The Saintess’s Qualifications (2)

“You’re saying you’ll make Celista-nim a saintess?”

“…Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“……”

Ethan stared at me with a look of disbelief when he heard my plan to make Celista the saintess, which wasn’t an entirely unexpected reaction.

‘At the very least, this isn’t something a saintess should be saying out loud.’

Becoming a saintess meant being recognized for the power and status that came with it. It was a title that brought higher status and honor than commoners, most noble ladies, and even many family heads of noble houses.

Considering the prestige that followed Celista and Lilith in the original ending, it was obvious this wasn’t a power to be given up lightly.

But that was only from the perspective of ordinary people-it didn’t apply to me. Having indirectly experienced the hero’s journey at Luminor Academy 25 times, I had zero interest in the duties of a saintess or the accompanying glory.

“As I mentioned earlier, this power is unnecessary for me. In fact, it’s more of a hindrance to the life I want to live.”

“…Then, what kind of life does Lilith want?”

“Certainly not one where I graduate from the academy with the hero and then travel the world striving for peace. I’m not someone with the willpower for such grand missions.

I just want an ordinary life where I can use the magic and swordsmanship I’m learning here. Of course, it’d be nice if I could still use them, but I don’t want to live constantly risking my life in crisis after crisis.”

Originally, Lilith only became a saintess because her life had been so miserable before. Her mother had died of illness, and her father was a gambling addict who sold his own daughter to pay off debts-a complete scumbag.

For that Lilith, becoming a saintess and traveling with the hero to benefit the world might have been the better choice. But for me, who had lived an ordinary life in my past life, that wasn’t the case.

As I said before, there were plenty of people more suited to the hero’s party’s struggles than someone like me.

“A life where you use what you’ve learned at the academy but still live normally… It sounds simple, but it’s not that easy…”

“Huh? What did you just…?”

“…Never mind. Anyway, I understand why you don’t want to be a saintess. But let me ask you this-is what you’re proposing actually possible?”

“You mean transferring my saintess powers to Saintess Celista-nim?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Yes, it’s entirely possible. At least, it was in the future I saw.”

Of course, that future was technically 7-8 years later-far ahead in time. But since it wasn’t necessary information, I didn’t elaborate.

If I abandoned my saintess powers and Celista truly desired to become the saintess, this power would naturally find its rightful owner on its own.

“From the future? Ah, you mentioned seeing various future events when you received the saintess’s power, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“…Just to be sure, can you tell me some of the things you’ve seen in the future that I might already know?”

“The most obvious one is that Prince Machart had already allied with the demons. The outburst of curses at the banquet hall was because I knew about his true nature and couldn’t hold back.”

“Well, you did seem a bit flustered back then. What else?”

“That Luke-nim was originally a woman disguised as a man, that Agnes-nim would struggle with spirit contracts due to her poor affinity with spirits, and also…”

To convince Ethan that I could transfer my saintess powers to Celista, I explained some of the things we’d experienced together.

Ethan nodded in understanding as I recounted details that could only be known if I had seen the future-like knowing the Hook Fang monster’s weakness years ago or navigating the imperial palace effortlessly on my first visit.

“Alright, I get it. If what you say is true, then you definitely saw a future where Celista-nim received your power.”

“Yes, Young Master Ethan.”

“But can you really be sure that future will come to pass this time?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this before. A saintess transferring her power to another saintess? Not once.”

“B-But in the future I saw, it definitely…”

“Just because you saw it doesn’t guarantee it’ll happen. There must have been futures that didn’t play out the way you expected, right? Like how you defeated the Hook Fang in Blackwood Territory without casualties or helped Agnes-nim successfully contract with a spirit-those were futures you changed, weren’t they?”

“…That’s true.”

Unable to refute Ethan’s logical argument, I could only nod.

As he said, the knowledge I had was just a possibility-not a guaranteed future. Even the fact that Ethan and I were having this conversation was already a changed future.

There was every chance Celista might not receive my saintess powers this time. After all, I’d only succeeded once in 25 playthroughs under very specific conditions, and I hadn’t cross-verified it multiple times.

“What I’m asking is about the ‘what if it doesn’t work’ scenario, Lilith.”

“……”

“If you can’t transfer your saintess powers to Celista-nim, the Aurelia Church will soon move to find you-the true saintess. From what I know, the aura of a saintess is something high-ranking priests can’t hide. That’s why Celista-nim keeps getting tested for her saintess qualifications, isn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

“So, if you fail to transfer your powers in time and the Aurelia Church tries to take you away to make you their saintess, what will you do then, Lilith?”

I was going to tell him eventually, but being pressed like this made me feel like I was somehow guilty. It made it seem like I was deliberately hiding the last part until I got caught.

Still, since I’d resolved not to keep secrets from Ethan anymore, I explained the “condition” the hero had set.

“The future Young Master Ethan is worried about can be prevented.”

“…How?”

“If I join Kyetmajosyegigot Bolt-nim’s hero party, everything will be resolved.”

“…………”

…Huh? Why do I suddenly feel a chill?

Wondering if Sei was playing a prank, I glanced at her-but she was just floating lazily in the air as usual.

“Lilith, say that again.”

“I-If I join Kyetmajosyegigot-nim’s hero party, Saintess Celista-nim won’t be in danger anymore…”

“Why?”

“B-Because if I travel with Saintess Celista-nim in the hero party, no one will be able to tell which of us is the real saintess…”

“…Why?”

“S-Since Celista-nim is already widely known as the saintess, no one would suspect someone like me who suddenly appears. A-And even if Celista-nim is exposed as a fake, it’ll be easier to handle.”

“…So, why?”

“We can just claim she was pretending to be my shadow to protect me from demons targeting the real saintess. If I’m active in the hero party, people will believe that Celista-nim was just playing the role of my decoy…”

“Lilith.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Do I really look like I’m angry because I’m worried about that fake saintess Celista’s life?”

“……Huh?”

…Wait, when did he get this close?

Just moments ago, we were talking across the table, but without me realizing it, Ethan had moved right in front of me, his face now uncomfortably close.

Clearly displeased, he leaned in aggressively, his expression demanding answers. Startled, my body instinctively pushed me up from the chair.

*Thud!*

“…Lilith, where do you think you’re going?”

“N-Nowhere… I just…”

“I asked you. Do I really look like I’m angry because I’m worried about some priestess I barely know?”

“A-Are you angry…? Young Master Ethan…?”

“…So you didn’t even realize I was angry, let alone why?”

*Thump!*

With my back against the wall and no room to retreat, Ethan grabbed my wrist and dragged me across the room before roughly throwing me onto the bed.

*Flop.*

“Y-Young Master Ethan?! Wh-Why are you doing this all of a sudden?!”

“You just said it yourself, Lilith.”

“…Huh?”

“That if you can’t make Celista the real saintess, you’ll have no choice but to join that damn hero’s party.”

“Th-That’s only if things go wrong! If I keep my saintess powers, the problems I mentioned earlier will definitely arise! And I absolutely refuse to suffer in the hero party for years-“

“Yeah, I know. But listen, Lilith.”

“……”

“…I think I’ve heard there’s another way to lose your saintess powers.”

*Slither*

“Eeek?!”

A girlish scream escaped me as Ethan’s hand suddenly slid under my skirt without warning.

Because the moment he mentioned “another way” to lose my saintess powers with that serious face, I instinctively realized what he meant.