Chapter 5: Saintess II
It had been half a year since I arrived in this world, and during that time, I had come to know Saintess Mika and Ryuguin better than ever before.
Ryuguin was still the same.
He was utterly useless in battle, but by this point, he had taken to following me into dungeons without me even needing to say anything.
Though he followed, it was clear he was not a combat asset. Yet, he still managed to hurl insults like a seasoned critic.
“Yamada! Hurry up and take them down! If you waste time on such weaklings, conquering the dungeon will remain a distant dream! Make your wish come true!”
“Shut up, you idiot!!! Pay attention to the situation before you start yelling!!!”
This exchange happened while I was in the midst of battling the Wrath Mantis, one of the strongest monsters known in the Deadly Series, and just as its scythe had cleanly severed my right arm from the elbow down.
What can I say? He had transformed into an utterly baffling presence—someone who, despite being no help in battle, wouldn’t stay at the inn and continued to shout from the sidelines.
There was still more to say about Ryuguin.
I had been selling the materials from the monsters we defeated in the lower levels of the dungeon, splitting the earnings four ways (for the three of us and to fund our party). However, Ryuguin would take his share and go to those kinds of establishments.
While taking a stroll through the town to clear my mind, I had spotted him multiple times with women by his side.
“Is it fun to spend the money I earned while covered in blood?”
“Is the alcohol you drink with the money I earned while coughing up blood really that good?”
I swallowed the words that nearly escaped my lips. He must have felt lonely being suddenly transported to another world, just like I did. Was it right to corner him like that? Should I have grabbed his shoulder and shouted, “You’re not the only one suffering; I’m struggling too”?
In the end, after much deliberation, I couldn’t find the right words to say to him and turned away.
What would have been the correct course of action? I still don’t know the answer.
And above all, I wanted to talk about Saintess Mika.
Half a year was more than enough time to deepen the trust between Mika and me.
By that time, she had already given me permission to call her “Mika.” I called her Mika, and she called me Ichiro.
I still vividly remember the warmth that spread through my chest every time she called me “Ichiro.”
When I first met Mika at the Royal Castle, I had a cold impression of her.
So, during the first month after our meeting, I had assumed that she was just someone who didn’t enjoy talking to others because she spoke so little and only engaged in the bare minimum of communication.
To make excuses, whenever I tried to talk to her, she would respond in a flat tone without changing her expression at all. In other words, her reactions were minimal, and I couldn’t read what she was thinking from her face.
However, after spending six months together, I came to realize something.
Mika was simply bad at expressing herself.
In other words, the reason we couldn’t communicate effectively was that I hadn’t fully understood her struggle with speaking, and she hadn’t tried to convey her difficulty either.
This realization came about due to a particular incident.
Monsters don’t only inhabit dungeons; they sometimes come down from the forests and mountains to cause trouble in human settlements.
There was a village not far from the town where we were tackling the dungeon. I had no idea at the time, but that village had recently been attacked by a horde of monsters.
As our dungeon attacks extended beyond three months, the three of us had started to take regular days off.
While I spent most of my time training and preparing for the monsters in the lower levels, Ryuguin was busy indulging in super-hero battles at brothels and taverns.
He was really indulging (and that was important). Moreover, it became common for me to catch a whiff of alcohol on him whenever we met during the day.
Mika, on the other hand, spent almost all her time with me. She would be by my side while I trained, accompany me on necessary shopping trips, and we would exchange ideas and strategize together to conquer the dungeon, deepening our bond.
However, there came a time when she started to say, “I have something to do,” and would often distance herself from me. I found it strange but thought that perhaps she needed some time alone, so I didn’t think too much of it.
The mystery of her whereabouts was surprisingly solved quickly.
An incident triggered it.
I had just finished training and was bathing behind the inn when it happened.
“Um…”
I heard Mika’s troubled voice.
“Ichiro, I have a small favor to ask…”
For the first time, she frowned noticeably and bowed her head to me.
“A favor?”
“Yes, a favor.”
I was surprised that Mika, who valued austerity, would ask for a favor, but I urged her to continue.
“I need you to lend me some money…”
Mika had gone astray. Mika had gone astray…
It turned out to be a simple matter. Mika had been going to the village that had been struggling due to monster attacks to provide soup kitchens.
This request was for the expenses needed for the soup kitchen.
But I replied a bit harshly, “I sold a super rare monster’s materials; the amount for a soup kitchen isn’t going to make a dent. With that money, I could run a soup kitchen three hundred times and still have change left over.”
“Um… a donation…”
Her voice was barely audible.
“What was that?”
“I made a donation…”
“A donation? How much?”
“Almost all of it! I donated nearly everything, leaving just the bare minimum for myself!”
This was the first time I had seen her blush with embarrassment and raise her voice like that.
Despite having remained calm and composed while using Healing Magic and support spells even when my body was being mercilessly battered by monsters, Mika showed a clear sense of embarrassment about her own actions.
She took pride in her role as a Saintess and would never lie to embellish herself.
I already considered Mika to be a trustworthy companion. She could heal any injury (even fatal ones) completely.
Moreover, she faced my reckless dungeon attacks without a single complaint.
And as for our party members, there was me, who was clueless about how to treat women, and Ryuguin, who was a lazy good-for-nothing.
She must have faced unimaginable hardships in her private life. Yet, she accepted all of that and continued to work tirelessly for me and for the world.
After all those struggles, she could take the money she earned, not touch a single cent for herself, uphold her austerity, and without hesitation, share it with complete strangers—this was Saintess Mika.
Through this exchange, I felt a deeper respect for her than ever before.
In that moment, I couldn’t help but think that she was incredibly cute, showing her emotions so openly.