Chapter 13
7 AM. Early morning, when the people of the temple were just beginning to wake up.
In the gloomy garden that was far from being neat, something long and pink like a bundle of yarn was fluttering.
“Huff, huff…!”
The ragged breathing that accompanied it made the already eerie garden even creepier.
“You, damn, useless body!”
Airek and Seth, who had stepped out into the garden at the sound of the murderous curses, glanced at each other.
After a moment’s hesitation, they made their way through the overgrown bushes to the source of the rough breathing.
“Saintess…?”
On a bench in the corner of the garden, was where Ordell sat, drenched in sweat and half-passed out.
The Saintess, who had secretly emptied her bedroom and disappeared without anyone noticing, was surprisingly working out since the early hours of the morning.
* * *
To me was a former detective, exercise was as natural as breathing.
To take down dangerous criminals, I had to know more than just self-defense techniques.
But what was with this body I had possessed?
Unlike my previous life’s body, which was lean with firm muscles, this one had no muscle to speak of!
But I didn’t realize it at the time. That the real shock was yet to come.
“Huff, huff, this pathetic body…”
The moment I woke up at 6 AM to go outside and start exercising to build some basic stamina, I wanted to collapse right then and there.
For heaven’s sake, I didn’t even run, I just walked a little bit and I already got dizzy.
I should have known when I started stretching, and every bone in my body made cracking sounds.
How did the original Ordell manage to cause so much trouble with such a weak body?
“Are you alright…?”
Airek handed me a glass of cold water as I finally laid down on the bench, unable to fight off the dizziness.
“Thank you… If it weren’t for you two, I might have died from working out.”
Feeling like I was going to die from shortness of breath just from walking.
Even though this is my second life, I don’t want to die such an absurd death.
“What kind of exercise were you doing…?”
Don’t ask. Even if my lips were sealed, I couldn’t admit that just a bit of walking left me in such a critical state.
“Hmm. I didn’t expect you to come so quickly. I apologize for making you come all the way here.”
“It’s nothing. It’s our duty to come to you, no matter where you are, Saintess.”
Seth, looking at me with worried eyes, immediately dismissed my apology.
His response was typical of a loyal holy knight who would obey the Saintess unconditionally, no matter what the Saintess’s personality was like, just because she was the Saintess.
Being such a person, Airek couldn’t bring himself to tell him that I was a fake Saintess.
So later in the original story, when the female protagonist appeared and Ordell’s true identity was revealed, Seth was furious with Airek.
Seth was also the one who protected the original Ordell until the very end.
When Ordell finally betrayed their god, Seth turned his back on her and ended up stabbing her.
The scene where he, who once sympathized with Ordell, drew his sword in despair after she abandoned their god was truly a masterpiece.
…And now, I had possessed Ordell’s body, the one destined to face that sword.
I must work hard to deviate from the original storyline.
“Please take note that from now on, I plan on working out from 6 to 7 AM before breakfast.”
“Yes, understood. We will arrange for an escort accordingly for that time—”
“It’s just light exercise. Why would I need protection? Besides, we don’t have any visitors at the grand temple. What danger could there be?”
I said it without thinking, but Airek’s face fell.
I felt a bit bad since the High Priest was particularly sensitive about the temple’s declining influence, but it wasn’t untrue.
Visitors had long stopped coming, and even the Sun God’s presence was fading from people’s memories.
Don’t worry, though. I’ll soon make this temple bustling with activity.
“There’s no danger besides the spies, so focus on them first rather than my protection. How’s the investigation going?”
“We’ve detained everyone currently in the temple and begun an investigation. The Vice Captain of the Holy Order is in charge of the holy knights, while Priest Dietrich is in charge of the priests.”
Ah, if it’s those two, then they are the most trusted people in the temple by Seth and Airek, respectively.
If it’s them, I can trust the process too.
“We were able to get a few names from interrogating Kento, but we can’t be sure, so we’ll be cross-examining it.”
So that’s why I’ve been smelling blood since earlier—Airek, the story’s official top torturer, must have conducted the interrogation himself.
Kento, who underestimated the High Priest, thinking he wouldn’t be able to wield a blade properly, must have felt Airek’s formidable interrogation skills.
Ah, even I’m getting chills thinking about it.
“We’ll conduct a thorough investigation to root out the spies, so you don’t need to worry, Saintess.”
Seth, standing beside me, added firmly.
His piercing blue eyes gleamed with killing intent.
Their determination to root out all the spies was indeed reassuring. How heartening.
“I trust the Captain to take care of everything. High Priest, would you mind speaking with me for a moment?”
After finishing his task, Seth left, advising me not to overdo the exercise.
Not to overdo it? That’s a concern embarrassing for me to hear when all I’ve ever done is stretch and walk.
“The Captain still doesn’t know I’m a fake Saintess, does he?”
I asked Airek once Seth was completely out of sight.
For some reason, Airek frowned.
“That’s…”
“Maybe he’ll find out the truth someday, but I hope that day isn’t today.”
“Pardon?”
I looked directly at Airek.
And I made my intentions clear.
“I previously mentioned that I wanted to leave the grand temple. I want to retract that statement. I’m really sorry for changing my mind so abruptly.”
I quickly added before Airek could refuse and tell me to go ahead and leave.
“Instead, from now on, I intend to diligently fulfill the duties of the Saintess that I’ve been neglecting. I will uphold the dignity of the Saintess and not run away from my responsibilities.”
I lowered my gaze sorrowfully.
“I couldn’t form an attachment here because I felt abandoned by my family. And because of that, I did things I shouldn’t have done and tried to escape without taking responsibility. I sincerely apologize for that.”
“……”
“From now on, I will strive to serve the grand temple as the Saintess and brighten its future. Even though I may lack divine power because I’m a fake… I will still try and do my best.”
Even though I did become a real Saintess after receiving a quest from the Sun God, I had no intention of revealing that.
Would Airek believe me if I told him I needed to offer a fortune in donations to achieve Saintess-level divine power?
If the crazy fake Saintess now starts exploiting the gods, it’ll be a miracle if the High Priest doesn’t just sentence me to death.
“The Kiris family doesn’t matter to me anymore. After discovering the filthy truth behind Count Kiris, whom I admired so much, I couldn’t understand why I ever longed for their affection.”
Yeah, honestly, this part truly baffles me.
Why did the original Ordell crave the affection of Count Kiris and her family so much when they treated her like a tool?
If she had just given her heart to the temple, even as a fake Saintess, she could have found happiness.
“I know it’ll be difficult for you to believe me immediately right now given everything I’ve done, but please, give me a chance. A chance to serve the temple and apologize to everyone who suffered because of me.”
“……”
“At the very least, I will ensure that no one in this temple ever goes hungry again.”
I still can’t forget it.
The children’s meals that consisted only of thin soup with no real substance and hard bread.
And the person who caused it, even if it’s indirectly— me.
Even if I didn’t directly do it, just being in this body made me feel guilty.
So if nothing else, I wanted to make sure that this was resolved.
“Oh, and don’t worry, if the true Saintess appears in the future, I won’t be greedy and will relinquish my position without hesitation.”
I just have no choice but to take on this role for now, but I have no real ambition for it. Don’t worry.
“…Saintess.”
After a long moment of silence, Airek finally spoke.
I nervously watched Airek, who was gripping the hilt of his sword.
“The Saintess holds the highest position in this grand temple. You do not need my permission to do anything you want to do.”
I didn’t expect such kind words to come out.
“From the moment you set foot in this grand temple as the ‘Saintess,’ you were the Saintess. So do not call yourself a fake.”
“……”
“I will take all the responsibility for bringing you here, so you can do whatever you desire.”
Airek placed his hand on his left chest and slowly bowed.
I could not say anything and was left speechless at his gesture of reverence and obedience.
After all these years of being disregarded, despised, and humiliated by Ordell, how could he say such things?
I was beginning to feel ashamed of my mistake in assuming he would not trust me.
“…I’ll try really hard.”
I had always been filled with resentment about this second life forced upon me, but perhaps it’s not so bad after all.
Maybe I can form some attachments here.
* * *
After that, Seth and Airek truly turned the temple upside down.
The way they relentlessly extracted confessions from the spies that Kento revealed under torture was remarkable.
In the end, seven spies were discovered.
If we include Kento, a total of eight spies were found.
Not only was there a holy knight among them, but it turned out that he was also the one who had broken Kento out of jail.
“I am truly sorry. I will accept my punishment.”
Because of this, as soon as we met in the reception room, Seth knelt, looking deeply distressed.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!