Extra 1: The Closing World

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Translator: Soafp

Saint’s Atonement

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It was a strange shape, one that could look like a holy cross, or like a winged person… or even like a sword.

Lena had never seen anything like it before.

The coming-of-age ceremony is the day when one confirms the “Heaven-bestowed Skill” said to be bestowed by the gods.

The ritual is conducted by someone who possesses the acquisition-type skill “Oracle,” a skill granted to those who have long served the gods.

Lena had already witnessed the ceremony several times before, standing beside the priest—someone she could almost call her foster parent—who possessed the “Oracle” skill, watching as the skills of those undergoing the rite manifested.

But the skill that manifested within herself during today's ceremony was unlike anything she had seen before.

When she turned her gaze to the priest, he—normally calm and composed—looked unusually unsettled, beads of sweat forming on his brow.

It is said that the name of the skill appears in the mind of the one who uses “Oracle.”

As Lena waited for his words, he finally opened his mouth heavily.

“Lena, calm yourself and listen carefully… Your skill is… ‘Saint.'”

The words had finally been spoken, yet they still did not feel real to Lena.

“Saint.”

Before the word she had heard could turn into true understanding, the priest continued.

“It is fortunate that I was the one who confirmed this. If it became known to the public that you are a Saint… there is no doubt that you would be expected to fight against the Demon King's army.”

With those words, her understanding of the situation slowly caught up.

At the same time… Lena's body began to tremble.

“S-such a thing… What should I do…?”

The coming-of-age ceremony, the confirmation of one's Heaven-bestowed Skill through “Oracle,” and the rough determination of one's future path—

Originally, it is meant to be a joyful day, a step into adulthood.

Because of her upbringing, Lena had always carried in her heart a feeling close to resignation, never hoping for very much.

Even so, this day had been special to her.

“I just hope it's a skill that can help Father Priest, who's always taking care of me, even a little.”

That small, modest wish was utterly shattered.

“To think that it would be me…”

She could not shake the thought.

A Saint.

It is said that in the past there was a Demon King different from the current one.

A legendary skill, belonging either to one of the heroes who defeated that Demon King, or to the one who sealed away an evil god that sowed distrust among people and drove them to fight one another.

A symbol of hope against those who threaten humanity.

That is what a Saint is.

In other words, it is also a skill that bears the fate of being obligated to fight overwhelmingly powerful enemies.

Not merely praying for peace, but placing oneself on the battlefield to protect people and their everyday lives.

Lena understood that much—

Or rather, she understood a truth that was almost unbearable for her.

In other words, the gods were saying:

“You must defeat the Demon King.”

Her hands, her legs—

As if they had wills of their own, their trembling grew stronger.

Just before she collapsed, the priest gently touched her hand.

Feeling the warmth of his hand and seeing the same expression of quiet compassion as always, the trembling eased a little.

Not completely… but still.

“Calm yourself, Lena. I know better than anyone that you are not in a state where you can fight the Demon King's army. For now, this will remain a secret between you and me.”

“Yes, Father Priest… I'm very sorry.”

“There is nothing to apologize for. And you must never tell anyone, do you understand? Saints are said to be capable of exceedingly rare healing magic. So for the time being, let us say that your skill is ‘Healer.' Is that acceptable?”

There was no need for him to emphasize it.

She had no intention of proclaiming to the world that she was a Saint.

From the day her parents were lost to an attack by the Demon King's army,

Her world had closed in on itself.

Inward, inward.

And yet, thanks to the priest's devotion and her days spent with other orphans who shared similar circumstances, it had finally begun to open little by little—she had only just begun to feel that way.

Her coming-of-age day.

The day she should have been recognized as an adult.

The day she should have been acknowledged as capable, leaving behind parental protection and preparing to fly on her own.

On that very day—

Lena's world began to close inward once more.

“Hm… That's strange. The incantation is correct, and yet…”

“I'm sorry… It's just that I'm not doing it properly…”

“No, it's fine. Still, with the Healer skill, you should normally be able to manage this fairly quickly.”

At the healer's remark, Lena felt her heart pound hard in her chest.

At the priest's introduction, she had been visiting a healer in town, receiving instruction in healing magic.

It was meant to provide justification—proof—for acting as a healer rather than as a Saint, but…

The healer seemed to sense something from Lena's expression and spoke apologetically.

“Well, you've only just awakened to your skill. There aren't many healers to begin with, and just because I was like that when I was young doesn't mean others will be the same. That was rather conceited of me—my apologies.”

“No, not at all… Thank you very much for your consideration.”

It seemed he had assumed that Lena's troubled expression was due to frustration with her own inadequacy.

It had been one month since she began learning healing magic.

These outings had been a precious change of pace, but perhaps it was time to stop.

“I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. I'll practice on my own for a while longer.”

“Is that so? I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help.”

“No, it was very informative. Thank you very much.”

She had learned basic healing magic, but her skill was still clumsy.

Was she really a Saint?

If she were a Saint…

She should be able to use even advanced healing magic right away, shouldn't she?

Or perhaps…

Even as a Saint, she was only half-formed.

Maybe that was her fate.

After that, she hardly ever went outside the church.

Fortunately, there were few visitors to the church.

People were preoccupied with surviving day to day; they had neither the time nor the luxury to pray.

The church was run on a small subsidy from the state, donations, and funds sent by former orphans who had grown up in the orphanage attached to it.

But the people of this country were poor.

Donations were scarce.

As a result, most of the operating funds came from money sent by those who had grown up here.

That incident had happened just a few days after Lena arrived.

One young man was about to head off to war.

He seemed to be a leader figure among the orphans, and on the day before his departure, he gathered them all together.

“You guys! I'm definitely going to earn some merit and give you all a better life! So take care of Father Priest for me!”

At the time, Lena did not yet know this, but many orphans who grew up in the church's orphanage went on to fight the Demon King's army as soldiers of the kingdom.

In a country with so little industry, it was—almost, no, truly—the only viable path to earning wages.

He patted each child on the head, offering words to each of them.

Then he stopped in front of Lena.

Since they had barely interacted before, Lena stiffened, but he flashed a grin and placed his hand on her head.

“Father Priest is an amazing man. If you stay here, you'll definitely be able to smile someday—just like me!”

And as if to demonstrate, he laughed loudly, ha ha ha.

She couldn't laugh as loudly as he did.

But for the first time in a long while, Lena felt the corners of her mouth loosen.

Later, she learned that no money ever came from him.

He was attacked by monsters before he even reached the garrison, and lost his life.

The lives they lost were turned into money.

That money raised new orphans.

Those orphans grew up and were sent to the battlefield, only to lose their lives as well.

It was like a facility for raising soldiers.

An endless cycle of negativity.

Lena had noticed that the priest was troubled by an operation sustained by human lives.

Each time news of a death arrived, he would offer prayers for the deceased with a grave expression.

Was it really right for her alone to be treated as special?

If she were to declare herself a Saint to the nation, and in exchange for fighting the Demon King's army, demand greater support for the church—

Would that not be a way to repay the priest who had always stood by her?

Yet she also knew all too well that the priest was not the kind of person who would rejoice at such a thing.

As her days of worry continued, one day a young man visited the church.

That young man opened the world that Lena had closed away.