# Enhanced Translation
"The department head's office is not the infirmary."
The Saintess made a strange comment. Ivan tilted his head to the side.
At the so-called infirmary, they would just apply Healing Potion to external wounds or, at best, have a newly ordained priest cast a healing spell.
Did she mean students should endure such terrible experiences in a place where a Saintess was present?
Watching Ivan's expression, the Saintess pounded her chest in frustration. (Despite the vigorous movement, Ivan deliberately kept his gaze fixed. She was a religious figure, after all.)
"No! I have my own responsibilities! Do you know how busy I am? I just took office this year! Nothing's been properly handed over, students and faculty members keep barging in and chattering, the curriculum isn't organized at all—what kind of university is this?!"
"Hmm."
Ivan and Enrique nodded simultaneously as they watched the Saintess ranting about the primitive, pre-modern education system.
They had nothing to say, but felt they should at least show agreement.
Ivan ignored the poor religious woman who was busy lamenting her situation. The department head's office had a certain austere charm.
Whether it reflected the taste of the previous department head or the Saintess herself was unclear. But there were certainly many plants.
Orchid...? Was it an orchid? Not particularly knowledgeable about plants, Ivan stroked the elegant leaves of a lush plant in a pot to kill time. (He was a gardener, after all.)
-Snap.
The orchid leaf broke off with a crisp sound. It happened to be the thickest and most impressive stem, which made the break even more dramatic.
Ivan turned his gaze away without changing his expression. Fortunately, the Saintess didn't seem to notice. She was busy ranting to Enrique about classes.
It was like a scene from that noir film—New World, was it? With an expressionless face, he turned the pot around. The pot silently changed direction, hiding the broken leaf.
"Look, I get it, Patty. I understand you're having a hard time. So could you please tone down the light? I admit I was wrong."
"Why don't you consider converting while you're at it? I'm always waiting for you with an open heart, Enrique."
"That sounds less like conversion and more like passing away..."
The Saintess was the closest person to heaven in this world. That is, except for the Pope.
In other words, the divine power bursting forth with her emotions was currently crushing Enrique in real time. Though it might be his imagination, Ivan thought Enrique's frame seemed to have shrunk a bit.
Enrique spoke cautiously with a passive demeanor.
"Um. Ah, right. Patty, listen to this without being shocked. I came here to tell you this but forgot. Look at me being so absent-minded."
"Yes, but please tell me it's less shocking than fifty critically injured freshmen."
Since the Saintess was accustomed to Enrique's dramatic behavior, she gently picked up her teacup. All that passionate speech had left her throat dry.
Enrique chuckled softly and began to speak.
"This guy was actually brought here."
"Yes, I was going to visit Elize when I heard the orphanage director suddenly became a gardener. I thought about asking what she was doing bothering a retired person."
"No, you fool. He was brought here. You know. Like Max. From another world."
"Pffft?!"
The Saintess choked on her tea and sputtered, her eyes welling with tears. After coughing for a moment, she finally composed herself.
"Why are you only telling me this now...?"
"He thought he was the only one. Is he the type to seek psychological counseling?"
"My goodness..."
The Saintess swallowed hard as she looked at Ivan. She spoke with a trembling voice.
"How lonely you must have been... Growing that beard from the shock... Brother Kirilts..."
"No. That's not the reason."
"It's alright. Everything is alright..."
The Saintess smiled compassionately as she warmly clasped Ivan's hands. Divine power gently spread through Ivan's veins. It felt warm.
Even as Enrique convulsed and retreated to the far end of the sofa, the Saintess continued to gaze warmly at Ivan.
"It's alright, Brother... You're not strange. There have been many like you, and there will be more. Oh, Lord. Guide this poor lamb..."
"I find this situation strange and awkward."
"That's understandable. Very understandable... The Hero felt the same way..."
She recalled the day she had been moved to tears upon hearing he was retired and running an orphanage.
This poor young man, despite the horrific war he experienced from childhood, had grown so steadfast and developed such a kind heart that he embraced unfortunate children.
If that wasn't proof of the Lord's existence, what was?
The Saintess wholeheartedly supported Ivan's retirement and sent a considerable amount as a donation every year. She even named the orphanage herself!
And now, look at Ivan's condition.
Orphanages are fundamentally poor. This was partly due to funding issues, but also because of wicked directors who tried to profit from orphans.
Every year, there were several reported incidents of directors pocketing large donations and selling the orphans to back alleys.
But this man... wearing dirty work clothes and wiping sweat with a sooty towel, was working hard to earn income.
Clearly, it was to provide a more abundant life for the children.
"Aah..."
And he was from another world? Yet he took in orphans from this world, children with whom he had no connection in this "alien" world?
How wonderful.
The Saintess's eyes reddened.
"Brother Kirilts..."
"I'd prefer you not call me by that name."
"I like your baptismal name."
"I was too young when I chose it."
Ivan glared at Enrique, who wore a playful expression, and withdrew his hand. The Saintess naturally made the sign of the cross and placed her hand on her chest.
"I genuinely thought you were homosexual."
"Kuhp...!"
Enrique choked and pounded his chest.
"Well, considering how coldly you rejected those people, what else could I think?"
"...I had my reasons."
"Of course, of course."
A royal guard was not supposed to become privately intimate with nobles or influential figures.
When he was renowned as "Little" Ivan—when his value in the marriage market was skyrocketing—he happened to be a royal guard as well.
And with his goal being to return to Earth, how could he engage in romantic affairs?
That mindset hadn't changed much even now. If anything had changed, it was that he was no longer a sought-after bachelor.
"Was it because of your vow? Being such a devout brother, it must have been because of the vow you took at baptism..."
The three evangelical virtues vowed at baptism: poverty, chastity, and obedience.
Ivan's appearance was truly impoverished, he had reached his thirties without any romantic scandals, which was the epitome of chastity, and he had laid down all honors and positions to return to the countryside, which was the essence of obedience.
Such picture-perfect devotion...! The Saintess nodded.
"Don't become a priest. You really won't be able to marry."
"...Hmm."
"But if you continue to live so chastely... perhaps... perhaps the Lord will bestow His grace. The Lord embraces with love, and love between people is the greatest blessing under heaven."
"...Hmm..."
"I should visit your orphanage today. It's almost quitting time, so let's go together."
"Didn't you say you hadn't finished your work?"
"The only person higher than me in this school is the chancellor, and the only one higher than me under this sky is the Lord God alone. Enrique."
"Wow."
Enrique quietly accepted this.
The Saintess was uncomfortable. Ivan realized this obvious fact once again.
There were many reasons. Perhaps because she had been on battlefields since childhood, the Saintess was excessively emotional, seriously devout, and even when dressed neatly, sometimes required one to manage their gaze. (Of course, Ivan was a sensible person and had no interest in a priest's body.)
But the biggest reason was that she was one of the major donors to the orphanage, rivaling Elizabeta.
Naturally, one cannot have an equal relationship with someone who holds the purse strings. Following this logic, Ivan always maintained an appropriate distance from the orphanage's donors.
"Ah... Lord. Behold this beautiful sight..."
The Saintess walked from the orphanage entrance while sobbing. Naturally, the orphans gathered around her, squealing with excitement.
Their vibrant expressions and chubby cheeks showed no signs of poverty. The most impoverished-looking person in this orphanage was Ivan himself...!
The facilities were excellent, and all doors opened smoothly on well-oiled hinges. Soft sponges were thoughtfully attached to the ends of corridors and furniture corners.
Such attention to detail...!
The Saintess gazed tearfully at a large doodle drawn in one corner of the orphanage building.
The mischievous drawing showed a bearded monster frowning while distributing gifts...
Feeling the children's love so deeply, the Saintess finally pressed her eyes and leaned against the wall.
"You've already become a good father..."
"Oh my goodness."
"Truly, the most excellent relationships are those born of the heart... Brother Kirilts... I'm too dazzled... Oh Lord..."
"I think you're trying to kill me with laughter. Disciple, I'm starting to feel uncomfortable. Can I leave first?"
"No."
Enrique clutched her forehead in agony.