137 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

137~ Her Childhood Friend is a Girl?? "It's impossible, how can it be?? Clearly, clearly this is just an imposter! Didn't they say the Fasyris family was already...?" The man in a purple robe stammered, staring in disbelief at the radiant, flawless girl with cherry blossom hair, glowing with saintly aura. He knew that any attempts to defame or deny it would be nothing but self-deception. This transcendent and divine aura was unique in the world, especially to the demonic followers, whose sensitivity to it was innate. Others might not recognize it, but they absolutely could not mistake it. Just like animals encountering their natural enemy, this intrinsic warning of danger was unmistakable! "You, you really are the Holy Saintess!? Damn it, we were deceived by those bastards!" the man in the purple robe growled through clenched teeth, his anger seemingly directed at no one in particular. "Ven… Wenny??" Standing in a cave, Mirexia, positioned at the ideal vantage point, had witnessed the entire transformation of Wenny into the cherry-haired girl under the blessing of angelic wings and radiance. Her expression was filled with shock as she uncertainly called out. This girl, radiating a holy aura, was unfamiliar yet not completely so. Mirexia could still detect traces of familiarity in her. This beautiful pink-haired girl, is that Wenny? No, that's not entirely right. Mirexia was in a daze, the conflicting mess of information was overwhelming her. Since she could remember, Mirexia had always been curious about her childhood friend Wenny. She frequently attended church services and often saw the goddess statue several times a week. Her father told her that the statue was of Fasyris, the goddess, who was actually Wenny's ancestor. She found it odd, though, because Wenny did not resemble his ancestor in the slightest. Logically, the bloodline of the "Sage" family was incredibly strong, retaining ancestral features across countless generations. But Wenny seemed to be an exception; neither his hair, his eyes, nor his appearance bore any of his ancestor's traits. However, considering the generations that had passed, perhaps it was simply due to the long lapse of time that caused the lack of resemblance. Mirexia never thought more deeply about it. It wasn't until she saw the portraits of previous saintesses that she realized Wenny and his immediate predecessors were indeed the exceptions. The inheritors of the Fasyris lineage had always been beauties with pink cherry blossoms hair and heart-shaped pupils, except for Wenny and the two generations before him who were not only male but lacked any ancestral features. Apart from bearing the Fasyris surname, they showed no sign of being descendants of the goddess Fasyris. Later, from her father, she learned that three generations ago, the Fasyris line had dwindled. The goddess's bloodline still resided within them, but it was inherently dormant. Whether it could be reawakened, no one could say. When Mirexia asked her father about this, he merely shook his head and sighed, murmuring to himself. "It depends on fate and luck." In the royal capital of Camilla, Mirexia had, of course, heard the rumors suggesting Wenny was a false descendant of the goddess. Contrary to the nobles who enjoyed spreading such tales, she did not believe them. She thought it was nothing but mindless gossip and even attempted to stop the rumors. Unfortunately, by the time she learned of it, the rumors had spread throughout the entire kingdom, making them impossible to quash. All she could do was hope that the rumors would cease among the wise. No matter how much Mirexia believed in Wenny, she could not provide any evidence to prove he was a true descendant of the goddess. Being a descendant of the "Sage" family, Wenny showed no family traits, lacked the "Saint's Blessing," and was magicless. When he was tested and rated with only one star for magical aptitude, it further fueled the rumors, solidifying them as truth among many. Regarding the issue of the dead bloodline, even Camilla's King Friian V was at a loss. Mirexia had secretly inquired with many royal physicians and even sought the advice of the clergy. They all claimed a dead bloodline was untreatable. Mirexia felt regret for her childhood friend but could do nothing. In her heart, she wanted Wenny to awaken one day and prove himself, dismantling the false rumors and reclaiming his place in the church. But as time passed, even Wenny himself lost hope in reviving his bloodline, and Mirexia gradually felt it was unlikely to happen. Ultimately, it wasn't an illness, but an exceedingly rare hereditary issue with no known remedy. There were times she wished that one day a miracle might occur, reviving Wenny's bloodline and giving him a renewed spirit. And now, this miracle of miracles had manifested before her eyes. The pristine girl emerged from the immaculate radiance like an angel gracing the earth, her otherworldly purity capturing all attention. Mirexia too, found herself entranced, thinking back to the goddess statue, the portraits of saintesses. Truly, it was strikingly similar. In fact, this should indeed be the true appearance of a descendant of the goddess and the saintesses. Mirexia ventured a guess. Perhaps, this was Wenny's true form? Could it be that his usual male appearance was merely a facade, or a disguise meant to deceive others? Moreover, when exactly did she awaken her bloodline? "Shh~" The breathtakingly beautiful girl turned her head, placing a slender finger against her lips and smiling lightly at Mirexia, making a silencing gesture. "Remember what I told you before, Princess Mirexia~ Keep it a secret for me~" She gave a playful wink, her enchanting heart-shaped pupils sending a laser-like gaze straight to Mirexia's heart. For a moment, the golden-haired girl was mesmerized by the girl with cherry hair, her face blushing softly with an unnoticed rosy tint. How strange… what's this feeling? Mirexia held her heart, unable to articulate the excitement coursing through her. "Virtue +200." "Current Virtue: 3854." It was worth the trip. Watching the surge in her virtue points, Vannesa licked her lips. She retracted her initial thoughts that Aesphyra was at the top for exploding virtue points. Clearly, Princess Mirexia was also a potential contender. And she wasn't as troublesome as Aesphyra, who left her unsure of who was exploding virtue on whom. Just a blink could explode virtue points, impressive! Her adorable childhood friend was more cherished indeed~ Despite the amassed virtue points being something to celebrate, she couldn't feel the joy at all. "Good day, incorrigible Demonic Pillar followers. I wonder, how long has it been since you've last bathed? That stench you're emanating, I can smell it from miles away.” Vannesa twirled the Mithril Hammer around her waist, spinning it into a few striking patterns before gripping it firmly. “No offense, but I think you, who crawl through foul sewers daily, should really pay attention to personal hygiene. It's considerate for yourselves and others, don't you think? It spares everyone the hassle, especially when slaying you means dirtying one's hands,” she remarked softly, pinching her nose with elegance tinged with disdain. "…Unexpectedly, it's real," the purple-robed man began to calm down after his outburst. "So be it, real is better! The dregs of the Fasyris family, daring to deliver yourself to us. Sacrificing you to our master will surely please him and bring us immense praise," he said, greedily eyeing Vannesa now that he was composed, aware of the risk-reward ratio. "Perfect! We'll take the princess and the saintess together!" "You lot, go grab her!" the man in the purple robe commanded. "Don't be afraid. Even a true saintess is merely at the sorcerer level, posing no threat to us." Despite their fear of Vannesa's aura, the black keratinous creatures charged at her without hesitation. Vannesa steeled herself, ready to confront the swiftly approaching monsters. These creatures were essentially semi-servants of the Demonic Pillar, thick-skinned and tough to kill physically. Even Mirexia, with her dragon bloodline, struggled to penetrate their defenses. And how did Vannesa know about Mirexia’s difficulty? Because she saw one of the creatures with Mirexia’s dragon tooth greatsword lodged in its chest. The fact that these creatures had such thick, keratinous skin that ordinary weapons couldn't penetrate, and those strong enough to pierce them would find their weapons stuck, was readily apparent. However, Vannesa didn’t have such concerns. She wielded a blunt weapon, relying primarily on transmitting impact force. A black creature lurched forward, its claw swipe seemed incredibly slow to Vannesa's eyes, allowing her to easily dodge and swing her mithril hammer at its head. "Crack!" The black creature's numerous compound eyes scrunched together like seeds on a strawberry, its contorted face twisted further as if it wore a mask of pain, collapsing to the ground. Vannesa noted the durability of the creature that continued to move after a severe blow to its head, marveling at their tenacity. These beings could no longer be classified as "human." It seemed that unless she used magic, dealing with them would remain troublesome. Vannesa took a few steps back, distancing herself from several lunging creatures, while silently channeling magic power to charge her mithril hammer. One creature, angered by Vannesa's evasive maneuver, leaped forward to pounce on her. [Charged Light Smash] Vannesa gripped the hammer, its head radiating resplendent light, and swung it in a baseball-like motion at the lunging creature. "Boom!" The creature’s head collided with the hammer, densely wrapped in light elements, leaving the monster bewildered. Its head and most of its body exploded into a pool of green liquid, flying off the cliff. What remained of its upper third was buried in the ground, while its leg appendages still writhed. "How is this possible?!" The man in the purple robe gaped in incredulity. As a subordinate priest of Eurnes, he was well aware of how resilient the semi-servants created by Eurnes' potion could be in terms of life force and defense. What level of light magic could instantly reduce a semi-servant to a puddle?! Staring at the dazzling mithril hammer in Vannesa's hand, he felt bewildered. What exactly was this level of light magic? He couldn’t comprehend it. "So light magic is this powerful?" Vannesa mused, looking at the captivating glow still lingering on her hammer. "Or perhaps…” “Mr. Monster, I really like this hammer. You'll have to compensate me afterwards, okay?" she called out to the creature missing its upper half as she observed the mithril hammerhead now coated in green slime. A semi-servant attempted a stealth attack from Vannesa's side, but she skillfully blocked its claws with the hammer's handle. Then, gathering her strength, she kicked the distorted face on its body. "Dong!" The creature was sent flying off the cliff by Vannesa’s kick. Although its thick skin withstood much damage, it almost fell onto the purple-robed man, precariously positioned as the spring water commander. "Tch, so the Holy Saintess is indeed a tough nut to crack?" the purple-robed man grumbled through clenched teeth as he narrowly dodged, observing Vannesa fending off the creatures all around her. Even with their robust physiques, Vannesa had difficulty injuring them without magic, no matter how strong she was. Nonetheless, Vannesa faced the simultaneous onslaught of four or five creatures with ease. She deftly neutralized seemingly insurmountable attacks in the simplest ways while manipulating the unintelligent creatures to attack each other. Her skills and agility distinguished her from her male form. Intending to capture her alive, the purple-robed man restrained the creatures from using magic or difficult techniques, limiting them to using their claws. This limitation granted Vannesa ample room to maneuver. Vannesa, proficient in melee combat, was at her best here. In her female form, her reflexes were exceedingly fast, making every enemy move appear slowed down, while her mind conveyed crystal-clear strategies, constantly analyzing optimal evasion paths for maximum advantage. This exhibited Vannesa's exceptional close combat prowess. The creatures were numerous, but she deliberately clogged the mountain pass, preventing them from swarming over her. Thus, they had to attack in a line from one direction. Vannesa handled this attack pattern with ease. "Damn it! We need to find a way to capture her without killing her!" Realizing the ineffectiveness of the current approach, the purple-robed man lowered his requirements. Hearing this, the creatures spewed an orange-yellow liquid towards Vannesa.