2-30 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

**Volume Two, Chapter 30: The Stereotype Shattered** In the previous timeline, this blue-haired man before her was someone who bore lethal enmity towards her. Ever since she had come into contact with Wenny, Aesphyra had been reminding herself not to let her guard down. In truth, even though Wenny had undergone a significant change in personality in this worldline, Aesphyra couldn't completely trust that Wenny had turned over a new leaf, given his "criminal record" in her mind. Whatever the case might be—be it his support for the orphanage, his abstinence from dark sorcery, or his personal transformation—it was all possibly a façade to conceal his real intentions. Perhaps, he simply managed to present himself more adeptly in this lifetime, and that was the difference. To ask someone to fully trust a man who had been their murderer in a prior life was impossible. Moreover, she harbored a strong distrust towards men in general. So, she consistently observed Wenny's every move. Yet, ever since entering the academy, his actions were so unspectacular that he seemed to blend entirely with the persona he projected. At one point, Aesphyra even entertained the thought that perhaps Wenny in this worldline genuinely was different. It wasn't until recently, when the Crainment Academy crisis reminiscent of the original worldline was approaching, that Aesphyra began to reconsider. As someone who had lived through the original events, she had reflected upon the incident of the Demon Pillar Cultists' invasion and realized that Wenny likely had a role in it. Otherwise, there was no explaining how he had amassed such overpowering strength from his dark sorcery after the chaos erupted, allowing him to attack her when she least expected, as she viewed him as a foolish villain. Aesphyra speculated that during the catastrophe, Wenny must have seized the opportunity provided by the cultists' incursion to murder several isolated first-year students, absorbing their soul states, causing his power to increase exponentially. His sorcery was one that escalated dramatically through absorbing the blood and flesh of others, with the most pronounced effects achieved by consuming the essence of exceptionally talented transcendents. For Wenny, Crainment Academy was the perfect hunting ground full of prime targets. She remained uncertain how in this lifetime Wenny managed to conceal his dark sorcery, but she was convinced that his malevolent intent would eventually become evident. In time, people's true nature would reveal itself. No one could wear a mask forever without taking it off—unless he intended to keep it on for life, but by then, he would find it impossible to remove. To be honest, Aesphyra's suspicions began during the attack of Mirexia by the cultists, an event absent in the original narrative. Though she wasn’t present during the incident and remained unsure of the exact occurrences, the investigative findings and Mirexia’s recount suggested that Wenny had haphazardly stumbled into the fray, inadvertently rescuing Mirexia. This was exceedingly peculiar. What capabilities did Wenny possess that Mirexia would need rescuing from him?? Even if Mirexia was weakened by poison, someone of Wenny's capabilities would not be the go-to savior. Aesphyra surmised two possibilities: one was that both Wenny and Mirexia withheld certain facts, though she strongly doubted this possibility. The two were childhood friends but not so close as to conspire together, nor did there seem any reason for their secrecy. What matter could Mirexia have that required secrecy from everyone? Aesphyra could not fathom it. Thus, the possibility of Wenny colluding with the "Bronze Blood" group became highly plausible. This calculated plot was intended to win Mirexia’s favor and trust. Remarkably, after the incident, Mirexia's affection towards Wenny skyrocketed to the point where Aesphyra often found Wenny in the council chamber every time she visited. Moreover, their personal association intensified. Ignoring the fact that Aesphyra's "prey" was being meddled with by a despicable man, she felt that Mirexia too hastily afforded unconditional trust to her friends, especially those who had helped, even saved her. Consequently, Aesphyra grew concerned about Mirexia's safety, suspecting she had been duped by Wenny's façade. If her conjectures were accurate, and Wenny was indeed scheming with the "Bronze Blood" to curry favor with Mirexia, Aesphyra was resolute about uprooting such a deceitful and dangerous individual. She resolved to settle both this lifetime’s and the previous’s grievances in one fell swoop. Besides, if Wenny truly was in cahoots with the "Bronze Blood," it would also elucidate how he remained undetected during the academy admission tests for dark sorcery. With aid from the Alchemical Demon, Eurnes, concealing sorcery could be effortlessly accomplished. However, for reasons unknown, Aesphyra felt there was something amiss. Could it be that her deductions were incorrect?? Upon experiencing those inklings, she herself was surprised. She couldn’t comprehend why she instinctively offered Wenny justifications in her heart, considering this worldline’s Wenny fundamentally different from the previous. Perhaps everything was merely this man’s masquerade. Isn’t deception precisely what such vile individuals excel at? One could argue that the previous Wenny lacked the cunning, but this one possibly had grown sharper. Wouldn't avenging herself without internal conflict be a positive outcome? Mirexia would then have one less fly hovering, vying for her attention. Nevertheless, memories of Wenny’s brave stance at the inauguration banquet and their frequent, playful exchanges somehow lingered in her mind. Perhaps, unbeknownst to even her, engaging in verbal spats and drawing frustration from Wenny had somehow become a daily source of amusement. Suddenly severing that part felt somewhat jarring. Admittingly, she was less inclined to seek revenge now, even hoping these were mere suspicions, and Wenny of this worldline remained the same simpleton after all. Momentarily setting aside her scrutiny of Wenny, she shifted focus to another matter—the imminent Demon Pillar Cultists' invasion. Having known the methods with which the cultists coordinated during the invasion from the previous life, she discreetly concealed herself in the old school building that night. As anticipated, a robed figure arrived, squatting beneath the great tree, delving into the base of its roots. To avoid alerting and alarming them, Aesphyra refrained from seizing the individual immediately. Her goal was to uproot all these parasites entirely. Thus, she adopted a method to expose the identity of the robe-wearer without startling them. By invoking the Imperial House of Crainment’s royal “Divine Favor,” she froze time momentarily, seizing the opportunity to remove the hood of the robed figure. Under the moonlight, Aesphyra observed the face beneath the hood, then quietly closed her eyes. Unexpected, yet not unforeseen. "You truly, never fail to 'disappoint' me, Wenny." She had thought he would change for the better, alas, it appeared he simply found a different guise. After making that mocking remark, the silver-haired girl turned and left, then released her "Divine Favor." Following this, Aesphyra did something unprecedented — she invited Wenny to a meal, a male student, and even frequently admonished him throughout the dinner. Even Aesphyra herself wasn’t entirely sure why she acted this way. She had already confirmed that Wenny indeed had clandestine connections with the "Bronze Blood." This Wenny, like the one from the previous life, was just as deceitful, only this time he was more cunning and adept at disguise, making him even harder to contend with. To eradicate this hidden thorn, she needed to take the long view, setting a trap to catch a big fish. Still, Aesphyra couldn’t fathom why she didn't just let things unfold naturally, allowing Wenny to continue digging his own grave, ultimately avenging her past grievances and eliminating a competitor. Instead, she felt compelled to warn him, almost as if hoping he would alter his course. Afterward, she even informed Wenny multiple times that the reason she spoke of the "Sacred Bell" atop the clock tower was because someone in the original worldline had shattered an alchemical poison there under the cover of night, spreading it across the Crainment Academy. If it was Wenny doing the spreading, then the tale of the "Ouroboros," where the bell—supposed to bring divine grace—became the poison launch site for a Demon Pillar convert, could become a shocking reality. One could only wonder what the goddess and the saintesses would feel about this turn of events. Unfortunately, Wenny disregarded her hints, continuing his interactions with the "Bronze Blood," with him always undertaking the exchanges at the old school building. That was why Aesphyra previously told Wenny that not even a goddess or the saintess could redeem him. The airborne alchemical poison had significant limitations—it couldn't be too toxic. The poison could only cause symptoms akin to a cold and make water appear colorless. The intended targets were those students with exceedingly low affinity for water elements. If it caused a flu outbreak across the school, administration would definitely be alerted. Thus, the concoction was designed to specifically attack only a small fraction of the students. Those affected would suffer reduced affinity, rendering them incapable of discerning liquid colors, paving the way for further sinister plans. However, this plot was already doomed. In recent days, Aesphyra's crafted alchemical concoctions were readied to counteract the forthcoming critical phase of their machinations. To gather sufficient evidence for prosecuting these miscreants, Aesphyra needed to avoid scaring them off and play the long game. In the shadows, she had been making numerous preparations to ensure this catastrophe caused no casualties or significant loss. Her next step was to secretly trail Wenny tonight, scrutinizing his every move. She intended to see if Wenny would, like in the previous worldline, seize the confusion to eliminate other students to nourish his dark soul, attributing the crimes to the "Bronze Blood." During the dinner banquet, so focused was Aesphyra on Wenny that she didn't notice where the explosion originated. This was distinctly unlike what transpired in the previous lifetime. All she knew was that after the incident at the cathedral, Wenny didn’t slip away amidst the chaos nor did he panic with others. Instead, he immediately ducked beneath the table. As Aesphyra wondered what he was up to, he split the table apart and emerged cradling who appeared to be his silver-haired elf roommate. This behavior confused her even more. With the moment approaching to advance the "Bronze Blood's" plans, was there any purpose in maintaining his façade? As the statue threatened to crush the two of them, she discreetly intervened to save them. Once out of the cathedral, Wenny, apparently spotting something, dashed out, following a male student to the Sunrise Dormitory, all the while unaware that Aesphyra was tailing him. After exchanging some words, Wenny immediately engaged in combat with the other. From her concealed position, Aesphyra shook her head. Regardless of her mixed feelings, this time, she had to eliminate this menace herself. With the day of vengeance near, she couldn't tell if she felt more joy or disappointment. Just as she was about to step in to stop Wenny, the previously unassuming male student surprised her by attacking the foolish-looking Wenny. Contrary to her conviction that he was beyond redemption, Wenny leapt in to save the other student. Aesphyra was stunned. She hadn’t expected that the selfish, unscrupulous villain of her past would choose such a pivotal moment to forsake his ways to save a stranger. Though his aid for the orphanage could have been an orchestrated pretense, with this act happening out of sight for the public, risking his life to save another person definitively wasn't an act of deception. In that instant, all her preconceptions about Wenny from her previous life crumbled. Then she watched as the student Wenny confronted transformed into a Demon Pillar minion. At this point, events had completely diverged from Aesphyra’s expectations. She had thought that Wenny would openly betray himself here, yet reality defied her expectations. As Wenny claimed, the student truly was a Demon Pillar minion, and Wenny wasn't providing a pretext for ritualistic sacrifices. Additionally, Wenny's preceding actions substantiated this; no cultist of the Demon Pillar would risk much to save a human. The entire situation had turned on its head. Aesphyra realized she had been mistaken in her judgment, having been in the dark the whole while. Seeing Wenny struggle against the Zealot, despite the enigma surrounding Wenny's motives, she was certain he wasn't a cultist, nor harbored a dark soul. Finally, Aesphyra concluded that this worldline's Wenny was indeed a normal person. She emerged from her hiding place, positioning herself between Wenny and the Zealot, repelling the latter’s rapid strike back onto the handguard of a sacred sword.