No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 71

EP.71 Kindness and Calculation (5)

"Why? You seemed to be doing well."

"I’m telling you, stop bringing that up!"

I snapped at Ria, who kept teasing me about the dance.

The real reason I was getting worked up was that every time she mentioned it, I was reminded of the mortifying situation from earlier.

It wasn’t embarrassment over being led by Ria during the dance.

It wasn’t a matter of pride, considering I knew absolutely nothing about dancing, whereas Ria was at least familiar with it. It wasn’t strange for someone clueless to be guided by someone knowledgeable.

Besides, if we’re being technical, I was the one who suggested we dance in the first place. Ria had proposed it initially and even made the first move to ask me to dance, but ultimately, I was the one who directly told her to go ahead.

Logically, there was no reason for me to be upset in this situation.

But emotionally—

As soon as we returned to the room, I dove face-first onto the bed.

From the other bed, I heard the sound of Ria sitting down.

The beds were so close together that there wasn’t even enough space for us to sit and talk facing each other, as we sometimes did in the dormitory.

Which meant, despite the lingering awkwardness, we were forced to stay in close proximity.

"Or... did you just hate dancing?" Ria asked suddenly.

"…..."

Her tone wasn’t particularly different from usual. She didn’t sound disappointed or disheartened.

But I knew the original Lee Chae-eun. Despite her seemingly straightforward demeanor, she was quite skilled at hiding her emotions when she wanted to.

I turned my head slightly to look at her while still lying on the bed.

Lee Chae-eun was sitting on her bed, facing me.

"…No, that’s not it."

The real reason for my embarrassment was that I didn’t dislike being held by Ria.

She smelled nice, felt soft, and—unfortunately—she had a good figure. With her chest just below my face, there was no way to avoid being aware of it.

Now that I think about it, was it really necessary to be that close? Is that just how social dancing works? I wasn’t sure, but in this world, maybe it was normal. After all, the atmosphere between Ria and Lee Si-yoon while dancing had to be appropriately charged, so it made sense.

"It’s just... embarrassing. I don’t particularly enjoy standing out in front of people."

"Ah."

Ria chuckled, as if she understood.

"Well, that’s nothing to worry about. When it comes to dances like that, you don’t have to be amazing at it. If people started nitpicking every little thing, a lot of them would probably feel even more awkward. There are plenty who barely dance at all except when they’re forced to at such events."

Oh, that made sense.

...

Wait, so that means even in this world, it’s normal to dance like that at events? Does this mean I’ll have to dance in front of people multiple times in the future?

Oh, right. There was more than one scene where Lee Si-yoon danced with Lee Chae-eun in the original. I even recall some of the other heroines fighting over who got to dance with him.

"Ugh."

I shivered and buried my face back into the bed.

"Becoming a Saintess Candidate... I really shouldn’t have done it."

"Do you even have the option of not doing it?"

She had a point, so I didn’t argue.

While I lay sprawled out on the bed like dried fish, Ria gently patted my head.

"Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Once you’ve danced just once, people won’t bother you about it anymore."

Was it similar to being dragged to karaoke? Like how, after you sang one song, no one would force you to sing again?

Dance practice, huh? And dancing with Ria at every ball—

...

It might sound strange, but I didn’t dislike it.

How could I, considering Ria’s appearance? Damn it.

And what’s with her brushing me off most of the time but then suddenly stroking my hair so gently?

Was it just me, or had her demeanor softened a lot compared to usual?

Was I imagining it?

*

There’s a saying: if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.

From the moment it was decided that I’d come to the Gnome nation, I had been making plans in my head.

I wasn’t naïve enough to think that everything would work out perfectly.

But usually, when you plan ahead, you can at least accomplish a few things within that framework, can’t you?

In every transmigration novel I’ve read, the "possessed" characters somehow managed to seize the opportunities or relics they already knew about in advance.

That was my intention too. If I didn’t, what was the point of being reborn into another world like this?

The morning after the banquet, a bit later than usual, we headed to a building to hold a meeting with representatives from the Gnome nation.

Most Gnome social activities take place underground. It’s not that Gnomes hate sunlight, but they generally prefer the coolness of underground spaces over the blazing sun above.

I’d heard that the Gnomes’ homeland was a scorching desert, while the Dwarves lived in an extreme tundra that experienced heavy snowfall year-round.

The meeting ran from about ten in the morning until half-past eleven, and then from one-thirty in the afternoon until around four. There was little need for me to intervene.

It made sense for government officials to discuss matters with each other rather than relying on a clueless nun. The Gnome representatives, our government officials, and members of the Church engaged in various discussions.

How much magic stone they could purchase from the Gnomes.

Whether skilled magic stone artisans could be sent to our world.

What kind of technologies we could provide in exchange.

And—

“Please discuss matters concerning holy relics with the Church officials.”

When the attention turned to me, I gave that response.

“Creating them isn’t much of an issue, but I would prefer not to trade excessively, as some degree of moderation will be necessary.”

That was the extent of my input.

Even for me, creating a holy relic was a draining process. After crafting one that could consume the entirety of a refined magic stone’s power, I would be left sprawled on the bed for hours afterward.

The Gnomes were particularly interested in those "holy relics."

…Of course, this was probably something the government officials were already aware of, given that the Gnomes were in a territorial dispute with the Dwarves.

The vast desert where the Gnomes lived bordered the Dwarves’ territory to the north. It might seem strange to imagine a polar region directly north of a desert, but this world wasn’t bound by the logic of the one I came from.

Furthermore, the Dwarves lived in a high-altitude mountain region, which naturally resulted in colder temperatures.

The area where the Dwarves’ territory met the Gnomes’ land—a relatively temperate zone—was the disputed region.

While Gnomes excelled in fine, intricate magic stone craftsmanship, their ability to create large-scale equipment like the Dwarves was somewhat lacking.

The Dwarves’ "equipment" could be replaced with alternatives on Earth. But in this world, there were few substitutes.

Sure, an infantry anti-tank weapon might work against a single target, but if you’re up against an entire tank battalion or helicopters, the story changes entirely.

“…...”

I silently listened to the discussions as I sipped my tea.

Although it might appear as if the government was siding with one faction, the truth was that the Dwarves’ capabilities weren’t particularly valuable from the government’s perspective.

…Besides, I had already conveyed my stance to the Church beforehand.

Under no circumstances were the Gnomes to be given enough resources to decisively win the war. If they needed an excuse, they could use me as one.

After all, once word got out that we had supplied a certain amount of holy relics, the Dwarves would undoubtedly reach out to us. When that happened, we could address the matter separately.

Most importantly—there were other events that would likely unfold before any war even began.

As soon as the meeting ended, I headed to the workshop where Clanet, whom I had met yesterday, worked. After our dance, we had exchanged contact information while chatting.

Following the guide assigned by the Gnome government, it took about 20 minutes of walking.

“Oh…”

“Almost like nobility, huh.”

Ria and I both found ourselves gazing up at the house with admiration.

Most of the places we had visited thus far were spacious enough to accommodate humans, but many other Gnome residences lacked such considerations. They often had doors too small or ceilings too low for humans to enter comfortably.

However, the building before us was a massive mansion by human standards.

Granted, once we stepped inside, we realized that each individual room wasn’t particularly large. Still, the fact that we could move around without issue was something to be grateful for.

“Saintess Candidate.”

“Please, just call me Anna. It’s easier for me that way too.”

Clanet, whom we met today, looked different from yesterday. She was dressed in leather workwear, with her hair tied back.

Oddly enough, this gave her a more favorable impression, at least in my opinion. She looked prettier like this—perhaps because her makeup yesterday had been a bit overdone.

After exchanging light greetings, we got straight to the point.

“So, may I ask what brings you to visit me today, Anna?”

Sitting on a chair that was just barely comfortable, though slightly awkward due to its size, I maintained a calm expression and began to speak.

“I’d like to carve a holy relic.”

“A holy relic… carve one?”

“Yes. I understand that Gnomes have some understanding of divine power. Also, your people have a longstanding tradition of crafting reusable magic stones, don’t they?”

“Of course, but… are you really sure about this?”

Clanet’s cautious expression turned toward me.

There was no issue.

This had already been discussed with both the government and the Church.

The contents of today’s meeting were strictly about intergovernmental trade—transactions involving goods. Among those items was the disposable holy relic I had roughly crafted as a sample.

However, what the government truly desired was the ability to reuse the depleted magic stones.

More importantly, they aimed to study the process of creating such items.

Thus, my personal request to create something like this as a private transaction was not only permitted but highly encouraged by both the government and the Church.

Besides, even I saw the potential usefulness of it.

You never know what might happen in the future, after all.