episode_0247

After comforting the despondent Agnes, who had just realized that she was the only one unaware of the fact that I had become a Saintess (or more accurately, had found out about it last), I proceeded to explain the realization of my true identity as a Saintess.

“So, does this mean that Lady Cerista and the hero knew from the beginning that Lillis was… I mean, that Lillis was the Saintess?”

“Yes. In my case, I found out through the ‘divine revelation’ that came to me after becoming a hero.”

“I, I also… I found out from the time I coincidentally treated Lady Lillis… that she was the Saintess….”

The responses of the two individuals who had known about the fact that I was a Saintess even before becoming one were different.

By the way, the most commonly used excuse whenever someone in this world tries to predict the future through divination is that ‘divine revelation.’

The residents of this world only know the heroes as beings from another world, not realizing that this world is a game world and that the heroes know the plot of this world.

“But why didn’t you tell me in advance… No, no. I think it was right not to tell me.”

“Yes. As I mentioned before, I don’t care at all whether Cerista is a true Saintess or not. As long as Cerista can pursue her own will by my side, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Hero…”

“That’s why I couldn’t tell you either. If Cerista had been ‘barely’ dropped by me for being a fake Saintess, it would have made the journey ahead even more difficult.”

“I agree with that fact. While Cerista may not be able to do anything as a Saintess, at least her abilities as a priestess, including her sacred power, are excellent. At least for now, she is far superior to Lillis, who has only recently become a Saintess.”

Although it may not have been her intention, Seraphine, who had always excelled as a priestess, comforted Cerista, which made it easier for me to bring up Cerista’s story.

“Yes. And the person who secretly nurtured me to become a Saintess is Lady Cerista, who doesn’t even hesitate to risk her own safety for me. That alone makes her more fitting for the role of a Saintess than me.”

“Yes, yes?! Oh, no, Lady Lillis! P-please take back those words…!”

Cerista, who grew up in the church, was startled by my sacrilegious remarks, as expected. However, that didn’t stop me from saying what needed to be said.

“But I truly believe that Cerista is more suited to be a Saintess than me. She has been at the forefront of demon extermination with the hero far more than I have.”

“Oh, no, no… Someone as greedy as me becoming a Saintess… it’s impossible….”

“Isn’t it more saintly to be humane? And…”

“…Anyway, among the people present at the scene where Prince Machart’s dark magic was revealed, there was also a demon. I had to deal with him quickly, which made me late.”

“Demon extermination… Hero, you have worked hard.”

As it seemed like my story was going to be long, the hero interrupted and began listing his achievements. Agnes also pointed to herself, eagerly emphasizing her contribution to me.

If the demon that remained in the palace was talking about Evelyn, then I probably wanted to deal with him as well. The reason I didn’t plan it that way was because I didn’t want to risk spreading my resources and end up unable to deal with Machart.

Evelyn was just a mid-level demon, but MacHart was a prince. The difficulty of killing him, the process of building up to the kill, and the aftermath of the kill were all incredibly difficult tasks, so in this case, I had to focus on MacHart no matter what.

“So that’s how it was, Sir Knight.”

“Moreover, judging by how hastily they fled, it seems like Lillis might have caught on to the fact that you’re a saint. If we had left her alone, the rumor of Lillis being a real saint might not have spread among the demons.”

“…Pardon?”

“Well, I’m not trying to be conspicuous. Just saying.”

‘Know that I saved your life, Lillis.’

“…Yes, thank you sincerely, Sir Knight.”

‘Yeah. I’m really grateful, you brat.’

After finishing the briefing, including the imaginary conversation, silence once again filled the conference room.

Honestly, at first, I was nervous about having to reveal that I was a saint, but after the meeting, I realized it was an unnecessary worry.

Serafin had been convinced of my status as a saint even before I revealed it, and Agnes was also accepting the fact that I was a saint, so only the six of us here knew that I was the ‘real saint.’

…And now, it was up to Cerista to prove that she was the real saint.

“Anyway, it’s a relief that we know now. Although it’s a shame that the possibility of Cerista being the saint is completely ruled out, now that Lillis knows she’s the real saint, it’s actually a gain.”

“…I, I’m sorry for deceiving you until now.”

“Don’t worry, Cerista. We already knew. And for the sake of public opinion, Cerista, you will continue to act as the real saint for a while…”

“…No. There’s no need for that, Princess Serafin.”

As the meeting was coming to a close and everyone was dispersing, Serafin was taken aback by my sudden interruption.

She soon fixed her gaze on me and tilted her head slightly, and I quietly approached Cerista as planned.

“Cerista.”

“L-Lillis…? Please refrain from using honorifics…”

“Have you ever thought about becoming a real saint while traveling with the knights as a fake saint?”

“…Pardon?”

Cerista’s voice was flustered as she didn’t understand the intention behind my words.

She had been uneasy even when I praised her earlier, and now, as soon as she heard my words, her eyes darted nervously from side to side.

“W-What do you mean, Lillis?”

“Exactly what I said. I mean that you are more suited for the position of saint than I am.”

“W-What… Such… disrespectful words…”

“I don’t think it’s disrespectful. I believe that you, Cerista, are the one who best embodies the will of the goddess. Your selfless compassion, unwavering love, and courage in the face of any danger.”

“A-Ah… Ah…”

I tried to stimulate Cerista as much as possible to make her accept the power of the saint, but the more I spoke, the more flustered she became.

“Be careful, Lillis. You might get punished.”

…It seems like Cerista wasn’t the only one feeling flustered right now.

The person who claimed to have the qualifications of a saint was not me, but Serista. Before I knew it, both Seraphine and Agnes were looking at me with slightly serious expressions.

And even Edan, who was not saying anything, had a surprised look in his eyes as he stared at me with widened pupils. …Is this really that big of a deal?

Since only the Gatekeeper from this world looked somewhat composed like me, I decided to change the target and steer the conversation in this direction.

“What do you think, Gatekeeper?”

“……Me?”

“Yes. As someone who has been by Serista’s side for a long time, you must know that Serista is the most suitable match for the saint, right?”

‘You already discussed this with me. How about convincing the others a bit?’

“Even if Serista becomes the saint instead of Lirilis, it shouldn’t cause any problems. In fact, many people already think of Serista as the saint, so it might even be better.”

‘I also prefer Serista as the saint. If we want to protect Serista from the public, this is the most certain way.’

I subtly conveyed my hidden thoughts to the Gatekeeper, and in return, a somewhat sentimental response came back from the Gatekeeper.

Yes, if I can just get the Gatekeeper’s approval, Serista’s agreement will follow. I will hand over all the things about the saint’s power and qualifications to Serista, and I will lead a carefree solo life in this world from now on…

“Indeed, Gatekeeper, you think the same way.”

“I don’t think that way, I just wish it were so.”

“In that case, Gatekeeper, if it is possible for me to pass on the ‘qualification of the saint’ that I possess to Serista, what do you think about that?”

“L-Lirilis, the saint?!”

“Lirilis? Are you serious?”

“Uh, uh, uh, uh?!”

“……”

Except for Edan, everyone else was so surprised that they almost stood up, but the Gatekeeper remained calm and listened to my story.

As he knew the situation well, I thought he would agree and lend me his strength, but surprisingly, his response was lukewarm and ambiguous.

“Um, I’m not sure what to say.”

“What?”

“To be honest, I have worked with Serista for a long time, but I have almost no memories of working with Lirilis. We weren’t even in the same party at the end-of-year hunt last year, and although we moved together at the Macht Gun, we ended up fighting separately.”

“I don’t quite understand what you’re saying, Gatekeeper.”

“Talking about passing on the qualification of the saint doesn’t make sense in itself, but I can’t objectively judge who is more suitable for the saint in the first place.”

“……”

“Of course, I know that Serista is an excellent priestess. But as for Lirilis, I still don’t know if she is a great priestess, a great mage, or a great swordsman. As I said earlier, I also hope that Serista, with whom I have been working for a long time, becomes the saint, but since I don’t know anything about the comparison, I can’t make a judgment.”

Wait, what?

It’s a valid point, but why say this now?

Wasn’t it already decided that I would pass on the power of the saint to Serista? Why is he suddenly acting like this?

As various complex emotions raced through my mind, someone interrupted the Gatekeeper’s excuses.

“So, what I’m trying to say is, Lirilis, if you…”

“So.”

“……”

“Are you saying that you’re going to snatch my release away from me?”

Along with Ethan’s cold voice, the blue energy surged around his body as he listened quietly.

In Ethan’s eyes, a straight determination towards the opposite Gyeommyeojoshaegi was extending.