I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 18

EP.18 The Saintess Knocks on the General Store’s Door (1)

Fran, who had ended her conversation with Sister Miyu in a sullen mood, prepared to go out for preaching as usual.

Even when she was attending the academy, she never stopped her preaching activities, and now that it was vacation, she couldn’t afford to be lazy.

Bringing in many people through preaching earned her praise and pocket money.

Although she couldn’t buy holy relics with that pocket money, it was still useful for her preaching activities, so there was no harm in accepting it.

“Excuse me. You have a very nice aura~”

“Ugh… Ahem, what is it?”

The man, who answered gruffly when she called out to him, stopped in his tracks as he scanned Fran’s appearance.

“You have a much clearer aura than others, so I couldn’t help but talk to you.”

“A clear aura, huh? Do you want some of it?”

“Uh… No, I wanted to tell you how to use that natural aura.”

“How to use a natural clear aura? I already know.”

“You know..?”

Is he from the same church?

Fran scrutinized the man’s face in bewilderment.

She thought it was a face she had never seen before… and in that moment, the man’s hand grabbed her forearm.

“Haha, then. You seem curious, should I tell you? For a lady like you, anytime is fine.”

Fran realized belatedly what this man was implying.

Where had her mind been lately?

She couldn’t even quickly recognize such situations…!

“Let go. I wanted to share some good words, not engage in anything else.”

“After getting someone all worked up, you say you’re not that kind of person?”

“When did I do that? Stop saying strange things!”

Fran struggled to free her hand from the man’s grip.

But the man’s grip tightened around her forearm, refusing to let go.

Fran belatedly realized that this man was not a commoner but a noble.

“Eek!”

“Hey, if you start a conversation, you should take responsibility.”

“Let go of me!! Help! He’s trying to drag me away!!”

“What’s with the ‘help’ from a cultist. Mind your own business. I’m going to teach this cultist a lesson.”

The people around who were watching the situation ignored Fran’s desperate cries for help.

It would have been stranger if a woman with a noticeable appearance like Fran, who frequently roamed around the square spreading her church’s teachings, wasn’t well-known.

Most people knew she was from a church, and they felt disgusted by her actions.

Therefore, no one stepped forward to help Fran when they heard the man’s words.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, I knew it would come to this someday.”

“They always preach like that. I thought she was different, but it looks like they’re going to start using her too.”

“After that guy, it’s my turn. I’ve been waiting for her to start.”

Instead of helping, people just watched her being dragged away, making incomprehensible comments.

Realizing that no one was going to help her, Fran desperately cried out, trying to stop the ruthless nobleman.

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***

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– Knock, knock, knock. –

“Is anybody there…”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, it’s opening. Hello…”

“?”

It’s Fran.

But her expression looked quite downcast.

She looked as if she had been through a lot.

It was surprising to see her come to my general store in such a worn-out state.

I wasn’t busy, so her visit wasn’t unwelcome.

“Have you been drinking?”

She’s a minor, is this okay?

“I haven’t. I’m not old enough to drink yet.”

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Fran whined about being wronged.

‘Were we close?’

Do we have some shared memories that I’m unaware of?

Why is she acting so familiar?

I was about to ask her what she wanted, but seeing her in such a bad state, I just kept quiet.

I wanted to ask what she wanted to talk about, but I held back.

‘But I’ll give her some sympathy.’

I decided not to make a big deal about her visiting my store as if she were a drunk causing trouble at a convenience store.

Instead, I offered her a drink.

“So why are you looking so down?”

“I went out to preach today. I always do it whenever I have time. Today, I was especially determined and even did a little cheer for myself.”

When I showed a bit of empathy by asking about her story, Fran began to overshare.

“My goal today was to bring at least one good person to the church. The start wasn’t bad. There were many people with good energy, you know. Since I’ve been going to the square regularly, I’ve started to recognize some faces. It wasn’t easy finding someone new with good energy.”

“Wasn’t that just you approaching random people and telling them they have good energy?”

“No! You have no idea how picky I am!”

It seems she really has her own criteria for selecting preaching targets.

“I see.”

“Yes! Anyway, listen to me. There were so many people with good energy today, I was wondering who to approach first, and then I went to the person with the strongest energy. I said, ‘You have a very nice aura~’ and I started talking to them with a big smile.”

Typical cultist line.

She was completely unaware that there might be anything wrong with that line.

“I told them they had good energy and I wanted to share how they could use that energy. Maybe to become healthier or to bring good fortune. There are so many ways to use it.”

Normally, it’s hard to believe what a cultist says, but since it’s Fran, it’s even harder not to believe her.

Especially because she genuinely believes she can do it.

“You can really do that?”

“Of course! Actually, you have good energy too. Are you interested?”

“I’m not interested in your church, but I am interested in you.”

“Eek!”

She glares at me fiercely.

Her reaction to my words is much more intense than usual.

I had guessed something was up when she came into the store looking out of sorts, but it seems the situation was quite serious.

“…So, you won’t talk to me unless it’s about my body?”

Earlier she was forcing herself to seem okay, but now it seems even pretending to be okay is too much for her.

“If you’re a customer, then we could talk.”

“!!”

Fran’s eyes sparkle at my words and she quickly grabs something at random.

“I’ll buy this!”

“So, you’re a customer then.”

“Yes!”

“Then keep talking. As a customer, I should listen.”

“Hehe. You see, I’ve always wondered why people with good energy don’t use it. Good energy is the blessing left by our ancestors for their descendants. That’s why when we hold rituals for our ancestors, our good energy increases even more! And do you think the ancestors would just send energy without any blessings? No, they send it because they’re proud and they bless us too.”

– Chatter, chatter –

I still have no idea what she really wants to talk about by coming here.

But it seems like she finds some comfort in talking to me.

‘Doesn’t she have any friends?’

How am I supposed to know about her social relationships?

But thinking about it, how many friends can a church’s saintess have?

‘She’ll definitely try to convert someone if they get too close. She thinks it’s a good thing.’

Is it so obvious that she doesn’t have friends?

I was curious why she was like this, but now the reason seems too clear to question.

She must feel so suffocated inside that she needs someone to talk to, and there’s no one else but me.

‘Are they complete bastards?’

If they’re going to make her a saintess of the church, shouldn’t they at least make sure she doesn’t feel this lonely?

My murderous intent towards the cultist that took her in and left her so lonely that she has to come to a general store owner to chat was rising.

“Today, I think I made a mistake. No matter how good the energy was, I shouldn’t have approached a noble. The sisters always say not to talk to nobles when preaching. I got carried away and made a mistake.”

She keeps repeating that she made a mistake.

It was almost like she was gaslighting herself.

“So, what happened with that noble? You seem fine coming here, so I guess you weren’t taken away.”

“Yes. Fortunately, I wasn’t taken away. When I said I was a student at the academy, he let me go.”

She used the academy as a shield.

Indeed, there’s no better shield against nobles than that.

Students attending the academy are treasures of humanity that must be thoroughly protected.

Even someone actively serving in the military can’t touch an academy student.

Of course, if the student initiates the use of force, it’s a different story, but if a noble gets into a dispute with a student, the noble is at a loss.

She should be speechless since she also received thorough protection while at the academy.

“It was dangerous. If you weren’t an academy student, you would have been dragged away without a chance. Maybe you should take care of yourself for a while?”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t preach?”

“Even after such a dangerous incident, you want to preach again? What would have happened if you had been taken away? Are you pretending to be naive, or are you just wilfully ignoring it because you don’t want to know?”

“…..”

Fran clamped her mouth shut.

I realized too late that I had spoken too harshly, even though I was supposed to be sympathetic.

Honestly, it’s so frustrating to watch that I can’t help but give advice.

From being taken advantage of by the church to finding a place where I don’t need to intervene is going to be tough.

She has low self-esteem, is naive, and sometimes causes trouble.

But what can I do?

For the sake of the world, the cultist must be rehabilitated.

“I can’t stop preaching. And it might seem silly to you, but I take pride in this work.”

She takes pride in her cultist work?

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Her voice was full of sincerity.

My head was spinning.

I was at a loss on how to pull her out of her deep church involvement.

“At this point, your church seems pretty impressive. It’s a skill to be able to enchant people to this extent.”

“Are you interested in our church?! Shall I introduce you? Would you like to visit us casually?!”

She never misses an opportunity to preach.

I could have been converted and dragged away if I wasn’t careful.

I clicked my tongue to indicate that I was talking nonsense.

“Tsk! Stop talking nonsense and pay up.”

“Huh? Pay? Why?”

“You said you were going to buy that.”

“Oh!”

The clueless cultist saint seemed so hopeless that I couldn’t help but sigh.