Chapter 12 - Aspiring Saintess
"Still children who haven't become full successors of Mana controllers," a small voice whispered.
Darren looked for the source of the sound to find a creature hovering on his left shoulder, having the body of a young girl with the body of a jellyfish decorated with tassels with her hair tied back.
"What are you?" asked the curious already floating in front of him.
"You rude. I am one of the gods' pets!" replied the little creature.
"Yes, I know, but why are you so small?" Dareen asked for sure.
"We are not ordinary creatures that can live eternally; I was created earlier than you," she growled, pointing at Dareen's nose.
"What is it that a human-like you call me?" with a criss-cross.
"Forgive me, majesty," replied Dareen.
Hearing the flattery, she blushed and was happy; her face turned friendly.
"Crystal Pino," objected the blue object.
"Darren Moore," took his outstretched hand.
"Like I said earlier, why did you call me?".
"You know I am not the owner of this real body,"
"Of course," she replied calmly.
"I want to go back to my original world,"
"I can't," she answered immediately, without a pause.
"Why?" trying to get an answer.
"The previous owner was dead. However, the god was generous so that he could return to life in his original world, but he refused it," replied Pino.
"Hah?" don't consider.
"He was tired of the demands of being a successor, as long as his life was always causing trouble, and dying was his own decision."
"And he must be in your other body by now."
Darren listened carefully to every word.
"Life must be lived, not give up and die just like that. Also, just for such a reason, he must be foolish," interrupted her words immediately.
"Hey! Don't take your anger out on me; it's his decision. Lucky that the gods were so generous in bringing him back to life, and you didn't just die."
"If there were a way I could talk to him, I would strike him on the head," Dareen said seriously.
"Surely, you can!" Pino answered spontaneously.
"Talk to the gods yourself, but humans like you can't talk directly," said Pino flying around.
"You must speak through the Saintess,"
"Can't you help me yourself?" ensure.
"I just want to live comfortably, so don't give me orders,"
[Hufth…] a sigh accompanied by a decision.
"Thank you so much for helping me greatly."
"No problem," said Pino, flowery.
Darren left Pino alone and went back into the forest, and the magical creature followed behind him, irritated at not having gone where he came from.
"Why doesn't the great one return to the side of the god?" Darren asked teasingly.
"I'm bored since I'm already here wanting to walk in the human world," he replied, still circling.
"What if someone sees you?"
"Don't worry, I can only be seen by the person who called me," said Pino.
Finally, they walked together, Pino sitting on his shoulder.
Footsteps walking towards the holy shrine already recognized the way there after reading the novel's contents. The place looked enormous, like a castle, all white, and the edges were covered in gold.
Many people passed by who came to pray inside the holy temple.
Darren climbed the wide staircase through every accessible room.
"I can help you meet the Saintess in person."
"Really?" glad to hear from him.
"But you have to pay," said Pino.
"With what?" asked Altar.
"Your Blood and Mana again,"
"Are you crazy? To call you, I'm already struggling to death."
"That's because you haven't become a full Mana controller."
"I still can't even change my form to disguise myself," Dareen retorted.
"Yeah, I'm just offering," said Pino.
They walked back again to find a group of people praying with the priests.
Each room visited is different; it can be seen from the clothes worn showing the status when entering there.
After exploring almost all the sacred shrines, Darren couldn't find a figure that attracted him or looked like a saint.
The night was almost here, making him almost give up.
"How?" asked Pino, who was waiting for an answer.
Standing in the gaps in the garden walls, the evening sun came in between the large windows and the trees.
"Are you a lost person?" asked a priest, interrupting Altar's thoughts.
"No, I'm just from far away and want to pray," replied Dareen, immediately lowering his eyes to cover himself with the robe's hood.is
If someone saw his figure, they immediately recognized that he was the son of Duke Leon, with the hallmarks of the Moore family.
"This afternoon, I just arrived directly at the temple to pray and intend to return home soon, but because I was too wise, it didn't feel like it was already dusk,"
"I'm afraid to go back to where I came from, but I don't have many supplies to rent a place to stay," Darren answered, trying to lie.
"We are here to provide a place for people in need,"
"I'm an outsider. Is it okay to stay in this holy temple?" Dareen asked doubtfully.
"Gods don't look at him from Rhodes or not because he's Most Merciful humans should have qualities like Him," replied the priest with a smile.
Then escorted Dareen to a comfortable and clean resting place to see the simple items in the room.
"If you're hungry, we also provide a soup kitchen,"
"Thank you very much," replied Altar.
The priest left Dareen and closed the door.
"Tch, no money?" teases Pino.
"Do you know how much money it takes to summon me?" said Pino.
"You already know you're still forcing me."
"I can't stay with someone like this out there,"
"I'm tired and hungry," Dareen said, irritated.
Leaving Pino alone in the room to shower, eat dinner, then come back and fall asleep right away. He was tired of being there, which he thinks feels cramped.
The creature went through the wall to monitor the many foreign guests from various places.
Peeking into the kitchen filled with food, she rushed to a cupboard for dining made of wood. It contains fresh fruits and vegetables, which she loves very much. Pino, the size of a sparrow, sat on a banana, eating the temple supplies.
The people in the kitchen didn't realize she was eating their reserves; after being satisfied, Pino flew back around the entire temple.
So she was already outside the holy temple. Pino went through a place where the night breeze was light, and the leaves started falling.
Felt familiar when she was there, not far away. A small wooden house was shining dimly and warmly, overgrown with vines almost covering the standing building.
Pino flew over, peeking out of the window. A shadow not far away burst in.
She was staring at a man focused on a book, a figure with silver hair, snow-white skin, and bloody eyes.
"So this is the next Saintess candidate?" replied Pino.
Drifting watching the handsome man there watch his every move.
"What is he doing?" asked Pino, approaching the book on the table with the man's hand beside the text.
"I've heard from my comrades when a human is doing something like this, what is it usually called?" asked Pino, who was thinking, tapping her head.
She was approaching the pile of books next to him.
[Sraak..]
"This is what pisses me off so much!" Pino grumbled.
[Sraak..]
"Why doesn't the god teach us anything related to this," she snarled.
Her endless curiosity made her touch the back of the human hand as he was about to turn the sheet of paper.
[Ssshhhh] felt pain, not only that. Pino also felt the same way and flew away from the wooden house behind her.
Still holding the part that felt like being stabbed by a hot iron, then ignoring the pain, thinking maybe it was just a splinter from the wood on the table and going back to reading the book.
Pino floated up quickly as if she had made a mistake.
"I have to get away from this place."
"If people like them that a god's pet is roaming the human world, they will complain to the god,"