Chapter 42

"Rabi-sama, what are you reading?"

In response to Sai's question, Rabi silently showed the book. It was something she had read once before. She opened the page, and a piece of paper was tucked inside. She handed the paper to Sai.

"Can you read what's written here, Sai-sama?"

"Written...?"

Sai tilted her head. Of course, that's right. This paper is made of magic paper, the same kind Rabi uses as a textbook. Although it is now a common item that incurs a magical cost, it used to be a luxury. Because it doesn't degrade and can be stored for a long time, it was highly valued as a book. However, there were few people who could write on it, and most of the old books are still just paper, gradually being rewritten onto magic paper.

"It just looks like a plain white paper to me..."

Rabi let out a long sigh. This really is just magic. This is why Baldo didn't say anything when he read this book before. The letters on this letter can only be seen by those controlled by the saint. Or perhaps, it should be said, those who have been controlled in the past.

‘I give this to you.’

That's what is written at the beginning. It seemed like a love letter to someone, but it was actually a letter from the past, a message from the third saint.

The content of the letter was mostly trivial to Rabi. It mentioned that she was the third saint, apologized to those who were controlled, and explained that the method to break the control magic was either the death of one of the two parties or Rabi surpassing Nella's magic. That was all. There was also advice to run away if the latter was too difficult, which only gave her a headache.

"I already knew all of that..."

She sighed in her room. Indeed, this information might be useful to anyone other than Rabi, who is a reincarnated person, but she already knew the game's knowledge. It was nothing new. Moreover, she couldn't understand the "third" part. There should have been only one saint before Nella. If this letter is correct, Nella would be the fourth, but she had never heard of such a thing.

Magic and words can make anything possible, but in reality, the magic used in this country is mostly physical, borrowing the power of nature. The rest is using magic-infused tools as machines. The ability to show words to specific people, like the control magic, is something only the saint can do, which made her feel even more hopeless. "Ah!!" Rabi scratched her head in frustration.

Still, the best thing to do is to run away as soon as possible. "I get it, I get it. That's fine," she said, throwing herself onto the bed, when a small girl appeared.

A girl with brown hair, similar to Nella but different in some way.

"I finally found you. Nice to meet you, I'm the third saint."

Even though I don't know your name, hello, nice to meet you, the girl said with a smile, and Rabi screamed, "Aaaaaah!!" Where did she come from? How did she get in?

The girl laughed, "Hehehe, did I surprise you? That was a loud scream. But don't worry, we're in a dream now!"

She made a V sign and her white dress shimmered. Realizing they were in a dream, Rabi looked around in a panic. It was pitch black, and even the bed she had jumped into was gone. She was just standing face to face with the girl. It was a strange situation. Her feet felt unsteady and uncomfortable, but the girl's words resonated deeply within her. The voice also felt very familiar, though not just because she had heard it many times in the game's opening.

"I've been calling out to you many times. Don't give up. But I had to save my magic, so I could only whisper in your dreams occasionally."

She made a small fist, and Rabi was confused. Indeed, she had felt something like that. However, the unease in her chest didn't change.

"Um, who are you...?"

"Well, I should say it properly. I'm just a letter. I left this letter as a precaution before I did what I was supposed to do. I'm in a child's form to save magic, but I'm actually much older."

Don't think of me as just a child, she said, wagging her finger.

"I don't know what time it is now, but I infused a lot of magic into the magic paper in case someone was controlled by the control magic in the future. So, it might look like I'm having a conversation with you, but I'm just responding to the content I anticipated. Please understand that."

In other words, it's like a very realistic video letter. Rabi nodded. Seeing her reaction, the girl smiled contentedly. "My name doesn't matter. I don't know yours, and I can't know it. Have you ever thought something was strange?"

Before Rabi could answer, she realized her consciousness was gradually fading. It felt like she was merging with the saint in a dream, getting closer and farther, and then closer again. Her voice became the girl's, and the girl's voice became hers. It was a strange, almost scary feeling, but also just mysterious. The question and the answer were both from Rabi. The girl's knowledge slowly seeped into her body and disappeared.

--- Why doesn't anyone notice? I'm just being controlled by Nella. Why can't anyone see it, even though they're all so smart?

It felt like everyone was treating her as if she didn't exist. Surely, if they investigated, they would find out. Even as a child, she had discovered the truth.

I'll erase everything.

This wasn't Rabi's thought, but the feeling of the third saint within her. This country is mad. She, a commoner with magic, eventually came to think this way. After entering the magic academy and discovering she had the same magic as the saints, she became the disciple of the second saint.

He was a man, only a saint in name, with a rough tone, treating her like a grandchild, but always keeping her in iron shackles and holding a gem. Those heavy, jingling chains would one day be placed on her. She was terrified. Eventually, she was imprisoned by the royal family, trapped in a nightmare with no escape.

"But I also thought it was inevitable. After all, I was just a commoner."

Those without names have no magic. That was supposed to be the norm, but she was different. Her master was the same. So, being treated as an object by the nobles was inevitable, and she had a resigned feeling. But it was wrong.

"The saints appear from commoners. The first, the second, and I were all commoners. The royal family realized this. The saints have grand names, but it's not true. It's just a cursed power. A drop that slipped from the protection and formed a terrifying mass, appearing unexpectedly. That's who we are."

The first saint was just a monster. Using her power, she gave the country various benefits and even protection.

"But my master and I, we only had a little of the cursed power and couldn't match the first saint. That's why we were used by the royal family. Such a convenient power, they couldn't help but use it."

You can use or kill your enemies as you please. If they turn against you, they become a troublesome existence.

"I was actually childhood friends with the princes. Surprised? He was a bit mischievous and used to sneak out of the castle. We often played together, him, his younger brother, and me. He was a cute blonde boy. But I didn't know he was a prince then. I was surprised when we met again at the academy."

Was it a boy like Baldo, who held hands in the opening? Perhaps he was Baldo's ancestor.

"I really, really liked him."

That's why I couldn't forgive him. My first magic had to be used on him. I learned that the castle was all a facade, and everyone was an enemy. I had no allies. I bit my lip until it bled. I made the man I liked suffer with my own hands. I resented my fate while holding the old master's hand. That's why I tried to erase everything.

"My master had been bound to the royal family for much longer, so she could gradually change the power of the gem. She left it to me before she died. It was the immense power left by the first saint. I wanted to use that power to erase the existence of the saint from this country."

--- The records about the saints are too unnatural. It feels like they were intentionally erased, and we're just looking at the remnants.

Baldo's words at that time were surprisingly on point.

"How did you do it?"

"I manipulate people's consciousness about the saints. I make visible things invisible. I tried to dispose of physical things as much as possible. Saints will continue to appear from commoners, but if they don't know how to use their power, they can live as commoners. But there might be some leftovers, so I hid the words so that no one but you could find them."

Making visible things invisible. In other words, even if you know about the control magic, your thoughts block it. Of course, there are limits. But Rabi gradually went mad. That's why everyone thought she was possessed by a demon and gave up on her as a troublesome girl.

Hiding the total amount of magic to avoid being controlled by the saint. But since that fact disappeared, it became just a custom, and inconsistencies appeared in actions. The impact was too great to be completely erased. So, the first saint remained, but the second and third disappeared.

"Is this world similar to a dating game because of some influence?"

"Dating game? I don't understand what you're saying."

"Is there a game in another world? Can you think of anything?"

"I don't understand what you're saying."

She repeated the same tone, like a broken tape. Just now, Rabi thought it was like a video tape. She probably can't answer anything not in her script. So, Rabi chose her words carefully.

"There's a story very similar to mine. Do you have any idea?"

"Well, I probably disappeared while cursing the world, so my strong feelings might have had some influence. I hated the royal family and the saint who controlled my loved one so much."

--- The best, bad ending for you.

It's a catchphrase. In other words, it was a story leading to the end of the royal family. Everyone was supposed to have a bad ending, but Baldo ended up with Nella and lived happily. Rabi thought that marrying Nella, who had the control power, was the bad ending the creators intended, but maybe there's more to it.

"The end of the royal family..."

Various doubts were swirling in her head. (The shadow day is known only to the family...) The day decided at birth. Rabi didn't know Baldo's shadow day. Knowing it could cause conflict among siblings, but parents have the right to know in case of emergencies. The shadow day is shared with a lifelong partner during the marriage ceremony.

(In other words, Nella...)

Rabi always thought Nella loved Baldo and that's why she pushed Rabi aside. But it was different. It was to know Baldo's shadow day. With that, she could gain a new puppet. Cutting off Rabi's head, she would control the country itself.

This story itself is only a bad ending. The purpose is too grand.

(Did Nella know she was originally a saint...?)

Otherwise, a commoner like her couldn't have married Baldo. But it was unclear. It was hard to dismiss as just a game. This world and the story were indeed interfering with each other.

Rabi found herself facing the small girl, who was smiling as if eating a snack. She was already gone, and only her magic remained. Rabi couldn't see anything.

But there was one thing that bothered her.

"Hey, is it your fault that no one noticed me?"

Rabi asked quietly.

The third saint blinked. "Yes, it is." She nodded casually.

"It's because I only partially erased the existence of the saint. You can hate me if you want."

Hearing her calm voice, Rabi laughed. She said she couldn't answer anything unexpected. So, she must have anticipated this answer. "It's fine. Hating you now won't change anything. I've been controlled by Nella, but not by you." Rabi's words probably didn't reach her. The third saint couldn't imagine how a future Rabi would respond.

"I can only tell you one thing: run. But just running isn't enough. The saint's protective power physically envelops the country. No one with ill intent can enter from outside, and the same applies in reverse. No one who opposes the saint can escape from this country. In other words, you can't cross the border."

This was new information. Rabi knew the gem left by the saint protected the country from other countries, but not that she couldn't leave.

"That's...?"

"Yes, but don't worry. I'll give you magic. Magic to confuse the saint's eyes. With this, you can always escape. Then, immediately leave everything behind and go to another country. That's the only way."

The girl slowly clasped her hands, and a bright light spilled from them. "It's infused with enough magic for one use. I hoped you wouldn't need to use it." The saint was supposed to be erased, so everything was unexpected. But maybe she should be grateful that the third saint left a letter.

This ends Rabi's battle. She took a deep breath. She had gathered enough money to last for a while and had built up her strength. It would be tough, but she could live a more normal and dignified life. Thinking about it, she felt very hopeful. "Take this." The girl slowly extended her hands, and Rabi followed suit. She should have, but her body wouldn't move.

Can I really just run away?

She heard a voice calling her, "Sister." A boy who had been fighting alone, bearing the responsibility of the duke's family. They cared for each other but kept their distance. But Fiel was very happy that Rabi was Rabi.

She hadn't faced her parents directly in a long time. She was afraid. She thought they might regret her birth, and the more she thought about it, the more scared she became. But she couldn't give up the hope that maybe they didn't. She wanted to apologize for all the worries, fears, and troubles she had caused and have a proper conversation with them.

Baldo didn't have good feelings, but he didn't have bad ones either. He tried to maintain peace and treated the strange Rabi equally on the surface. He wasn't good, but he wasn't bad either.

The maid Mari was a hassle at first and still is. She stubbornly does her job even when Rabi doesn't want her to, and sometimes she even forgets her manners. But Rabi understood that she was just a serious person. She didn't care much about the servants, but she was grateful for their help.

And Sai.

--- I can't ignore your efforts.

He was the first person to see Rabi.

Thinking about him always made her heart ache. He always followed her at a slight distance, and that distance made her sad. She wanted him to be by her side.

She knew he was there because of Baldo's orders and that he only pitied her. But a small bud of feeling grew in her heart. It was a one-sided love. It must have been very bothersome. She shouldn't have feelings for a prince's knight. But she couldn't leave him behind and escape alone. She wanted to be with him, the one who always smiled and said, "Thank you, I feel better."