Chapter 10
Clael parted ways with his friend and was organizing the items he had bought in the back of the shrine.
The sun was about to set. With the organizing finished and some time to spare, he started preparing dinner.
Just as he was thinking it was about time to go pick up Reina after finishing his tasks... the back door creaked open.
"I-I'm back..."
"Welcome ho—oh!"
Seeing Reina return through the back door, Clael couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration.
Standing there was a beautiful girl, like a work of art crafted by the gods.
Her long bangs had been trimmed, and the overall neatness had brought back her natural beauty.
Earlier, someone at the clothing store had compared Reina to an "angel," but that had been a mistake.
The girl before him now was a completed angel. Her malnourished frame didn't matter—an unparalleled beauty stood before him.
(No... it's kinda creepy how much I'm praising a ten-year-old girl...)
"It really suits you... You look like a different person."
"Thank you... I'm so happy... really!"
When she smiled childishly, her cuteness and beauty reacted like a chemical explosion.
In the game, crown princes, dukes' sons, and even the pope's son were all infatuated with Reina.
Looking at Reina now, it was easy to understand why.
Reina's beauty could topple a nation.
If she put her mind to it, she could bring down an entire country.
In the game's story, the prince had gone mad, cast aside his fiancée, and even endangered the nation just to have her—it made sense now. She possessed a pure and delicate beauty.
A supreme work of art loved by the gods... this must be what a 'Saint' is.
(If those toxic parents find out, they won't leave her alone... they'll definitely do something unnecessary.)
Reina's father had sold her for money... but if he saw her now, he'd do anything to get her back.
Selling her to some billionaire could probably fetch a price high enough to build a castle.
(...I'm counting on you, Roywood. Hurry up and get the evidence to catch those toxic parents.)
"Priest?"
"Ah... my apologies."
Clael cleared his throat with a soft cough.
"Anyway, shall we have dinner? I cooked tonight."
"Ah... I'm sorry. I should be the one cooking since I'm the freeloader..."
"No, no, I just had the time. Let's eat right away."
He seated Reina at the table and immediately began placing the food on it.
Tonight's menu was omurice.
It was a rare dish in this bread-based country, but he had found rice among the ingredients brought by the Holy Spirits and decided to give it a try.
He already had some homemade ketchup from before.
Not that it mattered... but 'Beyond the Rainbow Gleam' was a game set in a medieval European-like world, so why were there tomatoes? Tomatoes were native to South America.
"What is this...?"
"Please try it. I'm quite proud of it."
"............"
Reina cautiously plunged her spoon into the omurice.
The surface layer broke, and soft-boiled egg spilled out, revealing fried chicken rice with vegetables and bacon inside.
"Wow!"
Reina's eyes widened.
It was a dish he had mastered while working part-time at a restaurant in college... and it seemed she liked it.
After one bite, her expression lit up, and she eagerly kept eating without pause.
"It's delicious! So, so good...!"
"Heh... I'm glad to hear that."
Clael nodded in satisfaction and took a bite of the omurice himself.
Delicious. He had done a great job, if he said so himself.
Reina also seemed to enjoy it, stuffing her cheeks full.
"Gulp, gulp, munch...!"
"Now, now, if you eat too fast, you'll choke."
"Mmhmm!"
As Reina responded while devouring the omurice, Clael gave a wry smile and broached a topic he needed to discuss.
"Reina, from now on, you'll be working at the shrine as a sister, and I'll start teaching you tomorrow."
"Munch, munch."
"There's actually quite a lot to learn for a priest. You'll need to memorize the holy texts and prayers, and you'll also study history and math. You'll need to learn the Holy Arts too."
"Nom nom..."
When she was taken in by the Grand Shrine, Reina had been drilled in her studies by a priest acting as her tutor and was mercilessly whipped whenever she got something wrong.
To prevent that from happening again, he wanted her to master everything in advance.
"I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly, Reina. Let's do our best starting tomorrow."
"Chew chew."
"...Were you listening?"
"Yes!"
Reina responded energetically.
It seemed she had been listening... but perhaps serious topics were better left until after meals.
"You've got ketchup on you."
"Mmm..."
Clael smiled wryly as he wiped Reina's cheek with a handkerchief.
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[New Release]
The Golden Annihilator
~A Useless Hero Who Got Abandoned, but a Single Donation Made the Castle Collapse~
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093092685255471
Please check it out if you're interested!