“Catherine, sorry to keep you waiting,”
“Fuu, sorry to keep you waiting, Saintess!”
Kent and Fuuko, having changed their clothes, moved to the living room. It was still a little earlier than their usual waking time, so Marie was sound asleep, and Al hadn’t shown himself yet.
“Well then, both of you, sit down.”
Catherine, who had already prepared the tea, invited Kent and Fuuko to get into the kotatsu. After they sat down, Catherine placed the tea in front of them and then joined them in the kotatsu.
“Could it be that I did something to offend Hanako?”
Kent, worried about Hanako who had suddenly disappeared, spoke to Catherine and Fuuko as if consulting them.
“Regarding that, I won’t know unless I ask Hanako herself. Fuuko, do you have any idea?”
“That’s right. It’s clear even to me that Hanako loves her Master, but to suddenly leave a note and disappear makes no sense. I was helping her with the fill-in work until yesterday, and I didn’t notice anything unusual.”
Catherine asked Fuuko if she had any ideas, but Fuuko didn’t have a clue.
“I see, Fuuko, you don’t have any clues either. The Duchy’s incident caused chaos in the country, but while some scars remain, things are gradually returning to normal. In that case, I need to properly resume my work as the Saintess. However, if Hanako leaves now, honestly, I’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
Previously, when Catherine performed her duties as Saintess, she was assisted by Hanako, Al, and Emily. However, Emily’s powers had weakened, preventing her from leaving the shop. If Hanako were to leave now, Al would be the only assistant, which would be a significant burden.
“I understand. The work that was being done by three people will now fall solely on Al, so the burden will be immense.”
“That’s right. Hanako has been away for a few days many times before, but since she left a note, this absence is likely to be a long one.”
Kent worried that Al would be the only one helping Catherine with her work. Catherine also anticipated that this disappearance would be long-term, unlike previous absences.
“Oh, those three were helping the Saintess? Perhaps this country’s Saintess doesn’t have a Contract Fairy?”
“Guh.”
When Fuuko pointed out the absence of a Contract Fairy for the Saintess, it struck Catherine deeply.
“Hey, Fuuko, is there an inconvenience if the Saintess doesn’t have a Contract Fairy?”
“Inconvenience, you ask? Humans have limited capabilities, so the presence of a Contract Fairy to serve as an assistant is crucial. It would be best to have at least a Mid-ranking Fairy, or preferably a High-ranking Fairy like us.”
Kent asked about the disadvantages of the Saintess not having a Contract Fairy.
“By the way, the Duchy also has a Saintess, right? Was that person Fuuko’s contract partner?”
“Huh? That’s impossible. My Master’s first contract was with me. The Saintess of the Duchy had a contract with a Mid-ranking Fairy.”
Kent, curious about the Duchy’s affairs, asked Fuuko.
“If a Saintess could contract with beings called Country Gods, like us, that country would be promised great development. Well, due to certain restrictions, we cannot directly participate in wars, so our cooperation is mainly in domestic affairs.”
Fuuko explained the advantages for a country if its Saintess could contract with a being called a Country God.
“I wondered about this too, but you shouldn’t be able to participate directly in a war, so why were you able to participate in the war instigated by the Duchy?”
“That. The rule about not being able to participate directly in a war is a self-imposed regulation among the Country Gods. Therefore, there are no restrictions on my powers. If I wished, I could leave the land I’m in charge of, just as I am now. Ah, but if I were to engage in an act that directly participates in a war, it would incur some penalty from the opposing country’s God. I thought I could win, so I guided the people of the Duchy, but I didn’t expect Hanako to possess such immense power. Sigh, that was a big miscalculation.”
“I see, so that was a self-imposed rule among the Country Gods. The textbooks I used when I was educated as a Saintess didn’t mention anything about that.”
Catherine seemed satisfied with the new information after hearing about the Country Gods from Fuuko.
“Fuu, I lost to Hanako and now I’m like this.”
“Now, now, Fuuko, you’re satisfied with your current life, aren’t you?”
“Ugh, if you say that, I can’t argue! It’s just that my Master is so kind to me, thinking about it makes my heart flutter. Ah, forget I said that, forget it!”
Fuuko, having accidentally let her true feelings slip, hurriedly tried to retract her statement.
“Did you say forget it? Saying that with such a red face only makes you seem cute.”
“W-w-what are you saying! Hauchhh.”
As Kent said this while stroking Fuuko’s head, Fuuko became shy and fell silent.
“Hanako might not be back for a while. So, I have a request for you, Kent.”
“Catherine, what’s with the sudden formality?”
After exchanging information, Catherine straightened her posture and began to speak to Kent.
“I’d like Fuuko to help me with my work as Hanako’s substitute. Of course, it won’t be every day, but only when necessary, and that’s fine.”
“I’m fine with it, but I can’t decide without asking Fuuko. Fuuko, can you help Catherine with her work?”
Kent asked Fuuko if she could help Catherine’s work.
“I want to say, ‘Why should I help?!’ but I can’t refuse a request from my Master. Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Fuuko!”
“Hmph, be grateful. As long as Master is by the Saintess’s side, this country will be safe. I teased you earlier about not having a Contract Fairy, but in reality, you’re gaining the cooperation of Country Gods and powerful Fairies under the guise of lending your strength, so the Saintess of this country is quite powerful. I might have gone a bit too far. I’m sorry.”
Fuuko apologized for teasing Catherine and agreed to help with Kent’s request.
“So, as a start, I’d like you to help out at the shop.”
“That’s not Saintess work!”
“Fuuko, even just while Hanako is away, if you could help at the shop, I’d appreciate it too.”
“F-fine. I get it. I’ll help.”
Completely persuaded by Catherine and Kent, Fuuko began working at Marie’s Bakery from that day on.
“Well then, Fuuko, as part of helping the Saintess, I’d like to give you your first task.”
“It’s already here. I accept the challenge!”
Catherine decided to ask Fuuko for her first task.
“I’d like you to wake up Mom.”
“That’s not Saintess work, and it’s not shop work either!”
“That’s not true, is it? Waking up the shop manager is shop work. Don’t you think so, Kent?”
“Hmm, it feels a bit forced, but it’s not good for the shop to have the person giving instructions absent. If you think about it broadly, it is shop work.”
Catherine asked Fuuko to wake Marie up, framing it as shop work. Although the interpretation was rather forceful, Kent somehow agreed with Catherine’s reasoning.
“F-fine. It’s no trouble at all to wake up a sleeping human. You two, watch this.”
Fuuko got out of the kotatsu and charged into the room where Marie was sleeping.
“Fugyaaa! I can’t wake her with brute strength! Master, help me!”
Shortly thereafter, Fuuko’s scream could be heard from Marie’s room. Even for a being called a Country God, waking Marie was a difficult task.
