“Dowaahhhhhhhhh!!!”
What the hell was this?!
My body was glowing!
Wait, in a situation like this, what would Big Brother Leo do…?
[Identify the source of the glow, and you’ll find the cause.]
Right! Was it my skin or my clothes?!
…It was everything.
It wasn't just my clothes or my skin—it was like a Personal Shield itself was emitting light.
“Even if I know where the light’s coming from, it doesn't help at all!!!”
“Ta-Tatiana! Suppress your power!!!” Big Brother Leo shouted.
“How?!”
“Mimicry! You’re mimicking the Saint right now! Switch to mimicking me!!!”
With that, Big Brother Leo pulled me close and held me tight.
“A-a-a-a…”
“Calm down… just breathe.”
Ah, yeah, right. There was no way I could stay calm with him holding me like that.
My breathing became shallow and heavy. As if responding to my pulse, the power grew even stronger.
“Heeen!!!”
The light completely enveloped us.
Outside, panic erupted.
“W-what was that light just now?!”
“Is everyone alright?!”
“Y-yeah. No problems here!”
“H-hey! There are soldiers collapsed over there!”
“Which unit do they belong to?!”
“Affiliation unknown!”
“Could they have come to… assassinate us…?”
“H-hey! Look! The Ghouls are all dead!!!”
“W-what?!”
“…O-oh.”
I looked up at Big Brother Leo.
“Tatiana…”
“Big Brother…”
“Just give up already, Saint-sama.”
He needed to stop looking at me with those pitying eyes.
A few hours later, Latarnia and technicians from the Galactic Empire were dispatched to the site.
It turned out the ruins were actually an Anti-Ghoul Shield Device created by the Saint. It was an experimental model meant for the Saint’s exclusive use, apparently designed to be operated via Saint Authentication.
I had only been able to activate it because I was mimicking the Saint.
But what did they mean by ‘Original Ability User’?
I thought Jesters were biological weapons created by the Empire.
“We may need to rethink the definition of a Jester,” Big Sister Luna murmured.
The ritual was officially cancelled. I had my makeup removed and was helped out of the ceremonial robes. Once I’d asked the Court Lady to leave the room so I could change back into my military uniform, Big Sister Luna continued her thought.
“After all, you're supposed to be the strongest ability users ever created by the Empire, right?”
“Um, well… are you familiar with the mystery crayfish?”
“Crayfish?”
“Yes, the marbled crayfish. It’s a creature that doesn't actually exist in the wild.”
I knew what crayfish were. They were the things that tasted awful if you didn't de-vein them properly. But if you cleaned them well, breaded them, and fried them? Delicious.
They were a staple at food stalls. I’d eaten them all the time back when the military first recruited me locally. Thinking back, they tasted more like Crab than shrimp.
Crab, huh… Big Sister Claire had given me so many cans of crab before. We all ate them together; they were so good. I’d heard fresh or frozen crab was even better.
Wait, focus. Crayfish. I needed to ask my question.
“What are you getting at?”
“Their origin is a mystery. They can't crossbreed with the species they supposedly originated from. Furthermore, they reproduce through parthenogenesis—a single individual can multiply indefinitely.”
“Hmm…”
The way Jesters were treated was just too much.
“The theory is that Leo-kun and the rest of you are like those mystery crayfish, and that an 'original species' must exist. Of course, unlike the crayfish, this original species would be capable of normal reproduction.”
“The Original Species?”
“Yes. If they possessed the Jester trait—the [Ability to Turn Despair into Hope]—they would be, in a sense, a transcendent species.”
“Wait, do I have that ability too?”
“Since you became who you are now, has anyone close to you met with misfortune? Specifically, has anyone died in battle?”
“Shiyun… well, her tragedy happened before she met me. But come to think of it, no one else…”
In fact, even my mother, who had been headed for a guaranteed Bad End no matter how you looked at it, had managed to avoid a depressing finale. My younger brother and sister had also become surprisingly lucky.
I hadn't met Big Brother Leo before all this, so I wondered if his luck was also part of my ability…
“That ability is precisely what makes a Jester the strongest. It’s why Veronica-chan intentionally placed Leo-kun in a high-ranking government position—to give him a broader perspective. She is strategically expanding the subjective range of who he considers his ‘allies.’”
“Is it really okay to tell me all this?”
If I were still as dim-witted as I used to be, I probably would have just spent all my time gambling. Even now, it wasn't like I’d suddenly become a genius. There shouldn't have been a reason to let me in on the secret.
“I’m revealing the truth because it’s necessary. Now, please, go outside. You’ll understand what I mean.”
“What’s with the cryptic talk? You’re scaring me.”
I stepped outside.
When I did, I found the people of the Ogre God Nation, Latarnia, and even the Taikyoku Nation prostrating themselves.
“W-what’s going on?”
I immediately wanted to bolt.
“We offer our greetings and deepest gratitude to the Saint-sama!”
They were performing full-on dogeza, foreheads pressed against the dirt.
“P-please, raise your heads! Brigadier General!!!”
I turned to Big Brother Leo for help.
But Big Brother Leo’s expression was dead serious.
“Tatiana… listen calmly. We’ve received word from Kevin. The Ghouls were completely wiped out by the device. They’re already moving at high speed to recover the remains of those who were possessed.”
A Jester's ability was governed by subjectivity. You couldn't save people you didn't know. Whether someone counted as an ‘ally’ depended entirely on your own perception.
In other words, Big Sister Luna was telling me to expand my subjective horizon.
She was telling me to become a true Saint.
I’m not that much of a pushover, though!!! I’m not Big Brother Leo!!!
But… I really would hate for the people here to be miserable. If they could at least bury their families and start looking toward the future, that would be enough…
“The Saint-sama is glowing!”
“Ah, what a warm, beautiful light!”
I glanced over at Big Brother Leo.
He had this look on his face that said, [Welcome to the Jester World!]
You jerk!!!
“Be prepared. You’re going to be very busy from now on.”
I was already prepared for it, to some extent. If I had the power to reduce the number of unhappy people in the world, I’d use it.
But still…
“Just so we’re clear, I am absolutely not doing any gravure!”
“You’ll have to take that up with… Veronica-chan.”
“No way in hell!!!”
There were plenty of other beautiful girls for that! Like Big Sister Kevin! Or Big Sister Claire! Or Big Sister Veronica!
Even Big Sister Melissa has been getting incredibly pretty—no, erotic—lately!
As for Big Sister Ren… she’d hate it, so I’d better leave her out of it.