Seijo ni Narunode Nidoume no Jinsei wa Katte ni Sasetemoraimasu ~Outaihi wa, Zensei de Watashi wo Fu

     In the palace, at the corner of Keefa’s room, the priests were burning ritual incense and charcoal in an incense burner. White smoke rose up and the room was filled with a slight sweet scent.

     The fake saint, who stood at Keefa’s bedside, slowly raised her hands, “Your Highness, just a little more and it’ll be over soon—” she murmured in a low voice. She laid her hands on his forehead and closed her eyes. She began to chant a spell without any restraint.

     In an instant, Keefa raised his upper body and grabbed her wrist.

     “Why …!?”

     The fake saint was caught off guard by Keefa’s actions.

     “I think the duke will do something, but I won’t let him.”

     While he still firmly held her wrist, he looked at the duke, “Duke, unfortunately this is not the place for my treatment…It’s a place to reveal your sins and make it known. “

     The duke, who seemed to be surprised for a moment, instantly showed a leisure smile that wouldn’t show what was inside his heart, What are you talking about? You suddenly start talking about strange things when you protected that criminal, Liz. After all, His Highness needs urgent treatment.” 

     Two senior vassals stare at the exchange in astonishment. Keefa managed to look over to them and said, The saint here isn’t the real saint. She’s an imposter who completely changed her appearance to look exactly like the saint.”

     “What?…What’s the matter, Your Highness?”

     “An imposter…What are you saying? What’s the condition of your body?”

     They looked at him perplexedly. The puzzled expressions clearly showed concern about Keefa’s condition. The fake saint, too, had a gentle smile like the present saint.

     Keefa looked at them straight.

     ‘Liz, come on. Get the mirror that reflects one’s true figure and safely come back—’

* * * * *

     Once Liz left the temple, she ran through the palace. The penguin quietly slept in Olivia’s arms as Lloyd held onto the Holy dragon that had chains attached to its collar. The Holy dragon had a disgusted expression on its face since it couldn’t fly due to the heavy chain. 

     The soldiers guarding the front looked stern. They were informed of a message from Keefa to the chief soldier in advance. However, the notice was long ago. Otherwise, the saint, armed priests, Sheena, her maids, and even Lloyd wouldn’t have been able to come to Keefa’s room.

     “We need witnesses.” Liz recalled Eric laughing with conviction.

     After Sheena had taken the medicine to Keefa, two maids in the temple who practically worshipped Sheena, and a young soldier, who perhaps was not informed of this detail, came in front of his room. Then Eric opened the door and invited them in.

     Everything was all for that plan.

     ‘To end it-!’

     With a strong feeling in her heart, Liz burst open the door of Keefa’s room.

     Inside was Keefa with a serious face, his hand grasping the wrist of the fake saint, the king, his ministers, and the duke.

     “Liz!” Keefa said, eased his stiff cheek in relief when he found that Liz is safe. Once his eyes fell on her hands, he realized that also neither Lloyd nor Olivia had the mirror. His face clouded, “Liz, what about the mirror?” he anxiously asked. Liz suddenly felt bitter.

     The fake saint smiled gaily.

     “The second time you were caught was to go to the first temple and search for that mirror . So, did you find the mirror?”

     Her eyes were laughing as she knew that the mirror was broken. 

     Liz answered him in a low voice, “I found the mirror, but it broke into pieces. Sir Hades changed himself to look like the real saint. The mirror breaks once it shows the reflection of one’s true face. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice and was too late.”

     Keefa gasped.

     “What a pity. Even though you were rescued by His Highness Keefa and escaped from prison, there wouldn’t be a next time.”

     The fake saint turned to the priests and said, “Capture Liz… Lloyd and Olivia too, they are her accomplices.”

     The priests looked at each other and from their faces, one could see that they were at loss. 

     “What’s the matter? You’re before the king. Hurry up. You don’t really believe in Prince Keefa’s nonsense, do you?” The fake saint ordered them, irritated. However, the priests refused to move as if they were still undecided.

     “Hey, you guys!”

     “…The saint said before that if ever we think that her words are strange, we are to judge and decide whether to follow her words…I’ve been following her up until now, but recently the saint is strange. The same goes to Liz. It’s like a different person. Prince Keefa said that you are a fake, however we can’t tell whether you are the real one or an impostor. Regardless, we made our own decision and will not follow you now.”

     “What …!?” The fake saint’s eyes widened in disbelief. The priests said that they won’t obey her since they don’t know whether she’s real or fake.

     “…This is not a joke. I’m the saint. Do it…!”

     “Olivia!” she exclaimed, shaking with rage. Her expression that changed into something sinister was far from the real saint. 

     Olivia stepped back in fear. At that time, the penguin fell on the floor and woke up, startled. 

     “Catch Liz and Lloyd! Then, I’ll forgive you for going against me in the first temple. I’ll never forgive those priests. Will you choose a wise future?”

     “Like Sir Hades?” Lloyd said in a low voice. 

     Liz glanced at Lloyd. His profile looked the same as usual, but she knew that he was angry, very angry.

     Olivia lifted her head and shook off her fear as she shouted loudly, “In the first temple, I have already decided! I won’t obey you. You are completely different from the real saint that I’ve been longing for! Even though you look like her, what’s on the inside is completely different. It’s hard to believe— that’s why decades ago you didn’t become the saint!”

     “This girl…!”

     The fake saint’s complexion clearly changed. With a blue-eyed look, she fired magic and attacked Olivia. A sharp bright black ray of light flew towards her head.

     “That black light was like the manastone that time—!?”

     The priests gasped as they realized that the culprit was not Liz. Lloyd quickly went to Olivia. The penguin, too, tried to protect Olivia, swinging its wings back and forth, jumping hard.

     The Holy dragon breathed out a white flame even though the collar sucked in its power. The black light fell and crumbled into pieces,

     “This…!” The fake saint, whose expression distorted, tried to cast a black light again. 

     After all, she’s a fake. Liz was convinced. She’s fake in appearance and in substance. No one trusts her evidence, not being on her side. Its no use changing ones outer appearance. How could she not know that without what’s inside of her, she couldn’t become the real saint unless it reaches others’ hearts.

     “Liz, now!” In response to Lloyd’s voice, she reached for the Holy dragon. Its mouth opened wide and she thrusted her hand into it and took out the mirror about the same size as the Holy dragon. In contrary to the miniature Holy dragon, one of the priests looked at it strangely. It’s the face she saw in the temple’s medical room. He seemed to have remembered that the Holy dragon had swallowed Rebecca’s earthworm and Liz’s entire hand, which it tried to spit out.

     The mirror was an ugly square shape as if a larger mirror had broken into pieces. She stood before the fake saint, holding the fragment of the mirror over her head with both hands.

     The fake saint laughed through her nose, “What are you going to do? You brought a broken mirror instead?”

     “No, it’s not. The real saint properly insured that if ever that mirror breaks, she hid another one with the same magic behind the wall of the room.”

     “…What?”

     Liz closed her eyes as she held the mirror up. This is the end. The fate that has been around since five hundred years ago. Show them everything—!

     The moment she opened her red eyes wide, a glaring light emitted out from the ugly mirror. The light shone on the fake saint and the priests behind her. The priests gave out a cry in horror, but nothing in particular happened to them. They looked around, a puzzled look plastered on their face.

     “…!?”

     Among those who were exposed to the light, only a fake saint responded. She tried to escape, but it was too late. She cried out and covered her face as she began to writhe. The back of her hands started to melt, then her hair. It was the same with Hades.

     The king, his ministers, and the priests were silent, they just stared with fear and surprise.

     The prime minister screamed and tried to escape. However, Eric stood in front of the door and blocked his path. 

     Despite his shock, Keefa managed to say, “Please look at it. This is the identity of the one who changed into the saint.”

     The skin on the surface melted and the original face appeared like a relief. The fake saint persistently continued to hide her face with both hands.

     The Holy Dragon charged, “Kyu!”

     “Kuh…this…!” The fake saint took her hands off from her face and fought back. Those who were present were startled. It was someone completely different from the saint. She looked to be about the same age, however its a face of an unknown old woman.

     The people around were stiff and their expressions were unreadable as it distorted. Not from pain, but fro  humiliation.

     “The saint is a different person! What the prince said was true!?”

     “What’s that…Who is that old woman? Where has the real saint gone!?”

     They started to make a fuss as they were upset. Behind the king, the duke turned pale as he silently watched.

     “Your true identity is a candidate who was selected to be the saint sixty years ago. In the final selection, she was defeated by the current saint.”

     The fake saint grinded her teeth.

     In a cold voice, Lloyd said to the disgruntled woman,

     “… Speaking of which, I’ve heard that the only last candidate for the former saint was the present saint and another. Both of them were of a very young age and it was a selection that received more attention than usual.”

     “Then, the one who lost tried to take over the current saint due to her grudge…!”

     All eyes were fixed upon the fake saint, who had returned to her original form.

     “How can we help the real saint?” Lloyd asked.

     The fake saint grinned. Liz found out that there was no other way to help. The fake saint never intended to help the real saint from the beginning. Lloyd was quite aware too, still he wouldn’t give up his last bit of hope. He bit his lip as if he had been beaten.

     The fake saint’s skin gradually turned brown. It’s the same as Hades before he disappeared and turned to sand. Is this the end of the person who changed into a false figure? Liz felt scared.

     “This…!”

     The fake saint glared at Liz. Her body was covered all over with the light, she shook her hair and let out curses. A magic circle emerged around her and a black light struck Liz.

     Liz shook her head as she concentrated on her power. A strong feeling of  loss and defeat came up from the depths of her body. She can’t lose like this. She remembered Claire, Natalie, and Anna. Those who left the temple after being selected. And her, who lost her door, also fails to make the final selection—

     She understands the frustration and she can’t help it. However, this is the selection of the saint. Resenting, not caring about other people, a person who thinks only of themselves is not worthy of being a saint. If they think that they’ll be chosen, then that would be a joke.

     “—Disappear!” Her red eyes gave out a strong light. A light that makes you feel prouder than anyone else. A bright light that can only Liz do.

     “What a fool I should just disappear-!” The fake saint screamed as her face started to collapse. The wind blew on the sand as its shape disappeared. No one said a word, they just stared.

     The white robe and crown of the saint fell on the floor with a dry sound. The heavy collar around the Holy dragon’s neck crumbled like charcoal. At the same time, the mirror Liz was holding cracked, the crack deepened and broke in half then it fell. It showed the true identity of the fake saint therefore its role has ended.

     Liz won and everyone knew that. They all silently stared at her, who was breathing heavily surrounded by fragments of the mirror.

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