Vol 2 Chapter 3 (1/2)

Chapter 3

For generations in this world’s only country, Sibelius, it was tradition for the saint, always a maiden, to serve the royal family There was only ever one of these in the world, an extreirl with the Holy Mark on her neck This was the only proof needed for a saint; it didn’t matter whether one was born as a noble or as a peasant, so long as one had that ed by the royal palace and welcomed in In other words, without the holy ed as a saint

Whenever the previous saint drew her last breath, it was a given that the following year a new saint would be born It was a rule of the country that the saint had to be discovered before she reached her 15th year and welcomed into the royal palace; and, as she entered the royal palace, it was necessary for her to be joined with the young ement ceremony If this wasn’t done, then it was said that a disaster would befall the kingdo history of Sibelius, there were only three instances where a saint had not been welco the first tireat flood and 40 of the population died; during the second tidom clashed and all three poere destroyed in the civil war; during the third, an epidemic had spread and it was reported that 40 of the population had died Because of these, the entrance of the saint into the royal palace was not just an issue limited to the powers of the country, but a serious event all of the people in the country looked forward to

In this way, the existence of a saint was one that the country could not be without, but these women were also endoith ht and those who could readall the saints shared When a saint approached death, the Holy Mark on their neck disappeared And once the Holy Mark disappeared, within three years, the saint was sure to pass away For that reason, it was custodom to use that as a reference to decide on the next First Holy Knight A child, born when the current saint’s Holy Mark disappeared, would be raised to becoeneration’s saint Up to now, everything went sh it was not a proble as they hadn’t reached 15, they were generally discovered when they were young and ht, they were raised to accept their duty from the moment of their birth Naturally, their preparedness would be solid and their bonds deep

But, of its own accord, this time was different

First, it took an extre time to find the saint Celiastina was an abandoned child, one that was not doted on and grew up in the corner of a declining orphanage The director and his wife e between the two of thee amount of children there “alive”, and so they didn’t keep a particular eye on Celiastina It took a very, very long time for the Holy Mark on her neck to be noticed In most cases, it is at the request of the parents themselves that most saints are discovered, but if there is no one who comes forward then the search becomes extremely difficult By the time the director approached Celiastina, who had hts and noticed the mark on her neck for the first ti in a mood of despair At any rate, the country of Sibelius, which had somehow located its saint, burst into excitehout the country; her unlucky upbringing gr

eatly helped in attracting the people’s concern Moreover, her beauty which surpassed that of all previous saints ht, who had been brought up and raised under personal care, hadht in the future of their kingdom

–However, Celiastina passed her time obediently in the royal palace only for the first two years When she becaed It was as if her obedience up to then had been a lie At any rate, there was a change

Her change was known only to those in the royal palace To the coer of God

But the present Yuna had no way of knowing that

Yuna was surprised when she woke up in theentered her vision Upon wondering where she was, she immediately cast her vision about, and what she saw seemed to be the bed canopy The thin lace that covered the area fluttered and swayed froed in the middle of that

(Ah, that’s right)

As expected, she was able to remember her situation quicker than the time she woke up at the riverside yesterday She was Celiastina and this was her luxurious room She had been rescued fro over, she fell asleep

“Good , Lady Celiastina”

A maid said in an apathetic voice It looks like she had been the one to open the

For aout to, but when she quickly realized that it was herself she raised her head… just when she had confirmed her situation too I am Celiastina, I am Celiastina; Yuna chanted this like a spell

“Good ”

When Yuna lowered her head sincerely, theunbelievable Was she not supposed to use polite words?

“Please wait a e your clothes”

The et those words out, so Yuna lihten her any further Besides… so, but did she have to use e as well?

Her premonition was realized Soon, two , loaded on a tray, was placed solemnly on a table

“Lady Celiastina, please excuse us”

Thebe like this? Oh, co she’d want to pass on

“Uh…”

Even as she wondered if this would end the same way it did yesterday, she couldn’t let this happen without resistance

“By yourself, my lady?”

“Erm, well, it’s definitely not because you people are nuisances Please believe e to be…”

Even though she tried to choose words that would not provoke them as much as possible, it seemed useless The maids were completely flustered

“U-U as to offend you, Lady Celiastina?”

“N-No! Look, wouldn’t you people think it’s weird to be changed by soht have allowed this to happen up to now as if it were natural, but honestly I felt a little embarrassed”

Ah, it’s no good Thetheas if they were frozen, Yuna had no choice but to draw back this ti more unreasonable, Yuna entrusted herself to the ed her with extremely aard motions Once the preparations were done, theaway

(Uhtened)

Even someone like Yuna noticed that The maids and everyone were scared of her; they finished their work in the shortest time possible so that they could leave and avoid any unnecessary interactions

(Who is Lady Celiastina? Is she that scary of a person?)

It looks like that was the case And that hy if she behaved even with the slightest bit ofat her like she was a monster

(Just what kind of person was the Lady Saint?)

Oh dear… just as she was sighing there was the sound of a light knock Please enter, she said these brief words and soon the door opened, allowing a man to enter the room in a leisurely manner

As soon as she saw the htly and, for a second, Yuna’s breathing stopped

(Again!)

While being confused by the ha beat of her heart, Yuna looked down and furrowed her brows This was the saer towards the wo born froht now? Just what exactly was this feeling? She didn’t know the reason

As the throbbing of her heart slowly lessened, Yuna pulled herself together and raised her face The man who entered her room looked like he was a bit past his mid-twenties His hair was a deep brown, a shade darker than the door, and tied into one bundle where it flowed behind hientle smile and his appearance looked kind, she could feel soht about it, she felt like this was the first ti here

“It seems like you really are unharmed, hm”

She was surprised at his voice Even people like that i man and Yodel used terms of respect towards her, and yet this person… Could he be the king or someone in a position linked to that?

“Hm? What’s the matter?”

“Nothing…”

“You aren’t feeling unwell, right?”

Yuna gave a small nod

“But”

“?”

“You’re acting quite strange”

Startled, her body became stiff This only deepened the other’s suspicions, and he narrowed his eyes to observe her closely

“Celia”

“Yes?”

She was also surprised to hear him call the saint by a nickname Who was this? Could he be Celiastina’s lover?

“What on earth is the s”

What the heck ith that expression When she glared at hinantly, he smiled with amusement

“Yes, yes, that’smore like you would be if you said “What? Just who are you speaking those words to? Do you want to become dust?””

Yuna became speechless at those words

“As I thought, it’s strange”

“……”

“Celia, try saying my name”

“Uh”

“You can’t possibly say you forgot it, or soht?”

“Uhhhmm”

“Celia”

“……”

It’s no good, she couldn’t trick hi but surrender to soe in a one to tord conversation

“…… Um, I don’t know I’m sorry”

When she answered apologetically, the eabout She really didn’t know

After soain

“Amnesia?”

That’s right! Yuna was hit with that sudden realization This was good In this case, so a walk in the forest, her foot slipped and she fell into the river, and then lost her o with that

“Somehow, that seems to be the case”

“Is that so?”

Even though he was the one who brought it up, the man tilted his head, and then walked directly up to Yuna He watched attentively as she unconsciously clasped both her hands and then suddenly grasped her chin, raising her face up Even though she wanted to raise her voice and ask hie situation where she couldn’t resist There was not a speck of sweetness in this atmosphere, instead a tense air wrapped around the room Her opponent had a serious expression and looked carefuly into Yuna’s eyes

“Is it just memory loss? You know, I don’t think so Your eyes have the color of a guilty conscience I didn’t think you would try to deceiveWhat’s the reason as to why you’ve become as meek as a lamb and obedient?”

A really worrisoue inwardly as she thought this But, if she considered this cal she needed There was a limit to what she could do in the er If that was the case, wasn’t it better for her to have at least one ally? Having that on her ave up and opened her mouth

“I… am not Celiastina”

And then she began to speak haltingly She spoke about how Celiastina’s soul was exhausted, how God orried greatly about that, and how he took her soul to be cared for In the meantime, she was a completely different soul sent here to maintain Celiastina’s body

Of course she didn’t talk about the suicide She also didn’t know the true identity of the lights and so decided to gloss over them and call them God But even so, , these contents weren’t so one could accept but the lad

One she finished her story froh of relief This wasfor one person to be saddled with, and it was an unbearable story This story was one that was too large for one person to be saddled with and she alht have wanted soht

Thefor so, solemnly nodded

“Well, this is a story that deviates wildly from common sense, but it is true that you are not Celiastina I cannot think of you as anything but a pure and innocent girl, without an ill-natured bone in your body Even if you were acting, Celiastina wouldn’t be able to have such clear eyes”

If he believed her then it’d save her a lot of trouble, but his words were unexpected

“U-Um, who are you?”

“H, huh I am Linus Ventris, an advisor to this country’s prime minister”

“Advisor to the prime minister?”

As she thought, he was an important person It was difficult for Yuna, who had been a coine but if he worked under a person who could influence the politics of this country, then there was no doubt that he had considerable status

“And I auardian”

“I-I see”

In other words, he acted as Celiastina’s foster parent In that case, she could understand his informal attitude to her

“Anyway, that’s enough about me You say you are to live here in place of Celiastina but your personality and thoughts are 180 degrees different I’ht”

“Was Lady Celiastina that… u?”

“A, huh”

It’s not what one says, it’s how one says it, Linus seehed in an amused way

“Oh yes, she was quite aly twisted personality; a person ould not let anyone get close to her, and one ould do whatever she pleased I don’t need to say how everyone looks at you with doubtful eyes, right? That’s how it is”

“There are moments that come to mind, yes Like how everyone stands on ceremony”

On the contrary, there were also people who showed a cold attitude that couldn’t be settled with just the words “stand on ceremony”

“Um, are you familiar with the person who found me yesterday?”

“Do you mean Asyut?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t even know his name”

“The black-haired and dark-eyed handso man?”

Yes, most likely that person Yuna nodded slowly

“He is the First Holy Knight In other words, Celia’s fiancé”

“–WHAT!?”

That person was her fiancé!? Even though he showed such hatred towards her!? Yuna was reflexively taken aback

“T-Things don’t see very well, are they?”

“Yes, that’s right, Celia is hated by him”

“But, why…?”

Oops, Linus seemed to say as he smiled and shook his head

“I’m not such an uncouthcouple”

“I-I’m sorry”

Realizing that she had asked a very obtrusive question, Yuna shrank back

“Ohto be Celia from here on, you will fall short like that Come now, throw your chest out more”

“But I don’t know a single thing about Lady Celiastina What should I do?”

That’s right, Linus seeht

“Then how about I tell you a bit about Celiastina’s daily life?”

For exa

“When theIt hurts obviously” and glare sidelong at the, every time you have to complain about at least three dishes When people who pass by greet you, you say “Shut up” once every three tireet you, you say coldly “Who do you think you are?” and iarbage on the path you are walking, you will i times of prayer in the cathedral, you will face the priest who is doing a long ser on purpose… Hm, yes, that’s about it for now”

Being told these outrageous things in such a bright tone, Yuna was frozen She turned his words over in her s really be settled into a category by using a sord like “ill-natured”? Also, are these things that she would have to do in the future?!

(Impossible)

Yuna was led to that conclusion without even a second of hesitation

“Until the real Celiastina returns I will act like I am amnesic It’s impossible for me to act in a way that won’t make people think I’m weird”

“I suppose so I’m fine with that… but, Celia”

Is there lanced at him

“There are people you must be cautious about They are people ould not show you any mercy even if you told them you were amnesic”

“W-Who?”

“The priestess, Yodel Vidoria House Vidoria is a faenerations They have equal, if not ht”

That nareeted her at the gates last night Yuna had thought that she was an important person the moment she saw her, but to think it was to this extent

“For a long ti Celia’s personality that -willed as well At any rate, Sister Yodel treats Celia like an enemy and also has influence so she quarrels with Celia without much tierous There are also ru to abase the saint’s authority”

Goodness, weren’t there nothing but enemies around the saint!? Moreover, even a person as supposed to get along with the saint seeard her with hostility This really made Yuna concerned for the future

“Lastly”

“… is there so more?”

No matter what he said, she wouldn’t be surprised

“You don’t need to use such polite language towardsCelia’s body act so humbly is creepy”

She blanked at that unexpected change in topic But she was thankful for those friendly words and obediently nodded And, as if he were satisfied, Linus grinned and stroked Yuna’s hair

“You’re a good girl, Celia”

Celia, that was such a nice nickna found someone to share her secret, Yuna quietly let her hair be stroked

Of course Yuna didn’t know this but apparently the saint had a daily routine of attending a Cere Due to Linus’ visit, she completely skipped out on that daily routine Yuna became depressed at how this would just make everyone’s impression of her worsen

It wasn’t that Linus also didn’t know but, originally, he came to see to see Celiastina’s state just a bit before the worshi+p He would never have dreamed that her soul had been replaced with another person It was no wonder that the topic of the worshi+p hadn’t been brought up

“You are still feeling unwell froht’s events and thus was absent from today’s worshi+p I’ll settle it like that”

“Yes, I arateful”

“No, your language”

“I-I apologi–… ack”

Linus gave a wry s Yuna flustered

“Celia, just now you said you wanted to ht? I support that, but I don’t think you should claim it openly”

“For what reason? No, I mean, uh… why?”

“Up until now, you have been behaving with extreme eccentricities, and now it has become a situation where there are those who question the state of things with you as a saint That is also a reason as to why Sister Yodel treats you like an ene as there is the Holy Mark on your neck, people won’t actually interfere with you Nevertheless, it is undesirable to mess around and increase your eneht was the cause of your amnesia then, not just your enee of you and it could bring about a lot of trouble”

The Ae commotion

“Nonetheless, it would be i the same I believe it would be best to talk about your amnesia only to those necessary People who could back you up as if it were no big deal”

“Ah……”

“For example, someone like your fiancé, Asyut”

“…… ah”

Upon reaze, Yuna felt reluctant If she said she was amnesic it see of covering for her

“He will ie about you Of course, you don’t intend to tell anyone about replacing Celiastina’s soul and things like that, right?”

“Yes, of course not I wasn’t intending to tell anyone but you, Linus”

“If that’s the case, maintain your expressions well and behave as much like Celia as possible And if people frown at you, you can indirectly hint at your amnesia But do that conservatively You can keep that up until that girl returns eventually, right?

Although it was summarized concisely, it was not as easy as it sounded for Yuna She was just an ordinary girl that one could find anywhere, and yet she was to act occasionally like a wicked woirl who lost her memories…… If she could act like that, there was no mistake that she would have led a h that life was already finished

“Well then, please rest here for a while longer I will go and explain today’s absence to the priests in the chapel, and tell the for the nobles just before noon”

“Huh!? W-W-What is this Cere?”

“Because a nu, you receive the It’s just that kind of ceremony, don’t worry”

“Even if you say that… hat kind of words should I say?”

“H, shouldn’t you go to a barbershop and ask for a wig?” to Lord Boundi today”

…… she shouldn’t have asked

“I’s in a sarcastic tone like how Celia used to Just think of it as a place to practice acting cruel Even the nobles who turn up aren’t expecting sords from you They are conditioned to sharp words –Now then, I’ll come by later to pick you up so be nice and quiet for a short while”

“…… Yes, of course”

“Also, language again Be careful”

“…… okay”

Her journey ahead was going to be full of trouble

During the ti in her room for Linus, no one else came to visit

Did the girl, Celiastina, spend her ti bored What awaited her next was aceremony Once that was over, would she come back and pass the ti to repeat every day, she would definitely grow to hate it Certainly, it wasn’t like she had dramatic days in her previous life, but there were rew personally and set up in her store, various dishes she studied, friends who entertained her, and holding and looking after her relative’s baby None of that was particularly special but they were definitely scenes of a precious tiht now, they felt like such far away things

“Haa…”

Not having anything to do, Yuna threw herself down onto her bed What exactly was she supposed to do before noon? What did Celiastina do? As far as she could see, there were just high-class looking furnishi+ngs that were arranged coldly and inhu around in this room was reckless

(Ah, that’s it)

Yuna realized it She couldn’t feel any suggestion of a person living in this roo she felt was fro in from the balcony As soon as she realized this, Yuna felt homesick

(No, I don’t want to stay in this room)

I want to go holy But it was too late, she remembered there was no place for her to return to anymore

She would never again return to those trifling days which weren’t anything special

(I didn’t leave anything behind Because I thought those days would keep on going I never thought I would suddenly lose them like this If–… if I could return back to that tis I’d want to do It was alrass into the garden I wasn’t donethe h she said that Yuna’s ht with Rin

Things she wanted to do and things she hadn’t done rapidly came to ive up on the things she normally did

“If I could return to those days, I would tell my dad and mom that I loved them dozens of times”

At the very least, she tried to say the things she hadn’t said, but there was no one here to reply to her

The year will surely be long This tiiven to her as Celiastina This time she could see the end And that’s why she didn’t want to leave behind any regrets

Even if that wasn’t time as “Yuna”

Just like he said, Linus came to pick up Yuna some time around noon

On their way to the blessing room, she was instructed as to how to act as Saint Celiastina She was told to be arrogant, listless, and offensive Was there no positive advice?

“The rest is just a forreet you first but all you do is just say one word of blessing, without returning their greetings There is even of them, so just repeat that Once everyone is done, they will excuse theht?”

“But what are the words of blessing?”

“Don’t worry about it and just say so appropriately sarcastic Don’t think too hard”

“Appropriately sarcastic” he says! Sorry, but she’s never done anything like saying appropriately sarcastic things However, even though he said so like that, Yuna didn’t have a response and so she quietly held her tongue They went passed through the courtyard of the royal palace to the roo at the entrance, Yuna passed through alone

The rooly sonal roohts frohtly From the entrance, she could see several stairs deep inside and they reached an altar at the top The structure of the roo more divine

She ascended to the altar Somehow, this space reminded her of “that tireatly driven crazy Where was the ht about a second life for her?

“Please excuse us”

There was a sudden voice sonified-looking doors opened A ave a deep bow and entered the roo that, six men did the same and entered

Yuna i She psyched herself up toherself up, doubts floated by about how she was already far fro listless

Leaving that in her mind as it was, she solemnly went forith the ceremony

The men lined up in a row in front of the altar Everyone earing tailored and dazzling clothes and they were just like the ie of “aristocrats” that Yuna had in herherself but for Yuna, as a co theh her breath stopped

“Lady Saint, my name is Delioru Yubius”

The rightmost man opened his mouth abruptly

“Please grant ”

It was extremely frank It was so direct that Yuna’s mind went blank Sarcasm She was supposed to be sarcastic in such a holy atmosphere That was impossible

“…… Um”

Yunaher presence ofbut keep their heads lowered and no one interjected

“…… I grant you the blessing of our God, Vida”

Unable to endure the atmosphere of this place, she spoke some extremely normal and mediocre words As soon as that happened, the ht