CH 14

Bishop Mamillan who saw Hirune’s work at the healing center, immediately reported it to his superior, Archbishop Zappan.

As a result, a meeting for the promotion to sainthood was to be held, and the executives gathered at the main church in the center of the royal capital. Archbishop Zekyutos, Hirune’s guardian, was also among them.

“Then we will hold a meeting to determine whether or not to promote her to sainthood.”

The facilitator, a priest, gave the order, and the meeting began.

()

Now, Hirune, who didn’t know of such a heavy exchange in the main church, was pulling the hem of a reluctant Holly.

The next day at the center, only light work was to be done in order to recover magic power.

It was three o’clock in the afternoon.

“I got acquainted with the owner of the bakery while at the treatment center. She told me that the bakery was selling the strawberry bread that the apprentices were talking about.

“And they’re letting us eat it for free? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not joking. After I healed her broken bones as well as her tooth decay and headache, she came to me. She said she’d give me some of her bread for free.”

“Even so, you’ll be going without permission again.”

Holly said so seriously and tugged on the hem that Hirune was holding.

As the hem slipped from her hand, Hirune jumped, determined not to let Holly escape.

“I got you.”

“Hey, Hirune—”

“I know. I know that Holly is a picky eater. ……!”

“No, I’m not! It’s not possible for a devout saintly apprentice to be a picky eater,…….”

Holly turned her face to the side as Hirune looked up at her.

“We can sneak out and sneak back in and we’ll be fine.”

“You just got scolded the other day, didn’t you?”

“The bakery is supposed to pick us up so that Wanda doesn’t have to worry. Jeanne can’t leave because she has to prepare for the festival, so I’ll get her a souvenir.”

“I didn’t say anything about going, did I?”

Holly pulled Hirune off of her and stepped back.

It’s hard to say no when Hirune is staring at you. It’s Hirune-proof.

“The strawberry bread is …… sweet and …… fluffy, and when you put it in your …… mouth, the smell of strawberries spreads all over… …I’m dreaming …… I want to eat it …….”

“……”

Holly swallows hard.

The meal of the saint apprentice is simple. The jewel apple tree had recently stopped bearing fruit, and she was starving for sweetness.

Hirune noticed something, peeked out of the window of the room and waved her hand.

“Holly. The baker is here. Let’s go.”

“I don’t really want to go, but I’m worried about you, so I’ll go with you. I’m such a softie.”

Holly shrugged her shoulders as if to say to herself, and looked at Hirune.

“I’m so excited!”

Holly blushed as Hirune stared at her, her eyes shining.

“…… it’s not like that, I have to. ……”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“I’m going. Don’t pull on me Hirune ……!”

(Eat lots of food and take a happy nap!)

Hirune couldn’t stop smiling as she pulled Holly’s hand.

()

The bakery owner had called a carriage for safety.

Once Hirune and the others got in, it took about five minutes to arrive. Horse-drawn carriages are by no means cheap, but it showed how grateful the bakery owner was.

“Hirune-sama, Holly-sama, this way.”

The owner was a woman in her twenties.

She wore a clean apron and a cassock, and her cheeks were covered with freckles. Her nose was upturned, giving her an impression of agility.

The name of the bakery is “Phi Phi’s Bakery’.

It was named after the owner.

The bakery was popular in the neighborhood and was nicknamed ‘Phi Phi Bread.’

“Please come in through the back door.”

Phi phi happily nudged them.

Hirune proudly walked through the door, while Holly, perhaps seeing the back of a bakery for the first time, moved her head curiously.

Inside, there was a large oven and a lot of bread dough lying on a wooden board.

She could see the flames from the oven as if they were still baking something. Proceeding through the workshop, they entered the store. There was a customer who had come to buy bread.

(Aah! The sweet smell of bread …… is irresistible. ……)

Hirune went back to the workshop and breathed in through her nose, not wanting to miss anything.

There are rolls, breads, fruit breads, and croissants,……. The rumor is….., Holly, look at this!

“This is ……!”

Hirune and Holly found a freshly baked, pink bread.

The fragrant baking reflected a light that could be mistaken for stardust, and the sweet scent of strawberries wafted around them.

(This is definitely a delicious one …… no doubt!)

Hirune was excited and looked up at Phi Phi who was smiling at her.

“This is our most popular strawberry bread in the store, and the quantity is limited.”

“Oh …… oh …….”

(I’ve rarely eaten luxury items in my previous life. …… Wow …… I wonder if I can really take this for free. I’m starting to feel bad about it,…….)

Hirune felt bad when she saw the strawberry bread.

The Eyes are more eloquent than anything else.

When she saw Hirune’s eyebrows raise and her eyes shining. The shopkeeper, Phi Phi, felt her heart tighten in her chest, she knew how she felt. 

“Hirune-sama, you can eat. Please wash your hands.” 

“Are you sure about this?　　I still don’t feel comfortable not paying for it.”

“That’s how I feel. I don’t have a headache and a toothache anymore, so I can work better than usual.”

Phi Phi naturally put her hand on Hirune’s head and slowly stroked it.

“Thank you, Phi Phi.”

Hirune smiled, washed her hands at the watering hole, and picked up the strawberry bread.

Then she remembered one person she had forgotten.

“Holly? Why are you frozen?”

A tap on Holly’s shoulder brought her back to her senses.

‘I’m just dreaming of being able to eat this lovely, lovely bread. ……

“Thanks to Phi Phi.”

Hirune smiled at Phi Phi.

Holly thanked Phi Phi politely.

“I didn’t think of there being no chairs in the workshop. …… What should I do?”

The shopkeeper, Phi Phi, murmured to Holly as she washed her hands.

It’s good there were no chairs in the way because we’re too busy moving around.

“We’ll eat standing up, okay?”

“That’s not allowed. If I let the saint apprentice eat standing up, my family will be angry with me. Oh, that’s right. There is a bench in front of the store, so please eat there. Please come back when you’ve finished eating.”

“Got it.”

“Thank you very much.”

Hirune and Holly thanked her then sat down on a bench outside the store.

A blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl and a light blue-haired girl sat down, looking friendly with their strawberry bread on their sides.

“There’s a lot of people here,” Holly said

There are people coming and going in the shopping street.

“Yes, there are. It’s thanks to the senior saints who are working hard now that we can all live happily.”

“You say nice things once in a while.”

Holly looked down at the strawberry bread repeatedly as she said this.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Hirune and Holly bit into the strawberry bread at the same time.

“……!

Hirune pressed her cheeks and fluttered her legs with a “Mmmmm~”, and Holly made a heavenly sweet expression.

(Yum, yum, yum. I’m so happy! The bread is so fluffy. The taste of strawberries and milk mixed together in my mouth. …… It’s heaven ……)

Hirune’s cheeks puffed up like a squirrel as she ate the strawberry bread.

Holly’s cheeks also reddened when she smiled as she ate a piece of strawberry bread.

When they finished eating, they looked at each other.

“It was delicious!”

“It was so good!”

“The smell of the strawberries and the fluffiness made me sleepy.”

“Yes, it was. It was amazing. It’s strawberry, but it’s bread.”

They exchanged their impressions over and over again, talking about all the good things about strawberry bread.

Eventually, they decided to thank the baker, and the two began to cleanse the bakery together.

Holly sat down on the bench, closed her eyes, and started chanting the scripture.

When the holy stars wash away the impurity from our land–“

As the magic circle unfolded, Hirune also used holy magic with it to make it appear.

The magic circle, inscribed with scriptures and glowing white, overlapped each other and stardust danced from their bodies.

“What is it?” “Stardust?” “The bakery is glowing!”

Passersby began to notice, and Phi Phi rushed out from inside the store.

“This is–“

The stardust was dancing like a blessing, enveloping Phi Phi’s bakery.

Stardust poured out of the two little girls one after another.

Phi Phi stood there, transfixed by the sight.

“The saint’s blessing–in my shop–“

The busy saint’s purification magic could not be obtained even for a large sum of money. 

For a merchant, the cleansing of her store was a miracle, and a tremendous blessing.

Phi phi took off her hat and made the holy seal over and over again.

“How precious–how precious–“

At some point, the passersby gathered in the distance and hung their heads.

(Thank you, Phi Phi, for letting me eat your delicious bread. Holly, thank you for eating the bread with me. Thanks to you, the bread tasted a hundred times better. Goddess, I’m happy in this world. Everyone is so kind to me.)

As if in response to the happy mood of Hirune, the stardust happily danced and bounced around the two girls.

Hirune continued to pray in gratitude for the delicious bread.