“Elcalan, think about it. My Saintess program is actually quite suitable.”
The wind lifted the girl's red hair. Her ponytail swayed back and forth by the carriage window, and as the carriage jolted along, her voice began to be drowned out by the noisy market.
Yet, to Elcalan's ears, it remained perfectly clear.
“How is it suitable? It requires so many resources. How could such an idealistic plan come from an action-oriented monarch like you?”
“I've thought about it, and perhaps this is our only way...”
The girl said, caught between laughter and tears:
“Although the over-spec magical weapons are still being built, things like that can be destroyed by new magical beasts at any moment.”
“Is there any other way then?”
“Of course there is. Actually, I found the inspiration from you.”
Elcalan looked out the window at the bustling crowd and the hazy mist, watching the sun peek over the edge of the cliff, revealing an orange-red rim.
“If there could be more people who equal or even surpass you—if there was one... or even many—then dealing with magical beasts would just be a matter of pre-battle preparation. No more armies would have to march to their deaths.”
There seemed to be a star shining in her eyes.
“The Saintess will be able to freely mobilize any resource in this world, possessing every right that the Church can exercise. She will be a 【God】 created by humanity and for itself.”
“Did you never think about why your predecessors didn't adopt this method?”
“Then I'll be the pioneer~”
“Castina, you really are...” Elcalan did not say anything more.
Suddenly, she felt a coolness on her lips. This fool had actually touched her lips!
“Could you, at least a little, act more like a Pope?”
“Then can't you play the role of my favorite concubine?”
“Your Holiness...” Elcalan sighed silently.
They used to have these seemingly pointless conversations all the time.
Just when did they stop being so close?
The cult...
A cult that worshiped magical beasts had run rampant forty years ago.
Brainwashing, control, and mind alteration.
A group of degenerates who worshiped magical beasts and human evolution formed an incredibly massive army.
Castina personally led the army to wage war, crusading against these humans who fawned over magical beasts.
During that time, any scavenger looking to make a quick coin had witnessed the sight of corpses covering the mountains and fields.
It was a contest against demons.
And the countries that had originally hosted those cult organizations were now almost entirely desolate.
Among them were the city and village that had raised Elcalan.
Her friends and family had all died in that conflict, all because of the cult.
Elcalan had never mentioned this to anyone.
That war had been exhausting. The cult leader possessed strength on par with her own. Once everything was over, she boarded a ship from the other continent and drifted on the vast ocean for half a year before returning to see the current Pope, Castina.
However, by the time they met again, Castina had already locked herself away inside the palace.
“I have absolutely no interest in a magical beast, but what you said in your 'past life' was right, Pope. The Saintess program is indeed a topic worth considering.”
“Is that so~ Truly, thank you, my Elcalan.”
Pope Castina smiled.
But in Elcalan's eyes, the magical beast that had imprisoned her was not Castina at all.
She should have been happier, not so sorrowful.
Probably because she was not human.
Later, she met a young student.
Aether.
He was also someone who had lived through the cult war on the other continent, and had crossed the ocean to study at the Holy Academy.
Aether was an extremely cunning man of action. Elcalan knew that raising such a human was no easy task, but for the magical beasts and the remnants of the cult, he would likely be a disaster.
“Castina, you were right.”
“I will fulfill the goal in your heart, and then I will die with you. I already have my candidate in mind...”
“Perhaps someone really can become the Saintess.”
“Anyway, I am leaving the Church.”
“I might disguise myself as a carefree drunkard wandering the world, or a rebel who hates evil with a passion, or maybe... just a student or a teacher. Who knows?”
“Is that really okay...”
Elcalan opened her eyes once more. At the end of the sacred, broken bridge, on the golden platform radiating sun-like light, stood the silver-haired girl, Sathya.
And the girl hidden beneath the hood.
That was probably Tina.
They were like two demons.
She wouldn't have thought so originally, but after Elcalan's first clash with Tina, she discovered that her opponent actually used the exact same Silence Style as her.
Something incredibly serious had happened.
“...”
“Your plan has failed, Your Holiness.”
Elcalan spoke softly.
Her appearance clearly shocked everyone.
However, what she said next made all the onlookers gasp in disbelief.
Did she mean that Sathya was actually a magical beast?
In truth, absolutely no one believed it.
But right at that moment, a streak of golden light floated in the sky. People looked up and discovered that it was actually Cardinal Aether!
Furthermore, the two sister Cardinals known as Lotus were actually following right behind him!
“Your Holiness, I agree with Elcalan's decision. Magical beasts may be lurking among humanity, and we must distinguish them.” Aether bowed deeply toward the "Pope."
“If a knight's duel can decide this battle, it will naturally bring glory to Lady Sathya. We will also support your decision and offer our loyalty to Saintess Sathya.”
The Pope—or rather, Isobel, who was disguised as Pope Castina—could only nod in agreement at this moment. Although she could replicate a portion of the Pope's power, she could not take action and risk exposing herself.
Next would be Sathya's "solo performance."
Elcalan turned her gaze toward Sathya.
“I challenge you, magical beast. With my strength, I will at least force you to reveal your true form. Will you accept my challenge, demon?”
“Of course.”
Sathya with a casual wave of her hand, the golden platform suddenly extended forward, smashing through the other end of the broken bridge as golden particles dissolved with a roar.
Elcalan leaped lightly, landing on the smooth golden platform.
“Incredible control over the light attribute.”
Elcalan smiled, speaking somewhat casually. “In all of history, there has never been someone with such a powerful affinity for the light attribute.”
“Lady Founder of the Silence Style, you flatter me. So, how should I dispel your suspicions about me?” Sathya asked calmly.
But Elcalan suddenly released her killing intent and pressure. A golden sword materialized out of thin air in her hand, beginning to emit destructive ripples.
“Kill me, or be killed by me.”
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