Since she believed I had given the patient a perfect treatment, it was only natural that the saint in charge would be annoyed. Faced with the Saint trembling with rage, I frowned, wondering how on earth I could best convey my feelings to her.
Seeing me like that, Anna and the others came over to me, looking worried.
"Fia, I think it's great that you're willing to give some advice out of goodwill! But when you don't have any advice to give, I think it's okay to keep quiet."
"Yes, yes, I can tell how kind you are just by spending a little time with me. I really appreciate your feelings, but there's no need to push yourself."
"Look, there's the doctor's chart. It's an official document from the Selection Committee, so I'm sure there can be no mistakes."
Apparently, in the eyes of the three of them, my advice was unnecessary. Next, Melody timidly opened her mouth, "When you use healing magic to completely heal an injury or illness, you feel a slight sensation of the magic bouncing around at the end. Most of the Saints who will be appearing at the selection meeting should be able to grasp this sensation, so I think they will be able to tell for themselves whether they have completely healed the patient or not."
Ah, so the Saints who participate in the selection committee understand that much, huh? In this case, there are two affected areas, so that sensation should run twice, right? No one seems to have noticed this, so I wonder what's going on. Hmm, if the saints are this talented, it seems like they'll improve rapidly once they get the hang of it.
However, I'm not very good at explaining recovery magic, so even if I explain it carefully, they might not understand. Even 300 years ago, when I was instructing the Saints, they would tilt their heads at my explanations and say, "I don't really understand." So, maybe I had no choice but to give it a try.
...As I was thinking about this, I remembered a conversation I had with Captain Curtis the other day. "There are still demons left in this world. I fear that the demons will find out about your existence, Lady Fi." Although Captain Curtis seemed worried, he stated it firmly.
And then he went on to say more. "Until now, I have thought that as long as you have not made a contract with a spirit, you will not be noticed by the demons. However, the Bird Imitator of Two Crests has been disguised as a human. Therefore, Lady Fi, if it becomes known that you are a highly capable saint and word spreads among the people, I fear that the demons will become aware of your existence."
What he said made sense, so I realized that I had been letting my guard down too much, and I resolved once again to hide the fact that I was a saint. But... just this once, I wonder if it will be fine as long as I can hide my "Great Saint's Powers".
I crossed my arms and thought deeply. In the first place, I had no contract with any spirits, so even if I were to use magic, the Demon King's right-hand man would not immediately become aware of it. The only time there was a chance that I would be found out was if word spread that "There's an amazing saint" and the demon came to investigate.
Like in my previous life, if I were to activate physical strengthening or defensive magic that other Saints couldn't, people would suspect that I might be a great Saint, but otherwise I think I would be able to deceive them. After all, there were many candidates for the First-ranked Saint here, so just because I used a little bit of magic didn't mean I would be called "An amazing saint." Or, since magic was weaker in this life than it was 300 years ago, even if my magic was kept at the same level as the saints at my previous life, I would still be talked about as an incredible saint.
Even now, after being reborn, the presence of the Demon King's right arm still scared me and limits my actions...but, I just couldn't help but feel like if there was anything I could do I would like to do it. All of the saints here were excellent, and if their magic improved, many of the patients they treated in the future would be able to benefit from it.
Besides, this time, I only needed to watch out for the Demon King's right-hand man and I wouldn't have to worry about the other saints or administrative staff at all. After all, I had the intelligent Captain Cyril by my side, so I was sure he would be able to skillfully fool me no matter what I did.
In the first place, since I was planning on leaving the First-ranked Saint selection committee midway through, I probably wouldn't have any contact with the Saints after that and no one would pay any attention to a Saint who left midway and didn't get a ranking. The problem was with the next First-ranked Saint. She would likely marry Commander Savis, so she would have a chance to meet the knights, but it was be unlikely that she would see me—one of the many knights—and realize, "That's the saint from back then!"
Even if she were to notice, I was sure Captain Cyril would be able to skillfully cover it up using Sacred Stone, "Actually, there is something called Sacred Stone, and Fia is just using its power," or something like that. Captain Cyril's competence is really helpful in times like these, isn't it?
Besides, Captain Cyril had asked me to use some great magic to threaten Saint Rose, so I was sure he wouldn't get angry even if I went too far. On the contrary, I thought he would praise me for wearing the Sacred Stone necklace so that I would have any excuse later. With this Sacred Stone necklace, clever Captain Cyril would be able to make any excuse he wanted.
"Okay, I've decided!" I exclaimed.
I explained to Anna and the others that I had read a forbidden book that described the techniques of the Great Saint, and now I thought that was incredibly clever of me. Even if I used magic that would be considered amazing in this life, I should be able to get away with it by simply saying, "I read the forbidden book." With this, I thought it would be okay to use a certain amount of magic in front of them.
Besides, if I were to improve the abilities of the Saints here, wouldn't they all become excellent Saints and I would end up being lost among them? If that's the case, then I should no longer be talked about as a "great saint."
"That's the perfect plan!" I said.
When I looked up confidently, Anna frowned as if she had a bad feeling about something. She then turned to the Saints, who looked impatient and indignant, and said, "Ludmilla, please listen to me. Fia is not a bad girl at all..."
Well, Anna, you're still trying to intervene for me, aren't you? I really appreciate it, but I'm an adult and I should be able to handle some of this myself, you see.
I approached Saint Ludmilla with a smile on my face and asked her a question in a calm voice, "May I take over and treat this patient?"
Ludmilla replied with a look of disgust on her face, "If you think there's still more that needs to be cured, that's your choice! But what you're trying to do is unnecessary, and I'm the one who cured this patient!"
"Of course." I agreed and turned to the patient.
Just as I smiled at the patient, whose expression looked anxious, the administrative officer, who had been standing silently in the corner of the room, suddenly spoke up in a panic, "Oh, please wait! We are currently calling for the doctor who created this patient's chart, so please wait a moment!"
As soon as the clerk finished speaking, there was a flurry of footsteps and a man in a white coat came running in.
Oh, that reminds me, when they explained the first examination, they said, "When the Saint is healed, an administrative officer will always be present, and afterwards, they will check the patient's recovery together with the doctor."
As I watched in admiration, seeing the selection committee following proper procedures, the doctor used various tools to check the patient and then looked uneasy, "I checked as you suggested, and it seems that there is indeed something abnormal with the breathing sounds. However, because it is only a slight difference, I cannot immediately determine whether there is actually something wrong with the chest, and if there is, to what extent."
After hearing the doctor's words, I agreed. Everyone here was a patient selected for the selection committee, so their condition should have been thoroughly investigated beforehand. However, since the doctor was unable to detect the disease, it would be difficult to find it even if he were to examine the patient again in the same way. But, there are saints to heal such patients, right?
"This disease may be a little difficult to detect. However, if we leave it until obvious symptoms appear, it will be more painful for the patient, so can we cure it now?"
As soon as I asked the doctor, Anna grabbed my clothes anxiously, "...Fia, you can stop here."
But then no one would ever know that the patient still had the disease. The convenient thing about magic was that if there was still an ailment on the patient, a third party could see the magic being absorbed into the affected area.
The problem is that my magic is fast, if I cast it normally it would be over in an instant and they wouldn't know what had happened. Okay, let's try applying it slowly, about 100 times faster than usual. Then, to make it easier to understand, let's add more effects than usual. I walked up to the patient and place one hand on the chest.
—— I hoped my magic would help heal the patients. Also, I hoped it would help the Saints improve their magic.
Muttering this to myself, I chanted a spell, "Recovery"
Slowly, slowly. Just repeat that in my head.
Then, my magic was activated with visible speed, flashing brightly on the patient's chest. Or rather, it seemed like I had applied too many effects, so it shone brightly and shiny.
"Oh, I went too far," I reflected, but to my surprise, no one reacted to the light.
The three—Anna, Melody, and Katie—were interested in something completely different.
"Well, why doesn't Fia chant?"
"That's a lie! I've never heard of a saint who could do such a thing!"
"I can't believe it! All Fia said was 'recovery'!!"
"Chanting? Ah, that's it."
As expected of the saints who appear at the selection meeting, they really pay close attention. I opened my eyes wide and looked at everyone in admiration.