7 a.m.
Early morning, when the people of the temple were just beginning to open their eyes.
In the gloomy garden, still untouched and disordered, something like a long strand of pink yarn fluttered in the wind.
"Huff, huff…!"
The harsh panting that accompanied it made the already eerie garden feel even more ominous.
"This damn, cursed body!"
At the string of vicious curses that followed, Eirik and Seth exchanged glances as they stepped into the garden.
Only hesitating for a moment, they soon began pushing through the overgrown bushes, heading toward the source of the panting.
"Saintess…?"
There, on a bench tucked in a corner of the garden, lay Ordell, drenched in sweat and half-fainted.
The saintess, who had quietly emptied her room and vanished without anyone noticing, had, shockingly, been out exercising since early dawn.
✦✦✦
Back when I was a detective, working out was as natural as breathing.
If you wanted to take down violent criminals, you needed to know more than just self-defense—you needed real combat skills.
But this body I've possessed? What is this?
Unlike my past life's toned, muscular frame, this one doesn't even have any muscles to lose!
But back then, I didn't know. The real shock was yet to come.
"Huff, huff… this pathetic body…"
Wanting to build up some basic fitness first, I had gotten up at 6 a.m. and started working out. And the moment I did, I just wanted to collapse.
I mean, seriously—I didn't even run, I just walked a little, and I got dizzy.
I should've known the moment my whole skeleton started cracking the second I began stretching.
How in the world did the original Ordell manage to wreak such havoc with a body like this?
"Are you all right…?"
Unable to overcome the dizziness, I ended up sprawled on the bench. Eirik handed me a cup of cold water.
"Thank you… If it weren't for you two, I might have died from just exercising."
Dying from a walk. What a ridiculous way to go.
Sure, I've been forced into this second life, but I refuse to die so pathetically.
"What kind of training were you even doing…?"
Don't ask. I will never admit I turned into a patient just from walking.
"Ahem. I didn't expect you to come so quickly. I'm sorry for making you come all this way."
"Not at all. Wherever the Saintess may be, it is our duty to follow."
Seth, who had been watching me with concern, immediately refuted my apology.
Regardless of the Saintess's personality, his response was that of a devoted holy knight—obedient to her simply because she was the Saintess.
That's why Eirik hadn't been able to tell him I was a fake Saintess.
So, when the true heroine later appeared and Ordell's real identity was revealed, Seth was furious with Eirik.
Seth had been the one who stood by the original Ordell until the end.
Even when Ordell ultimately abandoned the gods, he turned against her—and stabbed her with his own sword.
The man who once pitied Ordell on a human level ended up confronting her with heartbreak and a blade when she renounced her faith. It was one of the story's most iconic scenes.
…And of all people, I ended up possessing the very body that gets stabbed.
Well, all the more reason to work hard and destroy the original plot.
"From now on, I'll be exercising from 6 to 7 a.m. before breakfast. Please keep that in mind."
"Yes, understood. Then we'll provide an escort during that time…"
"Why do I need an escort just to exercise lightly? Besides, no one visits our temple anyway. What danger could there be?"
I said it without much thought, but Eirik's face fell.
I felt a bit bad, knowing how sensitive the high priest was about the temple's fading influence, but I wasn't wrong.
The flow of visitors had all but stopped. Even the memory of the Sun God was starting to fade from people's minds.
Still, don't worry. I'll soon have this temple bustling with life again.
"The only real danger is from infiltrators, so focus on that instead of guarding me. What's the update on that?"
"We've detained everyone in the temple and started the investigation. The deputy commander is handling the holy knights, and Priest Dietrich is in charge of the clergy."
Ah, if it's those two, then it makes sense—Seth and Eirik are the most trusted individuals within this temple.
If they're the ones handling things, I can trust them too.
"From interrogating Kento, we were able to get a few names, but we're not completely certain yet. We're planning to conduct cross-verification."
No wonder I kept smelling blood earlier. It must've been because Eirik, the story's official top interrogator, conducted the questioning himself.
Kento, who once scoffed at the High Priest for probably not even knowing how to hold a sword properly, must've learned firsthand the horrors of Eirik's "great interrogation."
Ugh, just thinking about it gives me chills.
"We'll conduct a thorough investigation and root out the infiltrators, so please don't worry, Saintess."
Seth, standing beside him, added in a firm voice.
His bright blue eyes gleamed with bloodlust.
That I'll kill them all energy—how reassuring. So very satisfying.
"I only trust you, Commander. I'm counting on you. High Priest, may I speak with you for a moment?"
With his task done, Seth left after urging me not to overdo it with the exercise.
"Overdo it," he says. I literally just stretched and took a walk. That's such an embarrassing thing to be warned about.
"Commander Seth doesn't know I'm a fake Saintess yet, does he?"
I only asked Eirik after Seth had completely disappeared from view.
Eirik furrowed his brow slightly.
"That is…"
"Maybe he'll find out one day, but… I'd rather that day not be today."
"Pardon?"
I looked directly at Eirik and made myself clear.
"I told you before that I wanted to leave the temple. I'm here to say I'm taking that back. I'm truly sorry for changing my mind so suddenly."
Worried that Eirik might insist I should still leave, I quickly added:
"Instead, I intend to carry out the duties of the Saintess properly, which I've been refusing until now. I will uphold the dignity of the Saintess and not run away from my responsibilities."
I cast my eyes down, looking solemn.
"Because I believed I was abandoned by my family, I couldn't bring myself to care about this place. That led me to do things I shouldn't have… and try to run without taking responsibility. I deeply apologize."
"..."
"From now on, I'll devote myself to brightening the future of this temple as the Saintess. Even if I'm a fake and lack true divine power… I'll do my best."
I had received a quest from the Sun God and become a real Saintess, but I had no intention of revealing that.
I mean, would Eirik even believe me if I said that I had to donate blood-money to the god in order to gain Saint-level divine power?
He'd probably declare, "This crazy fake Saintess has finally resorted to selling the gods!" and sentence me to death in the name of the High Priest or something.
"The Kyris family doesn't matter to me anymore. Once I saw the filthy truth behind the Count of Kyris, whom I once admired so much… I couldn't understand why I ever craved his affection in the first place."
Yeah, honestly, I really don't get it.
Why did the original Ordel crave the affection of Count Kiris and his family so much, even though they treated her like a tool?
If she had just devoted herself to the temple instead, even as a fake saintess, she could have found happiness.
"I know it's hard to trust me right away, considering what I've done. That's why I'm asking for a chance. A chance to serve the temple and to apologize to everyone who suffered because of me."
"..."
"At the very least, I'll make sure no one ever goes hungry in this temple again."
I still can't forget it.
The children's meals—thin soup with barely any ingredients, and one piece of hard bread.
And the person responsible for that: me.
Even if I didn't do it myself, the fact that I was in this body made me feel guilty.
So even if I can't fix everything, this is one thing I want to set right.
"Oh! And of course, if the real saintess shows up later, I'll step down right away without clinging to the position. So don't worry."
I may have taken on this role out of necessity, but I don't have even a sliver of ambition. Don't worry.
"...Saintess."
After a long silence, Eirich finally spoke.
I nervously looked at Eirich, who was gripping his sword hilt.
"The saintess holds the highest position in this grand temple. You don't need my permission. Do whatever you wish."
I didn't expect such kind words.
"From the moment you set foot in this grand temple as the 'saintess,' you became the saintess. So don't attach the word 'fake' to yourself."
"..."
"I'll take full responsibility for bringing you here. So do everything you want to do."
Eirich placed his hand over his heart and slowly bowed.
A gesture of reverence and submission—I was left speechless.
After being ignored, scorned, and humiliated by Ordel so many times, how could he say something like this?
I felt ashamed for assuming he would never trust me.
"…I'll do my very best."
I'd always been resentful about this second life I was forced into, but maybe… this won't be so bad after all.
Maybe I can start to feel attached to something again.
* * *
After that, Seth and Eirich practically turned the temple upside down.
The way they shook down the spies that Kento had exposed under torture was brutal—like using a threshing machine.
In total, seven spies were uncovered.
Including Kento, that made eight.
One of them was even a Holy Knight—and he turned out to be the main culprit who helped Kento escape.
"I'm truly sorry. I will accept any punishment."
So when Seth knelt the moment we met in the reception room, he looked completely crushed.