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

143: Fei's Strength "You aren't a fraud," Mirexia pondered for a moment and said. "However, once stereotypes form, they're hard to change, and even His Highness can't easily alter others' fixed notions," Vannesa moved closer to Mirexia, intertwining her fingers. "If I were to address His Highness in such a manner, someone would surely be unhappy, accusing me of overstepping, wouldn't they?" "But those rumors aren't true." "True or not, people have their own mouths, and I can't risk revealing my identity just to clear up a minor misunderstanding," Vannesa laughed lightly, shifting away. Besides, if we were to suppress these things deliberately, wouldn't that just make the rumors seem more legitimate? As the girl turned, a strand of cherry blossom-colored hair brushed softly against Mirexia's nose, the air filled with the pure scent of white camellias, causing a brief daze. "So, you're not planning to reveal your awakened bloodline to anyone?" "Exactly," Vannesa confirmed. "While I'm not very fond of my current life, I certainly don't dislike it. Revealing this would undoubtedly bring many troubles and unnecessary complications, a life I don't desire." "Now that I think about it, it's lucky that it's you, Your Highness Mirexia, who knows my secret, and not someone else," Vannesa smiled like a blooming flower. "… I understand." Mirexia closed her eyes slightly, showing her respect for Vannesa's decision. "By the way, has Your Highness Mirexia computed how long we've been in the demon domain?" Vannesa asked, gazing at the unchanged bloody realm surrounding them. "I'm not sure, but it should have been quite a while," Mirexia mused. "We've been here for at least two days." "Two days, huh," Vannesa pondered, seemingly unconcerned about leaving. Now that the demon domain was temporarily safe, she hoped Eurnes could hold on a bit longer. "You can call me by my name henceforth; no one will dare gossip," Mirexia resumed her usual authoritative air of a princess, her golden pigtails exuding a courageous elegance. "Well, it seems I have no choice but to comply," Vannesa replied, not contending further since it was merely a matter of address, only leveraging her woeful act when needed. "So, how should I address you, Your Highness Mirexia? Perhaps I'll follow a certain silver-haired beauty's lead and call you 'Dear Mirexia'?" Vannesa teased, her charming tone tinged with ambiguous mischief. "Aesphyra and I are just friends," Mirexia promptly clarified, feeling a shiver down her spine at the suggestion, her words coming out faster than her thoughts. "Virtue +60." "Current Virtue: 7344." "Friends? That's your perception; the other party might not see it that way," Vannesa remarked, unaware of why Mirexia emphasized this point, yet eager to garner another dose of virtue, much like a feline narrowing its eyes playfully. After all, while others might not discern Aesphyra's intentions, she certainly could. The sea queen, beautiful and enamored with every pretty girl she met, claimed to be sincere with each one. "Virtue +60." "Current Virtue: 7404." Indeed, there's more to extract. Mirexia's expression turned peculiar, suspecting a hidden agenda from Vannesa’s words, which felt reminiscent of jealousy expressed by students she'd encountered in the student council regarding their boyfriends. "Do you and Aesphyra have conflicts?" Mirexia inquired. They seemed to get along fine? "None at all, Aesphyra is a once-in-a-millennium prodigy at Carey Rimland Academy; how could I afford to have conflicts?" Vannesa laughed, waving her hand dismissively. Though the words seemed to negate any conflict, they carried a distinct tone of rivalry. "Does Aesphyra know your secret?" "No, we’re merely acquaintances, so it's impossible for me to divulge such an important secret to her." "Even so, while my relationship with Aesphyra might not be great, I am certain she has decent relationships with other beautiful female students, don't you think?" Vannesa stated with an innocent expression. Indeed, Vannesa wanted to trouble Aesphyra. Unable to confront her directly, a small jab in the back to make her uneasy was within Vannesa's capabilities. "What do you mean?" Mirexia asked, puzzled. "Oh, nothing at all. I just noticed Aesphyra has good personal relations with many girls, mostly the pretty ones. Probably just my imagination," Vannesa poked her cheek, playfully sticking out her tongue as if refusing to gossip. She intended to stop there but found it odd that Mirexia displayed no emotional fluctuation upon hearing about Aesphyra's 'history of feelings.’ Is it not at that stage between them? Vannesa pondered. "Does Aesphyra have a good relationship with you too?" Mirexia latched onto a perceived key point. Huh?? That's not where your focus should be, is it? "Mirexia, I mentioned earlier, my relationship with Aesphyra is average compared to others, and she doesn't know my secret," Vannesa replied. "So, are you friends?" "Reluctantly, perhaps," more like enemies. Vannesa remained confused about why Mirexia suddenly inquired about this. In her eyes, didn't she have a decent relationship with Aesphyra? "I see," Mirexia feigned indifference, nodding. "Wenny, how did you conceal your dual identity, by using some enchantment tool?" Mirexia questioned. "Let's just say that's the case," Vannesa simply explained, knowing detailing it to Mirexia would be too complicated, and likely unbelievable, considering its bizarre nature. Soon, the ground beneath them melted like ice, becoming vague and unstable. It seemed the time limit for this demon domain was near, and they were to return to the continent of Terrylis. As the ground beneath them crumbled, the desolate, blood-colored sky also began to fall apart. Both felt the sensation of falling, landing on solid ground the next instant. Looking up, they found themselves under Rhysmill's sky, impossible to distinguish between dusk and dawn. They had returned. Apparently, not much time had passed outside; even the sky mirrored the state it was when they initially entered. Mirexia instinctively looked to her side, noticing that her companion was using her body as a shield, ensuring there were no people nearby before nonchalantly stepping forward. "Mirexia, you should head back now; I need to wait a bit longer." "Aren’t you able to switch back yet?" Mirexia guessed Vannesa's predicament. "Yes, it will take a little longer," Vannesa tilted her head. "Sometimes I find this bloodline rather troublesome." "I'll wait here until your enchantment tool resets," Mirexia stated, leaving no room for Vannesa to refuse. She, indeed, believed that his male form was disguised through enchantment tools. Vannesa didn't bother explaining further; if she wanted to believe that, so be it. After all, between Wenny and her male persona, the latter seemed the more plausible shell. Luckily, they were in a dense forest, with visibility hindered by thick foliage, making it easier for Vannesa to stay hidden. As expected, Aesphyra wasn't around. That's what Vannesa thought. Indeed, this section doesn't seem to belong to the original story; otherwise, it couldn't explain why the protagonist destined to be in sync with the heroine during crises never appeared. Mirexia estimated correctly; they had indeed spent a significant amount of time in the demon domain, battling with Eurnes's familiars for so long that Vannesa's transformation cooldown was nearly over. Mirexia stood guard beside Vannesa, her eyes slightly closed as she sensed the surrounding movements. She didn't know how much time passed, but eventually, a shimmering cherry blossom light faded away, accompanied by the ebb of a divine aura. Mirexia opened her eyes to find the familiar blue-haired youth standing beside her. "Finally, I'm back… I'm exhausted," Wenny commented, spraying cheap perfume on himself to mask any scent while his eyes, circled with dark shadows, appeared lifeless. While in Vannesa's form, he hadn't noticed the fatigue, but now returned to Wenny, the exhaustion from several restless days surged forth, as if his whole body was weighed down by lead, making movement difficult. Yawning broadly, Wenny stumbled as he tried to walk, nearly face-planting into the ground. He was so tired, even the victory fanfare in his head couldn't play. Wenny's face was marked with weariness. Such intense battles were routine for heroines but truly strained him as a mere mortal. What kind of enchanted tool was this? Even knowing his secret, Mirexia couldn't help but marvel at the scene of Wenny's transformation. What intrigued her most was how convincingly Wenny appeared, showing no signs of disguise, leaving her puzzled as to what level of enchanted tool he used that even knowing he was in disguise, no traces could be discerned. Mirexia was about to speak when her eyes turned sharply towards another direction. "Mirexia?" Wenny was puzzled by her sudden reaction, following her gaze just as a fireball hurtled towards his face. Damn. Wenny froze, his body sluggish, and with days of no rest, his brain reacted too slowly to take action. "Clang!" A giant sword, like a shield, blocked in front of him, deflecting the fireball away. "Wenny, step back," Mirexia ordered, positioning herself in front of him, her gaze fixed on the dark, horned creatures that had suddenly appeared in the forest. "Why is it you again? Can't you guys take a hint?!" Recognizing the familiar figures, Wenny glared with his dead-fish eyes. Had these guys been lurking here all along? Did they just arrive or were they ambushing? Did they see him revert back? The creatures muttered unintelligibly amongst themselves. Wenny felt a bad omen. Damn, he had no strength left to silence them, relying entirely on Mirexia. Mirexia clearly understood the situation too, focusing on these creatures. Her eyes glinted with a murderous intent. Did these half-demons, incapable of speech, see Wenny change back, and would they reveal his secret to others? Mirexia didn't know, but to ensure Wenny's safety, she had to slay every last one of these creatures here. However, the task was daunting; even though Mirexia was in better shape than Wenny, she wasn’t at her peak, having also gone days without proper rest. Her physique and bloodline allowed her to endure, but while she could protect Wenny, completely wiping out these neither-human-nor-demon creatures while doing so posed a challenge. Knowing he couldn't assist and would only hinder Mirexia, Wenny retreated. 【Extinction Thunder Break】 Scarlet lightning coiled around the giant sword as Mirexia swung at the screeching creatures, shattering the ground and sending monsters in a straight line flying with thunderous force. These creatures could bully Mirexia when she was unable to use magic, but without that restriction, they were no match for her. Still, they weren't mindless; after a quick exchange of glances, some decided to stay and hold the rear while others attempted to flee. Mirexia tried to pursue, but the retreating creatures spat fireballs at her, forcing her to defend instead of finishing off their escaping companions. Why were they so desperate to flee? Something wasn't right. Wenny really wanted to handle them himself, but his energy was spent. Transforming back to Wenny from Vannesa didn't restore anything; he retained the depleted state of his previous form, magic exhausted and stamina drained. He had no idea what would happen if these monsters learned his secret, but it couldn't be good. Seeing she couldn't prevent the monsters from escaping, Mirexia gritted her teeth, ready to reveal her cards when suddenly she heard two loud 'thud' sounds. She watched as two fleeing monsters were slammed back violently, their faces visibly crushed. "Who the heck is it? Watch where you're going! If you can't walk properly, maybe don't walk at all." A familiar voice to Wenny rang out, and looking up, his eyes lit up. This was? Facing a man clad in a sealed golden bird-faced knight's armor, Mirexia was sure she hadn't seen him before. "Fei, sir?!" Honestly, this was the first time Wenny felt so delighted to see his unreliable teacher. "Oh? Isn't this the student council president? And... Wenny?" The bird-masked man first noticed Mirexia, then Wenny, glaring at the latter's disheveled state disdainfully. "I assigned you to patrol, and you ended up in a medium-pollution zone? With the student council president no less? Skipping duty, are we?" "Sir, this isn't the time for that conversation; these monsters..." Not waiting for Wenny to finish, the remaining monsters, cornered on both sides, seemed to make a decision. They knelt, like devout believers praying to their deity, their bodies disintegrating into a black tornado, reforming, then merging together. Again?? These bastards were beginning their 【Sacrifice】 ritual once more. Soon, a creature known as a Sharo Demon poked its head through the black storm, identical to the one they had encountered earlier with Mirexia, though significantly smaller, only about two meters tall. Probably due to insufficient sacrifices, only a smaller Sharo Demon was created. In terms of power, it couldn't compare to the previous one they faced, but it remained a true demonic pillar's follower. "Sir, run. That thing is..." "Boom!" Before Wenny could finish, the bird-masked armored figure swung a fierce punch squarely into the Sharo Demon's head, reducing it to shattered pieces. The newly born Sharo Demon wobbled, seemingly realizing its head had been obliterated, then collapsed lifelessly to the ground. "What a piece of junk," the bird-masked armored man shrugged nonchalantly. What? A single punch KO??