“Pardon?”

“While the capital is relatively safe, problems can arise when it’s this crowded.”

Ethan’s words were sharp and weighty. Kana inwardly admired this as she answered with a smile.

“Ah, it’s fine. I’m familiar with the streets and I have the strength to protect myself. Besides, security is tighter than usual during the Foundation Festival period.”

“I see.”

“Of course, as Duke Cardium said, it’s necessary to be careful in case of unforeseen situations.”

“Right.”

Ethan nodded and moved on. Letie exchanged a brief glance with him before carefully suggesting to her.

“Miss Kana, you could join us if you’d like.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. It would be rude to intrude on people who have planned to be together and have private matters to discuss.”

Kana politely declined. There was no reason to insert herself between the two characters and potentially create unnecessary variables. It was sufficient to observe the flow of the novel from a slight distance nearby.

Letie looked a bit disappointed but didn’t push further.

“The Duke and I don’t mind such things much… but if that’s what you want, I understand. We’ll be going then.”

“Yes, see you next time.”

She waved to the female protagonist and the Northern Duke sub-male lead as they left the central square.

‘The flow is smooth, so I’ll look around a bit more before heading back.’

Kana strolled along the main street, leaving the crowded central square. Of course, she skillfully avoided colliding with other characters.

During this, she spotted familiar young ladies gathered in front of a dart shop. Evie, who was cheering for those solemnly playing darts, noticed Kana and greeted her.

“Ah, Miss Kana!”

“Hello, Miss Evie. It’s nice to see you too, Miss Olivia, Miss Della, and Miss Bianca. Were you all playing darts?”

Kana greeted them gently while carefully observing them. Not only Evie, but the other young ladies’ gazes also turned to her. Olivia’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes! We came separately but happened to meet in front of this shop and started playing for fun. Since we’re meeting you too, Miss Kana, it must be fate!”

“Wow, that does sound like an interesting coincidence. How’s the dart game going?”

In response to Kana’s casual question, Della hesitantly answered on behalf of the group.

“…Actually, we all failed. We wanted to get those small dolls as souvenirs, but hitting the target is not as easy as it looks.”

“Shall I give it a try then?”

“Yes!”

The background supporting young ladies willingly made space for her. Kana received the dart arrows and twirled them in her hand.

As everyone held their breath in concentration, she threw the dart arrows with an expressionless face. Despite her light hand movement, all the dart arrows stuck in the center of the target.

Of course, this was also one of the small skills she had acquired while working as a supporting character. There had been a character who ordered her, in the role of a subordinate, to win prizes for the female protagonist.

The eyes of the watching young ladies all widened in unison.

“Oh my, that’s amazing!”

“How did you hit the target when it’s moving? Miss Kana, you’re good at darts too.”

“Wow, I’m really surprised.”

“Succeeding in one go is so cool.”

“You’re all too kind. It’s not that impressive.”

Kana smiled awkwardly as she received the embarrassing praise. In the end, she received four small dolls from the shop owner and gave one to each of them. The young ladies thanked her and were delighted.

Meanwhile, Evie, who felt bad that Kana was the only one empty-handed, carefully asked.

“…Is it okay for you not to take a doll, Miss Kana?”

“Yes. I was just passing by in the first place.”

Kana smiled and waved her hand. The other young ladies exchanged glances and then hesitantly looked at her.

“Um, we should do something for you…”

“It’s fine. I didn’t do it expecting anything in return. I’m just glad everyone got a doll thanks to my lucky shot. That’s enough for me.”

“Miss Kana…”

They showed touched expressions. As Kana responded with a gentle smile, her industry friend’s voice echoed in her head.

‘[Round, did you confirm the situation of No. 1 and No. 4 in the central square?]’

‘[Yes, there were no problems at all.]’

In the code, No. 1 was the female protagonist Letie, and No. 4 was the second sub-male lead Ethan. Alderaan, relieved at her confirmation, changed the subject.

‘[That’s good. Where are you now and what are you doing?]’

‘[I ran into some young ladies I’m acquainted with at a shop on the street and was throwing darts. I’m about to leave now.]’

‘[Then shall we meet briefly near the clock tower? We can discuss things before returning to our respective mansions.]’

‘[Sounds good.]’

After accepting her industry friend’s suggestion, Kana carefully looked at the faces of the young ladies she was with and ended the chance encounter.

“Well, I’ll be going now. I hope you all enjoy the Foundation Festival.”

“You too, Miss Kana.”

She walked towards the clock tower, leaving their farewells behind. There were quite a few people around there too, but she could quickly spot Alderaan who was tucked away in a corner.

He gestured towards her.

“Miss Kana, over here.”

“Yes, Lord Alderaan.”

Kana approached him while employing wind spirit magic. Noticing this, he grinned and said.

“Round, you can speak comfortably now, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve completely blocked the sound. With so many people passing by, no one will think it’s strange if they can’t hear us.”

Kana shrugged. In the current situation, they would be perceived as insignificant as small weeds growing in a street corner, perfect for blending in. Alderaan nodded and continued the conversation.

“That’s convenient. Did you have fun earlier?”

“Yeah. It was mildly enjoyable. How about you?”

“I didn’t particularly enjoy anything, but the atmosphere was lively. I heard the night is the main event, but it’s not bad even now.”

“That’s true.”

Kana agreed with Alderaan’s frank statement. He took out the pure pearl ring strung on a silver thread and gently shook it.

“So, do you want me to return the gnome you dispatched and the pure pearl ring you lent me now?”

“No, just keep it until the last day. If something happens or it becomes burdensome to maintain, I can cancel the summon myself.”

“Got it.”

“Then, please take care of our gnome until the last day.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

Alderaan tucked the ring with the pure pearl back into his pocket. As they naturally moved to a somewhat secluded place, he casually asked.

“Round, what are you going to do on the second day?”

“We should move according to plan. Why, is there something on your mind?”

Kana tilted her head. They had already planned and divided tasks in advance, so if he was bringing it up, there must be a good reason.

As she expected, he hesitated before affirming.

“It’s not about Letie, but Dain and Kiriel. The former is a bit awkward, and the latter is complicated in many ways. Will you be okay working?”

“It would be a lie to say I’m not concerned at all… but it’s not so scary that I can’t work. Alderaan, do you want me not to come tomorrow?”

Kana looked at him directly. Alderaan saw his steadfast industry friend’s face and waved his hand.

“Of course not. I’m definitely more comfortable working together. If you feel it’s mentally challenging, let me know in advance. I can handle it alone if necessary.”

“Come on, then would I be alone on the last day?”

Kana chuckled and rolled her eyes lightly. Alderaan smoothly countered her words.

“No, we’ll do that together.”

“What, then your workload just increases. Even if we’re close, it’s shameless to push my share of work onto you. I’ll just appreciate the thought.”

“As expected, your answer doesn’t deviate from my prediction. It’s so like you. Well, let’s go with that then.”

“Okay.”

Kana returned to the Round mansion after a brief conversation with him.

Her parents and servants were surprised that she came back so early, but she said there were other days and she wanted to rest. Fortunately, they understood and let it go.

‘The first day passed without incident.’

It was especially so because Letie and Ethan didn’t spend much time together.

Usually, romance stories tended to allocate different amounts of screen time to the male lead and sub-male lead, and ‘Fake Saint’ was no exception. Therefore, the female protagonist’s time enjoying the Foundation Festival was longest on the last day.

‘I hope tomorrow goes as smoothly as today.’

After checking her notebook, Kana stretched leisurely. At that moment, a flashing light appeared on the communication device on her desk.

Checking the code, she was puzzled to see it was Kiriel, but she answered. Before she could even greet him, his voice came through first.

— Miss Kana, what are you doing?

“I’m resting in my room. Why did you contact me?”

— I was curious about your schedule for tomorrow. Are you going out by any chance?

Kiriel sounded uncharacteristically tense. Kana attributed the slight tremor in his voice to work-related fatigue or other reasons and gave an evasive answer.

“…I went out alone briefly today because I had time, but I’m not sure about tomorrow.”

— I see. I was working today. With my luck, I might not be able to make time tomorrow either.

Kiriel sighed deeply, exuding a gloomy atmosphere. Kana, who already knew about his appearance, offered a perfunctory encouragement with an indifferent face.

“You must be working hard. I hope you can make time tomorrow, but there’s still the last day, so I hope you’ll definitely get a chance to enjoy the Foundation Festival.”

— Yeah. I wish I could match my time with yours, Miss Kana.

Kiriel subtly expressed his wish, but Kana responded smoothly.

“Well, don’t be disappointed even if we miss each other. I hope you enjoy yourself without being tied down by circumstances, Lord Kiriel.”

— …Right, thanks.

“It’s nothing. Well, get some rest.”

Kana turned off the communication device. Despite telling him to enjoy himself, Kiriel’s voice sounded not just calm but oddly depressed.