Chapter 16 – Is It True That You Changed from a Man to a Woman?

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At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. I avoided her gaze and took a step back.

“W-What did you say?” Claire asked with an awkward laugh.

“This holy energy… I can’t possibly mistake it.” Lilia said, taking a step closer to me. “You are the Saintess. Why are you here?”

“Please keep it down.” I said in a low voice. “Don’t say that out loud here.”

Lilia paused for a moment, then looked at me with a shocked expression. Her hands were still glowing as she continued to heal Ruan.

“Saintess… I have so many questions. Why are you in this state? And why have you been hiding?”

I sighed and said, “I’ll explain later. For now, please focus on healing Ruan and the spirit. We’ll talk after that.”

Lilia reluctantly nodded and returned her focus to the healing process. But her sharp gaze remained fixed on me, as if she had countless questions she couldn’t hold back.

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The healing light enveloped Ruan and the spirit as holy energy radiated from Lilia’s fingertips. The spirit’s faint glow gradually brightened, and color began to return to Ruan’s pale face. I quietly let out a sigh of relief as I watched her work.

However, Lilia’s sharp gaze remained locked on me. Her eyes weren’t just filled with curiosity—they seemed to crave the truth. It was a kind of pressure I wasn’t used to, different from the reverence I had received as the Saintess.

“Saintess.” she spoke again. Her voice was cautious but firm. “There are too many things I don’t understand. Could you please explain what happened at the cathedral?”

I turned my head, avoiding her gaze. Claire and Sion, sensing the awkward tension, quietly observed our conversation.

“Now is not the time to discuss that.” I replied calmly. “We need to focus on healing Ruan and the spirit first.”

Lilia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Understood. But we must talk later. I need to know why you’re here, Saintess.”

“I understand.” I replied curtly, ending the conversation.

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While the healing continued, Claire and Sion whispered quietly among themselves by the wall. Linda, standing beside Sion, kept glancing at me and Lilia with an uneasy expression.

“Sister Eli…” Linda suddenly spoke up. “Um, I might be wrong, but… when the healing started, I felt an incredible light coming from you…”

Claire and Sion immediately turned their heads to look at me.

“Did Linda just figure it out?” Claire muttered under her breath.

I awkwardly shook my head and said, “It must’ve been a mistake. The holy energy was spreading during the healing process, so that’s probably what you felt.”

“No… it wasn’t just holy energy…” Linda pointed at me and whispered. “Sister… you really are the Saintess, aren’t you?”

At that moment, Sion coughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. “Linda, do you even know what the Saintess is?”

“Of course I do. We’ve talked about the Saintess a lot in our party.” Linda nodded and said to Sion. “But now that I think about it… is sister Eli…?”

I cut her off firmly. “Sorry, Linda. I’ll explain everything later.”

Linda flinched and closed her mouth. Her face was still filled with questions, but she didn’t press further.

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Lilia finished the healing and removed her hands. Ruan was sound asleep, and the spirit now emitted a soft, gentle light. She took a deep breath and said, “For now, the child and the spirit are stable. But they’ll need a few more days of treatment to fully recover.”

“Thank you so much, Lilia.” I said sincerely. But her gaze still didn’t let me go.

“Saintess.” she said in a firm voice. “Now you must answer my questions. Why did you leave the cathedral? And why have you been hiding all this time?”

“Lilia.” Sion intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Now isn’t the time to discuss the Saintess’s circumstances. We came here to save this child and the spirit, not to interrogate her.”

“But…” Lilia looked at Sion with a bewildered expression. “This is something I can’t understand. Ever since the Saintess left the cathedral, the church has been in chaos, and the demonic energy has been growing stronger. I can’t help but think all of this is connected.”

I sighed and said, “Lilia, I’m aware of that too. But there are things I can’t explain right now. Please, just give me a little more time.”

Lilia fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. But please understand that I can’t wait forever. And don’t forget that the church is searching for you, Saintess.”

I bowed my head and replied, “Thank you, Lilia.”

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After Lilia left the room, Claire said quietly, “What are you going to do now, Eli? If she reports this to the church, we’ll be exposed in no time.”

“Yeah.” Sion added. “Lilia is surprisingly honest and keeps her promises, but she’s also someone who’s sworn loyalty to the church… If it’s for the church’s benefit, she might tell them about us…”

“For now, we have no choice but to trust her.” I replied in a calm voice.

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The inn room was quite cramped but not uncomfortable. The gentle warmth from the fireplace filled the space, and Ruan was quietly sleeping on the small bed. The spirit floated beside him, still emitting a faint glow. Claire and I were talking by the window.

“Eli, honestly, can we trust Lilia?” Claire asked. Her voice was as relaxed as usual, but her eyes were serious.

I looked out the window and replied, “Honestly? I’m not sure. Lilia is someone with strong loyalty to the church, right? After becoming a candidate for the Saintess, she swore to dedicate herself to the Saintess, but it’s unclear whether that dedication is for me or for the church.”

“So that means we can’t trust her.” Claire sighed and crossed her arms. “There’s only so much we can do if we can’t even explain why you’re running away like this to someone who doesn’t fully understand.”

“But there’s no other way.” I said, shaking my head. “If Lilia reports this to the church, we’ll be caught in no time.”

Claire stared at me intently and said, “But, Eli. You know this, right? This is something that’s going to come out eventually. Not just the fact that you’re the Saintess, but also… the fact that you were originally a man.”

At her words, my face stiffened involuntarily. Claire, seeing my expression, continued without hesitation.

“Honestly, it’s a curse. Being chosen as the Saintess and having your gender forcibly changed… I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“Quiet, Claire.” I sighed and retorted. “This isn’t just some joke, you know?”

“No, I mean… sorry.” Claire shook her head and stifled a laugh. “But honestly, we can’t let Linda find out. Did you see her reaction earlier? She’s way too sharp.”

“Yeah.” I said with a tense expression. “But Linda might’ve already figured something out. That question she asked earlier seemed intentional.”

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Linda barged in. She was carrying a bunch of snacks in both hands, and her face was filled with her usual innocent smile.

“Sister~ What are you doing here? Were you two having a secret conversation without me?”

“Linda? What, why are you…?” I stammered, looking at her.

“Oh, nothing. I brought snacks. The atmosphere in our room felt way too heavy. But earlier, you were talking about the Saintess, right? Sister, are you really the Saintess?”

Claire covered her face and muttered, “She’s way too sharp…”

I sighed and replied, “It’s better not to talk about that right now.”

“Ah, why not! I really want to know!” Linda insisted, stepping closer. “Sister, I’m so curious about the Saintess. Is it true… that you were originally a man and became the Saintess?”

At that moment, the door opened again, and Sion walked in. He had his shield slung over his back, and as soon as he heard Linda’s words, he chuckled and said, “Wow, Linda. You’re really sharp. How did you manage to hit the nail on the head like that?”

“Sion!!!” I looked at him with a shocked expression. “Shut up!”

But Sion ignored me, sitting down on a chair and saying, “Linda, that’s right. Eli was originally a man. He became like this after being chosen as the Saintess.”

“Really? Wow…” Linda’s eyes widened as she looked at me. “So that’s why sister is so pretty… It’d be such a waste if you were a man…”

“Linda!!!” I shouted, my face turning red. “Stop talking about that!”

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading!!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Yeah… jokes aside, even I cannot tell what tomfoolery is going on anymore, so many things to say, yet wanna die…

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