Dea straightened her back as she sat before the desk. Her eyes wandered around the four corners of the room, which bore a striking resemblance to a principal's office. For a moment, she wondered if she had merely been summoned by the principal to have another one of those "talks about life."
"Your name is Dea, am I correct?" Sir Fancy Clothes with the Scepter asked.
Oh, right. She was supposed to call him High Priest Co... Cor... Cor... something.
[What was his name again?]
Dea had already forgotten. She would just call him Sir High Priest. He seemed to be the boss around here, anyway.
"Yes, Sir High Priest," she replied, her gaze still wandering curiously around the room.
"I never expected that we would summon someone other than the priestess. I sincerely apologize for this mistake."
Sir High Priest appeared genuinely remorseful, at least in Dea's eyes, so she responded accordingly.
"It's alright, sir. But... could you send me back? I still have things to do."
Silence settled over the room.
Sir High Priest looked somewhat embarrassed.
"Sister, they said the portal cannot be opened again until the lunar eclipse."
A gentle voice interrupted them.
Dea turned toward the schoolgirl sitting beside her. Her walnut-like eyes, swollen from crying earlier, seemed to have subsided a little.
"Eclipse? When will that be?" she asked.
"Three years," the High Priest answered with a sigh.
"Our magicians suffered a backlash from activating the portal prematurely. I'm afraid they will need at least a decade to recover and return to their former strength."
[Shit. That doesn't sound good.]
Dea thought.
When the High Priest furrowed his brows at her, she panicked.
[Fuck. Did I say that out loud???]
Fortunately, he made no comment and simply continued.
"In three years, the once-in-a-century lunar eclipse will occur. During that time, all magicians will experience a significant increase in their powers until the eclipse passes. We should be able to activate the portal then and attempt to send you back."
He tapped his fingers against the tabletop, seemingly lost in thought, before solemnly continuing.
"However, I cannot guarantee what circumstances we will be facing by then. The demons may launch an attack, or our kingdom may be at war. Nevertheless, I promise that as long as the Hall of Saintess stands, I will do everything in my power to return you to your world."
[...What the fuck did I just hear? Demons? War? Eclipse-buffed mages?]
Dea felt as though she were experiencing some kind of deep-shit psychosis. Perhaps she had been dreaming this whole time.
"Can I also go back by then? I want to see my family," the schoolgirl interjected.
"I will see what we can arrange by that time. However, Priestess, we need you here. I hope you can help us fight the demons when the time comes."
The High Priest answered with a hint of helplessness. He felt sorry that he could not promise the priestess what she wanted, but what else could he do?
"I... I see."
The schoolgirl lowered her head. Frustrated, she silently shed a few tears, seemingly beginning to accept her fate.
Dea watched her resign herself to her circumstances with a deadpan expression.
[Damn. They've successfully morally kidnapped this little girl, huh?]
Fortunately, her thoughts remained confined to her head this time.
She shifted her gaze back to the boss of the room and finally spoke her mind.
"Sir High Priest, since I'll be staying here for three years, will you be responsible for my living arrangements? Just consider it compensation for this unfortunate accident. I don't ask for much. I only need a place to stay. I'd also appreciate it if there weren't too many people around, and, umm... some work?"
Dea asked tentatively, considering that the High Priest seemed like a decent person.
What if they simply decided to kill her to get rid of the problem? This place seemed like a fantasy world, after all, and she wasn't entirely certain that human rights were a thing here.
"Of course. That won't be a problem at all."
The High Priest felt relieved that the girl before him was so agreeable. He had expected the discussion to be considerably more difficult. After all, he had nearly lost his hair from the stress of consoling the priestess during her earlier breakdown.
"Thank you, sir."
"There's no need to thank me. It is only right that we take responsibility."
He studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering as though trying to understand her.
Dea seemed to sense his scrutiny and awkwardly scratched her head.
[Hey, what can I do? When you don't give a shit about too many things, it's easy to accept all sorts of peculiar situations.]
She gently touched her glasses, which concealed her otherwise expressionless eyes, and thought:
[As long as I have you with me, Mom.]
"Sister, I only have you now."
Out of nowhere, the schoolgirl grabbed Dea's arm and spoke in a choked voice.
[Surely you jest. I don't even know you.]
Dea stared at her, wondering whether she should pull her arm away. This girl seemed emotionally unstable. What if she started crying again? Would her walnut-like eyes grow even bigger?
Despite feeling uncomfortable with such unexpected closeness, Dea decided to be considerate and offered her a piece of candy.
Consider it an apology for the schoolgirl's one-sided camaraderie.
She gently slipped her arm free and reached into her pocket.
The girl, unaware of Dea's thoughts, simply accepted the candy. She assumed the older girl was trying to comfort her.
Despite her aloof demeanor and peculiar attire, the woman was evidently kind.
"Thank you, Sister."
The schoolgirl smiled as she popped the menthol-flavored candy into her mouth.
"Oh, that's right!"
She suddenly exclaimed as though remembering something.
Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out an object and handed it to Dea.
Dea stared at the item, wondering why the girl was giving her a handkerchief.
She glanced at the schoolgirl curiously, but the latter seemed oblivious to her confusion. She couldn't see Dea's questioning eyes hidden beneath her bangs.
"Why are you giving me this?" Dea finally asked.
"Isn't this yours? I saw it fall from your direction earlier," the girl answered gingerly.
"It's not mine. You can keep it."
Dea returned the handkerchief to her.
Consider it a souvenir from the other side. After all, she would be staying here for quite some time.
"Oh."
The schoolgirl fell silent once again.
Dea felt a little bad.
[Why did her stuff get teleported along with her, but my pancakes didn't? Ughhhhh.]
Forgive her for being so fixated on her missing snack. She had been craving those pancakes all day and had even bought several pieces for dinner.
Meanwhile, the High Priest had been silently observing the two from the side.
Their priestess was emotionally volatile. It seemed she would need more time to adjust to life in Andean. He would have to consider several things before allowing her to begin training.
Fortunately, their other guest from afar appeared stable and composed. The accommodations she had requested could easily be arranged.
Honestly, he appreciated how smoothly they had reached an agreement.
He sighed, his gaze shifting between the two girls.
It would certainly be a blessing if their priestess could become as calm and collected as the other girl in the future.
It wasn't that he doubted whether they had summoned the correct priestess. Rather...
Judging by the gloomy atmosphere and the unmistakable scent of death surrounding the other girl, contrasted with the rich vitality radiating from the priestess, he could tell that their summoning had gone according to prophecy.
The priestess, after all, was the embodiment of life.
She was the saint sent by God, His gift in return for their unwavering faith and hope.