Vylian inexplicably felt a cold sweat trickling down her back.
The scrutinizing gaze felt like steel needles. If handled poorly, there was a high risk of exposure.
With such a prominent identity as the Saintess, attracting everyone’s attention, the probability of exposure was indeed terrifyingly high.
Fortunately, after tacitly accepting this identity, Vylian had actually made contingency plans, so she didn’t reveal any unusual expressions.
Instead, she mirrored Anlis’s confusion.
“Huh? I’ve always said I was just a little nun. It’s just that everyone thinks I’m the Saintess… And, the two Archbishops didn’t refute it either. I… I thought I really was the Saintess.”
As she spoke, Vylian looked increasingly pitiful and charming.
“To think I actually wasn’t? I’m sorry, I deceived everyone.”
The two Archbishops stiffened, their faces flushing red.
Given her previous performance, they had been absolutely certain the Saintess was genuine.
So now, wasn’t this just a huge misunderstanding?
If this got out, it would be a massive blow to the Holy Order’s prestige!
“What should we do?”
Meili whispered.
Glen was silent for a moment, then raised his head with a look of confusion. “What nun? Hasn’t it always been the Saintess here? I could never mistake that.”
“Hey! Have you lost your mind?”
Though Meili hissed, her voice remained low, unheard by the others.
“My master is the Grand Bishop of the Sacred Vestment under His Holiness the Pope. If I report this to him and ask my master to inform His Holiness, I believe they’ll understand my meaning.”
Meili fell silent. How could she not understand?
Recruiting the Hero was the top priority.
If they didn’t do it, plenty of others would.
The Empire had many princesses and princes. Thinking about it that way, the mere title of Saintess wasn’t that significant.
Even if a real Saintess were to appear later, they could just manipulate things behind the scenes to adjust it back. It wasn’t a big deal.
Thinking it through this way, it seemed…
“You’re right.”
Having figured it out, Meili cleared her throat softly and instantly switched to a gentle smile. “Your Grace, how could you possibly not be the Saintess?”
The two of them insisting she was the Saintess actually took Vylian by surprise.
With the facts laid bare before them, their persistence could only mean they had other calculations.
She couldn’t be bothered to guess their underlying intentions.
After all, she had the confidence to flip the table at any time.
She had originally thought that if the explanation didn’t work, she’d just drop the act.
But now…
Vylian’s eyes shifted. “Your Excellencies, can’t the Hero see my Class? I really am just a nun.”
“This…”
Archbishop Glen really was having trouble explaining further. Using forceful words should have made any smart person take the offered way out.
Just as he was considering whether to pull Vylian aside and explain the reason directly, Vylian smoothly shifted her gaze to Anlis.
“Then, how about the Hero takes another look at what my current Class is? If I’m just an ordinary nun, I absolutely cannot occupy the identity of the Saintess.”
The sudden shift in topic made Anlis’s heart contract sharply.
She couldn’t fathom what Vylian was trying to do.
But at this moment, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and pull up Vylian’s status panel.
[Name: Vylian]
[Lv: 54]
[Class: Saintess]
[Sacred Blessing: Sacred power blesses you, greatly increasing your affinity with holy forces.]
[Holy Light Blessing: The holy light blesses you, greatly increasing your affinity with holy forces.]
[Holy Light Affinity: Your purity draws the light close. Light and holiness are more willing to draw near to you.]
Wait.
What did it mean that her Class had changed to [Saintess]?
And there was no “Disguised” notation after Saintess!
Even her level and traits had undergone huge changes!
It was completely different from what she saw the first time!
In that instant, Anlis thought of many things, feeling a chilling fear run down her spine.
If the Demon King was originally capable of concealing her status from viewing, then the content she saw the first time was likely deliberately shown to her by Vylian.
This meant Vylian never intended to disguise herself in the first place. Instead, she was like a cat toying with its prey, playing with her like a dying mouse in its paws.
But what if… both displays were genuine?
Wouldn’t that mean Vylian had truly changed her class from Corrupt Monarch to Saintess?
How was that possible?!
What on earth was going on?
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess, and she still couldn’t figure out what the change between the two viewings revealed.
She had to force herself to calm down.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, as if she had figured something out in her mind.
So, she deliberately exclaimed in an astonished voice, “It’s [Saintess]! The Class is [Saintess]! Miss Vylian’s Class has changed from Nun to Saintess!”
“What?!”
Archbishop Glen was stunned, his expression instantly freezing.
So sudden…?
“Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong, Hero? Didn’t you just say earlier that her panel showed Nun before?”
Glen felt like he was being played.
“I’m sure I’m not mistaken. Though I don’t know why, if you bring a Job Stone, the result will definitely be the same.”
This was indeed a test by Vylian, probing the extent of Anlis’s ability.
She stared intently at Anlis but found no clues in her expression.
That look of surprise, happiness, with a hint of confusion in her eyes and micro-expressions, seemed exceptionally genuine.
She had indeed overlooked it before.
Only reminded by the Archbishop did she remember the Hero possessed what could be called a BUG-like cheat ability.
The ability to see the levels and traits of all things. Any low-level disguise would be seen through by her.
For Vylian to disguise herself as the Hero’s companion, the prerequisite was that Anlis must be unaware.
She wasn’t sure about the strength of this cheat ability, whether it could see through her Demon King-level disguise.
Although initially, she had transformed her level, class, and abilities to appear like an ordinary nun, Vylian hadn’t deliberately concealed anything at that time.
If she had already been exposed back then, then Vylian really had no need to keep acting.
Now, she had changed her class to [Saintess]. If Anlis could see through the falsehood, and the panel displayed [Corrupt Monarch], then she definitely couldn’t say what class Vylian was currently disguised as.
But if she accurately said Saintess…
This still wouldn’t dispel Vylian’s suspicions.
After all, Vylian didn’t understand her ability fully.
Forcing the recognition of the Saintess identity now was also about seeking great fortune amidst great danger.
The Saintess identity indeed carried future risks of exposure. But if she was already exposed, it was better to use this as a test.
Accepting it now was also following the Archbishops’ lead. Since she was to become the Saintess, a fake wasn’t as good as a “real” one. A “real” one actually offered many opportunities for manipulation.
Plus… such a shocking, huge change in identity would absolutely cause a person to reveal flaws.
Just by observing, she could discern the truth.
Vylian’s sparkling gaze fixed tightly on Anlis’s expression, but Anlis’s face was calm, her smile natural, showing not a hint of guilt.
She could even meet Vylian’s gaze frankly, her eyes filled with joy.
As if she was genuinely surprised and happy about the change in Vylian’s class.
An 18-year-old village girl couldn’t possibly have godly acting skills. Even if she was the Hero, it was impossible.
Vylian’s brows furrowed slightly.
Her thoughts were in disarray.