episode_0215

As soon as I concluded that Cerista had caught on to the fact that I was a saint, my mind began to race.

If she truly believed that I was a saint, then it was as if all the hesitations I had up until now were instantly resolved. There was no longer a need to carefully bring up the topic while watching her reactions.

“Since I was already planning the MacHeart suppression operation, it was something that needed to be discussed at some point.”

It was just a matter of realizing that it wasn’t just my secret. Knowing that made it a bit easier to speak. I couldn’t know how Cerista had figured out that I was a saint, but as a high-ranking priestess, there were plenty of ways she could have discovered it.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult to find an opportunity to talk to her alone. She was the healing priestess who had been treating me for my injuries during this evaluation match, and she was currently using her divine power to heal my body in my room.

“…May the protection of the sun and the goddess watch over this small life….”

Since I had been sharing a room with Agnes until now, there had been very few chances to be alone. But today, Agnes had already been discharged in the morning, and Cerista was the only one coming in at the usual time to continue the divine healing in my room.

If I could bring Gyeong-mi here as well, the conversation would flow much more smoothly, but it would be too much to hope for the situation to improve to that extent.

“…Today’s treatment is finished, Lilyss.”

“Thank you, Saint Cerista.”

“Then I will come back at this time tomorrow. I will take my leave now….”

“Oh, Saint Cerista. Before you leave, may I ask you something?”

“….”

Cerista froze in place with a startled reaction.

Her reaction alone seemed suspicious, as if she was hiding something, so my suspicions were gradually turning into certainty.

“I-I wonder what you would like to ask?”

“I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to ask a saint like yourself, but….”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Lately, whenever I receive treatment from Saint Cerista, I feel a surge of sacred energy rising in my chest. Could you confirm if it’s some kind of illness, or a natural occurrence during the treatment process?”

“Um, well….”

Cerista stammered as she heard my words, and her frozen expression made it seem like her response was as good as an answer to me.

At this point, it was almost certain that she had realized I was a saint, and she probably didn’t expect me to bring up the topic of being a saint first.

Since she couldn’t realize on her own whether she was a saint or not, the idea of sacred energy surging in her chest was just a made-up statement.

But even with just this kind of question, it was enough to make Cerista, who was already suspicious of me being a saint, reveal my true identity.

Unlike the majority of ordinary people who would think Cerista was a saint, she was one of the few who knew she was a ‘fake saint.’

And finally, with Cerista’s self-sacrificing nature, there was no doubt that she would choose to acknowledge me as a saint here….

“Th-That, um, well…?”

“Yes, Saint Cerista.”

“That’s…amazing….”

“…Yes?”

“I-I just realized that I have many patients to see today…! I-I should excuse myself first, may I?!”

“W-Wait! Saint Cerista….”

-Clang, thud!

“…Miss!”

However, as soon as I half-revealed the fact that I was a real saintess, Cerista ran out of the hospital room as if fleeing, leaving me alone in the room, which was not what I had expected.

…If I mess this up, the story might get a bit complicated.

***

After Cerista rushed out of my room, I quietly pondered about what had just happened.

“Did I communicate in the wrong way?”

Perhaps I lacked a bit of consideration. How terrifying it must be for her to face a real saintess like me in her current situation. I should have thought more about how daunting it would be for her, but I didn’t.

“I should have at least talked about Cerista’s safety first… Maybe I needed the cooperation of the Kyeomjoshagwat, but revealing the fact that I am a saintess when alone with her might have been a bit hasty.”

Of course, the imminent danger was undeniable. I had to somehow gain access to the power of the saintess before the noble social gathering where Prince Machart would be present.

To achieve that, I planned to subtly bring up the topic of the saintess with Cerista and eventually offer to pass on the saintess’s power once everything was settled. However, I never expected problems to arise from revealing the fact that I was a saintess.

“If I can’t convince her today, there’s only about a day left, which is a big problem.”

With these thoughts in mind, I quietly pondered, only to be interrupted by the sound of the hospital room door opening. This time, it was not Cerista but a man who entered the room.

-Swish.

“Hey, Lilgeolchang.”

…That jerk again. I told him not to call me that.

“Don’t speak so loudly, you idiot.”

“There’s no one in the corridor anyway. Almost everyone has been discharged except for you.”

“Still, be careful. And unlike you, I’m a possessor, so I can’t afford to be exposed, you know?”

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

With a completely unapologetic expression, Kyeomjoshagwat entered the room, causing me to inwardly sigh.

He seemed serious when I saw him in the game or when he was earnestly continuing the game’s story, but as soon as I revealed that I was a possessor, his attitude became incredibly relaxed.

“Weren’t you a bit more composed until recently? You seemed fine when I saw you at the Seraphine after-party last year.”

“I was holding back in front of others back then. I can’t let loose like this in front of others, not just you.”

“Then at least try to relax a bit in front of me. Every time you open your mouth, it’s Lilgeolchang, Lilgeolchang…”

“Well, sorry. But it’s been years since I met someone from my hometown, so I naturally let my guard down. Even though Cerista and Sirena are close, I still have to act like a ‘hero’ in front of them. But with you, I don’t need to worry about maintaining a good impression, so…”

“It’s fine if you do that in front of me, but please be considerate in front of others. I still get anxious when I think about what might pop out of your mouth during our last meeting.”

“What can I do? I’ve seen your Lilgeolchang nickname more times on LuaGal than I’ve seen you here. It’s not easy to resist what automatically pops out.”

…If I say that, will it happen again?

Well, I have seen his Gal nickname more times before I knew him as Kyeomjoshagwat in this world.

Of course, I was too busy surviving day by day after being possessed, so I ended up forgetting all those past memories.

“But why are you alone at this hour, Ethan?”

“Ethan? He’s obviously at the student council.”

“Oh, right. I guess there’s still time left for student council duties.”

“By the way, I heard you and Ethan are planning to quit the student council after a year. Is that true?”

“Yeah, there’s something like that. It’s a bit complicated for various reasons.”

He didn’t mention that the reason was himself and Seraphine, as he didn’t want to bring up the fact that Ethan and Seraphine’s relationship had soured because of him.

Wait, if he arrived before Ethan, there’s no need to worry about the Cerista issue, right?

“This works out perfectly, hey.”

“Huh?”

“Since you’re here, help me convince Cerista. Tell her subtly that I seem like a saint.”

“Why all of a sudden? Are you trying to join the hero party or something?”

“Are you crazy? Why would I join that? It’s obvious I’ll be screwed over for a few years. I’d rather just play games to my heart’s content.”

“Well, I mean… you may be screwed over, but…”

Despite following my strategy and reaching the final boss, he seemed to understand the struggles of a hero party.

“I only need one thing. To be acknowledged by Cerista and awaken as a saint.”

“Awaken as a saint… what, what?!”

“Why, surprised?”

“It’s not that… it’s just, is that possible…?”

“What’s possible.”

“You’ve already gone as far as Ethan, right? How can you awaken as a saint when you’re not a virgin…?”

-Smack!

My fist reflexively shot out and landed on the back of his head, causing him to clutch his chest and bow his head forward.

“Is this guy out of his mind?!”