Chapter 89: Who is it? Who is it? Who is it~!?

It was the next day.

Kanata, who had come to the academy as usual, felt slightly… No, quite uncomfortable.

“Hey, hey! Is Haishin in the capital after all!?”

“I knew it!”

“I wonder who it is!?”

“But no one should know, right…? But maybe he’s nearby!?”

Most students in the same class were making a fuss about Haishin.

Due to the earthquake last night, Kanata cancelled the livestream, but it seemed to have become a kind of decisive blow.

(… The emergency alarm also rang so loudly.)

There is a buzzer-like device in this world that alerts during emergencies, and it could be heard throughout the capital. It was unfortunate that it got picked up by his microphone.

It couldn’t be helped since it wasn’t a high-end microphone capable of picking up only Kanata’s voice, but in a sense, Kanata’s carelessness was clearly exposed.

(… Sigh.)

While listening to the commotion around him, Kanata let out a sigh.

In the first place, Kanata never intended to stand out, and he had made sure his identity as Haishin would never be revealed.

However, with Isla’s magic being undone and reflecting on everything that had happened until now, he realized how inadequate his thinking had been.

(… Was I really stupid? Maybe I underestimated it just because it’s a different world.)

Compared to his previous world, this world has a lag in technological advancements related to machinery, and because of that, Kanata never thought that his streaming activities would lead to identification, despite how prominent they may be.

Well. At the point where Maria and Alphana had noticed, Kanata should have been more cautious and careful.

“You seem troubled, Kanata.”

“… Anise, huh?”

Sitting next to him, Anise poked his cheek lightly.

Anise, who could sense various things from Kanata’s expression, didn’t tease him but instead spoke gently to reassure him.

“Even if they conclude that Haishin is in the capital, no one knows who Haishin really is, so I don’t think you need to worry too much, you know?”

“… Is that so?”

“I’m not in Kanata’s position, so I can’t say for sure, but I think if you overthink it, your vulnerabilities will become more apparent, you know?”

It was precisely because he didn’t think enough that his vulnerabilities became exposed, but Kanata felt somewhat lighter after hearing Anise’s words.

Certainly, he admitted that he hadn’t been thinking enough until now, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he had only thought he was being cautious.

(… Yeah, that’s right. It’s too late to dwell on it now.)

Following Anise’s suggestion, Kanata decided to let go of excessive concern.

Well, even if he let go, it didn’t mean he would stop thinking altogether. He just resolved to gather his spirit until Isla woke up.

If he became too tense, he would get tired. And if the girls saw him in such a state, it would only worry them.

“Fufu, your expression has brightened up.”

“Yeah. I’ll try not to overthink things too much. Once Isla wakes up, she’ll be able to handle various things for us.”

“… Thinking about it again, it’s amazing that she can interfere with people’s perception, isn’t it?”

Kanata nodded.

It’s probably because she can do things like that that she was considered the Goddess. But if Kanata were someone purely born in this world, he wondered if his memories would get manipulated, and that thought scared him a little.

“When it comes to Haishin-sama, it’s the talk of the academy, and it’s a topic of conversation in the capital and among the nobles. Although the nobles find it somewhat distasteful.”

Alphana told Kanata that there were movements to investigate whether Haishin was in the capital precisely because some nobles disliked him.

Fortunately, Mira had already caught wind of that and was protecting Kanata, so he felt very reassured.

“Alphana, you don’t have to worry too much about me, okay? Just focus on the Harvest Festival.”

“Yes. Please take care so that I don’t have to worry.”

“I understand.”

Kanata and Alphana exchanged wry smiles.

Even if something were to happen, the fact that Kanata had powerful individuals and authorities gathered around him was a significant advantage. Furthermore, unless it was an incredibly sophisticated surprise attack, Kanata had an impenetrable defence thanks to his infinite magical barrier.

“By the way, Maria seemed a little strange this morning…”

“Oh, really?”

Alphana nodded.

Kanata hadn’t seen Maria today, so he didn’t know, but it seemed Maria’s behaviour appeared somewhat strange to Alphana.

It was natural for not just Kanata and Alphana, but also Anise to be curious, and the cause of Maria’s behaviour would become clear during the lunch break.

“I see. Well, I guess that would happen.”

“I’m really sorry. But don’t worry, Kanata-kun. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

According to what Maria told them during the lunch break, when she returned to the castle yesterday, her parents asked her questions about the boy she had been getting along with recently.

Based on her parents’ and siblings’ reactions, it didn’t seem like they were completely convinced that Kanata was Haishin, but they were curious because he was a boy close to Princess Maria.

“Kanata, you’re so popular!”

“I’m not trying to make it interesting.”

“Kyaa~♪”

Kanata playfully patted Anise’s back.

Indeed, now that Isla’s magic was undone, there was an increasing interest from those who hadn’t paid attention to Kanata before. However, it appeared they hadn’t directly linked it to Kanata being Haishin.

“But, well, with the possibility of Haishin being in the capital now almost certain, Father and the others were quite restless. Even so, as the ruler of a country, I scolded them not to show any unseemly behaviour.”

“Fufu, that sounds like Maria.”

Kanata chuckled as he could imagine it to some extent.

Even though they had met before while he was wearing a mask, he was such a fan that he would probably tilt his head if someone called him the ruler of a country.

“… I am allowed to operate in the Kingdom and rely on their support for merchandise. I do want to express my gratitude properly at some point.”

“Really?”

“And, of course, I’ll continue to keep my face hidden.”

“Understood. If that time comes, leave the preparations to us.”

Kanata nodded in agreement.

After a little more conversation, Kanata and the others bid farewell to Maria.

“… Muu.”

Maria still showed a slightly dissatisfied expression due to being the only one in a different class. It was adorable, but it was a rule that couldn’t be changed no matter what.

While walking with Alphana and Anise, Kanata muttered to himself.

“Should I take a break from streaming for a while…? No, maybe it’s better to continue as usual.”

Kanata didn’t know what would be the best course of action in this situation.

If he took a break from streaming for a while, it would somewhat acknowledge the situation, but if he continued as usual, it might surprisingly be fine.

“You should do as you like, Kanata-sama.”

“Yes, yes. We would prefer it if you continue, though.”

Upon hearing their words, Kanata expressed his optimistic thoughts.

*****



The rumour of Haishin’s presence in the kingdom spread like wildfire, both domestically and internationally. 

However, since no information sources had realized that Kanata was Haishin, the miracle of someone other than the fanatical worshippers noticing had yet to occur.

“What’s wrong?”

But not if you’re a fanatical worshiper, of course.

It’s a different story when someone is fanatically devoted, as was in the Imperial Capital, the heart of the Empire, where a man with a small mustache approached a woman in the imperial palace.

“…”

Even though the man spoke to her, the woman paid him no attention whatsoever.

While her gaze was fixed on the capital’s cityscape stretching out before her, it seemed she was looking even further into the horizon.

The man didn’t know what to do, but after a long silence, the woman finally spoke.

“The Harvest Festival will be held in the Kingdom soon, right?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, that’s correct. The event is organized by the Church led by Saint Alphana-sama.”

“I see…”

“… Um, I don’t mean to imply anything strange, but are you thinking something odd?”

The woman’s shoulders twitched.

Although she had a slender figure, her well-developed body exuded an undeniable charm. With hair that evoked a vivid crimson, she turned around and continued speaking after clumsily whistling a tune.

“There’s no way I would be thinking something strange. What are you talking about?”

“Oh? It isn’t strange to decorate the city gate with paintings of Haishin-sama?”

“You call that strange!? People are quite pleased with it, you know!?”

“I understand that! But it might send the wrong message to other countries, you know!”

“Don’t worry about such nonsense! I’ll deal with them!”

“… I can’t take dealing with this anymore.”

Indeed, the identity of this woman would be revealed surprisingly soon.

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