“Hill, do I really have to wear this…?”
“This is to avoid arousing suspicion. Also, Your Highness, have you not changed into the undergarments I provided?”
“Those are way too embarrassing!”
“I’m concerned that Your Highness might accidentally reveal something. The Radiant Monastery’s attire has strict hierarchical designs, especially for a Saintess.”
“Ugh, fine… is this okay?”
I cautiously poked my body out from the room.
My petite frame was wrapped in a white dress with golden trim, its intricate lace shawl covering my otherwise exposed skin, exuding elegance without losing grace.
Though the skirt’s hem barely concealed the mysterious regions, the silver robe fastened with tassels at my chest effectively shielded my sides, while pure white knee-high socks paired with gold-trimmed boots perfectly blended holiness with cuteness.
Coupled with my doll-like, lovable appearance, I was indistinguishable from the innocent Saintess described in books.
“It suits Your Highness perfectly.”
Syl, gazing at the stunning figure she’d dressed up, revealed a rare hint of a satisfied smile on her usually emotionless face.
But as the one wearing it, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. The outfit was just too flamboyant, and when Syl claimed this was the style of the Radiant Monastery’s Saintess, I could hardly believe her.
Yet, while Syl was impeccable in most things, she was oddly uncompromising when it came to my appearance. In the end, I raised my hands in surrender and let her transform me into this.
“Will this really work…?” I toyed with the hem of my skirt, pouting.
“From now on, you must mind your words and actions, Your Highness.”
Syl stepped forward, adjusting my veil and smoothing out my slightly fluffy golden hair (altered by magical disguise).
“The veil and the robe will conceal the magical disguise, but you must be careful not to reveal any flaws.”
How could anyone mess this up? Would I have to bend over dramatically and stick out my hips on purpose to expose something?
Who’d do something that embarrassing, anyway?!
“Since Your Highness is ready, we can depart.”
While I was lost in weird thoughts, Syl had already changed into a nun’s outfit.
But before she could open the teleportation portal to the bright faction, a small hand tugged at her sleeve, accompanied by a faint, almost imperceptible voice.
“Um, Hill…”
“What is it, Your Highness?”
“Could… could we teleport directly to the destination?”
Perhaps it was the outfit, but the usually audacious Demon King felt a rare twinge of embarrassment.
…
No matter how you look at it, the Demon King’s Castle wouldn’t be so extravagant as to set up teleportation coordinates everywhere, let alone right inside the enemy’s stronghold.
That’d be like a certain bald guy ulting into the enemy’s fountain—basically handing them a free kill.
Thus, a peculiar scene unfolded on the streets of Soma Town. The normally bustling crowd suddenly fell silent at a certain moment, their gazes turning toward the center of the street.
There stood two figures, one tall, one small.
The tall nun had a refined yet aloof demeanor, her years in a disciplined, rigid environment fostering a cold, ascetic aura that made others hesitant to approach.
In contrast, the petite figure beside her, though dressed in ornate and elegant attire, couldn’t hide her childlike innocence. Combined with her refined, holy aura, she exuded a unique, captivating charm.
Her stunningly adorable face naturally drew the majority of the attention.
As the two passed by, the crowd instinctively parted, their eyes filled with awe, whispering quietly to their companions.
Even the native residents of Soma Town, usually preoccupied with daily tasks, paused to stare and murmur among themselves.
“By the Goddess of Light, I never thought I’d live to see the Saintess’s visage. Praise Setia,” an elderly devotee muttered.
“The Initial Rite hasn’t begun yet. She must be a Saintess candidate out to train and gather followers,” a rational scholar deduced.
“Father, I want to become a Holy Knight,” a thirteen-year-old boy declared, harboring his first personal aspiration.
“She must have an important mission!” Unlike the locals, many players thought this, silently trailing her even after she left.
Bathed in the gazes of nearly the entire town’s residents and players, we finally reached the outskirts with difficulty, a trail of followers behind us large enough to form several dungeon raid teams.
Fortunately, the Radiant Monastery’s patrol checkpoints around the White Birch Grove didn’t suspect our disguises, but the players weren’t so lucky—all were stopped.
“We’re finally in,” I said, looking around.
This was a cluster of religious buildings, satellite structures of the Radiant Monastery, with many young knights in light armor or clergy passing by, clearly candidates or new recruits.
In the distance, solemn bell tolls and hymns resounded, a holy aura permeating the monastery’s grounds.
An ordinary demon would likely have been forced to reveal their true form, but with our bloodline enhancements, Syl and I could handle it.
“It won’t be so easy from here on, Your Highness.
Be cautious.
The Radiant Monastery, independent from the Radiant Church and established in the Alwyn Empire, has a leader who isn’t easily fooled.”
Syl reminded me from the side.
Indeed, our destination was the Radiant Monastery—the faction that opposed my Lilina form during the [Bloodthirsty Frenzy of Eternal Night] event.
But I wasn’t too worried. After all, they were after Lilina, not Sophie-Lina, the candidate Saintess.
Candidate Saintess Sophie-Lina, granddaughter of Bishop White Lion, one of the seven archbishops of the Alwyn Empire’s Radiant Church, raised in secret as a Saintess candidate.
Her appearance and strength are so mysterious that even priests with decades of service know little about her. If the Radiant Church is this unaware, how much less would the Radiant Monastery, an independent entity in the Gruin Region, know?
This was the result of Syl’s investigation, and why I felt confident using this identity.
As for the other reason…
“This is Bishop White Lion’s decree. Please inform the monastery’s leader that Her Highness Sophie-Lina has come to discuss important matters.”
Standing before the main building of the Radiant Monastery, Syl handed the golden decree to the knight captain guarding the entrance with calm authority.
The decree in Syl’s hands was, of course, created using my Energy.
If special items didn’t require prior possession to replicate¹, I wouldn’t have bothered Maple Leaf with triggering that hidden quest from my past life. But this way, I’d killed two birds with one stone.
As for whether the decree could be identified as a fake, I wasn’t too concerned.
Syl’s investigation confirmed the Radiant Monastery lacked True Sight abilities, and aura detection was useless against Energy-created items.
To be extra safe, this decree cost me a whopping 50 Energy to create. If it was seen through, I’d march straight to the consumer association and complain to Alice about selling shoddy products.
The Holy Knight Captain nodded, respectfully taking the decree and entering the building.
As I watched him disappear, I noticed sneaky glances from the other guards.
But when I turned to the Holy Knights at the gate, they stiffened like they were facing a great enemy, standing ramrod straight and avoiding my gaze.
Am I really that scary?
I tilted my head in confusion.
Before I could dwell on it, the knight captain returned from the building, handing the decree back to Syl.
“Honored Lady Sophie-Lina, Lord Claire awaits you inside.”
Note: Special items requiring prior possession for replication refers to the game mechanic where certain unique items, like Bishop White Lion’s decree, cannot be created using Energy unless the creator has physically held or interacted with the original item.