episode_0218

The sudden appearance of Serista in the hospital room caused both me and Kyeommyeojoshaegiwat to freeze with a considerable amount of confusion on our faces.

It seemed like she hurriedly left when I was talking alone earlier, but it was clear that her excuse from before about needing to leave was just a simple pretext. The fact that she immediately returned upon hearing a story related to herself as a hero was quite telling.

Otherwise, she might have found it strange that Kyeommyeojoshaegiwat visited the theology building but didn’t come to see her, and in any case, after visiting the church as a hero, the only places she could have gone were either Serista’s dormitory or my hospital room. If she didn’t go to either of those places, she would naturally feel uneasy as the Holy Maiden.

In truth, her interruption wasn’t the most important part. Since I had already shared almost all the secret stories that needed to be shared with the hero, there was no urgent need to finish the conversation.

The problem was how much of our conversation Serista overheard. Given that she could potentially expose the fact that I am a possessed individual, it was natural for me to feel a sense of tension.

“S-Serista, Holy Maiden…?”

“N-No! I, um, I haven’t even confessed my feelings to the hero yet! I-I know that Lilith is a real Holy Maiden, but, but my feelings are still unsettled…!”

“Ah, I understand, so, how about calming down for now…?”

…And the hero was right there, listening to everything.

She was unnecessarily excited, not only revealing that she knew I was the Holy Maiden but also blurting out the fact that she liked the hero, leaving Kyeommyeojoshaegiwat in an awkward state, turning her head away with a flushed face.

More surprisingly, Kyeommyeojoshaegiwat, that guy, was supposed to return to his hometown after defeating the Demon King, but his current behavior revealed an unexpected side.

“I-I know that I’m not the Holy Maiden! I-I mean, I can’t possibly not know that I’m a fake Holy Maiden created! B-But it’s still not right! I, at least while attending the academy, even for this short time, if I can be with the hero, that alone would be enough…!”

“…Serista, Holy Maiden. I understand that you’re excited because of the conversation you had with the hero, but aren’t you revealing too much personal information?”

“…What?”

“Did you forget…? There are other people present in this conversation besides me.”

Upon hearing my words, Serista’s expression stiffened, her head slowly turning backward, and when her eyes cautiously met the hero’s, the quiet hospital room was suddenly filled with Serista’s scream.

“…Sorry. If Serista wishes, we can pretend that I didn’t hear the conversation just now…”

“Aaaah?!”

“Serista?!”

With the typical scream of a delicate heroine, Serista, with a flushed face, collapsed backward, and Kyeommyeojoshaegiwat quickly caught her.

“Are you okay?! Snap out of it!”

“Ah, I-I’m, ahem, I-I’m fine…”

“It’s just that overwhelming embarrassment caused her to faint, so she’ll probably feel better after a little rest and waking up.”

“…Fainting from embarrassment to this extent? Is this even something that happens in games?”

“Maybe it wasn’t in my strategy guide. This is a solo event for Serista’s first night. I remember seeing it around the 4th or 5th round when I was playing the release strategy, but by the 25th round, I was fully focused on the release.”

“Oh, I see…”

I never imagined I would see this event in this way.

When I saw it in the game, it was a popular event that showcased Serista’s cute side, but seeing someone actually faint due to embarrassment in front of me was quite a unique feeling.

“My heart rate increased for a moment and my brain shut down, but I’ll be fine once I’m taken to my room. Thanks to my divine power, I’ll recover on my own. I’ll probably wake up by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“What should we do? We need to figure out how much Serista overheard of our conversation.”

“We can discuss that with Serista later when she wakes up. She’s not the type to blab personal information in front of others anyway.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s surprising to see a man who can’t pull himself together because he’s embarrassed, dragging a lady to bed. You’re quite the character too.”

“Don’t tease me.”

With a teasing remark directed at his back as he left, the hero left with Serista, ending the day after the secret meeting with the Guild and the commotion caused by Serista’s fainting spell.

And with Ethan returning after finishing his student council duties, the day ended in a whirlwind, with the original purpose of convincing Serista and awakening the saint passing by without a hitch.

…Until the day of the operation, I was genuinely worried about whether we could even start a conversation with Serista about the subject.

***

After the secret meeting with the Guild and the night of Serista’s fainting spell.

A familiar voice in my dreams slowly woke me up from a deep slumber.

“Lis, Release.”

“Ugh, uhh…”

As I slowly woke up from a deep sleep, exhausted from the voice of a woman waking me up, the face of a priestess looking at me in the darkness gradually came into view.

“Serista…?”

“Are you awake, Release?”

“What could possibly… in the middle of the night…?”

“I’m sorry, Release. There’s something important I must tell you.”

“If it’s about what you confessed to the hero during the day, I was planning to keep it a secret…”

“Gyahh!”

As soon as I mentioned the incident from earlier, Serista quickly covered her mouth with both hands, preventing me from speaking any louder. If I had yelled like I did during the day, I would have woken up at least two floors of people.

Of course, by this time, most students had been discharged or had gone home, leaving the academy almost empty. However, there were still people managing the church, so there might have been some commotion.

“I would prefer to keep that a secret, but… I came here for a different reason…”

“What brings you here then?”

“I don’t have much time, so can I explain as we go slowly?”

“Excuse me? Where are we going at this hour?”

“This is the only time the main church building of the academy is empty.”

…The main church building?

Why would she want to take me there at this hour?

Seeing Serista trying to take me away in the middle of the night after unexpectedly waking me up in my room, I briefly had doubts, but her following words quickly dispelled them.

“I will create the conditions for you to use the power of the Saint, Lilith.”

“…Now?”

“Yes, now.”

It seemed like the negotiation with the Archbishop had been completed without my knowledge. He was certainly decisive when it came to cooperation.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Walking through the dark church corridor with Serista, we quietly exchanged words.

Serista had explained to the Archbishop to some extent, and why she had decided to create the conditions.

“I have decided to create the conditions for Lilith for various reasons, but the biggest reason is probably because of the promise made by the Archbishop.”

“…A promise?”

“Yes. Even if I am not a real Saint, the Archbishop promised never to abandon me.”

Even in the dim light, I could see her face turning red. Just with a word from the Archbishop, it was clear that Serista in this world had a strong liking for him.

Perhaps she liked the Archbishop more than the original game version of Serista. In the original game, Serista’s affection was limited to choices, but in this world, she had a history of working with the Archbishop in various ways.

If spending time automatically increased affection, then Serista, who spent more time with the Archbishop in this world than in the original, would naturally have a higher affection level.

“How much of the conversation between you and the Archbishop did you hear?”

“…I heard that if I couldn’t become a Saint, the Archbishop would take Lilith away. I got a little anxious when I heard that, so I interrupted your conversation. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. Our conversation was almost finished anyway.”

Fortunately, she hadn’t heard the previous strategies or other important parts of the game. This could be considered a blessing in disguise.

“At first, I thought I would be useless and abandoned by the Archbishop. I am a fake Saint who cannot use the power, and I am sure I am not as helpful as the real Saint, Lilith.”

“It’s okay, Serista. If you have a pure heart like a Saint, you will definitely be able to become a real Saint, not a fake one.”

“You’re talking like the Archbishop.”

“….”

“Perhaps you know that because of the power of the Saint that Lilith possesses? The Archbishop has mentioned it before. Contrary to what is known to the public, he also has the power to ‘see the future.’ And he actively helped me pretend to be a Saint even though I am not.”

“…I see.”

“If Lilith also has that power, then it makes sense why the Archbishop told me to use that power to pretend to be a Saint. Perhaps the Archbishop wanted to make me the ‘Prophesied Saint.’”

In reality, it seemed more likely that it was just a lucky guess. The Archbishop probably hadn’t even considered the possibility of someone else being possessed by Lilith when he first met Serista. Ultimately, Serista didn’t seem to doubt that I was a Saint, but rather accepted it without much suspicion. The outcome was good, so even the clumsy process seemed to have been planned in advance.

…Before I awakened, I used the power of the saint not for prophecies, but to subdue creatures like Krakens with mana blasts, so it was somewhat unsettling to my conscience.

As I descended from my third-floor hospital room to the first floor where the main church was located, this time Serista cautiously approached me from her side. It seemed as if it was her turn now, perhaps because I had asked her a question earlier.

“May I ask you one question before offering my respects to Lady Lillis?” she inquired carefully.

“If it’s a question I can answer, I will do so,” I replied.

“Regardless of your answer, my intention to offer respects remains unchanged. Just answer comfortably,” I reassured her.

“Yes, Lady Serista.”

“Just out of curiosity… Could it be that Lady Lillis, like me… also loves the hero?” she hesitantly asked.

…As if that could ever be the case.