Big Sister Kevin, Big Brother Eddie, and the rest of the team set about providing medical support.
The Latarnian medical team joined them as well.
I met up with the people in charge of the rituals for the Ogre God Nation and Latarnia, who had arrived later. Even though they had argued incessantly during the briefing, they were still at it. To my eyes, there was barely any difference between the two styles they were bickering over.
"The Saint must wear this attire!" a woman with horns insisted, leaning in close with intense pressure.
"No, this one would suit Tatiana-san much better!" the Latarnians countered, pushing their own choice.
I couldn't tell them apart if I tried. Even side-by-side, I couldn't see a single distinction.
"Hey, Big Brother Leo, which one do you think is better?"
"Eh? We already decided on the one the Empire prepared, didn't we? That'll definitely look the best on you. Besides, it was tailored specifically to your measurements, Tatiana."
"Then I'll go with that."
I had the Court Lady help me change, since apparently, I couldn't put it on by myself. Once my makeup was finished, the transformation was complete.
"How do I look, Big Brother?"
"Oh, you're cute. Want me to take a photo?"
He snapped a picture without waiting for an answer. Then, he insisted on taking a photo of the two of us together.
"I'm sending this to One-oh-one and Shiyun."
He hit send without my permission.
"Claire, Melissa! Look, Tatiana is so cute!"
"Don't call them over!"
Despite my protests, my big sisters were summoned. Big Sister Claire and Big Sister Melissa started taking photos too. I told you to stop!
What’s more, they sent them off somewhere else.
"Kevin-chan says you're cute."
"I said, why are you sending them?!"
"Because you're cute?"
"Why is that a question?!"
"Now then, let's head to the ritual."
"Listen to me, you stupid big brother!"
In moments like this, the youngest child has no say. It’s the same with my younger brothers at home, so I know the feeling all too well.
I was placed onto a hand-carried palanquin and transported toward the ruins. Big Brother Leo wore the uniform of a Latarnian military guard, while Big Sister Melissa was dressed in Ogre God Nation attire. Big Sister Claire wore the Empire Traditional Attire. Everyone looked great in their outfits.
Priests from the Ogre God Nation led the procession, chanting as they marched. Halfway there, they passed the lead to the Latarnian priests, who also began singing in the Latarnia Language. Incidentally, I heard there was only a dialect-level difference between the Latarnia Language and the language of the Ogre God Nation. Listening to them, I certainly couldn't tell the difference, though the melodies were quite distinct.
The Ogre God Nation used instruments like trumpets, harps, and drums, while the Latarnians favored string instruments and flutes. It didn't really feel like 'music' in the traditional sense, though; it was more like sutras or Ritual Prayers for a ceremony. It wasn't meant for entertainment.
Big Sister Melissa leaned in to whisper to me.
"Isono and Nakajima are watching the broadcast. They said they want to blast some rock music at full volume."
Those two were definitely the types to actually try it. They were both absolute bundles of chaotic energy.
"Tell them if they do that, I'm disowning them."
"Roger that."
We entered the interior of the ruins. Now, it was finally Mimicry time.
"The Ancient Stone Tablet is over there," a guide explained. "According to Taikyoku Nation Myth, when the Saint touches it, she will be resurrected within the nation."
"O-Okay."
Big Sister Claire gave me an encouraging smile.
"It’ll be fine. Leo is right here. Besides, myths don't just come true that easily. Tatiana-chan, just touch it and see if there's anything you can use Mimicry on."
"Right!"
Ugh, I was so nervous. I stepped down from the palanquin and reached out to the plate. There was no way it would activate just like th—
The moment my fingers brushed it, various parts of the ruins flared with a red light.
"O-Oh..."
I stood there, dazed. Suddenly, a voice guidance system began to play. It wasn't just in the Imperial tongue; guidance also broadcasted in the Ogre God Nation language, the Latarnia Language, and the Taikyoku Nation Language.
"Original Ability User detected. Displaying UI."
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
A menu materialized in front of me.
"B-B-B-B-B... Big Brother?"
"Did a Jester really make it all the way here?!" Leo exclaimed.
So much for 'no descendants being born to Jesters!' Their reproductive reach was on the level of bacteria or viruses!
"D-D-D-D-Download the data!" the priests from both the Ogre God Nation and Latarnia began to shout, making a massive scene. Only the people from the Taikyoku Nation, who seemed largely uninvolved, stood by staring blankly.
Big Brother stepped in to stop the priests.
"I'll send you copies later!"
"You better!" the Latarnian priest shouted, his eyes gleaming with a manic intensity.
"Please, send it to us!"
"I'll send it as soon as I can!"
"That’s a promise!"
Geez, he went and got himself locked into a promise. He'd probably have to send them the corrupted files too just to satisfy them.
Eventually, the UI translated itself into the Imperial language. Ah... yeah. I couldn't read a word of it.
"Does anyone here know ancient literature...?"
The text was so archaic I couldn't make heads or tails of it. Big Sister Claire stepped up to take a look.
"Wow, this is ancient! Leo, look at this."
"Whoa, I can barely read any of it! Fairy, help!"
Oh boy. He was crying out to Big Sister Luna for backup. This was getting serious.
"Heeey. It’s everyone’s idol, Fairy-san... Wait, this is old! This grammar predates even my own childhood! This is going to take even me some time to decipher!"
Even the group capable of reading ancient texts was stumped. For the time being, Luna-chan downloaded the files. Then, Big Brother contacted Veronica-chan.
"Can I send the raw data to them?"
"It cannot be helped, I suppose," she replied.
Copies were transmitted to both nations, and another was sent to Shiyun’s server.
"Tatiana-chan, please perform Biometric Authentication for this file."
"Got it."
There was apparently a device meant to draw blood, but it was rejected for hygiene reasons. Using a test kit we’d brought in advance, I accessed the system remotely and bypassed the authentication. Immediately, a rush of information flooded my mind.
Ah, this was the sensation I got whenever I used Mimicry.
"It looks like the Saint's actual biological information," someone noted. "However, it's incomplete. It's not enough data to fully reproduce her personality in a simulator, but..."
"It's okay. I'm starting to understand."
It was the Story of the Saint.
She had been born as a Latarnian slave. At that time, it seemed the Latarnians had not yet established their own nation. The ones ruling over them were grotesque beings—humanoid cyborg bodies with water tanks for heads. Inside those tanks lived creatures that looked like octopuses. They seemed to be a race that had once dominated a vast territory.
One day, the Latarnians rebelled. She took advantage of the chaos to escape, eventually reaching the Ogre God Nation. It was a world where the strong devoured the weak. She served as a medical soldier under an Ogre God Nation warlord—or perhaps a powerful family.
I see... back then, the Ogre God Nation had much more influence. Eventually, she became a doctor. It was so long ago that I didn't know what the status of a doctor was back then, but she eventually discovered the true cause of why the people of the Ogre God Nation were constantly killing each other.
The Ghouls.
She was well-versed in Latarnian herbs. Through them, she found a medicine that could treat the infestation... and then, she became a Saint. Despite her hopeless origins as a slave, the memory didn't feel tragic at all.
It was almost as if...
"The Saint was a Jester?"
Before I knew it, my entire body was bathed in light.