#1127 The Citizens’ Reaction 3 – A Saint Fanatic 

Hey there, name’s Daganzam. 

I’m just your average harmless citizen living in the Demon Kingdom. 
Unemployed, by the way. 

Well… not exactly. Currently, I hold a very important position as a “Saint Researcher.” 
What does a Saint Researcher do, you ask? 
Why, we research the Saint. That’s our main job. 

…Huh? 
You’re saying that sounds too literal and you don’t get it? 

Hmph, explaining lofty concepts to common folk can be such a chore. 
Fine. Allow me to break it down in simpler terms. 

First, who is the Saint? 

We all know the Saint is a great being who lives somewhere in this world and watches over it. 

Some say the Saint created this world. They say even dragons and gods are his handiwork. 

There’s a theory that the world came into existence when the Saint declared, “Let there be light.” 
I read it in last year’s publication: Big Research! Secrets of the Saint, Volume Fifteen. 

It’s also said the Saint deeply influences the workings of the world: acting as a mediator between gods and humans, calming the fury of any rampaging god. 
Without him, the world would’ve been crushed by the gods’ senseless whims long ago. 

The Saint is the world’s creator, caretaker… and possibly destroyer. 
When the Saint loses hope in this world—or just gets bored of managing it—a countdown to doomsday begins…! 

That, they say, is what the old Human Kingdom’s ancient calendar called “the year 1999.” 
And supposedly, that’s this year! 

Wait, so the Saint might destroy the world any minute now?! 
What are we supposed to do?! 

Is this really the time for a day job?! 
We need to hurry up and learn everything we can about him, so we might get close enough to save our hides! 

That’s why I bust my butt day and night doing this research! 
I can’t imagine anything more noble or meaningful! 

So yeah, calling me “unemployed” is just downright insulting!!! 

…Huh? You’re wondering if I get paid for this researching gig? 
Nope, not at all. 

It’s a volunteer position, obviously!  
How could you not figure that out?! 

Anyway, that’s why my brain’s always churning with thoughts about the Saint. 

Today’s our meeting day. 
Once a week, my noble comrades, who are just as intrigued by the Saint as I am, gather together to exchange knowledge, present theories, and bounce ideas around. 

We meet at a local tavern on the corner. 
And no, I’m not going there just to see Marilyn the dancing girl. She’s not the reason we meet there; scout’s honor! 

As I was heading out, I locked eyes with my sister-in-law, the wife of my little brother who lets me crash at his place. 
She gave me a silent look that said, “You’re going out again?” so I just ignored her and left. 

*** 

By the time I arrived, my fellow researchers were already seated around a table, drinks at the ready. 

“You’re late, Daganzam! The Day of Judgment draws near, you’d best remember we haven’t got time to waste.” 
“Since you’re the last one here, you’re treating us today.” 

Hey, hey, hold up. Since when did that become a rule?! 
We’ve always split the bill for our drinking sessions! Don’t go changing the deal on me! 

“Now, now, let’s focus. We have a particularly important topic today. To save time, let’s get right into it.” 

R-Right.  
I know what this is about. Rumors drifting in from the development site… 

Apparently, the Saint has shown up there! 

“Exactly. We’re still not sure if it’s true, but I thought we’d focus on that today.” 
“So the big question: Is the Saint really there or not?” 

If it’s truly, truly true, then it’s a gigantic deal for us. 
We never even knew for sure if the Saint existed, and now we might have the chance to confirm it?! 
…Oh, waitress, can we get another ale over here? 

“B-But there’s one problem: the site itself.” 
“Yeah, the development site… the one place we do NOT want to visit…” 
“You feel the same way, huh?” 

Y-Yeah…  
See, there was a huge recruitment drive a while back to expand humanity’s territory. 

They tried to rope in all the unemployed people, and for some weird reason, my family kept nagging me to sign up. 
As if I didn’t have my all-important Saint research to do! 

“Same here. My dad kept pushing me, saying it was a golden opportunity for a fresh start.” 
“Mine said, ‘If you manage to get some land in the development site, you could turn your life around!’ Turn it around, my foot!” 
“Exactly! We’ll decide for ourselves when to turn our lives around, thank you very much!” 

Yeah, seriously. 
This rumor about the Saint appearing might just be a ploy to lure us into the development site.  
They know we’d walk right into their trap if it dangles anything Saint-related. 

“That’s actually a good point, Daganzam. You’re pretty sharp.” 

Of course I am. Studying the Saint naturally increases your intellect. 

Anyway, let’s just call the development site rumor bogus, done and dusted! 
Let’s move on to sharing this week’s Saint research! 

So, what’s the update on the Saint reported to appear in various human cities? 
You know, that weird old man who supposedly drifts into town, waves his staff to blow away a bunch of bandits, then strikes the ground and makes a spring gush forth? 

That kind of miracle screams “Saint!” We need more details!  
Got any new info?! 

“Actually, that story’s gone quiet lately.” 
“It’s all about the development site these days. Any new rumor involving the Saint now traces back there, like how they singlehandedly drove off an army from the Human-Demon Alliance trying to seize the development site.” 

Wait, what?  
An army tried to seize the development site? 
Aren’t the Demon Kingdom and the Human Kingdom jointly developing that land? 

“If they really did defeat a combined human-demon army, the Saint is seriously incredible!” 
“Truly worthy of the title ‘caretaker of the world.’ If he ever went all out, destroying the world would be a cinch!” 

Hey, hey! 
We’re back to talking about the development site again! 

Let’s drop that, okay?  
Let’s talk about something else, like the Saint flying around somewhere nearby? 

“All right, how about this one?” 

Some other guy pipes up: 

“It’s still related to the development site, but bear with me. Right now, they’re just chopping down trees and clearing land. But eventually, a village or a town will spring up. Once that settlement grows large enough, it’ll become a kingdom, right?” 

Yeah, sure, I follow. 
So? 

“Well, rumor says that when that new nation takes shape, the Saint is going to be its king.” 

WHAT DID YOU SAYYYYYY?! 

That’s ridiculous! 
The Saint is the caretaker of the entire world! Why would he settle for being some petty king?! 

“Word is, the Demon King’s top brass are already freaking out about this. Supposedly, the Demon King has been secretly negotiating with the Saint, and they reached an agreement: The Saint will rule the new country on the development site.” 

No way! 
So the higher-ups really do have ties to the Saint?! 
All those “ridiculous conspiracy theories” weren’t so ridiculous after all! 

“If that’s for real, then the rumors of the Saint turning up in the development site must be true!” 
“If we want the truth, we’ll have to head for the development site right away!” 

Hold on! 
Let’s not get carried away here! 

Think about it: if we go there, there’s a good chance we’ll never make it back. 
And if our families find out, they’ll assume we permanently moved. They’ll clear out our rooms in celebration! 

We’d have nowhere to come home to! 
Are you willing to risk that?! 

“In that case, there’s an easier way to confirm it.” 

…Huh?! 
Wait, there is?! 

“They say that now the deal’s been struck, the Demon Kingdom’s bigwigs and the Saint are thick as thieves. Soon, they plan to announce it publicly in a huge ceremony, where they’ll introduce the Saint to the citizens.” 

So we’d get to see the Saint in the flesh?! 

We’ve been dreaming of that moment forever, and now it might happen just like that?! 
But hold on, where did you get all these top-secret tidbits? 

“Oh, well… my dad’s a minister working in the Demon King’s castle…” 

Oof. I can’t imagine the stress he’s under, having a kid who doesn’t work… 

…No, no, that’s not important right now! 
This means your info is probably legit! 

If it’s all true, then I say we take this mad chance like a pastry falling into our lap! 
Let’s go see if the Saint’s really gonna show up! 

At last, we Saint Researchers can truly shine!!!