“The Holy See… they want me to stay put and let you go alone, Hailey? They really are a bunch of trash and scum — “
When she saw the letter from the Holy See, Idledra had intended to crush it immediately.
However, the sender had clearly anticipated this.
The crushed letter transformed into a cloud of black mist that settled back into Idledra’s hand, with pure Black Magic pulsing upon it.
After all, Pope Issar had already guessed the truth regarding Hailey and Idledra, and he had even “visited” Hailey in person.
Thus, there was no longer any need to hide the use of Black Magic. Using it directly served as proof of his identity.
If anyone were bold enough to impersonate the Pope to deceive them, they would first have to admit to being an “evil wizard” who wielded Black Magic.
‘Heh, it seems those guys at the Holy See really don’t take me seriously… After all, even if something happens to me, I’m just a body double.’
Hailey could guess what the Holy See was thinking with just a bit of effort.
To them, a substitute was the perfect tool to send to the Imperial Family’s Hongmen Banquet.
If she succeeded, the glory and prestige would still belong to Saintess Idledra and the Holy See behind her.
Even if she accidentally failed, all they would lose was a Saintess’s Body Double Puppet made of magic.
‘Then they’ll definitely take this opportunity to make trouble for the Imperial Family and demand some benefits in the process… I’m worried they just want me to take the fall there.’
As Idledra’s expression grew darker and darker, Hailey quickly pressed down on her hand.
She was afraid this girl would forget the pain once the wound healed.
Not long ago, Idledra had nearly lost control due to a Black Magic outbreak.
“What if she collapsed again?”
At a time like this, Hailey wasn’t sure if she could protect her.
“Don’t be afraid. They’re just talking. Besides, if they really try to mess with me, I’ll just expose every single bad thing they’ve done.”
If the gossip-loving Imperial Family and the high-ranking Nobles found out that the Holy See had been manipulating a situation with a real and Fake Saintess, even the Pope’s zombie-like face probably wouldn’t be able to withstand the storm of public opinion.
Hailey felt a faint sense of anticipation at the thought of Issar becoming exasperated and reduced to nothing but impotent rage.
However, she quickly abandoned the idea when she realized that if she pushed the Holy See too far, they might turn around and destroy her instead.
In truth, she had originally planned to tell Idledra what Pope Issar had said to her that day.
But every time she tried to speak, the Pope’s voice would hiss in her ear like a venomous snake.
‘Do you think that if she knew about your situation, she would come to fight me to the death? Would it all end with everyone destroyed…’
That was the auditory hallucination she’d had the first time she tried to describe her experience to Idledra.
Her subconscious reaction to stop speaking had startled the other girl at the time.
She had brushed it off with the excuse that she was simply too frightened, so Idledra only knew that she had been kidnapped by a mysterious person.
It wasn’t that Hailey was worried Idledra would do something to the Pope out of impulse; she was truly worried that something would happen to Idledra.
Just as the Pope’s wicked words suggested — she would risk everything to fight that devil for Hailey’s sake.
“Hailey, Hailey? Why are you spacing out?”
Her thoughts were snapped back to reality by a gentle poke from Idledra.
Looking at the girl circling her curiously, Hailey found herself at a loss for words.
Although this wasn’t her original intention, and she even felt some resentment and rebellion as a body double, she truly did not want this young woman — who held strange feelings for her — to come to any harm.
Especially not because of her.
“Nothing, it’s nothing. Weren’t we just talking about the Holy See’s demand for me to attend the banquet? What do you plan to do?”
Hailey actually had a few strategies in mind. For instance, she could practice the new magic she had recently grasped to improve her self-defense capabilities.
Or, she could memorize all the Holy See’s scandalous secrets in advance.
If the Holy See tried to move against her in the shadows, she would make sure their reputation was ruined forever!
Before Hailey could put on a look of tragic resolve, Idledra grasped the hand Hailey had used to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, Hailey. Those guys have no way of interfering with my actions. If they insist on blocking me…”
The letter disguised with Black Magic, sent by the Holy See or perhaps the Pope himself, drifted into Hailey’s hand.
In the next second, pure Holy Magic swallowed the black mist, accompanied by a faint, mysterious wail of a soul.
“Let them go to hell — “
***
Inside the Pope’s Temple, a new subordinate was reporting the delivery of the letter. Issar nodded indifferently.
“His Holiness, the letter has been delivered to the Saintess, but aren’t you worried… that the Saintess will oppose our decision?”
“No need. You should get ready too. It might be a little painful — “
Before the subordinate could finish speaking, his soul felt as if it were being torn apart.
After a scream, he turned into a hollow shell that had lost its soul.
Then, a faint thread of black energy slowly drifted from his body and merged back into Pope Issar.
“Thank you for your sacrifice, for shielding me from the disaster brought by that girl. Rest in peace.”
The Pope’s eyes flickered with an unreadable light, his thoughts unknown, before he eventually faded back into the shadows and fell silent.
***
In the courtyard where Hailey and Idledra lived, Idledra was calmly gazing at the person before her.
Hailey’s hand was held gently in hers.
With a shy and resistant expression, Hailey was led by Idledra into the center of the courtyard.
As for the reason, it was naturally because Hailey had to attend the Imperial Family’s banquet.
“Hailey, do you know how to dance?”
As a hallmark of high-society etiquette, knowing how to perform social ballroom dances was a crucial requirement for a social banquet.
Whether it was the children of the Imperial Family or the young masters and ladies of the Nobles, even the young men and women of commoner families knew some social dances.
However, for Hailey’s soul, which did not belong to this era, these were things she had only heard of or seen, but never actually performed.
It was a bit difficult to understand.
“If Hailey doesn’t even know how to dance, how are we going to slap their faces at the banquet?”
Faced with Hailey’s embarrassment, Idledra volunteered to be her dance teacher.
As for why a Saintess who was always “imprisoned” would know these things…
“To please me and the Holy See, and also because the Holy See drags me out to act as a mascot, I’ve seen more than ten such banquets.”
It sounded like the miserable life of an idol being dragged out by their company for business.
“I can understand those dances just by watching them a few times. Don’t worry, I can teach you hand-in-hand.”
Although Idledra was merely explaining her vast reservoir of knowledge to Hailey, Hailey’s expression remained resistant.
‘I knew it. I hate gifted maniacs the most…’