Chapter 238: Apostle of the Goddess

The only sound echoing in the hut was the scratch of iron pens. Since parchment was too expensive to use, they wrote on thinly cut wooden boards with pointed sticks.

Sandwiched between piles of thin boards, a black-haired girl diligently moved her iron pen. She was Listille, the third princess of the settlement village.

…There’s so much to write.

She understood that gathering returning soldiers to build a village wasn’t just glamorous work, but she never thought it would be such mundane tasks.

She lacked imagination. And she couldn’t bring herself to be irresponsible enough to give up.

On the large table, with only sturdiness as its virtue, two men sat across from Listille, carving characters into thin boards just like her.

One was the elderly butler, Giuseppe. Despite surviving the kidnapping incident where the princess was abducted, he was prepared to be hanged along with his family. However, Listille appreciated their desperate effort to seek help from the count and not blame them, even expressing her gratitude and rewarding them.

Impressed by the princess’s mercy and wisdom, Giuseppe and his associates decided that she was the lord they should dedicate their lives to, and followed her to the settlement village, where they still faithfully serve as loyal subjects.

The other man was Neros, who had been forced to labor as a prisoner of war for the allied nations. He was released and settled in the settlement village. He had no desire to return to his homeland with a cheating wife and unfamiliar children.

Moreover, he had become too accustomed to life on the battlefield and was afraid of the outside world. Being surrounded by comrades-in-arms was much more reassuring than being with his family.

During the war, he had helped as a supply officer, so he could read and write to some extent. Therefore, he was always called upon for document creation like this.

Reading, writing, and arithmetic were a kind of specialized skill, and those who could do it were valuable. It wasn’t that depressing to spend all day in this dim room scraping thin boards. Being able to be by the princess’s side was a privilege in itself. In fact, his colleagues envied him so much that they almost shed tears of blood.

“Shall we get some fresh air?”

Saying so, Listille stood up. Giuseppe was about to offer to do it himself, but Listille quickly went to the window and opened it.

It’s customary for nobles and royalty to call someone else to do even the simplest tasks, but it seems Listille had adopted the idea that it’s faster for her to do it herself.

While it’s commendable as a person, the reality that she’s causing trouble for the royal family pricked at Giuseppe’s heart.

“Ah, it’s cool…”

The sunlight streaming in through the window illuminated the girl’s face, and the wind gently brushed her black hair. The figure of his mistress, whom he should be familiar with, now seemed even more beautiful. It wasn’t just the brightness of the sun that made Giuseppe narrow his eyes.

Raised in the royal palace, pampered and spoiled, suddenly told to marry an old barbarian king, and when she avoided that, abducted by returning soldiers demanding better treatment, and then slandered as a defiled princess upon being rescued and returned to the capital. Moreover, the one spreading such rumors with delight is her own older sister, the second princess.

It wouldn’t be strange for her to lose her way in life.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable for her to resent people.

Yet she chose the path of saving people.

Listille becomes more beautiful day by day. Although she had doll-like cuteness from the beginning, it may be because of the addition of compassion and responsibility.

Recently, the soldiers have started calling themselves the Princess’s Guard. Listille explained to them that it was because they desired honor, and she allowed it, but Giuseppe believes there are other reasons. They probably want to declare that they are devotees of the goddess.

From an outsider’s perspective, it might seem abnormal for robust soldiers to worship and praise a fourteen-year-old girl as a goddess. However, while the nobles spat at the soldiers, saying they were no longer needed, she was the only one who reached out to them. It’s a fact that they’re the only ones who do it.

This was somewhat of a dangerous mindset. The more they worship Listille as a savior, the more the resentment towards other nobles grows. If the goddess Listille were to say a word, the men would instantly become berserkers and gladly become martyrs. It wasn’t unreasonable for Count Eldenburger to describe them as eerie existences.

“Princess, there’s a visitor.”

A drawn-out voice was heard, and when Listille looked out the window, a maid was approaching. Listille’s expression suddenly brightens when he sees the man and woman behind the maid.

“Claudia-san!”

Listille jumped over the window sill.

“Princess!?” 

Giuseppe let out a bewildered voice, but Listille didn’t stop. She ran and clung to Claudia.

“Oh, careful…”

Claudia smiled as she lifted Listille, spun around once, and then gently stopped.

“Oh, goodness…”

Giuseppe, watching the scene, could only shake his head helplessly. The goddess now had the face of a normal girl. Should he scold her, saying, “Princess, that’s improper”? He pondered.

No, even if he scolded her, it could wait. A faithful butler judged that he shouldn’t disturb the precious time when the princess could just be a girl.

Giuseppe’s shoulder was tapped. When he turned around, he saw Neros grinning annoyingly.

“What?”

“Well, it’s a shame you lost the princess to her.”

“What nonsense. The princess’s happiness is my wish. If Lady Claudia’s visit brings a smile to the princess’s face, then as a loyal subject, I should welcome it, welcome it very much, indeed.”

“Oh, so you’re not feeling lonely as the self-proclaimed grandpa?”

“…No.”

“Even if it’s shown in actions that she prefers Clau-nee chan over Grandpa Giuseppe! Haha.”

A dry smack echoed. Giuseppe picked up a thin board and smacked Neros’ head hard.

“Ouch, what are you doing!?”

“If you know it, don’t say it. That’s why you’re getting cheated on by your wife.”

“Hey, old man, isn’t saying that a violation? After being conscripted, taken prisoner, enslaved, and finally gaining some peace of mind, I don’t want it to be disturbed!”

“If you think that, then you should keep quiet too!”

The two suddenly realized the silliness of their argument and stopped. Unnoticed, Listille’s cold gaze pierced them.

“…You seem to get along well.”

“Oh, no, haha…”

While the argument had initially been about the princess’s favoritism, there was no way he could blame her.

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