The First Saint Sabrina.
She was a character that was treated with great importance in the game.
Kalon Academy and the city of Kalon itself were places she invested her whole life into, and every saint of the past had to become a guardian, carrying on her legacy to protect the world.
In the game, the flow of fate might resist, but in any case, the main affair was inheriting her legacy.
However, an unexpected variable had intervened.
The first was the early appearance of the Halphas Cult.
For some unknown reason, there were guys running wild trying to assassinate Karina. In the original story, they only first appeared around this time, but now they’ve been secretly attacking Karina since the first semester, complicating matters a lot.
The second was the existence of an unknown true ending.
There’s too little revealed to make a judgment just yet, but the direction of the true ending was impossible to guess. Just because the true ending is a happy ending doesn’t mean it has to be that way, especially.
…Still, I hope it’s a happy ending, but at this point, there was too little information.
The third is… me.
I hesitate to say it myself, but I’ve been solving the things the protagonist should be doing. How the opposing forces view me is a surprisingly serious variable.
If they see me as a danger, then Karina could be in greater jeopardy, and if they underestimate me, things will go as they did in the original story.
I don’t want to stand out, but for Karina’s sake, there may come a time when I need to reveal myself to the world. The missions given to me seem to push me towards that conclusion anyway.
“Philia, Philia! Where are you?”
“Sabrina! I’m right here!”
[Is that what you call a theater? Humans sure have unique tastes. They love to imitate others.]
Is it really your place to say that when you’re firing brainwashing beams?
I swallowed the words that were rising in my throat and poked Renny, who was mumbling in her designated wheelchair.
[Alright, alright. Don’t worry, I’m keeping a close watch.]
Okay. That’s all I needed. I shifted my focus away from Renny and glanced at Karina. Karina seemed quite tense about the fact that she had to get up on stage herself, staring at the stage with a stiff expression and fidgeting her hands.
“Are you nervous?”
“Y-yeah… It feels different from praying in front of people…”
“Don’t be too scared. You’ll only have to say about five lines, right?”
“Still…”
I couldn’t pat her shoulder as I could tell she was worried, so I left some words of comfort to defuse the boredom.
“You did well with the speech, so don’t worry too much. Any small mistakes will be forgiven.”
If it was up to me, I would want to grab her pant legs and hold her back, but I couldn’t stop her for the sake of her duty as a saint and her position, which was unfortunate.
Even if I tried to stop her, Karina would insist on going.
The name of a saint couldn’t just be brushed off lightly.
The most crucial NPC in the “Survival Academy” and the heroine.
A symbol of hope.
She’s not the heroine who gets involved with the protagonist just for fun.
Although it’s kind of odd that she has a distant relationship with Lewis here, her significant actions are still aligning, so eventually, Karina will awaken as the true saint.
For her to see the true ending, her awakening was essential. Depending on whether she awakens or not, her power would vary. The other kids also needed to grow appropriately in response.
If you think about it, even the Final Boss might be a monster that could toy with her in the true ending.
In the end, it meant I would have to watch her be in danger to an extent.
“Life really is a mess…”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“Nothing.”
“Philia, your playing skills are truly amazing. The monsters dance to the sound of your performance…”
“Such a compliment.”
I needed to be careful with my words. I’ve noticeably improved at not talking to myself lately, but I occasionally blurt things out. But it can’t be helped.
How can I not curse when life is filled with frustrations?
“Philia, Leon, Mari, Carlos! Do you see that? How about we establish a school here in this plain?”
“Sabrina, that sounds like a great idea!”
“I think so too.”
“Are you suggesting we train future generations to prepare for the impending crisis in the world?”
“Exactly.”
The story of ‘Saint Sabrina’ is simple.
One might call it a typical hero myth.
Sabrina, an ordinary girl, was chosen by Kalon one day, embarking on a journey to gather companions and overcoming all sorts of adversities.
In the end, she is venerated as a saint everyone looks up to, establishing Kalon Academy with her legacy, leaving it to her friends, wandering the world rescuing people, and returning to the academy in her twilight years to close her eyes…
It’s a straightforward and simple story.
But it was a myth known by almost everyone in this world, a fairy tale.
“Sabrina. Your plan sounds good, but I want to establish a new country. A country where everyone can live happily.”
“That sounds like a nice dream.”
…I know it’s just a play, but listening to those lines felt strange.
After all, I couldn’t help but think of that lineage from the first emperor.
They seriously messed up their descendants, planning to ruin the country by next year.
Strictly speaking, it’s because the descendants are throwing a fit to become kings, leading to that outcome.
Anyway, the play was gradually heading toward the latter half.
It was almost time for Karina to go on stage and recite Sabrina’s last will while I leaned against the wall, surveying the surroundings.
So far, the auditorium remained quiet.
Everyone was surprisingly absorbed in the exceptional performance. However, I was a being incapable of immersing myself in the play.
A being that was possessed from another world. A bodyguard who must protect the saint.
And… the only person here without faith.
[It’s exciting just hearing the voice. Contractor, can you let me out? I want to see it with my own eyes.]
“No.”
[Tch.]
You’re the last defensive line to protect Karina, so you can’t come out.
There’s nothing more useless than revealing the identity of a trap. But how long do I have to converse like this, sounding like I’m talking to myself? It would be hard not to care if I looked like a strange person.
At least the fact that I can understand you irrespective of voice volume isn’t bad. After all, I’m keeping some distance from Renny right now.
[Then can you show me the play next time?]
“…Next time.”
[You promised? You can’t pretend you didn’t hear?]
“Fine, just be quiet.”
You really are oddly curious.
“Sabrina…”
“Hmm, time has flown by already.”
Has it really been that long? I stared at Karina as she moved forward with Renny toward the stage. Her tense demeanor was evident in profile.
As Karina stepped onto the stage, the previously quiet audience began to stir. Naturally, it was because Karina had stepped up onto the stage.
Once Karina found her seat in front of the small pedestal the stage staff moved, she cleared her throat.
“In honor of the first saint, Sabrina, I present her last will. Even if I fade away to God’s side, with memories lost and only my name remaining… I wish that my voice, a monumental achievement in my life, lives on eternally…”
…It’s a surreal feeling.
Hearing Sabrina’s last words, which I had only heard in the game, actually being spoken.
But before I could be moved by the continuing speech of Karina, I began to sense something unusual from the direction of the audience.
Several people suddenly stood up.
Upon closer inspection, there were ordinary middle-aged men, tall young men, and women dressed modestly among them.
A group lacking any sense of uniformity. I counted about ten with a quick glance, and none of them were holding anything.
But there’s no way disguised guys wouldn’t hide their weapons.
Keeping my eyes on those guys, I quietly opened my mouth to give Renny an order.
“Renny. Prepare to intercept.”
[Contractor, there are twelve of them.]
Are there two more hiding?
Should I stop the speech immediately?
Or should I go ahead and intercept first? But because they didn’t fit the typical appearance of assassins, it would be hard to engage before revealing themselves.
If the narrative shifts to “The saint’s bodyguard goes mad and attacks civilians,” it would become a huge headache. If those bastards pretend to be civilians, I could end up in a worse situation, wide awake with my nose cut off.
Annoying guys.
Well, part of this was somewhat anticipated, so I quietly took a flute out of my pocket.
I’ve run numerous simulations in my head, but…
There’s an easy way to resolve this, and I don’t feel the need to go back.
The side effects might be a bit severe, but let’s think about that later.
I quietly took out Philia’s memento and put it to my mouth.
…But what do I even play?
I know that whatever song I choose, it’ll turn into a performance, but I don’t know complex melodies. To be precise, I have very few songs in mind, and I lack the skill to perform them.
…Ah, forget it.
Let’s keep it simple. Something easy.
I placed my fingers on the holes of the flute and slowly blew into it.
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