Volume 6 Chapter 40 Are All Our Feelings Being Voiced by Saint？
"Huh? There's no way this place is—"
Surrounding Catherine, whose brows were knitted together in a grand frown, various scenes flickered into existence and then vanished.
Some were helping the poor, while others were healing the wounded.
Apart from the path leading deeper in, the walls and ceiling were filled with such transient visions.
It was Catherine's voice that echoed through the cave, but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
It was because Catherine, too, had her own thoughts about Ellie's argument.
Certainly, there were no detailed books explaining the ambiguous existence known as Saint.
Yet, despite this, people across the continent held the same image of Saint.
"Are you saying that we're extracting episodes from Saint's memory and spitting out an idealized image of Saint based on that?"
Catherine raised her voice again, furrowing her brows as she pierced the floating scene with her finger, "It's not a matchlock."
Like ripples spreading across a water's surface, the scene distorted and vanished.
But immediately after, a different image appeared.
Even if one averted their eyes from that scene, another vision simply floated into view where Catherine's gaze led.
Cecilia, gazing up at the same scene, opened her mouth.
"The created image of Saint...?"
By first creating the concept of Saint and then creating beings that act according to that concept, the idea becomes more solidified.
As Catherine pointed out, it might sound like a matchlock story, but given that Saint actually visits here and everyone has the concept without detailed descriptions, it can't be completely dismissed as nonsense.
"I don't really get it, but it's creepy, isn't it?"
"It would be if it were true."
Livia and Catherine exchanged glances, their faces tense.
To the two of them, Ellie added that it was merely an inference based on the circumstances.
"You must have some confidence, right?"
Cecilia tilted her head, and Ellie nodded before speaking.
"I was curious about Charl... that girlbeing the second Saint."
Ellie continued with a sigh, recounting how her dear friend, Charlotte, had been celebrated as the second Saint.
Ellie glanced up at the ceiling, but much to her disappointment, Charlotte's figure never appeared once.
"Most likely, though, they probably never intended it that way."
With a sigh, Ellie went on to describe the great feat of how Charlotte had sealed the fallen Ellie.
Thanks to this comprehensible achievement, Charlotte had come to be associated with the fresh concept of a Saint in the public eye.
"Yet, considering there's no episode after that, it seems she was merely made a Saint in name only,"
Ellie spoke of how, given Charlotte's personality, it was hard to imagine her having any interest in the role of a Saint.
Therefore, she must have disliked being celebrated and hidden herself away in the [Tower of Time].
"Or perhaps she was being pursued to become a Saint,"
The path continued to show various scenes, but it was essentially a straight road.
"Either way, if that girl had continued as a Saint..."
Ellie caught a glimpse of Catherine and let out a soft "Hmph" with a laugh.
"...there should be even more absurd episodes left behind,"
Ellie, who had tensed her shoulders, received a knowing look from Cecilia, who said "Ah" with a subtle expression as she gazed at Catherine.
"S, sorry! Don't lump me together with her,"
Catherine scowled, and Cecilia let out a wry smile, thinking that Charlotte would have said the same thing.
Charlotte, who was originally similar to Catherine, had somehow come to be recognized as a Saint.
At the very least, the fact that her birthday celebration was held and the news had spread to this day showed that she had planted the impact of a Saint in the minds of the people.
"So, this place has been here since before Lady Charlotte became a Saint, and its influence not even she could shake off. Is that all right?"
"No. Perhaps it's the other way around,"
Ellie, with a bitter expression, implied that even the person who created this place might not have anticipated Charlotte's succession as the second Saint.
"The concept they had set turned out to be linked to the exact opposite of a great human deed. They must have been quite anxious about it."
Ellie, still smiling wryly, continued by explaining that this was why Charlotte had fewer episodes, and that the role of the Saint had been augmented with the task of 'sealing away evildoers.'
"An unnecessary concept was added, and it's even more frustrating because it's tied to a clear, understandable achievement. It's not something that can be easily rewritten."
"So, each generation of Saints was bound by these suitable concepts..."
"While forming guidelines for action, their memories, and those of the people around them, were used to reinforce the concepts. That must be how it went."
Ellie, with a sigh mixed in, exchanged glances with Catherine and Cecilia.
"So, the vague purpose of the Saint's role in sealing away evil..."
"Is likely the result of desperately trying to overwrite Charl's influence."
Ellie nodded and went on to say that in the early days, there must have been fewer collected memories.
Only episodes filled with Ellie's kindness were gathered from acquaintances of the first generation.
Then, episodes from the second generation were mixed in... eventually creating clear guidelines for the concept.
But because that wasn't seen as acceptable, those above kept layering on new interpretations in various ways.
As a result, even though the purpose was clear, what emerged was something vague and unbalanced in its image.
"And perhaps Charl didn't even know about the existence of this cave."
If she had known, she would have taken some action.
"At that time, I received no message. It was either well hidden... or I was removed from the stage early on."
"Is that also a reason for the vague purpose?"
"Probably. It's likely just a 'such a person also existed' type of hearsay memory from the next generation or those around them."
Ellie, with a sigh mixed in, continued by saying that not only did Charlotte not know about it, but her sealing away of that man was also evidence.
"If she had been celebrated as a Saint all along, she might have been able to defeat him more directly."
"Therefore, using that unconventional sealing method was the only way to win."
Ellie nodded to Cecilia, continuing, "If Charlotte already had a different Saint and the public had accepted that concept, her allies would have been few and far between."
"She was unknowingly having her wings clipped."
Livia, who had been staring blankly the whole time, spoke for the first time, looking at the somber Cecilia.
"I don't really understand anything. What she's doing, what she wants to do."
At that remarkably insightful statement, the remaining 3 looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
"Livia's right, you know."
Catherine, withdrawing her smile, let out a small sigh and looked up at the images flowing around them.
"What's the point in the end?"
"I can't say for sure... but considering all possibilities, it's not a good one."
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