“Leo~”
“Ah! Hold on a second. I’m almost done eating!”
It was Saturday. The day Lena had confessed she wouldn’t become a priest in the previous scenario, she came to visit at the exact same time.
Leo had been waiting for this day. Although this world didn’t feel like a game at all, he thought it would be better to talk at a point that served as a major turning point.
He winked at his father as he was clearing the dishes, but his father pretended not to see.
When he went outside, Lena was holding a large pouch.
“Lena! What brings you here so early in the morning? Did you stop by on your way back from church?”
He wanted to ask her, ‘Shall we go pick some wild mushrooms?’ but he held back.
“Leo, what are you doing today?”
“I’m free today! Where do you want to go?”
“Well! I was thinking of going to pick some wild mushrooms today. Want to come?”
“Sure. Wait for me, I’ll be right back.”
After that, everything proceeded exactly the same.
They arrived at the foot of the mountain, chatted while picking mushrooms, and then settled down for a break. Lena popped a piece of dried meat into Leo's mouth.
“Chew, Chew...”
A brief silence fell. If they stayed like this, Lena would tell him she didn’t want to study to be a priest anymore.
Leo made the first move.
“Lena, do you want to come with me to Nebis?”
“What? Nebis? Why would we go there?”
Leo couldn't look her straight in the eye and turned his head away. He felt ashamed for having to lie to her, so he avoided her gaze and pretended to be embarrassed.
“Well, you know… It’s the capital of our kingdom, and I’ve always wanted to go there at least once. I hear it’s full of people, and there’s lots of food and work there.”
“But I thought you wanted to be a hunter?”
“I can hunt anytime. And...”
“And?”
“It’s also closer to the Jerom Holy Kingdom... Since it’s the capital, I thought there might be a lot of merchants heading to Lutetia. The Holy Cross Church is in Lutetia, right?”
There was only one official church in this world, the Holy Cross Church.
The Holy Cross Church had made a decisive contribution to driving out the demihumans from the continent, so all seven kingdoms since the Akaia Empire had designated it as their state religion.
The main temple of the Holy Cross Church was located in Lutetia, the capital of the Jerom Holy Kingdom, and only that particular church, which served as the main temple, was referred to as the ‘Holy Cross Church’.
For example, while there was obviously a church in the capital of the Ohrun Kingdom as well, it wasn’t called the ‘Holy Cross Church’. It was simply the Nebis Church.
Lena looked dumbfounded and said,
“But how do we get to Nebis? It takes two months on foot, doesn't it? It’s too dangerous.”
At her worried question, Leo pulled out ten silver coins from his pocket and showed her.
In truth, he had more. If he added what he had received from his father, it would be enough to get them all the way to the Holy Cross Church.
However, Leo didn’t show her everything because he planned to make Lena a princess while they were staying in Nebis.
He had been to the capital in the Beggar Siblings scenario and knew how expensive things were there.
It was incomparable to this rural village. No matter how hard they worked there, they wouldn’t be able to save any money, so they would have to live hand to mouth.
His plan was to make Lena go through a bit of hardship while he looked for an opportunity to meet the prince under the pretense of hunting. If this was a game that could be cleared, there had to be a way to meet the prince.
‘If I give her a little bit of the money I have every now and then, it’ll serve as an excuse for having gone hunting, and Lena won’t lose hope...’
As he was having these wicked thoughts, Lena's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the large sum of money she had never seen before in her life.
“H-How did you get so much money...? Did your father give it to you?”
“I borrowed a little from my father, and I saved up some myself. It’s a bit lonely going alone, so I was wondering if you’d come with me.”
It was a proposal that sounded more like a plea, but it was a request that Lena could never refuse.
A journey to a new world, with Leo, towards the church. It had everything she loved.
“Yes! I’ll go! Of course I’ll go!”
Tears welled up in Lena’s eyes.
She was so happy that she smiled broadly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Leo! Thank you! Thank you so much!”
Leo felt a pang of guilt at her outburst of joy. He had tricked her into not going to the Holy Cross Church, yet she was hugging him while crying.
Leo awkwardly patted her small back, hiding his discomfort, but her tears didn’t stop easily.
Above them, a Cokoren that had been hanging from a tree, seemingly annoyed by the noise, pulled itself up and disappeared into the distance.
* * *
Afew days later, Lena came running over, shouting, “Leo! I got permission!”
He had no idea how she had persuaded her parents.
‘If she were my daughter, I would never have allowed it...’
Could it be that they expect me to cause trouble with Lena and come back? Or are they purely supporting Lena's dream?
It didn’t really matter.
Leo was also happy to hear the news and asked,
“That’s great. You’re going to tell the church too, right?”
“Of course! Do you want to come with me?”
They went to the church and explained the whole story to the priest and the monk, and the priest was delighted and gave them his blessing.
It wasn't just a few words of well wishes; it was a genuine blessing using holy power.
As he waved his hand, a warm energy enveloped Lena and Leo. Lena, seemingly moved, said in a trembling voice,
“Priest! You went through so much trouble… Thank you so much!”
“I’m happier than anyone that our Lena is finally heading for the Holy Cross Church. Good luck on your journey.”
It was clear that the priest cared a great deal for Lena.
Blessings were expensive. The divine power of priests was something that was consumed and depleted with use.
Healing external injuries was relatively inexpensive. Not only did it require less divine power, but it could also be controlled to only heal what was visible.
However, treating illnesses or giving blessings consumed a lot of divine power. Illnesses had to be cured in one go, requiring a huge burst of divine power, and blessings, which had to last for a long time once bestowed, were the same.
The priest had generously bestowed such a blessing upon the two of them.
As Lena and Leo were about to leave the church after thanking the priest, Monk Lesley, who had quietly slipped away while they were saying their goodbyes, rushed back in, panting.
“Lena, take this.”
He handed Lena a pouch filled with copper coins. Lena waved her hands, refusing, but he was insistent.
“Take it, child. I was saving this up to send you to the Holy Cross Church anyway. It’s not just mine; everyone at the church chipped in a little. Now, take it before anyone sees! Quick!”
“...Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
“Good. Be careful on your way.”
Lena shed tears, and the monk smiled awkwardly. It was a heartwarming scene, but Leo was on edge.
He had been worried that it might be enough to get her all the way to the Holy Cross Church, but his worries were unfounded.
Even combined with the money she had received from her parents, it was still woefully inadequate for her to reach the Holy Cross Church.
She would never have been able to leave this village in her lifetime if it weren't for the {Starting Funds} or the {Priest} event.
That evening, a small farewell party was held in the village square.
The village headman built a bonfire in the square, and the villagers brought out snacks and drinks. Words of encouragement for Lena's dream flowed, and as the drinks flowed, the farewell party turned into a lively feast.
In the midst of it all, Hans made a tactless remark about them running away together, only to be scolded by his mother.
The bonfire illuminated the entire village in a red glow, lighting up the night.