My unexpected punch seemed to have really hurt Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat, as he clutched his chest and groaned in pain.

“Ah, my solar plexus….”

“…Sorry, did it hurt that much?”

“What do you think? You hit me pretty hard….”

“……”

“And I mean, it’s not like it was unreasonable for me to think that. You’ve got that whole ‘Lilgalchang’ nickname history, so it wasn’t crazy to wonder if you weren’t a virgin anymore….”

Looking back, maybe the punch was a bit much… but still, he did start with the sexual harassment.

“Anyway, I didn’t do it! Why would you even think I’d done anything with Ethan? What’s your reasoning?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, you two are dating, and I’ve seen how close you are. It seemed like a reasonable assumption.”

“…Yeah, I guess that’s true, but still, that alone isn’t enough. And you should exclude the community nickname because it was from before I was observing Virgin Lillis.”

“I also heard that you and Ethan are staying in the marriage/engagement dormitory, right? If that’s the case, then you’re probably sharing a bed. I know those dorms usually have just one big bed.”

“…We do share a bed, but…”

“And Luminor Academy was originally an eroge, right? In a world like this, it’s normal to assume that when a pretty girl and a handsome guy are spending that much time together, they’ve probably done the deed.”

“…That’s also true.”

“Then why did you punch me?!”

Seeing the indignant expression on Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat’s face made me feel a bit guilty. His reasoning was sound, and it was hard to argue against it.

“Anyway, nothing like that happened, so don’t get the wrong idea. And I’ve been keeping my virginity for moments like these.”

“Right, you were a virginity purist, weren’t you? Thinking about how you acted back in the day on the boards, it’d be stranger if you had done it. So, congrats, I guess, on finally being the Virgin Lillis you always wanted to be.”

“Yeah, thanks, you jerk. So, you get it now, right? Ethan and I haven’t done anything. Sure, there have been some close calls, but I’m still a virgin….”

“Wait, what close calls?”

“…N-Nothing happened!!”

I almost blurted out something about those other close encounters with Ethan in my confusion. Damn, I really need to watch what I say around this guy.

Plus, the more I talk to him, the more I feel the atmosphere getting too casual. I decided it was best to get back on track quickly.

“Anyway, to awaken as the Saintess, I need to be blessed by a high priest. That’s how it worked in the game too. So, I need your help convincing Celesta.”

“Why do you specifically want Celesta to bless you? Are you trying to rub it in her face that you’re the real Saintess and she’s a fake?”

“…I don’t know what kind of image you have of me from our community days, but no, I’m not trying to be a jerk.”

“I actually get it. It’s for secrecy, right? If you get blessed by anyone other than Celesta, it’ll reveal that she’s a fake Saintess. I was just messing with you earlier.”

“……”

• I clenched my fist again.

“…Hey, let’s not get violent.”

Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat raised his hand to protect his solar plexus as I tensed up.

“Yeah, you’re right. Most of the high priests in the Aurelia Church who could perform the blessing are elderly, and the younger ones are involved in the plan to make Celesta the fake Saintess. Celesta is the only one who can bless me without exposing the truth.”

“I get what you’re saying, but isn’t it only a matter of time before your true identity as the Saintess is revealed? The divine aura that comes with the awakening is impossible to hide from the priests, isn’t it?”

“Of course, I can’t hide it. In less than a month, there’ll probably be a search party for the real Saintess.”

“…Knowing that, you still want to go through with the blessing? Celesta’s already under suspicion by many people. They’re only staying quiet because I’ve been so insistent. But if you suddenly appear, what’s going to happen to her?”

“I know. That’s why I plan to give up the Saintess’s power before they can track me down.”

“What?”

“Once we’ve dealt with McHart, I’ll transfer the Saintess’s power to Celesta.”

“…Can you really do that?”

“Yes.”

This was a plan I had in mind for a while, even without worrying about a search party. If I ever had to awaken as the Saintess, I always intended to pass the power to Celesta as quickly as possible and return to a normal life.

Transferring the Saintess’s power wouldn’t strip me of the magical abilities I’d already learned or reduce my mana capacity, which had surpassed 3,000. I’d confirmed this during my previous life while playing the game, so I was sure of it.

Besides, my current status wasn’t that of a commoner anymore, but a ‘junior noble lady.’ I wasn’t sure how the game’s rule that only nobles could use magic would apply here, but losing the Saintess’s power wouldn’t mean losing my other abilities.

If things went well, Celesta would become the true Saintess she’d always wanted to be, able to assist Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat. Meanwhile, I could get rid of the bothersome power and deal with McHart.

And once the Saintess’s power was gone, I wouldn’t have to worry about staying a virgin anymore. Even if Ethan lost control and tried to—

‘No, no, no, no, no!’

What the hell am I thinking?! Ethan isn’t going to assault me!

The idea that I’d even be worried about losing the Saintess’s power in such a scenario was ridiculous. Whether I could become the Saintess or not didn’t matter. What mattered was that I wasn’t going to let anything like that happen.

No matter how much I had accepted my new life as Lillis, there were still boundaries that needed to be respected. And that included my psychological and emotional well-being.

Even though I had come to terms with my life as a woman, being with a man like that was a completely different matter. …Although, if I had to be with someone, it would be Ethan. But that wasn’t a choice I was ready to make unless absolutely necessary.

“What are you doing? Why are you shaking your head?”

“…Don’t worry about it.”

“Anyway, let’s get back to what we were talking about. You’re sure you can transfer the Saintess’s power to Celesta?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve done it a few times in the game, and it always worked.”

In Luminor Academy, the game that had been my obsession in my past life, there were theoretically two potential Saintesses. The prophecy named Lillis as the true Saintess, but even after Lillis lost her virginity, there were two ways to unlock powers similar to those of the Saintess.

One was for Celesta to awaken as the Faith Saintess, driven by her deep desire to fulfill the role of the Saintess.

The other was for Lillis to awaken as the Indomitable Saintess, a result of her unwavering will despite the numerous humiliations she endured.

In the case of Indomitable Lillis, it was possible to transfer the Saintess’s power to an unawakened Celesta. I had tested this multiple times during my quest for the Virgin Lillis ending, so I was fairly confident it would work.

On the flip side, I had tried to see if Celesta could transfer her awakened power to an unawakened Lillis, but no matter what I did, it was impossible. And honestly, knowing Celesta’s personality, she wouldn’t have wanted to give up her newly acquired power to Lillis anyway.

The in-game explanation was that Lillis didn’t like the Saintess’s power, so she was able to transfer it. So, I figured that even if I awakened now, it wouldn’t be impossible to pass the power on to Celesta.

Just as the in-game Lillis had found the Saintess’s power burdensome, I, too, was desperate to rid myself of this power that I never wanted in the first place.

“You’re 100 percent sure it’ll work?”

“…I’m pretty sure. I tried it three times in the game, and it worked each time.”

“That’s not exactly foolproof….”

“But if it works, it’ll be good for Celesta too. If she really awakens as the Saintess, the other priests will automatically fall in line, and she won’t have to live with the guilt of being a fake anymore.”

“……”

“I get that you’re worried, but I’m not going to force you. However, to defeat McHart, this is necessary, so I’ll convince Celesta alone if I have to.”

It was better to convince Celesta than to risk being accused of treason after killing McHart without proof of his demonic connections. Once I awakened as the Saintess, most of the problems would be solved.

“Alright, but promise me one thing before you do this.”

“Huh?”

“If you manage to get Celesta’s blessing and awaken as the Saintess.”

“Yeah?”

“And if you defeat McHart and pass the Saintess’s power to Celesta.”

“Yeah?”

“If for any reason, you can’t transfer the Saintess’s power to her….”

“…If that happens?”

“Then you have to join the Hero’s party with Celesta. That’s my minimum condition.”