Merry Christmas! (I updated it because I wanted to say that)
...Is the strange behavior of Colonel Curtis just for now?
Sitting on a protruding rock that looked comfortable, I thought absently.
Just as I regained my memories from my previous life when I was almost killed by Zabiria, it seems that Colonel Curtis regained his memories when he was almost killed by Aerial and the others.
Or perhaps just before that.
I felt something was off when he suddenly drew his sword at the villagers, showing a more aggressive attitude than usual. If he had already regained his memories from his previous life at that point, it would make sense.
Thinking about how I died in my previous life, he must have thought, "This time, I will protect her no matter what."
In any case, it's almost certain that he regained his memories from his previous life just a little while ago.
Referring to my own experience, a lot of memories flood in all at once, and at first, it's overwhelming to process all that information. Some memories come back later too.
So, it will probably take a few days for the information to be properly organized in his head.
In other words, Colonel Curtis is in a state of confusion due to his memories, and even if his words and actions seem strange, it would be kind to overlook them.
I nodded in agreement and concluded that the abnormal behavior of Colonel Curtis, such as bowing excessively, is a temporary effect of regaining his memories from his previous life and will settle down in a few days.
Otherwise, it would be troublesome. In this life, I am just a knight.
Being bowed to by the colonel would make me stand out too much!
Thinking that I would be freed from this strange relationship in a few days, I sighed in relief and spoke to Aerial and the others, who were surrounding me at a certain distance.
"Aerial, you are the grandson of the tribal chief, right? That's why you are managing the sick people like this?"
When Aerial heard my words, he jumped and held out his hands, asking me to change my tone.
"O-Oh, Great Saintess, if you could, could you please stop using that tone? I feel so guilty when you speak to someone like me, who has committed such outrageous acts, in such a polite manner that I want to lie down and rest."
"Well, if you lie down just because of my tone, it will be a bother to others..."
"Ah, I can't take it anymore. Hearing such polite words from the Great Saintess, I feel like I'm about to collapse."
As he said this, Aerial dramatically fell to the ground with a loud thud.
"Hey, Aerial, what are you doing!?"
When Aerial heard my words, he made a choking sound and rubbed his face against the ground, so I quickly changed my words.
"Um, Aerial, what are you really doing!?"
"...Ah, I feel a little better now."
Aerial, still lying on the ground, turned his mud-covered face towards me and smiled weakly.
However, his forehead, cheeks, and nose were all covered in mud, making him look quite ridiculous.
"Hey, Aerial, why did you suddenly act like this?"
Seeing Aerial's completely suspicious behavior, I naturally asked him.
"You weren't even bothered by my tone a moment ago! Why are you suddenly bothered by it now?"
After confirming that my tone was no longer polite, Aerial quickly stood up and spoke with a serious face.
"When I met you, I didn't realize you were the Great Saintess due to my own shortcomings. Immediately after realizing who you were, I was only thinking about apologizing for my outrageous behavior. Now that I've calmed down a bit, I finally noticed the unnaturalness of your tone."
"You know, Aerial, I'm just a possible Great Saintess, not a confirmed one."
I emphasized this part because I didn't want to be definitively called the Great Saintess.
Aerial, who had been listening to the conversation between me and Colonel Curtis, looked at me cautiously and said,
"...If that's what you wish, I will refer to you as a 'possible Great Saintess.'"
Oh, what a subtle way of putting it.
I puffed out my cheeks and rested my chin on my hand, elbow on my knee.
"...Why do the people of this land respect the Great Saintess so much? She only visited once a long time ago, and it's been 300 years since then."
I blurted out a question that had been bothering me for a long time, and Aerial looked at me in surprise.
"Have you forgotten what you did for us? You cured the Yellow Stripe Disease and saved our clan from extinction!?"
"...It wasn't me, but the Great Saintess. And even then, it was just like a cook cooking a meal. The Great Saintess healed everyone because she was a saint. It's just that she fulfilled her duty, so I don't think it's anything special."
"...You are the only one in the world who would say such a thing seriously."
As Aerial said this, he clutched his chest in pain.
"Eh? Hey, Aerial? What's wrong? Is your chest hurting?"
I quickly stood up and approached him, but not only Aerial, but also the villagers standing around were clutching their chests.
"Yes, it hurts. Seeing the depth of the Great Saintess's compassion, my heart aches with admiration and respect."
The villagers around Aerial also nodded silently in agreement.
...Hmm, this feels a bit overdone.
Some people were even tearing up, and I started to feel a sense of crisis about the situation.
Indeed, I had made an agreement with Colonel Curtis and Colonel Cyril to pretend to be the resurrected Great Saintess before regaining my memories.
And it seems that due to my overflowing grace and nobility, Aerial and the others believe in the resurrection of the Great Saintess more than I expected, but... well, it's a bit exaggerated.
"...300 years is a long time. Even if you are grateful for the Yellow Stripe Disease, it happened a long time ago, right?"
I asked, wondering why their gratitude was so intense, as if they had been healed directly.
Aerial nodded, still clutching his chest.
"Yes, it happened a long time ago. And without the Great Saintess's compassion back then, our clan would not be here today. ...We are taught from a very young age that the Great Saintess's compassion is the most important thing. Our mothers, fathers, and neighbors repeatedly tell us that we owe our lives to the Great Saintess and the debt we must repay. The islanders grow up hearing stories of the Great Saintess from a young age."
"Ugh... ..."
Hearing this unexpected story, I couldn't help but make a strange sound.
However, Aerial continued without noticing my reaction, as if it were a matter of course.
"We have a history of being persecuted. Knowing that individuals are weak, we act as a group. We face persecution as a group and try to repay debts as a group. But... what should we do when we receive a favor as a group, as an entire clan? And what if we can't repay even a small part of that favor?"
Aerial paused, looking at me as if asking a question.
"Well, how about just forgetting about it?"
I clapped my hands and answered as if I had a brilliant idea, but everyone, including Aerial, gave me a very displeased look.
"...Hey, I just answered your question, so you don't have to make such a displeased face! There are as many answers as there are people, so you should respect my answer a little more, don't you think?"
In response to my plea, Aerial shook his head in disagreement.
"In this case, there is only one answer: 'The favor just accumulates and grows larger.' That's why we have been waiting for the Great Saintess's return with a prayerful heart. ...Probably, there is nothing we cannot do for the Great Saintess."
Being stared at by so many serious eyes, I swallowed hard.
...What, what should I do? The situation is worse than I thought.
It's not unusual to be thanked for healing, but the degree of gratitude here is a bit much.
I don't know if the islanders are a particularly loyal people or if the gratitude towards the Great Saintess has grown stronger over generations, but it seems to have inflated to an unbelievable level.
"Um, Aerial. Hmm, how about 'thank you'? You can express your gratitude with 'thank you.' It will make the person who says it feel relieved, and the person who hears it will be happy. Let's just end it there, okay?"
I suggested a practical and straightforward solution, but Aerial and the others had ambiguous expressions and didn't respond.
...Well, despite saying they are extremely grateful to the Great Saintess and can do anything for her, they all ignored my suggestion because they think I might just be a possible Great Saintess.
Hmm, it seems they aren't as grateful as they say they are.
Feeling somewhat relieved, I glanced at Sariela.
...I understand. Ignored by everyone, the Great Saintess is sulking.
And she has woken up. After all, the last person I can rely on is my fellow saintess.
I decided to become good friends with Saintess Sariela.