Even Though I was the Real Saint, I was Exiled—Which Means my Country is Finished Translation

105. Clues

“I’m grateful for your help. Thank you very much.”

Sieghard thanked me.

As usual, his eyes were hidden beneath his bangs, so his expression was hard to see.

He seemed to have a good-looking face, though. I thought it’d be great if he got a haircut, but that would have been overstepping my bounds. As such, I decided to say nothing.

“…Please clean up regularly from now on.”

“I can’t argue back. Even so, I’m truly sorry to have had a maiden like you to clean up. Is it perhaps one of your hobbies?”

“…? That isn’t the case…”

Back when I was still the saint, I was also made to do chores.

Nowadays, I just cleaned up without giving it much thought.

“I see… indeed, you’re an admirable woman. Would you like to marry me?”

“I refuse, I’m already spoken-for. Also, even as a joke, that’s in bad taste. Especially considering that this is our first meeting.”

“I’m sorry. Your fiancé is a lucky man. I wish to salute him.”

What kind of expression would Sieghard make if he were to learn that my fiancé was none other than a prince?

But, considering his personality, he might just find it intriguing.

“…Let’s get to the main subject. What business do you have with me?”

“Well, about that…”

I showed Sieghard the letter of introduction written by Claude.

Sieghard was surprised.

“No way, that Prince Claude wrote something like this…???”

“What do you mean?”

“His Majesty the King despises me. Hence, I came to pursue my research in this remote place.”

…He was hated by the king?

I didn’t know the circumstances, but that explained why he lived there.

It didn’t excuse the fact that his room was messy, though!

“Why would the king…?”

“You heard from His Highness that I’m a historian, correct?”

“Indeed.”

“Of my research, I opted to investigate the history of the saint—a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation in this kingdom. His Majesty the King didn’t appreciate that, though.”

The saint!

When I heard that word, my eyes beamed.

Did Sieghard notice?

“From the letter of introduction, it seems that you were the saint of this kingdom. It also seems that without my knowing, you’ve been exiled.”

“Is that so?”

“Because I live in a place like this, I don’t get much information.”

Sieghard shrugged.

“This kingdom does stupid things. The power of the saint is real. The demon invasion wasn’t surprising to me.”

“Let’s talk about that another day. We don’t have much time right now…”

“What do you mean?”

Sieghard widened his eyes.

“Actually…”

I explained the situation of the kingdom to Sieghard.

“So that’s what happened…”

He leaned down and put his hand on his chin, pondering seriously.

I saw a glimpse of his right eye—

beautiful…

He had a keen eye, like a seeker peering into the abyss.

“Limited-time barrier… once that barrier disappears, the demons will surely attack this kingdom again. The reason is because the ancient Demon King is sealed in this kingdom.”

“So, you’re aware of that, too?”

“Of course—well, no matter how much I advised His Majesty, it was to no avail, though.”

Sieghard laughed drily.

“Therefore, you desire the power of the original saint.”

“Yes, that is the only way right now. Or, do you have some other suggestions?”

“No, it’s not like that. I think that’s a wise decision. The original saint was very powerful.”

Sieghard’s words depressed me.

As a saint, isn’t this a big deal…?

Although Philip, the Spirit King, praised me, there were too many things I couldn’t do compared to the original saint.

Did Sieghard perhaps pick up on my thoughts?

“Don’t worry about it. The original saint was just on a whole different level. Also, even if you could set barrier around the entire world, it would disappear once you die. Once that happens, history will only repeat itself. There’s also the case that the following saints will not receive the same level of power. None of that is your fault.”

Sieghard spoke in a comforting tone.

Sieghard sure was very kind.

Listening to his voice calmed me—was it because he understood me?

“So… Sieghard, is there a way for me to acquire the same power as the original saint?”

I asked Sieghard again.

Then, he replied in a more serious tone.

“…I don’t know. The original saint was a special case. This will be rude of me, but every saint after her has been declining in power. I think it’ll be difficult for you to get on her level.”

When I heard that, I felt like I had dropped to the bottom of a cliff.

I, I never expected it to be easy, but… I believed there might be some sort of clue…

…It seemed that I had returned to zero.

However.

“…I have an idea—the Goddess.”

“The Goddess…? The saint is certainly called the Agent of the ‘Goddess’.”

“That is correct. The saint can exert her power due to the blessing of the Goddess. In other words, she—the original saint—had that much strength due to the blessing of the Goddess.”

“So, I should try to find the Goddess instead?”

Sieghard nodded at my question.

I see.

I was so fixated on the original saint, I hadn’t considered that.

“But… will that not be difficult? Just like with the original saint, I have no leads on the Goddess either…”

“There’s no direct connection between you and the original saint. Given that, it seems more likely for you to find the Goddess who blessed upon you the power of the saint.”

What he said was sensible.

However, there was a crucial issue.

While I was blessed by the Goddess, I had never directly spoken to her.

The fact still remained though—the Goddess was more powerful than us saints.

To find the Goddess… I didn’t know where to even start.

I told Sieghard my concerns.

Then,

“…Indeed, the saint is just a substitute for the Goddess. The saint can’t be the goddess herself, but… the one who is a perfect match with the saint’s blessing is also said to be the closest to the Goddess.”

“Perfect… match…”

“Do you have an inkling? Of a person who is perfectly suitable for the Goddess’ protection? In a situation like now, when the world is in peril, you may be able to communicate with the Goddess through that person.”

I immediately knew what Sieghard was implying—

—a person who could perfectly adapt to the blessing of the Goddess.

—a person whom was precious to me.

“…Nigel.”


***T/N: Basically, this chapter can be surmised into this:

>Sieghard: “Apparently, enveloping the entire world in a barrier isn’t the most effective solution, because the protection will cease once you die, and the same tragedy will happen.”

>Eliane: “Understandable, so let’s do just that?”

>Sieghard: “Yea.”

>Eliane: “OK.”

Please also consider donating to my ko-fi! It’ll greatly support me in action, no matter the amount!
https://ko-fi.com/antoinettevanessa

<Previous chapter

Next chapter>