“Grand Priest… you mean those old guys next to the Pope?”
Hailey suddenly recalled some unpleasant memories.
When she had first possessed the body of the doll, she felt as if she were being coldly stared at by a group of weirdos.
The man standing at the highest point, surrounded by everyone, was likely the so-called Pope.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen his true face yet; he was as cold and still as a sculpture.
Back then, when she first arrived in this world, her initial reaction was to think she had become a hero.
That was until she saw her petite doll body—then, she just gave up.
“Hmph, as expected of a Demon’s Doll, your knowledge is shallow indeed.”
Right, it was this old geezer.
Back then, he had that same look in his eyes, desperately wanting to get rid of her.
Even now, it was the same; he was a rotten old man through and through.
When Hailey first gained consciousness, several high-ranking priests viewed her as a demonic possession and demanded the immediate destruction of the doll’s body.
Hydra was one of them.
Known as the Humanoid Dogma of the Holy See, Hydra loathed these eerie, sudden forbidden occurrences.
Because of this, he had always harbored hostility toward Hailey.
“Since she was created for me, regardless of what she does or what is done to her, I should be the one to decide, shouldn’t I? I am the Saintess.”
Back then, Idledra had stood up against the pressure from the others.
Due to the divinity of the Saintess, the other Grand Priests couldn’t stop her, even if they had objections.
In the end, under the mediation of the Pope, the matter was dropped.
They reached a compromise: Idledra would personally supervise the Forbidden Doll and guarantee it with her life…
“In my humble opinion, such a forbidden creation should not be here under the guise of the Saintess’s identity. If not for Saintess Idledra’s guarantee, a thing like you—”
Hydra’s squinted eyes suddenly snapped wide.
A surge of energy from his palm was about to strike Hailey, but it was abruptly repelled by a golden sphere of light surrounding her.
The sphere of light flickered mockingly at Hydra, as if sticking out its tongue, before reluctantly leaving Hailey.
It transformed into a warm golden current and merged into Idledra’s fingertips.
Hydra narrowed his eyes again, looking at the nonchalant Idledra beside him with disdain and dissatisfaction, as if accusing her of recklessly abusing that Holy Magic.
“Saintess, such a demonic creation is unworthy of the Goddess’s Blessing…”
To actually attach the Holy Magic bestowed by the Goddess onto such a creation was a complete waste of a divine gift.
Moreover, it was a power that all of them dreamed of obtaining…
Idledra gently soothed the somewhat dazed Hailey.
‘Poor little Hailey, why does she have to run into these old fossils every single time?’
“Sir, she is not some ‘creation.’ She has a name: Edhailey Senele. Like me, she is a person blessed by the Goddess. Hailey is mine.”
Hydra… the most loyal lapdog of the Holy See.
He spent all day treating the Holy See’s dogmas like bones tied to his head, staring death stares at everyone around her.
Even though the Holy See had permitted Hailey’s existence, this guy still acted like a rabid dog, biting and refusing to let go.
The people of the Holy See really were two-faced.
“Saintess, mind your status…”
‘The esteemed Saintess of the Holy See, associating with such a monster-like thing… how repulsive,’ Hydra thought with disgust and contempt.
However, Idledra gave a look that might have been a smile or something else.
Suddenly, Hydra’s body slammed down into a kneel.
The immense pressure rendered him unable to move.
“Sir, can you feel it? The Goddess’s Blessing. Don’t you want it? Why can’t you withstand the purest blessing from the Goddess? Is it because you don’t want to?”
As believers under the Goddess, the people of the Holy See naturally used Light Magic derived from her.
Therefore, they would be suppressed when facing the Saintess’s Holy Magic.
“If I hear anyone questioning my methods again, I wouldn’t mind asking the Pope for a judgment.”
Perhaps because the Mana had been nourished by Hailey’s body before returning to her own, Idledra was already able to stand on her own.
Her pink eyes stared coldly at Hydra.
It seemed being pampered and praised by the believers had made this old man forget the hierarchy…
“Fine, very well… Saintess, remember your words today. I will be watching you…”
With that, Hydra flicked his sleeves and led the Temple Soldiers away from the Church.
Two of them were carrying the thug who had been knocked unconscious.
“The one who spoke insolently to the Saintess will be taken over by me. Those who defy the Church will not meet a good end.”
As they left the Church, a soldier looked at Hydra with confusion.
‘Why did the Grand Priest want them to take back this sinner who had slandered the Saintess?’
“Witch… this is the choice they made, for the sake of the holy Church…”
Only after Grand Priest Hydra left with a dark expression did Idledra finally breathe a sigh of relief.
She turned around, only to see Hailey’s face flushed bright red.
“Hailey, are you okay…?”
“Cough, cough, can you let go of my hand first…”
‘Dammit, why is this girl just talking to herself? I can’t get a word in at all… and she specifically chooses words that are easy to misunderstand.’
‘What do you mean “I’m yours”? Even if I am a doll, I am free. I can totally be independent of you… Actually, maybe not. I really can’t do it without her.’
Just now, that Grand Priest had kept calling her a “magic creature” and a “demon.”
If Idledra hadn’t protected her, she might have been burned at the stake one day…
At this thought, Hailey’s face turned red for no reason again.
Her body subconsciously leaned toward Idledra, falling steadily into a warm embrace.
“Is Hailey so excited because she likes me too much?”
“It’s your fault, you were secretly holding my hand again…”
‘This girl, she kept holding my hand and wouldn’t let go. As a result, the Mana went out of control and ran over there on its own. Hey, that’s my Mana!’
While Hailey was dazed, her Mana had already uncontrollably surged toward Idledra.
Consequently, she turned into a limp mess.
Idledra ignored Hailey’s pouting and complaints, only quietly squeezing her hand tighter.
This time, it wasn’t her magic; it was Hailey’s own doing.
“Hailey, I’m very happy.”
‘Because Hailey likes me, her Mana took the initiative to act on behalf of the tsundere Hailey. Otherwise, why would this Mana keep sticking to me so closely?’
“You… forget it, as long as you’re happy.”
‘Since someone stepped up to help me today, I’ll allow you to be selfish this once.’
Even though she was being manipulated, Hailey still stubbornly justified it to herself.
‘It’s definitely not because I have no way to resist at all…’