The Cowardly Baby Saint Can See Ghosts [Novel] Chapter 18

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Episode 18.

The Pope's office always managed to make me tense, no matter how many times I visited.

The towering bookshelves packed to the ceiling and the somber light filtering through the stained-glass windows inherently added a heavy weight to any conversation held within these walls.

I sat in an oversized chair, nervously picking at my fingernails while waiting for him.

Before long, the heavy oak door creaked open, and the Pope stepped inside.

He wore his usual gentle, kind expression, but something about him felt different today.

"Have you been waiting long, child?"

"No."

The Pope sat in the chair across from me, his deep green eyes fixed gently on my face.

"I called you here because we have something important to discuss."

"Yes."

I nodded, instinctively accepting the small lemon candy he held out and popping it into my mouth.

"I intend to hold your first blessing ceremony next week."

I had heard Becky briefly mention it before.

It meant going out to the city plaza once a month to pray publicly for the masses.

"Diane, you need to personally participate in a procession through the plaza."

"…Me?"

"Yes. It is imperative that we announce the descent of the Saintess to the public first."

The Pope paused, gazing out the window as if carefully choosing his words.

"Do you remember the day you first came to the Temple? I received a report that your carriage passed through the city streets."

"Yes."

I remembered it vividly. The thick layer of grime settling over the streets; the lifeless, hollow faces of the people.

Even though it was my very first time seeing the outside world, I had instantly sensed that something was deeply wrong with the Empire.

"Three hundred years."

His voice dropped an octave, heavy with sorrow.

"That is the time we have been without a Saintess. As the continent's mana balance collapsed, the soil withered, crops failed to grow, and plagues ravaged the land without a cure. The people truly believed that god had abandoned the Empire."

"…"

"You need to show those people that you exist, Diane. Just showing your face—your mere presence—will be an immense comfort to them."

Silence fell over the sprawling office.

I looked down at the jagged edges of my picked fingernails and finally asked, "So, I just have to walk?"

"Yes."

"…Is that really all?"

The Pope's eyes narrowed thoughtfully for a fraction of a second before he offered a soft, reassuring smile.

"That is all."

It felt like there should be a catch, like something crucial was missing.

Half-convinced, I nodded slowly.

"Okay. I understand."

The Pope stood up from his chair and smoothed his robes.

"Seeing so many people all at once might overwhelm you, so I will assign Sir Liam to escort you personally. You do not need to worry, my child."

Whenever adults told me not to worry, it inevitably made me worry ten times more.

The questions I couldn't voice piled up heavily in my throat.

---

The day of the blessing ceremony arrived.

Summoning the system window out of sheer habit, I stared at the reflection of the little girl in the mirror being aggressively fussed over by the Temple staff.

Thanks to eating well and resting comfortably these past few weeks, I had actually put on a little bit of healthy baby fat.

"Oh, it breaks my heart. If we just had a little more time, we could have presented our Saintess to the public looking much healthier."

"Even so, His Holiness determined that quelling the public's anxiety must take priority."

I guess I had been mistaken.

To everyone else's eyes, I clearly still looked like a severely malnourished, stunted orphan.

Perhaps because this was my first public appearance, the tension in the room was palpable. Everyone was operating at maximum effort.

My de facto nanny, Becky, was especially frantic.

"The Saintess has such fair skin, so bring out the pure white dress! Ah, wait, we should avoid anything that looks too luxurious or ostentatious. Find something elegant but modest!"

I sat perfectly still, obediently accepting the soft sponges dabbing powder onto my cheeks.

Just as the grueling preparation process finally came to an end, a quiet knock echoed through the room.

"Saintess, it is time for us to depart."

Hearing that familiar, steady voice, I whipped my head around. Sir Liam stood in the doorway, gazing at me with a soft smile.

"Liam!"

"It has been a while, Saintess."

I scrambled out of the chair and sprinted over to him, tightly hugging his armored leg. A pleasant, rumbling chuckle fell from above my head.

"Quite a crowd has gathered in the plaza."

I flinched. A sudden, cold wave of anxiety stiffened my entire body.

"Are you very nervous?"

"A little."

"Do not worry. The people will be deeply moved simply by you standing still."

Instead of answering, I just stuck my lips out in a pout.

"It's my first time going to a place with so many people."

Liam gave my shoulder a few rough, comforting pats before dropping to one knee to meet my eye level.

From a hidden pocket in his armor, he pulled out a candy wrapped in unfamiliar paper.

"This is my emergency ration, but I'll give it exclusively to you, Saintess."

The wrapper was a bright pink with a plump peach drawn on it; anyone could instantly guess the flavor.

When I had eaten a peach for the very first time after coming to the Temple, it was so sweet I felt like my tongue was going to melt right off.

"Why do you always carry candy with you, Liam?"

"Because I never know when I might run into you, Saintess, so I always keep it on me."

"Hmph."

I snatched the candy from his large hand with feigned haughtiness, causing the corners of Liam's eyes to crinkle with amusement.

In that fleeting moment, I finally understood why Lady Camila had fallen so desperately in love with him.

He gently tucked a stray strand of silver hair behind my ear and spoke.

"It is actually quite simple. You only need to walk along the procession path."

"That's really it?"

"Yes. And if you feel scared, you may hold onto me."

"Really?"

"Really."

It was a short, gruff answer, but strangely, it comforted me more than anything else anyone had said today.

The reason my guard always completely melted away around Liam was probably tied to the lingering fragments of the day he had saved me from the orphanage.

"Then I'll hold onto you."

Liam nodded silently and smiled.

---

The moment we stepped out of the Temple and into the plaza, I genuinely wanted to turn around and run away.

There were just too many people.

The plaza was so impossibly packed that some people were literally hanging off the surrounding stone walls just to get a glimpse of me.

Every single eye was locked onto me.

"It's the Saintess!"

"She's really just a little child, isn't she?"

"Oh, merciful god."

"We're finally saved…!"

I reflexively reached out and grabbed two of Liam's armored fingers.

He let out a very faint laugh and wrapped his large hand securely around mine.

"His Holiness the Pope is waiting at the end of the procession path."

Liam's gaze remained fixed straight ahead, his eyes sharply scanning the crowd for any potential threats.

Come to think of it, the other Holy Knights—the ones who usually whispered about my commoner origins behind my back—were now flanking us with absolute rigidity, radiating an intense, protective aura.

"Let us go."

With every single step I took following him, loud sobs and ecstatic cheers erupted from all sides of the plaza.

The sheer volume of the noise was so overwhelming that a crushing wave of terror threatened to crush my tiny body.

It was a good thing I had eaten the candy beforehand. I rolled the sweet peach flavor over my tongue and squeezed my eyes shut against the sensory overload.

It was then.

"Look, Saintess."

Hearing Liam's perpetually calm voice anchor me, I forced my eyes open.

"Do you see it?"

It was like watching someone hurl a bucket of brilliant, radiant paint across a dull, monochrome world.

I felt as though every single breath I inhaled and exhaled possessed the power to purify everything it touched.

"The dark energy is scattering."

Was this someone's magic?

Or was it simply my own growth, having grown slightly more accustomed to channeling my holy power over the past few days?

Whatever the cause, I could see it clearer than anyone else.

"…Yeah."

I squeezed Liam's hand tighter. The memory of the devastatingly bleak environment I had witnessed from the carriage window washed over me again.

"I see it."

Had they said the mere presence of a Saintess stabilized the world's chaotic mana?

I was feeling the reality of that statement deep in my bones. The sensation of something fundamentally altering, slowly changing, all because of me… It was truly…

"Hup."

Ever since transmigrating into this novel, I had never really thought about my own existence or my place in this world.

I had only ever focused on surviving and making it through each grueling day.

I had never resented my short five-year-old legs as much as I did in this exact moment.

The procession path was much longer than I anticipated, and at my tiny pace, it would take hours to reach the Pope at the other end.

Eventually, Liam sighed, reached down, and effortlessly scooped me up into his arms with a single hand.

Startled by the sudden elevation, I raised my head, only to be met with a deafening roar of cheers from the crowd.

"Ooh…!"

"You are so beautiful!"

"Saintess! Please, look over here just once!"

Bewildered by the attention, I awkwardly gave a small wave. The screaming immediately doubled in volume.

Thoroughly embarrassed, I buried my face in the crook of Liam's neck.

"This is the praise that you rightfully deserve, Saintess."

Liam told me I needed to get used to it.

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