“If Alicia is certified as a saint, that means there are two saints in this country, right?”

Mel muttered quietly at Henry’s words.

“I don’t consider Liz a saint, though.”

The fact that Liz Cather was a saint was not publicly announced, but most of us have guessed it.

But why wasn’t it announced? That was the mystery. Liz Cather was a saint by all accounts….

It wouldn’t seem to be a national secret…would it? If that’s the case, I’d rather keep Alicia’s sainthood a secret.

My eyes meet Duke’s.

…No way.

“Could it be that you’ve been waiting for this day to come?”

“Yes. No matter how much noise the people made, the king never announced to the country that she was a saint.”

Before I could finish, Duke started to speak.

“Liz was a saint, for sure. Everything about her is so different. It’s interesting to watch. But Alicia is even more interesting. It’s a genius making an extraordinary effort to be hated.”

“You were going to have Aliali certified as a saint at all costs from the beginning – right?”

Mel said cheerfully after Duke.

I knew he was a calculating man, but I had no idea he had planned this far ahead. It was as if we were all in Duke’s hands.

“Well, one of the saints who was supposed to be in this country has left.”

I said, staring off into the distance.

“I can’t believe that the good-for-nothing is the one who is still here, though.”

Mel sighed.

“When you think about it, if she could harness that power, she would be considered useful, right?”

They all looked surprised when I said it. They looked at me as if I’d discovered a rare animal.

“Wha, what?”

“It’s because Gilles didn’t say anything bad about Liz.”

Henry said, and both Duke and Mel nodded.

“I’m not that bad of a person. …Did I ever say anything that bad about Liz before?”

“””Yes.”””

Their words overlapped at the same time.

…I’m sure I still dislike her…but I don’t know why. Maybe I have become able to look at things objectively, as Alicia had suggested. Or perhaps I’m losing some of my prejudice against Liz.

“Because before, just seeing Liz was enough to make you curse her.”

“Did I?”

“You used to look at me as if you were about to kill me at any moment! That was the most exciting moment of my life.”

“You’re just a pervert.”

“You’re lucky we didn’t kill you.”

“Why are you all saying this now?”

I understand that I have changed because of what Henry, Mel, and Duke have said to me.

I wasn’t sure if this was a good change or a bad change. After speaking with Liz Cather earlier, I just felt like I understood her a little better.

She was not that bad of a person. She was just a naive girl with no bad intentions.

“Hey, maybe Gilles is, with Liz’s magic…”

“Yeah, I was alone with her when I saw her.”

“But Gilles’ feelings for Alicia must be strong.”

“So maybe it’s only a mild effect. I mean, he’s facing Liz’s monster’s level of magic without any magic, right?”

“Let’s just wait and see.”

Duke’s voice brought me back to reality. They were talking in low voices, but I was thinking about Liz and wasn’t paying attention.

I wondered what they were talking about…Liz Cather’s condition, I thought.

I should keep an eye on her as well.