“Are you ready, Saint Evelyn?” the head priest asked.
The grand finale of the Summer of Evelyn festival involved the saint herself—meaning, me—performing one final ceremony before passing on the role to Lady Europa. Hours ago, part of the Grand Basilica had been opened to the public, and countless people had flooded in. The seats arranged around the basilica’s massive square, the Stargazing Plaza, were all taken.
A few hours ago, Prince Oz had led me here. This was where prayer ceremonies were typically performed during festivals, so having a crowd here wasn’t unusual. But today, perhaps because it would be my retirement ceremony, there were even more attendees.
As I looked at the center of the plaza, where I would walk out in a few minutes, I thought, Khattar, Dominim, Rinma, Auracuna, Tarinyan...
Dignitaries from other countries were waiting there for me. Earlier, they’d expressed profound gratitude for my deeds. According to their unanimous feedback—
My power hasn’t weakened at all...
In the days leading up to my exile from the Grand Basilica, I’d increasingly experienced weakness and dizziness during prayer rituals. I’d assumed this was because my power had weakened, as Prince Alex had said. But apparently, that wasn’t the case; my health’s worsening had coincided with a sharp decrease in miasma outbreaks in foreign countries.
According to Prince Oz, I was not only dispelling miasma from Snasile but from other nations collectively.
Other countries had their own versions of saints, so I’d always believed I only needed to protect the kingdom where I’d been born and raised. But it seemed that without me realizing it, my power had pushed past our borders and begun to purify not only our neighbors but distant foreign lands as well. This feat was unprecedented for a saint, and it was a miracle that the only effect on me had been some tiredness.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how unsafe that was for me to do? And without even realizing...
But in the end, the result had been that I’d protected people’s homes. Knowing that made me very happy.
The envoys had prepared expensive gifts as tribute to me, but I’d asked them to donate them to orphanages and poorhouses. Instead, I’d made one request for myself.
“Please attend my final ceremony,” I’d said, then asked them to return to their countries only after seeing the new saint.
Slowly, I bowed to the high priest and the other priests, who had watched over me for so long.
“Your Eminence. Everyone. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Saint Evelyn...”
Tears welled in their eyes.
Though I planned to hide my face with a veil later, I couldn’t afford to start crying myself. But...my eyes nevertheless grew hot.
“I thought you all wanted to keep your distance from me,” I admitted.
“Oh, Saint Evelyn! No, never...!”
“Right, the Saint Inviolability Pact. You stayed away because of that,” I said. I’d learned of the term while glimpsing Prince Oz’s memories.
For some reason, their tearful eyes suddenly turned murderous.
“What’s the meaning of this?!”
“Who was it?! Who told Saint Evelyn about our secret pact?!”
“Come forward now and we’ll spare your life!”
“No! Be grateful all we’ll do is take your life!”
Huh? Why is the atmosphere hostile all of a sudden?
“Um...?” I said.
“A-Ah, it’s nothing, Saint Evelyn!”
“Look, the people are waiting! You should go to the plaza soon!”
“Yes! Leave rooting out and exterminating the traitor to us!”
Wait, what was that? Actually... Yes, it was time, so I could worry about the rest later.
“I’ll be going, then.”
I lowered my veil and stepped out onto the plaza, ceremonial staff in hand. The murmurs from the seated crowds gradually quieted as they saw me emerge, and soon the plaza was almost completely silent.
Underneath the starry sky that gave the plaza its name, with the hem of my long ceremonial robes dragging behind me, I continued toward the center. My face was hidden by a long white veil that reached all the way to the ground. I could see people’s faces, but they couldn’t see mine at all.
The saint must never show her face to the children of the earth...
Because the saint’s duty was to commune with the Mother Goddess in heaven and embody Her will, she could not be close to the people. I’d been taught as much early on. And it was precisely because I knew this that I boldly flipped the veil over my head.
This is my last ceremony, after all!
In my very last prayer ritual, I wanted to look directly at each attendee’s face rather than through a veil. After twenty-three years of hard work, surely I could be allowed this bit of selfishness.
A great stir arose among those who recognized me.
“What?! Ms. Angel!”
“It’s her! She was the saint?!”
The elementary school students from the capital yelled and squealed one after another as I waved at them, waving back with flushed cheeks. Karin was among them, and when our eyes met, she smiled and gave a small wave of her own.
It wasn’t just the children getting excited either. Standing at the front were Lord Theodore, Kira, Lord Jackson and his wife, and behind them, all the others I’d encountered. The innkeeper who’d hosted Kira and me, the inn’s cook, the servants of the Manilas mansion, the cheerful people of Semme...
I smiled and waved energetically as they all watched over me.
Which is probably not very saintlike of me!
Finally, I reached the altar at the center of the plaza and clasped my hands. I closed my eyes and prayed from the bottom of my heart, performing the ritual to dispel miasma and fulfilling a saint’s foremost, absolute duty.
May the world be at peace. May the world be at peace. May the world be at peace.
Overthinking often led to mistakes—this was also one of the first things I’d been taught. So, during rituals, I made it a habit to chant a simple mantra in my heart over and over.
May there be familial harmony, safe childbirths, employee benefits, uproarious laughter, harmonious friendship...