How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

What kind of inheritance drains all your mana power when absorbed?

Is this how absorbing inheritances normally works?

Vanessa had never absorbed an inheritance before, so she didn’t know.

No wonder Aesphyra had been so sluggish after descending from the crystal throne, hesitating to finish off the top-hatted man, she had completely run out of mana.

Facing the swarm of clones charging toward them, Vanessa and Aesphyra instinctively stood back-to-back.

As the protagonist, Aesphyra couldn’t possibly lack means to deal with such a situation, such as the divine blessing of the Carillian royal bloodline, [Sacred Favor].

However, using such a trump card to crush a mere Mavie would be overkill.

Moreover, Aesphyra, like her, was secretly doing one thing, concealing her identity.

Vanessa didn’t want to use holy light in front of others, lest they recognize her. Aesphyra was the same, she didn’t want her identity exposed either. The fewer people who knew who she was, the better.

To some extent, the importance of Aesphyra hiding her identity was on par with Vanessa’s.

Aesphyra was the last remaining direct descendant of the ancient Carillian Empire’s royal family.

One had to wonder, which faction in today’s Terraria continent would welcome the emergence of the legitimate heir of an empire that once unified the land?

Especially the Tyrell Empire, which claimed to be the true successor of the ancient empire. If the world learned that the ancient imperial bloodline hadn’t died out and still had a direct descendant, wouldn’t they become laughingstocks?

Thus, like Vanessa, Aesphyra had trump cards but couldn’t use them under most circumstances. If she did, they could only be shown to those about to die.

Well, in this regard, the two of them were evenly matched.

Vanessa glanced at the clone charging from behind out of the corner of her eye, lifted her high-heeled boot, and delivered a spinning kick straight toward Aesphyra’s direction.

Aesphyra understood immediately, having already prepared to dodge just before Vanessa made her move.

The kick landed squarely on the face of Mavie’s clone. Since Aesphyra had blocked the clone’s line of sight earlier, it hadn’t seen Vanessa’s movement, only that Aesphyra had suddenly ducked, and then a pure white high-heeled boot was less than half an inch from its face.

On the other side, Aesphyra did the same, delivering a straight kick. Vanessa sidestepped effortlessly, letting the kick land squarely on the abdomen of the clone behind her, sending it flying backward like a shrimp.

Both of them were exceptionally skilled in close combat, with astonishing strength.

The sheer force of their punches and kicks was enough to send these clones back to their original forms.

The two girls, one pink-haired, one silver-haired, had never trained together, yet their impromptu coordination was seamless, as if they had practiced countless times in secret.

With just a glance or a gesture, they knew what the other intended to do, whether to throw a punch or a kick, in which direction, whether it would be a roundhouse or a straight kick, and where they themselves should dodge.

This hidden tactic caught Mavie’s clones completely off guard.

Just as they began to adapt to the duo’s strategy and prepared to counter their flanking attacks, the two girls switched tactics again, abandoning feints and going straight for direct strikes.

The transition was so smooth and undetectable that it seemed as if they shared a telepathic bond, each knowing exactly what the other was thinking and what they would do next.

Soon, all dozen or so clones had been beaten down by the two of them. The defeated clones dissolved into shadows, sinking into the ground and leaving behind dark streaks.

“Seems like these were all fakes. The real one has been hiding from the start. Or perhaps...” Aesphyra glanced at one of the shadowy marks on the ground, flicked up a stone with her foot like a shuttlecock, and kicked it toward the mark.

“...From the beginning, the real one was disguised among the fakes, pretending to be defeated.”

Before the stone could hit the shadow, a dark figure emerged from it.

“Silver-haired lady, how did you figure out this was my real body?” Mavie adjusted his top hat, his tone puzzled.

“The shadow you hid in was darker than the others,” Aesphyra replied with a smile.

“...Your observational skills are quite sharp.”

“Your clones have all been defeated, yet you still seem to have a backup plan?” Aesphyra arched an eyebrow.

“Naturally.” Mavie raised his hands. “In fact, my goal from the start was for you to defeat my clones. Without that, my next move would’ve been hard to execute.”

“Ladies, have you ever heard of the Soul Armament Azure Shadow?”

“Azure Shadow?” Vanessa frowned. This wasn’t something she remembered from the original story.

“Indeed. My family has studied the Azure Shadow Soul Armament for generations. Soon, you’ll experience its power firsthand.”

Mavie spread his hands, and the shadows left behind by the defeated clones began to stir, gathering in his palm to form an unstable black sphere.

“Let me show you my family’s unique mastery and development of this Soul Armament!” With that, Mavie pressed the black sphere into his chest.

A storm of dark matter swirled around him, coalescing into black whirlwinds with every movement he made.

Vanessa’s brows furrowed slightly.

She could sense an overwhelming surge of dark elemental energy.

The effect of this skill was likely self-enhancement, imbuing his attacks with dark elemental magic.

Mavie let out a cold chuckle and lunged at the two girls.

Vanessa stepped forward, swinging her mace at Mavie.

Mavie was agile, his figure trailing a black crescent as he leaped into the air, diving down toward Vanessa with a piercing strike.

Vanessa retracted her mace to block Mavie’s clawed fist, but at that moment, several shadows emerged behind her, more clones stepping out to attack Aesphyra.

Seeing that Vanessa was about to be overwhelmed by the dark elemental magic imbued in Mavie’s claws, Aesphyra stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Vanessa’s waist, and pulled her back, breaking Mavie’s suppression.

She then flung Vanessa toward the clones behind them.

Understanding Aesphyra’s intent, Vanessa let herself be used as a weapon, extending her legs to kick away all the clones rushing toward them.

Aesphyra handled the spinning, Vanessa handled the kicking, their hair intertwined, each catching whiffs of the other’s floral and lavender scent.

Once all the surrounding clones had been kicked aside, Aesphyra helped Vanessa to rest.

The shadows of the defeated clones were once again gathered by Mavie, further enhancing his power.

“This isn’t sustainable. The longer this drags on, the worse it’ll be for us,” Vanessa signaled to Aesphyra with her eyes.

“The dark element around him has strong defensive properties. Close combat won’t work, we’d only hurt ourselves. Unless...” Aesphyra glanced back at Vanessa, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Vanessa understood and averted her gaze.

Both decided to end this quickly.

The two, who had been holding back their true abilities, launched an offensive, Aesphyra in front, Vanessa behind.

“Oh? Not that I mind ladies taking the initiative,” Mavie quipped, still oblivious to the severity of the situation.

Just as he thought the two had exhausted their options, Aesphyra suddenly crouched five meters away from him.

Mavie froze, a bad premonition rising in his chest. Sure enough, as Aesphyra’s silver hair swayed with the motion, he saw Vanessa aiming her mace directly at him.

“Come on, smile for me,” Vanessa said with a playful tilt of her head.

[Strong Light]

Crack!

A blinding flash erupted, making Mavie howl in pain. He felt as if flames were scorching his eyeballs.

Light element had a strong suppressing effect on the dark element. Had Vanessa been alone, Mavie might’ve reacted in time. But with Aesphyra obscuring her movements, the [Strong Light] was effectively instantaneous.

Moreover, this [Strong Light] was unusually potent, so much so that Mavie felt his eyes were about to burn out.

Caught completely off guard, Mavie, shrouded in dark element, screamed in agony as the light extinguished his dark energy in an instant.

Aesphyra’s eyes flickered with surprise. She knew [Strong Light] was effective against dark element, but this was beyond expectations.

But then again...

She had already realized earlier, when hit by Vanessa’s [Strong Light], that Vanessa’s affinity for light element was extraordinarily high.

To her, it could only be described as terrifying.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that.

Aesphyra dismissed the thought and waved a hand. A holy sword, previously overlooked at the edge of the battlefield, obeyed her command and impaled Mavie from behind.

“Argh! Damn it!” The holy flames engulfing the sword made Mavie shriek in pain, the agony searing through his nerves.

“You two, you wretched women!” Mavie roared in frustration. “Using such underhanded tricks to win!”

Aesphyra and Vanessa exchanged a glance, both silently agreeing that further words with this fool were unnecessary.

Side by side, they stepped forward in perfect unison, each raising a foot and delivering a synchronized kick to Mavie’s face.

A white high-heeled boot and a black open-toe stiletto each claimed half of Mavie’s face, sending him flying out of the underground ruins.

This kick carried their full remaining strength.

Already grievously wounded, Mavie stood no chance of survival. The moment he hit the ground, his token shattered, and he was teleported out of the secret realm.

“Phew...” Aesphyra brushed back her hair, relieved. When it came to trash like Mavie, she had ten thousand ways to deal with him, but every single one would expose her identity and invite unnecessary trouble.

Eliminating him without cost was the best outcome.

But she couldn’t let her guard down yet. What if someone else was lying in wait, ready to ambush them?

Vanessa thought the same, remaining vigilant until enough time had passed for them to relax.

Aesphyra looked at Vanessa’s back, her lips curling into an unconscious smile.

She could tell, this stunning girl, whose beauty rivaled her own, was holding back just as she was.

Like her, Vanessa was hiding countless secrets.

Aesphyra licked her lips. Her interest and curiosity toward Vanessa now surpassed all other girls she had ever met.

And after their seamless cooperation in battle, as well as Vanessa repaying her favor by shielding her from attacks...

Aesphyra gazed at Vanessa, recalling how they had fought side by side with perfect synergy.

Though they had just met, at critical moments, they had chosen to trust each other completely, offering their backs without hesitation.

Just thinking about it, she could almost smell the blend of white tea and lavender in the girl’s hair.

She felt a flutter in her chest, a sensation she had never experienced before.

Neither in her past life nor this one had she ever felt this way.

In her previous life, she had never met Vanessa, nor even heard of her. This life was different.

She didn’t know what butterfly effect had led to their meeting, but it was hard to believe that such a girl existed, one who perfectly matched her aesthetic, whom she could trust implicitly, whose temperament pleased her so much.

Compared to Vanessa, no matter how stunning other beauties were, Aesphyra couldn’t place them on the same level.

It was like comparing fireflies to the full moon, under its radiant glow, all other lights paled.

Aside from the memories brought by her rebirth, this was the only thing that made her feel reincarnation had been worth it.

“Nice teamwork, miss,” Aesphyra said, stepping toward Vanessa, who was slightly out of breath. She stood gracefully, her clever, beautiful eyes like those of a regal princess cat.

“Though teaming up isn’t allowed in the secret realm, we were outnumbered, it couldn’t be helped. Doesn’t that make us battle partners now?”

“But as partners who’ve fought side by side, we still don’t know each other’s names. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Aesphyra smiled meaningfully.

“I’m Aesphyra Galactus, a noble from the Camella Kingdom. And you, pink-haired lady?”

“Just a country girl from the empire. Nothing worth introducing.” Vanessa had no intention of giving her name, but it would be rude not to respond after Aesphyra’s introduction.

“How unfair. I introduced myself, yet you won’t even share your name. Isn’t that impolite? A refined lady like you, can you really tolerate such behavior?” Aesphyra pouted, keenly pinpointing Vanessa’s nature.

“...I’m not a noble. Just a country girl with no family name.”

“And how does that stop you from telling me your name?” Aesphyra smiled. “I’m just the descendant of a viscount family, not much higher than a country girl.”

“...Vanessa.” After a pause, Vanessa gave her name.

It wasn’t like Aesphyra had given her real surname either. Omitting hers wasn’t wrong.

She wasn’t worried about Aesphyra failing to find her name after entering the Carillian Academy.

If Aesphyra couldn’t find it, she’d just assume Vanessa had lied about her name.

But so what?

She had given her real name. If Aesphyra couldn’t find her, that was her problem.

Once they entered the academy, Vanessa would vanish. Aesphyra could search all she wanted, she’d never trace it back to her.