#962 The Saintess’ Farm Study

Yes, Saintess Maradona has returned to our world.

But she’s not here to rest in peace. She’s here to stay.

First things first, she needs a crash course on what’s changed over the past few centuries.

“Well, the Human Kingdom has fallen.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

As expected, she’s absolutely stunned.

Oh, but it did come back recently.

“Phew! Don’t scare me like that! See? The Human Kingdom is invincible!”

“Uh, they ditched the monarchy, though.”

“Huh?!”

Explaining democracy to her sounded like a nightmare, so I took a shortcut.

Basically, a new type of king showed up. I can already see Ritheseus frowning at me.

“And the church is completely gone.”

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Even more shock from the saintess.

Considering it was her life’s work, her reaction makes sense.

It’s not just gone—it’s extinct.

“It can’t be! Then who’s left to worship the great Celestial God Zeus?!”

“Oh, don’t worry. Zeus got sealed away.”

“HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH?!”

Huh?

That was the biggest shock yet.

I mean, gods coming and going should be less of a concern, right?

“What are you talking about?! Zeus is the one and only great god. If he’s sealed, isn’t that like losing a god from the world?”

But there are other gods, too, right?

Like Hades and Poseidon?

“Those are just knock-off gods compared to Zeus! They’re like the bootlegs of deities!”

Whoa...

That’s some hardcore ideology...

“Well, old church followers tend to think that way. And she seems to be a hardcore zealot,” Sensei whispers, standing uneasily beside me.

By the way, those “knock-off” gods—Hades and Poseidon—are right here.

They’re regulars at the farm for lunch.

“Hey, Poseidon, she called thee a fake god.”

“She must mean thou, lad.”

Eat up and get going, please.

“No... The world has changed so much while I was asleep...!”

Not “asleep,” more like “dead.”

But she makes it sound like she took a nap for a few centuries.

“I understand! I’ll be the savior who brings light back to the world!!!”

Please don’t.

The world’s doing just fine without you playing hero.

Predictably, the overzealous saintess is leaning towards drastic action.

I knew this might happen, so I filled her in on the international situation.

“Listen, the world is more peaceful than ever. Humans and demons are getting along, and even merfolk are part of the picture now. World peace is here.”

“I-I see...!”

“That’s why there’s no need for any heroics. If you want happiness, keeping things as they are is the best choice. So, no liberation movements, okay? Promise?”

When I explained it to her in simple terms, the saintess, deep in thought, suddenly responded...

“...I see; if many humans are unhappy, then I, Saintess Maradona, would be ready to throw myself into the chaos of war. But if everyone is happy, then there’s no need for that, right?”

The fact that she could understand and accept this logic was one of her saving graces.

She’s really a good person at heart, but she's just a bit too intense in her beliefs.

“...So, what was I resurrected for then? Wait, could it be? Maybe the gods revived me in advance to prepare for a threat no one has noticed yet...?!”

Stop making up dramatic stories.

You were brought back by the whimsical nature of Sensei and a stroke of sheer luck. Trying to find a deeper meaning in it now just won’t work.

Don’t look for destiny in the hands of the gods.

“Hey, Poseidon, is there some unknown threat we should worry about?”

“That is terrifying.”

Finish your coffee and head out, gods.

“Relax. You’re back, so enjoy your life. There’s no fate to confront in this world.”

Especially in this other world.

“Really?!”

“Really.”

To prove it... I know, how about we show you around the changed world?

Though we’ll start with the neighborhood.

“Let me see! If belief in the gods makes the world a better place, then the future should be amazing!”

Well, the gods are kind of hiding at the moment.

The one you believe in, at least.

But enough of that, let’s get on with the farm tour.

Here it is, our humble farm.

“Wow! ...This is incredible!”

Is it?

I’ve gotten used to this view by now, but it’s winter, so the fields are covered in snow, looking like an endless white blanket.

Ideally, I’d show off the lush summer fields or the bountiful autumn harvest, but...

“That doesn’t matter! The fact that people can live so richly even in the harshest winter is proof of happiness! Look at how joyful everyone is!”

Now that you mention it, there is a lively snowball fight going on in one corner of the farm.

The main participants are the orcs and goblins, of course.

Those guys are hundreds of times stronger than humans, so the snowballs fly at supersonic speeds and are as big as boulders.

Even a snowball fight here is otherworldly.

“Also, look at the houses built everywhere! They’re so grand and give off a feeling of prosperity! Prosperity equals happiness! The fact that these houses stand strong even with all this snow piled up shows that the materials are top-notch and the craftsmanship is excellent. This means humanity has come a long way!”

Our farm has dozens of houses, plus storage buildings for the crops we harvest in autumn.

Even I, who built them, am surprised at how many there are now.

Given the farm’s production, even this many buildings aren’t enough.

I wish I had an item box to store everything.

But there’s no such thing as an item box in this world, despite its many wonders.

However, these many storage buildings are a testament to our prosperity.

Inside, there’s food stored in such abundance that we can never finish it all.

Someone once said, “Waste is ugly,” but I believe waste is a sign of surplus, and surplus is a sign of wealth.

These dozens of storage buildings are proof of how rich and powerful this farm has become.

“I’ve been dead for 300 years... and in that time, humans have become this prosperous! This is the utopia I dreamed of... Oh, thank you, gods...!”

The gods don’t have much to do with this farm, actually.

Still, seeing her genuinely happy about human progress shows that this saintess is a decent person at heart.

Her faith is extreme, and she can be blindly zealous, but overall, she’s a likable lady.

“Oh, that warehouse over there is huge! What’s inside?”

“Ah, that one...!”

It’s hard to miss.

It’s twice as big as the others, after all.

That flashy warehouse is...

“That’s Letasreit’s warehouse.”

Yep, the former princess built it for herself.

And it’s filled with beans. Letasreit owns nearly ten percent of the farm, all bean fields, and stores all the beans she harvests in that warehouse.

She releases them as needed to make natto and other bean products for Horkosfon...

“A princess?! A human princess lives here?!”

The saintess reacts to the unexpected part of my explanation.

Well, as a former church member from Human Kingdom, I guess she can’t overlook the presence of old royalty.

“Please, let me meet her! How lucky am I to be resurrected after 300 years and get the chance to meet royalty?!”

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finally caught up to the schedule! thank you for being patient with me TT