The Saint Who Has Been Summoned to Another World

Chapter 25 Judgment



“Hey, Kuga…what do you mean by Kuga!?”

“P-Please calm down.”



I blocked Mana, who was strongly approaching me, with my hand.

Close! You’re too close!

I'm going to touch something bad if I push her back, and I don't have time for a rom-com scene right now, so please don't get too close to me!


I desperately tried to think of an idea to fool her about the name, “Kuuga” But as usual, the computer in my brain was a piece of sh*t and won't come up with any answers.

The only thing I could think of now was to force myself to be hit in the head and pass out...!



“How am I supposed to calm down!? Hey, what do you mean by that name!?”

“I don’t know what you are asking…Also, it’s dangerous, so please sit down…”



I spoke to her with a sense of composure even though my head was in turmoil right now.

My back was also sweating like crazy…



“I don’t care if it’s dangerous or not! Just answer me!?”

“That’s not important, I’ll get in trouble if you get hurt, so…”

“That’s right. Saint-sama, as Edward-sama says, please sit down properly…And what is the matter all of a sudden?”

“...Christa-san!”

“Y-Yes!”



Mana suddenly turned her attention to Christa, perhaps because she decided that it was easier to hear what she wants from Christa.




“What do you mean by Kuga! Please tell me!”




Mana, who was leaning forward with great vigor, regardless of the rocking carriage, frightened Christa



“Saint-sama, It’s not ‘Kuga’ but, ‘Kuuga-sensei’...”



(Tired: クガ - Kuga || クーガ - Kuuga. See the difference?)



Christa, Who’s face was scrunched up, corrected Mana to extend the pause a little while she was concerned about Mana's condition.

That’s right, nice one Christa!

The pause between my name is necessary!

I believe in the power of “—”!*



(Tired: It’s called Chōonpu in Japanese, which is usually used to indicate a long vowel sound in katakana writing.)



“Yeah, That’s why I’m asking you what Kuga means!?”

“It’s Kuuuuga, Mana-sama…”




I said so as if supporting what Christa said earlier.

I have a feeling it was already been converted to kanji with perfect pronunciation, but Astraea had no Kanji!




“Kuga is an alias which Edward-sama uses to conceal his identity.”

“Alias…”

“I heard that Edward-sama himself decided on it at random, isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”




Christa, you don't have to give her that information…




“It's an unfamiliar word that sounds strange but wonderful.”

“Hee, so it’s a word you don’t hear in this world, is that right?”



Mana, who seemed to have regained some of her composure, looked at her with a fixed gaze.

As I said, you don’t have to give that information, Christa!




“Why did you decide to go with Kuga?”




Sure enough, Mana turned her attention back to me again.

Mana’s face is so cloooose!

In her eyes, was a strong will that she would see through all lies.

That’s why I turned away my gaze away from as if running away.




“It’s Kuuuuuuuga, Mana-sama. Also, as Christa just said earlier, I just randomly think of it.”

“Hmmm?”




Mana returned to her original position, but she continued to stare at me.

I felt like she was going to shoot a hole through me…




“Saint-sama, do you have any doubts about Edward-sama’s alias?”




You don't have to continue the conversation, you know!?

I applied some pressure on Christa, but she ignored it once more.


Then, Mana who had an expression on her face that said, “I’m glad you asked!” finally took her gaze away from me and looked at Christa.

…I want to become a shellfish right now…




“Un, My boyfriend, his name is Kuga Haruma.”

“Kuga Haruma, is it?”

“Yeah! But, Kuga is his family name”

“Then! Kuga and Kuuga almost sound the same…!”

“That’s right, they’re almost the same!”

“Isn’t it fate that Edward-sama came up with happened to be the same as that of his deceased lover…!?”




I don't know what switch flipped, but Christa's eyes were shining.

It was almost like you press the switch of a cat…


I have a bad feeling about this, so please don't say anything else!





“I wonder if it's really a coincidence…”




Mana muttered heavily next to me as I prayed in secret.

Then Christa's face, who was listening, also became serious.




“Why do you say so?”

“For instance, Ed is a reincarnation of my lover...”




The words directed at me at the same time as the probing look stopped my breath.

I had a little inkling that she might have anticipated, but it was unnerving to actually hear the doubt in her voice.




“.........”




“Don't react to anything!” I told myself.


The sweat on my back feels like a waterfall, but for now, I'll just brush it off with a cool “You're talking nonsense,” attitude.

That's all I have to do.


Besides my readiness to say, “No,” or “It's just your imagination,” continued to talk about her suspicions.




“Haru was reincarnated as Ed, but he also remembered her previous life. That's why he used the name of his previous life when he came up with his alias.”

“Oh my!!”



What kind of great detective are you to get the correct answer?

No, it was because I came up with a cheap name…

But I guess it's unavoidable; I had no idea this would happen, okay!?




“How is it, Edward-sama!?”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you guys…”

“Ed!”

“Edwards-sama!”




I tried to cover it up lightly, but I was stuffed by the two who were at the peak of their excitement at the time.

Seems like I can’t get out of this…

They were so eager for answers that I had to consider how to respond.

How could I convince them by denying Mana's theory?


Wait, I have an idea.

It takes a little courage for me to say it, but I have no choice.

I looked at Mana and open my mouth—



“I'm kidding, I heard you. But, there is no such thing as reincarnation, right?”

“W-What do you mean!?”

“Because…If I had remembered the name of my previous life, I would have remembered Mana-sama, right? If that were the case, I would have come forward and claimed to be that 'Kuga something,' wouldn't I? Because I got to meet my lover from my previous life, right?"

“That's certainly true…”




Krista nodded in response to my words.

I was confident I could persuade her.

Just as I had predicted.




“See? Coincidence. It's purely coincidental.”

“..........”




Mana, on the other hand, had a look on her face that said she was still not satisfied.

But I had anticipated her reaction.


Mana would assume that the reason I am aware of Mana's existence as a lover but have not come forward is because of the affair.

So the only way to debunk me is for her to confess it.

But, I don't want to hear that now.

Mana wouldn't want to talk about it either.

So I predicted that the chase would come to an end—and it did.




“We're done talking about this?”

“I-I guess so.”




Christa smiles brighter than usual, possibly out of concern.

Mana, on the other hand, remained dissatisfied.

Everything went as planned, but the atmosphere was strange right now.


The only sound that could be heard was the hard rattling of the carriage.

Mana may still suspect that I am Kuga Haruma, but she will no longer question me openly.

I feel refreshed and empty at the same time.

The atmosphere in the carriage was also delicate and we need a change of pace.

When I opened the curtains to look outside, I noticed that the clouds in the clear sky had darkened suspiciously.


Ah~ that was right, there was someone here who makes weather forecasts meaningless.

I just want to spend the carriage ride in peace.

A gust of wind blew just as I was planning how to put her in a good mood.

The carriage rattled and shook as a result of the wind, and I heard a surprised voice from the coachman.




“Are you ok—”

“Is it because I did something like cheating on you…?” (Tired: Yes.)




Mana muttered at the same time as I called out to the coachman.




“Cheating, is it?”




Christa responded with a question.

I was speechless, and I felt my head cooling down.




I'm not sure what she means by “something like that,” but…seriously?

I knew it, but I'm finding myself discouraged again.

It was pretty hard to hear a confession…



In my mind, I saw the handsome man and Mana cuddling up to each other in a friendly manner.

I can't believe I remember it so vividly, even though it wasn't this body that witnessed that scene...

I wonder if this was Mana's curse.




“But we just went out together! We had dinner, we went shopping…We were together in college, and I even introduced him as my boyfriend, but, but…!”

“Excuse me, Saint-sama…?”

“I know…I know I shouldn't have done that! But there's a reason why…!”

“Saint, please calm down. But, what's wrong with that?”

“Yeah, it’s wrong…! Eh…?”




Seeing Christa's puzzled face, Mana was equally puzzled.

They didn't look at me, but I was puzzled too.


They were on a firm date, so it must have been a complete fling.

And she was introducing him as her boyfriend?

I want to go back in time and punch that rich, handsome guy in the face.

There's bound to be a problem with that kind of thing…Ah! I see…

This was Astraea.




“You are saying that you were in a relationship with Kuga-sama while dating him?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Isn't there any problem? What's wrong with that?”

“Eh? What?”




Cheating was not something we tolerate at Astraea.

There was only the courtesy of talking it over with someone if you were going to be in a relationship with them.

There were frequent disagreements over competing claims that one was more loved than the other or that one had received something expensive, but there were few issues when it came to dating.

Mana also seemed to recall that Astraea is a bigamy-friendly country.




“But that wasn't the case in Japan, where we lived! We can only date and marry one person!”

“If so, doesn't Saint-sama love Master Edward?”

“Eh?”

“Does Saint-sama still love that Kuga-sama?”

“Yeah! That’s why Ed and Haruka are the same because Ed is the reincarnation of Haruka!”

“Is that so…?”




Mana trembled at the calm voice of Christa.



“I can't say for sure that Mr. Edward is a reincarnation of him…But I do know one thing for sure that the Saint-sama’s lover, Kuga-sama, is no longer alive.”

“T-That’s true, but…”

“What makes them the same? This is a very philosophical question, but even if Edward-sama really had Kuga-sama’s memory, would he still be Kuga-sama? Is he still the ‘same’ person?”

“.........”




Mana was taken aback by Christa's words.




I imagine Edward Astraea as an extension of Haruma Kuga, which means we were the same...

But—

Haruma Kuga and I now have our own families and positions, so I wonder if is it still the same…?




“That’s…That’s…”




Mana looked down as if unable to answer the question.

I couldn't look up as well because Christa's words pricked me as well.




“I am ashamed to have spoken of my views to the saint. Please forgive me, But I thought it would be important for Edward-sama and Saint-sama to keep in mind that the life of Saint-sama’s loved one has certainly passed away.

“I know that…!”




Mana's strong words, which were released at the same time Christa's words ended, surprised both of us.

Mana then looked up with a ghastly expression on her face.




“I know Haru is dead. It hurts and I saw it! Haru was right in front of me!”




Mana exclaimed those words as if she were screaming.

She was so agitated that tears welled up in her eyes and her body trembled slightly.




“Mana-sama, calm down…!”

“The blood just kept flowing! No matter how much I called him, she wouldn't even answer! We went to the hospital! But It wouldn’t stop and his body just got cold!”




The Sky’s roar increases in proportion to Mana's heat up.

The rumbling made an eerie sound, and flashes of lightning began to show up.

This was bad, this was what it looked like when there had been a lightning strike before.

Then, in an instant, the sky darkened and a heavy rain began to fall.




“I've got so much stuff from Haru and we have a lot of history on the line, too! But yet Haru is nowhere to be found! Nothing will change from now on! I know that better than anyone! But I got to see Ed! Hey, Ed is Haru, aren’t you!? Please admit it that you’re Haru!? Tell me you love me again! I’ll promise to try my best to be a more beautiful older sister!”




Mana was crying while clinging to me.

She was hyperventilating, and weatherwise, this state of agitation was dangerous.




“Mana! Please calm down!”




I called out desperately—but it was too late.

The sky glowed just above us.

Then, at that moment, the carriage was pulled down by gravity with a thud.

At the same time, we were hit by a roar so loud that it almost ruptured my eardrums.

I immediately rushed over to Mana, who was sitting down.




“Kyaaaaaaaaahhh!!!”




Christa's screams mingled with the thunderous roar.




“Christa, come here too!”

“Y-Yes…!”




The earth shook with a tremor, and Christa went to me, but the impact subsided quickly.

The sign of the thunder went away, but the rain would not stop.


It felt like a direct strike of lightning, but it was only a tremor and a shock.

I-I thought I was going to die…

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that no one was hurt, including the coachman, and that there was no damage to the carriage.




“Are you okay?”

“Y-Yes…But I feel like my life has been cut short…”




I nodded to Christa, who gave me a tired smile.




“Me too. Mana-sama, are you oka….Mana-sama?”




Mana's body, which I was supporting, lost its strength and she almost fell off the seat. Because of that, I hurriedly held her back.




“Mana-sama!”

“...It’s all right, she’s breathing. She most likely fainted…”




I was relieved when Christa said so.

Let's take her to the temple and let her rest…


I sat back down with Mana on my side.

At that moment, something rolled on the floor.




“I wonder if it belongs to the saint. I wonder what it is…but, It's not cute, isn’t it?”

“This is…”




Christa picked up and showed me with a wry smile the strap that came with the milk tea I bought in my previous life.