episode_0222

“Turning Serista into a holy maiden?”

“…Yes, Lord Edan.”

“….”

Edan looked at me as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing about turning Serista into a holy maiden, so his reaction wasn’t really surprising.

“At least, it’s not something a normal person would casually say.”

Becoming a holy maiden meant being recognized with that much power and status. It was a title that came with a higher position and honor than commoners, even surpassing most noble ladies and even some noble lords.

Thinking about the honor that would follow Serista and Rilis at the end, it was obvious that it wasn’t something they could easily give up.

But that was just a general perspective, not something that mattered to me. As someone who had indirectly experienced the journey of a hero party from the Luminaire Academy 25 times, the duties and honors that came with being a holy maiden were not of any interest to me.

“As I mentioned before, it’s a power that I don’t need. In fact, I could even say it’s an inconvenient power for me to live the life I want.”

“…Then, what is the life that Rilis wants?”

“It’s definitely not a life where I graduate from the academy with the heroes and travel the world to strive for peace. I lack the will to carry out such grand missions.

I am content with living a normal life using the magic and swordsmanship I am learning at the academy. But I do not want to live in constant danger where I have to risk my life every moment.”

Rilis becoming a holy maiden was also similar to being appointed as a holy maiden because her previous life was too miserable. Her mother passed away from illness, and her father, a gambling addict, sold her off as a debt.

For someone like Rilis, becoming a holy maiden and working with the heroes to benefit the world might be a better choice, but it was not a story that applied to me, who had lived a normal life in my past life.

As I mentioned before, there were many people in the hero party who were more suited to living on the edge than someone like me.

“Living a life where you can use the magic and swordsmanship you learned at the academy while leading a normal life… It seems easy but not so easy after all.”

“What did you just say…”

“…It’s nothing. Anyway, I understand why Rilis doesn’t want to become a holy maiden. So, let me ask you the opposite. Is the method you mentioned actually possible?”

“Are you suggesting that I transfer my holy maiden power to Lady Serista?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Yes, it is entirely possible. At least, it was possible in the future that I saw.”

Of course, that future was practically about 7-8 years ahead. It wasn’t necessary information, so I didn’t bother to mention it.

If I were to give up my holy maiden power and Serista harbored the desire to become a holy maiden, the power I possessed would naturally seek out a suitable owner based on her will.

“In the future? Ah, you mentioned that you saw various things in the future after receiving the holy maiden’s power, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“…Just out of curiosity, could you tell me a few things from the future that Rilis has seen so far that I know about?”

“One of the most notable things is that Prince Makheart had already allied with the demons. The curse that slipped out at the banquet was also because Rilis knew about Prince Makheart’s true nature.”

“Right, Rilis was a bit flustered at that time. Are there any other things?”

“Luke was originally a woman, but disguised himself as a man, and Agnes has a poor affinity with spirits, which may cause her trouble in spirit contracts, and also…”

I explained to Serista about the events we had experienced together so far in order to assure her that I could transfer the power of the saint I possessed.

Serista nodded as if she understood, acknowledging the fact that I knew the weaknesses of the monsters when I first faced Galgomni a few years ago, and how I easily grasped the structure of the Hwang Palace on my first visit without getting lost, hearing stories that could not be known without seeing the future.

“Alright, I understand. It seems certain that Serista has seen a future where she transfers her power to you, as Lily said.”

“Yes, Master Ethan.”

“But can Lily be sure that this future will not change and come to pass?”

“Excuse me?”

“Just because she saw the future doesn’t mean it will definitely happen. There must have been different futures that Lily didn’t see. At least, the future where Galgomni appeared in the Blackwood Territory and Lily captured it without harming anyone, or where Agnes safely contracted with the spirit, those must be the futures Lily changed. Don’t you think so?”

“…Yes.”

I could no longer refute Ethan’s logical words and could only nod my head.

As Ethan said, the knowledge I had was just ‘possible events’ at a few branching points, not a guaranteed future that would actually happen.

Even the fact that Ethan was talking to me so casually and having a conversation was the result of the future I changed, so perhaps there was a future where Serista could not receive the power of the saint from me. I had only succeeded once by chance during the 25th playthrough, and it was not a thorough cross-verification over several attempts.

“What I’m asking about is the ‘if things don’t go well’, Lily.”

“…”

“If Serista can’t receive the power of the saint from you, she will probably soon move from Aurelia Church to find the real saint. I heard that the aura of the saint is a special presence that cannot be hidden from high priests. Serista is being tested for qualification as a saint because she doesn’t feel that ‘aura of the saint’ properly. Isn’t that right?”

“…Yes.”

“So if Lily fails to transfer the power to Serista in time, and as a result, Aurelia Church takes you to appoint you as a saint, what will you do then, Lily?”

Although it was something I had to say anyway, being asked so abruptly made me feel strangely guilty towards Ethan. It would seem as if I were deliberately trying to hide the final information but ended up revealing it.

Nevertheless, as I had already decided not to hide anything from Ethan anymore, I also explained further about the ‘conditions’ demanded by the hero.

“I can prevent the future you are worried about from happening.”

“How?”

“If I join the hero’s party, I can resolve everything.”

“…”

…What, what is it? I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

Maybe Sei was just joking around, but when Lily turned her head towards her, Sei was just floating in the air, sprawled out.

“Lily, say that story again.”

“Um, if I join the hero party of the hero who saved me, there probably won’t be any danger to Cerista the Saint’s life…”

“Why?”

“If I accompany Cerista the Saint in the hero party, no one will be able to distinguish between me and Cerista the Saint… ”

“…Why?”

“Because the public already knows Cerista the Saint as the saint. They probably won’t even think that I suddenly became a saint. And even if it’s revealed that Cerista the Saint is not a saint, it will be easier to handle.”

“…So, why?”

“To protect me from the demons who might target the real saint’s life, I can pretend to be her shadow. If I am active in the hero’s party, even the claim that Cerista the Saint acted as my shadow will be believed…”

“Lily.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Am I asking you the same question over and over because I’m really worried about that fake saint Cerista’s life?”

“……Yes?”

…Wait, when did she get this close?

Just a moment ago, we were talking across the table, but as we continued our conversation, I suddenly realized that Ethan’s face was right in front of mine, as if he was pressing me with a displeased look, causing my body to involuntarily rise from the chair.

-Thud!

“Lily, where are you going?”

“Oh, no…. I mean…”

“I’m asking you. Do I look like I’m getting angry because I’m worried about that Cerista priestess that I don’t even know well?”

“Are you… angry…? Lord Ethan…?”

“…Yeah, instead of getting angry, I didn’t even know I was angry, right?”

-Thump!

Ethan, who grabbed my wrist, preventing me from stepping back against the wall, pulled me towards one side of the room, and still holding my hand, he threw me onto the bed as if tossing me aside.

-Creak.

“E-Ethan, why are you suddenly doing this…?!”

“You just said it yourself.”

“…Me?”

“If you can’t make Cerista a real saint, you have no choice but to join that damn hero’s party.”

“It’s just a hypothetical situation. If I remain with the power of the saint, there will definitely be problems as mentioned earlier. And I will never give up on suffering in the hero party for years…”

“Yeah, I know. But you know, Lily.”

“…”

“…But I heard there might be another way to lose the power of the saint.”

-Slide.

“Aaah?!”

With no warning, Ethan’s hand slipped under my skirt, and a scream like that of a little girl burst out.

In that moment, I instinctively sensed what he was trying to say as he talked about losing the power of the saint with a serious face.