Chapter 249: Legend of the Resurrected Saintess

That day, a massive crowd had gathered on the main street of the Holy Capital.

Their purpose was to catch a glimpse of the rumored Saintess.

“Oh! Here she comes!!”

At someone’s shout, a large carriage appeared from the entrance of the Holy Capital.

The carriage had neither walls nor a roof; instead, a luxurious, sofa-like chair was set up inside.

There sat the figure of a single young woman.

Yes, it was Tracy-san.

This parade was not only to celebrate the temple that had won the pilgrimage but also to widely proclaim the existence of the Saintess who had resurrected the Divine Artifact.

“…”

Tracy-san was waving to everyone with a mysterious expression that looked like a smile, yet not quite a smile.

“So that’s the Saintess. What a mysterious, mystical smile.”

“Oh, bless us, bless us.”

The people of the Holy Capital were moved to tears by Tracy-san’s figure, pressing their hands together in prayer.

“Word has it the Saintess awakened a Divine Artifact that no one had been able to handle for ages.”

“I know. The priests at our temple haven’t stopped talking about it for days.”

The Divine Artifact they were talking about was probably the management device Tracy-san held up in the holy land.

We were there, so we know all about it.

After the pilgrimage ended, Tracy-san, who made the Divine Artifact shine, was officially recognized as a Saintess by the priests of the holy land.

After all, she activated a Divine Artifact the moment she touched it—one that hadn’t booted up in years—so from their perspective, she couldn’t be anything but a Saintess.

Well, the truth is that the Divine Artifact is just a management magic item I made in my past life, and it only lit up and rebooted because I secretly poured my magic power into it.

However, I didn’t point that out.

That’s because having Tracy-san recognized as a Saintess is incredibly useful for the request we took on this time.

Foka-san had been worried that the decline of the Temple of the Chief God would cause a massive shift in the power balance between the temples, potentially leading to war.

That’s why she hired us: she wanted the Temple of the Chief God to win the pilgrimage, an event capable of shaking the power dynamics among the temples.

Considering that, having Tracy-san acknowledged as the Saintess who awakened the Divine Artifact was extremely convenient for restoring the authority of the Temple of the Chief God.

I was worried they might get dragged into trouble after we left due to their declining faith, but with an easy-to-understand symbol like a “God-chosen Saintess,” anyone thinking of causing mischief will find it much harder to do so, even if they don’t disappear completely.

All that’s left is for the number of believers at the Temple of the Chief God to increase so they can defend themselves. Until then, the magic items I gave Tracy-san will just have to do their best to keep her safe.

“Even so, to think a priest from the declining Temple of the Chief God would be the Saintess.”

“Just goes to show the true worth of the Temple of the Chief God.”

Yeah, Divine Artifact nonsense aside, I truly believe Tracy-san’s core—choosing to embark on the perilous pilgrimage for the sake of her temple—makes her worthy of being called a Saintess.

It was the same in my past life and the one before that: those truly hailed as Saintesses for the sake of a battle were never simply those who wielded raw power.

“I’m a believer of the God of Commerce, but maybe I’ll go pay my respects at the Temple of the Chief God?”

“Ah, me too.”

Listening to such conversations, we turned our backs on Tracy-san, who was being warmly welcomed by everyone, and left the scene.

“Do your best, Tracy-san.”

After watching Tracy-san’s celebratory parade, we arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.

Guided by a staff member into the private room we had used previously, we found Foka-san already waiting for us.

“I’ve been waiting, Rakushi-san… no, Lexus-san.”

“With this, it’s safe to say the request has been completed, right?”

When I asked for confirmation, Foka-san nodded in satisfaction.

“Yes, it went exactly as planned. No, the results exceeded expectations.”

By “exceeded expectations,” she means Tracy-san.

“To think a true Saintess would be born—not just a mere title to flaunt the temple’s authority like me.”

“…That’s true.”

Yeah, well, there’s no need to tell her the truth.

Besides, if they find out the management device only lit up because I poured magic power into it, they will undoubtedly interrogate me on how I knew to do such a thing.

So, let’s just keep our mouths shut about this.

More importantly…

“Then, could we please have the detoxification potion to turn back to normal now?”

“Nn, nn.”

“Kyu!”

Exactly. In a way, this is even more important than the monetary reward.

“Eeeh? You’re turning back already?”

Foka-san said that with a disappointed look on her face.

Wait, why are Liliera-san and the others joining in!?

“It wouldn’t hurt to stay like that a little longer, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“We are turning back!”

“Kyuu!!”

“Haa, I suppose it can’t be helped.”

Letting out a voice that sounded incredibly reluctant, Foka-san pulled three small vials from her pocket.

“This is the detoxification potion to return to normal.”

Taking the potions from Foka-san, we chugged them in one go, while Fluffy eagerly licked the remaining liquid in its bottle.

After a short moment, the same intense heat we experienced before surged through our bodies.

“Ugh, uuugh!!”

“Kyuuh!”

And as all the heat faded away, the extra weight on our chests vanished, replaced by the return of a different, familiar sensation down below.

“…”

We silently moved to the corner of the room to check.

“It’s there!!”

“Kyuu!!”

Unable to help ourselves, we looked at each other’s faces and shouted.

“We’re baaaaaack!!”

Overwhelmed with emotion, we hugged each other tightly.

“Finally back to normal!”

“That felt like an eternity!”

“Now we don’t have to deal with those awkward feelings anymore!!”

“Kyuffuu!”

We rejoiced from the bottom of our hearts at returning to our original bodies.

“…Boys dressed as girls hugging each other… What an indescribable sight.”

“My goodness…”

“So this is a thing, too.”

“Quite fascinating.”

While we were celebrating, those voices drifted over from behind us, forcing us to violently regain our composure whether we wanted to or not.

“…Bro, give me some clothes.”

“Me too, please.”

“Y-Yeah.”

Quietly pulling our clothes out of the magic bag, we started changing in the shadows.

“You could have just stayed like that.”

“Hey, don’t look, Meguri-san!!”

Yeah, let’s finish changing while Norb-san is being victimized.

Managing to finish changing before Meguri-san came over, we properly returned to the topic of our reward.

I absolutely do not want this subject dragged out any longer!

“Here are the 1,000 gold coins for your reward, along with the necessary expenses for this time.”

Saying that, what she placed on the table was clearly far more gold coins than the original reward.

Double… no, isn’t this easily triple the amount?

“Umm, isn’t this way too much?”

When I tried to confirm, Foka-san shook her head.

“Considering the travel expenses to the Holy Capital and the costs incurred by your actions while fulfilling the request, this amount is entirely reasonable. After all, you practically remodeled the Temple of the Chief God.”

“Ah, true. When you think about it as remodeling a temple, that would cost a ridiculous amount of money.”

“Nn. Large buildings cost a fortune even just to remodel. My mother used to hold her head in her hands groaning about additional budgets and security fees.”

Liliera-san and Meguri-san nodded at Foka-san’s words.

Or rather, does Meguri-san’s mother work in accounting or something?

“And also, well, because you guys forged ahead in the trial, we were able to use that as a reference and somehow make it to the end ourselves. Thanks to that, I managed to save face both as a believer of the Earth Mother Goddess and within my own temple.”

Hmm, honestly, I find it hard to believe an S-rank adventurer like Foka-san would struggle with that trial… Ah, I get it. This is just an excuse.

It’s probably an additional bonus for our hard work regarding Tracy-san.

That being said, getting paid just for showing them how to clear a beginner’s training facility feels a bit forceful.

Then again, maybe that’s just Foka-san’s kindness.

“By all rights, I should pay you even more, but this is the limit of what I can freely move without raising suspicions from those around me. In exchange, if you ever run into any trouble with the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess in the future, I promise to lend a hand to the full extent of my authority.”

“Understood. We will gratefully accept the reward.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Alright, with the reward received, the request is fully complete.

It was tough in a lot of ways, but looking back, getting to sightsee around the Holy Capital and the holy land makes it a good experience overall.

“By the way, Lexus-kun. Since you came all the way to the Holy Capital, why don’t you undergo a formal baptism—”

“Well then, we’ll be taking our leave!”

Sensing the distinct approach of something troublesome, I immediately stood up and walked out of the room.

“Eh? Ah, wait a second, Lexus-san!”

“Wait up, Bro!”

Everyone else hurriedly stood up and chased after me.

“I’m telling you, wait, hey!? I wasn’t finished talking!”

I could hear Foka-san’s voice from behind, but a formal baptism right at the timing of a new Saintess being born in the Holy Capital smells like nothing but massive trouble.

I just want to live a quiet, peaceful life, so no more bothersome situations for me!

◆Foka ◆

“Haaa, he got away from me again.”

Since he came all the way to the Holy Capital, I tried to invite him for a formal baptism, but Lexus-kun vanished in the blink of an eye.

“And I genuinely think that child is the most fitting to be a Saintess, too.”

I feel disappointed, but I can’t stay depressed forever.

After all, my workload at the temple is undoubtedly going to increase moving forward.

Because, for better or worse, I am a Saintess of the Temple of the Earth Mother Goddess.

Even if that title was merely a brand given to me to bolster the temple’s prestige through my exploits as an adventurer, being called a Saintess guarantees I’ll have to interact with the Saintess of the Temple of the Chief God.

Which means an increase in tedious jobs designed solely to maintain the temple’s face.

“I really wished those kids could have worked with me as Saintesses, too.”

Harboring those lingering regrets, I returned to the room assigned to me within the temple.

Having finished the pilgrimage, I’ve been granted permission to take a good rest for a while, so I plan to spend the next few days relaxing.

“You’re late, little Foka.”

And yet, for some reason, an unexpected visitor was in my room.

However, it wasn’t an intruder. Rather, the exact opposite. Well, she’s an intruder in a different sense of the word.

The person sitting there was someone I knew very well: the Temple Head of the Earth Mother Goddess.

“Temple Head!? Why are you here!?”

More importantly, this is my room!?

Why are you elegantly sipping tea!?

You even brought clearly expensive tea snacks!

“Well, don’t just stand there, sit down.”

“Y-Yes…”

No, this is my room, though!? Why is the Temple Head acting like this is her own room!?

What an insolent thought—not that I’d ever dare say it out loud!!

“Here, drink some tea and calm down.”

“Th-Thank you very much.”

I accepted the tea the Temple Head personally poured for me and timidly brought it to my lips.

“What are you so scared of? It’s not like it’s poisoned! Well, since you could just detoxify yourself anyway, maybe it would have been fun to slip some in, though.”

Please stop. This person is genuinely capable of doing just that.

Ignorant believers or novice priests might envy this scene, but knowing this woman’s true nature, I could only feel sheer anxiety over what she might be scheming.

And what’s worse, the tea is actually delicious, which just adds to the frustration.

“So, what business do you have with me? I already submitted my report.”

After all, a new Saintess has appeared. I was interrogated over and over by the higher-ups asking the exact same questions, and eventually forced to submit a written report. I have nothing left to say at this point.

“Oh, nothing much. Just thought I’d show some appreciation to a subordinate who worked hard.”

Liar.

“Liar.”

“Your true thoughts are leaking out, little girl.”

“Surely you misheard me, Temple Head.”

No, no, that was a slip of the tongue.

“Honestly, you’re the only one who can boldly claim I ‘misheard’ something. I’d really like it if you stopped wandering around outside and just took over my position already.”

“You must be joking. Filling the Temple Head’s shoes is far too heavy a burden for me.”

No, really, spare me. Whoever becomes this person’s successor is absolutely going to have every single troublesome issue she’s been putting off dumped right onto their lap.

She’s exactly that kind of person.

And it’s precisely because she’s that kind of person that she’s been able to hold the position of Temple Head—the highest authority over the believers—for decades.

“Well, I’m not saying right this second. Just please do it before I drop dead or before you turn into a hag.”

Eh? Does this person plan on living until I’m a grandma?

Could she actually not be human?

“Now then, shall we get to the main topic?”

Here it comes! She always jumps straight into the main issue without warning.

“Lately, every nation is getting dragged into highly unusual circumstances. And not just neighboring countries, but even distant, foreign lands.”

The Temple Head listed off the names of nations not just around the Holy Capital, but faraway countries, and even those across the sea.

“In the midst of such a situation, a Divine Artifact activates, and a Saintess descends. Everyone is on edge, worried that something is about to happen.”

True, I understand what the Temple Head is trying to say.

I haven’t forgotten that adventure in the underground facility requested by the Adventurer’s Guild, either.

“But what caught my attention the most is the rumor that the holy land’s trial suddenly spiked to a brutally atrocious difficulty right at the same time the Saintess descended.”

“Ah. That…”

That was truly brutal. Honestly, if we hadn’t watched Lexus-kun and his group conquer it, we would have been eliminated just like the other temples.

“After discussing it with the Temple Heads of the other temples, we all reached a consensus: the sudden change in the trial was undoubtedly caused by the appearance of the Saintess.”

“Eh?”

Discussed it with the Temple Heads of the other temples? The highest authorities who, whenever they meet face-to-face, exchange so many thinly-veiled insults that people wonder when all-out war will break out!? When did they do that!?

“Hihi, you look surprised. We don’t spend all our time just using our brains to line our own pockets, you know. When necessary, we can instantly revert to being apostles of God. That’s what it means to be a Temple Head.”

…How is that any different from a corrupt monk twisting words to suit their convenience?

“Taking the current global situation and the emergence of the Saintess into account, we decided to acknowledge the Temple of the Chief God as the leader, and that they will unify our opinions in the event of an emergency. In other words, a return to the old status quo.”

Thank goodness. It was surprising in a lot of ways, but it looks like everything worked out.

“I’m glad everything went exactly the way you wanted, little miss Foka.”

“Fueh!?”

Eh? What does she mean, exactly the way I wanted!?

“If you invite several S-rank adventurers all the way from a foreign country, of course I’d figure it out. Next time, try to hide it a bit better, little miss.”

“H-Haha…”

In other words, she saw completely through my plan.

She just chose to turn a blind eye.

However, right before the Temple Head closed the door to my room, she said this:

“Thanks to you paying their reward out of your own pocket, I got to make a massive profit without spending a dime! Thanks a bunch, little Foka!”

“Hah!?”

As if to say she had spoken her piece, the door shut, and from the other side, an obnoxious hihhihhi cackle faded down the hallway.

“Y-You cheap old haaaaag!!”

She didn’t ‘turn a blind eye’! She just used me because she was too stingy to spend her own money!!

Returning from the Holy Capital, we had settled back into our normal, everyday lives.

The domestic churches haven’t shown any strange movements either, so it seems the Temple of the Chief God winning the pilgrimage really did yield solid results.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”

Since the girls were out today, it was just us guys devoting ourselves to training.

“Training with Lexus-san is definitely way harder than when we train by ourselves.”

“Ahaha, let’s wash off this sweat and get some dinner.”

“Meat it is!”

Returning to the mansion, we heard familiar voices coming from the living room.

“As expected, this one is definitely…”

Ah, it looks like Liliera-san and the others got back while we were fully engrossed in our training.

“Then I suppose this one would be…?”

“No… this one is also hard to pass up.”

“What are you guys doing?”

Entering the living room, we saw multiple outfits laid out across the table.

Pristine and free of wrinkles, it was obvious they were brand-new clothes that had just been bought.

“Oh, did you go shopping?”

“What, it’s not food?”

“We went grocery shopping yesterday, remember?”

Still, they bought a whole lot.

There’s easily a dozen outfits here, isn’t there?

“Yes, and well, you see, a little…”

Liliera-san and the others turned toward us in unusually high spirits.

“For Lexus-san.”

“For Jairo.”

“For Norb.”

The three of them made eye contact with us, slowly stood up, and said this:

“We found some clothes that we thought would look perfect on you.”

” ” ” …Huh? ” ” “

Perfect… eh? What do you mean?

“How about becoming girls again?”

Saying that, what Liliera-san pulled out was, unbelievably, that potion bottle.

“Wh-Why is that here!?”

That was unmistakably the gender-bending potion Foka-san had made us drink!!

“Foka-san gave us her leftovers as a souvenir.”

Foka-saaan, what kind of things are you handing out!?

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you change.”

“Leave the makeup to us, too.”

Liliera-san and the girls aggressively stepped forward, holding dresses and accessories in their hands.

“Kyukyukyu!”

At our feet, Fluffy let out a joyful, laughing sound.

“Of course, we have some for Fluffy too.”

“Kyuuuh!?”

“Now then, let’s get you changed.”

” ” ” We’ll passs!! ” ” ” “Kyukyuuuh!!”

“Wait right theeeere!!”

Having just returned from training, we turned around and bolted outside at full speed.

I’ve had entirely enough of being a girl for one lifetime!!