The Fake Saintess Awaits Her Exit

It was well past time when I finished inspecting the route of the prayer meeting and returned to my room. Although my body was weary, I felt quite exhilarated. I could sense the magnitude of the temple and truly realize that this place was a different world, as I gazed at the ever-changing scenery before my eyes.

With the setting sun painting the sky, a mixture of orange and purple, and enormous birds soaring through the air wearing clothes unlike any I had seen before, I felt a thrill like never before. I couldn’t help but think that this place felt like a stage in a theatrical production, knowing that it was a world within the pages of a book.

“Everyone is alive.”

While lying in the hospital bed, there were often times when I had to watch the TV that other patients next to me were watching. Even though it was tuned in, no one bothered to watch the TV in the afternoon, as monotonous news and documentaries from distant lands played.

But I found it most fascinating. Even when I secretly watched videos on my phone under the blanket at night, I always watched travel videos to far-off places. Imagining myself traveling to those places someday.

Could it be that I am now fulfilling the desires I had back then?

It was a completely different sensation, the exhaustion of walking throughout the hospital even though my body was in pain, and the fatigue of exploring every nook and cranny of the temple today using my own feet.

Overwhelmed by the pleasant tiredness I felt for the first time, I ate and immediately fell into a deep sleep after washing up.

How much time had passed? I woke up again, got out of bed, and approached the window. The cool night air greeted me pleasantly through the open window.

“I want to walk more.”

Despite having walked all day, I still wanted to walk more. Just in case Evelina’s consciousness returned at this very moment. And if I were to disappear. The thought of not being able to experience the sensation of walking with a healthy body again made me anxious.

I wanted to walk alone on the path I saw outside the window a little while ago. In that serene place under the moonlight. I stopped in my tracks as I tried to open the door while wearing a suitable outer garment.

“What should I do?”

If I were to open the door and go out like this, the attendants who had been waiting for my command outside all day would immediately swarm around me.

“Surely, just like in the novel…”

A scene came to mind where Evelina would escape from the eyes of the people and engage in relationships with men within the temple. If that was the case, it meant there was a way for me to go out alone. I quickly examined Evelina’s memories.

“Hmm…”

Fortunately, I soon discovered the method. Although I saw things I didn’t want to see along with it. The contents of the novel were not false. The fleeting memories that came to mind were all embarrassing things that made me immediately avert my gaze. The scenes in my memories were all set in different locations, and the faces of the men were different as well. It seemed that Evelina had lived a much more licentious life than what was written in the book.

Even with just a cursory examination, several faces came to mind, and it was fearful to imagine how many more men would appear if I carefully sifted through the memories.

“And, somehow, I feel sorry.”

The life Evelina had lived was her own private matter. Even though I had entered Evelina’s body, I felt sorry for glimpsing such explicit memories. It felt as if I were reading someone else’s diary without permission.

“But then again, I can’t just pretend I didn’t see it.”

Evelina’s memories were the only thing I could rely on in this situation. When the day comes that the original owner of this body returns, even though it sounds absurd, I must apologize for having looked at her past memories without permission.

With that thought in mind, I moved towards the inner room.

The room known as the sanctuary was more like a palace than just a room. It was connected by countless rooms and corridors. I continued walking deeper inside under the radiance created by sacred light. And I opened the door of the room at the end of the corridor.

[Creak] The sound accompanied as I entered into the room, revealing the appearance of a neatly arranged small room. At first glance, it seemed like a place to rest for a moment. The walls were adorned with several paintings and a large mirror, and a large wardrobe stood in one corner.

Behind the paintings, behind the mirror, and behind the wardrobe, there were passageways connecting them all. I didn’t know who and for what purpose these passageways were made, but Evelina used these passages to move around the temple, avoiding people’s gaze.

“I wonder if there’s a passage leading outside the temple.”

Inquisitively, I delved into my memories, but it seemed there was nothing of that sort to be found. Nonetheless, I approached the mirror first and foremost. Upon beholding my reflection in the mirror, a peculiar sensation overcame me. Although the one moving and thinking was me, the body I saw belonged not to myself, but to Evelina. My actions would appear as Evelina’s actions in the eyes of others.

The fact did not evoke sadness or sorrow, but rather an uncanny feeling.

Why have I found myself within the world of a book? And why in Evelina’s body, of all forms? As I gazed at my reflection in the mirror for a considerable length of time, a shiver crept up my spine.

“First… the passage connected to the mirror leads to the sponsor.”

With a slight push, I examined the mirror, revealing a small door that could only be entered by stooping down. Well, to call it a door was somewhat debatable. It resembled a mere drawing of a golden line on the wall, with no visible handle. No one else would ever be able to open this door. And rightly so…

I raised my hand to touch the door. Suddenly, a complex pattern of unknown blue light swiftly appeared on the entire surface of the door, only to vanish in an instant along with the light itself.

“Wow…”

It was like magic one would witness in cartoons or movies. Experiencing it firsthand with my own eyes was a first, and the fact that I had wielded such power was astonishing.

“In the book, it seemed to respond only to the powers of a saint… but…”

A peculiar thought crossed my mind in an instant.

“Was Evelina not a false saint after all?”