lintis arched an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”
“Ten gold coins? That amount is enough for a family of three to live decently for half a year. And you, my Lady Saintess, asked for that much right from the start. You certainly think highly of me.”
After speaking, the youth let out a mockingly sharp scoff and lowered his head again to focus on the roasting chicken.
“Ah, well… I…”
Even as obtuse as Lintis could be, she understood the youth’s sarcasm. Her face turned slightly red as she pinched the edge of her clothes, feeling a bit lost. It took a long moment of stuttering before she could continue.
“Then… Mr. Knight, could you please take me in?”
Having finished her sentence, and fearing another rejection, she hurried to bow. Her voice grew unintentionally louder. “Please, I am begging you! I can work to pay for my rent!”
Hearing this, the youth’s gaze shifted away from the roast chicken. He looked somewhat surprised. After a moment of thought, he used a knife to cut off a roasted drumstick and shoved it into the hand of the still-bowing Saintess.
Then, under the Saintess’s dazed gaze, he grabbed the roasting rack and began walking in one direction, leaving behind a casual remark.
“Then follow me, Lady Saintess. Also, my name is Shilo. I am not some knight.”
“Thank you!”
Lintis hurriedly thanked him, a flash of successful joy crossing her eyes. She ran a few steps to obediently follow behind Shilo.
Staring at his back, Lintis narrowed her eyes slightly.
Actually, she was a transmigrator—someone who had been reincarnated into this fantasy world of magic, gods, dragons, and elves.
She had gone from being a boy who was abandoned by his parents as a child, cheated by a cruel woman as an adult, and who had accidentally fallen asleep in the snow while drinking his sorrows away—freezing to death—to this.
She had been reborn as a cute little girl and was raised as a Saintess from the moment of her birth.
To be honest, she did not adapt well at first. The strange world, the embarrassment of the gender change, and the inexplicable concern and kindness from those around her—all of it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
The pain of betrayal from her past life was still etched into her soul, so much so that she completely distrusted everyone back then. She firmly believed their kindness was only due to her status as a Saintess and that they only wanted to gain something from her.
However, after spending a long time interacting with those around her, she realized they were genuinely good to her.
Under their influence, she gradually shed the shell she used to protect herself and began to try accepting this kindness.
Fortunately, no one hurt her again this time. Surrounded by the kindness and care of those around her, she grew up and officially became a Saintess.
A Saintess was a product of the Holy Church. As children chosen by the Goddess, they usually possessed extraordinary talent and a kind heart.
However, there was not just one Saintess in this world; there were as many as seven.
The Saintesses were trained from childhood until they reached adulthood, at which point they had to undergo a five-year selection ceremony for the position of Great Saintess.
During this period, the Saintesses would accumulate prestige through their own abilities. The one with the highest prestige would become the “Great Saintess” once the ceremony concluded.
Unlike the other Saintesses who aimed for the title, Lintis had no interest in it. In fact, she was somewhat repelled by the idea.
While the other Saintesses had set out half a year ago, she had spent those six months lounging around the Imperial Capital. Eventually, the Church could no longer stand it and forcibly assigned her a mission, sending her to a remote small city called Isol.
But she didn’t want to become the Great Saintess…
In previous years, no Great Saintess had ever lived for more than ten years after taking office. That profession’s lifespan was far too short!
She wanted to live for many more years in this life; there was no way she would do it!
So, as soon as she made an appearance at the church within Isol, she had secretly run away with the small amount of money she had saved over the years.
As it turned out, the ring containing her money was stolen that very afternoon. The ring also contained her official Saintess attire.
It was hard to imagine what the thief would do with it after discovering it. Perhaps she would see her own clothes at an auction house in a few days.
That was just too embarrassing. She had searched anxiously throughout the city for a long time but could not find it.
Finally, worried about being discovered and dragged back by the knights who had come with her, she was forced to seek survival outside the city.
It was at this moment that she discovered Shilo.
Of course, the person himself was not the key; he was just a local knight she had seen once in the church. However, she had sensed the remnants of her own Divine Power on him.
This meant the ring she had been looking for for days was likely in his hands. Her original plan had been to go out and expose him.
But having the mental age of a grown man, she felt that directly exposing a youth like that might not be right.
The knights of this world belonged to the Church; they were a group of people who turned toward the light and were generally kind. Even if he had done something bad, there was surely some secret he couldn’t speak of.
Moreover, his behavior as a thief made her feel like she was seeing her former self.
In the past, she had also intentionally hidden her identity and stolen things, hoping to be blamed and beaten—all to prove that the kindness of others was fake. However, that time, she had lost completely.
So, while she had acted for such a ridiculous reason, why was this little knight doing such a thing?
Lintis did not know.
But as someone who had also walked through the rain, she understood the pain of that time very well.
Therefore, whether as a Saintess who was supposed to guide those who had lost their way or for the sake of the ring, she felt she could not just leave him alone.
After some thought, Lintis decided to do one last thing a Saintess should do.
She was going to help the boy before her turn over a new leaf!
She would make him take the initiative to admit his mistake and return the ring!
The method she came up with was to first have Shilo take her in, and then slowly correct his erroneous thoughts during their daily lives.
What if she was rejected?
She didn’t feel she needed to consider such a thing. Since he had stolen her things, he would definitely feel guilty facing her. If she then intentionally showed weakness, there was no way he would refuse her request.
After all, in her impression, so-called knights were all a bunch of idiots who, no matter how cold they looked on the outside, were soft-hearted in the end.
As for the bit about gold coins, that was all made up. No matter how ignorant she was, she had lived in this world for over a decade; how could she not be aware of the cost of living?
It was all to cover her true objective, lest the little knight realize she had already discovered he was a thief and suffer a breakdown in his resolve.
‘Heh~’
‘I really am a dutiful and responsible Saintess.’
At that thought, Lintis covered her mouth and let out a few muffled giggles.
As she laughed, she suddenly remembered the chicken leg in her hand and subconsciously took a bite.
The moment the scalding meat entered her mouth, it burned her so badly that her eyes blinked rapidly. Continuous gasps of “hiss, haa, hiss, haa” followed one after another.
It burned so much that tears began to flow, but having not had a full meal in days, she couldn’t bear to just spit it out.
She could only let the meat roll around on her tongue. Once it felt manageable, she gritted her teeth and forced herself to swallow it.
Hearing the commotion, Shilo turned his head and said in an annoyed tone, “Lady Saintess, what on earth are you doing?”
If he hadn’t spoken, it might have been fine, but his words caused all the emotions Lintis had suppressed during her days of wandering to surge up. Crystal tears welled in her eyes, and she stuck out her little tongue, looking extremely aggrieved.
“It’s hot…”
The girl’s small action of almost intentionally acting spoiled and cute, combined with her already exquisite and lovely features, was incredibly lethal.
Seeing this scene, Shilo went silent for a few seconds after turning around. Then, he quickly turned back and continued walking without saying a word.
Being ignored made Lintis unhappy. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly noticed the tips of the youth’s ears were a bit red.
She blinked her eyes. The grievance in her heart was replaced by a greater sense of curiosity. Wiping away the tears from her eyes, she wore a bright but mischievous smile and ran to Shilo’s side.
“Mr. Shilo, Mr. Shilo, are you shy?”
“Mr. Shilo, why are you ignoring me? Do you not like talking?”
“Mr. Shilo, please wait for me! Why are you walking faster and faster?”
***