Chapter 167

After sending Lilith and her protector, Ethan, back to their dormitory from the church's private room, Serista quietly reflected on her private worries while tidying up the now-vacant room.

“I definitely felt it…”

The mysterious yet familiar power emanating from Lilith’s body.

Serista, who had been the closest to Lilith during the past three days, had sensed something unusual. As someone who could handle the strongest holy power among the children of the church, it was only natural that Serista had developed her talents as a priestess diligently. She had become so proficient that her ability to handle holy power exceeded that of ordinary intermediate priests.

Additionally, her heightened sensitivity to even the faintest holy power allowed her to detect the subtle force within Lilith’s body, a force that could not exist without a priestly consecration by the Aurelia Church.

“Could it be that she was consecrated as a priestess before…?”

She considered this possibility briefly but dismissed it. The Aurelia Church strictly managed priestly consecrations, performing them once every five years for a select few to prevent the indiscriminate spread of holy power. Nobles or those of noble birth were generally not consecrated to avoid the concentration of excessive power in individuals.

Yet, despite Lilith’s assertion of her noble status, Serista had undoubtedly felt the presence of a faint, uncontainable holy power within her. This led Serista to question the true nature of Lilith’s identity.

“Perhaps… Lilith is truly…”

A noble-born individual with an inherent holy power, yet unconsecrated. Serista knew all too well what this implied: Lilith could very well be the ‘True Saint’ the Aurelia Church had been searching for so fervently. Unlike herself, the fabricated ‘False Saint.’

Sinking into the bed that still faintly held Lilith’s holy presence, Serista pondered whether it was wise to reveal this discovery to the main church. Could it be that Lilith, with her genuine saintly potential, would be of greater help in future crises than Serista, who was merely a high priestess in comparison?

And if she did reveal this truth, what would become of her?

Serista, who had been elevated to the status of a ‘False Saint’ to cover the failures of the high priests responsible for finding the true saint, knew how precarious her position was. The high priests had hastily made her a saint five years ago, plucking her from an orphanage where she had been training as a novice priestess.

Initially content with the better food and comfortable bed, Serista gradually realized the heavy burden of the saintly title. She had often felt the crushing weight of her responsibilities and had considered abandoning the title and fleeing.

Serista believed that the world needed the real saint, Lilith, far more than it needed a weak, fake saint like herself. Lilith, who had the courage to confront a massive monster like the Kraken, would undoubtedly be more helpful to the Hero and the world.@@novelbin@@

However, revealing the existence of the true saint would likely mean her own demise. Serista imagined the church's ruthless measures to preserve its dignity and silence her.

"I can't let that happen…"

She felt the unfairness of her predicament deeply. Although she had understood the gravity of her role from the start, she had never anticipated that it might cost her life.

As she weighed her choices, Serista was caught between her desire to stay by the Hero’s side and her duty to the world. It was a cruel decision for a young woman in love.

The Hero’s Dormitory

Meanwhile, at the Hero’s dormitory within the Luminor Academy’s Swordsmanship Department, Geob Majo Sejigut Bolt, the top first-year swordsman and the hero of prophecies, was also deep in thought about the events of two days ago. Since being transported into the world of Luminor Academy as the Hero, the most changed character from the original story was Ethan.

Ethan’s moniker was no longer the ‘Pig Prince.’ Instead, he had become known as ‘Ethan, the Dual Swordsman.’ From their first meeting, it was clear that Ethan’s physique was far from the chubby character he was meant to be. He had a lean, muscular build.

The significance of this title change suggested that Ethan would not be the same villain as depicted in the game. Over the past half year, the Hero had confirmed that Ethan was indeed different from the Ethan Richard Blackwood of the game.

Initially suspecting Ethan of being a transmigrator or regressor, the Hero’s recent observations had led to a slight adjustment in his theory.

“Perhaps it’s not a case of transmigration but regression…”

The Hero reconsidered after witnessing Ethan’s reaction during the lake incident. Ethan’s panic at seeing Lilith’s cardiac arrest and his resistance to the Hero’s attempt to perform CPR indicated that he wasn’t a transmigrator. A transmigrator would have known about CPR and would have performed chest compressions on Lilith before the Hero arrived.

This left two main possibilities:

One, Ethan was a regressor who had returned to live a second life after dying in the future.

Or two…

“Is it possible that someone else influenced Ethan?”

The Hero pondered the idea that another character might have changed Ethan from the ‘Pig Prince’ to ‘Ethan, the Dual Swordsman.’ While it was a coincidence, it brought him closer to the truth.

The Hero’s understanding of the situation deepened, but the true answer still eluded him.