NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Again
"AAAAHHHH? Haaa...haaa...haaa...hunff...hunfff" I suddenly wake up screaming as I touch my stomach where the chainsaw hit, I'm having trouble breathing as my body is sweating cold.
"W-Was it a lie?...white clothes...a golden rosary...and I have no memories of this place...a-a new world..." I lift up my shirt on the abdomen and see that there is no injury at all.
I calm down slowly by taking deep breaths for some time, after calming down a bit, I resume my focus on the details.
I notice slight general differences, such as the fact that I am dressed in a white outfit that I don't know, and that I have a golden rosary and worst of all I have the lived memories of the pain of being hit by the chainsaw.
My body shivers just from remembering, it was so painful, everything went cold and started to darken as I passed out, I can still remember the feeling of my warm blood staining my hands.
I clearly remember the feeling of falling into a puddle of my own blood, at least I notice that I don't have the same anxiety as in the previous life, I'm not hyperventilating or desperately crying.
In fact, I even feel a bit courageous and even slightly altruistic and optimistic, I look around, the room I'm in is a simple room, it has only a wardrobe, a table with a chair and my bed.
As simple as possible, besides that the room is considerably small.
'Strange...white clothes, rosary and simple lifestyle...a church?' I get up and open the wardrobe, what I find is a set of 3 clothes of the same one I'm wearing.
However, what I found strange is that, although the things are at a minimum, they are very...expensive? The closet is extremely detailed as well as my clothes that remind me a bit of a nun's but is different in design, it is also soft and light in addition to having a well-sewn pattern.
And most importantly.
I hold the rosary in my hand, it seems to be made of pure gold, I recognize it because I had many pure gold things in my life as a man, but if this is really a church, why do I have such well-made and even expensive things?
Toc toc toc.
'I'll think about it later...I-I don't want to remember Himari and what she did to me...I need to focus on this world...more someone will try to kill me and I need to be careful this time'
"C-Come in" I say gently, soon the door opens revealing a man, he is tall and has brown hair along with blue eyes that remind me of the ocean.
'The guy is a wardrobe...or am I just too short for being a woman?...w-what muscles, he seems to be stronger than me when I was a man...' He is wearing an "outfit" that is simply a light armor that appears to be made of real silver because I recognize the mineral well.
"W-Who are you?" I ask with serious doubts after all these clothes are not at all conventional.
'A-Ah I didn't do anything stupid...' I have no memories of this world, it would be strange to ask who he is in case I know him.
"Excuse me for not introducing myself miss Saint, I am Alehandro Calidos and I was assigned to be your personal guard by the Pope."
'Saint? Am I a saint? That explains the golden rosary...wait, Alehandro? Saint? Silver armor and sword at the waist...is this a medieval world or something?' This name is without a doubt not Japanese, I've never seen a Japanese person named Alehandro and I've never seen the last name Calidos before.
"I am...Shizune Accursed" I hate having to use this name, but it's all I have, I lost everything for being cursed and now I have to pay for my mistake, it may not be fair, but I made a mistake and I can't fix it.
"C-Could you tell me what you know about me?" I don't have memories of this world, only part of the personality aspect, since I feel more courageous and optimistic.
"Nothing...sorry miss Saint, it's just that we don't know much about you since you became a saint yesterday" He says while bowing slightly to me.
'Yesterday? And he doesn't know anything?' I'm in doubt.
"C-Could you explain better?" I hope I don't look too much like I don't know anything.
"...? Of course I can explain better miss Saint, unfortunately I could not witness more yesterday during the trial of a witch, the blade of execution shone on you, indicating you as the new saint, all I know is that you apparently were a peasant without family."
'Witch...and the sword chose me? A real fantasy world...in fact, this should be obvious and not at all surprising since Sayuri is apparently the embodiment of death and cursed me' I decide to respond.
"Hahaha y-yes...since I became a Saint yesterday I-I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do could you help me?" My voice in this world has a gentler and a bit cute intonation, it's still the same voice as the previous world but evokes a different feeling.
I think it's because of the paranoia and anxiety, my voice in the other world was cute but also kind of shy and low.
"Of course miss Saint, it is my duty as your personal guard to take care of you." He says in a gentle, stronger and more responsible tone.
'Since it was yesterday, I can say that my life in this world doesn't have records or if it does, it's not relevant...in other words, I hardly know my Yandere...that's good...I can try to convince this person not to follow a wrong and irreparable path' However, there is something that bothers me.
'I'm sure of this...Sayuri was really angry, so there's something that can happen...' This thing is that I can die without it being for the Yandere, because assuming that the person who loves me is convinced by me, I wouldn't die.
To avoid this flaw, something will happen to kill me, either by my choice or by the choice of the person who loves me.
'At least I kept a good deductive ability...although I feel like this ability has declined...I think in this world I wasn't very intuitive...'
"Mr. Alehandro...c-can I call you that?" I ask with doubt, he must be some kind of Templar so maybe I can't call him anything.
'That's right...this reminds me...I don't know religion...I need to learn quickly before they ask me something and I don't know how to answer'
"Of course miss Saint, you can call me whatever you want." He responds cheerfully, he seems to be a nice person, he gives off an aura of someone gentle but also serious and responsible.
'I can't trust anyone...but a knight can help me protect myself...' For now I have to wait, I can't do anything.
'Let's go after the most important thing...getting to know the religion' I approach Alehandro a little.
'W-Wow...I feel so small next to him...' He's even bigger up close.
"Mr. Alehandro, could you get me the holy book? I want to feel more connected to...the divine." I don't know if they believe in a goddess, in a god, or in gods, so I decided to go the safe route and just say divine.
"Understood miss Saint, I will get you a copy of the Bible of the Sun Faith." He says as he walks to the door.
"Miss Saint, in addition to introducing myself, I had come to let you know that it's breakfast time, I think it would be better to guide you to the dining room first and then get the Bible."
"Sure, let's go Mr. Alehandro." I reply cheerfully, finally I'll be able to eat something I know doesn't have drugs, honestly I'm scared, I'm afraid of dying again, so I want to do everything to avoid death.
"Just call me Alehandro, miss Saint, I am just a humble servant of our goddess."
'So the holy book is called the Bible of the Sun Faith and they worship a goddess...' I need to always remember that.
"Okay then, Alehandro can just call me Shizune." I say, returning his kindness.
"Understood Miss...Shizune." He almost said "Miss Saint" by reflex, then he starts to guide me through the corridors, I see various paintings depicting different scenes.
But I don't understand what's written.
'...I-I can't read...' My plan to read the Bible just fell apart, I can't read, I'm embarrassed that I've lost a skill that was so common to me before.
"A-Alehandro...I-I can't read." I say, ashamed of not being able to do something so basic, I look down in shame, I can't believe I unlearned how to read, it's all the fault of this fantasy world that must have low literacy for commoners.
"I can read it to you, Miss Shizune." He says with a gentle smile.
"T-Thank you for the kindness...it's really nice of you." I didn't think he would say that, I was just thinking of asking about the religion in a way that didn't make it obvious that I didn't know anything.
"No problem, Miss Shizune, we children of the goddess must always help each other, in fact I feel honored to be able to help you."
"Y-Yes...we have to help each other..." He seems to be the altruistic and very religious type, which is good for me, because it makes it harder for him to be the Yandere and easier for me to get help if necessary.
'Wait, Himari was a girl and liked me who am I also a girl...does that mean literally anyone regardless of gender can love me? Does it apply to non-humans as well or...in a world where there are non-human races...' I shudder at the thought of something non-human falling in love with me.
I, coming from the modern era, can't accept this very well, I hope it's limited to just humans, because it's already bad enough with just humans.
"Is there any problem, Miss Shizune?" Alehandro noticed my slight discomfort and asks worriedly.
"N-No, it's just that I was thinking...a-about the poor little children who won't be able to enjoy a good breakfast...t-that's so sad, don't you think?" I try to shift the focus to something else.
And I think of something a saint would say.
"Yes, Miss Shizune, it is truly terrible...but the grace and embrace of the sun and our goddess Solaris will help reduce the suffering of these people." He speaks with a tone of pity but also conviction.
'Normally I wouldn't agree that a god would do something like that...but after what happened, I can't even doubt that gods exist...I wonder if I can ask this Solaris to help me with my curse? I hope so...'
So he guides me to where breakfast will be, the silence was uncomfortable because during the silence I was constantly remembering my death by chainsaw.