As Celesta suddenly barged into the infirmary, both Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat and I couldn’t help but freeze in shock.

Earlier, when I was speaking with Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat alone, she had hastily made an excuse to leave, so I assumed that she was just avoiding the situation. But it seemed that excuse was just a front. The moment she heard the conversation involving the Hero, she had returned.

If not that, perhaps she found it strange that Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat had visited the theology building without coming to see her, and that’s why she came back. Either way, the only two places the Hero was likely to visit after stopping by the church were Celesta’s dormitory or my infirmary, so if she wasn’t the one he visited, it would have made her anxious.

However, her sudden interruption wasn’t really the issue. We had almost finished discussing the secret matters I needed to talk about with the Hero, so it wasn’t as though we couldn’t wrap up our conversation.

The real problem was how much of the conversation Celesta had overheard. If she had caught the wrong parts, she might even have discovered that I’m a transmigrator, which naturally made me tense.

“Se-Selesta, Saintess…?”

“No! I haven’t even confessed my feelings to the Hero yet! I-I know that Lillis is the real Saintess, but… I’m not ready yet…!”

“Alright, alright, but maybe you should calm down first…?”

…Especially since the Hero, the very person she’s talking about, is standing right here listening to her.

She was so flustered that not only did she blurt out that she knew I was the real Saintess, but she also revealed her feelings for the Hero. Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat, listening to all this, had turned red and was now awkwardly looking away.

I had thought Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat wasn’t interested in women, given his talk about returning to his original world after defeating the Demon King, but this reaction was unexpectedly revealing.

“I… I know I’m not the real Saintess! I’m well aware that I’m just a fake! But it’s too soon! At least while we’re still at the academy, even if it’s just for a short time, I just want to stay by the Hero’s side…!”

“…Celesta, Saintess. I understand that you’re upset by the conversation I had with the Hero, but aren’t you sharing a bit too much personal information?”

“…What?”

“You… You do realize that I’m not the only one here, right?”

“….”

Hearing my words, Celesta slowly turned her head, and her eyes met Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat’s, who was trying hard to avoid her gaze. The moment their eyes met, the previously quiet infirmary was filled with Celesta’s scream.

“…I’m sorry. If it helps, I can pretend I didn’t hear anything just now…”

“Eeeeeek?!”

“Celesta?!”

With a classic shriek that fit the image of a delicate heroine, Celesta’s face turned bright red as she fainted backward. Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat quickly caught her as she collapsed.

“Are you okay?! Stay with me!”

“A-Ahh… I’m, I’m… Ahh…”

“She’s just overwhelmed with embarrassment. She’ll be fine after some rest.”

“…She fainted just from embarrassment? Was this even in the game?”

“I don’t think it was in my guide. This must be from one of Celesta’s solo events during the first night. I vaguely remember it happening when I played through it in my fourth or fifth run. But by the 25th run, I was focused on clearing Lillis’s route.”

“I see…”

I never imagined I’d witness that event in this way.

In the game, this was a popular event showcasing Celesta’s adorable side, but seeing someone faint from sheer embarrassment in real life was quite a different experience.

“Her heart raced too fast, causing her brain to temporarily shut down, but thanks to her divine power, she should recover on her own. If you take her back to her room, she’ll probably wake up by tomorrow morning.”

“What should we do? We need to find out how much of our conversation Celesta overheard.”

“Let’s handle that once she wakes up. You can ask her yourself and let me know. Celesta isn’t the type to spread your personal business around, so it should be fine.”

“…True.”

“You’re surprisingly capable when it comes to taking care of a fainting lady, aren’t you?”

“…Don’t tease me.”

I couldn’t resist a light tease as I watched Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat carry Celesta out of the room, his actions resembling someone about to carry out a bridal ceremony. With the Hero temporarily out of the picture, the day wrapped up uneventfully as Ethan returned after finishing his student council duties. However, my initial goal of convincing Celesta and helping her awaken as the Saintess seemed to have slipped through my fingers for now.

…Honestly, I was starting to worry whether we’d even have a chance to discuss her awakening as the Saintess before the operation day arrived.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

That night, after my secret meeting with Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat and the whole fiasco with Celesta fainting, I was slowly awakened from my deep sleep by the sound of a familiar voice.

“…Miss Lillis. Miss Lillis.”

“Ugh… Mm…”

I was in a deep sleep when a woman’s voice gently roused me, my tired body slowly rising as I squinted into the darkness. Gradually, the face of a female priest came into view.

“Miss Celesta…?”

“Are you awake, Miss Lillis?”

“What brings you here at this hour…?”

“…I’m sorry, Miss Lillis. There’s something I absolutely must tell you right now.”

“If this is about the confession you made to the Hero earlier, don’t worry, I was planning to keep it a secret…”

“Eeeep…!”

As soon as I mentioned the incident earlier in the day, Celesta quickly covered her mouth with both hands, her exaggerated reaction making it clear that if she had screamed like that earlier, she would’ve woken everyone on the floors above and below us.

Although most of the students had already been discharged or gone home by now, there were still some people managing the church, so a commotion like that would’ve definitely caused an uproar.

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you could keep that a secret too… But that’s not why I’m here…”

“Then what brings you here?”

“…There isn’t much time, so could I explain while we walk?”

“Huh? Where are we going at this hour…?”

“This is the only time the main church building at the academy will be empty.”

…The main church building?

Why was Celesta trying to take me there in the middle of the night?

I was puzzled by her sudden appearance and the abrupt interruption of my sleep, but her next words quickly cleared up my confusion.

“I’m going to consecrate you so that you can use the power of the Saintess.”

“…Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

It seemed that, unbeknownst to me, Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat had successfully convinced her. He sure knows how to get things done when he needs to.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

As Celesta and I walked through the darkened corridors of the church, we spoke quietly, our voices barely above a whisper. We talked about how much Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat had told her and why she had decided to perform the consecration.

‘There are many reasons I decided to consecrate you, Miss Lillis, but the biggest one is probably the promise Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat made to me.’

‘…A promise?’

‘Yes. The Hero promised that even if I’m not the real Saintess, he would never abandon me.’

Even in the dim light, I could see her face redden. Seeing how happy she was just from a single promise from the Hero, it was clear that this world’s Celesta liked him even more than the original game’s Celesta did.

It’s possible that she liked him even more than the Celesta in the original game. In the game, her affection was limited by the choices made by the player, but in this world, it seemed Celesta had spent a lot more time with Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat, leading to a much deeper bond.

Considering she was the type of heroine whose affection could automatically rise just by spending time together, it made sense that her affection for the Hero had skyrocketed in this world.

‘How much of the conversation between me and the Hero did you overhear?’

‘I heard from the part where the Hero said he would take you with him if I couldn’t awaken as the Saintess. That’s when I got anxious and interrupted your conversation. I’m sorry…’

‘It’s okay. The Hero and I had almost finished talking by then anyway.’

Thankfully, it seemed she hadn’t overheard the parts about the 『Luminor Academy』 game strategy or other important details. I guess I should be grateful for small mercies.

‘At first, I thought the Hero was going to abandon me because I was no longer useful compared to you, Miss Lillis. After all, I’m just a fake Saintess who can’t use the power of a real Saintess, and you’re the real deal.’

‘Don’t worry, Saintess Celesta. With your pure heart, I’m sure you’ll become a real Saintess, not a fake one.’

‘You’re saying the same thing as the Hero.’

‘…’

‘It must be your Saintess power that allows you to know this, right? The Hero often told me that his power includes the ability to see the future, even though that’s not widely known. He used that power to help me pretend to be the Saintess even though I’m not.’

‘…I see.’

‘If you also possess that power as the real Saintess, then it makes sense why the Hero would tell me to use it to pretend to be a Saintess. He must have foreseen all of this and made me the “Prophetic Saintess.”’

In reality, it seemed more like everything just happened to line up that way. When Gyeonmwa Joshekigwat first met Celesta, he probably had no idea that someone else had possessed Lillis.

It seemed that, in the end, Celesta didn’t have any doubts about me being the real Saintess, likely because everything turned out so well. Even a haphazard process can seem like it was planned from the start when the results are good.

…Though, before my awakening, I was using the Saintess’s power not to see prophecies but to blast Krakens with mana, so I felt a bit guilty.

When we finally reached the first floor, where the main church was located, Celesta turned to me cautiously. Since I had asked her a question earlier, it seemed like she thought it was her turn to ask one now.

‘Before I perform the consecration, may I ask you one question, Miss Lillis?’

‘…If it’s something I can answer, I’ll do my best.’

‘No matter how you answer, I’ll still perform the consecration, so don’t worry. Please just answer honestly.’

‘Of course, Saintess Celesta.’

‘W-Well, I was wondering… Miss Lillis…’

‘…Yes?’

‘Do you… do you love the Hero, just like I do?’

…Absolutely not.