The Beloved Fake Saint

Chapter 2

Surprised to see what looked like a dialogue box from a video game, I held out my hand to touch it. But my hand passed through the screen, as if it were only visible to me.

Then a new message appeared.

[The bored deities from the beginning of time are taking an interest in your outstanding ability to adapt.]

“The deities... from the beginning of time?” The message wasn’t written in English, but I could read it somehow.

[The bored deities from the beginning of time are taking an interest in your outstanding ability to adapt.]

Even after reading it again, I couldn’t possibly understand what it meant.

What’s going on here?

Soon, the translucent screen grew more and more transparent and the writing disappeared. I blinked, wondering if I’d been dreaming or hallucinating. Then I heard a knock at the door.

Whoever it was turned the knob to enter without waiting for a response. Still standing near the window, I turned to face the door, expecting to see Annie with her silver tray. A small gasp escaped my lips when I saw that it was not Annie, but a strange man I’d never seen before who was bringing me my breakfast.

A white uniform hung on his tall frame, hugging his broad shoulders. His eyes were warm and golden, but his expression was cold. His hair was as brilliant as his eyes. If my hair was a sandy beach, his was pure gold.

“Ariel,” he called to me, placing the tray on the table. “I’ve brought your meal.”

I was completely mesmerized by his looks. It was then that I realized who he was. The man who called Camilla by her name, even after she became a saint. The pope of the temple, whose influence rivaled even the imperial family...

My lips involuntarily whispered his name. “Reihas de Elle.”

He was the man who brought Ariel to the temple and made her the fake saint. His surname, de Elle, was a title reserved for the pope.

Reihas’ golden eyes glistened when he heard me call his name, a slight smile peeking out from the corner of his red lips. “You’re calling me by my name today?”

“Oh...” That’s when I realized Ariel always called him by his title, “Your Holiness.” I rushed to correct my mistake. It’s not like I was the real saint. I had no right to be on a first-name basis with the pope.

“My apologies, Your Holiness. My mind was elsewhere for a moment—”

“It’s nice to hear,” he interrupted with his gentle voice. Seeing my surprise, a grin spread across his face. “I’d almost forgotten I have a name.” A pleasant breeze came in through the open window as Reihas chuckled at his own joke. His shimmering hair swayed ever so slightly. “I hope you will continue to call me by my name.”

I stared blankly at him, seeing my reflection in his gilded eyes, before finally coming to my senses.

“That was clearly a mistake on my part. How could I dare call Your Holiness by name?” I said after thinking for a moment. The old Ariel would’ve jumped at the chance to be so casual with Reihas. But I didn’t see any point in breaking down the wall between us.

It was better to keep things formal. I had no plans to stay at the temple forever. Once the real saint showed up, I’d be no more than a stranger to him.

He kept quiet for a while, a slight smile lingering on his face.

“Ariel,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “As I’ve told you before, this is your home now. You can have and do anything you want.” Reihas really was just as gentle and beautiful as the novel had described. “As long as you understand that freedom comes with responsibility.”

But that was only true for the real saint. I wasn’t a fool like Ariel, who would’ve eagerly taken him at his word.

“Of course, Your Holiness.”

“What a shame. I wanted to hear you say my name again.” A smile hung on his lips, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was pressuring me.

“Thank you for bringing my meal,” I said, averting my gaze. The pope was the only one in this temple who knew I was a fake. I knew it would be wise for me to stay on his good side.

“Maybe it’s just been a while since I’ve seen you...” he said on his way out, pausing to direct his holy golden gaze at me. “But you seem a little different than usual, Ariel.”

I wasn’t surprised by this observation. I smiled awkwardly and looked at him with a blank expression that seemed more like the Ariel he knew.

* * *

A few days passed. I sat at my desk to organize some of the things I’d looked into.

I am currently in year 722 by the holy calendar, and year 82 by the imperial calendar. Five years before Camilla, the real saint, appeared in the novel.

I was in the Elide Empire, whose government was a cross between a monarchy and a theocracy. Ninety-nine percent of the population served one of nine deities. Temples for each of these deities were scattered throughout the empire.

There was Hetos, the deity of justice; Hessed, the deity of knowledge; Odyssey, the deity of love; Monde, the deity of art; Ciel, the deity of destruction; Oman, the deity of benevolence; Cairos, the deity of death; Reid, the deity of eternity; and Bellatrix, the deity of lies.

So which deity did this temple and the saint serve? When I was reading the novel, Camilla mentioned the gods here and there, but it wasn’t clear which one she served. The plot was more concerned with romance than religion.

Based on what I’d learned, Elium Temple was the only one in the empire that served all nine of the gods. For this reason, Elium Temple was a special place. And the saint, born with a connection to all nine deities, was special too. As such, the saint served as the religious leader for the whole empire.

Come to think of it, I found some pretty strange things in the books I read from the temple library. For example, the saint was the only one who could receive prophecies, which were direct communications from the gods, often containing great wisdom.

According to On the Prophecy from the Seventh Saint which the maids fetched for me, the prophecies were received like this:

—“A blue light appeared like a curtain and a prophecy flashed before their eyes. Though the words faded quickly from view, the message was engraved on the saint’s heart.”

Apparently, the prophecies had to be delivered this way because humans could not understand the divine language.

Not that it has anything to do with me, since I’m not really the saint. The real saint was Camilla. I just had to pretend for the next five years and then I could leave.

The book also said the prophecies only came occasionally. So I didn’t think I’d have to worry about people growing suspicious.

But it’s strange. The novel didn’t mention anything about prophecies.

I tilted my head and fell deep into thought.

There were scenes in the novel where Camilla used her “sacred power,” but it never once mentioned anything about prophecies.

I shook my head. “Oh, whatever. It’s not my problem. I should be reading books that can actually help me live in this world.”

The temple library had so many books, almost as many as the imperial library. The saint had permission to use it freely and hardly anyone else ever came in, so it was the perfect hiding spot.

I wrote my future plans on a blank sheet of paper. Pay slips and real estate books I’d read in my previous life proved to be helpful. Here it was called the “dignity maintenance allowance,” but it was essentially the same as a monthly salary.

—Saint Salary: 1,000 fran x 12 months x 5 years = 60,000 fran

Saint Additional Yearly Budget: 10,000 fran x 5 years = 50,000 fran

Cost of a Two-Story Building in the Capital: Large 100,000 fran, medium 70,000 fran, small 50,000 fran

From what I understood, 1 fran seemed to be worth around 10 dollars. Pin, a smaller unit of currency, seemed to be around 10 cents. Adding it all up, I figured I’d be making close to 160,000 dollars a year.

The temple provided room and board, and anything else I needed could be borrowed from the temple as well. All told, I figured I could save 800,000 dollars in five years and live quite comfortably after that.

All right!

The nobles also gave offerings, and objects belonging to the saint were considered holy artifacts. They would fetch a pretty sum as well.

The old Ariel only had 300 fran left to her name. Money must have burned a hole in her pocket. But I was different.

When I save enough money, I’ll leave the temple and buy myself a decent building...

Just then, something blue flashed before my eyes.

[The bored deities from the beginning of time are curious about your paper.]

Startled by its sudden appearance, I stared at the apparition.