Chapter 16: Not a buddy?

With a flash of intense light, Viscount Fink completely lost all signs of life.

On the surface, he was purified by Holy Light, but in reality, Vylian had crushed him to death directly.

The Old Knight’s heart skipped a beat, and he lowered his head even further.

“Thank you for your mercy, Saintess.”

His voice was respectful and low.

“Suli Fink committed such atrocities only because he was eroded by the Power of Corruption and lost his mind…”

“I beg the Saintess to allow me to take his remains back to his family for a proper burial, as my final act of loyalty.”

“As you wish.”

With this guy taken care of, Anlis’s crisis was temporarily over.

Vylian didn’t care much about anything else.

‘Heh heh~’

‘Now that I’ve destroyed the opportunity for Anlis’s growth and eradicated a key plot point from the original story, her rate of improvement will surely be weakened quite a bit.’

‘A Hero only becomes powerful through the tempering of hardships and crises.’

‘Without this driving force, it will only be harder for Anlis to grow into an existence that can rival me.’

‘One’s mind must undergo great changes to truly mature.’

‘In the end, I am the better strategist.’

The Old Knight gave a respectful bow, stood up, and gathered the few knights willing to follow him.

They carefully collected Viscount Fink’s remains and prepared to return to the castle.

Meanwhile, the Villagers crowded around her, their faces full of reverence and gratitude.

However, the way they called her “Saintess” over and over left Vylian feeling helpless.

She was the dignified Demon King. How could she be worshiped as a Saintess by a bunch of people?

Besides, the status of a Saintess was much more prestigious—and much more eye-catching—than that of a Nun.

If word got out, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Holy Order’s higher-ups.

By then, her status as a “Saintess” who appeared out of thin air without any records would definitely be exposed, and a major investigation would be possible.

Vylian waved her hands hurriedly with a gentle smile on her face, explaining in an earnest tone.

“Everyone, you’ve misunderstood. My name is Vylian. I’m not actually a Saintess.”

“I’m just a plain, ordinary Nun in the Holy Order who happens to know a bit of Holy Light Art.”

The Villagers all looked “enlightened.”

“Oh, I understand, I understand.”

‘What exactly do you understand?!’

“Sigh, I’m really not a Saintess.”

Just then, the smile on Vylian’s face froze as she tried to argue further.

Her expression suddenly turned solemn.

She sensed two extremely pure and powerful holy auras rapidly approaching Kachi Village.

Before long, two figures appeared in a nearby clearing.

Looking at their striking attire, they were clearly two Archbishops.

One was Archbishop Glen, who managed this region, and the other seemed to be Archbishop Meili, sent by the Holy Order’s headquarters for an inspection.

The two looked at each other, both feeling somewhat surprised.

They had intended to ask the Villagers what happened and why they felt the auras of Holy Light and the Power of Corruption.

However, they heard a terrified yet excited villager speak.

“Nun Vylian really is the Saintess! Look, everyone, she’s even drawn two Archbishops here to meet her in person.”

“Saintess?”

The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Archbishop Glen was clearly confused, but he was always steady.

Not a hint of abnormality showed on his face as he maintained his usual calm.

‘A Saintess?’

He pondered secretly. He had been wondering why Meili was there the moment he saw her.

With Meili’s arrogant personality, why would she condescend to visit such a small mountain village?

He had only come because he was nearby; recently, he had been secretly investigating a Corrupted Creature wearing a tuxedo.

He had just caught the scent of a corruption aura so thick it was almost tangible, so he thought he’d check it out.

He didn’t expect to run into Meili here.

Speaking of which, he and Meili didn’t really get along.

That woman was ridiculously arrogant and looked down on everything.

He remembered his disciple once training under Meili for a while.

During those days, his disciple wrote to him every day complaining that Meili was too haughty.

As long as she thought a task was simple, she would naturally dump it on her subordinates and disciples, calling it “tempering.”

He really didn’t expect to meet her in such a remote village.

However, he had vaguely heard rumors that Meili had been ordered to this area recently to find someone from a prophecy.

Moreover, she was acting discreetly without much fanfare.

‘Could it be that the person she’s looking for is this young girl the Villagers are calling the “Saintess”?’

Archbishop Glen scanned the scene surreptitiously.

Sensing the dense Holy Light aura remaining in the air—something no ordinary person could manifest—he became increasingly certain.

Archbishop Meili was also confused, but she was always skilled at hiding her emotions.

Her face remained cold and proud without the slightest ripple.

‘A Saintess?’

Archbishop Meili was beyond puzzled. She had been inwardly surprised when she saw Glen.

How could this man, who was usually lazy and only wandered around, appear here?

She came to Kachi Village because the church’s prophets predicted that the new Hero would be born in this area.

She had been searching tirelessly.

The headquarters was very worried the new Hero would be attacked and persecuted by Corrupted Creatures before growing up.

So they specifically sent her to temporarily guard the Hero’s growth and ensure a smooth awakening.

But she had searched for a long time without finding any trace of the Hero, only to run into Glen here.

She and Archbishop Glen didn’t really get along.

If Glen found out she was searching for the Hero under orders but found nothing, he would surely mock her ruthlessly.

Glen was a man who was hopelessly lazy and did everything half-heartedly.

She vaguely remembered her disciple spending some time with Glen.

During that period, the disciple wrote to her every day venting about how Glen did nothing but wander the world all day.

He dumped mountains of Holy Order business onto his disciples.

She really didn’t expect to bump into him today in this small village.

However, she had also heard rumors that Glen had been secretly searching for someone lately.

He was acting very mysteriously, as if he had a lead.

‘Could it be that this lazy guy actually found the prophesied Hero and found this Saintess along the way?’

Archbishop Meili looked up slightly, feeling the Holy Light aura in the air.

It was as dense as if a divine kingdom had descended, making her even more certain.

Vylian was the most confused of all, but her years of disguise skills were perfect.

Her face remained gentle and calm without any flaws.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered that the butterfly effect might cause the subsequent plot to deviate.

But she never imagined it would deviate to this extent.

‘Could it be that my disguise has been exposed?’

‘Did they sense my Demon King aura and come specifically to surround and kill me?’

Vylian’s fingertips twitched slightly.

Magic power instinctively gathered around her, and a flash of coldness crossed her eyes.

Watching the two Archbishops slowly approach, she was already calculating how to kill them both with lightning speed.

Then she would immediately find Anlis, capture her, and imprison her in the Demon King Castle’s Dungeon.

But just as she finished her preparations and was ready to strike at any moment, the two Archbishops stopped a short distance from her.

Then, they both bowed slightly in unison, their expressions respectful and their voices solemn.

“Saintess, we have arrived late.”

“…Huh?”