Raising Yanderes to save the world

”Welcome, my esteemed guests. I hope the journey here was pleasant. Please follow your assigned guards and head toward the rest rooms before proceeding to the banquet.”

Cardinal Flux clapped his hands, and various guards stepped forward, smoothly moving between them and separating them.

Both Seraphina and Neil were completely isolated while the other three were grouped together. The intention behind this was quite clear.

”Cardinal, I don’t think there is any need to separate us. We would all feel much more comfortable if we were in the same room-”

”But that would go against our traditions. There are a few preparations we need to make with the Saintess and the Hero that cannot be carried out while there are outsiders present. Please understand that this is related to tradition, not anything personal.”

Cardinal Flux spoke in a soft voice, begging Kael to understand his good intentions.

On a good day, Kael might have understood his intentions and decided to back down gracefully. But he was already nursing a headache, and now he felt irritated.

In simpler words, he had no reason to back down and do as he was asked.

”I still don’t feel comfortable leaving the kids alone. I am still going to insist that you reconsider before an accident happens.”

Kael was not making a request; he was threatening the Cardinal.

Beads of sweat dripped down Cardinal Flux’s face, and he looked cornered. He knew that he could use this to ruin Kael’s reputation...however, Kael showed no concern for it.

So what was even the use of threatening someone with something they did not care about?

His only hope left was Seraphina.

Kael came to this conclusion as he watched Cardinal Flux glance toward Seraphina every once in a while. There was also a sickeningly sweet smell filling the room that felt magical.

It only served to make Kael’s headache worse, causing him to rub his forehead.

His worsening mood ultimately made Cardinal Flux give in, but not completely.

”Alright! I can allow you to accompany the Hero, but I cannot allow the Saintess to go with you under any circumstances. Even I cannot accompany her to the purification grounds this time.”

Cardinal Flux was firm in his decision, but Kael was still unwilling to back down.

However, the one who ultimately made the decision was Seraphina herself.

She looked at Kael with a zoned-out expression and declared,

”I will be fine, Teacher. If the Cardinal is insisting that the ceremony is so important, then I had better do justice to it. After all, I am the ’current leader’ of the temple, so I need to set a good example.”

Kael felt sorry for Seraphina and everything she had to go through just because she was the Saintess. He could feel her reluctance to head out alone, but she still braved the situation on her own.

He was about to tell her to take a familiar at least when Cardinal Flux clapped his hands and distracted everyone.

”Excellently said, Saintess Seraphina. I never expected anything less from the Goddess’s chosen. Now, please proceed toward the central purification grounds.”

Kael had a lot to say, but he felt tongue-tied as he watched Seraphina walk away on her own.

There was no point in trying to stop a decision she had made herself since that would only make her feel as though she had made a mistake.

Besides, Kael trusted Seraphina to look after herself at this point.

The one he did not trust was the Cardinal.

”Now then, shall I show you to the Hero’s room?”

Cardinal Flux asked, and Kael nodded. He decided to attach a familiar to the Cardinal to keep an eye on him for now.

...

’Are you sure this is the right thing to do? Teacher looked worried, almost as if he did not want us to go alone.’

Seraphina tried her hardest not to show her nervousness as she followed the guards toward her destination. But it was hard not to feel nervous when she was surrounded by strangers who showed far too much interest in her.

Not only were these guards looking at her with curiosity, but they were also making it difficult for Seraphina to observe where she was going.

So far, the only reason she had even decided to come here was because her inner voice had told her to.

’My dear, there is no right or wrong here. That Cardinal would have done anything to get us alone, which means he has plans for us. I just want to see what he is planning in the first place.’

’And what if it backfires? What if we fall into his trap and are not able to get out-’

’Then we leave it up to our Teacher. But I doubt things will come to that.’

Seraphina still felt nervous, but she decided to trust herself and walked into the purification grounds. Her guards stopped right outside since they were not permitted to enter this sanctuary.

The large doors closed behind her, and a shining body of water came into view. Seraphina headed toward the water when she felt another presence behind her.

Soft hands touched her face, and her body was turned around, only for her to see the veiled woman from before.

”It’s nice to see you again, my dear. Are you ready to do as I ask today?”

The sweet smell rose around Seraphina, and she felt dizzy. The magic made her feel as if she were losing control.

Something foreign was trying to seize hold of her when she suddenly felt her inner self push her back and take control.

’Why don’t you let me handle this?’

Seraphina nodded, not feeling like fighting at the moment.

Meanwhile, the mage using magic on Seraphina looked at her with a gleeful expression. She seemed proud of being able to control the Saintess.

And now that she had control, it was time to carry out her orders.

”Today, you will announce that both the Hero and you need to stay with the temple and not with Grand Master Kael. You will cut all ties with him, my dear. Do you understand-”

A small hand grabbed the veiled woman’s face, and Seraphina’s eyes darkened.

”Sorry, lady, but I don’t like listening to bitches. Now, why don’t you confess who you are and who sent you? Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. I just want to have a chat with you.”

The magician stiffened, realizing that she had fallen into a trap instead. She instantly tried to pull away, only to find that her body had no strength.

The Saintess had used holy magic and cut off every route she could use to escape.