Volume 4 Chapter 19 A Step Forward Moves The Heart
The day after Randy and the others decided to help Catherine... Today, which happens to be Christmas Eve, the town was bustling with activity from the morning.
Especially in the square in front of the Cathedral, the 'Saint's Blessing Market' was lively, with Saint Catherine actively participating, showing more excitement than usual.
Meanwhile, Randy and the others were...
"Alright... let's do the final check for Operation 'Comet'."
...Everyone was gathered in a corner of the Cathedral, kneeling in front of a huge operation plan.
"Confirmed, both Point Alpha and Point Beta are clear."
"No obstacles in sight."
"The wind is weaker than yesterday."
"Okay. We'll adjust that on-site──."
As everyone shared their thoughts, Annabelle was already getting ready for the 'Saint's Parade.' This meant that the 5 of them here, along with Ellie, had to complete the mission.
Of course, Annabelle also had the important role of leading the 'Saint's Parade' on time.
Just when the operation was reaching its climax, Catherine appeared in the operation room, saying, "W-wait, we're really doing this...". She had just returned from the 'Saint's Blessing Market,' but there was no time to rest.
"Liz, please──."
Randy's support made Liz nod, and she half-dragged a flustered Catherine, who was saying, "Huh? Wait... I'm not ready," along with her.
The operation, named 'Operation Comet' by Randy, had already been explained to Catherine, and she had given her okay. But now that it was time to act, she seemed hesitant.
But it was too late. The operation had already started.
"Okay, I'm off to be the welcoming party!"
With a salute, Leon dashed out of the room for a bit...
"Ready to go!"
Coming out with a cheerful Liz was Catherine, dressed in a solemn outfit, complete with decorations resembling angel wings on her back.
Everyone who glanced at Catherine said, "Final check," and looked back at the operation plan with Randy's voice.
"Hey, hey! At times like this, shouldn't you say something like 'You look good' or 'Beautiful' or something?"
Catherine, annoyed, got a casual response from Randy without even looking at her. "Ah, yeah, yeah. Pretty, pretty."
"Seriously, you──."
"Shut up. You can only get that from someone who really likes you."
Randy snorted, and Catherine pouted, "Fine, I get it."
"Alright. It's almost time. Liz──."
"Yes."
Liz nodded and teleported everyone to the target location... It's a different story that Catherine whispered, "What even are you?" after Liz learned teleportation from Ellie.
They landed right above the clock tower, overlooking the central square of the royal capital. Across the square from the clock tower, there were already floats for the 'Saint's Parade' and many followers waiting around them.
The route for the 'Saint's Parade' starts from in front of the central square, goes around the square, and ends at the Cathedral.
But no Saint showed up, and everyone in the crowd was looking around anxiously. ...Among them, only Annabelle was focused on the clock tower.
When the signal comes from the clock tower, that's when the 'Saint's Parade' will start. That's Annabelle's job.
"Okay, everyone, take your positions."
At Randy's command, Luke jumped from the clock tower to the building across the square, and Liz disappeared with teleportation. Randy raised his hand to signal Luke, who was waving from a distant rooftop, showing that they were ready.
Seeing that, Annabelle rang the bell to announce the start of the 'Saint's Parade.'
Saint's Parade started without Saint, and the crowd began to buzz and chatter, but Annabelle stepped forward slowly, not paying any attention.
This time, Randy and the others chose a lively way... to completely 'recreate' a story.
Leaving the barren land behind, as people set off on a journey with no destination, a girl descended from the sky. The crowd welcomed the girl, who looked like a heavenly messenger, and she took the lead with a small ear of grain in one hand.
As the girl waved the ear, new life sprouted where she walked──according to Ellie, it was the goddess's propaganda from the Church──this was the legend they aimed to fully recreate.
So, in other words...
"Are you ready?"
"Wait a second... not yet──."
...Catherine would appear from the sky.
"Alright then. It's a short flight, but enjoy!"
"But I'm not mentally ready──."
Ignoring the panicking Catherine, Randy grabbed the two handles hidden in the wings. Catherine's legs dangled, swaying, looking nothing like something divine.
But it was fine since it couldn't be seen from below. The first step of the plan was for Randy to throw Catherine from this position, aiming for the float above.
"Adjusting direction based on wind direction and strength... ten degrees west, keep the angle."
Following Cecilia's instructions as she focused her magical power, Randy replied, "Got it," and adjusted Catherine's angle.
"Okay, 3 seconds. 3, 2──."
"But wait──."
"1, take off!"
Catherine was thrown by Randy, and Cecilia's wind magic carried her precisely to the target area above.
"Ahhh! I'm gonna dieee!"
The wind magic also worked as soundproofing to drown out Catherine's screams as she flew high.
Below Catherine, the float began to move. At that moment, Luke jumped from a nearby roof and instantly cut the harness that was securing Catherine to her wings.
Catherine and the feather are separated.
Luke, who caught the feather riding the wind, disappeared.
Catherine, who lost her feather high up, slowly starts to fall due to gravity... but if this keeps up, she will definitely fly over the float and land in a disaster.
Just as Catherine, flapping her arms and legs, reaches right above the float, a pillar of light rises from the center of the float.
As it wraps around Catherine in the sky... her body is slowly pulled down towards the float.
At the same, a pillar of light rises higher, and the figure of the Saint comes down through it.
The crowd, confused by the reenactment of a page from the legend, bursts into loud cheers.
Watching from afar, Randy and Cecilia high-five each other.
The true nature of the pillar of light is Ellie's magic, sneaking onto the float with teleportation. Ellie's powerful magic, which can even control gravity, is capturing Catherine and gently pulling her towards the float. The reason it was made into a pillar of light is simple.
To make it look like Holy Magic.
This time's 'Saint's Parade' must focus on Catherine's Holy Magic. It's important to imprint that this miracle, and the miracles to come, are brought by Catherine, the Saint.
"Seriously... My great magic is being used for this silly show."
Even while saying that, Ellie, looking pleased, watches as Catherine comes down with a proud Saint face.
Catherine, coming down with a proud face, is handed a single ear of grain by Leon, who is dressed as a villager. This is the best hospitality they could offer to the Saint sent by heaven. With nothing to eat, they handed the only ear of grain left on the cart to the Saint, apologizing that they couldn't offer more.
Receiving that ear of grain, Catherine lightly waved it with a saint smile. Suddenly, the warm light of Holy Magic enveloped the area.
Crowd cheering along the road. Everyone is putting their hands together, praying to Catherine as if she's performing Holy Magic.
Catherine is waving a simple stalk. But at the end of the stalk, hidden in her hand, is a small wooden handle with runes carved by Liz.
──It was a Relaxation rune
That's all. According to Liz and Ellie, if Catherine's Holy Magic is strong, it should easily heal and move the people.
As for the rune, it's just a little magic to help with that.
So, every time Catherine waves the stalk with a proud look, the sparkling Holy Magic along with the rune heals the crowd.
This ancient tradition, embodied in the "Saint's Parade," serves as a mean to send prayers to the people.
"She looks saintly when she's quiet."
"She is a saint, you know."
Randy shrugged at Cecilia's surprised face, saying, "That's right." The parade is reaching its peak. In the end, they will unleash a huge Holy Magic in front of the Cathedral.
"Saintly Lady, you're going fast, but can you keep it up until the last magic?"
Luke, carrying wings, appeared with a worried look. He must have been watching from afar but rushed over out of concern.
"Who knows. But... since I said I'd do it, I'll show my spirit."
From the tall clock tower, the 'Saint's Parade' is already small and hard to see. But the soft light of the Holy Magic Catherine releases is still clearly visible.
"I'll stick around to see the final effort."
Randy stood up, and with Luke carrying Cecilia, the 3 of them dashed straight toward the Cathedral. But then,
(This is bad... I mismanaged my pace.)
Just a little away from the Cathedral, Catherine was feeling anxious. Welcomed by the large crowd, she got carried away and started off too fast from the beginning.
(Just like flattering a pig...)
Catherine lets out a sigh inside, but she knows deep down that it's not true.
It was the first time.
Since coming to this world, it was the first time she wanted to do something as 'Catherine Evans.'
It was the first time.
Since coming to this world, it was the first time someone recognized 'Sano Sachie' and talked to her as an equal.
It's different from being friends. But she wanted to meet their expectations, the first people she could talk to as equals in this world.
(So... I won't lose. This is my battlefield.)
With a smile, Catherine grits her teeth as Liz calls out from the float.
"Lady Catherine, magic potion──"
"I don't need it."
Catherine responds skillfully without breaking her smile and glances at Liz.
"I can't show such a pathetic sight to the believers."
In the cold winter sky, Catherine's smile and sweat shine brightly.
"And... if I lose to something like this, I can't surpass you."
Catherine, gritting her teeth, prepares to show her final big move. A wide area of Holy Magic bursts forth, almost enveloping the Cathedral... and turns into warm particles of light that dance around.
Catherine, breathing heavily, shows a perfect smile to the gathered crowd and speaks.
"Next year too, I hope everyone can live in peace and health!"
Surrounded by loud cheers, Catherine waves back without even wiping her sweat.
"...Can't she change the way she talks?"
"Who knows?"
"Guess we'll have to get Lady Annabelle to correct her."
The 3 of them joke around, but from a nearby building, someone smiles and claps continuously. They had pulled off a crazy plan and showed guts until the end against their rival.
* * *
After the 'Saint's Parade' ended, Catherine returned to her room and collapsed onto her bed, fainting.
Randy and the others quietly said goodbye to Annabelle and Leon, leaving the scene as the sun began to set.
"...Huh? Was I sleeping?"
Catherine quickly looked up and saw Leon and Annabelle in front of her.
"Uh, about 2 hours."
"It was noisy with your sleep talking."
Feeling embarrassed, Catherine's face turned red as she glanced around the dimly lit room and asked, "What about them?"
"Uh, everyone has already gone home. They want to spend the night with their families."
Annabelle scratched her cheek, and Catherine softly murmured, "I see..." She felt a bit lonely. Even though it was just one day, it had been fun preparing with people her age, laughing and chatting.
So, she wanted to at least say thank you before they left, but it seemed they were already gone. To them, Catherine wasn't a friend. They had just helped her out. So, it was normal for them to leave once their job was done.
Like extras hired for a parade.
Still feeling a bit sad, Catherine shook her head.
"Well, I guess it's my own fault."
This was the price for not facing the world and others directly before. With a sigh that felt like giving up, Annabelle hesitantly spoke up, "Um, I have a message from everyone..."
She was about to share the message that Randy and the others left for Catherine. Compliments like "Nice job!" and "I was impressed!" filled the message, but Liz's words, "You've finally taken a step," made Catherine's eyes well up with tears.
"And... Senior Randolph also left this for you──."
Annabelle handed over a letter. Catherine was surprised that the guy she thought disliked her the most would write a letter. She quickly wiped her tears and, for some reason, sat cross-legged on the bed to take the letter.
With trembling hands, she opened the letter... and it was written in Japanese.
'Don't give up.'
Just that. But the strong, familiar words written in the center made tears flow from Catherine's eyes again...
"Oh, there's another one──."
Noticing the second page, Catherine held back her tears as she flipped the letter over. What was drawn there was...
'Invoice Lady Catherine Evans'
It was just a bunch of words that had no feeling.
It started with the cost of wing processing, then moved to labor costs, and even included rune processing fees. It was way too much for an individual to pay.
Catherine trembled with her shoulders and gripped the letter tightly, thinking, "That big guy..." but her face didn't look that angry. After all, at the bottom of the invoice, it said, 'Get promoted and pay it.'
Catherine could probably move up. She would be able to pay this much eventually. The words gave off that kind of hope.
"Fine then. I'll pay it all back!"
Catherine jumped off the bed, called out to Leon and Annabelle, and left the room. There was still 'Lights of Prayer' waiting for her.
As the Saint came out of the Cathedral, a huge crowd cheered. Catherine Evans' journey was tough, but she was definitely looking forward and taking a big step.
* * *
"Didn't you want to greet Lady Catherine?"
"It's fine. We're not that close anyway."
Randy shrugged, watching the crowd below and Catherine responding to them. He had seen the Cathedral during the fire incident from this spot too. Back then, he never imagined that the Saint would be welcomed by such a big crowd.
"A step taken after struggling and fighting... huh?"
Randy muttered softly, and Liz smiled nostalgically, saying, "Yeah, that's right." She might have been remembering the day she gave up her title as a Marquis' daughter and bowed her head to survive.
"I have to do my best too."
With Liz smiling, Randy nodded, "Yeah."
"What do you mean, 'yeah'? You better do your best too. Mainly in studying."
"That's right. Sir Randolph, shouldn't you also try harder to get good grades on tests?"
Randy winced at the painful words, letting out a "Ugh."
"Hey, my stuff doesn't matter."
"It does matter. It's not good for Victor's heir to be a fool."
"That's right. I don't want a stupid business partner."
Facing the two's attacks, Randy turns to Liz, looking for help... but,
"Let's work hard on our studies this term too!"
All he gets is a big smile in return.
"I'll do my best."
As Randy slumps his shoulders, the street below the building suddenly starts to get noisy.
"Is the fire about to start?"
Just like Luke said, the flame from Saint slowly spreads to light up other places. It seems like lights are being lit in various spots. The glowing lights spreading across the whole capital create a magical scene for the 4 of them.
"It's beautiful."
"It's a symbol of peace."
The 4 of them watch the flickering lights for a while, but as the sun slowly sets, they all stand up without saying a word. Just like Catherine, Randy and the others still have many trials and problems ahead.
Still, for now, the joy of these lights feels like it washes everything away.
"It's a bit sad, but shall we head back?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Sure."
With Luke and Cecilia nodding, Liz teleports them away from the spot. Even after they leave, the small gathering of lights continues to shine over the capital.
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