Patricia and I set about organizing our information once more.
"You seem to know an awful lot. Where did you get it all from in the first place?"
For someone who was supposed to be just another reincarnated person like me, she clearly possessed far more information than she should have. It had been on my mind for a while, so I decided to ask her once more why she had wanted to destroy the barrier so badly.
"Oh? Are you that interested in me?" she teased.
"I can't stand your attitude, but I don't particularly care what you were originally trying to achieve."
If she wanted to smash the barrier, she was welcome to it.
"However, I won't allow Alicia and me to get dragged into the calamity that occurs when the Saint is written out of the story."
That had been my stance from the very beginning. I was here to resist a fate that sought to balance the scales by returning the world to its path of ruin.
"I've already dealt with the monster situation," I continued. "But there’s more to it than that, isn't there?"
"Hmph. So you thought I was the one wishing for that destruction? Just because I went through all the trouble of coming here from the Continent Duchy?"
"Exactly. Besides, you aren't even the Saint to begin with, are you?"
Patricia brushed my words aside with practiced ease. "My, but I was properly appointed as the Saint by the Continent Duchy before returning to the Academy, you know?"
She looked at me with a smirk. "I'm a guest here. You really should show me a little more hospitality."
"It’s a scam."
I didn't know what kind of tricks she’d used, but it was a total scam.
"You'll die if you're found out. Not that I'd lose any sleep over it."
"Thank you for the warning. But tell me, how exactly do you plan to prove I'm not the Saint?"
It was turning into a "proving a negative" situation, but the answer was simple.
"The awakening of the Holy Artifact would be proof enough, wouldn't it?"
"Good grief. This is exactly why you're nothing but a sex-crazed monkey."
"I'll kill you."
"You said it yourself, didn't you?" Patricia laughed. "That power of yours is triggered when your life is in danger. Wouldn't the Saint's Power be the same?"
Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"That power is only proven when the country falls into a state of absolute crisis—all according to the story scripted by that Ancient Creepy Stalker."
"..."
"My original plan was to bewitch Edward, isolate the True Saint, and send that big-chested girl over there to some remote backwater to eliminate any future obstacles. I was going to slowly seize control of this country before making my move. But sigh, thanks to your interference, it's all gone to waste."
For Patricia, who was backed by the Continent Duchy, Alicia had been the only major obstacle standing in her way.
"You were the one who picked up the Holy Artifact. And for some reason, the real deal is right there beside you. Since things weren't moving, I had to forcibly rewrite the script before it was too late, didn't I?"
"So you took a gamble by posing as the Saint."
"Posing, huh? I wonder... I’m not so foolish that I’d cross a dangerous bridge for no reason. Though even I’m not quite sure what’s happening anymore."
Patricia shot a sharp glare at me.
"Honestly, everyone is such an idiot. A barbaric idiot and a bald idiot. Because you were boneheaded enough to fight Edward fair and square and actually kill him, that freak showed up, didn't he?"
She was clearly venting. Her words were sharp, suggesting this was an outcome she hadn't anticipated at all. I could have taken satisfaction in having ruined her plans, but fundamentally, Edward had been the one stirring the pot from the start.
"That's because you abandoned him," I countered.
Once Patricia had completely discarded him, Edward’s personality had shifted to a terrifying degree.
"Don't go blaming me for that. It’s been a massive headache for me, too."
"Whatever. You're annoying."
Patricia fumed, her face set in a pout of lingering dissatisfaction.
Alicia finally interjected with a question.
"Listen, if she’s a fake, then who is the True Saint? She’s clearly at the heart of all this... and we are currently in an emergency, aren't we?"
"Ah, that's right!" I realized.
Belial had called Edward the Vessel of the Sage. If that was connected to the barrier's disappearance, then Mariana—whom we recognized as the reincarnation of the Current Saint—was also directly involved.
She was inextricably linked to this whole mess.
"Alicia, you were with Mariana, weren't you?"
"Where is she!?"
Before Alicia could even get a word out, Patricia had already lunged toward her, demanding an answer.