The Saintess (2)

"The Holy Kingdom's second-class district, huh? The other side is offering quite a lot."

The one who said that was the deputy village chief, who had been sitting in for Rokuko.

I mean, I'm just a figurehead, right? Couldn't you have stepped up more? You completely erased your presence, you know.

This deputy village chief, being a tavern master, is skilled at listening to conversations while blending into the background.

"A second-class district, huh. I wonder which is more comfortable—that or our inn."

"… Who knows? I can't say for certain. However, personally, I'd be happier with three nights at this inn with all-you-can-eat meals."

Three nights beats permanent residency? So they're not even comparable.

Well, even if you get the right to live there, you'd still need to cover living expenses after that, logically speaking… Or is it that if you embezzle the support funds, you could live comfortably for a few years?

"So, what will you do, Village Chief?"

"What else can I do? I told Saintess-sama already… However, it's possible that Saintess-sama might just go into the dungeon and conquer it on her own…"

"Saintess-sama is a B-rank adventurer and a noble, so she shouldn't do anything too reckless…"

"… Can we avoid an international incident just with the village chief's permission?"

"Maybe it could be used as an excuse—'The other side said it was okay'? Or perhaps it's for her own peace of mind."

So she has her own rules, huh. I'm the same way, actually—I've decided it's fine to "accidentally" kill people in the dungeon if they touch my stuff, waste food, or disturb my sleep.

"In any case, I can't give permission."

"You're right. The dungeon's profits will continue indefinitely. Trading that for a one-time payment would be nothing but foolish."

The deputy village chief seems to understand that well. Truly a reliable deputy village chief.

He'd probably handle things well even if I wasn't around… What was his name again? Wozuma or something? Yeah, I should start calling him by his name properly.

"For now, Saintess-sama will be staying at the inn, so let's give her a proper welcome."

And so, Saintess-sama stayed in the suite, had the B-rank set meal, and enjoyed the bath.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

The next day. Saintess-sama came again. Unlike yesterday when she left, she had quite the smile.

"Thank you for the hospitality. Fufu, you seem to be quite skilled at navigating the world…"

She's completely misunderstanding. The inn is a business, so we'll provide service as long as you pay. Only as much as you pay.

She should have paid in advance, so how did she get this misunderstanding?

"My attendant also said they were able to relax very much."

"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."

She had an attendant? Well, even if she's a saintess, a woman traveling alone would be… Ah, wait, did the attendant pay? And since they weren't staying together, the attendant must be in a regular room instead of the suite? Also, is it okay for the attendant to skip this discussion?

"No, no, the inn is just a business. We simply provide service commensurate with the fee paid."

"To receive such a welcome in such a rural area, and at this time of year… Fufu, I understand. I'll add fifty gold coins on top of mediating for a second-class district in the Holy Kingdom."

That's just the cost of two nights in the suite (meals not included), isn't it? It feels like pocket change is increasing… no wait, in Japanese yen terms, that's about fifty million yen. That's quite a large sum…

But seriously, the suite rates are too expensive. I'm not going to lower them though, since I don't want to make Haku-san lose face.

"Then, will you give me the right to destroy the Dungeon Core?"

"No, I can't do that. If you absolutely must, please come back after getting the Emperor's permission."

"……"

The saintess is looking at me like "What is this guy even saying?" I want to say the same thing to her.

But with this, she should clearly understand that I can't give her permission. Please hurry up and either exterminate Rin, go back home, or get the Emperor's permission. Your reward from us is only five gold coins, so you're already deep in the red.

"… I understand. I'll go to the dungeon for now."

"Oh, you'll accept the request?"

"First, I'll enter the dungeon as an adventurer, and I'll think about it after that."

Saintess-sama stood up and went outside. Today she left smoothly without glancing back at me.

Ah, thank you too, deputy village chief. You can go now. But you know, you could have joined in the conversation?

When I returned to my room in the village chief's residence, Rokuko came over.

"That saintess who came again today… she looks like quite the nuisance."

"Were you watching, Rokuko?"

"Yes. Even I can tell she's quite troublesome!"

And then, Saintess-sama showed up at the guild and entered the dungeon alone.

… Huh, what about the attendant?

While I was tilting my head wondering about that, the saintess died on the first floor to a trap.

Huh?

I hurriedly opened the monitor to check, and she had been magnificently skewered by a trap that shoots swords out of a door.

… W-what? You got my hopes up this much and then die so easily?!

When I checked the DP, it hadn't increased as much as I expected.

Then, the saintess's body turned into particles of light and disappeared.

"… Huh? Rokuko, did you do something?"

"I didn't. What about you, Kehma?"

Of course I didn't.

At that moment, an existence suddenly appeared in the village area—one worth [225 DP per day].

Moreover, it was in a room at the inn. I hurried to open the monitor. Guest privacy? That's irrelevant.

Inside the room, there was the green-haired Saintess-sama lying on the bed, and a young man dressed in priest's robes.

"Alka-sama! Are you alright?!"

"… Mmm… Huh?! Cent. This is…"

"This is a room at the inn. I apologize for the low-cost room."

"No, it's fine. I let my guard down because it was a new dungeon's lower floors and got done in right away. I need some rest."

That was unmistakably the saintess herself. She seemed a bit weakened, but…

"What do you think… this means, Kehma?"

"What else could it mean? It's just what they said. 'Got done in' implies she can revive even after dying, right? And she actually did revive."

"What's that supposed to mean? This saintess is like Feni?"

That would be bad. If she can revive infinitely like Feni, she can do "death learning."

… An infinite reviver as a first-death killer, huh.

From a dungeon's perspective, she's either the worst enemy or the best prey. The same trap won't work on her twice, so we'll have to come up with new ideas each time… That's really troublesome.