Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: The False Saintess
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Lord Bardlin seems like a fairly good-natured fellow, all things considered.
Or perhaps he just has to act good with the Papal Court's forces and the Saintess gracing the territory.
In any case, he threw his grand mansion wide open to the residents of the domain.
And handed over full authority over its use to the Saintess, or so I've heard.
The Saintess wasted no time exercising that authority without restraint, turning the mansion into a full-fledged hospital.
Word has it she's been here in Bardlin for two weeks already.
In that time, aside from bare-minimum breaks for rest and meals, she's spent every moment healing the sick.
"So where's the lord holed up now?"
"After handing the mansion over to the Saintess, he's been staying at the church. Praying to the gods to watch over the domain's people."
"He ran away."
"Probably a family tradition passed down through generations. No way to hide the whole territory, so the Disease Demon King was bound to sniff it out."
Rennel and I saw eye to eye on stuff like this.
Chris, on the other hand, just blinked at us blankly before changing the subject—he clearly couldn't keep up.
"But how exactly are we supposed to meet the Saintess? She's devoting all her time to patients, and we're not sick."
"That's why we need you, Chris."
"Me?"
"No matter how lofty the Papal Court's authority, they're still tangled up in human politics. If the highest-ranking one among us puts in a word, they'll carve out time for an audience, even if they have to squeeze it from nowhere."
Rennel burst out laughing at that.
"Ahaha! As if being a Radiant Knights Order executive cuts any ice. Oh, um... sorry, Sir Chris."
"N-no, it's fine..."
"Anyway, to the Saintess, you're no different from us nobodies. Like the gap between five and six years old in an old man's eyes."
Unlike Rennel, who said it all casually, Chris looked downright troubled.
Thanks to my memories from before the regression, I knew exactly what was eating at him.
'Chris Kristin.'
It was something I only learned years into partying with him, but the Kristin surname doesn't officially exist.
Hell, I heard he and his brother made it up on the spot.
His real family background blows way past anything Rennel could imagine.
By her own analogy, they'd still treat him like a fifty-year-old at best.
Chris asked cautiously,
"Dai-il... you wouldn't happen to know something about it, do you?"
"Know what?"
"N-no, nothing. I was overthinking it."
"So even a Radiant Knights Order exec doesn't have the pull for sweet talk? This is awkward."
"...I'll give it a shot anyway. Wait here a sec."
With resolve etched on his face, he strode ahead.
Chaos erupted behind him right away.
"Hey, you! No cutting!"
"Is this guy nuts? My kid's dying here!"
"Mommy, what's that guy doing?"
"Don't you ever grow up to be like that man, sweetie."
Chris came back to us beet-red.
"Sh-should we just... get in line?"
We'd been standing in line this whole time.
We finally met the Saintess as the sun dipped below the horizon.
It wasn't easy, of course.
The knights dispatched from the Papal Court inspected every patient before her treatments, and we were no exception.
Hell, they didn't even give us a chance to hand over our weapons.
"Huh? That's weird. You three look way over fifteen."
"..."
"Oh, is that little one the patient? And you two are guardians?"
"Who're you calling little... Oh, yeah. Right. I'm feeling super dizzy right now."
"But even so, you don't look fifteen."
"Who looks old?!"
Which way do you want it?
Rennel looks younger than her real age, but fooling them into thinking she's fifteen was a stretch after all.
That's when Chris stepped up.
"Just a moment..."
He whispered something to the Papal knights.
Couldn't hear with their backs to us, but it looked like he pulled something out to show them.
The knights' faces went sheet-white.
"P-please wait here. I'll report to the Saintess immediately."
Meanwhile, Rennel whispered,
"Their reaction's blatantly off. Especially for Papal Court guys."
"Why?"
"Heard there's bad blood between the Papal Court and Radiant Knights Order. One answers to the Emperor, and he and the Pope don't get along."
"You know all sorts of things."
"I'm not Sir Chris."
The knights returned then.
"The Saintess will see you now. She's decided to take one last group—you—before resting."
"Perfect."
"She also hopes you'll join her for dinner. Have you eaten...?"
"Not yet. Even if we had, an invite from the Saintess means we eat twice. Lead the way."
Chris answered smoothly, then turned to us.
Rennel gawked at him and asked,
"Wait, you didn't just get invited as a Radiant Knights Order exec, right?"
"Who knows."
"Sir Chris, what's your deal? For the Saintess to invite you personally..."
He just gave a wry smile, saying nothing.
Rennel glanced at him, then pivoted slyly.
"Anything special we need to watch for? Table manners or...?"
I answered,
"No need."
"I asked Sir Chris."
"Seriously, no need."
She'll get it once she meets the Saintess.
The Saintess's dinner was little more than what a commoner might prepare with some care.
Simple soup, a few slices of bread, a bit of salad—that was it.
After dismissing her attendants, she beckoned us over.
"Nice to meet you. I heard you wanted to see me."
I nodded and replied,
"Yes. I'm Dai-il Magnus. This is Rennel Brighton, and Chris Kristin. Both my party members."
"Pardon?"
The Saintess tilted her head.
Probably weirded out that some random adventurer was introducing "noble" Chris.
I skipped the explanation and studied her closely instead.
A satisfied smile tugged at my lips.
'No Quad wrangle.'
Meaning the Saintess wasn't the Absence Demon King.
That alone was a huge relief.
Sure, I want to face off with the Absence Demon King ASAP, but not like this.
A Demon King posing as Saintess would turn the world upside down.
Her golden blonde hair fell in gentle waves to her shoulders.
Blue eyes sparkled with a soft smile at her lips.
She had that pure, saintly vibe in a nutshell.
Her face matched the portrait on her adventurer registration card from before the regression perfectly.
She was the first in our party to get one when she joined.
Given her position—and that she didn't care for rewards—it was totally unnecessary.
But she shoved it in my face, beaming proudly.
-Dai-il. Dai-il. Look at this! I finally have one too!
-Huh?
-Something to prove who I am. One big dream down!
Her card listed a pseudonym: [Arwen Wagner].
Rennel told me she clutched it to her chest like treasure.
Said it was childlike innocence not fitting her age.
I'd asked back then,
-Does picking that alias mean something?
-Oh... um. It's the heroine from a famous fairy tale.
That's when the real Saintess's voice pulled me back.
"Adventurers? But I heard you were definitely..."
"Ahem."
"...?"
"Saintess, I only requested a moment as a Radiant Knights Order executive."
At Chris's words, realization dawned on her face.
She nodded and gestured to the seats.
Once we sat, she said,
"You must be tired. Let's eat first. May I lead the prayer?"
"Of course, Saintess."
"Thank you. Then..."
She slipped off her gloves.
I hadn't noticed till now, but she'd worn them the whole time.
Come to think of it, even before the regression, she always had gloves on. I never saw her without.
'Right. Her right hand bears the emblem.'
The Saintess's emblem.
A sacred mark that the gods etch onto the next Saintess upon the previous one's death.
A circle split top and bottom by a crescent moon, filled with indecipherable patterns some call the language of the gods.
'And she hated the one on her.'
That's why she always wore white gloves unless it was urgent...
"...!"
I stared at her ungloved hand in shock.
Rennel murmured carefully,
"So that's the Saintess's emblem."
"Oh, this?"
The Saintess smiled vaguely, stroking the back of her hand.
"So they say."
"Huh?"
"I don't like it much myself."
"N-no, I mean. Uh. Um."
"Sorry. Blasphemy? But a Saintess blaspheming is like spitting in her own face, so forgive me."
Rennel and Chris gaped.
I gaped too.
For different reasons.
'Quad wrangle!'
White Squares covered her emblem!
......
Hold on. Let's sort this.
Saintess's emblem hidden by Quad wrangle.
My mutated Quad wrangle flags fakes.
That emblem's fake.
The emblem proves she's the Saintess.
So...
'She's not the real Saintess?'
End times.
While she led the pre-meal prayer, I sank into thought.
Before the regression, she'd apologized to me.
This time, I meant to figure out why.
Turns out I got it way too quick.
'Sorry for being a fake Saintess.'
Honestly, no need to apologize.
I didn't recruit her because she was the Saintess.
It was her insane divine power and cheat skill called Revelation (random as it was).
She more than pulled her weight as a party member before, so that's enough.
'But why isn't she the real one?'
How's that possible?
Dismissing the idea she fooled the world solo from the start.
No one pulls off a con that massive alone.
Which means...
"The Papal Court."
The prayer ended, and she tilted her head.
"Pardon? What was that?"
"Nothing."
Rennel's eyes narrowed at my reply.
I shrugged and switched tones.
"Nothing at all, Saintess."
"Yes?"
"Your visit isn't just to heal the domain's people, right? It's the Disease Demon King."
"He's the root of all this territory's misery."
"Then shouldn't you be subjugating him? How's that going?"
Clink.
She set down her spoon with a sigh.