“Wow…”
Even though it was the same Temple, the condition was this different.
When Edith let out a sound of admiration, the Duchess smiled as if finding her cute.
“The temple is quite large, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It really is.”
“When you were young… ah, no. Everyone reacts like that when they come here for the first time.”
The Duchess, who had been continuing her words, quickly corrected herself, as if young Edith had naturally come to mind. It seemed it had become more of a trauma than she thought.
“And it is really amazing. Let us go see other places too.”
“Hoho, let’s do that.”
Soon after, as if he had been notified, even the High Priest arrived, and he willingly volunteered to guide Edith around the temple.
It was truly vast, and even after walking quite a while, there were still many things to see.
“Are you alright?”
“I want to rest a bit. I also want to see the prayer hall.”
But knowing that it was still difficult for Edith to walk a lot, they decided to stop the tour here. Fortunately, there was a scheduled mass, so they decided to attend.
When the High Priest naturally tried to move to the front row, Edith chose a seat in the back.
Because the prayer hall was so large, sitting in the back seemed better for leaving midway. Of course, she had no intention of listening to the entire mass.
She only said she would attend mass because she planned to slip out alone under the excuse of going to the restroom and see Reminus.
The Duchess said that anything was fine as long as Edith liked it, so she took a seat in the back, and in the end, the High Priest sat with them as well.
Not long after, people began to arrive one by one in the prayer hall, and once it was filled, the mass began.
The priest started speaking in a loud voice, and the Duchess, as a devout believer, listened to the sermon with great focus.
‘Ugh, I’m sleepy…’
Unlike her, Edith had to struggle to stay awake.
When she felt she couldn’t endure it any longer, Edith stood up, saying she would go to the restroom as planned.
She firmly stopped anyone from following her and came out alone.
“Phew.”
After leaving the prayer hall and walking a few steps, she felt a bit more awake.
Edith lightly slapped her cheeks and blended into the crowd, searching for an empty prayer hall. And finally, she found one located in a secluded place.
The moment she stepped inside and closed the door—
[Hello.]
Reminus also appeared as if he had been waiting, as though he already knew that Edith had come to the temple. Though even so, he was visible only as a blindingly radiant halo.
“…It has been a while, has it not?”
[Has it? Well, human time passes quickly. More importantly, how is the new body?]
“It is good, but there are a few strange things.”
[Hm? Did a problem occur?]
Edith spoke about the memories she had experienced during that time.
[…Really?]
“Is there a problem?”
Because his voice sounded quite serious, Edith’s expression also grew serious along with it.
[It is not exactly a problem, but it is strange.]
“Is that so?”
[Yes, it is not common. Even if the body and soul are well harmonized, I have never heard nor seen memories that did not exist returning. In truth, a case like yours is not common either.]
“So in any case, there is no issue?”
[…How does it feel to you? Does anything feel wrong?]
“Rather than feeling wrong, it feels unpleasant, like I am peeking into someone else’s memories. It also feels strange.”
It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t something that had absolutely never happened either, and even after thinking carefully, he had never seen a case like this.
Still, it didn’t seem completely impossible. Reminus thought that there simply hadn’t been a case, but that it could happen.
[Have many memories surfaced?]
“Not really, but this time, when I saw a toy young Edith used to play with as a child, I got a headache and collapsed.”
[…Hm.]
Even after examining again, there was only one soul within Edith’s body.
It wasn’t the same situation as when she had been Aisha.
“Why do you keep sighing? Please answer me instead.”
As Edith anxiously stomped her feet, only then did Reminus realize that he had been too serious.
It wasn’t exactly a serious problem.
[No, it is not what you are thinking. I am seeing this for the first time as well.]
“You are seeing it for the first time?”
[Yes. Normally, the body and soul are separate. But extremely intense memories might be transferred.]
“Extremely intense memories..”
Edith nodded as if something came to mind and muttered quietly.
But from the moment he first found this body, something had seemed strange…
[Edith.]
“Yes?”
No matter how he looked at it, this body was the vessel of a Saint. The Saint he had searched for so long.
Because it had been an empty body, he had been unsure, but now that he met it again with a soul inside, he was almost certain.
However, perhaps because another soul was inside the Saint’s vessel, something about it was subtly twisted.
Because their wavelengths matched well, there shouldn’t be any problems arising in this body, but he didn’t know what that strange distortion was.
“Why are you like that?”
Would she be able to use divine authority?
Reminus narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Edith.
Of course, Edith couldn’t see what expression he was making, but if it truly was the vessel of the Saint, then not merely something like this halo, but direct manifestation would be possible.
Moreover, even the weather problem that was currently an issue could be resolved immediately.
[Do you perhaps have any intention of becoming a Saint?]
Even if only a half-complete one.
“Excuse me?”
[No, you must become one.]
He had wondered why no Saint had been born, but it seemed that only the body had remained while the soul had disappeared somewhere and hadn’t reincarnated…
He had certainly never heard that the soul of the Saint had appeared in the underworld. If so, where had the Saint’s soul gone? But for now, the important thing was that at least the body existed.
***
A Saint, out of nowhere.
“What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?”
At the sudden demand, harsh words slipped out of Edith’s mouth.
She knew that the Valencia territory had fallen into such chaos because there was no Saint, but had even God gone mad?
When she demanded an explanation, Reminus spoke.
To summarize Reminus’s words in one sentence, it meant that he had found the Saint, but she wasn’t complete.
“…This body is the vessel of the Saint?”
[That is correct.]
She couldn’t tell whether to call this fortunate or unfortunate.
“Is that okay? Where did the saint’s soul go?”
[…We will have to find it.]
“If you find it, then what happens to me…?”
Suppose the Saint’s soul was found.
At present, the one occupying this body was herself. Reminus had asked her to become a half-complete Saint.
That meant the Saint’s soul would have to be placed into this body for the complete Saint to be restored.
[…You will absolutely not be harmed. I promise.]
Reminus spoke in a serious voice.
Everyone spoke like this when making promises that were only words, but once the real Saint appeared, who knew what would happen.
Surely a God wouldn’t deceive her?
Perhaps sensing Edith’s distrustful gaze, Reminus shouted in an indignant voice.
[I will even swear an oath as a God.]
Yes. He should at least do that much.
Moreover, Reminus had granted her request even though he had no obligation to.
Just as Aisha had said, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him, as a God, to send her back, an otherworld soul, to where she belonged.
But he hadn’t done so. Edith knew that was Reminus’ mercy.
“Alright. What do I need to do?”
In any case, she had received something, and since occupying this body was her responsibility, she ought to do as he wished.
[I will imprint the mark of the Saint.]
“Right now?”
[Yes.]
Then suddenly she remembered the Valencia Duchy, which had been suffering floods because there was no Saint.
“But if that happens, will House Valencia’s situation improve a little too?”
[It will.]
It was a favor she was going to grant anyway, but if it could help House Valencia as well, that would be even better.
[Then I will imprint the mark.]
“Wait!”
[Hm?]
“…But I do not want to become too famous.”
[You would be a Saint. There will be many occasions where you must stand before people.]
She knew that, but even now she was already famous enough as the daughter of House Capanteni and for having awakened after twelve years.
On top of that, she was already caught up in rumors of remarrying Duke Valencia.
If the title of Saint were added to that as well, there would be chaos without even needing to say it.
Above all, was she not the very existence the Temple had been desperately searching for?
“I have not even adapted to daily life yet.”
[…You said you liked it.]
“I mean, I do like it, but that is different.”
[What is different? Just let me imprint the mark.]
He had been pretending to be dignified, but since Edith wasn’t being very cooperative, it seemed his usual tone was slipping out.
[You said you would become a Saint.]
“I will, but please do it quietly. There will not be any problems if you imprint the mark, right?”
[…Ha. The very status of being a Saint is something loud, yet you ask for it to be quiet. That is a very difficult request. Since you are only half-complete, you must have the mark imprinted in order to use your authority.]
“Authority?”
From what Edith had seen in novels, the role of a Saint was something like a battery of divine power.
It would be useful in times of war or national crisis, but otherwise, she would probably live in the Temple helping others.
Of course, in most novels, whenever a Saint appeared, there was always a national crisis.
Even now, the Valencia territory was suffering floods, and people were crying out for and searching for the Saint, but she had never seriously thought about what the role actually was.
She had only thought it must be helpful if one existed.
[A Saint gains the power to control the weather.]
“What? Not divine power?”
[Of course there is divine power as well. But a Saint is a messenger of God, chosen directly by God.]
It seemed to be a far greater existence than she had thought.
“Why make it so complicated? Could you not just use your authority yourself, Lord Reminus, and stop the floods?”
[Even as a god, I am restricted in the mortal world. The fact that I can only appear before you in this form is also one of those restrictions.]
In the end, it meant that no matter how powerful a god was, he couldn’t directly help without a Saint.
The Saint was a far more important existence than she had realized.
“But you said I am only half-complete. What is different from a complete Saint?”
[Well. I have never seen a half-complete one either.]
“You are a god, yet there is so much you do not know.”
[Watch your irreverence.]
In any case, Reminus seemed to ponder Edith’s request for a moment, and soon answered.
