Chapter 25

“Be-Belita! D-Did you… did you drive those magic beasts away?”

The man asked the question that everyone present had been dying to ask. All eyes focused on the two of them at once.

“Yes. I don’t know why, but… I felt like I could somehow do it…”

“No way. No way! Ah…! O Lord Ralphican! It’s just like the prophecy! Surviving the oath wasn’t a coincidence!”

“Priest Kalat. What on earth are you talking about?”

Hereis, recognizing Kalat in his state of frenzy, questioned him.

“Ah, Sir Hereis! This is only my speculation, but…”

Kalat continued in an excited tone, making no effort to hide his racing heart.

“This person is undoubtedly the Saintess!”

-What??

-No way, so the hidden route was the Saintess?

-Come to think of it, none of the heroines were from the Church.

-Oh, you’re right.

-LOL

-Her visuals aren’t exactly “Saintess-like,” though.

-Never saw this coming lol.

-Maybe she hid it on purpose.

The people were stunned by the mention of a word that had only existed in oral tradition. For hundreds of years, no Saintess had ever appeared; the title was treated like a mythical figure. That wasn’t all. Over the long years, people’s collective imagination had built an image of a Saintess as a pure, holy, and radiant being… but the woman before them, suspected of being that Saintess, was far from it. She was covered in blood from head to toe, one of her sleeves was torn off for some reason, and she was wearing a knight’s uniform caked in dirt.

…This?

This is the Saintess…?

-Lmao they’re being so honest.

-Guys, isn’t that a bit much?

‘Legends are always a bit distorted from the truth anyway!’

Perhaps it was because the adrenaline that surged during the dramatic moment had suddenly plummeted. The mental state of the crowd was extremely fatigued.

“I-It’s true the magic beasts saw her and fled, but…”

“Come to think of it, the scriptures said the Saintess has the power to drive away evil!”

“That wondrous healing power would make sense if that’s the case!”

At the moment the people were falling into the euphoria of witnessing a miracle, a tall man covered in the blood and hide of magic beasts landed lightly from an unbelievable height.

“Is everyone safe?”

-Hey, you jerk, you’re only coming now?

-The protagonist is always late (not).

“Commander!”

Arianne, discovering Frederick—the man who had just dropped out of the sky—called out to him in a voice thick with anger. Her tone held resentment: what had he been doing, where had he been, and why was he only arriving now?

“Where on earth have you been until now, only to show up just as it’s over!”

“No, wait, I just stepped out for a bit…”

Hereis added a word with a chilling gaze.

“A bit? You’ve been gone for nearly half a day.”

“Ha-half a day? It couldn’t have been that long, could it?”

Frederick felt the weight of his mistake as he looked at the village’s dire state, but part of him felt wronged. Every time they moved, he would sacrifice his own sleep to scout ahead and ensure safety. It just so happened that today there were so many magic beasts that it took a bit longer than usual!

Who could have imagined that things would go south the exact moment he was absent? Besides, was he the only one here? The Vice-Commander was here too! Wasn’t it Hereis’s job to handle accidents that occurred in the Commander’s absence?

Swallowing the urge to say those words, Frederick cleverly changed the subject.

“At least it seems there are no casualties. That’s a relief.”

“That may be so… but Commander, what’s with your appearance?”

Arianne pointed out Frederick’s disheveled state, even though he hadn’t even been part of the battle here.

“Ah… there was a swarm of Corvus on the way back. I thought they might be dangerous, so I took care of them.”

“Were those the beasts that fled from Belita…?”

“Fled? And who’s Belita?”

“Sir Arianne. Commander.”

Judging that the conversation would drag on at this rate, Hereis cut in appropriately.

“Let’s continue this inside.”

Before entering the tent, Hereis asked his subordinates to tidy up. The knights and priests who were relatively unharmed began to soothe the exhausted spirits of the villagers and treat minor wounds. As the situation finally settled, a shocked shout from Frederick erupted from within the tent.

“Whaaaat?!”

“Commander, lower your voice…”

“S-Saintess?!”

“Wow, Belita being the Saintess. That’s an unexpected development.”

-It is surprising.

-You have to be around Saintess-level to be called a “hidden route.”

“I mean, honestly, it doesn’t really suit her.”

-True lol.

-Let’s just call it an “unexpected charm.”

After skipping past Frederick’s event, I was left waiting in one of the Imperial Knights’ tents. The protagonist, Frederick, and Arianne seemed to be having their long-overdue discussion.

‘I can finally catch my breath.’

I was enjoying the unexpected break while watching the stream. Based on the reactions of the people here and the chat, it seemed my show was quite convincing. I did time it perfectly to make it look like the Corvus fled because of me.

‘Phew.’

With this, the project to become the Saintess is nearing its final stages. Of course, there’s one big mountain left to climb…

‘I’ll think about that later.’

Anyway. I didn’t expect Kalat to suddenly start praising me as the Saintess.

‘Wasn’t it a bit ambiguous?’

The Saintess Ivanke awakens when the knights and residents are collapsing from the demonic miasma. The scene where she emits a silver holy light and purifies all the energy was the highlight of the game. How did the description go back then?

‘A warm silver energy caressed the people, driving out the evil aura that tormented them. Everyone present spoke as one, saying it was like witnessing the descent of a Goddess.’

You need that kind of impact for people to call you “Saintess” instinctively. Honestly, I didn’t even expect them to deduce I was the Saintess just from my actions earlier.

‘I was just trying to drop hints that I wasn’t an ordinary person.’

There was also the goal of fulfilling the prophecy by “thwarting a tragedy”—that is, saving the people. Since there were a bunch of witnesses, the timing and location were perfect.

‘Did Kalat also recall the prophecy at that moment?’

It’s not like he thinks about the prophecy all day. It’s strange, but I’ll chalk it up to possibility.

‘But didn’t Ilian say the Church definitely knows how to distinguish a Saintess?’

Maybe that doesn’t apply to every priest in the Order. Perhaps only a few high-ranking clergymen know. Kalat seemed to be a fairly high rank, though.

Ah. Come to think of it, ever since he started thinking I was the Saintess, Kalat’s affection has been growing like weeds. It’s a bit scary that it’s still rising even when we aren’t together… While I’m at it, should I check the affection levels I’ve only been glancing at occasionally?

‘No way…’

The results were enough to make me gasp. Kalat, who had appeared out of nowhere like a comet, had already surpassed everyone to take the top spot.

‘I guess there really is nothing like religious fervor.’

If the true nature of “Affection” in this case was actually “Faith,” it made sense that it would rise as fast as Kalat believed in Ralphican. Still, though…

‘I get it with my head, but…’

I couldn’t help the instinctive feeling of rejection. I lightly shook my head to clear my thoughts. I should just think of it as having gained a loyal subordinate for when I officially become the Saintess. As I was lost in thought, a curious comment drifted from Mo Je-won’s side.

“Ah~ but when does Belita get registered in the Affection tab?”

…Thinking about affection levels must have summoned the topic from Mo Je-won too. I had a silly thought that perhaps our minds were syncing, but it was a question I shared. Even if it wasn’t a romantic feeling, given the nature of this game where “Affection” can represent various bonds, it shouldn’t be impossible… However, since I am technically not the original “Belita” and not from this world, the question was whether I could be registered at all.

-Maybe it’s because the affection is still too low?

-Seems like the registration conditions haven’t been met yet.

-Let’s stack more points!

-Just keep progressing the story for now.

The viewers’ guesses weren’t entirely wrong. Ivanke is a character who only gets registered after having a meaningful heart-to-heart conversation with the protagonist in the next chapter. Given her fragile nature, she isn’t at the stage where she fully trusts the protagonist yet.

“The developers weren’t kidding when they said the hidden route is hard. But still, shouldn’t there be at least a notification that she’s been unlocked?”

…! Come to think of it, normally, a notification is supposed to pop up…

“Are they doing this on purpose so we don’t know who the hidden heroine is until the ending?”

No. It usually pops up just fine. It’s just that the protagonist hasn’t actually made contact with the real Ivanke yet, so it’s not triggering.

-Ooh, this is tough.

My back felt damp with cold sweat. Feeling strangely guilty, I purchased a chat ticket and wrote a message to play along.

-The devs really put some thought into this.

-It’s more fun not knowing.

“Exactly! Since she’s a hidden heroine, maybe her affection level is hidden too!”

A very helpful misunderstanding.

“Belita.”

…!!

“Sorry, did I startle you?”

For a moment, the sound from the screen and reality overlapped, making me jump. I had been so focused on Mo Je-won and the chat that I hadn’t realized the protagonist on the screen was moving.

“Priest Kalat was causing such a stir—I mean, he was so insistent on seeing you.”

“…”

“It ended up looking like we were holding you here against your will. So, I came to ask for your thoughts.”

Holding me here? Was he referring to me being told to stay in the tent? I was actually quite enjoying the luxury, which was far beyond anything I’d experienced as a maid.

“I see.”

“Ah, come to think of it… should I stop speaking informally? To someone who might become the Saintess.”

-Of course you should. How dare you to the Saintess!

-Speaking formally feels too distant ㅠㅠ

-Just have both of them speak informally, keep it fair.

-Lol of course it’s formal speech, the Saintess is way higher in status.

“No. I’m still Sir Hereis’s employee. I’ll do the work I was paid for.”

-Her calculation is so cold lol.

-So thorough.

-She’s like Arianne, but a different flavor.

If I had to give a reason, it was that I hadn’t been officially appointed as the Saintess yet. Therefore, my status was still lower than the protagonist’s. The protagonist let out a light laugh at my words and spoke playfully.

“Still, I should probably look for a replacement. It’ll be hard on Mina alone.”

And so, we stepped out of the tent in a fairly good mood.

-Belita is the true main wife.

What high praise. The quest clear, which once felt like a distant mirage, now felt a bit closer. By the way, I could hear a significant commotion nearby. What is all this noise…?

“I am so glad you are safe, Saintess…!”

“Saintess! May I hold your hand just once? I want to receive your holy blessing!”

“How rude! Step back at once!”

“Everyone, please go back! It’s dangerous!”

The source of the noise was outside the Knights’ barracks. Squinting, I saw the knights forming a human barricade to prevent the villagers from approaching the tent.

‘Is this because of me?’

I felt like a celebrity being protected by bodyguards. The protagonist, thinking I was troubled by it, quickly made an excuse.

“I’m sorry. I told them no, but they said they wanted to see you even from a distance.”

“I see. It’s alright. I suppose it’s hard to forcibly block civilians when they aren’t even inside the barracks.”

“Thank you for understanding. Now, if we just walk past without paying attention…”

“No.”

I firmly cut off the protagonist’s words.

“It feels impolite to ignore them when they want to see me this much.”

-Oh?

“What?”

“I’ll be back in a moment.”

‘I have to provide some fan service, after all.’