LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 57
Thud thud! The stage back had a gigantic carriage parked just there.
Even though this improvised stage wasn’t that big, the carriage was boasting a scale that rivaled it… It looked like it could be at least six times the size of a normal carriage.
“Phew! Isn’t this just a hassle for someone trying to pass by?”
That thought hit me as soon as I glanced at it.
“One might think it was made large enough to serve as a break room. Or to announce to everyone that the Saintess has arrived with such grandeur.”
Whatever the case, it was certain that Lilith was inside.
So I approached the carriage and knocked on the firmly closed door, only for it to swing open to reveal the clergyman I had seen moments before.
“Who are you?”
From afar, he looked simply old, but up close, despite his age, he had a strong presence and appeared quite spirited.
“I’m sorry, but the Saintess requires peace right now…”
“Long time no see, Grandfather Cordas! Is being a clergyman more to your liking than being a butler?”
“…Princess Hwangnyeo?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
But hang on… it sounded like they knew each other very well.
From Seria’s words and her casual attitude, it seemed they shared quite a close bond… Was there ever a clergyman that switched from being a royal butler?
Judging by what I didn’t know, it seemed like it wasn’t in the game. Then again, if they had simulated all such minor relationships, the capacity would have gone haywire.
“You came all this way, and you’re still doing this? Taking care of someone must be your calling?”
“It seems so.”
“Then why give up being a butler all of a sudden? Do you have any idea how chaotic it was when they were trying to appoint my new butler back then?”
Ha ha ha! Grandfather Cordas chuckled while saying that.
Then he casually shifted his gaze to me.
“And this person next to you is…?”
“He’s my Academy friend.”
“I’m Rudion.”
Ha ha ha, “You don’t have to bow to an old man like me.”
When I reflexively bowed, he said that.
Though I appreciate the sentiment, there’s no way I could ignore the age difference.
With my Confucian-influenced Korean sensibilities, disregarding such a gentle old man would feel like a sin.
Anyway, after the brief greetings, Seria casually brought up the main topic.
“I have something to discuss with Lilith. Could you step out for a moment?”
“Of course. If they’re friends of the Saintess, even the Lord would welcome you.”
“Just know that if you keep flaunting your clergyman status, I’ll drag you back forcefully.”
“Oh my, I hope you can forgive me for that.”
The negotiations were quick. After all, it wouldn’t make sense to resist a friend wanting to meet another friend.
As Grandfather Cordas dashed out over Seria’s playful threat, we stepped inside the carriage.
“It looks even bigger from the inside than from the outside.”
Once we climbed aboard, it was clear that this spacious carriage had transcended its role as mere transportation.
If the royal carriage I recently rode could be called a supercar, then this place felt more like a camper van.
It was like they had just placed a room from a building inside it; it was livable, truly lavish!
But no matter how fancy, I couldn’t avoid bumping into Lilith the moment I entered.
Upon seeing us, Lilith jumped up as if she had just spotted a thief.
“You… who are you?! How did you get in? Where’s Grand Cardinal Cordas?”
The clergyman who had gone out at the knock was certainly caught off guard by our sudden entrance.
But… Cardinal?
“Seria. Was that guy really a Cardinal?”
“Now that you mention it, I think I heard he got appointed recently.”
“How long has it been since he gave up being a butler?”
“About four years?”
Goodness. So, he grabbed the Cardinal title in at least four years?
So, he’s one of those who worked in the royal palace, huh…
I had no clue why such a person had never appeared in the original story.
“What are you all doing barging in and chatting calmly like this?!”
Well, fine. As Lilith said, it wasn’t polite for us to chat like this in such a situation.
I settled into a plush-looking sofa inside the carriage, and Seria joined me.
“Why are you sitting down without permission? Get out, right now!”
She sounded like she wanted to kick us out.
But unfortunately for her, we had no intention of leaving just yet.
“Wow, Saintess Lilith, you’ve been making quite the waves lately.”
“Yeah! People seem to be reacting very positively; after all, you’re the Saintess!”
“… Can you not talk about that?”
“Seria, what do you think of the outfit Lilith is wearing?”
“I’ve never seen someone pull off that nun’s habit so well! Though she’s back to her usual self now.”
“Uh oh…?”
I kind of wanted to tease her more, but it seemed Lilith was genuinely trying to fire back, so I chose to hold off.
After a brief moment of calming down, Lilith flopped down onto a sofa opposite us, sighed deeply, and began speaking.
“Honestly, what are you two doing wandering around here? Are you on a date or something?”
“Well, at first glance, one might think so.”
“Are you kidding? Anyone can tell it’s a date!”
“Right, it looks like a da– wait a moment. Isn’t Seria getting shy?”
The main goal was to tease Seria, and it seemed I steered the conversation that way, but surprisingly, she didn’t react defensively anymore.
Instead, she boldly confronted it, throwing Lilith into a bit of confusion.
“… So, you said you went to the royal palace. Hey, Rudion. Just be honest with me. What exactly did you do there?”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“There must’ve been a reason for Seria to react like that. Tell me what happened right now!”
“I swear, it was nothing major.”
Sure, I sparred a bit with the knights, broke a magic stone that was a royal treasure, and dealt with some demons that popped out on the way, not to mention stopping an apocalypse… But I couldn’t very well brag about that, could I?
So, excluding all that, it was fair to say there was nothing special at all.
But Lilith, unwilling to trust me, started digging deeper, and that’s when Seria dropped a bomb.
“That’s right. Nothing happened. Besides my parents accepting Rudion, it was literally no big deal. Right?”
She said it casually while smiling at me.
With what looked like a normal tone, I figured it out immediately: she was deliberately teasing Lilith.
Well… It’d definitely make the Emperor clutch his neck and faint if he heard that, but it wasn’t technically a lie.
So I nodded towards Lilith, who was looking at me with disbelief, confirming that it was true.
Lilith couldn’t hide her astonishment.
“That’s impossible. Really?”
“Really.”
“No way! For real?”
“For real, for real.”
If you weren’t going to believe me, then why keep asking if it was real?
It felt like we could get trapped in an infinite loop if it continued, so I quickly changed the subject before we piled on more “really”s.
“But did you have lunch yet?”
“What’s with the casual change of topic? I haven’t eaten yet.”
“What are you going to do about that?”
“Usually, Cardinal Cordas would bring food from around here…”
Lilith murmured as she began scanning outside the carriage.
Noticing this, Seira opened the carriage door with magic and called out.
“Grandfather Cordas!”
“What is it?”
Even though she didn’t shout, he responded instantly, which definitely had that butler vibe about it. Though he’s technically a Cardinal now…
Seria didn’t bother with small talk and got straight to the point.
“We’re going to have lunch with Lilith.”
“Do as you like.”
Just like that, Lilith’s next schedule was set in stone. Lunch with us.
“Shall we go right away?”
“Let’s.”
“Wait a moment! I’m in these clothes; where are we going? I’m going to change, so wait outside.”
“Why? You look great like that.”
“Yeah! I think you should just go as-is.”
“I’m serious, let me out! Hurry!”
In the end, we had no choice but to wait outside for Lilith to finish changing.
A little while later, as we were walking down the street dressed in her casual wear, Seria suddenly poked Lilith’s arm with her finger.
“Hold on a second, Lilith. I think someone is following us.”
It seemed someone was stalking us after all.
However, hearing that, Lilith didn’t seem surprised, responding calmly.
“That’s how it is. They think I’m the real Saintess.”
It looked like this was a regular occurrence for her.
But… you are literally the Saintess!
Seeming to feel the same, Seria voiced her confusion.
“Are you really the Saintess?”
“…I guess I am.”
She really should have been aware of her own status as a Saintess.
Regardless, what mattered now was that someone was following us.
It could potentially become a dangerous situation. Not for us, but for the stalker.
While Lilith said they usually followed her around, the circumstances were different now. With a princess beside her, it could lead to severe consequences for those who got too close.
It wouldn’t sit well for a saintess and a princess to engage in a brawl with a common citizen.
So, I decided it would be best for me to step in.
If I left it be, it might disrupt our lunch. Plus, handling a mere civilian would be within my fixed stats.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that thought was mistaken.