Kapitel 2: Chapter 1: I’ll Be the Perfect Fake Saint
They say time flies like an arrow, and I couldn't agree more.
In the blink of an eye, nine years had passed since I'd become Ellize, the worst piece of trash in the world. While I wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, even I had finally reached the conclusion that I wasn't in a dream.
If the game timeline had progressed without interruption, Ellize would've already ruined her natural beauty by gorging on food and alcohol, but I was different. I'd taken good care of myself, so I'd managed to maintain her good looks.
Ellize was so blessed that, even though I'd been the one enjoying it, I often got pissed off. I could remember anything after hearing it only once and learning magic was as easy as pie.
Oh, right—I'd forgotten to mention it earlier, but, yes, magic existed in this world. Fantastic, right?
All in all, this world followed most of the codes of regular medieval fantasy works with knights and magicians. I hadn't tried to change anything either. I figured it was better to leave things alone rather than throw weird pieces of knowledge into the mix and mess everything up.
To be fair, it wasn't like science wasn't a thing at all here. For instance, steam engines and locomotives had already been invented.
Anyway, there were eight magic attributes in this world: fire, water, earth, wind, thunder, ice, light, and darkness. In my case, I could use everything but dark magic, and I was especially good at light attribute spells.
I still thought it was way too funny that the fake was nothing like a real saint except when it came to her magic affinity.
Only the real saint and the witch were able to harness dark magic. Actually, the two of them could freely use every single type.
Anyway, back to the topic of my crazy body. Ellize was—and I can't stress this enough—a total monster! I could just do anything I put my mind to, whether it was copying magic spells, or even replicating moves and techniques I sort of remembered seeing in my previous...life. Uh, yeah, let's go with that.
Shooting a laser beam from the sky? Done! Flying around? Easy! Healing magic isn't supposed to work on these types of ailments? Don't care! Healed! No logs to fight vampires? I got you, bro! Here!
Everything was so easy it felt like I was cheating.
At first, I'd been a little worried. I wasn't sure I'd manage to be diligent in my efforts to train and study. It had turned out to be a needless worry, though—there were absolutely no distractions whatsoever here. If anything, the only fun things I ever got to do were combat training and magic practice, so I was more than happy to do so.
As a result, I ended up training every single day. Even outside of my designated classes, I still practiced magic as a hobby.
My teacher had gone as far as to ask me why I worked so hard, reassuring me that it was all right to take it easy and think of myself from time to time. I wasn't sure if honesty was the best policy in my case—would admitting that I was bored out of my mind be the best course of action?
In the end, I casually blurted out some bullshit along the lines of, "I used to be a bad child, so I need to do my best to meet everyone's expectations now! I used to only care about myself. Now I want to think about you!"
For some reason, my teacher was so moved that he started crying. Lol.
Another of my pastimes was going out to hunt monsters. And let me tell you, hunting monsters was...super freaking fun! Ha ha ha!
I'll admit it—I was a little worried at first. As a regular guy, I wasn't sure I'd do well in actual battles, but as it turned out, I was even more heartless than the real Ellize. How should I describe the feeling? Hee hee hee... Trampling down weaklings with my overwhelming powers delighted me in the most primal of ways. It was just so much fun!
As some video game villain once said, nothing beats getting drunk on your own power! I finally understood just how right he'd been.
While I did realize I was acting like a fine piece of shit, I just couldn't help myself. Hunting was the best! I enjoyed the almighty, superior feeling it gave me. And to be honest, I was pretty sure anyone would get addicted to it. It was like a drug.
I strongly believed it was human nature to enjoy beating up weaklings. It just so happened that this fundamental nature was slightly more developed in me.
I'm sorry little monsters! I really am! Please forgive me, all righty? Let's go! Eat that! In your face, monster! I blasted the latest magic spells I'd learned at my target, and it was blown away. Aah... It feels amazing. This has to be the greatest form of entertainment ever, guys.
After I'd killed a few too many monsters, though, people eventually started questioning my motivations. That was when I hit them with a well-timed, "It pains me to do so, but I have to hunt monsters to protect everyone!"
Just like my teacher, they were all moved and started crying. Lmao.
I also did my best to spread the fame of the saint in preparation for when I'd step down and give Eterna her rightful place back. Ellize was a fake—an extra and nothing more. She didn't hold a candle to Eterna.
My fate was to wait for the true heroine to show up and yeet me out of the picture to reclaim what was originally supposed to be hers. I was perfectly all right with that prospect. It was only natural, after all.
The only issue was that, in the game, the endless list of crimes Ellize had committed had come back to bite Eterna in the ass after she was recognized as the real saint. This time, things would be different, though. I'd make sure the saint was loved and well-respected.
That meant doing charity work, I guess.
Usually, in isekai stories, the protagonists taught the people of their new world how to make tons of new things to improve their lives. Now, being the idiot I was, this wasn't an option for me. Instead, I focused on healing the people in the villages and towns around me. It also served as good magic practice.
Yes, yes, you would make for an excellent test subject! To heal this wound, I need to use...this spell! Hmm? Hang on, did I mess up?
Whoa, would you look at this girl? She looks fine—definitely my type. It's too bad she's got a scar on her face. Her leg's hurt too. What a waste, what a waste, I'd thought before using my healing magic. And... There! All fixed! Are you gonna fall for me now, baby?
Eventually, after I'd gone around and healed people left and right for a while, I was asked why I'd done all that.
"I want to help the people I can reach! That's the least I can do! My payment? A beautiful smile will do," I'd told them.
If you read between the lines, it also meant I wasn't going to bother with the people who were too far away. I'm not a yogi, all right?! I don't stretch, and I certainly don't have any intention of stretching myself too thin. Get it?
Anyway, they were moved. Started crying. Rofl.
I also met Verner, the main character of the game.
At the beginning of the game, both he and Eterna were seventeen. Since Eterna and Ellize were the same age, and I was currently fourteen, that meant there were still three years to go before the game's story started.
Actually, something happened to Verner when he was around fourteen. When playing the game, you only saw the scene as a flashback, but when he was a kid, he encountered a small part of the witch's soul and gained the ability to use the power of darkness (lol). When he was fourteen, this dark power (lol) awoke but, unable to harness it, Verner went on a rampage and began to be feared by the people around him.
Urgh... Everyone! Get away from me! The darkness that sleeps in my right arm will attack you!HA HA HA HA. Spoken like a true chuunibyou.
Anyway, as a result, Verner's family harshly criticized him before throwing him out. That was how the son of a lord wound up living like a pauper and grew up to be a spineless coward convinced he had no worth. He lived as a wanderer for a while before settling down in a small village where he met Eterna. After his traumatic experience, he sealed his powers deep within himself.
This led to all kinds of disasters during the main story. For instance, he could've avoided the death of his love interests if he'd just used his powers immediately instead of letting bad situations drag on. As a player, it was incredibly frustrating to wait ages for him to get over his trauma and start doing stuff.
The only way to beat the witch without the saint was actually to awaken the darkness that slept inside him (lol). In a nutshell, he managed to defeat her because he used the same power... Or something like that.
And so, I made sure to intercept Verner after he was kicked out of his home and cheer him on a little so he wouldn't think he was worthless, awful, or whatever...
"I...can still have a happy ending?" he asked me at the end of our discussion.
That reminded me so much of the actual ending of the game that I started bawling my eyes out. I promised him I'd do anything to make sure he got to have his happy ending. I didn't really want to hug another man but, as a beauty—well, on the outside, at least—I felt like I had no choice. I even gave him a complimentary hug. I tried my hardest to think of it as nothing more than a greeting. Like foreigners do, you know.
Here, look—a beautiful girl's embracing you. Rejoice! Inside said girl there's a rotten guy, but never mind that part.
So anyway, you know the drill by now. Verner was moved. Cried. Lol, lmao, rofl, all of the above.
While I was at it, I sucked up all of his excess power until it was back at a level he could control by himself. Magic was just so convenient! Now I could also fight the witch if I needed to.
To be honest, I'd only hugged him to steal his powers in the first place.
Since I wasn't the saint or the witch, doing that might've shortened my life span a bit. But who cared if a piece of trash died a little earlier than expected? If it could buy Eterna a happy ending, it was a good trade as far as I was concerned.
In case you were wondering why Verner didn't suffer from the same side effects, well...his constitution somehow was strong enough to withstand it. Main characters were just built different. Well, that was one idea, at least. I remembered reading a theory that said Verner was a descendant of one of the witches of old, so that would explain that.
Oh, by the way, I also gave him a handmade pendant. I hadn't actually made it myself—I'd asked an artisan at my castle to do the work, then I'd infused it with magic. But that was already something, right? Anyway, the pendant would seal off part of his powers so that he'd have an easier time controlling it.
I knew that Verner continuously let dark mana seep out of his body. The witch had used that to track him down and send monsters to attack his village. That had led to Eterna's first tragedy. I figured I might as well avoid that event altogether if I could. The pendant would help with that.
I took the chance to cram all of my hopes and dreams in there too.
You have to go the Eterna route, Verner! Make her happy! You have to, all right?! I thought as I infused it with mana. I really want to see Eterna's happy ending!
◇
If someone played a part to perfection, would they still only be a fake? If they were identical to the original—or better, even, to the point no one could tell the difference—would there truly be one? Even if, deep down, that person was nothing but a piece of trash, I'm certain it wouldn't make a difference to the ones that'd received salvation.
◇
The saint Ellize was the very personification of the word selfish. She grew up in an environment where all of her whims had been accepted, so she'd never learned how to stop her greed. No matter what she asked for, it was given to her. No matter what she did, she was forgiven.
Why? Simply because she was the saint, the one born to rid the people of their greatest fear—the witch. Without her, the people would lose all hope. They'd eventually all die at the hand of the monsters that served the witch. That was why the saint was the most important person in the world. Her life was worth more than that of any other.
Since she was raised with a silver spoon in her mouth, Ellize didn't consider anyone else's life important. And she never felt like she owed anyone any gratitude either.
It was only natural that she got to eat the best food, live in the nicest castle, and have the most servants taking care of her every need. If anything, she considered it the bare minimum, and if that standard wasn't met, she'd get moody.
However, when she was five, Ellize changed. She suddenly became polite and learned to thank the people around her. She'd always been horrible to her servants, but she started treating them with care and respect. She'd always hated to study and train, but she became keen to learn and better herself.
Needless to say, her bountiful talent bloomed and she soon became a powerful magician. By the time she was ten, no one was her equal.
Everyone praised her natural talent.
They weren't wrong—Ellize was talented. However, the teachers who'd taught her how to wield a sword and use magic knew that her tremendous progress was the fruit of her extraordinary efforts. Ellize never wasted time; she trained like a possessed madwoman. She honed her sword and magic skills without rest and mastered all magic attributes—save for darkness. Her swordsmanship was so accurate that she'd most likely be able to cut two cells apart.
She was a true saint in every way.
By the time she was fourteen, her beauty started to shine. Her hair looked like it was spun gold, while her face looked like it had been shaped by God Himself. She was the picture of purity in her white dresses and treated everyone equally with a warm smile.
Once, a man who was in charge of protecting and instructing her had asked, "Lady Ellize, why do you push yourself so? I can't help but worry about you. You're already the most accomplished fighter I have ever seen. Please take better care of yourself! Give yourself some love!"
Ellize smiled gently. "In the past, I was a tyrannical and horrible child," she started. "I misused my power as the saint and trampled on everyone's expectations. When I understood the error of my ways, I vowed to live up to everyone's expectations. You ask me to love myself, but I've already loved myself long enough. Now, I will share my love with everyone else. I love this world and I want to take care of it. That's why I push myself."
Her teacher couldn't help but let his tears flow freely at her radiance. There could be no mistake, she was a true saint. To think that the selfish little girl had grown into such a fine young woman!
That day, each one of her teachers vowed to devote themselves to her with their whole souls.
According to a certain new recruit in the army, he'd witnessed a miracle.
Back then, he'd been in the grip of despair. Behind him was the town he had sworn to protect, and before him, an army of monsters serving the witch. There were at least a thousand monsters while the soldiers were no more than three hundred—a truly hopeless situation.
"Why aren't the reinforcements here yet?!"
"We're done! The country has forsaken this town!"
All around him, soldiers cried in despair. The king had abandoned them. No one would come to their aid.
Perhaps this town had no value from a strategic standpoint, or maybe they intended to use it as bait to lure the monsters while the capital's defenses strengthened.
The man had just joined the army, so he didn't have a good grasp on strategy yet. No one had explained anything. The only thing he clearly understood was the hopelessness of the situation. This place would soon become hell on earth.
"L-Let's run away! Q-Quick!" a soldier stuttered.
"What will the people do if we run away?! And where do you want us to go?! We're surrounded, you idiot!" cried another.
The new recruit was frozen in place, his teeth chattering.
No... I don't want to die! I don't want my life to end here without having accomplished anything!
But reality was cold and merciless. It did not care for his sorrow, and the monsters finally closed in on the soldiers. All around him, his comrade's screams echoed while blood splattered on the ground. The recruit couldn't move an inch, his legs trembling under him. He felt a warm liquid run down his legs.
At last, a monster finally appeared before him. It was about to end his nightmare when suddenly...a light flashed and destroyed all of the monsters in its wake.
To the poor recruit, it felt as though the heavens had finally executed judgment upon these sinners. A pillar of light had descended from a gap between the clouds and was progressively laying waste to the monsters' army.
After a while, a young girl in a pristine white dress came down from the heavens. A ray of light shone upon her, and she sparkled in the most wondrous of ways. The survivors found they couldn't take their eyes off of her.
She parted her cherry blossom-pink lips and uttered a single word. "Sorry..."
Before the recruit could understand what she'd said, she extended her hand, and a sphere of light flew out from her palm. It was small enough to fit in someone's hand, but after reaching the monsters' army, it exploded and expanded at once, erasing all traces of the monsters in its vicinity. She fired another sphere. Then a third. This continued, again and again, until the whole army had been eradicated.
Her might was overwhelming.
"The... The saint! It's her! To think she was so powerful!" a soldier suddenly exclaimed.
The recruit finally learned of their savior's identity—it was the symbol of light and humanity's only hope of defeating the witch, the saint. Immediately, he accepted the situation. It made sense for her to be so overwhelming. After all, she was in a league of her own.
After getting rid of the last monster, she calmly descended from the sky and set foot on the ground.
The mayor ran to greet her. "S-Saint! However can we thank you? Please allow us to invite you to our town! We'll prepare a feast for you!"
"There is no need. I'm happy you wish to thank me, but sadly, this town isn't the only place under attack. I must make haste," she explained, looking in the distance as though her eyes were already gazing at her next battle.
The recruit felt the need to speak to her before she disappeared. He understood it would be rude of him, but he still had to ask. Why had she apologized to the monsters? Why did she fight so fiercely?
"S-Saint! Why... Why did you say sorry before attacking the monsters? And how are you able to dash into battle as you did earlier? Are you not scared?!"
It was rather impolite of him, and he expected the saint's face to sour at his questions. Instead, however, she showed him a tender smile.
"They are also living beings," she started, looking into the recruit's eyes as she spoke. "And I ruthlessly trampled upon them. It's deplorable and sinful, just like a hunter enjoying the thrill of the chase. Still, I have to continue fighting... Because I want to protect everyone."
Her pained tone made the recruit realize his own stupidity. To her, even killing monsters was a sin that made her heart ache. No one else cared about the monsters being alive, and they certainly wouldn't ever have blamed themselves for taking the beasts' lives. After all, the monsters were frightening and horrible creatures, the enemies of humankind. But the saint was so kind that she concerned herself with the fate of monsters. Even then, she was still willing to sin to protect people.
Now that he'd understood all that, he felt incredibly ashamed of his questions.
On that day, the new recruit became a true soldier. He was still weak, and could never be compared to the saint, but he prayed he'd be able to come to her aid one day.
Yes, one day, he vowed to himself, he'd be strong enough to be her strength.
A young woman had lost all hope.
Up until a year ago, she'd been happy. Although she'd never been rich, she had been content with her life. She had kind parents, reliable friends, and a loving fiancé.
However, her whole life crumbled around her in the span of one single day. She was attacked by monsters. She sustained injuries that left her unable to walk, and a horrible scar marred the beautiful face she'd always been proud of.
After that, nothing was the same anymore. The people around her started treating her differently, and her fiancé left her.
She cursed God; she cursed everything. Why did she have to go through something like this? Why had God given her this trial?
She despaired and started hating anything and everything.
A skilled healer could help her. While they wouldn't necessarily be able to fix her completely, they would definitely be able to improve her condition. Unfortunately, hiring such a healer required funds, and her family didn't have that kind of money.
If I have to keep living like this...I might as well be dead, the girl thought.
One fateful day, though, the clouds that darkened her life were easily swept away.
It was all thanks to Ellize, the saint, who'd happened to pass through her tiny village. Her magic and healing powers were beyond logic, and she healed the young woman's face and legs in the blink of an eye. She didn't ask for thanks, let alone money. She simply left—as if what she'd just done was the most natural thing in the world.
Thus, the young woman went after her and asked, "Why did you save me? You didn't gain anything from this!"
The saint turned toward her with a smile so beautiful that anyone, including girls, would have fallen for her the moment they saw it. "My hands aren't very large, you see," she started. "No matter what I do, some lives will slip through my fingers. So I want to at least help the people I can reach. And... I did gain something from helping you. Getting to see your smile is more than enough to fill my heart with joy."
Even though life is painful, I hope you will never lose hope. Keep facing forward—I want you to live with everything you have and be happy.
The girl felt as though she'd heard the saint's inner voice speak to her, and before she knew it, tears had welled up in her eyes.
She felt ashamed of the days she'd spent moping around and despairing. What a fool she'd been! Without a single attempt at trying to do anything, she'd simply given up and let hate and resentment consume her. Unlike the saint, she hadn't given everything she had to try and make a change.
"Saint! One day...in the future...I promise to repay you! I will never forget what you did for me!"
She wouldn't spend her days wasting away anymore. The saint had given her hope, a future! And she had every intention to dedicate this future to her.
She would do whatever she could to give back. From now on, she'd live for the saint.
The young man—Verner—had just lost everything he held dear.
He drifted through the forest, his eyes lifeless and cold. Eventually, he tripped over a withered branch and fell. For a moment, he wondered if he'd just die like this, in this forest. It would be for the best, he thought. Maybe death would set him free. It wasn't like anything or anyone would mourn him even if he perished.
However, Verner remained alive. No matter how much he walked, no matter how many days passed without eating anything, he couldn't die; the strange power of darkness that had taken up residence in his body wouldn't let him.
Ever since his powers had awoken, a black miasma continuously escaped his body, and plants would wither away with the lightest contact.
Verner had originally been the eldest son of a noble family who ruled over the land. He'd been expected to take over his father's role eventually and lived happily, surrounded by many.
However, on his fourteenth birthday, dark powers erupted from within him without warning and he destroyed the entire mansion. He didn't know why it had happened. He had no way to understand any of it. How could a regular teenager notice that a part of the witch's soul had entered his body?
The only thing he knew was that he wielded the same powers as the hateful witch, and that fact changed the attitudes of everyone around him.
"Monster! You're not my child!"
"We cannot let such an abomination stay here!"
"Get out of here, monster!"
"Get lost! You're one of the witch's servants, aren't you?!"
No one needed him. They all wanted him to die. The fourteen-year-old boy wasn't strong enough to bear it.
Eventually, even his tears ran dry, and he lost the will to walk. As he stopped, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. He didn't have any energy left to worry about it.
"Found you... Here to...guide...you. The witch...awaits..." the black shadow said, holding out a hand toward Verner.
He had a feeling that, if he took that hand, he'd never be able to turn back. He knew that, yet he didn't have the strength to resist. He couldn't bring himself to care about anything anymore.
But the next moment, someone suddenly stepped in between the shadow and himself and attacked the former with a strong ray of light.
"You— Who are...?!" the shadow started.
"Disappear, shadow. I won't stand by and let you lure this poor boy into heresy."
"Are you...the saint?! Be damned... How dare you...stand in my way! But this strength... I can't...face...her..." it muttered before disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
The saint—the shadow had indeed recognized her—slowly turned to face Verner.
When he gazed upon her face, his first thought was that she was beautiful. Every ray of light that made it through the shade of the trees seemed to belong on her face. It was as if light existed for her sake.
"Are you all right?" she asked him with a smile.
Words he didn't even mean spilled from his lips, and he found he was unable to stop himself. "You should have left me be..."
No! That's not what I should be saying!
The saint's expression didn't budge. She simply looked at him calmly.
"You shouldn't have saved me," Verner continued. "I should've just died. No one would've been sad if I'd disappeared, so you might as well have let the shadow take me away and kill me..."
She hadn't asked him anything about that, yet he continued to blurt out complaint upon complaint. "You'd never understand. You're the saint! How could you ever understand my feelings? How could you know what it's like to be filthy and worthless?! Even dung on the side of the road has more use than me. No one could ever understand how I feel! I have no future, so what's the point of living any longer?!"
Without realizing it, he'd started screaming at the saint. He was consumed by the jealousy he felt. She was the saint—humanity's hope, someone everyone adored. And he was...nothing like her. His envy had made him voice the thoughts he'd never wanted to utter.
For better or worse, her beautiful green eyes compelled him to admit his true feelings. He felt like screaming the thoughts he had kept buried deep inside his heart to the world.
"I can't know what others would feel, but I would be sad if you died," she answered simply.
As he continued to look into her eyes, Verner was astonished. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Even though it was the very first time they'd met, she cried for him. Him, a cursed, useless boy. Her heart ached for him. To Verner, it was the greatest salvation of all.
He felt something...plush and soft pressing against him. It had taken him way too long to notice that the saint was hugging him!
"And you're neither filthy nor worthless," she added.
A dam broke, and Verner burst out crying.
Ever since his powers had awoken, he'd been treated like a piece of trash everywhere he went. He'd been called unsightly, filthy, repulsive, abominable, even. No one wanted to get close to him, let alone touch him. And yet, the saint hadn't hesitated to embrace him.
He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling for a moment...before suddenly trying to push her away.
"No! Don't!" he cried. "You can't touch me! You'll... Just get away from me!"
The miasma that was overflowing from his body didn't heed his words; it ate at everything around him. Hugging someone was just foolish given his condition.
He panicked and tried to get away from the saint, but she patted his back as if to soothe him.
"It's all right. Don't worry, I'm fine. This power will help you one day. But I understand how much it must make you suffer right now... So I will borrow some of it, all right?" she said, absorbing the miasma that had been tormenting Verner into her own body.
The boy couldn't believe it. He had suffered so much because of his power, but now he was able to control it without any issue.
She truly is the saint, he thought.
"Please don't give up on your own happiness. You will face plenty of trials, but...I hope you'll reach your happy ending. No, I'll make sure of it," she told him.
He thought he heard her whisper at the end, "Even if I have to tear down my own body in the process..."
She let go, took a step back, and smiled at him. She had a strange charisma that compelled Verner to trust her unconditionally. He wanted to believe that there was light at the end of every tunnel.
The saint took out a chain with a little pendant and put it around Verner's neck.
Image here:
What is it...?" the boy asked.
"It will prevent your powers from escaping your body. And...I added a little good luck charm too."
"A good luck charm?"
"Yes. One that will help you reach your happy ending. I wished for you to encounter your saint. Don't worry, you will definitely be happy," she explained before flying away.
Verner's eyes followed her silhouette until she disappeared in the distance. He grasped the pendant tightly.
The hesitant young man he had been a few moments ago was nowhere to be seen. A newfound strength dwelled in his eyes, and the air around him felt fresher and sweeter than ever. While the world around him had once seemed grim to him, he now saw beauty in everything. The light had found its way into his heart, and everything shone under it.
I wished for you to encounter your saint, she had said.
Verner was certain she meant he would eventually meet a lovely girl who'd accept him, but...he'd never accept another saint. Even if his feelings would never reach her, he wanted to see her again. He wanted to be by her side.
He decided the pendant he had received would be the proof of that vow. It would lead him to her once more.
I will see her again.
With that thought inside his heart, Verner decided to believe in her light, no matter what the future might hold. He'd resolved never to stray from that path, never to stray from the light.
Ellize was nothing but a fake. However, to the people she had saved, she was—without a shadow of a doubt—the real deal.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein