During the first half of my visit to Sutherland, I was given a very important role.
It's a big role to play a "beautiful, noble, and compassionate saint." Yes, I truly think I was perfect for the role.
After all, it's me!
In my previous life, I was given the honorific title of "Great Saint" and I think I was respected by everyone. Now, 300 years later, it was unclear whether the Great Saint's image had been glorified over time, whether she had been passed down as she was, or whether she was simply an insignificant person.
I didn't know, but since faith in the Great Saint was strong here, I didn't think she could be said to have anything bad to say about it, right? …Huh, but the saints of today are warped, and yet everyone still accepts them, so even if a warped image of the great saint is passed down, does that mean that's just how it is?
Wait, wait! I was a good kid with good common sense. I was given strict and strict training by her guard knight Canopus and her royal guard Captain!
I consciously straightened my back, put on a serious expression, and looked in the mirror. ...Oh, maybe I can pull off a straight face after all? It's a pretty manly expression. While I was thinking that and looking at myself in the mirror, not entirely opposed, I heard a voice call out to me from behind.
"...Fia, I don't know what your image of the Great Saint is, but doesn't the Great Saint have a calmer expression? Or is she angry at something... or at the whole world? In your words, is she angry because 'the Great Saint has become distorted'?" (Cyril)
Looking at me from behind in the mirror, Captain Cyril called out to me with a difficult look on his face.
"Captain Cyril, please stop with your false accusations! I'm just putting on a bold and dignified expression. I'm not angry about anything. How about it, just by standing there I look full of dignity and nobility, don't I?" (Fia)
"...I'm not familiar with such things, so I can't sense it, but I'm sure Curtis will be able to express it accurately." (Cyril)
Captain Cyril avoided making a clear statement and casually switched the role of describing me to Captain Curtis.
"Hey! Captain Cyril! There's no way I can express something that you can't express! ... Ah, Fia, how should I put it... I see a knight with red hair and an angry expression." (Curtis)
"That's exactly what I mean! Captain Curtis lacks the ability to use imagination to interpret things that cannot be seen! And more to the point, I'm not angry in the first place! I'm just tightening my expression." (Fia)
Even though I was making a valid point, Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis looked a bit hesitant and did not agree with what I was saying.
...No good, these two. Their sensitivity is too low, they can't sense my nobility at all. I quickly decided to give up on these two.
After apologizing for my polite departure, I left Captain Cyril's office. Then I returned to my assigned room and pulled out a light blue dress from my suitcase.
I thought that if I was going to play the role of the Great Saint, it would be better if I wasn't in knight's uniform.
When I put it on, it wrinkled a little, but it wasn't noticeable. The skirt was soft and came down to the knees, and matched seamlessly with my everyday boots.
I spun around once on the spot to check how my skirt was fluttering, then left the room satisfied.
As I passed by Captain Cyril's office, I heard mumblings coming from inside, so it seemed the two of them were still deep in conversation. Thinking it best not to disturb him, I left a message with the butler saying, "The Captain seems busy, so I will go out without saying anything. I am going into town," and then I went out. Of course, the reason I didn't call out to them directly wasn't because I thought it would be uncomfortable walking around town if those two were there to keep an eye on me.
...Great, finally, Captain Desmond's funds will come in handy, right? As I was walking along thinking this, the residents spotted me and came running over to me with excited looks on their faces.
"Great Saint! Welcome back, Great Saint!"
"We have been waiting for you, Great Saint!"
"I'm glad to have you back, Great Saint!"
Everyone had a happy smile on their face and tried to talk to me first.
Well, it was only just a moment ago that the tribe leader told me that I might be the reincarnation of the Great Saint, so I wondered if that word has already spread. Although I was a little surprised, I thought to myself as I looked at their smiles that smiles really suit the people here. The cheerful and good-natured people of this remote island looked best when they were smiling.
I too found myself smiling, but replied with a slightly embarrassed look on my face.
"Thank you for welcoming me. However, I still don't know if I am the Great Saint. I don't have the power of a Saint, and I don't have any memories of when I was the Great Saint." (Fia)
The difficult part here was that I was not playing a "Great Saint" but "Someone who might have been a Great Saint." We must always live within the realm of "maybe." We haven't discussed how to end it, but I think it's best to leave it as "maybe." I didn't think there's any need to disappoint people by concluding that I was "not a great saint."
Either way, even if I played the role of the reincarnation of the great saint, everyone currently believed that I no longer had the powers of a saint, so it shouldn't cause any trouble.
The residents would be pleased that "the one who could have been a great saint" had returned, and they would be glad to be able to give her so much in return. Since Captain Cyril and Captain Curtis had never believed that I was the reincarnation of the Great Saint, once I left this land things would probably continue as they had been.
Besides, demons lived without any contact with humans, so even if there was a bit of a commotion in this area, it's not normal for them to hear anything more than rumors. In the first place, the Demon King's right-hand man told me, "When you're reborn as a saint, I'll definitely find you and kill you the same way again."
So, the current situation where no one thought I was a saint shouldn't be a problem at all, right?
...While I was pondering this, wondering if everything was really okay and if there had been any leaks, some residents came over and started talking to me with smiles.
"Hehehehehe, there's no need to think too hard about it. Although, I have no doubt that she is the Great Saint."
"Yes, I also think you are the Great Saint. But seriously, what beautiful hair you have! It really is the color of dawn!"
The residents complimented me on my red hair, which shone brightly in the sun.
"Oh, really? Thank you very much." (Fia)
I was so happy that I couldn't help but smile along with everyone else, when an elderly woman grabbed my hand with trembling hands.
"Great Saint, welcome back. Thank you for coming at a time like this."
"At a time like this?" (Fia)
I tilted my head and she looked back at me with a tearful expression.
"...No, it's nothing."
I wondered if this means festival time, in other words the same time when I visited 300 years ago, and I squeezed her hand back tightly.
"This is a beautiful place. The sea, the forest, the city, everything is so beautiful. I'm glad I got to visit." (Fia)
"We are also happy to be able to welcome the Great Saint."
The older woman shook his hand once more, bowed deeply, and left.
As I watched them leave without thinking much about it, I saw some children running towards me from the same direction. These were the children I rescued from the Basilisk the day before yesterday.
"Great Saint!"
As they said this, they hugged me one by one.
"Hehehe, kids! You haven't been to the forest since then, have you?" (Fia)
When I picked up one of the children and asked him, he nodded his head vigorously.
"The Great Saint saved me, so I will treasure this life! I will not do anything dangerous!"
"Well, you're a good boy."
As I spoke, I put the child I was holding on the ground, and the remaining children clung to my legs and burst out laughing.
"Great Saint! You are the real Great Saint! I already knew it when I saw you at the sea!"
"Me too! I knew it too! Because you had bright red hair. Mother said that if your hair was the color of red, then it must be the Great Saint."
...I see. So one can be recognized as a great saint based almost entirely on hair color. And that turned out to be the right answer. Maybe the world is a very simple place, huh?
I laughed heartily and walked away, holding hands with the children.
"Okay, then I'll eat with the Great Saint to grow bigger! Now, tell me what tastes good."
"Yes! The most delicious one is that one! It's made by baking various fruits and sprinkling them with sugar! Any fruit is delicious, so choose your favorite!"
The children pointed to a store lined with colorful fruits in red, yellow, and green.
"Well, it certainly looks delicious, isn't it!" (Fia)
I agreed with the kids and we decided to eat the first bright red fruit we saw.
Then, I remembered that Captain Desmond had an abundance of funds, so I generously spent money on the children.
"Now, you guys choose. This is something I discovered; food tastes better when you eat it with others and say, 'Delicious, delicious!!' than when you eat it alone and say, 'Delicious!'" (Fia)
With that, the children began to happily choose the fruits they wanted. Red, yellow, green, orange—the colors of the fruit are vibrant to the eye, and just looking at them was fun.
After making sure all the children had received their gifts, I asked the shopkeeper how much it costed.
"How much is it?" (Fia)
"Huh? ... I, I don't need it, I don't need it! I won't accept money from the Great Saint!"
The store owner waved his hands vigorously to refuse. But I had no choice but to pay.
"Well, even if you say that, it hasn't been decided yet that I am the reincarnation of the Great Saint, so please let me pay." (Fia)
"No, no! If I were to accept payment, my wife would not let me into the house!"
"No, that's ridiculous... I mean, if this is the case, then I'm a fraud using the name of the Great Saint! It's me, I won't be allowed into the mansion by my captain!" (Fia)
As I frantically tried to explain, remembering the pure and innocent face of Captain Cyril, he received covering fire from the surrounding residents.
"That’s no good, Great Saint. The owner of the baked fruit shop is really scary!"
"My father is the son-in-law of this family! He'll really be kicked out of the house! Please save my face for my father."
"Whaaaat?" (Fia)
However, I was outnumbered and overwhelmed, so I ended up leaving the store without using any of my Captain Desmond's funds.
The children were smiling and saying, "Great Saint, it's delicious!" so maybe it's okay?
I bit into the roasted fruit with hesitation, but the moment I took a bite, my eyes widened. It has an interesting crispy texture and a sweet and sour taste that was very delicious.
"Wow, it's really delicious! Wow, the fruit tastes good too." (Fia)
As we walked and talked about how delicious the food was, the children pointed out a shop with a yellow sign.
"Great Saint, Amber Candy! This is the Amber Candy store!"
"The owner here is really good at making amber candy! He can make it in any shape!"
"Hmm?" (Fia)
Does amber candy mean amber colored candy? All the festivals I attended as a child were small in scale, with only a limited number of stalls. Thinking that this was my first time seeing this restaurant, I decided to order.
"Great Saint! Then, although it may be presumptuous of me, I will create you a Great Saint!"
The shopkeeper's enthusiastic voice made me tilted my head. Make me...? What does that mean?
As I watched in wonder, the owner placed a pot on the hot plate and began spilling the candy that had turned into a thick liquid. Apparently, he used liquid candy to draw pictures on the hot plate.
The owner skillfully adjusts the amount of candy flowing from the pot to vary the thickness of the lines, quickly creating an impressive picture. After a while, the shop owner stopped what he was doing, looked at his work, nodded with satisfaction, and placed the stick on top of the candy. The candy hardened quickly on the cold hot plate, and the owner proudly handed me the freshly made amber candy.
"Great Saint, it's done! I made it big so that Great Saint could eat as much as she could."
"………………" (Fia)
I grabbed the handle of the stick and stared intently at the amber candy that had just been handed to me.
...The shop owner certainly has a knack for this. I think it's amazing how he can make candy depicting the great saint in such a short amount of time. But... I guess there was no need to make it so big?
The candy, depicting a long-haired woman in a dress standing with good posture, was truly beautifully made, but unfortunately her figure was more than just chubby; it was baggy.
"...I sometimes have a bloated belly, but generally I'm pretty thin." (Fia)
"Huh? Did you say something?"
"... I said, 'It's a wonderful piece,'" I said. "Thank you very much, shop owner." (Fia)
When I, being an adult, smiled and thanked him, the store owner smiled happily.
Seeing that proud smile, I couldn't help but chuckled softly. Yes, I am now the Great Merciful Saint, so I will turn a blind eye to such a trivial matter!
And so, thinking to myself that the role of the Great Saint must be quite difficult, I left the Amber Candy store with the children, and candy in hand.
Author's Note
Thank you for reading!
We are pleased to announce that the release date for the second book has been set for Friday, November 15th.
(Sorry for the late report. I finally see the end in sight and am confident that I can release it.)
In terms of word count, 30 to 40 percent of new stories have been added compared to the web version.
Each and every one of them turned out to be really fun (note: this is my personal opinion), so I'm happy to be able to share them with you all.
I hope you will read it, so thank you!