Chapter 07
“I’ll only work for exactly one year. And before that, if I want to quit, I should be able to walk away freely at any time.”
“Do whatever you want, woof.”
“If I finish the year safely, you’ll write me a recommendation letter when I apply for a position as a palace civil servant. Under the name of the Sanctum.”
“Got it, woof.”
“All medical bills, activity expenses, and anything work-related are entirely your responsibility as my employer.”
You saw earlier, right? I almost got shot.
I narrowed my eyes.
“The longer a Magical Saintess works, the more her body breaks down. It’s practically an occupational hazard.”
I’m not the type to lie in a shabby little room in my old age, sick everywhere, without even enough money to call a doctor, all while saying, ‘Well, at least I saved the world when I was young, so I have no regrets.’
So pay up.
Give me fair compensation for my work and devotion!
— Question: Isn’t it humiliating to get hired by a dog and receive money from it?
— Answer: Why would it be? There are plenty of bosses out there who aren’t even worth a dog.
“Put it in writing.”
“Understood, woof.”
Tubu nodded and fetched a sheet of paper stamped with the temple’s seal from his desk.
The desk was too tall for him, so I took out the pen.
I carefully chose every word, wrote the contract, and signed it. We each kept a copy. Since Tubu had no signature, he stamped his paw print on it.
“Well then, I should go. I have to get to work in a few hours.”
The atelier is a disaster, so even if I show up I won’t get any actual work done, but I have to go pretending I know nothing if I don’t want suspicion on me.
I stood up, looking at the still-dark window. If I leave right now, I can sleep for at least thirty minutes. I hurried toward the exit when Tubu called from behind.
“Seraphina!”
“What.”
When I turned, that huge room held only a tiny dog sticking out its tongue. Our eyes met, and he wagged his tail.
…Cute.
Sighing, I went back and scratched his snout.
“Seraphina, why did you write on the back of the letter earlier? That line—‘Have a righteous day!’”
No one knowing about you would make your activities easier!
“Oh, that.”
I grabbed his furry front paw. The pads were soft and squishy.
He only has three toes?
“There are too many villains in this world. More than I can punish alone.”
If I’m going to be a Magical Saintess, I want to do it properly. At this rate, even if I don’t sleep and patrol 24 hours a day, I won’t finish punishing them all. Honestly, even then I probably couldn’t catch everyone.
“And I’m retiring in one year. So…”
“So?”
“I’m going to be as loud and flashy as possible.”
I’ll make sure they know—if they do something wrong, the Magical Saintess might show up at their door anytime.
I’m watching.
Even if the law and the privileged forgive them, the Magical Saintess won’t.
“Then, before committing a sin, they’ll hesitate at least once. Wondering, ‘What if the Magical Saintess is watching right now?’”
“Woof.”
“Ah! Look at the time—I really have to go!”
And don’t forget to pay me today’s wages retroactively!
“Give me my money!”
I issued a firm warning and left.
* * *
After the new Magical Saintess Seraphina left—
Alone, Johann Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Parkyeon Strauss III spoke.
“You can come out now, woof!”
The wall that looked like nothing but a painting slid open, and a tall man entered.
He removed his hood, revealing cold, pale sky-blue eyes.
He took jerky from his pocket and tossed it to Johann Mendelssohn Handel Beethoven Bach Schubert Mozart Debussy Parkyeon Strauss III.
Johann-something-the-third caught it midair and began chewing it eagerly.
Crunching sounds filled the room as he spoke.
“So, what did you think, woof?”
“What about?”
“The new Magical Saintess!”
Without answering, the man walked toward the window.
After a moment, Seraphina appeared in view, just leaving the building.
Her thick black hair was tied loosely in a low bundle, huge round pink eyes, and impossibly thin wrists that didn’t match her monstrous strength.
Her hair tie suddenly snapped, and she groaned in irritation as her black hair spilled down her pale neck.
The man murmured:
“Did you know? Every Magical Saintess thus far came from a loving home.”
Affectionate parents, an annoying yet protective older brother or younger brother… friends they could lean on.
“That’s why they could act without hesitation. Even if patrolling at night hurt their grades, even if they were cornered in a crisis… they always had somewhere to return to.”
Growing up without scars, they all had bright dispositions, able to comfort those wounded around them.
“But this one… this Magical Saintess has no one to rely on.”
No home to return to. No one waiting.
Every choice she makes carries a weight others never had.
“A new age. A new Magical Saintess.”
“So you’re going to help her, woof?”
“Why would I?”
Everyone should handle their own business. He shrugged smugly.
Seraphina suddenly turned and looked up, eyes locking with his.
She shouldn’t be able to see him from down there, yet she stared right at him. Her face was exhausted, dark shadows under her eyes, but her gaze burned with life.
Matching that stare as if tied to it, he whispered:
“Still… I’m curious. Maybe I’ll watch up close.”
* * *
“My hands and feet are cringing. A Saintess? Seriously?”
The word saintess comes with an image.
No short sleeves or shorts, no raising your voice no matter how furious you are, always smiling gently, always sacrificing yourself first whenever something happens.
Even a Magical Saintess is the same.
What on earth is with that battle outfit?
“Hah.”
No, think positive.
With the money I’ll earn as a Magical Saintess, I can pay off my student loans and the school development fund. I might even take the palace civil service exam this fall.
My timeline just got massively shorter.
If I manage to complete the year, I should ask for severance pay…
“Mom!”
“Pepper!”
A little kid ran past me as I was mentally calculating my future. A woman coming from the opposite direction bent down and scooped the child up.
“Why are you out at this hour! It’s dangerous!”
“I came to meet you! It’s almost time for you to get off work!”
“Oh my!”
Still, letting a kid wander alone at this hour—she scolded him, but couldn’t hide her smile.
“Where’s Collie?”
“He’s sleeping!”
The kid puffed his cheeks and giggled in his mother’s arms.
“Did you wait long? Are you cold?”
“I’m fine!”
“I brought roasted sweet potatoes for you.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Let’s go home and eat them. The mother tightened the child’s coat and hurried away, hand in hand.
My breath drifted white into the cold air as I watched them silently.
I used to have a mom at that age, too.
‘Sena! Where are you going?’
‘To meet my friends!’
‘I was going to make onion soup for dinner—your favorite!’
‘I’ll be right back!’
‘Wait, Sena! Wear your scarf!’
‘By the way, why do you call me Sena? People say Seraphina’s nickname should be Sera.’
‘That’s…’
‘That’s what?’
‘I’ll tell you at dinner.’
‘That’s unfair!’
I never heard the answer.
When I came home after playing with friends, my house was engulfed in flames.
My mother, cooking onion soup in the kitchen. My father, who ran inside to save her. Both of them… inside.
They never caught the one who set the fire.
If that hadn’t happened, would I have a family now?
“Why dwell on it? They say someone flicked their cigarette ash carelessly.”
Probably panicked and ran afterward…
“Tch.”
I shook the thoughts off and jumped onto a wall.
I expected to wobble, but I landed easily.
“As expected.”
This is what a physically-selected Magical Saintess can do.
From the top, the view was breathtaking.
A clear river cutting the capital in half. Streetlights reflecting on the water.
Mansions of high nobles lining the riverside, the Imperial Museum of Art, the War Memorial, the Library…
Ancient protection spells etched into the windowpanes made the pristine glass shimmer sky-blue.
It looked like a palace of ice.
The night scenery was stunning.
My neighborhood was depressing even during the day.
People living on Dramarcy Street wandered outside in pajamas at this hour without a care. If you did that where I lived, you’d get mugged.
“One day, when I make a lot of money, I’m moving here.”
As I stomped lightly in awe—
Someone turned the corner beyond the wall, and we came face to face.
The person’s lime-green eyes widened in shock as they met mine.
