Chapter 301: Does the Saintess Have Sex Too?
[At that moment, Spica Castle Lord’s Residence, Barony of Virgo.]
"Thank you for coming all this way. I’m sorry we couldn’t welcome you under better circumstances."
"Oh no, dungeons are kind of like natural disasters."
Even though it was hard to call it a proper welcome banquet—the spread was pretty modest—the Saintess smiled and graciously accepted the food.
Bread, salad, some meat, and a bit of cheese. It was a typical noble family dinner, and some of the priests accompanying the Saintess weren’t hiding their displeasure at the meager meal.
"It seems the dungeon’s appearance has caused quite a bit of damage."
"Knight Commander."
Eventually, the Knight Commander let out a grumble. The Saintess’s face flushed with embarrassment. The guests were openly criticizing their host, but the Baroness just smiled bitterly and bowed her head instead.
"I’m ashamed. If it wasn’t for Miss Meri, we wouldn’t have been able to get even the few supplies we have."
"Miss Meri?"
The Saintess sensed that the Baroness was about to introduce someone. But no matter how hard she tried to remember, there was no one named ’Meri’ in the baronial family.
"Sir Gray."
"Yes."
Gray Cancer, a knight the Saintess knew well, went outside as if he’d been waiting and brought back a woman. The Saintess was momentarily stunned by the pink-haired woman wearing an outfit she’d never seen before.
"Pleased to meet you. My name is Meri."
"Mm..."
The Knight Commander looked uncomfortable. She had no family name, so she seemed like a commoner, but no matter how you looked at her from top to bottom, she didn’t seem like a commoner at all. Even the clothes she wore looked more refined than the Baroness’s.
’This is like the roles are reversed.’
The Saintess glanced between the Baroness and Meri with her eyes, suspecting their relationship. The way the Baroness looked at Meri seemed unusual.
’Could it be?’
The Saintess’s imagination ran wild.
A remote territory. A noble struggling financially. A beautiful merchant who appears by her side like a miracle. The noble falls for the merchant who solved her territory’s economic crisis and becomes deeply involved with her.
But the beautiful merchant is a woman after the noble’s title. They sleep together but don’t share hearts, and the merchant uses what the noble has, while the noble can’t escape the woman’s charm even though she knows...
’I’m writing a whole play in my head.’
The Saintess shook off the random thoughts. The possibility of her fantasy coming true was zero. The Baroness was a woman, and Meri was also a woman.
Unless they were like her and the Knight Commander, they were probably just using each other appropriately. According to the information the priests brought, Meri had basically saved the territory’s people.
"I heard about it. You made something called stockings and distributed them to the people?"
"A merchant simply sold goods for profit."
"I see. Are you wearing them now...?"
"Yes."
Meri lightly grabbed both ends of her dress and bowed her head. The Saintess felt oddly uncomfortable with the effortlessly elegant movement. It was too perfect an etiquette of a ’noble family.’
’She must have a reason for hiding her family name.’
Whether she was from another family in the kingdom or a lady from another country playing merchant. The Saintess decided not to dig too deeply. The woman was too attractive and unusual—she’d find out soon enough if she investigated anyway.
’Is there a lady of that age with such a generous spirit?’
"Mm."
The woman’s chest was huge enough to make even the Knight Commander sitting beside her openly uncomfortable. The large and beautiful breasts had such a presence that even the black dress couldn’t hide them. The cleavage area was lighter than the rest, making the inside slightly visible.
"Ahem."
Only after the Knight Commander cleared her throat did the male priests look away and pretend to eat their food. That’s how much Meri, dressed to the nines, couldn’t help but draw attention.
"I heard you made substantial profits here. If it’s not rude to ask, what do you plan to do with them?"
"It’s all thanks to the Goddess’s grace. If the Baroness permits, I’m thinking of building a chapel outside the castle too. A place of worship where anyone can come and pray to the Goddess."
"That’s the right attitude. The Goddess will look favorably upon you."
The Saintess took a short sip of water.
"I have one question—why did you collect magic stones as payment for the goods?"
"Saintess?"
The Baroness looked back and forth between the Saintess and Meri with the face of someone sitting on a bed of nails. The dining atmosphere quickly became heavy with the Saintess’s interrogation-like tone.
"Our company wants to purchase magic stones professionally. We gather magic stones to make magical tools, contribute to humanity, and pray for victory in the war against the Demon King’s army. For us, the more peaceful the world is, the better business gets. I didn’t tell the Baroness since it’s a trade secret, but this works out well."
Meri gestured to Gray, asking for something. Gray went out to the hallway and brought something back.
"This is ninety percent of the payment we received from selling stockings in the barony."
"Wh-what is this?"
"What are you trying to do?"
The Baroness drooled over the money pouch jingling with silver coins, and the Saintess’s expression hardened at Meri’s attitude of pulling out money right in front of her.
"I’m making one request—no, two requests."
"Let’s hear it first. What you’re trying to buy with money."
"As you know, Saintess, a dungeon appeared in this territory. Count Pisces even sent mercenaries, but they were unfortunately defeated."
"House Pisces did?"
"Yes. Priest Francis was kidnapped by orcs."
"Oh my."
The priests made the sign of the cross and prayed for Priest Francis—Guinevere.
"What I want to buy is your time, Saintess. Please eliminate the dungeon."
"I see."
The Saintess maintained her expression while inwardly admiring her. It was a masterstroke to eliminate the threat of the dungeon while making a good impression on both the Baroness and herself.
"I’m sorry, but I can’t accept that. I don’t have the time."
"Was I being rude? Please forgive me."
"No. It’s fine. I really don’t have the time. I’ll gladly accept the ’donation,’ but I can’t spare the time. Since the Baroness is here too, I’ll tell you."
The Saintess cleared her throat and gathered everyone’s attention.
"Before entering Spica Castle, I received an oracle from the Goddess telling me to come to the Holy See quickly."
"Ah!"
"Oh dear."
For someone who follows the Goddess’s will, the Goddess’s command had fallen. What better justification could there be for the Saintess?
"So I’m sorry, but I need to finish my schedule as quickly as possible. The Holy Knights accompanying me will remain here and help as much as they can with the dungeon problem."
"The Holy Knights will...? Then how will you, Saintess...?"
"I’ll be escorted by this person."
The Saintess pointed to the heavily armored giant standing behind her. The Baroness was momentarily frightened by his intimidating physique.
"I-I see..."
"So I can’t spare the time. However..."
"Then may I use your name, Saintess?"
Meri cut off the Saintess and smiled softly. Her hand lightly pulled the stack of money toward herself.
"The more heroes to conquer the dungeon, the better. If you’ll lend me your name, Saintess, I’d like to use this as ’compensation’ to invite adventurers and mercenaries."
"Good. If it’s something like that, by all means. Knight Commander, is there an Adventurer’s Guild nearby?"
"There’s one in the Marquisate of Leo."
"I’ll lend you my seal. Please work with the Baroness to hire adventurers."
The situation was quickly resolved. Meri and the Saintess looked at each other and smiled for a long while.
"It seems Miss Meri is thinking the same thing as me?"
"Oh my, you’re right. Hehe."
The Saintess couldn’t shake the thought that Meri was quite fox-like. Once the two relaxed their eyes, the banquet hall’s atmosphere naturally became lively again.
"By the way, what kind of magical tools does your company make?"
"To be precise, we make equipment that can mass-produce with magical tools, and we use various materials to create things that help in daily life. Stockings are one of those things."
"Oh. That’s impressive. What exactly are these stockings—"
"Shall I show you?"
Meri smiled provocatively. The Baroness’s expression hardened, and the Saintess smiled just like Meri and nodded.
"Would you show us?"
The Saintess already knew what stockings were. Yet pretending not to know, she struck back to embarrass Meri who had challenged her.
’As if she’d actually show—’
Swoosh.
Meri grabbed her dress on both sides. The Saintess was the one caught off guard instead.
’Indecency! Shame! Men!’
An attractive woman lifting her dress while wearing stockings? She could already hear the sound of swallowing beside her. Even the Knight Commander, who was also a woman.
"Me—"
"Saintess."
The Knight Commander grabbed the Saintess’s hand under the table and gave her a look.
"This is a good opportunity."
The Knight Commander’s eyes held many intentions.
An opportunity to embarrass and make apologize this arrogant merchant lady from who-knows-which noble family. And if she actually went through with it, an opportunity to confirm Meri’s backbone. And an opportunity to satisfy the secret desires of the Knight Commander and priests.
"..."
Blood is thicker than water. The Saintess prayed inwardly to the Goddess on behalf of the church for the priests’ temptation.
[King stockings! God-king stockings! Damn! She knows what’s up. Hey kid, you should try wearing those too. If you want to beat an orc in bed, you need to wear at least that much—]
"..."
The Saintess seriously considered praying to the Demon King instead. And while she, the person who should stop Meri, was hesitating, Meri’s dress had already risen to her knees.
"Oops."
This was too much. It wasn’t respectful to Meri. This was practically sexual harassment, and the Saintess snapped back to her senses.
"That’s enough—"
"Let me greet you first. Have a comfortable night."
Meri bowed in greeting. Her dress lowered back to her feet, and the Knight Commander let out a genuinely disappointed sigh.
"Ahem, please be safe. I’ll see you again."
"Yes. Hehe. Baroness, tonight...?"
"Go ahead first. I’ll come even if it’s late."
Meri winked at the Baroness from an angle the priests couldn’t see, and the Baroness blushed and shrank.
"...?"
"Mm?"
The Saintess and Knight Commander looked at each other at the same time. They had a suspicion, but that would be disrespectful to the other party.
"Ahem. Saintess. And everyone from the knight order. I’ve also prepared a small gift for you. It’s basically the same as Miss Meri’s gift..."
At the Baroness’s instruction, Gray, who had been putting away the money, rushed out and returned with a box.
"You can take stockings after the meal."
"..."
Everyone took stockings.
***
"What were you thinking pulling that stunt there? The other party is the Saintess."
"Saintess? What’s that, a woman who reveals her castle?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I thought that’s what Dad would say."
"You’re probably right, but still, you went too far this time."
Gray and Meri came down to Avalon’s secret room where no one could see them and talked about meeting the Saintess.
"The Saintess is our enemy. Right?"
"Of course she’s the biggest obstacle."
The Saintess was an important figure in the Goddess Church, which could be considered the core of the human alliance, humanity’s greatest enemy to demons.
"I was annoyed just smiling in front of her."
"Yeah, so what are you going to do now? The Holy Knight Commander may not look it, but she’s almost as strong as a Margrave."
"That woman next to the Saintess?"
"Yeah. She’s strong, that’s why she’s the Knight Commander."
"That’s not always the case though."
Meri thought of someone for a moment but kept her mouth shut for that person’s honor.
"Tsk, what would happen if we assassinated the Saintess?"
"Forget it. Didn’t you see that tank behind her? He’s stuck right next to the Saintess protecting her with no openings. The moment I tested for an opening, he glared at me... man. He was as scary as that person."
"Not ’as much as’ Dad but ’more than’ Dad, right?"
"Yeah. To be honest. Keep it secret from the Legion Commander."
"Got it, got it. But Gray, about the Saintess..."
Meri tapped the bed the Baroness visited every day and grinned wickedly.
"Does the Saintess have sex too?"
"Don’t tell me you’re planning to?"
"If assassination doesn’t work, we’ll go for brain-washing."
Meri licked her lips with her tongue.