episode_0221

The first thing I did when I returned to the dormitory was to confess to Edan that I was the Holy Maiden.

Since Isabel was still asleep while Edan was awake, it seemed like the most appropriate time to tell him. Besides, it was necessary to explain why I had returned to the dormitory at this time.

In order to explain the difficulty I faced in staying at the church, I couldn’t skip the part about becoming the Holy Maiden.

“The Holy Maiden…?”

“Yes.”

“Lilith…?”

“Yes.”

“….”

The blank expression he gave me didn’t seem like the look he would give upon waking up from a nap.

Well, it’s not easy to believe right away. It must have been a shock similar to when Edan heard the news that the fake hero was actually Edan, the real hero.

Even if he couldn’t believe it right away, or even if he didn’t believe it at all, it didn’t matter. I confessed because I didn’t want to lie in the first place.

“If it’s hard to believe, you don’t have to believe it. I just told you the truth, and I have no intention of forcing you to believe me, Edan.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to look at you like that, Lilith.”

“Yes?”

“…Lilith.”

“Yes, yes….”

Edan suddenly called my name in a low voice as he approached me.

Feeling a somewhat angry vibe from him for some reason, I couldn’t help but respond with a hint of tension.

“How long have you known?”

“W-what do you mean?”

“That Lilith might be the Holy Maiden.”

“T-that’s….”

“Look me in the eye and tell me.”

“…It’s been quite a while, actually.”

For some reason, Edan’s gaze made me a little scared, and I thought about shortening the time frame, but it didn’t seem like it would help much.

I had to be as honest as possible here. I had known since the moment I realized I was transmigrated to this world.

“It’s been about six and a half years since I started working as a maid at Blackwood Manor and collapsed in front of you shortly after waking up.”

“I don’t remember much from my childhood, so I don’t remember that incident well. But I do vaguely remember a maid collapsing. It seems like it was Lilith, although I’m hearing this for the first time.”

“To be honest, I’ve known since then.”

“….”

Edan looked at me with a more serious expression after my answer. It seemed that he didn’t like the fact that I had kept it a secret for so long.

But if I was going to confess the truth, I thought it would be better to do it all at once. So I continued honestly with my story.

“The reason I collapsed that day was because of a power like a divine revelation… When I woke up, I somehow gained knowledge of various things in this world. Including the fact that I am the Holy Maiden and other knowledge of this world.”

“I see.”

“Yes. That’s why I think I became the ‘Prophetic Holy Maiden’ by receiving the revelation. I gained knowledge of future events in this world the moment I collapsed that day.”

“So you thought that was the power of the Holy Maiden.”

“Yes. At that time, Serista the Holy Maiden’s existence had not been made public yet. It’s natural for a common girl to imagine that she has gained mysterious power in her head and become the Holy Maiden.”

He seemed to somewhat understand how I had come to realize that I was the Holy Maiden so long ago.

I wanted to tell Edan everything, but there were two things I couldn’t bring myself to reveal to him until the end, so some parts of the story had to be altered.

I never wanted to disclose the fact that this world is the world of the game “Luminor Academy” and that I was a man in my past life. These two things would surely shock Edan if he were to hear them.

Within the confines of keeping these two things hidden until the end, I explained that I knew I was a saint and had no choice but to keep that fact hidden.

“Why have you been hiding it until now?”

“The reason is that shortly after hearing the prophecy of becoming a saint, the existence of Saint Cerista was officially announced.”

“Saint Cerista? Oh, no. If what Lillis said is true, should I call you Cerista now?”

“It doesn’t matter to me… Anyway, I couldn’t reveal the fact that I might be a saint because Saint Cerista’s name was known as a saint first. In a situation where a legitimate saint who had been raised in the church for a long time had emerged, if a maid from a noble family like myself claimed to be a saint, how many people would believe it?”

“Well, back in the day, when they talked about finding a saint at Aurelia Church, there were many women who claimed to be saints. In that atmosphere, Lillis might not have been sure.”

“Even if it were revealed that I am a saint, many problems would arise, and the priests of Aurelia Church who crowned Cerista and her as saints would probably be upset.”

“Thinking about such small details, Lillis might actually believe that you are a saint. And that’s probably why Lillis didn’t reveal the fact that you were a saint until now.”

…It was a bit awkward to bring up my actions just to let myself live. Not revealing that I was a saint was the right thing to do considering Cerista’s potential anger, but it was a decision made because Cerista was the one who would fulfill the role of the saint on my behalf.

It wasn’t actually that I was unsure about whether I was a saint or not. The fact that Lillis was a saint was a recurring theme during the 25th playthrough. Of course, I couldn’t explain every detail, so I just let it go.

“Anyway, I planned to hide the fact that I was a saint until the very end.”

“You planned to hide the fact that you were a saint? Why?”

“If it were revealed that I was a saint, I would inevitably have to join the hero’s group and do almost everything with the hero. I wouldn’t be able to perform my duties as Edan’s exclusive maid, and even after graduating from the academy, my actions would be determined by following the hero’s journey.”

“Well, that makes sense. If it were revealed that Lillis was a saint, she would naturally have to stick by the side of that stubborn hero… Huh?”

During the conversation, Edan suddenly realized something and made a puzzled expression.

“Wait, could it be that what Lillis just said can be understood as her true feelings?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Are you really sincere in not wanting to reveal yourself as a saint just to choose to stay as my exclusive maid instead of joining that guy’s hero party, Lilith?”

“…Yes, Master Ethan.”

If we were to really delve into it, rejecting the hero party itself was simply because it was completely opposite to my ideal lifestyle, but regardless, it was an undeniable fact that I chose to be Ethan’s exclusive maid as an alternative. In fact, even after graduating from the academy, I had been considering continuing my duties as Ethan’s exclusive maid for a while before eventually becoming independent. So, it wasn’t entirely wrong to say that I chose Ethan over the hero party.

“Yeah, that’s right… Lilith thought that being by my side was better than being with that guy…”

“Master Ethan?”

“Oh, yes.”

Although muttering to himself with a somewhat ominous expression seemed a bit unsettling, I had to convey what needed to be said.

“Anyway, the reason I decided to become a saint is not because I want to stand by the hero and make the world a better place. It’s simply to properly inform the world that Prince Machart has allied with the demons. If I can utilize the sanctity that comes with being a saint, it’s entirely possible to extract the demonic energy from Prince Machart’s body.”

“Yeah, if that’s the reason, then Lilith had no choice. In my opinion, Prince Machart was a dangerous threat that needed to be dealt with.”

“Furthermore, once this matter of condemning Prince Machart is over, I plan to relinquish this excessive power bestowed upon me. To me, who simply wants to live a life as a commoner who can use magic, the power of a saint is nothing more than a cumbersome obstacle.”

“…Wait, you’re going to relinquish the title of saint? Was it really that easy to give up?”

“Generally, it’s obviously impossible, but still, in the future I saw, there was one way.”

“One way?”

“Handing over my power to someone who truly has the qualification to become a saint, that is the way to relinquish the title of saint.”

“….”

Ethan, who quietly looked into my eyes at the mention of ‘someone who truly has the qualification to become a saint,’ seemed to be picturing someone similar to me in his mind.

“I intend to make you, Serista, a true saint.”