Rose, who was looking out the window, looked up at me with a blank expression. I thought the same thing the last time I met her, but she was very calm and hardly showed any emotional fluctuations.
Even now, she was sitting there calmly, without any sign of tension.
"May I speak to you if you like? If you prefer to be alone, I can talk to you another time." (Fia)
I asked, thinking that she might want to take some time alone to calm down before the first round of auditions, and in that case I shouldn't disturb her. Rose spoke without changing her expression.
"No problem. You are a saint after all, aren't you." (Rose)
I smiled and sat down in a chair facing Rose. Rose watched my every move intently, but she spoke as soon as I sat down.
"I've never seen you before, so you're not a saint belonging to the church, are you? Have you been kept secret by the King all this time?" (Rose)
I replied, being careful not to lie.
"Well, I've always lived a life unrelated to Saints. And it was the King who asked me to attend this selection meeting." (Fia)
However, Cerulean herself didn't think of me as a saint, but rather as a fake saint who relied on the Sacred Stone.
"I have not received any teachings from the Church, so I may lack general knowledge about Saints." (Fia)
In fact, my knowledge of Saints was from 300 years ago. Even though modern healing magic had deteriorated, there must have been some improvements over the last 300 years, so I'd like to learn more about it.
"If you don't mind, I'd be happy if you could tell me all about Saints. In return, I'll teach you anything I know." (Fia)
Even so, I was known as a great saint in my previous life, so I think my knowledge as a saint was quite impressive.
It wasn't my intention to make a strange suggestion, but Rose seemed to take it differently, raising one eyebrow in displeasure.
"You're so brazen, Fia. The selection meeting for the new First-ranked Saint is about to take place. Why should I have to teach you the supreme techniques that I learned from the current First-ranked Saint before that happens?" (Rose)
"Huh?" (Fia)
Certainly, Queen Dowager, the current First-ranked Saint, must have the best skills in the world today, so there's no doubt that Rose had the most advanced skills.
"Besides, even if Fia was kept secret by the king, if you hadn't studied under a famous saint, there's no way you had any significant skills. I wouldn't learn from you, and it's more likely that you'll teach me false techniques to frame me, huh?" (Rose)
"I wouldn't do that." (Fia)
"It seems like Rose has misunderstood something," I hastily deny.
Then I suggested something I had always thought about.
"Since the number of Saints is limited, shouldn't we all bring together and share the knowledge we have? That's what I think, so I'll teach you everything I know and won't give you any false information." (Fia)
Rose shook her head with a stubborn look on her face.
"Sharing knowledge is out of the question. Everyone here wants to become a First-ranked Saint. You are one too. That's why you approached me, I think, to steal my knowledge and then give me false information to bring me down." (Rose)
This was troubling. Maybe I took the conversation in the wrong direction. Now that a misunderstanding has already occurred, I thought it would be difficult to correct it right away.
While I was wondering what to do, the door opened and a clerk came in.
"The carriage is ready, so we will now move to the judging venue."
Rose quickly stood up and looked down at me.
"If you thought I was naive and easy to manipulate, then I'm sorry! Whatever knowledge I have gained is mine alone." (Rose)
I didn't think that's true. Only by sharing knowledge and technology with everyone could they spread and save many people.
Seeing Rose's stubborn expression, I realized that it would be difficult to persuade her right away, so I followed the clerk, wondering what to do.
Afterwards, the Saints participating in the selection meeting split into groups of four and boarded the carriage. Once everyone was aboard, the three carriages started moving at once.
It seemed like they were heading to town, I thought, as I looked over at the other Saints riding with me, but they just stared back at me with blank expressions. Eye contact was a sign of interest, right? So, I smiled brightly, determined not to give any misunderstandings this time.
"Hello, I'm Fia Ruud! Until recently, I've been living in my home far from the royal capital, so this is the first time I've met you all. I've never been to church, and I don't know much about saints, so I'd be happy if you could teach me all about it. Also, if there's anything I can do to help, please let me know." (Fia)
It seemed I spoke too much in one go, and the Saints looked wary.
There was a misunderstanding when I talked to Rose earlier, so I wonder if there was something wrong with my conversation skills and that was why they were taking a step back.
Uuuu, everyone just stared at me in silence, so I was feeling disheartened, wondering if it was going to fail again, when one of the Saints spoke up in a brusque tone.
"If you've never been to church, are you attending this selection meeting through a special recommendation?"
"Yes, it's a recommendation from the king." (Fia)
I was happy that they were interested in me, so I replied honestly, but the Saints clenched their lips when they heard what I said.
"I see... You're one of the favorites, aren't you?"
"Favorite?" (Fia)
Well, the word "favorite" came up here again.
In the Knights' Order, "favorite" meant "the strongest knight," so in this case I guessed it meant "The most capable saint."
"Isn't this a selection meeting to choose that?" (Fia)
The First-ranked Saint selection meeting was held to choose the most outstanding Saint, right? When I answered thinking that, one of the Saints shrugged her shoulders.
"That's the official stance, but the Saints who live within the church already have an unspoken hierarchy. I've never been told the exact ranking, but everyone has some idea of it based on the church they belong to and their usual positions."
The Saint sitting next to me nodded as if in agreement.
"That's right. So, among the ten people participating today who were recommended by the church, there is an estimated number one and an estimated number ten. By the way, the top three people recommended by the church all belong to the cathedral. I think those three are the only ones who are seriously aiming for first place in this selection meeting."
The remaining Saints shrugged their shoulders in resignation.
"The remaining group recommended by the church were gathered from all over the kingdom to maintain a regional balance, but everyone knows that they are weaker than the Saints from the Cathedral. So, I don't think any of the Saints who came from the provinces have any intention of becoming number one. By the way, I was called from the southern region, so I came with the intention of sightseeing in the royal capital."
I was surprised that all three of them spoke to me so openly, even though it was our first meeting.
"Ummm... all three of you are so friendly and willing to talk to me. I'm very happy." (Fia)
Although there were kind saints like Charlotte, Sariella from Sutherland, and Estelle from Count Peiz family, they were always reserved when speaking to me in groups, so I was happy to see the attitude of the three in front of me. When I honestly told him that, they looked at me in amazement.
"Well, I don't think you're surprised by this. If you ask me, Fia is the one who's unusual."
"That’s right, being recommended by the king is not a position where you can compete with Saint Rose, who was recommended by the First-ranked Saint, or Saint Priscilla, who was number one recommended by the church. Saint Rose was holding you back just now, so she must be aware of you. If there is a sulky and silent saint in this place, it must be you. Moreover, with your hair that red, it’s not surprising that you’re arrogant and corrupt."
"You have truly magnificent red hair. A saint with hair that color would normally look up to the sky and say we're no match for you."
My eyes widen at the words that pop out one after another. Well, it seemed like a very friendly attitude, but I guessed that's what they call camaraderie. Maybe people were kind enough to talk to me because they thought I was a saint.
And, in reality, I was a saint, so I was not deceiving anyone. With this in mind, I smiled brightly, feeling happy to be able to converse amicably with the Saints.
Author's Note
Thank you for always reading!
We are pleased to announce that the 9th volume of the novel, which will be released on October 18th, will come with a special short story as a bookstore bonus.
Details are listed in the activity report, so please take a look if you are interested.