Fake Saint of the Year
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Prius
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 78: Scattered Flowers
That was something that should have never happened.
Everything was supposed to be over then.
The Witch got sealed, and that should have been the end of it.
However, Vernell’s power went berserk and ruined everything.
There were some reasons for this.
The pendant that was used to control the power fell down in middle of battle, and the sealed Witch wished for suicide, which triggered the power within Vernell to react.
But for the current Vernell, while it was hard to rein the power, it wasn’t an impossible thing to do.
But within Vernell, his hatred toward the Witch was great.
If only she didn’t exist, he wouldn’t have gotten thrown away by his family.
If only she didn’t exist… that day, he wouldn’t have met Elrise, and her lifespan wouldn’t get shortened because of it.
Such murderous intentions swirled inside Vernell, which boosted the power inside him.
As a result, it went through the seal and pierced through Alexia’s chest, dealing a fatal blow to her.
But for Vernell, that alone was not a big tragedy.
The Power of the Witch would dwell in those who killed them.
But since Vernell was not a Saint, he knew well it would only result in self-destruction if the power came, and even in the off chance he became an existence like the Witch, there were Elrise, Alfrea, and Eterna there, so it should be easy to control the situation.
But the real tragedy happened soon after.
Before Alexia totally met her demise, the chain that bound her shone.
Perhaps Elrise dealt the killing blow.
The reason for that… he didn’t have to think too hard.
As it stood, the Witch’s power would be transferred to Vernell and kill him, so she went and became his replacement to save him.
“E, Elrise-sama… wha, what are you doing!? Right now, what have you done!?”
Leila shouted in a shivering voice.
The chain was merely shining. It didn’t necessarily mean she finished her.
That’s why, please tell us it wasn’t the case.
Elrise quietly answered the question that was filled with such a desire.
“I have killed Alexia-sama. That’s why the Witch’s power will be transferred to me.”
That was the worst thing that should never happen.
The Greatest of All Time would become The Worst of All Time.
From now on, Elrise would turn into the Witch after a few years and bring despair to everyone.
However, the despair Vernell had because he knew Elrise’s identity was incomparable to that… and soon, everyone in this place would share his despair.
“It’s all right. I will definitely not turn into a Witch.”
As Elrise smiled and said so, Leila’s expression got better.
That was great, so she properly thought of a countermeasure for this.
Yes, she said from the beginning that she wouldn’t turn into a Witch.
There was a method to change fate… she said the cycle of sorrow would be cut off in this generation.
And Elrise was definitely not lying.
However, the truth she was thinking was decisively different from Leila’s understanding.
“Because… I’m not a Saint1.”
The unbelievable words made the atmosphere freeze.
She was not a Saint.
Who was? This Elrise?
She who was sung as the Greatest Saint of All Time; she who had done various miracles; she was not a Saint?
What nonsense, was what everyone thought, except Vernell and Alfrea who knew the truth.
If she was not a Saint, that meant this world had no Saint at all.
“The Real Saint of this generation is Eterna-san. I am… just a fake who happened to be born in the same village and got mistakenly taken instead.”
“…That’s a lie.”
Leila felt her whole body freeze, as if she was thrown into the extreme cold of a blizzard.
She couldn’t even tell if she was standing right now.
A great fear she never had before crept up from her foot and shook her body.
The fact that Elrise was not a real Saint was indeed a surprising thing.
The fact she was not a Saint, despite doing all those miracles, was hard to believe.
But that’s fine. Regardless of whether she was real or fake, she was Elrise without a doubt, so none of that mattered.
She was the master she served… and the master she loved. Even if there was another person who was the real Saint instead, her loyalty wouldn’t change.
That’s why she didn’t get disappointed, despite being told she was a fake.
But she was scared.
Because if she wasn’t a Saint, that would mean… the fate that awaited her afterward, could only be one thing.
“I’m sorry for deceiving everyone all this time. But the days of deceit end today. And Eterna-san… this time, I shall return the title of Saint to you.”
Eterna, who was suddenly being told “You’re the real Saint”, was unable to process the reality and was mumbling wordlessly.
But the “end” that Elrise said made everyone aware of what awaited her, regardless how much they wanted to deny it.
“A person who is not a Saint would be unable to inherit the Power of the Witch. Their vessel is not capable of doing so and will definitely lead to death… and, the Power of the Witch that lost a place to reside in won’t be transferred toward the Saint. That’s why… with this, the cycle that continued for a long time will end.”
“Such a thing is…”
Fiora cried after she heard Elrise say that, as if she thought it was the right thing to do.
From the start… Perhaps from the very beginning, Elrise intended to do this.
The Sealing Magic that came with Alfrea was an unforeseen option; something that she didn’t consider before.
If it went well, then it was all good. Even if it failed, she would still bring all the sorrow along with her departure.
From the beginning, she already decided to do so.
“Leila… I need to especially apologize to you. I know you are proud of the fact you served a Saint. To keep you chained to this fake… no matter how much I apologize, it isn’t something that can be forgiven.”
“El, rise-sama… no, that… I was…”
Wrong, that was not the case.
It wasn’t important whether she was real or fake.
The Saint for her would always be Elrise alone.
Even though she meant to say that, Leila was unable to let out her voice.
However, time wouldn’t wait for Leila.
The black mist-like things flowed toward Elrise from Alexia inside the crystal.
The transfer of power had begun.
“A, Aa… UAAAAAAAA!”
Leila drew her sword and tried to cut through the mist.
But she was unable to cut it since it lacked substance.
The sword failed to do its purpose and missed, and the flailing movements of Leila, who tried to cut the air over and over, were rendered pointless.
“Leila.”
Elrise slowly grasped Leila’s hand as she swung her sword over and over.
Elrise herself already understood how useless it was more than anyone else.
Since Elrise already judged it as such, nobody here could do anything about it.
Leila felt her powerlessness painfully, and her sword fell down.
Elrise used her finger to wipe Leila’s tear on her cheek, she showed her a smile, as if she understood everything.
“Thank you.”
There were definitely various feelings inside that one phrase.
Leila felt she had to say something, but her voice failed to come out.
That’s why she embraced Elrise with all her power, to give her feeling a shape.
As if a mother soothing her clinging child, Elrise kindly patted Leila’s head, who was taller than she was.
That made Leila feel even more sorrow.
It was disappearing… soon, it would all be gone.
She would no longer see this smile, she would no longer feel the touch of this hand.
That was death. It was the eternal separation that nobody could resist.
As Elrise comforted Leila, she faced everyone.
“With this, the Witch will no longer appear. The cycle that continued over 1000 years will come to an end, and finally, the World can start moving forward. I may not be there with you, but… even so, I wish for everyone’s happiness.”
The transfer of power never stopped even as she talked, though the amount of mist that flowed out from Alexia was decreasing.
Soon, that transfer of power would come to an end.
And at that moment, Elrise would die.
She understood that herself — that’s why, she gave her last smile of her lifetime, and said her last words of encouragement.
“From now on, it is your generation.”
As her words finished, Elrise’s body lost its strength.
Leila instantly embraced it strongly, supporting the thin body that collapsed.
But as she supported it, she came to know it. She came to understand.
Ah… no good. What a thing to happen.
She was no longer there.
Even though her body was here, Elrise was no longer here.
Her life was no more. Her soul was not here.
Elrise, who silently closed her eyes in Leila’s arms, had no power… and the undying flower that attached to her head all this time scattered fleetingly.
The undying flower that was maintained by Elrise’s mana turned into a mere flower, as her mana was gone.
For it to be scattered was proof that Elrise’s life met its end.
“This is a lie… it’s a lie, Lie! No! Elrise-sama! Please… please open your eyes!”
Leila was so upset to the point it erased all traces of her usual cool look.
Her tears overflowed, her face distorted greatly because of it.
But regardless of how much she called, Elrise didn’t open her eyes; it made one painfully understand what was there was merely what was left of her.
“It is okay, Leila. Your Saint will definitely not die.”
She remembered Elrise words from back then.
The person she referred to at that time was not Elrise herself.
She referred to the real Saint Eterna instead.
“I, I… I… never cared… even if you may be fake… all I want… all I want is for you to be there… for me, you are, the real…”
Leila cried and shouted with hardly an audible voice mixed with weeping.
“It’s okay. I will make the future a HAPPY END, where everyone will be joyful once they reach it.”
In that world, she wasn’t included within it.
The HAPPY END within her thoughts, she never imagined herself to be in it.
As Leila thought that, she embraced the warmth that remained in her master’s body.
This kind of thing… this kind of thing, there was no way she could laugh.
There was no way she could be happy.
Because, even if the world did reach their peace, her beloved master was not there.
How could she laugh when that happened.
“U, Ua…AAAaaaaAAA….! AAAAaAAAAAAaaaAAAAA!!”
Leila finally lost control of her emotions, and she cried loudly like a child.
Her tears flowed and she had a runny nose; she abandoned her dignified look as a knight and cried as her feelings dictated.
But nobody there laughed at her.
Everyone there shed their tears of sorrow, and Vernell wordlessly shed his tears and sat there with an expression of despair.
— There was no trace of the “HAPPY END” that Elrise talked about there… not even a fragment of it.2
A/N:
A person who likes to make cloudy atmospheres!
By the way, L had Auron’s Theme playing inside her head as the BGM when she said “It is your Generation!”
While actually the BGM on site was “Fleeting Dream.”3
Want early access to Fake Saint and Executed Sage? Support the translator on Patreon! Also, check out their latest project, Melancholy of the Demon Army Officer. It’s a Rance fanfic, sort of like a prequel to the main story.
This chapter hits way harder if you are listening to “holding out for a hero”
Any emo music could do
Fuck.
At least for some closure, I hope Vernell tells everyone she only had a year left in the first place.
He already in deep end for what he did, doubt he had the leisure
Randomly picked it up because it seemed somewhat interesting…
What the hell, this is heartbreaking
Alas, for some reason, the comment section seems to be broken and I can’t read it 🙁
Among the most heartbreaking moment in this novel, with liters of tears shed with all readers combined
damn, what a novel, im glad i found this masterpiece from some random search on genderbender tag
I’m glad u found your way here
In this chapter me and Leila had same reaction
So does many readers of this chapter
FAK FAK FAK, FAK IT!! EVEN,EVEN THOUGH I KNOW WHAT ITS GONNA BE,THIS IS STILL PAINFUL! EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE TRUE ENDING OF IT,IT STILL PAINFUL! I KNOW SHE WILL LIVE AGAIN LATER. BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Yea, the moment of parting, even if we knew the happiness that lies beyond, is still painful
Damm, I’m teary-eyed!
Me too, so does many other
I need help. I just keep coming back to this chapter again and again. Just to cry……..
You know what, me also came back here to read again and again
It just that good after all
… Greeting comrade..
Greetings mate
I’m on my 4th reread but I’m still sobbing
We all did, even if we knew what to expect. It’s just that good
We all need help, mate. We all do. As many here will testify
Why do i re-read it so many times despite knowing the onion ninja’s are going to attack?
Why? Just to suffer…….
It’s because we are impressed by the story, my friend, and we never feel we had enough
The undying flowers too ultimately scattered.
Damn even i have read this chapter many times i still makes me cry.
So does many of our comrades in this
I read It Ten times, but somehow my eyes still teary
Author is just that good at story telling
It’s Vernel again!! He always messed things up!! Useless protag!!
When emotional driven actions led him to something he will regret for the rest of his life
Damn, that made me tear up a little.
Many do tear up over this chapter
“and the undying flower that attached to her head all this time scattered fleetingly”
for some reason this line hurt me the most
Her symbol had scattered away, so does mark of her life
i cant believe im crying over a line of text
You’re not alone in that, my friend
Thanks for chap
Lol she really didn’t think that thru, at least from others PoV.
And imma guess the flower scattering was meant to the true end that yamato meant for the game.
Makes me wonder what grand route of OG game was.
As described by niito before, he lived his life where he could only see things in objective perspective. So things like emotional driven action is foreign to her. Sure, she got better than her time as niito, but still not enough for her to reconsider
You will find out as you read on
“— There was no trace of the “HAPPY END” that Elrise talked about there… not even a fragment of it.”
Powerful words. Freaking hell! I’m balling like a baby. My eyes hurt from all the tears… I kept trying to comfort myself by saying “this will be a bittersweet ending” but it was not! This was a miserable ending! The above quote represents my emotions perfectly.
I…I hate this. I love it, but I hate it. It’s unfair and…and…I don’t know…
I just…don’t know anymore. I don’t know.
I don’t know… She was just irreplaceable and I…
I don’t know…
She doesn’t realize how important she is in people’s hearts. She thought all is well if people survive and lived their lives without her. She is wrong.
Glad to see you love her and her story
Damn. This got me tear up. Although I anticipated this (Elrise you stupid flag raiser…). Using Leila, one of my fav, to conveyed the emotion is so unfair. Aside from Ver-kun she probably the one who loved Elrise the most. Stupid Elrise, Leila didn’t feel proud because she was a Saint Guard Knight, it’s because she was *your* Guard Knight.
She lived her previous life where she could only perceive things in objective perspective. She does get better in this life, but it still not enough, as she still consider such emotional movement as “foreign”
Writing those select few words in bold was not fair at all.
That, my friend, is an art. Author did that to make emphasis more dramatic
Damn… She really just died like that… It really is sad.
She never let down her facade of being a perfect saint even at the very end… And honestly, since she lived her entire life like that, she’s really no different from being a true perfect saint. One who dedicated their entire life for others, the impact she made is real. The people who cared for her were real. The love they felt for her was real, and the sadness they all felt was all real. So in the end, her death was really no different to the death of the most loved person in the world.
What she thought herself was irrelevant. The fact remains, regardless of her motives, she had always treated other with kindness. Even at the very end…
In a way, it fits though… The perfect saint who made the ultimate sacrifice to break the endless cycle… The one who shouldered the burden alone to the very end… Definitely, she was the kindest and most selfless of everyone in that world. After all, the most important thing was not what she thought, but what she ultimately did.
And in that sense, she played her role perfectly. It was the perfect way to bring down the curtains on the act of the perfect saint who was more selfless and kinder than anyone else. The execution was flawless. But even so, it still hurts, knowing that for everyone there, there would never be anyone like her again. Even if her thoughts weren’t as noble as they had thought.
She was irreplaceable.
The part that hit me the hardest was the scattering of the flower on her head. It was the most powerful sign that she was gone. The only flower of it’s kind that would never wither had finally scattered away with her death…
Actually, the more I try to rationalize this feeling, the more it fades away, so I’ll stop now. At any rate, it was an emotional scene, and I hope that Elrise/Niito was happy with how it all turned out, since in terms of the overall act, I think it turned out quite well xD
chill bro
Let people express thing as they like.
She died the way she convinced with. While it’s not that bad for herself(being the person she is), sam couldn’t be said for those she left behind.
Yea, if you kept the act all the way to grave, might as well say you are the real deal.
The salvation she brought are real, so does the people she saved, and that’s all that matters for people.
She got the choice to do things differently. Yet she still chose to do what she did. Her actions do deserve respect.
Glad to see someone love the story and character this much, so you’re welcome
This is my second time reading this and all i can say is that im a big wimp for crying again
No, you can still cry no matter how many times you read it. That’s how efficient onion ninja on their job.
So I’m guessing that the remaining soul comes to this world, Elrise gets revived, and now that the witch’s energy has dispersed she revives alexia or she set an auto revive on her chains or something even if she doesn’t come back?
Nope, it didn’t. by reducing Alexia to state of apparent death and sealed her in that state, at least she wouldn’t suffer for next few years until her wounds naturally heal… perhaps such was Elrise intention.
I am not one to be a fan of dark endings, but man, with the Mc’s terrible personality (albeit really entertaining and kinda relatable) this ending is just perfection XD
It’s not the ending yet, though it is for the game version.
Thank you for the novel, Author-san, translator-san or whoever is involved
thank you reader-san for enjoying our work.
Damn right in the kokoro. I felt like i could cry. But unfortunately my eyes were too dry.
don’t blame yourself. it just hard to cry sometimes.
Ahh…. Damn
Yes, damn indeed.
Who’s cutting onions?
Many ninjas sneaked in. that’s their job after all.
Fukin hell… I didn’t expect she’d just die there. I need to by the LN so we can get an anime or manga.
hopefully we got it few years later…
Oh god i cry alots with this chapter
Rereading it and i’m still crying oh god
Still crying?
What are you grammar police???
sometimes, people just couldn’t help but retort when they saw anything to use it on
the tears would dry up if it continue for months
many reread and cried again, so you’re not alone.
me too…
Oh god chief I didn’t sign up for this… 11th hour straight reading and this is what happened? I’m crying mate!
rather, i’m amazed you read it 11 hours straight… you okay, mate?
What the…. its just 1 chapter but it took me an hour to bravely click next chapter!
it’s the emotional moment where you need time to collect yourself.
Thank for the chapter T_T
And I cry again, I cry when I read it before(by MTL), even though I know the truth of Elrise, I still cry, the author is really good
yeah, the author is amazing for creating this tale.
I’m still crying even though I’ve read it 3 times
And now I’m still crying while rereading it again
didn’t it make you glad u don’t actually have to suffer same fate as they are?
it’s that good of a story.
OMG, I has read this third time and had read the new post but I still cry. What an strong emotional in this chapter.
yeah. its good writing that it could still drag your emotions despite you know its coming
Hey, who put onion near my face!!
these onion ninja are in their momentum
This is my second time reading this chapter… The onion cutting Ninjas are still as strong as the first time I read it.
they are ninja for a reason… always there without you knowing!
Damn those onion cutting ninja!
they really are! look how i suddenly teared up!
A vn or anime would be wild.
This is pretty much a Leila episode, relief and despair, to express the unvoiced words, then voicing her heart after she left, and finally the cry from her soul.
I still tear up when I reread from Laila’s view.
the ln already appeared. if there were more demand, it might actually become anime
Anime whenn?
When the demand is high enough there will be someone who sponsors the production
is this the end ?
nope, its not. there still 10 main story chap, in addition of several after story and side stories
Oooooooo yeaaaaaaaaah
glad you’re happy
wow what a great story I cried in the end :’)
well, its story of a fan trying to avert “happy” ending with her version of “happy”
Yoooo, im sad 🙁
i also did when i first read it
TT_TT
i see that somebody cutting onion near your spot too
Thanks for the chapters!!! Sob sob sob……I am not crying……sob sob sob……I just have sweat in my eyes…….sob sob….
….uh….wait a…..What happened to the mysterious owner of the creepy laughter from the all the endings of the game in World Line A?
you will get your answer on the next chapter
Mmmh.. thw witch power destroyed her soul… there is his counterpart Niito who has a fragment of her soul… I suppose the continuation will go around that
hmm… her soul not destroyed, just went elsewhere
even though i already know what’s going to happen because i already read the raw… i still cry… This chapter has powerful narrative indeed.
Elrise and her self(ish)-lessness
She can’t be as scummy as she thinks she is since she actually also saved the witch in the end. Elrise noooooooo.
she aware she is bad, therefore, planted an idea that everyone else, no matter who they are, were better than she is
Damn you, Vernell! This is all because of you!
Thanks for the chapter!
thx for the comment
It is decade’s fault
decade didn’t travel to fiori though?
dunno which have it worse? Vernell of world line A or B
Did she really think that leaving a bunch of people with the power of the Saint all sad and depressed would be a good idea?
she didn’t think of other people. she merely did what she wanted and being rained in praise while at it. she did began to care of others, but she not noticed it yet
Thank you for the triple release, as always.
Once again, we get blueballed but I can’t help but look forward to the next one, especially with how close we are to the final chapters.
art of splitting chapter is art of cliff! trying to learn it myself, but not as much success
Bruh im crying rn wtf
my first time read it, i think ninja sneaked in and cutting onion
tnx for the translation btw
thx for comment too