“So, in that case, why don’t you take my place as the Saint?”
When I finally voiced what I had been thinking, Emilia’s mouth hung open in shock, and the knights behind me stirred.
They had been so silent, as if they weren’t even there, but it seems my words surprised them enough to break their composure. I couldn’t help but grin at their flustered reactions.
“There are a lot of reasons for this, but can I explain them once we move? You see, the cold floor’s really tough on this old guy.”
“But, Saint-sama, letting her out of the cell is—”
“Officially, it’s an exile sentence. I’d be grateful if you could help, but if you think it’s too much after hearing my explanation, you can still choose that option. I’ve got a house and a field in a remote, rural area if you’d like.”
If I let her live in the house near the forest filled with magical beasts, it could be passed off as an exile. It was the house I lived in, so it’s a bit rundown, but there’s enough land for three people to live off. It’s a poor lifestyle, but Emilia and her mother wouldn’t starve. The villagers are all kind, so I’m sure they’d be accepted quickly.
I stood up, dusted off my backside, and glanced at the troubled-looking knights. One of them reluctantly went to fetch the keys to her chains.
I also asked them to gather all the personal knights of the previous Saint-sama while I stretched and cracked my neck.
Even just sitting on the floor for a little while had left me aching. I wondered if Emilia, who had been chained for thirteen days, was really okay.
…Or maybe I’m just sore because I’m an old man?
✢
We couldn’t leave the late Saint-sama unattended, so we gathered in her quarters. I kept calling it her room, but it was actually the entire inner sanctum of the temple where she had lived. There were rooms for the knights, and even a large room used for meetings.
Only the Saint, her family, and her personal knights were allowed in the sanctum unless someone had special permission from the Saint. It was the perfect place to hold a private discussion.
While waiting for everyone to gather, I started marking the map of the country.
The black circles marked areas where the filth was so severe that it couldn’t be purified remotely and would require a direct visit.
The white circles indicated the places I planned to purify next. I wanted to confirm that my prioritization wasn’t off. While I had inherited the knowledge of past Saints, I needed to make sure there were no discrepancies with the current situation.
It would be easier if everyone could see the room’s floor like I could, but I hadn’t been able to see it either before inheriting the power of the Saint. So, it couldn’t be helped.
As I filled in more and more circles from memory, the map became overwhelmingly black.
It was bad. Really bad.
I just hoped I could do something before the damage became irreversible.
The knights who arrived, one by one, bowed their heads to me, but their faces stiffened when they looked at Emilia.
The crime she committed—impersonating a Saint—was unforgivable in their eyes.
Emilia herself seemed to have accepted her fate, resigned to a death sentence. Maybe that’s just how people in this country think.
Growing up in a village without even a church, my mindset might be quite different.
Once everyone had gathered, I briefly explained what had happened in the dungeon.
I told them I had asked Emilia to take my place as the Saint.
And if she refused, I planned to let her and her mother live in my old house, under the guise of an exile sentence.
That’s all there was to it, but the knights were clearly shaken. It was understandable, since I, the Saint, had just proposed raising up an impostor as my replacement.
“There are a few reasons for this, but here’s the biggest one. The black circles mark areas where the filth is so severe that I’ll need to visit in person to purify them. According to the letter left by the late Saint-sama, this accumulation of filth worsened as her powers weakened.”
“This is… Is this really true?”
“Unfortunately, yes. Around this area, for example, isn’t there already significant damage?” I pointed to a specific spot on the map, and the knights murmured in response.
This reaction seemed like a confirmation. When I glanced at Veerant, he gave me a slight nod, indicating that my assumptions were correct.
It looked like they were beginning to understand just how bad the situation was.
“There’s already this much… But we can’t send the Saint to those places,” some of the knights whispered to each other. I shrugged, knowing this would be their reaction.
Normally, a Saint found at fifteen would never leave the temple again. Every day, they would purify from within the sanctum and rest to recover their sacred power.
The idea was that if anything happened to the Saint, the country would be doomed, so they kept her safe and protected.
But that’s exactly why things had gotten so dire.
If we continue like this, the country will be doomed anyway. If the filth becomes too great to purify, a stampede of magical beasts will erupt, causing unimaginable destruction.
Countless lives will be lost, and the country will be in chaos.
“Once I’ve done all the purifying I can from here, I plan to go to those areas to deal with the filth directly. I have to. But it would be difficult to do that while traveling as the Saint, don’t you think?”
“B-But if something were to happen to you—!”
“About that… Can I get an evaluation sheet?”
When I had the evaluation done back in the village, my level was in the triple digits, and both my stamina and magic power were close to five digits.
At the time, I didn’t have anything to compare it to, so I hadn’t thought much about it. But now, with the knowledge of past Saints, I realize that’s highly unusual.
Previous Saints had magic power levels between one and two thousand. Their stamina was about average for a woman, making it far too dangerous to send them into areas where magical beasts roamed. They’d just end up dead.
But I think I’d be fine.
I’ve never held a sword, but with a bow or spear, I can take down a bear on my own.
I’ve never encountered a magical beast before, but I’ve hunted and eaten creatures from forests where magical beasts live.
Maybe my level had increased because I’ve been hunting all my life.
As I touched the evaluation sheet for the first time in about a month, the numbers slowly surfaced.
It still felt like magic to me, and as I stared at it, I tilted my head in confusion.
…The numbers seem to have gone up overall.
My magic power, which was in the high four digits before, had just barely reached five digits.
“…Can my level go up even without doing anything?”
“I believe it’s because you inherited the previous Saint-sama’s powers,” Veerant explained.
Ah, right. I remember now.
It wasn’t just knowledge I had inherited.
When I probed the knowledge passed down to me, I found that I had also received a portion of the previous Saint’s powers. I nodded to myself in understanding.
The system was well thought out—it allowed the next Saint to receive both power and knowledge to help them transition smoothly.
“Well, in that case, there shouldn’t be much danger, right? Even if it’s dangerous, I still have to go, though.”
“Um, when you asked me to become the Saint… Was it so that no one would know you were gone?” Emilia asked.
“That’s right. If I travel as the Saint, it’ll turn into a big production, and I’ll have to bring a lot of people along. That would slow things down, and we don’t have time for that. If it’s too much for you, Emilia, I’ll have to give up on this plan.”
It’s not like I can ask just anyone to take on the role of the Saint.
There are people who would do anything, even commit atrocities, to gain the title of Saint. Even if it’s just a stand-in, putting the wrong person in charge could endanger the entire country.
But I trust Emilia.
If we also protect her mother, she’ll be safe, and after everything she’s been through, I’m sure she’ll want to keep her distance from the power-hungry nobles.
She’s much more devout than I am, and her demeanor and appearance are exactly what people imagine a Saint to be. I’m sure she’ll do a great job.
“There have been Saints who rarely left the temple, so you’d only need to appear in public when absolutely necessary. You can live with your mother, and you’re free to marry if you want. You can’t leave the temple, but you’ll live in comfort. There have been many stand-ins for Saints in the past, though it’s not widely known.”
I was the sixth male Saint.
But the truth is, there have been more male Saints than that. The reason their existence isn’t widely known is because they had women standing in for them as Saints.
Officially, the names recorded are those of the female stand-ins. The men who should have been recognized as Saints have been completely erased from history.
I don’t know the circumstances behind each case, but I imagine their situations were similar to mine.
After all, the idea of a male Saint would ruin a lot of people’s dreams.
While the knights showed signs of shock, Emilia, who had been deep in thought with her eyes cast downward, finally raised her eyelashes.
Her soft green eyes, the color of new spring buds, met mine directly. Her gaze sparkled with resolve, so bright that I squinted slightly.
Youth really is dazzling.
The tired, middle-aged man in me felt like I was being burned by the brilliance I’d long since lost.
“I… I am a great sinner who defied the gods. It’s a sin so heavy that even death wouldn’t be enough to atone for it. But… if there is any way I can help you, Saint-sama, I would be honored to assist.”
“Thank you. That’s a big help.”
Alright, that’s one problem solved.
Now I just need to confirm the purification priorities and let everyone know I might be out of commission for a while after this… Oh, right. There’s also the issue of where I’ll be sleeping.
I’ve been using what seems like a guest room for now, but I can’t just stay there forever.
I don’t want to do anything that would seem unnatural and give away the secret that I’m the real Saint.
“By the way, is there an empty room somewhere? It could be a storage room or anything.”
“We can prepare any room for you, but what will it be used for?”
“A room for me to sleep in. Oh, and since I’ll be passing out soon, somewhere easy to transport me would be best. But if that’s not possible, you can just leave me wherever I fall.”
Before I could finish saying that it was fine to just let me lie around, I noticed the air had gone cold and tilted my head in confusion.
Did I say something wrong?
