7:00 A.M. Early morning, just as people in the Grand Temple were beginning to wake.
Something long and pink, like a trailing skein of yarn, fluttered eerily through the unkempt, gloomy garden.
“Haa, haa…!”
The rough panting that accompanied it made the already bleak garden feel even more haunted.
“Damn this useless body!”
With vicious cursing echoing in the air, Irik and Seth—who had stepped out into the garden—glanced briefly at each other.
After a short hesitation, they parted the wildly overgrown bushes and headed toward the source of the panting.
“Saintess…?”
In a corner of the garden sat a bench—and on it, drenched in sweat and half-collapsed, was Ordell.
Having vanished without a trace from her room, the Saintess was, to their astonishment, exercising at the break of dawn.
* * *
Back when I was a detective, exercise had been as natural as breathing.
If you wanted to take down hardened criminals, you needed more than just basic self-defense—you needed real combat training.
And now I was stuck in this body?
Unlike my previous one, honed with firm, lean muscle, this body didn’t even have anything to lose.
But back then, I didn’t yet realize—that wasn’t even the most shocking part.
“Huff… huff… this wretched body…”
As soon as the clock struck 6 a.m., I had gone outside to start building basic stamina—but I wanted to drop dead on the spot.
Unbelievable. I hadn’t even run—just walked a little—and I was dizzy already.
I should have realized something was wrong the moment my whole skeleton started popping like it was misaligned during my first stretch.
How did the original Ordell manage to wreak so much havoc with a body like this?
“Are you all right…?”
Unable to fight off the dizziness, I’d collapsed onto a bench. Irik handed me some cold water.
“Thank you… I would've died just trying to exercise if you two hadn’t come.”
Dying from walking… seriously?
Even if this second life had been forced on me, I had no intention of going out so pathetically.
“What kind of exercise were you even doing…?”
Don’t ask. I’ll never admit I became a critical patient just from walking.
“Ahem. I didn’t expect you both to arrive so quickly. I’m sorry for making you come all the way out here.”
“Not at all. Wherever the Saintess is, it’s our duty to come to you.”
Seth, who had been watching me with worried eyes, immediately objected.
No matter the Saintess’s personality, he was the kind of devout holy knight who would obey her simply because she was the Saintess.
That was exactly why Irik hadn’t been able to tell him I was a fake.
And so, later, when the true heroine appeared and Ordell’s real identity was exposed, Seth had exploded with fury at Irik.
He had been the one who tried to protect Ordell to the very end.
And when Ordell finally betrayed the god, it was Seth who turned his back on her—and stabbed her.
That scene—where the man who had once pitied her as a human drew his sword in hollow sorrow—was truly one of the novel’s greatest moments.
…And yet I ended up reincarnated into the very body that gets stabbed by that sword.
Right. Guess I’d better work hard to destroy the original story.
“From now on, I plan to exercise every morning from 6 to 7 a.m. before breakfast. Please take note.”
“Yes, understood. Then we’ll adjust the guard schedule accordingly—”
“Guard? I’m just doing light exercise. Besides, we don’t even get visitors at the Grand Temple. What danger could there be?”
I said it without thinking, and Irik’s expression instantly darkened.
I felt a bit bad, knowing how sensitive the high priest was about the temple’s declining prestige—but it was the truth.
There weren’t just fewer visitors; the Sun God’s very existence was beginning to fade from people’s memories.
Still, don’t worry. I’ll make this place lively soon enough.
“There’s no danger aside from the infiltrator, so rather than guarding me, you should focus on that. How’s the investigation going?”
“We’ve detained everyone currently residing in the temple and begun interrogations. The vice-captain is handling the holy knights, and Priest Dietrich is overseeing the clergy.”
Ah, those two were the most trusted aides of Seth and Irik, respectively.
If they were handling it, I could trust the process.
“Kento gave up a few names during interrogation, but we can’t be sure yet. We’re conducting cross-verification.”
So that blood smell earlier was real. Irik, officially the novel’s top torturer, had interrogated him personally.
Kento probably thought Irik couldn’t even hold a sword—but he must’ve felt the full horror of Irik’s “great” torture techniques.
Ugh, I’m getting chills just thinking about it.
“We’ll conduct a thorough investigation and root out the infiltrators. You need not worry, Saintess.”
Seth added firmly from beside him.
His icy blue eyes gleamed with lethal intent.
Seeing him ready to wipe out every last traitor… he was actually pretty reassuring. I felt proud.
“I trust you, Captain. I’ll leave it to you. High Priest, may I have a word in private?”
Once our conversation had ended, Seth left with a reminder not to overexert myself.
Overexert… when all I’d done was stretch and walk? I was embarrassed even hearing that.
“Captain Seth doesn’t know I’m a fake Saintess, does he?”
Once I confirmed Seth was completely out of sight, I turned to Irik.
Irik’s brows furrowed slightly.
“That’s…”
“I’m sure he’ll find out eventually, but… I’d rather it not be now.”
“Excuse me?”
I looked Irik straight in the eye.
Then, I spoke clearly.
“Remember when I said I was going to leave the Grand Temple? I’ve changed my mind. I’m truly sorry for the sudden reversal.”
Worried Irik might say no and try to send me away, I quickly added:
“From now on, I intend to fulfill all my duties as the Saintess. I won’t run away or act beneath my station.”
I lowered my gaze solemnly.
“I couldn’t bring myself to grow attached to this place because I believed I’d been abandoned by my family. That led me to do things I never should have done. I apologize sincerely for trying to flee without taking responsibility.”
“…”
“From now on, I’ll dedicate myself to the future of the Grand Temple as its Saintess. My divine power may be lacking since I’m not the real one… but I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
I had, technically, received a quest from the Sun God and was becoming a real Saintess—but I had no plans to say that out loud.
If I told him I had to donate literal blood-money to a god to get divine power, would Irik believe me?
He’d probably declare me insane, claim I’d stooped to selling out the divine, and sentence me to death by his holy authority.
“The Kiris family no longer matters to me. After realizing the filthy truth about Count Kiris—the man I once longed to please—I don’t even understand why I ever wanted his affection.”
Seriously, I don’t get it.
Why did the original Ordell crave love from a family that treated her like a tool?
If she had just found comfort here at the temple instead, even as a fake Saintess, she could’ve been genuinely happy.
“I know it’s hard to trust me after all I’ve done. But please, give me a chance—to serve this temple, and to apologize to everyone I’ve hurt.”
“…”
“At the very least, I’ll make sure no one here ever goes hungry again.”
That memory still haunted me.
Children’s meals consisting of watery soup with no ingredients and a single piece of hard bread.
And I was the reason for that.
Even if I hadn’t done it personally, I was in the body of the one who had.
That alone made me feel guilty.
So even if I couldn’t fix everything, that was something I had to make right.
“Oh! And of course, if the real Saintess ever shows up, I’ll step down immediately without clinging to the title. Don’t worry.”
I was holding this position only because I had no choice. I had no ambition. None. Don’t worry.
“…Saintess.”
After a long silence, Irik finally spoke.
I watched him nervously, as if he might draw a blade.
“You stand at the highest position in the Grand Temple. You don’t need my permission. Do whatever you wish.”
I hadn’t expected… such warm words.
“The moment you stepped into this Grand Temple as its Saintess, you were the Saintess. So don’t call yourself a fake.”
“…”
“I’ll take full responsibility for bringing you here. So do whatever you want.”
Irik placed a hand over his heart and bowed deeply.
It was a gesture of reverence and loyalty—and I had no words in response.
After everything the original Ordell had done to him—disdain, humiliation, cruelty—how could he still say such things?
I felt ashamed for having assumed he would never trust me.
“…I’ll do my best. Truly.”
I used to feel nothing but frustration about this forced second life—but maybe…
Maybe it won’t be so bad after all.
I think I might start to care.
* * *
After that, Seth and Irik practically turned the temple upside down.
The way they shook down every suspect Kento named—like they were using a grain thresher.
In the end, they uncovered a total of seven infiltrators.
Counting Kento, that made eight.
And among them? A holy knight.
Even worse, it turned out he had been the one who broke Kento out of prison.
“I am truly sorry. I’ll accept any punishment you deem fit.”
As soon as we met in the drawing room, Seth dropped to his knees—with a face full of guilt.