No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!?

No, How Can an Atheist Become a Saintess!? – 47

EP.47

Chapter 4

Escape and Service (13)

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

On our way back down from the rooftop garden, Ria suddenly called out to me.

“Come work with me.”

“What?”

The words that followed made even less sense.

It felt like something I’d heard in a noir film before.

Of course, Ria wasn’t about to throw me into some gang organization, nor did she mean infiltrating hunters or anything of that nature.

She seemed to mean it literally: “Let’s do some work together.”

Work, huh.

When people stay cooped up at home too long, their minds tend to deteriorate, mostly because they lack money. If someone had an abundance of money, enough to travel the world, sample the finest cuisines, play every game they wanted, or binge-watch entire seasons of dramas, would their mind still deteriorate? Instead, they’d probably feel emotionally enriched. Since that’s rarely the case, most people strive to work and carve out a sliver of that life for themselves on weekends. In that sense, I’d never done what you’d call “real work” in this world.

Helping out at the church technically counted as work, but let’s be honest—it wasn’t exactly a profession.

Even jobs that aren’t specialized carry their own kind of expertise. Salespeople have their sales acumen; service workers have their customer skills. But walking around with a broom at the church didn’t feel particularly professional. The tasks I did as a volunteer weren’t much harder, either; they were just variations of the same routine.

“What kind of work?”

I asked, interrupting my thoughts about the relationship between Ria’s work and mine.

“Hunter work.”

I blinked at Ria’s words.

“Hunter work?”

Ria shrugged at my parroted response.

“Your skills aren’t bad. As long as you can pull your weight, you’d be a solid plus in any party.”

“I’m—”

“Ah, ah.”

She interrupted, waving her hand dismissively as if she knew what I was about to say.

“I’m not saying you should charge money for your divine power. Think of that as a bonus—a complementary perk.”

Ding.

The elevator stopped.

The doors slid open, and we stepped out. The hallway was relatively quiet; most of the hunters had gone off to their respective tasks. It made sense. Even though they had a base salary, their monthly earnings depended on their performance. So, they’d want to rack up as many results as possible.

Monster materials, for example, were often purchased by the association at favorable prices. While not as high as private market rates, the association’s consistent demand made it appealing. After all, private sales depended on finding a buyer first.

“So, are there often people with such ‘bonus perks’ like me?”

I wasn’t an idiot.

When a bonus perk is too significant, it can overshadow a person’s actual worth. It happens all the time in social settings. Take, for instance, connections with influential parents or relatives holding high positions in a company.

“There are.”

Ria replied, puffing out her chest.

“For example, appearance.”

“……”

“What? I’m serious. Sometimes, even when I buy materials, they throw in an extra for free.”

I hadn’t said anything, but okay.

Sure, Ria is pretty. If we’re talking about faces, I’d say mine is prettier. But Ria has a better figure, so maybe it balances out.

Still, I felt her other advantages—like being the daughter of a hero or her close ties with influential figures in the association—probably played a bigger role. But fine, let’s call it a “bonus” if we must.

“Really?”

Even so, I couldn’t shake my doubts.

Of course, I firmly believed my appearance could also be considered a “bonus.” Frankly, I wasn’t keen on spending too much time around Lee Si-yoon. In the original story, I always thought the reason he and the Saintess got close was largely due to their looks.

Lee Si-yoon was just plain handsome, and as for me? I was not only pretty and well-proportioned, but my appearance stood out. In a different continent, I might have blended in, but in this country, my features were notably rare.

Now that I think about it, it’s strange. I have no idea how the original Saintess ended up active in this country, but I just popped up out of nowhere at the age of five.

Never mind the lack of parents—there wasn’t even a backstory to speak of. Even the church tried digging into my past, but there wasn’t a single record of my early years, not even on nearby CCTV footage. I had simply wandered in from a blind spot in the cameras, stood blankly in front of the church doors, and stared.

…But none of that matters right now.

I had a feeling that Ria’s idea of my “bonus” might not just be my looks but also my divine power.

“Technically, forming a party would be tricky for us. We’re both affiliated with the church, not officially registered hunters.”

Ria explained.

“That makes sense. You’re planning to use my status, aren’t you? For a free dispatch request.”

I knew my rights well enough. It’s just that, in the past, I had no chance to exercise them because they were practically stripped from me.

“You catch on quickly.”

Ria smiled at my response.

“We’ll still get ‘compensation.’ Of course, they’ll take taxes, deduct a donation to the church, and so on. It’s a win-win. Actually, it’s one of the church’s main sources of income.”

“…Really?”

“Well, it’s rare in our case, but the church often dispatches knights here and there. Usually, that’s when the country needs extra manpower for their operations, not the hunter association.”

“Special privilege of a Saintess candidate, huh? To prove yourself?”

“No.”

Ria wagged her finger, dismissing my words.

“To prove you’re materialistic. To distance yourself from church-related duties and focus only on money-making ventures.”

“So… you’re saying the goal is to make money using my divine power?”

“No.”

Ria straightened her back and placed her hands on her hips. My gaze instinctively dropped to her chest, but I quickly forced myself to look up.

Her face was brimming with confidence.

“Use me.”

She thumped her chest with her hand for emphasis.

“Your knight happens to be well-connected with the association’s members, is the daughter of a hero, and is a remarkably talented knight herself. Act like you’re making money off that. Hunters won’t resent you, public perception of you will sour, and the church will be left scrambling to deal with it.”

“…Oh.”

It did sound plausible.

And technically, it wouldn’t even be exploitation. Ria had her own reasons for agreeing, primarily rooted in her rebellious streak against her father.

“Sounds good. So, how should we split the compensation? A 70-30 split?”

“…That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

Ria frowned at my suggestion.

“At least make it 60-40.”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head.

“Don’t you think my skills are too lacking to take 40 percent?”

“…Huh?”

“…Huh?”

Ria tilted her head, mimicking me, and I, in turn, tilted mine the other way.

“Wait, hold on. Are you saying your suggestion was that you take 30%? Not 70%?”

“Of course! I have some decency, you know. How could I even suggest taking 70%? What do you think of me?”

“I thought you were pricing the use of your status.”

“…?”

I tilted my head in confusion. Ria let out an exasperated sigh before grabbing my cheeks with both hands.

“Mmff!”

My cheeks were squished, making my face look like a pufferfish.

“Let’s split it 50-50. Evenly.”

Before I could even protest, Ria continued with a serious expression.

“Among hunters, it’s common to split the rewards equally. It motivates everyone to bring their best to the table. It’s kind of an unspoken rule.”

…Is that so?

“And when negotiating, it’s normal to push for an advantage on your side.”

Is it, though?

For someone saying that, didn’t Ria just assume she’d get 40% earlier?

Also, would she please let go of my cheeks already?

*

What am I supposed to do with her?

Chae-eun stared at Anna, completely at a loss.

Sure, she understood now that Anna’s decision to live conscientiously was genuine. And honestly, it was admirable. I mean, who rebels against God by deciding to live a kind, honest life? Unless you’re someone whose spirit is so twisted that you can’t stand the sight of an upright person, it’s hard not to like Anna.

But at the same time—Chae-eun found herself thinking the same thing over and over.

What do I do with her?

To be honest, letting her just live in the church might be ideal. Isn’t she practically tailor-made to devote herself to religion? Innocent, just, virtuous.

…

There was even a part of Chae-eun that didn’t want Anna to be tainted by the outside world. And yet, Anna clearly wanted to leave the church and explore the world beyond.

In that case, Chae-eun also wanted to help her. After all, no matter how harsh the world might be, someone this good deserved to be rewarded. But at the same time, a conflicting urge simmered.

The world isn’t like that.

The world I’ve seen isn’t as bright as the one you’re imagining.

It was the same feeling an adult might get when they want to tell a child still believing in Santa Claus that he doesn’t exist.

How have you made it this far with such an idealistic mindset? Do you truly not understand how the world works?

“……”

But then, watching Anna wriggle her face into a grimace, trying to free herself from her grip, Chae-eun couldn’t bring herself to continue that train of thought.

“Pwah!”

When Chae-eun finally released her, Anna stumbled backward.

“What are you doing!?”

“Ah, sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

“You, you, you—!”

Anna puffed up, looking ready to hurl some kind of insult.

“What are you, a gorilla or something!?”

“…Huh?”

What kind of ridiculous nickname was that? Something a grade schooler would come up with.

But for some reason, it managed to strike a nerve in Chae-eun.

“Who are you calling a gorilla?!”

“With that grip strength? Definitely a gorilla! What else would you be!?”

All the way to the office where Lee Si-yoon and the other hunters were waiting, Chae-eun found herself arguing with Anna.

“If I’m a gorilla, then you’re a squishy little house bunny, aren’t you?”

She thought the nickname might not provoke much, but—

“B-bunny!?”

For some reason, that seemed to hit Anna just right.

“Can’t even run away properly, just like a bunny. All soft and squishy—someone could just take a bite out of your cheeks, and there’d still be plenty left.”

“Soft!? Bite!? Did you just call me fat!? How dare you! I’m this pretty, and you call me fat!?”

Oh. For heaven’s sake.

What do I do with her?

And yet, even as Chae-eun thought that, she found herself oddly enjoying their argument.