Fake Saint of the Year

Translator: Tsukii

Editor: Evelet

QC: Vnovember

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 10: Enrolling in the Magic Academy

A night had passed since the incident involving Fara-san and the student hostages.

After that, Fara-san was brought to the high court. I testified as “this person is innocent,” so I didn’t think she was executed.

If I had stayed silent, they wouldn’t have given a damn, even if she had been manipulated. The death penalty would have still been executed. I didn’t think it was stated in the law, but attempting to kill the Saint was that heavy a crime. Well, I was a fake though.

Once I was discovered as a fake, I would be summarily sent to the execution grounds.

Also, once I returned to my castle, I got an earful from Guard Knights and instructors.

Well, I could understand why. Considering their jobs, if their charge went out as they pleased and ended up dead, it would be a liability. They might end up losing their jobs and being branded as useless to boot.

Thus, it couldn’t be helped for them to complain.

Well, just in case, I had prepared a will that stated that people who followed me were not to be held responsible and confessed that I was a fake Saint. It was inside a locked drawer in my room.

There was nothing to worry about if you were prepared.

There was a similar proverb abroad, “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

Ah, that sounded so cool. I would make it the name of my next skill.

For now, I managed to overcome an early-stage problem.

Since it would stay peaceful for a while, there would be unique events for each respective heroine, quarrels, and misunderstanding, but I guess it was safe to skip this.

I was panicked when Vernell seemed to be heading towards the “Body Builder♂END” route back then. But on second thought, it wasn’t so bad.

The fact that he ignored all other sub-heroines meant there was only Eterna left as a valid heroine target.

I’d already warned him to not go through the “Body Builder♂END”, so by elimination, he would naturally end up taking the Eterna route.

Obviously, I was not an option. I wasn’t a homo, okay?

That’s why in the ten thousand to one chance — billion to one chance that he would come to approach me, I would just reject his advances and end the route. Even if he asked me to walk together, I planned to use the certain kill excuse, “I’d be embarrassed if my (imaginary) friends spread rumors about this,” and refuse him.

Well, I was worried at first, but due to my divine intervention, everything had been solved nicely. I was such a genius, right?

Well, he was a person who once had been going towards the “Body Builder♂END,” after all.

I didn’t know if he might go outside of the determined route on the way.

I also said it before, but some sub-heroines would end up dead if they were not chosen as the heroine. So it was best if I were there to manage flags and lead the story towards a Happy Ending.

In other words, it was for me to enroll in the Academy. This was the easiest way.

Now that I had decided, I immediately asked Leila-chan to follow the necessary procedure.

Was that considered within the scope of work for a Guard Knight? Some of you might think so, but, even if she looked like that, she was a super-woman who was capable with both sword and pen. 

Paperwork would be done easily by her hands.

That was yet another reason to stop calling the capable Leila, Stocco

“It’s not allowed.”

OI! STOCCO!

Why did you immediately refuse without asking the reason!

But it wasn’t like I hadn’t expected this development.

As I mentioned before, it would be very troubling for her if her charge wandered around then died due to some mistake.

Even if she might have hated the person she was guarding greatly inside, saying, “Why don’t you die,” it would stay on her record if she let her charge die.

By the way, Leila’s heart voice could be heard once you entered her route.

If other routes depicted her as a loyal guard until the moment of her betrayal, on the Leila route, there was her daily hardship in her side POV.

Every time it happened, while Leila served Elrise loyally on the surface, she cursed her in every way imaginable, inside her heart.

In other words, she was a hard-headed female knight character in other people’s routes, while she showed her interesting, real face in her own route: a buy one, get one free side heroine.

Such a person was popular amongst players, and she was granted the fan nickname of Stocco.

I activated my linguistic ability against Stocco, who possessed a side like a funny junk head. 1

You see Stocco-chan, it wasn’t like I tried to enroll in the Academy for no reason.

There is a deep reason within my actions.

Didn’t you think it strange? Even if they were merely candidates, that Academy was a place where many capable people gathered to be fostered as Knights. How did a capable teacher like Fara-san end up manipulated by the Witch? Didn’t you find it strange?

And as I investigated it, I found out that Fara-san was a workaholic who kept staying in the teacher dorm instead of going home.

Where could such a person have been caught and manipulated by the Witch? Hmm?

“Do— Don’t tell me…”

Oh, you got a “chill?”

The “chill” you got was proof of your “fear.”

Yes, you had reached the possibility, and thought: “No, there’s no way,” or, “It can’t be.”

I would tell you the answer.

It was as you thought… there was a high possibility that the Witch was inside the Academy.

There were also a few other weird points.

Even if they were only small fry to me, how did they gather such great numbers of demons inside the Academy?

Indeed, the Academy possessed a facility where students could fight against high-class demons. For that, they also gathered a number of those demons.

But the number gathered had been absurd. Was the Academy a gathering of fools, unable to notice even when that number of demons was lurking around?

But if the Witch was inside the Academy in the first place, it wasn’t weird.

Demons were animals that, due to the power of the Witch, had grown beyond their normal capabilities and twisted beyond their natural forms.

In other words, if the Witch was inside the Academy, they could gather small animals without anyone noticing, and turn them into demons inside the Academy, which would be a reason for that number of demons.

That was why I needed to go there.

—When I put it like that, Stocco-chan’s face turned pale.

Well, spoiler alert: The Witch was indeed inside the Academy.

The place Fara-san brought was far underground. 

There was an underground dungeon there which most teachers didn’t even know existed.

Well, it was a common trope for games with an academy as the main stage.

As for why such a place existed, if we spoke it in META terms, this game didn’t have many maps outside of the Academy in the first place.

Obviously, there were events like dates that happened outside, and there were also times where you got out of the Academy. But most of the time, it only appeared as a background or plain night sky, the place where players could move freely was limited to the Academy.

Also, in the game you needed to gather information and hints to reach places where the Witch resided to fight the Witch but… naturally, you got all of that inside the Academy.

If the Witch stayed in a place that had nothing to do with the Academy, like a small hut underground that was located in a neighboring nation, the player wouldn’t be able to reach it.

Because of that, the Witch had no choice but to stay inside the Academy.

Ok then, Stocco-chan: 

Do you still refuse to let me enroll in the Academy after all this?

Leila Scott was the eldest daughter of prestigious aristocratic Marquis Scott.

She was unable to succeed in the house because she was a woman, so in exchange, she was granted a mission. 

The House of Scott was a family of prestigious knights who protected the Saints for generations. 

Leila prided herself on that and wished for the day she would be able to serve the Saint like her great predecessors. 

For that reason, she continuously polished her sword skills.

She had always dreamed of the moment when they would meet.

What would the Saint look like? Was she as beautiful as expected? Or, would she be cute instead?

She would be like those princesses in fairy tales, without a doubt.

Leila had thought so.

…by the way, she had met her nation’s princess face-to-face before but the princess hadn’t looked cute, and thus had been erased from her memory.

OI!!! STOCCO!!!

By the time Leila reached 19 years old, she answered her family’s expectations by becoming the best graduate of Alfrea Magic Knight Training Institution and won her right to be a Guard Knight of the Saint.

She had heard about Saint Elrise’s reputation over and over.

She went to the battlefield herself for the sake of the people, went to small villages, and helped everyone as if she loved them all.

It had been said that she was the “embodiment of the word saint.”

And that reputation… was totally correct. Nay, in front of the real thing, such a reputation seemed rather lacking.

“Are you the new person who became a Guard Knight?”

Inside the Saint’s room where her father had led her… there was, indeed, the Saint.

She was unable to find other words to describe it.

Such purity! Such openness! Such a sacred feeling! All those had been mixed together and became a person.

She was more real than anyone in fairy tales; the Saint was indeed there.

Leila had been charmed at first sight.

She felt excited and moved by the thought of serving this person.

Ever since she had been serving the Saint, it was like witnessing a miracle every day.

She eliminated armies of demons, no matter how many. She also healed the wounded and sick, regardless of who they were.

It felt as if the world turned brighter just because of her existence; around her, everyone laughed and became more cheerful.

The sun illuminated the world just by existing.

It was the same; she was the light. Because Elrise existed, the world was bathed with light.

Exactly because she was such a person… yes, she had expected it would turn out this way.

“Leila. I would like to enter the Academy as a student.”

 “It’s not allowed.”

She knew it. She knew Elrise would bring this up.

The Witch’s hand had reached inside the Academy, and students had been put in danger due to it.

There was no way she wouldn’t act when faced with such a fact.

Even though she was well aware that the event yesterday had clearly been a trap, she still went along with the criminal — Fara’s demand and went alone. She was such a person after all.

“Leila. It’s not like I want to enroll in the Academy for no reason. Fara-san had been manipulated by the Witch. Then think about it … where could have been manipulated?

“You know since you graduated from there. Fara-san spent most of her time sleeping over at the teacher dorm. She was a very serious person in her work and she rarely came home.” 

“Do… don’t tell me”

Don’t tell me — she already noticed?

Leila’s face turned pale at the thought.

Ah, please stop. Please don’t speak any further.

If you continue, I will be unable to stop you.

I will have no choice but to agree to you enrolling in the Academy, even though I know it’s dangerous there.

“Leila, you are smart. You should have already reached the answer. The possibility that the Witch is currently somewhere inside the Academy is extremely high.”

…as expected, she reached that conclusion, Leila thought as she tried her hardest to stop her anguish from appearing on her face.

She already knew about it. If Fara-san, who practically never went out from the Academy, could end up manipulated, then the Witch’s location would naturally be somewhere within the Academy.

She also knew… the fact that this wise Saint would come to notice it.

“That number of Demons… it’s unnatural to be carried in from outside. People in the Academy are not so foolish as to not notice that. The number was way too many and they were too dangerous to be used for lessons and practice. But if the Witch was inside the Academy… it would not be a hard thing to do. Small lizards and mice and birds… nobody would notice if such things were brought inside, and nobody would find it strange, even if ferreted out. And then, if those animals were turned into demons by the Witch’s power, it would be pretty easy to have that number of demons from the inside”

Yes, that was indeed the case.

With those facts lined up, there was a high probability that the Witch was within the Academy.

And once such a possibility had been spoken aloud, Leila could no longer “refuse” to let Elrise enter the Academy.

The Saint was just trying to fulfill her duty as Saint. No one ought to stop that from happening, nor were they allowed to do so.

“Which is why I have to go. Please understand… Leila”

“… If that — is — what — you — say.” 

But Leila was scared.

She was scared from the bottom of her heart.

She was scared that her beloved master would be lost.

Because in all the generations of Saints—

After defeating the Witch, without exception — they would also have their own lives scattered away.

“Then at least — bring me along as well.”

All she could do right now was to squeeze such words from her mouth.

The next day, the Alfrea Magic Knights Training Institution — known for short as the Magic Academy, was shaken.

Something that no one expected had happened: the Saint herself was enrolling.… And with that, the story that determined the fate of the world which was centered at the Academy had begun.

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Cruelsanto
Cruelsanto
3 months ago

I wish she would quickly solve sterna’s misunderstanding, it makes me nervous that she thinks she is the witch, I bet eterna would even strt avoiding the MC.

Or if the MC keep approaching eterna, she would think the MC already realizes she’s the witch lol

Catman48
Catman48
11 months ago

Damn i love leila. Leila is probably the only one that elrise truly cares about.

Azisya
Azisya
1 year ago

Poor Fara

Eternal perspective
Eternal perspective
1 year ago

Thanks for chap
Imma guess both of their lives are connected too. Just like they can only be killed by each other, one dying makes the other invincible theoretically so probably they should die .

Imma guess the witch dies even if the saint is killed. And as I recall mc gave a spoiler on how their power comes from the same source

tsukiisite
Member
1 year ago

hmm… not really. it’s not what you think it is. just read on to find out.

SoulsTogether
SoulsTogether
1 year ago

Well, well, well. If the world got shaken by something as small as this, I wonder how they felt when they find out that the real saintess was already enrolled in the other routes.

In any case, in seems like this story’s main plot is finally starting! All the chess pieces have been put into place, so all that’s left now is to enjoy the show.

Last edited 1 year ago by SoulsTogether
tsukiisite
Member
1 year ago
Reply to  SoulsTogether

elrise did too well of a job as fake target, to the point both camp, including supposed saint and witch, got deceived

Who Knows?
Who Knows?
1 year ago

Hmm… Interesting… The fact that the saints die after defeating the witch seems to align with the fact that all the game’s routes end with Eterna dying… But if Elrise takes her place and pretends to be the saint till the end and even defeats the witch, what would happen then? Hmm…

SoulsTogether
SoulsTogether
1 year ago
Reply to  Who Knows?

The world’s balance would collapse, I suppose. A saintess can only die from their own, and the witch’s power after all. So, if Eterna is never involved in the fight with the witch, she won’t die. …which means she’ll continue to help humanity, without ever being able to be injured, till she dies of old age.

……actually, can saintesses die of old age?

tsukiisite
Member
1 year ago
Reply to  SoulsTogether

she is curious of her nature thus she went on fighting. maybe she will go back peacefully once things resolved

Alixiron
Alixiron
1 year ago
Reply to  Who Knows?

I have a hunch that the mc will be able to prevent the witch from getting killed considering she is also a possible romance target

tsukiisite
Member
1 year ago
Reply to  Who Knows?

as far as game scenario concerned, eterna dies in all route. as for what happen i. this story, read on

Kzalca
2 years ago

Hype hype hype!
Thanks for the chapter!

tsukii
tsukii
2 years ago
Reply to  Kzalca

thx for your comments too!

3rd Citizen
3rd Citizen
2 years ago

… hmm

Without fail, every generation saint perish alongside the witch.

Such is the same with the ‘true’ saint who became the final boss, or her route as a true heroine, either of them, she died.

What of the witch? Given the witch faced a similar bad end, it might be due to the saint fatally wounding, but…

It sounds like both existences need each other to live. The only good end for a game like this is expectedly coexistence, or one where Mc somehow sacrifices himself to have both saint and witch be friends and end the cycle.

Well… we now have elrise in the mix, who for all qualifications is both saint and witch.

tsukii
tsukii
2 years ago
Reply to  3rd Citizen

elrise existence make real happy ending possible, although not the way she expected it

exqalph03
2 years ago

— Thanks for the chapter` ~ ^^

Awesome..!!

tsukii
tsukii
2 years ago
Reply to  exqalph03

thx for your comments too!