2-69 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

**Volume Two: Chapter 69 - The Experience** "Are you saying that the demon snake kidnapped the villagers?" Vinnie asked with a puzzled expression. "That must be it. Those creatures have no bounds to their malice." "No, no, old man, you misunderstand. I’m not questioning the morality of the creature," Vinnie said, glancing at Essiephis. His look clearly asked, ‘Can a demon snake, which seems like a low-level creature, really orchestrate a kidnapping?’ If the demon snake attacked humans, the outcome would be fatal or at the least, deadly. Why would they take captives? What would be the point? Even if it was true that the snakes had the intelligence to carry out these kidnappings, would they really keep their captives alive for them to be rescued? "You mean, after saving the villagers, the guards just left without investigating further?" Essiephis probed. "Aye, as I mentioned, the city guards treat us like we're insignificant, eager to rush back to their world and leave our issues behind," the old man shook his head. "But thankfully, the priest from the church stood by us during the hardest times, offering free treatment to the wounded. A truly devout and kind-hearted man." "Is the priest still here?" Vinnie inquired further. "He is," the old man replied. "The priest feared the demon snakes might return, so he stayed here to ensure our safety before going back." "I’ve lived many years, and I'm not afraid to say that sometimes, the church is more concerned about us common folk," he remarked with a sigh. "Where does the priest live now?" Essiephis asked. "Currently, he resides at the village church in the center. It isn’t far from here," the old man pointed them in the right direction. Do even small border villages like this have chapels? Vinnie wondered. "Thank you for your help, sir," Essiephis said with a courteous bow. "Nothing at all. Our village, Lake Village, doesn't have any specialties. It is a poor settlement on the demon frontier's edge. Hardly any outsiders visit, especially recently. The village feels more lifeless than before, though it was always a quiet place," the old man lamented as he walked away, leaning on his cane. "So, what do you think, white-hair shorty?" Vinnie whispered as he watched the old man leave. "Hasn't anyone told you to be polite when addressing a lady?" Essiephis replied, feigning a smile. "We’re not focusing on titles here. Do you think there's still a need for us to stay here?" Vinnie felt the village was odd. The story the old man shared had inconsistencies. Could this simple freshman practice test be hiding man-eating fish beneath the surface? Surely not. Although Vinnie often jested that Essiephis was a magnet for disasters, the snake problem in Lake Village predated their arrival. Her presence merely coincided, not caused the disaster. The village now seems peaceful; the snake issue resolved and with the church's priest present, he’s far more adept than either of them. "Do you really believe demon snakes would abduct humans and not kill them?" Essiephis questioned him in return. "Who knows? There are all sorts of strange things in this world. Maybe there's someone controlling them?" Vinnie suggested, shrugging as he was clueless about demon snakes, having no knowledge of most magical creatures or their behaviors. "Absolutely impossible. Demon snakes have low intelligence and oppose humans. It wouldn't make sense for them to capture humans; there's no need," Essiephis stated firmly, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "Then what do you think happened? Could the villagers have been taken by the guards?" Vinnie mused. "Neither the priest nor the guards arrived until the incident occurred. Could it be bandits? Are there bandits around here? Seems unlikely since bandits usually strike wealthier areas. This is a humble border village, hardly worth the trouble for bandits." "Why do you think our mentor designated this mission as a duo task?" Essiephis pondered aloud. "How should I know? Perhaps the administration can't constantly monitor this area. Maybe they’re unaware of recent happenings and don't know the current situation," Vinnie guessed. "There are too many peculiarities," Essiephis observed. "The villagers in the town earlier—didn't they share a similar response to the old man we just spoke to?" "You mean...?" "I can't say for sure yet, but they are likely linked. We need further observation to confirm," she remarked. "Alright, we’ll follow your lead," Vinnie agreed. After all, having Essiephis around put his mind at ease. She had more experience and was far stronger. With a reliable ally like her, all he needed to do was not cause trouble. "Where are we sleeping tonight? The night approaches; is there a hotel here?" Vinnie scanned the surroundings. The chance of a tiny village having an inn seemed slim. They couldn't possibly sleep on the ground outside, could they? Suddenly, Vinnie found Essiephis staring at him with a curious expression. "What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" "Well, we should prepare to set up a tent. Otherwise, where do you suppose we should sleep, ask to stay at someone’s house?" Essiephis tilted her head slightly. "Ah, this is tricky," Vinnie admitted. "Heading out without even a tent? Really, Vinnie, were you so unprepared?" Essiephis teased, having already gauged his thoughts, her playful smile highlighting her words. "Who knew we'd end up camping out here with no hotels in sight?" Vinnie retorted. "Vinnie, you're sorely lacking travel experience," Essiephis said, blinking playfully. "Heh, maybe you brought an extra tent? I knew it, you’d never let me suffer!" Vinnie smoothed his tone, quickly shifting from calling her 'white-hair shorty' to addressing her warmly, as if the change was nothing. "An extra tent?" Essiephis tapped her lips thoughtfully, then feigned hesitance, answering with a long-drawn-out, "Nooope~" "Tonight’s weather seems quite fine. I can smell a hint of rain," Essiephis said, glancing skyward. "Rainy weather is fine?" Vinnie questioned incredulously. "Yes, quite fine, as my mood is good," Essiephis smiled like a pleased cat. Seriously, you're happy because I'm about to get soaked? Vinnie’s mouth twitched in frustration. "Vinnie, if anything urgent happens tonight, feel free to wake me. However, if it's nothing major, let me sleep peacefully. Falling asleep to rain is quite soothing," Essiephis said with a mischievous twinkle. "And listening to me getting drenched is even better, right?" Vinnie grumbled begrudgingly. "Nonsense! You're my dear classmate, always so sweet-talking! I’d hate to see you catch a cold. I wouldn't be happy if that happened, but alas, I have no extra tent to share." Yeah, right! Knowing that he was going to get drenched that night, Vinnie's expression was harder to control than a misfiring AK-47. Her words made it clear this was payback for him undermining her in the past, ruining her chances with the boys, and giving her nicknames like "shorty white hair." But what could he do? He could only blame himself for being unprepared. If there was truly no place to stay, he’d have to take it as a lesson to remember. As darkness began to fall, they headed to the village center. There, they found a wooden building slightly larger than the others, with piles of firewood and sacks of vegetables nearby. There was no courtyard or goddess statue; only a six-winged cross hung on the wall, indicating this was the village church. Without it, anyone would assume the place was a storage house. "Excuse us for disturbing you,” Essiephis knocked on the door. No response came for quite a while. "Think they might be out?" Vinnie wondered aloud. Just as Essiephis was about to knock again, footsteps approached from inside. Soon, the door opened. “Sorry, dear followers of the goddess, the church closes to visitors after six p.m. for prayers. Please come back tomorrow," said a robust middle-aged man in a white robe, his face welcoming, as he leaned on a wooden staff. Noticing their attire and appearance, surprise flickered across his face. “You’re not locals, are you?” "Apologies for disturbing your rest, priest. We are students from Carlyleman Academy here for our final exam to help resolve the snake issue in Lake Village as part of our assessment. You might have heard of us; the academy did send notice to the local villages," Essiephis politely explained their presence. “You’re from Carlyleman Academy?” The priest's eyes showed a hint of admiration as he looked at Essiephis, before nodding in understanding. “Ah, yes, I recall hearing about it. I apologize if I’ve inadvertently taken over your task.” “The snake issue was actually resolved before you arrived. The demon snakes haven’t troubled us since.” “I see. Revered priest, could we ask you some questions?” Essiephis continued. “Of course, no problem at all, esteemed guests from Carlyleman Academy,” the middle-aged priest smiled, gesturing them inside. “This isn’t the best place to talk. Please, come in.” He welcomed Essiephis and Vinnie into the simple chapel. “Pardon the humble abode; I can’t even offer proper tea,” he said, soon presenting them each with a cup of hot water in wooden mugs. With that, he cast a respectful glance at them. “You distinguished students from Carlyleman Academy honor us with your presence.” As Vinnie entered, his curiosity led him to look around. The wooden structure was modest, with minimal furnishings—a few essentials, rows of wooden pews for praying, and a small altar with a hand-sized goddess statue forming a basic worship area. He didn’t care much for the church overall, yet he respected these pastoral priests and nuns who aided the needy, having been saved by a priest himself in the capital, which left a favorable impression on him towards the clergy. "Father, I heard from the villagers that you rescued those taken by the demon snakes. Is this true?" Essiephis sat composedly, unlike Vinnie who couldn't resist looking around. “It is true. The situation was indeed dire,” the priest acknowledged. “Let me introduce myself; I'm Faukes, a priest from the church in the city of Marlmalt, part of the Tyrell Empire. I came here by the order of the patriarch to assist the villagers.” “Mr. Faukes, can you recount the details of the event?” Essiephis asked. “Certainly. The snake den is to the northwest. You can check it out now, but it was burned by the villagers, so I’m not sure what’s left.” “We stormed in, and as a few demon snakes attacked me, I used magic to kill them. I then burned the rest with magic, and found the villagers unconscious deeper inside,” Faukes recounted. “But have you considered that demon snakes have neither the capability nor the reason to capture humans alive?” Essiephis questioned, eyebrows furrowed. “That’s true, but it happened, puzzling me as well,” Faukes admitted. “Have you considered that the kidnapping may not be the doing of the demon snakes?” “I lack evidence to support that. I find it odd but as a priest, I am more concerned with healing than dispelling demons,” Faukes stated. “Anything unusual happen lately?” “No, everything’s been quiet. Since the den got destroyed, the demon snakes vanished. I haven’t seen them, and the villagers haven't mentioned any more attacks.” “I see,” Essiephis nodded, asking a few more questions before leaving the chapel with Vinnie. “Take care, you two,” Priest Faukes bade them farewell amicably. As they walked, Essiephis remained silent, appearing lost in thought. “Did you discover anything?” Vinnie asked, seeing her deep in thought, clueless himself. “Not confirmed yet. We need to check the snake den in the northwest,” Essiephis declared. Following her lead without realizing it, Essiephis had become the anchor of their investigation.