"Well. Isn't it true that I'm neither a Saintess nor a Savior?"
"How would I know? The Temple announced it that way, so I just assume that's what it is."
The Temple had not yet announced my disappearance. They must have been reluctant to let the outside world know of my absence, worried that the 'Resurrected One' might be seized by the Imperial family, nobles, or foreign powers.
This was evidenced by the fact that despite the numerous visitation requests piled up in my name, they had accepted none of them, using my own wishes as an excuse.
Moreover, only three days had passed since I escaped the Temple, so they would believe I could be found quickly. Their thinking was predictable.
But they couldn't hide it forever, so eventually wanted posters would go up in the streets, and soon an official search party would be formed. I intended to leave this city, and if possible this country, before that happened.
Thanks to the countless treasures of gold and silver that priests had brought in hopes of winning my heart, I had ample funds for my escape. Also, the 'unofficial' knowledge I had learned to enter the Imperial family remained intact in my mind.
"Guest, you asked about a cargo carriage."
The person I had been waiting for approached quietly. A broker active in the underworld.
In every city, there are carriages that will take anyone who pays without checking their name or identity. Depending on needs, they can also create fake identification and help avoid the city guards' watch.
To survive in the Imperial Palace where schemes ran rampant, my parents had taught me early on how to use this world. They said that those who wield power must know everything from the highest vantage point to give orders without having to step forward themselves.
I was fortunate. My life's learning had not become entirely useless.
"I apologize. Security has become strict, so it seems difficult."
"What do you mean?"
"They say Holy Knights are guarding the city gates day and night. Everyone is being cautious."
I nodded to show I understood. The broker who had approached me through the crowd disappeared just as quickly as he had come.
Perhaps because I hadn't expected much, I felt no disappointment. Anyone in this situation would lock down the city immediately. This city, where the Grand Temple was located, saw thousands of pilgrims and tourists pass through daily.
To search the city quietly would take time, so it was reasonable to control the entrances first with whatever excuse they could muster. I had guessed as much, but I had only checked in case there might be an easy way out.
I needed to return to my lodgings. I pulled down the dark gray hood that ordinary pilgrims wore and turned around.
Finding lodging in a tourist city was not difficult. However, I was moving locations daily just in case.
The lodging I moved to today was located on the outer edge of the lodging district. It wasn't expensive, so surprisingly many pilgrims visited.
I knew this thanks to reading the tourist brochures stocked throughout the Temple.
I had planned to leave the city since creating fake identification takes time. But now that my movements were restricted, should I get the identification made while I'm at it? Could I stay hidden without getting caught until then?
Lost in thought, my walking pace slowed. Then I noticed the surroundings becoming noisy. I quickly surveyed ahead and saw Holy Knights roaming here and there in the streets.
I almost stopped in my tracks, but I calmly looked straight ahead and stepped forward. The clothes I wore were what any pilgrim would wear.
My face? They wouldn't recognize me. I was currently disguised with an appearance-altering magical tool.
This necklace-shaped magical tool had limits on usage count and duration, so I couldn't use it continuously, but it was still one of the Temple's treasures. Good thing I smuggled it out.
"Believer."
Just as I passed them and was moving away, a low call came from behind me. I turned around calmly and met eyes with a Holy Knight who had separated from the group. His jet-black hair stood in sharp contrast to his white armor.
A black-haired Holy Knight?
"Me?"
"Yes, believer. I apologize, but I need to ask you something."
"Please go ahead, Knight."
"Are you staying at that pink building over there?"
"Why do you ask?"
"We received a report that a criminal is hiding in that building. If you return home now, you may get caught up in trouble, so could you wait here for a moment?"
Where he pointed, pilgrims with anxious expressions had gathered. I glanced over there, then turned my eyes back to the Holy Knight.
"Will it be resolved today?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll take care of other business and return."
"We may need cooperation from the lodgers during the suppression process. I know it's inconvenient, but I ask for your help."
Though phrased as a request, it was essentially telling me to wait forcibly. I paused for a moment, then smiled faintly and nodded.
"It seems like it will take a while. May I take care of a physiological need? I think I could ask for understanding at that shop over there."
Where I pointed, there was a small general store catering to lodgers. The Holy Knight narrowed his eyes after confirming the location.
"…Very well, please do so."
While I suppressed my urgency and walked calmly, the gaze from behind didn't leave me. I gritted my lips and frowned. The appearance-altering magic was working well, and I had moved lodgings just this morning. There was nothing in my room that could prove my identity.
…Where did they pick up my trail?
When I pushed open the general store door, the smell of old dust wafted out. I walked quickly inside.
The owner of this general store was an old man with poor hearing and dim eyes. Rather than a place opened for business, it was run more on the store's history.
Passing old display items and faded portraits, I saw the owner sitting next to the counter.
"Hello, I'm sorry but I'll go out through the back door."
The old man nodded without even properly hearing what I said. Beside the back door was a small room where a once-respected High Priest had visited for tea.
It was a famous spot that pilgrims always visited, so the old man seemed to assume I wanted to see that room. I pressed a coin into his hand in thanks.
Next to the small room was a back door that led to a narrow alley behind the building. It was an escape route I had noted just in case after securing lodging, and also a meeting point in case of problems.
"Hello, owner."
At the moment I grabbed the back door handle, the Holy Knight's voice came from the store side. I didn't hesitate and opened the door. A narrow passage that looked barely wide enough for one person appeared.
As soon as I entered, something popped out from the darkness.
[You're late!]
Ah, thank goodness. You came here quickly with your sharp instincts.
"I'm in a hurry, save the complaints for later."
[This way!]
The fist-sized object took the lead. I gathered my cloak and quickly followed behind it. The inside of the store seemed to be in commotion, but I wasn't interested. They wouldn't catch me anyway.
Because I have an excellent collaborator.
Watching the plump squirrel tail fluttering as it ran diligently ahead of me, I smiled boldly.
* * *
After coming out of the passage, I changed my appearance once more. It was a waste of the limited uses, but it was better to be cautious.
After that, I went straight to the farthest lodging from there and got a room before I could finally breathe. Not knowing where my trail had been picked up, running around in circles inside the city like this had its limits. I needed to find another way out.
[Ugh, my fur got dirty…]
The squirrel's fur was all mottled from wandering the city's back alleys instead of me. I stroked the squirrel's head with my index finger.
"I'll wash you soon. More importantly, did you find out?"
[There was a hole where stray dogs used to go through, but recently humans found it and blocked it.]
"Oh dear. Humans are the problem everywhere."
[My acorns?]
"Here."
When I held out the acorn bundle I had bought while visiting the central bulletin board, the squirrel's eyes sparkled and its nose twitched.
[Fine acorns!]
The squirrel dove into the acorn pile and bounced around as if swimming. Watching the squirrel intently, I recalled when I first met it. That squirrel had lived in the large central garden within the Grand Temple.
And it was just a squirrel. An animal. A beast. I mean a four-legged mammal.
This squirrel was the first being that made me realize that as a Resurrected One, I could communicate with non-human creatures.
That was when I had opened my eyes as a Resurrected One not long ago.
At that time, the fanatic praise I encountered immediately upon opening my eyes filled me with fear and disgust. To me, the condemnation and contempt from before my death felt like yesterday, but everyone said that was past history while prostrating themselves—it was laughable and repulsive.
So upon opening my eyes, I first tried to die again. Both attempts were thwarted by the priests. After that, all dangerous objects around me disappeared.
Later I confined myself to my room, but at first it was essentially imprisonment.
Perhaps to find a way to persuade me, they left me alone for several days without stimulating me as much as possible. I had the opportunity to think while receiving only minimal care.
Around that time, I regained my reason. I acknowledged the hideous traces left on my neck, and accepted that I was breathing. I understood the divine message and gauged the influence that the 'Resurrected One' would hold.
'Anneli Roam' who stood on the execution platform was a villainess everyone wanted to kill, but 'Anneli Roam' who resurrected was an apostle who opened her eyes through God's grace. The scar on my neck was the most certain and clear proof of God's grace.