We arrived at the royal capital. It took a bit longer than planned to get through the checkpoint. Our group had grown too large. What had been composed of a couple of dozen people had swelled to over a hundred. As we progressed, many more people joined us. Most of them were those who no longer had roots like that garbage. Lady Aria decided to take them with her. It was planned that she would help them find jobs here. As for the young children, they would be sent to the orphanage run by the main church. I thought that with Lady Aria's guarantee, their life would be easier there. I decided to register that garbage as my square for the time being. When we finished our pilgrimage, he would be officially enlisted into the Guidance Knight Order of the main church.

  After we entered the royal capital, for a whole day, I accompanied Lady Aria to visit many places. I watched her bowing her head for a whole day, asking favors from people to accept those rootless people. Our last stop was the orphanage. Over thirty children were standing in front of the orphanage. When the director saw that, she gave us a cramped smile. At the end, it was decided that the main church would open a new orphanage in the name of Lady Aria. And the paperwork would be done by Lady Aria during her short stay at the main church. Before we left, Lady Aria left a bag full of gold coins to the department of orphanage affairs.

  When I saw that bag of gold coins, I felt uneasy. After we left the orphanage, I asked her about the source of money.

  Yup, she sold all her accessories except her necklace and the hairband she was using. Half of her fund was in that bag of gold coins. I noticed that she has only worn that ordinary hairband for a while now. At first, I asked her about it. She told me that it would not be good for her image. It was true that, as a rule, a saintess candidate should not wear any accessories. They were only allowed to carry one accessory of their choice when leaving their house as a memento. The only accessory they were allowed to own was a hairband. It was used to tie their hair to prevent it from interfering with daily life. For generations, saintess candidates have been evading this rule with all its loopholes. Additionally, for several generations now, this rule has been completely ignored. Lady Aria was the only one who strictly followed this rule.

  At that time, when I asked her where she kept her accessories, she showed me her safe. After that, I did not bother to point it out any longer. However, it was clear to me that she really bested me there. She waited until I dropped my guard and slipped from my back. I wasn't sure whether to feel down or proud about it.

  Lady Aria said that was her investment. But I could not see it that way. After all, most of them will be pocketed by the director.

  “Weren’t you told to keep some money for investment?”

  “I am doing the investment right now.”

  “What kind of investment are you making in the orphanages? Trafficking?” It came as a surprise to me. I found myself retorting to her remark. It was too unusual and counterintuitive to me.

  “……. Children are our future. By raising children well, you can ensure our brighter future.” There were a lot of things I wanted to point out. However, there was one thing I needed to point out. You called them children, but most of them were older than you. However, I hold it in for the time being. What I needed was to state the main problem with her logic.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “It would take you decades to ripen it. And I don’t think they will help you much in the future.”

  “I never expect their direct help.” She cheerfully replied, looking up at the sky. Then, she looked back at me. “Just being healthy and contributing to society is, in itself, a reward for my investment.” The smile she showed me that time was so sincere that I could not bring myself to stop her. Yet, I had to remind her of something more important.

  “……Ha… What about the money to invest to increase your wealth? How will you deal with it?”

  She did not reply to me immediately. She again looked up at the sky before turning her back to me. “…Oh, that, do not worry, I have my means.”

  “I could not help but worry.” Her action made me more anxious. It was to the point that I blurred out my honest thought.

  After that, we went to our resting place, the main church. I needed to report to the cardinal, and Lady Aria needed to report to the pope. My report was, of course, that nothing was out of the ordinary. I hid most of her activities. For instance, we hid the details about Lucy. About the city without sleep, I reported that I escorted Lady Arias out to play at night. It was to be expected from a child her age. I also added her abnormality, namely that she was a bit serious about her duty. That was all. At the end, the cardinal did not seem to mind much about her behavior. In a sense, he said it was a good thing. They would use it to consolidate her standing. However, the next day, they summoned Lady Aria. I was whispered to by the high priest that it was related to Lucy and the orphanages she brought. I wished I could be there with her, but I was also called by the Holy Knight to inquire about that garbage. On top of being garbage and a fool, he also became a burden. I found that he was a bit mindful of that garbage. Did he think that garbage would become his successor? Perhaps some rumor was circulated outside of our group. I found it was necessary to cross-check with everyone after that.

  In my place, the high priest voluntarily accompanies her. I was told later that at first, both the radical group and moderate group made it difficult for Lady Aria; however, the high priest cleverly navigated it for Lady Aria. Thanks to his help, we were allowed to keep Lucy close. About the new orphanage, it seemed that the cardinal would temporarily oversee it. It would be placed under Lady Aria after she completed her pilgrimage. It seemed he planned to use it to build the power base for when she was appointed as the next saintess.

  Three days before the annual prayer, Duke Ellon visited us. After he talked with me, he summoned Lady Aria. When she left his room, her complexion was not good. Although she tried to hide it, I still caught a glimpse of the red mark around her neck. Even with her power, she could not completely heal it. He really did not show mercy to anyone.

  The next day, under the special permit by the Pope, Lady Aria was secretly allowed to enter the chamber of the Saintess. Her purpose was to seek the saintess' guidance about how to raise Lucy.

  The next day, the cardinal told me the pilgrimage would not continue. After Lady Aria turned 10, she would be assigned as the saintess' caretaker. Her pilgrimage would be suspended indefinitely.

  What puzzled me was that upon receiving the news, Lady Aria was not surprised by this news, as if she had seen it coming.

  I was also told that, for the remaining time, we could go around the central region. At first, they want to suspend it immediately. But because of the rule that the saintess candidate must finish their pilgrimage according to the schedule they submitted. When I dug a bit more, I found that Lady Aria had submitted it for only one year. I felt like it was her plan from the beginning.