How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

Having a group of companions who fully supported him, shared one heart with him, and would advance and retreat alongside him made Vinny feel very warm inside.

“Oh, right. Everyone, aside from that, there is one more thing I think is somewhat worth paying attention to.” Vinny suddenly thought of something and murmured.

“What are you referring to, Lady Saintess?” Luna asked.

“Although that cardinal isn’t all that trustworthy, some of the things he said probably weren’t lies. For example, he told me that the current Pope may no longer be understandable within the category of ‘human.’ The truth may be far more terrifying than we imagine,” Vinny said.

“Huh? No longer understandable within the category of human?” Fennia looked confused and strange. “What does that mean? Is the current Pope not human? But if the Pope isn’t human, what else could he be? He can’t be a monster, right??”

Luna said nothing. She seemed to have fallen into thought.

“Speaking of which, Lady Luna, have you seen the current Pope?” Amisha asked, hugging her staff.

“I have,” Luna answered frankly.

“Huh? Is he human?” Fennia’s eyes widened.

“Miss Fennia, your question leaves me unsure how to answer you.” Luna laughed. “If the Pope’s image were not even human, guess how much panic that would cause?”

“In other words, no matter what kind of existence the current Pope truly is, even discussing the question of whether he is human is unsolvable. Because no matter what he is, he still has to make himself look like a dutiful Pope. His appearance definitely has to be human.”

“I know you can’t judge a person by appearance, but what does the current Pope look like?” Vinny asked.

“To put it rather impolitely, he is quite the stereotype. Mm, how should I describe it? He has the kind of image that lets people recognize at a glance, ‘This person must be the Pope.’” Luna smiled as she spoke. It was hard to tell whether her words were praise or criticism.

“A long, graying beard, an amiable and approachable face, and every word he speaks sounds as though he is singing a holy hymn. He is the standard image of a ‘good Pope’ in the public eye. As if the moment he removed the Pope’s vestments, he would be a kind old man from next door.” Luna’s description was very fitting.

“Looking at it that way, doesn’t he seem pretty normal?” Fennia hesitated.

“No, Miss Fennia. Quite the opposite. The more he is like that, the more abnormal it is.” Luna’s smile faded as she said this.

“Huh? Why?” Honestly, Fennia also felt that a qualified Pope ought to be exactly like that.

“The current Pope, Saint Artukinu, gathers every stereotypical public image of a Pope into himself. Amiable, benevolent, noble, approachable—he looks exactly like a devout, good-natured believer.”

“In other words, he is like the ultimate aggregate of all the stereotypes every Pope across history has left among the common people. At first, you don’t feel anything wrong with it. But once you look long enough, it gives you a strange feeling when you think about it carefully. His every word and action is like something from a textbook. Standard, yet unchanging.”

“My description may not be entirely fitting, but it is like some kind of thing deliberately polished itself into that image.” Luna’s words were somewhat heavy.

“Ah, now that Lady Luna says it like that, even I’m starting to feel that it’s creepy.” Fennia pressed her lips together, while Amisha shrank slightly behind Fennia in fear. “You said he’s secretly colluding with Demon Pillar believers, too. Could it be that Artukinu, this Pope, really isn’t human, but some unknown creature imitating human behavior??”

“Little Fennia, don’t say something that scary out loud.” Amisha shrank her neck back.

“Ah, but since we’ve already said this much, isn’t that what everyone should be thinking now?” Fennia did not understand.

“If that is really the case, Little Fennia, then the Church of the Dawn has been ruled by that kind of person for so many years. Don’t you think that’s terrifying??”

“Ah! I was just guessing! Right, Lady Luna?”

“Mm. It is only a guess. However, I do not think that guess is impossible.” Luna said this instead. “If this series of incidents had not happened, I would only have thought that Pope was a model Pope. But.”

“Things have already reached this point. More or less, all of us understand what is currently happening inside the Church. Otherwise, we would not be gathered here.” Luna swept her gaze over the three people before her.

“His actions have already proven that he may not even be a believer. Now, the problem has simply become even more severe. With matters developed to this stage, speculating about the enemy with the worst assumptions is not unfair.”

Fennia and Amisha said nothing. Once again, they realized exactly what they were opposing.

In the past, they had thought they were opposing injustice and a corrupted Church. Only now did they discover that perhaps their enemy was not even human, but some indescribable thing.

That was much more terrifying.

“Then, Lady Saintess, what are your plans next?”

“Plans?” Vinny fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Honestly, I don’t think my identity can stay hidden much longer. With the Church’s power and the extent to which they’re investigating me, they will find out sooner or later. And that day is very close.”

“However, even if they do find out, as long as I remain inside Carillian Academy, they probably won’t dare make a move,” Vinny said.

“Then what do you mean?”

“Since it definitely can’t stay hidden for much longer, I have to maximize its use and turn it into an opportunity to promote myself to the entire Tyrelis Continent,” Vinny said. “Given the Church’s current divided situation, instead of sitting around waiting for death, it’s better to counterattack proactively when the right time comes.”

“I understand what you mean.” Luna nodded, and a strange light could not help flashing in her eyes.

This was the day she, and her family, had been waiting for.

But when that day was about to arrive, she still could not avoid feeling nervous.

After all, what they were doing now was unprecedented, something that had never been recorded in history books.

They were assisting the rightful Dawn Saintess in restoration, crushing the Pope’s sinful faction, and reshuffling the Church.

Whether they succeeded or failed, it would leave a heavy, vivid stroke in history.

The risk was enormous. With the slightest misstep, the entire Haukekai Family would disappear from history.

However.

Luna silently watched Vinny.

Across history, the Church of the Dawn had experienced countless crises, with no telling how many divisions included among them. But no matter which time it was, no matter how dangerous, the Haukekai Family had always stood with the Saintess.

This time would not be an exception either.

They would either follow the new-generation Saintess after Saintess Sophia to accomplish their cause, or follow the final Saintess to die for righteousness.

Unlike Fennia and Amisha, Luna bore the greatest pressure.

Fennia and Amisha’s families were not particularly prominent within the Church, but the Haukekai Family was different. With the slightest mistake, the entire family would suffer disaster.

Therefore, when they made the decision, they carried immense risk. No one could say for certain whether a fallen, powerless Saintess whose name had yet to be rectified could win to the very end.

However, the Haukekai Family did not care about that. Or rather, if they cared about the risk, they would not have supported Vinny without hesitation.

Vinny silently looked at Luna. Of course, he also knew what kind of pressure she bore.

After all, only his family was being targeted by the Pope. Luna and her family could have stayed completely out of it and continued to be a bright and glorious major Church family. There was no need for them to take this risk with him at all.

Because of that, Vinny also knew he had to be cautious, then more cautious still. Since long ago, what he carried had no longer been only his own life.

“All right. So many things have happened. Lady Saintess must be tired as well. Let us not put too much pressure on Lady Saintess.” Luna’s words were like a strand of evening wind, smoothing away the heavy pressure in Vinny’s chest a little.

“Oh, right. Lady Saintess, you probably haven’t eaten anything decent in the elf lands these past few days, have you?” Amisha stood up while hugging her staff.

“That’s true. The food in the elf lands really is hard to describe.” Vinny thought back to the food he had eaten these past few days. He had eaten until his complexion nearly turned into vegetable colors.

“But there is no stored food here. I’ll have to go out and source ingredients from this little town.”

“Then I’ll go buy groceries now.” As Amisha spoke, she put on a black robe. “It’s getting late. The market might close soon, so I’ll go buy ingredients first.”

“Thank you, Amisha.”

“Not at all. Being able to help Lady Saintess makes me very happy.” Amisha smiled softly, walked to the front door, and changed her shoes.

The group spent the night in that small residence without incident. Rarely, Vinny slept peacefully. Early the next morning, Vinny climbed out of bed and stretched. In a daze, he seemed to hear someone calling him, but while still half-awake, he did not react to who it was.

For some reason, he felt that this sleep had been very peaceful. He did not know why.

Vinny pushed open the door, yawning as he walked out, and nearly bumped into a figure.

“?!” Vinny froze. He could not understand why there was someone standing in front of his door.

“Huh? Lady Saintess, you’re awake? Good morning.”

“Fennia?” Vinny finally saw the person in front of him clearly. His face showed a bit of confusion as he looked her up and down. “What are you standing at my door for?”

“Ehehe. I just happened to be passing by.” Fennia scratched the back of her head.

“Just happened to be passing by?” Vinny’s expression turned odd. “That’s way too much of a coincidence. Besides, there isn’t much hallway space in front of my door. The moment I opened the door, you just happened to appear right in front of it?”

“Wait, you—” Vinny realized what was wrong. Looking at her posture, he understood somewhat. “You didn’t stand guard outside my door all night, did you??”

“Ehe.”

“Don’t play dumb.” Seeing that she was trying to act cute and muddle through, Vinny frowned. Though this little red-haired idiot was already stupid to begin with and did not need to pretend.

“Did Luna tell you to come?” Vinny asked with a sigh.

“N-no. It wasn’t Lady Luna. It has nothing to do with Lady Luna.” Fennia denied it at once.

“It was my own decision. I just, well, I was a little worried about you, Lady Saintess. After I washed up at night and went to bed, I tossed and turned and couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. So I thought, since I couldn’t sleep anyway, I might as well not sleep. I went into the corridor to patrol and keep watch over your room, Lady Saintess.”

“After all, Lady Luna said during the day that we couldn’t rule out the worst possibility. We have to be fully prepared at all times.”

“You little fool.” Vinny looked at Fennia’s mental state after staying up all night, both exasperated and amused. “So you stood at my door all night without sleeping?”

“Ah, Lady Saintess, I’m not tired. I’m very energetic right now! It won’t affect our travel.” Hearing that, Fennia hurriedly straightened her posture.

“You have dark circles under your eyes, and you’re still saying you aren’t tired?” Vinny said, amused. “Do you only count as tired if you can’t hold on anymore and fall asleep on the spot in the next second?”

“Ah, no, I’m really not that tired.” Fennia scratched her head.

“Come on. Let’s go downstairs for breakfast.” Vinny was a little speechless and did not know what to say about Fennia.

Though he did not dislike the feeling of being guarded by such sincere feelings.

“After breakfast, sleep a little in the carriage.”

“It’s fine, Lady Saintess. I’m not tired,” Fennia said solemnly. “And I believe what we need most right now is to keep ourselves fully alert. Before we reach the Academy, anything can happen.”

“Oh?” Vinny looked at Fennia in surprise.

“Mm? What’s wrong, Lady Saintess?” Fennia did not understand. Vinny’s gaze made her feel a little embarrassed.

“Nothing. I just feel that lately, Fennia, you really have grown quite a lot.” Vinny nodded.

“H-huh? Thank you, Lady Saintess. But I still can’t compare to you at all.”

“After all, I’m responsible for your safety now, Lady Saintess.” There was one reason Fennia did not say aloud. As the subordinate and guard of the Dawn Saintess, she could not even protect the Saintess. Now that the situation was so critical, and her own strength was so far below the Saintess’s, if something really happened, would she be protecting the Saintess, or would the Saintess be protecting her?

If things went poorly, she might even become the Saintess’s burden and drag the Saintess down.

That was something Fennia absolutely could not accept.

“Fennia, are you still following me?”

“Mm. Given the current situation, I think it is best for me not to leave your side for even a single step, Lady Saintess.”

“But I’m going to the bathroom. Are you going to follow me there too?” Vinny teased.

“Mm. Lady Saintess, what do you think?”

“I think you’re ridiculous. You really were planning to follow me, weren’t you? Go eat breakfast first.” Vinny rolled his eyes at Fennia and entered the washroom.

Fennia said nothing and simply stood outside.

Very soon, Vinny finished using the bathroom and washed up along the way. When he walked out of the washroom and saw that Fennia was still in the same place, he was not surprised at all.

He walked over and pressed a warm face towel onto Fennia’s face.

“Lady Saintess?”

“Take it. Wipe your face properly.” Vinny said without looking back. “You stayed up all night. Your face is oily.”

“...I understand.” Fennia somewhat blankly used the face towel Vinny had handed her to wipe her cheeks.