“I feel bad for the girls who got roped into the executions,” Hanako remarked after setting down her borrowed copy of the Saint’s Thorny Road. The pair of friends were sitting together, having lunch in the kendo club room as was their custom. Aside from club activities on Saturday, nobody used it, so they often had it to themselves during break times.
“Oh, but Alperene saves everyone when time is rewound, so it’s as if it never happened,” Hina pointed out to her friend.
“Yeah, but it did happen, even if a new timeline is made. The pain is there, because someone remembers it.”
Oh, Hanako did have a point there.
“Any reason why you’re bringing it up?” Hina inquired, opening up her bento to start eating while her friend carefully went through the pages. She smiled, because it was her favourite – tamago rolls! Hina was always an egg fiend and she silently thanked her mother for going out of her way to make the dish alongside other sides for her lunch.
“Well, they don’t name everyone, but they did name a few victims of the unjust executions. There’s a girl named Soleil who was basically just unlucky enough to be picked to be killed along with the other supposed traitors to the Empire.”
“Oh, yeah, her. It’s not mentioned here, but in the author’s materials posted online, Soleil is supposed to be some noble’s daughter? Lived a pretty good life, no reason for strife or anything, other than being unlucky enough to be called a saint candidate. She didn’t even make it to the final rounds and got rejected from the role right from the beginning. If I had to pick someone to live as, it’d be her, since she has such a good cushy life, aside from the unfortunate circumstances in the first timeline.”
“All the more reason I feel sorry for her,” Hanako intoned. “She literally had nothing to do with anything…”
“Just keep reading. You’ll feel better knowing that Alperene rights the wrongs and everyone gets to live through their death flags.”
“...I guess the ‘no spoilers’ rule is one for me and not for thee, huh? Should I tell you about the other novel that’s coming out soon?”
“...Urk!”
“Lady Soleil, are you all right?”
“Ah, yes, yes, I am fine, thank you very much Marianne.”
Despite her rough morning, Soleil had somehow managed to get up and start her usual routine.
“You have such dark bags under your eyes, did you not sleep at all, my lady?” Marianne, her maid since childhood, inquired with worry.
“Oh, my, is it that obvious?” Soleil asked with a demure chuckle behind a hand.
After suddenly remembering her last moments on Earth in such a ridiculous way, how could she not look a bit of a wreck?
“Shall I get a warm cloth to put over your eyes, my lady?” Marianne offered, still looking very worried.
Soleil shook her head, smiling reassuringly to the maid, dismissing her afterwards so she could be alone with her thoughts. When Marianne left Soleil was able to relax enough so she could assess her situation calmly.
This was clearly the world of the Saint’s Thorny Road, after going through her current memories of this world and comparing them with the memories of her past life as Hina.
The name of the land she lived in was the Aurea Empire, a vast monarchy that controlled nearly the entire western continent that had a class structure similar to that of Renaissance Europe.There was a boom of the arts currently going on right now, though many remnants of the feudal ways of medieval Europe were also very much present as elements of this world. Commoners being split off from nobles was still normal, so a class hierarchy did exist and she was lucky to have been born into the nobility.
Soleil Lorainne was freshly eighteen years old, not far off from how old she had been previously as 16 year old Masafumi Hina. Her parents named her Soleil due to the rose gold hair she had been born with, similar to that of a dusky twilight sun, inherited from her mother’s side of the family. Her blue eyes, clear as a summer’s day, were a trait she inherited from her father. Soleil lucked out on very good genes on top of a good family. The Lorainne family was that of a count’s house, built up originally from a simple barony awarded to her ancestor a few generations ago. Due to all the hard work that was put into their territory to make it what it was, merits were more important than blood when it came to how people were treated in Lorainne and thus, their territory was one of the most peaceful ones in all of Aurea. Though she needed to work hard, Soleil was otherwise a very fortunate girl.
No crime in her lands, plenty of money, lots of ways to pass the time, loving parents and a family that cared whether she lived or died; she was also blessed with an innocent beauty and good health. The only thing missing was a lover, but she could worry about that later, but otherwise, her life was perfect. And considering when and where she was, she could probably do nothing and live her life very peacefully and happily after failing the trials to become the Saint of the Empire.
The title of Saint was very much a loose one as the person promoted to this position did not require to have any divine power, merit or revelation, though the temple was in charge of helping weed out all candidates alongside the imperial representatives. Being pious or pure wasn’t a requirement either, as the Saint was not meant to be some religious figure or symbol. Rather, it was a title given to the one who could create the most powerful weapon through their soul that could be used as a means of defending the Empire.
The only qualification was that the Saint must be female, as the phenomena of forging a soul weapon can only be done by women.
So whether one was a peasant or a noble, everyone had the chance of becoming the lauded Saint. When one is the Saint the Empire would become responsible for their care as the ‘sheath’ to the most powerful weapon in the Empire. So it behooved every female to give it a try. Many noble families had a minimum of two children in order to have one boy and one girl, in order to secure their lineage and for a chance to have a daughter who could qualify to become the Saint.
The Saint selection happened every ten years in order to keep the Empire strong,as there was always the chance of a stronger weapon being forged coming along. The longest lasting Saint only retired after a new, more powerful weapon was forged after she served the Empire as Saint for 30 years; a record that has never been broken since. She passed away soon after, though, as when a weapon forged by a soul is used too often it shortens the lifespan of the one who forged it. Unfortunately, that Saint had been chosen during a time of great turmoil and so the weapon was used very often, causing her to die at the age of 48 years old. The life expectancy in the empire, for even the poorest person, was 80 years. Despite never seeing the battlefield herself, that one Saint died because of this.
Since that point, the selection of a new Saint every ten years became normalized and the idea of the Empire taking responsibility for their care also was important. The healthier the person, the longer they could serve, was the idea. Many noble families thought the sacrifice welcome, as daughters were normally just sent off to marry to solidify alliances otherwise. Female heirs were not as important as male ones.
Hanako would have hated this world, Soleil thought to herself as she sipped her morning tea.
Of all the things she missed, it was her best friend. Hanako would have thrived in such a setting, where magic, swords and monsters existed, she mused, since Hanako had always been the go-getter between the two of them. The one who was always brave, strong and assertive. She would have been an amazing protagonist of such an adventure, she thought, male or female. Hanako was just amazing like that. And, above all, she would have helped reassure Soleil that everything would turn out just fine.
But Hanako wasn’t here and she would have to move on by herself. At the very least, she had knowledge of the novel to help keep her alive. As far as she knew, she just needed to let Alperene, the heroine, do her thing and everything would turn out all right for Soleil. However, she couldn’t just sit idly, after all…
“...I have no idea if this is the first timeline, or the second timeline.”
Luckily for her, the format of her favourite novel had both timeline follow the same sequence, even if some deaths were averted by the female lead. So, Soleil just needed to watch out for the first timeline flag to determine if she needed to do any meddling. If this was the second timeline, then all would be well and she just needed to sit back.
But if it was the first…
Soleil shuddered, a hand going to her neck as she recalled that all the traitors were hanged for treason, allowed to suffocate until death claimed them, whereas only Alperene had the mercy of a quick death via beheading. Although death was death, Soleil couldn’t help, but to rage at the idea that everyone else needed to suffer and only Alperene didn’t have to.
“Although I already died once, technically.” However, she did not fancy doing it a second time so soon.
The first thing she needed to do was determine when in the story’s timeline she had ‘awakened’. She knew it was before the trials happened, as Soleil had only just turned 18. They would only happen once the youngest, the protagonist herself, turned 18 would they begin in earnest. However, the first hint as to which timeline they were in was whether or not Alperene would show up at the grand ball celebrating the emperor’s birthday. In the first timeline, she never went, citing she needed more training before joining the other candidates to become Saint. In the second one, however, she went in the hopes of meeting with the secretive Duke Sinclair who rarely appeared in public, only to come across the crown prince by sheer coincidence by the ocean as she had come from her region to reach the imperial capital by riding a boat along the shore, which had been faster than going by carriage the entire way. The crown prince fell for her and vowed to help her from there and the two arrived together at the gala.
Soleil’s family had an invitation to the birthday gala, though it was not required for them to attend, as the invitations to the lesser nobles were meant to be a courtesy rather than a summons. Normally only her father went to keep up appearances and she and her mother stayed behind, but this time she would go in order to confirm things with her own two eyes.
If Darious showed up with Alperene, then there was nothing to worry about and Soleil could continue living her ordinary life, as the events to follow would most likely be that of the Saint’s Thorny Road novel. However, if the future Saint of the Empire didn’t show up…
Well, she could maybe come up with ways to not die. Alperene’s original idea of seeking help from Duke Sinclair would not be a bad one, as the duke was the second most powerful entity in the Empire and was supposed to attend the birthday gala as well. And if Alperene wouldn’t be showing up anyways…
“I wonder what the duke is like? The author never mentions the Sinclair dukedom, other than in passing. Though they did make a post hinting about a bigger role in the second volume…which I never got to read.” Another regret of dying the way she had. She had barely gotten through the first few pages when Nao grabbed her copy of volume 2 and began having an intense freakout!
But things would be fine, right? Soleil was never mentioned again, which meant that she got to live peacefully without any problems, as most of the turmoil of the novel happened closer to the capital and not the southern outskirts like the Lorainne’s territory, nor the northernmost territory of the Sinclair dukedom.
“Since Sinclair is from the north, he’s probably some problematic and violent man with a good looking handsome face with enough red flags for a parade. Dark hair maybe? Or white hair? But definitely sharp eyes. Almost every duke of the north in novels is described like that. Maybe even a psycho, if I’m unlucky…”
Actually, thinking about that, maybe asking the duke wouldn’t be such a good idea. Who knew if the duke would turn out to be some kind of yandere psychopath or have obsessive tendencies that resulted in a lot of trouble for whoever his partner wound up being? In any case, Soleil would reserve asking the duke for any kind of help as a last resort, if it turned out she was stuck in the first timeline.The Duke Sinclair was a dangerous variable due to being a complete unknown. Soleil did not have any memories concerning the dukedom or its residents, other than they exist.
For now, she would need to ask her father and prepare for the birthday gala.
Count Orion Lorainne was the reason why their territory rose from being a simple barony to that of a county.
For his heroics during a war in which he helped hold back an invading force from coming in from the south, he had been granted a higher title by the Emperor and additional land to watch over. He was a man with good looks that had aged quite well who loved his wife and child dearly and took his responsibilities very seriously. This was why when the birthday gala was held every year since gaining his count title, he attended without fail. However, as the journey was quite far, he never forced his frail wife and his young daughter to go with him.
So he was quite surprised when Soleil had come to him, asking to accompany him this time. Soleil didn’t blame him, as his daughter had never shown an interest in the social aspect of being a noble before, let alone ever wanting to leave their home. The only time she made mention of the capital was when she received the letter inviting her to join in the trials to become a Saint. Orion had initially told her not to go as participating was not mandatory, but Soleil had said she had wanted to make him and their territory proud as the sole daughter of Count Lorainne. And now she wanted to make a debut, because what else would her finally making an appearance in the capital before the trials signify?
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He had been unsure about bringing Soleil along, but a little pressure from her mother had him caving in and taking Soleil along. Lady Asteria was good at coaxing her husband into doing any little thing she wanted, obviously having him wrapped around her little finger since their youth. Asteria convinced Orion that it would be good for their daughter to experience life in the capital with him before she had to participate in the Saint trials, all alone. An extra day of preparation had to be made as Soleil would be bringing along her maid, Marianne, as an attendant throughout the trip.
There was also a need to get their daughter a dress to wear specifically for the gala, but since it took time for dresses to be made and Soleil’s decision to come along was somewhat last minute, Lady Asteria had given her daughter her own debutante dress from years ago, simply getting it adjusted for Soleil.
Both parents watching their daughter wear the dress that ensnared a young Orion and helped to debut Asteria, became sentimental and weepy, as this was a clear sign their daughter was growing up. The whole time the young lady felt embarrassed by how these two doted on her and each other, love clearly in everything they did together. Soleil had been worried that she would feel awkward around them now that she remembered her past life, but the sentiments of love and affection still welled up within her. Well, that was normal. She did grow up with them. She merely had her old memories added to her current ones. She was still Soleil, just with added experience and knowledge.
Silently, as her parents continued to reminisce about the old days, Soleil promised to herself that nothing bad would happen, because she realized it wouldn’t just be her affected by the false charges five years in the future – though it was never mentioned in the novels, surely her father would have been shamed to have such a traitorous daughter and her mother, heartbroken to have lost their only child. Yes, she would be sure that nothing would happen to their perfect home.
After their extra day of preparations, Orion and Soleil were seen off by a waving Asteria and the staff at Lorainne Manor.
Their journey was long. The novel had mentioned that was the reason for Alperene choosing to come by boat instead and now Soleil understood why. It was seven days by carriage to reach the capital, compared to the five days by boat Alperene had traveled. Alperene came from a port town, so the option was easy enough for her to make. The Lorainne territory, however, was landlocked, so it would actually take longer for them to travel to a city by the shore and then take a boat up north to reach the gala.
That was her own fault, though. Soleil had taken too long to bring up accompanying her father, as his original plans were to use a carriage to ride to the nearest port and then riding up in comfort with others on a noble passenger ship. The extra day needed to prepare Soleil’s own items for the gala would have been used for the more-than-half a day ride to the shore. And so Soleil needed to sit in a carriage with her maid and her father. A second carriage was following along behind them, holding all of their luggage.
This was Soleil’s first time leaving the territory and, originally, she would have been nervous about going, but Hina’s added memories of excitement about visiting new places and having actually traveled for small trips made the feeling go away. If not for the fact she was checking to see if they were in a doomed timeline or not, the young noble might have even shown great excitement about visiting the capital with her father. Soleil was a daddy’s girl and even though leaving the home she had always known was scary, having her father beside her would have assuage any fear she had, because her father was a hero in her eyes and someone who would always protect her. Honestly, she felt that way even now. Orion was a handsome and capable man, so she felt very lucky this kind of person was her father.
During the entire ride he had work he still needed to do, so Soleil was very much left to entertain herself. While Orion viewed document after document in the carriage, his daughter was lost in books.
One thing she had in common in her old life was books! Lady Asteria had always been a clever woman who valued knowledge and the engagement gift from Orion to her had been a library instead of a traditional engagement ring. Every year he added several new books after attending the birthday gala for his beloved wife’s collection. Asteria had passed this love of learning to her daughter, who devoured as many books as she was allowed to get her hands on.
Part of her luggage was a small collection of books to help her pass the long travel time. Soleil had been reasonable and only insisted on seven books, one per day as she had an incredible reading speed. More would be bought and brought home as per the count’s tradition, so there would be more reading material for the journey back.
While she did pick some fun novels to enjoy, Soleil did select some books that had useful information for the days ahead. One of them was a book on court etiquette as she would need to brush up on how to act during the gala, as her manners at home were acceptable, they might not be while surrounded by backstabbing nobles ready to spread rumors and ruin someone socially. Another book was about the Saint selection process.
Part of her strategy for living a carefree life away from strife was to completely fail the Saint trials and knowing how they worked and what they looked for was important. Granted, Soleil was destined to be rejected in the first round according to the novel, but whenever a transmigrator arrived in these stories, things had a habit of deviating from the original storyline, causing a huge butterfly effect. Yes, even if Alperene had rewound events with the aid of the god of time, Soleil needed to be proactive enough to be sure she would not get involved in any of the events to come so she could clear the death flags that would lead to her unjust execution.
Soleil already had a rudimentary knowledge of the process to select the Saint of the Empire, thanks to both her knowledge in her past life and stories from her own mother who participated when she turned 18, many years before Soleil had been born. But the book her mother had suggested for her to take along and study had more information about it.
While there was the Saint of the Empire, the one who had the grandest title due to possessing the most powerful divine weapon forged by her soul, there would also be ‘lesser saints’. Basically runner ups who would take the place of the Saint in case of death, or acted as support when there were great threats to the Empire. Twelve ladies would be selected to back up the Saint of the Empire.
According to the Saint’s Thorny Road novel, the year that Alperene became Saint the turnout of girls ready and willing to go through the trials had been smaller than usual, so almost every girl was selected as a lesser saint, including Soleil. There had been around 20 girls and though she had been rejected at the first round, she was still within the top twelve following the Saint. Those who had been lesser saints had been executed as traitors in the doomed timeline. Knowing this, it was clear that Soleil had to underperform in order not to be lumped in with that group in case things went badly. Most women didn’t have the potential for this anyway and just trying was enough to bring honour to one’s family, so Soleil didn’t have to worry too much about embarrassing herself by not making the cut. Orion might even be relieved that his daughter would not need to carry such a burden, as his own wife had to serve as a lesser saint for ten years under the Saint of their generation. Lady Asteria’s weak constitution was a result of being a lesser saint as her holy weapon had been used more than once by callous warriors who didn’t think twice about swinging it around recklessly.
Her book had a deeper explanation of the reasons why care must be needed in dealing with the saints and the weapons they forged.
The divine weapons were linked to their souls and any damage to the weapons could cause intense pain. While battle with them was possible, if one did not have the mental or physical fortitude to withstand having their hearts literally battered and bruised, one could die from being a saint of any level. The reverse also affected the weapons; if a saint whose mind and body were not strong then it would reflect on the weapon, making them flimsy and weak. This is why, when a Saint (and lesser saints) is chosen, the Empire takes custody and care of them until their term is served, because the Saint is required to think of nothing, but protect the Empire. Living in the imperial palace kept them from distractions and anything that could harm them.
Although, history says that things weren’t always peaceful, not even in the safest place in the world…
In the past, according to the historical parts of the book about the Saint selection, many nobles tried to use their own daughters as a means of moving up their social status, going so far as to send assassins to kill the other saints as well as the Saint of the Empire so their daughter could secure herself (and them by extension) higher positions. Some historians even say that the strife of being a saint was worse than those experienced by the royal harems of yore, where women killed each other in order to gain the top spot of empress. Young ladies who did not come from noble families tended to be killed first as no one really batted an eye if commoners died. They could just be replaced, in the past. Though the amount of women capable of forging divine weapons has dwindled over the years. Most likely due to the wanton murder of people capable of passing on the ability to future generations as there were specific qualifications in order to even forge a divine weapon.
So what qualifications did one need to become a Saint? Candidates were tested based on the following qualities:
First was magical capacity. If one did not possess any magic in them, then it was pointless to go forward. This was not the same as magical ability, which was needed in order to cast spells. Capacity was a measure for how much mana one had within their own body and one with a high limit was sought after; the divine weapon cannot be kept too far from the one who forged it and one could be at a further distance, the more magical capacity a Saint had.
An example would be giving the candidates a measure of 1 - 100, with 1 being the lowest and 100 being the highest. Between a candidate with a capacity of 1 who had to be standing next to the user of their divine weapon versus a person with a capacity of 100 which meant someone using that person’s divine weapon could be on the other side of the Empire, judges would clearly go for someone who had 100 point capacity. That was the simplified explanation in the guide, but generally what people looked for. If someone wielding the divine weapon was too busy protecting its true owner than to actually partake in battle, both were essentially liabilities in active combat. It was better for a Saint who stayed far away from the battlefield.
There were tools to measure this capacity in people, but most were not able to get a hold of them to take this measurement. Many noble children born closer to the capital had access to these tools at the main temple and it was tradition for noble baby girls to be measured at their 100th day, especially if their families wished to place them as a future Saint candidate.
Soleil never had hers measured as the Lorainne territory was far from any temple bigger than a modest chapel and her family was one of swordsmen, so they rarely ever looked to send any of their daughters to become Saints or even mages. Asteria had been born to a family of mages, so when the invitation came to them to sign up their daughter, nobody was surprised by it, as Soleil had a chance of being capable of wielding magic, which by default meant she would have something of a magical capacity to start with.
Sadly (or was it happily?), in the Saint’s Thorny Road, Soleil was initially rejected because her mana capacity was so low, as her inherited traits were closer to that of her knightly father, rather than her mage mother. Despite how dainty she looked and resembled her beautiful, frail mother, Soleil was built like an ox. Her constitution and strength were nothing to sneeze at, which would have been useful for becoming a Saint, if not for the lack of magical ability to sustain a divine weapon at a large distance. Even at age 10 other children had been scared of her when she accidentally broke another child’s wrist when grabbing him to pull him along behind her. As an adult she had better control over her strength, but the sound of wailing children never left her psyche since…
And so there came the second qualification: strength. Both physical and mental. Soleil was confident in one of those two, but since she was assured to not pass the first test she needn’t worry about showing off this, though she would do well to show herself as frail and weak, like her mother to give people the impression she couldn't even be considered as a lesser saint.
A Saint needed to have mental strength and physical strength, as using a divine weapon could adversely affect their health. There were reports of some losing their sanity and dying young because the pain needed to be endured as a Saint was intense. Close to that of giving birth; except during times of strife and turmoil, the pain was constant. Many candidates wish to be crowned as Saint during a time of peace because it assured their good health for living a good retirement after their service.
So they tested one’s mental fortitude, making sure they understood the great sacrifice they would need to endure and for how long. Becoming a Saint was not for the faint of heart and not a title can be easily tossed aside when things got hard. Their bodies were also tested to see if they were likely to weaken quickly as that would affect the strength of the weapon they made. Constitution also allowed for the length of time the divine weapon.
The third test was manifesting the divine weapon at all.
As stated before, magical capacity was different from ability. Capacity was more important than ability, so as long as you were able to manifest the weapon, it didn’t matter if you could cast any other spells or not. However, the problem was figuring out how to bring it out. The book did not have any specific way or incantation one must recite or a ritual to take place. The candidates were simply expected to just be able to do it. There were anecdotes noted of a variety of reasons, catalysts and personal rituals, but every single Saint of the Empire had one thing in common: the strong will to protect. By this point, some suggested that simply a proof of sincerity to protect the Empire would be enough.
Soleil knew better though.
In the Saint’s Thorny Road, the female lead managed to manifest a divine weapon in both timelines. However, the quality of the weapon was different in each one. In the original timeline, before the gods reversed everything and the story began its regression plotline, Alperene’s weapon had been a very strong sword, strong enough to strike down enemies for sure. It manifested as a weapon to be used to protect her loved ones and the Empire. But when she went back in time and did everything again, the weapon that manifested in the second timeline was born of her love for Prince Darius and her wish to protect him, so it gained more abilities than its previous incarnation. Her love for a single man outweighed her more shallow love of the Empire and created a sword that was meant to be wielded by the crown prince and him alone.
The final requirement to become the Saint was in the determination of the quality of the weapon.
Alperene’s divine sword, forged from her love of the prince made her qualify to become the Saint of the Empire a second time due to the variety of abilities attached to it. While it was normal for a divine weapon to carry a single ability or at most, three, Alperene's had an unprecedented ten. As expected of the female lead of a romance fantasy story!
These were the tests that Soleil needed to fail in order to not even be considered at all.
The Saint plus twelve lesser saints would be picked. To be absolutely sure, she needed to show she had nothing good about her. Luckily, being from the boonies meant nobody was familiar with Soleil and her abilities, other than an expectation linked to her parents own reputations.
Soleil made a silent apology to her parents, knowing the coming days may be difficult for them as she may need to make a fool of herself in order to avoid any selection. As she had agreed to participate months ago and was on the list of official candidates, there was no backing down at this point, especially as applicants were at an all time low for this generation. The only way was to look weak and useless.
Sorry mother and father. You will not be able to recognize your sweet daughter for a while, but I promise to make it up to all of you when the dust is clear.
Soleil looked up from her book, needing a moment to rest her eyes and met her father’s gaze by chance. The older man smiled gently at her before returning to his work. Yes, she thought, she would need to work hard after everything was said and done after disappointing this gentle man.
“Father?” Soleil called out.
“Hm?” The man didn’t look up from his work, but the way he tilted his head in her direction was all the signal she needed to know he was still listening.
“I love you,” Soleil said, out of the blue. It felt strange to say it just like that, but the feeling of needing to say it right then was important. Her heart needed for him to know she cared, despite how she would be acting in the future that may say the opposite.
Orion had actually looked up at her, momentarily surprised. Then his face, wrinkling at the eyes from a smile, transformed into something very warm. Putting down his work, he reached out and tenderly tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He did not return her words, but the action alone made Soleil’s heart pang a little in a mixture of guilt and intense affection.
Still smiling, he returned to his documents, an air of contentment surrounding him.
Soleil went back to her book, studying it in order to make plans for the future.
