Damn Reincarnation

br>When I heard that news, do you know what kind of thoughts went through my head?” Kristina asked.

“How would I know that?” Eugene replied.

“I regretted the fact that I couldn’t be there with you.
As the Saint, if I had been there with you, I might have been able to help you deliver justice to that evil leader of the Dark Elves.”

“Let’s not talk about something that’s already in the past—”

Kristina’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
While wondering what she wanted, Eugene also came to a stop and turned to look at Kristina.
At that moment, her hands reached over to grab Eugene’s own.

“Sir Eugene,” Kristina said as she grabbed Eugene’s hands and held them together.
She noticed the ring on the ring finger of Eugene’s left hand but chose not to say anything about that for now, instead saying, “Please recognize what a special existence you are.
You are a Hero who has been acknowledged by the Holy Sword.
As the Saint, I am ready to die for you, Sir Eugene.
If you were to be injured, I would do everything in my power to perform a miracle to heal you.”

Eugene listened to this silently.

“As the Hero, you need to fulfill your duties.
In this world, the only duty that a Hero absolutely needs to accomplish is to slay the remaining two Demon Kings.
As such, pleas—”

“Is something wrong?”

Eugene glanced down at Kristina’s hands.
They weren’t shaking, and there wasn’t any sweat either.
Even the pulse he could subtly sense through their joined hands was calm.
However, for some reason, Eugene felt a strange sense of foreboding.

Perhaps it was due to the smile that Kristina was currently wearing.
Eugene wasn’t unfamiliar with that sort of smile; he had seen it once before.
That’s right, it was back when he had first met Kristina, right before they entered Vermouth’s tomb.
When he had mentioned Kristina’s resemblance to Anise and had asked about her birth parents.

Kristina had worn the same sort of smile at that moment.
Even though it looked peaceful, the feelings behind it certainly weren’t.
It was a smile that seemed to have been cultivated with great care over a long time so that she could activate it almost unconsciously and not look like a facade even though it was.
At first glance, that smile just seemed to be benevolent and befitting her title as the Saint.

If this had been Eugene’s first time meeting Kristina, and his relationship with her had still been shallow, then he wouldn’t have felt any discomfort from that smile.
However, Eugene had spent several months with Kristina within Samar.
Together, they had made it into the elven domain that no one had visited in centuries, and Kristina had even been able to calmly face the risk of death with him when they met Barang.

It had only been a few months.
However, if he added the years from his previous life on top of that, it didn’t feel that short.
That was how much Kristina resembled Anise.
If you examined each of their features separately, one by one, they might not be exactly alike, but it wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say that they appeared to be twins judging from the air they both gave off.

As such, Eugene couldn’t read her.
Kristina had also given that sort of smile right before they parted ways at the Lionheart mansion.
When they had first met, that smile had seemed artificial and pretentious, but after experiencing several crises in Samar, her true feelings had started to slowly emerge.

“…What are you talking about?” came Kristina’s late reply.

After blinking her eyes a few times, Kristina tilted her head to the side and changed her expression.
Her smile faded away, and her expression grew doubtful.

“You had a strange look on your face,” Eugene explained.

“Are you saying that my face looks strange?” Kristina asked.

Eugene replied honestly, “It feels like you’re forcing yourself to laugh.”

“That’s not the case, but… if you truly feel that way, it may be because I’ve been laughing more forcefully than I realized.
It’s been several months since I last met you like this, so it may be that my expression is a bit awkward,” Kristina claimed as she let go of Eugene’s hands.
Then she immediately diverted her gaze and looked at Mer, who was blinking up at her from Eugene’s side now.
“Well now, to think that this small, little girl is the familiar that the Wise Lady Sienna created personally.”

“My name is Mer Merdein,” Mer introduced herself.

So Kristina was finally paying attention to her.
Although Mer had met many, many different people over the years, Mer felt a certain feeling for the first time upon meeting Kristina, something that felt indescribable and unpleasant.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Familiar.
Ah… would it be rude of me to call you that?” Kristina said hesitantly.

“Um… No, I’m fine with that.
Although I may have been made over two hundred years ago, it’s true that I am a cute and adorable little girl who looks exactly like Lady Sienna,” Mer declared proudly.

It was impressive that Mer could say something like that with her own mouth.
As Eugene thought this, he stared down at the crown of Mer’s head.

In fact, Eugene had also said some things about his previous life as Hamel, like that his face wasn’t bad and that he had had the charm of an untamed wild stallion, but that was before he had revealed himself to be Hamel.
And it wasn’t like he had spitted out such shameless and daring things about his own current face.

“Fufu, that really does seem to be the case.
I’ve also seen Lady Sienna’s portrait and statue before, but it seems that Miss Mer really was made in Lady Sienna’s exact image,” Kristina said with a faint smile as she stared into Mer’s eyes.

Mer didn’t avoid meeting this gaze.
She was still feeling this unknown sensation from Kristina and was struggling to figure out what it was.

“So, you’re the one who asked me to come here,” Eugene spoke up, breaking this short silence.
“Why did you tell me to come here? While I did have my own reason for wanting to see you, I didn’t expect that you’d be the one to call me over first.”

“What are your reasons for wanting to see me, Sir Eugene?” Kristina asked.

“The ones who instigated the plan to kill you and I weren’t the Pope and his Cardinals,” Eugene calmly informed her, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

However, he still made sure that their surroundings were clear.
A theocracy like this was absolutely riddled with religious zealots walking around with normal faces.
Let alone their God, it wouldn’t be strange to be stabbed in the eye if anyone was caught slandering the Pope or the Cardinals out on the open streets.

“Ah,” Kristina made a noise of acknowledgment as she nodded lightly.
“Indeed, so that was the case.
While I had my suspicions in the beginning, I thought they would have no reason to do something like that… so it really was just like that.”

Do you trust the Pope and the Cardinals? Eugene had asked Kristina something like that in the past.
He could clearly recall the answer that she had given at that time.

No.

But they wouldn’t want to have the two of them die from something like this.

“I hope you will begin to fully trust me after this incident,” Kristina earnestly insisted.

“I already told you I trusted you,” Eugene assured her.

“Yes, you did say the same thing to me back then.
However, it seemed like you still needed concrete proof rather than just my word.
So I was willing to return to the Holy Empire to investigate our suspicions regarding the Pope and Cardinal Rogeris.
However, it seems like that didn’t accomplish much,” Kristina admitted with a chuckle as she resumed walking.
“In a situation where even our letters are monitored, I made sure to use ciphers and even conveyed my letters to you through one of my few friends.
So, Sir Eugene, I hope you appreciate how much effort I put into earning your trust.”

“I told you that I trust you,” Eugene firmly insisted.

“I know.
I’m saying this because I hope you would be a little more considerate of me and a little more…,” Kristina trailed off for a few seconds.

In that brief moment, Eugene noticed a slight change in Kristina’s expression.

The fake smile disappeared, and the smile he had seen on Anise rose in its place.

Kristina resumed speaking, “A little more… haha… although it might sound strange to you, Sir Eugene, but yes, I hope you come to trust and value me just a little more than you already do.”

“Value you?” Eugene repeated.

“Please don’t misunderstand me.
As the Saint, I will surely continue to accompany you on your journey, Sir Eugene.
However, I believe that a bond of camaraderie has yet to be forged between you and me,” Kristina’s genuine smile faded away.
“As such, I need to build our bond step by step.”

“You’ve got quite the picky personality.
In any case, why did you ask me to come all the way to Yuras?” Eugene demanded.

“In a few days, on Lady Anise’s birthday, I will be confirmed as the Saint,” Kristina announced.

“Confirmed?” Eugene repeated in confusion.
“Weren’t you already acknowledged as the formal Saint instead of just the Saint Candidate?”

“Only a few are aware of that fact,” Kristina explained.
“Even in Yuras, only the Pope and three of the Cardinals are aware that I have become the formal Saint.”

Now that she mentioned it, the Heresy Inquisitors belonging to the Maleficarum, Atarax and Hemoria, had also called Kristina the ‘Saint Candidate.’

“Of course, now that I have formally become the Saint, it will be an enjoyable and honorable affair to be officially confirmed and announced as such.
I will also be receiving blessings and a baptism.
However, that also means that on Lady Anise’s feast day, I will be asked to recite a prayer in the Plaza of the Sun and right in front of the statue of Lady Anise at that….
It makes me feel like there’s a heavy burden weighing down on me.
Once that’s done, I may be regarded as the Second Coming of the Faithful Lady Anise,” Kristina said with some self-doubt.

“…….”

“…,” Eugene listened to her quietly.

“However, I have no ability to veto that decision.
It’s not like I can just reject that arrangement because of the burden it places on me,” Kristina complained.

“Are you saying that I’m needed for your confirmation?” Eugene asked as he unfurled his cloak.
“Or could it be that what you really need is the Holy Sword?”

“The fact that Sir Eugene is the Hero won’t be revealed,” Kristina promised.
“After all, the existence of the Hero is a much more weighty affair than the existence of the Saint.
My confirmation as the Saint will take place in one of the deepest, most secretive locations in the Vatican.
If Sir Eugene would be there….
Please watch over me as I am confirmed as the Saint,” Kristina pleaded.

“But that doesn’t really matter,” Eugene spoke up as he flourished his cloak outwards.
“It’s a bit petty to be so focused on the fact that your identity as the Saint is being announced.”

“What do you mean by that?” Kristina asked in shock.

“Not only shouldn’t you worry so much about me, but you also don’t need to be so overly conscious of the fact that the Saintess has to devote herself to aiding the Hero,” Eugene informed her.

Unable to think of a reply to this, Kristina’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Eugene watched as the smile faded from her face and all expression seemed to disappear.

“You especially need to stop saying that you will die in my stead,” Eugene instructed.

Although it was strange for him to be saying something like that considering how he died in his past life.

“I really hate those kinds of words,” Eugene spat out.

But it was because he had died like that, that Eugene, more than anyone else in this world, felt he was qualified to say such a thing.