The Saintess Descends (1)

The sudden intrusion of Celista into the hospital room caused both me and Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s expressions to stiffen with unmistakable panic.

Earlier, when I was having a private conversation, she had hastily excused herself, but it seemed her excuse for leaving earlier was just a pretense. The moment the topic of the Hero-related to her-came up, she immediately rushed back. That much was obvious.

Alternatively, she might have simply found it strange that Gyeotmwa Josyegigot had visited the Theology Department building without coming to see her and decided to return. In any case, after the Hero’s visit to the church, the only places he would likely go were either Celista’s dorm or my hospital room. If it wasn’t her, it was only natural she’d feel uneasy.

Honestly, her barging in wasn’t the main issue. The secret conversation I needed to have with the Hero was already mostly finished, so it wasn’t like we were interrupted mid-discussion.

The real problem was how much of our conversation Celista had overheard. If things went wrong, she might even learn the truth about me being a transmigrator, so it was only natural for tension to rise.

“C-Celista, Saintess…?”

“No! I-I haven’t even confessed my feelings to the Hero yet! I-I know Lady Lillith is the real Saintess, but… but my heart isn’t ready yet…!”

“Uh, I get it, so maybe calm down first…?”

…And she was saying all this right in front of the Hero himself.

In her excitement, she blurted out not only that she knew I was the Saintess but also that she had feelings for the Hero-right in front of him. Naturally, Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, who had to listen to all this, turned his head away with an embarrassed flush.

I had thought he wasn’t interested in women, given how he kept saying he’d return to his homeland after defeating the Demon King, but seeing him like this was an unexpected side of him.

“I-I know I’m not the real Saintess! I-I’m well aware I was just made as a fake! B-But not yet! At least while we’re still at the Academy… even if it’s just this short time, I want to stay with the Hero…!”

“Saintess Celista. I understand you’re upset about what you heard in my conversation with the Hero, but don’t you think you’re revealing a bit too much personal information?”

“……Huh?”

“Y-You forgot, didn’t you…? That there’s someone else here besides me listening to this.”

“…….”

As my words sank in, Celista’s frozen expression slowly turned toward the Hero, who had been deliberately avoiding eye contact. The moment their gazes hesitantly met, the previously quiet hospital room was immediately filled with Celista’s scream.

“…Sorry. If Celista wants, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything just now….”

“KYAAAAAAAH?!”

“Celista?!”

With a textbook shriek from a fragile heroine, Celista’s face turned bright red before she collapsed backward-only to be swiftly caught by Gyeotmwa Josyegigot.

“Are you okay?! Snap out of it!”

“A-Ahe… I-I, aheee….”

“She just fainted from overwhelming embarrassment. She’ll probably recover on her own after some rest.”

“…She collapsed just from embarrassment? Was this in the game too?”

“Probably not in my walkthrough. This was part of Celista’s first-night solo event. I think I saw it around the 4th or 5th playthrough, but by the 25th, I was busy pursuing Lillith’s route.”

“Ah, aah….”

I never imagined I’d witness that event play out like this in real life.

In the game, it was a popular event that showcased Celista’s adorable side, but seeing someone actually faint from sheer embarrassment in front of me was… an odd experience.

“Her heart rate spiked suddenly, causing her brain to shut down temporarily. But since she has divine power, she’ll recover on her own once she’s taken to her room. At worst, she’ll wake up by tomorrow morning.”

“So, what do we do? We still need to find out how much Celista overheard about our conversation.”

“You can ask her yourself once she wakes up and subtly fill me in later. Celista isn’t the type to blab about your personal matters in front of others anyway.”

“…True.”

“Watching you carry a flustered maiden to her bed, I see you’re more of a man of action than I thought.”

“…Stop teasing me.”

I couldn’t resist poking fun at Gyeotmwa Josyegigot, who looked like he was heading off to a wedding night as he carried Celista away. And with that, the Hero temporarily exited the scene.

Later, Ethan returned after finishing his student council duties, and the day ended in a blur. Thus, my original goal-persuading Celista and awakening her as the Saintess-ended up slipping through my fingers.

…At this point, I was genuinely worried whether I’d even get a chance to broach the topic with Celista before the operation.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The night of the secret meeting with Gyeotmwa Josyegigot and Celista’s fainting episode.

A familiar voice slowly pulled me from the depths of sleep, rousing my exhausted body.

“…Liss-nim. Lillith-nim.”

“Ugh, uuuuh….”

Half-asleep, I groggily sat up at the sound of a woman’s voice calling me. In the darkness, the face of a priestess gradually came into view.

“Celista…-yang?”

“You’re awake, Lillith-nim?”

“What brings you here in the middle of the night…?”

“…I’m sorry, Lillith-nim. There’s something I must tell you right away.”

“If this is about your confession to the Hero earlier, I was already planning to keep it a secret-“

“KYAAAH-HIC!”

The moment I brought up the earlier incident, Celista let out a flustered noise and clapped both hands over her mouth. If she had screamed like she did earlier, she would’ve woken up everyone within two floors in every direction.

Granted, most students had either been discharged or gone home by this point, so the Academy was nearly empty. But the church staff were still around, and a commotion would’ve caused trouble.

“I-I’d appreciate it if you kept that a secret too… but that’s not why I’m here….”

“Then, what brings you here?”

“…We don’t have much time, so could I explain while we walk?”

“Huh? Where are we going at this hour…?”

“The cathedral building is completely empty right now-it’s the only time it’s unoccupied.”

…The cathedral?

Why take me there in the dead of night?

Waking me from deep sleep and suddenly dragging me out was suspicious enough, but the next words out of her mouth immediately cleared my doubts.

“I’ll perform the Blessing Ritual for you, Lillith-nim, so you can use the Saintess’s power.”

“…Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

It seemed Gyeotmwa Josyegigot had already convinced her without my knowledge. That guy really delivers when he commits.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Walking through the dimly lit church corridors with Celista, we conversed in hushed tones.

I asked how much Gyeotmwa Josyegigot had explained to her and why she had decided to perform the Blessing Ritual.

‘There are many reasons I decided to perform the Blessing Ritual for you, Lillith-nim, but the biggest one is thanks to Hero Gyeotmwa Josyegigot’s promise.’

‘…A promise?’

‘Yes. He promised me that even if I’m not the real Saintess, he would never abandon me.’

…Even in the faint lamplight, her flushed face was unmistakable. If just one promise from the Hero could make her this happy, it was clear that Celista in this world was deeply in love with him.

Maybe even more than in the original game. In the game, Celista’s affection was raised through scripted choices, but in this world, she had spent far more time with Gyeotmwa Josyegigot outside those events.

Just spending more time together naturally raised her affection-she was an auto-route heroine, after all. Given how much more time she’d spent with the Hero here, her feelings must have grown even stronger.

‘How much of our conversation did you hear?’

‘…I heard the part where the Hero said he’d take you with him if I couldn’t become the Saintess. That’s when I panicked and interrupted. I’m sorry….’

‘No, it’s fine. Our conversation was already wrapping up by then anyway.’

Thankfully, she hadn’t overheard the parts about the *Luminor Academy* game walkthrough or other critical details. A small mercy.

‘At first, I thought I’d be abandoned by the Hero because I’d become useless compared to you, Lillith-nim. I’m a fake Saintess who can’t even use the Saintess’s power, so of course I’d be less helpful than the real Saintess.’

‘Don’t worry, Saintess Celista. Someone with a heart as pure as yours will undoubtedly become a true Saintess.’

‘You sound just like the Hero.’

‘…….’

‘Is that also something you know because of the Saintess’s power you possess? The Hero mentioned it too-contrary to popular belief, his power includes the ability to “see the future.” And he used that power to actively help me pretend to be the Saintess despite not being one.’

‘…I see.’

‘If the real Saintess-you, Lillith-nim-also possess that power, then I think I understand why the Hero told me to pretend to be the Saintess. He must have foreseen this and made me the “Saintess of Prophecy.”‘

Honestly, it was more likely that he just got lucky. When Gyeotmwa Josyegigot first met Celista, he probably never imagined someone else would have transmigrated into Lillith.

But the result worked out-Celista didn’t seem to doubt that I was the Saintess, despite knowing the truth. A fortunate coincidence that made even his haphazard actions seem like part of a grand plan.

…Though, given that I had been using the Saintess’s power to blast Krakens with Mana Blasts instead of prophecy, my conscience prickled a bit.

By the time we descended from my third-floor hospital room to the first-floor cathedral, Celista hesitantly turned the tables and asked me a question. Since I had asked her one earlier, it was only fair.

‘May I ask you one question before performing the Blessing Ritual, Lillith-nim?’

‘…If it’s something I can answer, I will.’

‘N-No matter how you answer, my decision to perform the ritual won’t change. So please, answer honestly.’

‘Of course, Saintess Celista.’

‘I-I just wanted to ask… p-perhaps….’

‘…….’

‘D-Do you… love the Hero too, like I do?’

…As if that would ever happen.