OMS Chapter 2

The ritual was completed after we stabbed the sacred tree’s branches into the four corners of the village and let blood drip down.

…When written like this, it sounds like it went smoothly, but it goes without saying that things were a bit of a mess.

For starters, this village’s sacred tree, of all things, had a swing hanging from it—how sacrilegious—and because it hadn’t been pruned, it had grown into quite the enormous tree.

In the end, cutting off a branch was quite a struggle. At one point, I even tried to climb the tree, only to be desperately stopped by the knight.

Anyway, we somehow managed to get a branch from the sacred tree, but the next problem was the blood.

Since no one told me how much was needed, I ended up cutting a little too deep.

The result was blood dripping everywhere.

The knight, who had always maintained a calm demeanor, was suddenly pale and flustered. I wonder why he panicked so much. I mean, it’s not like an old guy losing a little blood is such a big deal.

I’ve always healed quickly from most wounds, and it’s not something to make a fuss over—at least, that’s what I said, but I still got scolded thoroughly and persistently.

To summarize the parts I tuned out: “Please don’t injure your precious body so easily.”

Even if he says that, I’ve been doing farm work, hunting, cooking, and laundry up until yesterday, so I’m used to minor injuries. For small wounds, I don’t even bother treating them, and I’ve got countless old scars to prove it.

I told him not to worry, but instead, the knight’s face turned even bluer.

I don’t think it’s a big deal for a man in his forties to have a few cuts, but apparently, that’s not how it works.

—A Saint, huh…

For now, I’ve just been going with the flow, but it still doesn’t feel real to me.

On the way to the royal capital, the knight, who claimed to be my escort, treated me like some precious cargo, and to be honest, I’m pretty exhausted.

He kept asking, “Are you tired?” or “Are you hungry?” or “Is there anything you need?”—things you’d usually ask a delicate woman, not a guy who’s been hunting and doing farm work his whole life.

I don’t know about this whole ‘Saint’ business, but it’s making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Please, just get me to the capital already… no, wait, am I going to be treated like this even after we get there?

Am I going to be stuck with this awkward treatment forever?

With these worries lingering in my mind, we finally reached the royal capital after a month’s journey.

To me, who had never left the village before, even the towns along the way seemed bustling, but the royal capital was on another level.

The main street was wide enough for six large carriages to pass each other, and it was lined with countless shops. People, people, people, all busily walking back and forth.

I squinted as I looked out from the overly cushy, uncomfortable carriage, overwhelmed by the sheer liveliness.

It was a bit too dazzling for an old man like me.

As I rubbed my tired eyes, the carriage slowed down and came to a stop.

Is this our destination? The knight said, “Please wait here for a moment,” and got off the carriage. While he was gone, I stretched as much as I could.

No matter how luxurious the carriage, sitting in it for so long was exhausting. Honestly, working in the fields would’ve been easier.

As I yawned and rubbed my shoulders, I heard some kind of argument going on outside.

One of the voices sounded like the knight’s.

What’s going on?

Curious, I opened the door and saw the knight standing there, arguing with what looked like a gatekeeper. Our eyes met for a split second.

“I told you already, the Saint has been found! Why are you dragging this old man around?”

The gatekeeper, growing more furious at the sight of me, and the knight, who turned around in surprise.

…It seems they were arguing about how I was being treated.

Gatekeeper, I understand your feelings.

If this old guy were really the Saint, it would shatter a lot of dreams.

“Saint-sama…! Um, well, in that case—”

“Ah, yeah, I’ll just go back then. Sorry for causing a fuss.”

It’s a bit anticlimactic to have come all the way to the royal capital just for this, but I’ll just think of it as a free trip.

If it weren’t for this, I probably never would have left the village. I’ve seen some rare sights, so it was a good experience overall.

I’m a bit worried about the travel costs for the return trip, but I’m sure this kind knight will cover that. Plus, they said they’d compensate me for my time away from the village, so there’s no real problem.

Besides, the idea of me being the Saint was absurd from the start.

I’m honestly relieved it was a mistake.

The poor life suits me just fine.

I’ll just take a small payment for my trouble and get back to tending the fields in the village.

—At least, that’s what I thought, but it looks like it won’t be that easy.

“P-Please wait…! Could you at least stay with us a little longer?”

The knight, his face pale, bowed his head without hesitation.

He’s not the kind of person who should be bowing to a mere villager, so why is he going this far?

I’ve heard that each generation has only one Saint, and if one has already been found, then that person must be the real Saint.

Even if they said it was a mistake on my part, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. Sure, they say there are rare cases where a man becomes the Saint, but that shouldn’t apply to an old guy like me.

Besides, even if both of us were Saints, having one to do the job should be enough. If that’s the case, then it’s first come, first served, and the one who arrived first should stay here.

I feel bad for the knight who went through all the trouble to bring me here, but it’s not something to get so desperate about.

—But, well…

I scratched my head roughly and let out a huge sigh.

When someone begs this desperately, it makes it hard to turn them down.

It’s one thing if it’s a stranger, but I’ve been traveling with him for a month.

I wouldn’t say I feel particularly close to him, but I don’t want to cause trouble for the knight because of me.

He’s taken care of me with such care and attention, enough to make me uncomfortable.

It’s been a bit too much, but he’s done nothing wrong.

“Alright, alright. Just get up already. I’ll leave it all to you.”

Reluctantly, I spoke those words, and the knight’s face lit up with relief.

…I hope this wasn’t the wrong choice.

✢

According to the knight’s explanation, a woman claiming to be the Saint had appeared a few hours before we arrived.

She’s a pure, graceful beauty in her early twenties—no, more like a beautiful young girl. Apparently, she had realized she was the Saint long ago but kept it hidden because she didn’t want to be separated from her sick mother.

Now that her mother has finally passed away, she’s come forward.

It’s a tear-jerking story, straight out of a novel.

“To avoid any mistakes, both of you will meet with the current Saint-sama.”

“No more evaluations?”

“Correct. The details are unclear, but apparently, there’s a way for Saints to recognize each other.”

“Huh.”

I don’t really understand magic, and now there’s some mysterious power that only Saints can use.

The knight explained that it’s originally a ritual performed when passing the title to the next Saint, but they’re moving it up for now.

I have no idea what kind of ritual it’ll be, but hearing that it might take up to a week makes me feel exhausted already.

I’m not good with formal stuff.

I’d much rather be working with the soil.

Well, I guess I’ll just consider it part of the cost of the carriage ride and endure it.

We walked through hallways that felt like a maze, following the knight.

The walls and floors were completely white and polished to the point where, despite being indoors, there wasn’t a single speck of dirt. I wonder how they clean this place.

The ceiling was high, and the doors were big enough that even a knight taller than me could walk through without ducking.

While the decorations were minimal, the atmosphere felt heavy.

As we entered through the door the knight led us to, I found myself in a room about the size of a village church.

The room felt even larger due to the lack of furniture, but it was probably considered small within this enormous palace.

We’d passed a cathedral earlier that could probably hold a thousand people, and even the waiting room they’d taken me to earlier was bigger than my house. They even had a bed big enough for three grown adults to sleep in comfortably.

Of course, I didn’t dare touch it.

In this unusually empty room, the thing that caught my attention was the statue of a god placed at the far end.

Sunlight streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating it, and despite being a stone statue, it seemed almost warm.

Even a guy like me, who grew up in a village with no real religious faith, felt like I might accidentally offer up a prayer.

Though I’ve forgotten the proper way to pray.

As I stared blankly at the statue in the middle of the room, I suddenly heard a commotion behind me.

I turned around to see a beautiful young girl with three knights accompanying her. Even though I’d heard she was twenty-six, her appearance was more fitting for the word “young girl” than “beauty.”

She was wearing a soft, cream-colored dress, looking every bit the part of a Saint.

As soon as she stepped into the center of the room, she knelt and offered a prayer, and I couldn’t help but feel moved.

…But I must’ve stared too much because the three knights glared at me.

I’m sorry for being such a rude old man.

“Haha, when I heard that the Saint had been found, I thought the chief knight had outdone himself, but to think it was that one?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The three knights smirked, while the handsome knight remained calm.

Even as they laughed at him, he stayed composed, which was admirable, but why didn’t this guy waver at all?

Even when they said the Saint had already appeared, and even now when faced with this beautiful young girl who looked exactly like a Saint, he didn’t show any signs of surprise.

It’s as if he’s convinced I’m really the Saint, treating me with care the entire time.

As I was thinking about how strange that was, the door opened again, and another Saint entered, accompanied by knights in navy uniforms.

Her face showed the marks of the years she had lived, and her eyes were filled with a soft, warm light. Though her legs still seemed strong, she looked to be quite elderly. I wonder who’s older, her or the village elder.

When I saw the expression of loving kindness on her face, I instinctively knelt and bowed my head. The Saint slowly approached us.

“Hands, please.”

The elderly Saint stood before the young girl who looked like a Saint and me, her hands outstretched gently.

The authority and dignity radiating from her were divine, making her shriveled, wrinkled hands seem small and frail. I hesitated to place my hands in hers.

I haven’t worked in the fields for the past month, and my injuries have mostly faded, but my palms, which have grown rough from years of calluses, aren’t something that will change overnight.

At the very least, I wiped my hands on my clothes and cautiously placed them on hers.

“Knights, please step closer.”

I felt the air shift as the knights behind me moved forward.

What’s about to happen?

Just as I felt anxiety and tension welling up inside me, my consciousness quickly faded away.

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