“Oh, by the way, speaking of Milady, your disguise skills are truly incredible. I can’t compare at all,” Luna said as they walked.

“Eh eh! Now that you mentioned it, it’s true! I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, Milady is amazing! Truly worthy of being the Saintess! To endure humiliation and play the fool for so many years, acting like a wicked idiot from birth all the way until now, so realistically that no one can detect even the slightest flaw, it’s truly admirable!” Fanya, still feeling down about earlier when she’d upset Vanessa with her words, quickly seized the opportunity to show off her honeyed tongue.

At that, both Luna and Amisa fell silent, wearing odd, wordless expressions, while Fanya remained blissfully smug, proud of how well she could flatter others.

‘Guhehe~ Am I just naturally good at praise? Self-taught talent! Could it be that I was born with a gift for eloquence??’

Fanya was still basking in her pride when a sudden sharp pain shot through her waist.

“Ah! M-Milady, it hurts, it hurts!” Fanya cried, tears streaming.

“Oh my~ Sorry, Fanya, a scary little bug was crawling on your waist, so I scratched it off and chased it away. I hope you don’t mind~?” Vanessa’s lips still curled in that gentle, virtuous smile, her tone dripping with tender concern.

“R-really? T-then, thank you, Milady,” the dense little Fanya actually believed her, sniffling and thanking her through tears.

“Pftt.” Up ahead, Luna couldn’t help but burst into quiet laughter. Amisa let out a soft sigh.

Vanessa felt helpless. This redheaded fool couldn’t even catch such a blatant hint, truly too dense.

“Bug? Speaking of bugs, there are plenty in the jungle, you know,” Luna mused. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

“Bugs? Amisa’s scared of them,” Fanya answered before the others could speak. “But not me! When we were kids, whenever Amisa saw a bug, she’d burst into tears and come running to me, and I’d just stomp it flat.”

“Fanya!” Amisa blushed and looked away, embarrassed.

“What about you, Milady? Are you afraid of bugs?” Luna continued.

“Eh? What are you saying, Lady Luna? How could the Saintess possibly fear bugs? She nearly lost her life protecting us before!” Fanya answered before Vanessa could even open her mouth.

“And just now, the Milady even flicked a bug off my waist! How could she possibly be scared of something like that?”

“……..” Amisa and Luna fell silent again.

“Oh, I see. Indeed, Little Fanya is absolutely right. The Milady is so brave and fearless, how could she possibly fear mere little bugs~?” Luna turned around with a teasing, playful expression.

“……..” Vanessa remained silent.

“Eh? Milady?” Seeing her silence, Luna raised an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

“Hmm? Huh?” Vanessa only responded after Luna called her twice, as if waking from a dream.

“Nothing, I’m glad you’re okay. I just noticed you went quiet all of a sudden and wondered if something was wrong,” Luna said slightly.

“No, I’m fine. Just a bit weak still,” Vanessa shook her head.

“Oh, I see.” Luna smiled and nodded, then continued leading the way forward, checking their direction.

Amisa walked in the middle, clutching her staff. As for Fanya, Vanessa felt like she’d practically become her personal mount.

Riding on Fanya’s back, with nothing to do, Vanessa’s thoughts wandered.

‘I wonder how Shikondell is doing right now… Without anyone to look after her, what would she do if something happened?’

Vanessa couldn’t help but worry deeply about Shikondell’s safety. Maybe it was a hormonal thing, but even when she was Winnie, she’d worried about this. Back then, Winnie figured Shikondell had Dark Shikondell protected her, so she’d be fine, but it had never felt as intense as this anxiety now.

It hadn’t been that long since Dark Shikondell last appeared. What if there was some kind of cooldown mechanism? What if Shikondell ran into trouble just when Dark Shikondell couldn’t take over?

And even if Dark Shikondell did intervene, what if something unexpected happened? After all, no matter how skilled Dark Shikondell was, she couldn’t change the fact that Shikondell’s own strength was only that of an Artisan. If Shikondell encountered a problem in that tricky Cube Dimension that even Vanessa herself found troublesome, what would she do?

‘Indeed… I’m really worried.’

At this moment, Vanessa was like an overprotective mother, wondering over whether her child was cold or hungry outside, whether she’d dress warmly when it got chilly, whether she’d remember to take shelter in the rain, her maternal concern overflowing uncontrollably.

Besides that, she also worried about her childhood friend, Mirexia. Although Mirexia was reliable and strong, and likely wouldn’t run into trouble, Vanessa couldn’t help but feel anxious.

And Isatia, and all her other friends, of course, that annoying pest Aesphyra included.

Although they were all fated heroines blessed by destiny and fortune, and unlikely to meet misfortune, Vanessa’s worries still inevitably spilled over.

“Milady, is something troubling you?” Amisa, with her keen perception, asked.

“Yes,” Vanessa didn’t hide it. “I’m worried about some of my friends. With such a huge incident happening, I wonder if they’re all safe.”

“One of my friends… he’s rather timid, wouldn’t speak up even if bullied. I’m really worried he might be in trouble.”

“Is the one you mean your roommate, the white-haired elf classmate?” Luna asked.

“Yes, him. Have you seen him, Luna?”

“I’ve seen him with you before. Later I found out he’s your roommate.”

“Eh?? Is it that long-haired moon elf boy who’s always with Milady?” Fanya asked.

“Boy??” Amisa covered her mouth, her amber eyes wide. “Milady, you’re rooming with a boy??”

“Well, it’s hard to explain. Amisa, haven’t you seen the male persona the Saintess uses for disguise? To avoid suspicion from the Church, she’s been pretending to be male for a long time already,” Fanya explained with an air of someone who knew it all.

“Normally, the Saintess appears in that form, using a male identity, so naturally she’s placed in the boys’ dormitory.”

“But… wouldn’t that be inconvenient in daily life?” Amisa hesitated. “I mean, Milady is a girl, but her roommate is a boy, living under the same roof, wouldn’t that be awkward?”

Amisa’s words carried clear concern, worried Vanessa might be taken advantage of or harmed living with a boy.

Vanessa didn’t know how to explain. And she couldn’t tell them Shikondell was also a girl.

Ah, no, rather, Shikondell was the only girl.

“Ah, right! Milady, that elf boy hasn’t been taking advantage of his position or bullying you, has he? If he’s mistreating you, tell me, I’ll beat him up for you!” Fanya would’ve raised her fists if she weren’t carrying Vanessa.

Shikondell bullying her??

Vanessa couldn’t even imagine such a scene. Not only that, she couldn’t picture how gentle, soft-spoken Shikondell bullied anyone. The image was just too absurd.

“No, Dell is a very good person. How could he bully me? We’re good friends,” Vanessa denied, then leaned slightly closer to Fanya’s ear. “Fanya, are you tired?”

“Ah, oh! N-no, not at all!” A warm, soft whisper, a puff of warm breath against Fanya’s earlobe, Fanya didn’t know why, but her ears instantly flushed red, spreading to her cheeks, making her look like a little apple, especially with her naturally red hair.

“Really? Didn’t you get injured earlier? Did I accidentally press on your wound?” Vanessa said, glancing at the spot she’d pinched earlier and gently poking it with her fingertip. “Are you alright? Should I heal you?”

“N-no! I’m not injured!” Felt Vanessa’s finger on her soft waist, whether from ticklishness or something else, Fanya’s voice shot up several octaves.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Of course! Don’t worry about me, Milady Saintess!” Fanya quickly said.

“Really? But Fanya, you’re already blushing from exhaustion, aren’t you?”

“That’s not it! I’ve always blushed easily! It’s not from being tired!”

Blushing?

Fanya felt a bit guilty.

Vanessa smelled sweet and soft, nestled against her back, her hair brushing Fanya’s cheek, leaving behind the delicate scent of white tea blossoms and lavender.

How could she possibly be tired?? Fanya felt more energized the longer she carried her.

“Pftt.” Luna, listening nearby, laughing silently.

“Hey, Fanya, should I take over? You rest a bit. I’ll carry the Milady,” Amisa suggested.

“No, no! Amisa, you’re a nun, not a knight, how could you have the strength? What if you dropped her and both of you got hurt?”

“Oh~?” Vanessa seemed to catch a keyword, her beautiful heart-shaped eyes narrowing slightly. “So Fanya means I’m heavy, then~?”

“N-no! Milady Saintess is super light! It’s not tiring at all!” Fanya quickly protested.

“Fanya, speaking so bluntly isn’t very ladylike, you know?” Vanessa smiled sweetly.

“Sorry! I spoke too directly, Milady Saintess!”

“Oh? So Fanya really thinks I’m heavy, then?” Vanessa’s tone shifting, her smile deepening, her voice growing more alluring, yet for some reason, more terrifying.

“A-ah! I-I didn’t mean—” The sudden twist left Fanya completely tongue-tied, unable to respond.

Was it her imagination? Ever since revealing her true form, the Saintess’ personality and thoughts seemed far more complex.

Could it be… that side was also deliberately disguised all along??

Knowing Fanya was just being dense, Vanessa decided not to tease her further.

Well, she really didn’t want to keep teasing Fanya anymore, but then again…

“Fanya, be honest, do you really think I’m heavy?” Vanessa asked again, seemingly unwilling to let go.

“No! I really don’t! I swear!”

“My, what lucky timing,” Luna said ahead, parting a thicket of bushes with a light laugh. “I thought this place looked familiar. So this is it, huh?”

“Miss Luna, do you know this place?”

“Of course. We’re very close to the border of the Tyrell Empire now.” Luna pushed aside the grass, revealing what lay ahead.

Ahead, not far off, stood a luxurious courtyard.

“There’s a courtyard? Looks like someone’s home?” Amisa whined.

“Maybe we could ask them for help?” Fanya pondered. “What do you think, Milady Saintess?”

“If only they’d let us take a bath and change clothes,” Vanessa voiced their greatest need so far.

Their clothes were all torn and tattered. Luna, Fanya, and Amisa wore uniforms from Carillian Academy, now utterly ruined, Luna’s sheer white stockings were torn into rags, one leg longer than the other.

Fanya and Amisa weren’t much better, their uniforms in tatters, hair uncombed and messy.

Vanessa’s “Armour Fortress” armor wasn’t spared either, her white thigh-high heels had been blown down to short heels, her gloves gone, the skirt shredded, only the upper body armor remained mostly intact.

“No need to ask for help,” Luna said instead.

“Eh?”

“Because that’s my home.” Luna’s lips curled into a light smile.

“Eh?! Miss Luna, you live here??” Amisa gasped.

“Mm, to be precise, it’s one of the manors belonging to my family,” Luna explained.

“Eh?? Miss Luna’s family has a manor at the empire’s border?”

“Miss Amisa, my family is, after all, a world-renowned noble house,” Luna said, stepping out of the bushes, Fanya and Amisa following closely behind.

“The environment here is excellent, so our family originally planned to build a church here for travelers. But due to certain reasons, the church couldn’t be completed, so we turned it into this instead.”

“Still, our family rarely visits here. There are probably only a few servants around,” Luna added.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep