“Hey, what are you doing?! You’re a noble too, aren’t you? Why are you getting so physical?!”
The noble lady, her arm aching from the grip, glared at the grim-faced Idledra.
Not knowing who she was, the lady began to rant and swear.
Hailey stood by, unsure whether to intervene.
Although it was Hailey who had initially approached them, and the lady had even kindly given directions earlier, Idledra was only acting this way because of her…
“Looking at you, you must be some country noble lady who came here just for show, right? Otherwise, why would you worship that Saintess so much? Are you some kind of hillbilly too?”
Compared to the prestigious Imperial Family, the influence of the Holy See was more prominent among the common folk and believers.
These young ladies rarely interacted with commoners.
The Holy See’s influence came through their Holy Magic and faith in the Goddess, but the authority of the Imperial Family held more weight for these bullying nobles.
This was why they felt a sliver of contempt for the Saintess, even though they knew her status was noble; they still held onto their aristocratic arrogance.
“If the Holy See found out you were being disrespectful to the Saintess here, do you know what would happen to you and your family?”
Idledra’s cold gaze made the girl instinctively take a few steps back, nearly bumping into her companions.
However, she still retorted defiantly.
“What Saintess? She was just some wild girl the Church had found.”
“The Church says she’s the Saintess, so she’s the Saintess. But if the Church didn’t recognize her, wouldn’t any random wild girl from the roadside be able to become the Saintess?”
What they despised most was her origin.
Although everyone claimed the Goddess had chosen Idledra, no one had actually witnessed it.
It was all the Church’s word.
“In that case, being the Saintess is truly her honor. To go from some random girl to someone even more noble than us — “
Before the noble girl could finish, a burst of Mana suddenly struck her.
Feeling the pain in her arm, she stared incredulously at Hailey, who stood beside Idledra.
Milky-white Mana was gathering in Hailey’s hand.
“Do you all think she became the Saintess because she wanted to? Would you like to try it for yourselves?”
If it hadn’t been for the fact that the girl had kindly given directions earlier, Hailey would have slapped her to the ground.
An honor to be the Saintess?
“Why don’t you try it!”
Hailey thought of her own tragic experiences after mysteriously transmigrating and becoming a Fake Saintess…
Forced to wake up early and clock in for work without pay, being chased, being kidnapped, and nearly dying several times…
Then she thought of Idledra before she arrived…
Eating dry bread and drinking cold water, confined in a cold, empty mansion, forbidden from contacting anyone, and used as a billboard by the Holy See to recruit believers.
If these girls were truly made to be the Saintess, they probably wouldn’t be so willing, would they?
“Alright, ladies. We shall take our leave. Thank you for the directions. I hope we don’t run into each other at the banquet later.”
Hailey withdrew the ball of Mana and pulled the dazed Idledra away.
The injured girl tried to step forward while cursing, but her companions held her back.
“Just to be clear, I wasn’t just standing up for you. I was worried you’d cause trouble here again.”
Leading Idledra out of the small garden, Hailey explained her impulsive actions with a serious expression.
A rational person like her wouldn’t normally get physical over a few words.
It was just that she feared Idledra might use Black Magic if she got too emotional, and her body probably still couldn’t handle that… But Hailey was different.
“She had combat power now!”
After her Mana fused with Idledra’s, Hailey’s originally pure but powerless Mana had transformed into a new type of Mana that combined the characteristics of Holy Magic and Black Magic.
While it didn’t have the terrifying power to curse or kill like pure Black Magic, it was perfectly fine for self-defense or punching people.
It was like a weakened version of an attack spell.
“Besides, the things they said made me very unhappy. Becoming the Saintess wasn’t your choice. If you weren’t the Saintess, maybe you could have had more options.”
Hailey thought about Idledra’s past.
If she were just a girl from an ordinary family, even if she weren’t a noble, she could have played freely like a normal young girl.
Shopping wouldn’t be a luxury, and she wouldn’t be blocked from the things normal girls could touch.
She was like a statue — decorated beautifully and holily, but only meant to be admired.
“Alright, Hailey. I understand… But what if they still look down on you?”
“They were talking about the Saintess. I’m not the real Saintess… Besides, when we actually meet, would they even dare?”
How many lives did they have to provoke the Saintess in a place where both the Imperial Family and the Holy See were present?
Setting aside offending the Church, if they dared to slight a guest specifically invited by the Imperial Family, their families wouldn’t have enough heads to pay for it.
“Enough, let’s go. What if the banquet starts and they take all the snacks away?”
Hailey gently pulled Idledra toward the main hall.
They soon entered the ceremonial hall where the banquet was being held.
This was a hall specifically used for royal feasts.
Though it was still early, many high-society figures had already gathered.
For them, this was another battlefield of vanity even before the banquet started — the earlier, the better.
Since Idledra usually only appeared at the Church and in the Residential District, and because the two of them had dressed up carefully, no one recognized them yet.
After all that commotion, her lunch felt completely digested.
Hailey pulled Idledra around in search of a table with delicious snacks.
“Afternoon tea is over there, respectable ladies.”
A familiar, elderly, yet humorous voice sounded beside Hailey.
Marquis Carter had somehow appeared beside them, smiling as he raised a glass of red wine in greeting.
‘How does this guy move like a ghost?’
Hailey muttered inwardly.
‘He looks like some kind of hidden villain…’
“I see Lady Tracy isn’t with you… *cough*, you both should already know her identity, right?”
“Of course. I just don’t know why you protected her so well, yet still let her come here?”
Marquis Carter was silent for a moment.
He led them to a revolving snack table before whispering the reason.
“If I don’t let that child see for herself, I’m afraid her naivety will be her downfall.”