Reassuring Agnes and Explaining My True Identity as the Saintess

After noticing how Agnes became disheartened upon realizing she was the last to learn that I was the Saintess, I gently reassured her. Then, I began explaining the circumstances under which I truly came to terms with my identity as the Saintess.

"So, does that mean both Serista and the Hero knew that Lilith—no, that Lady Lilith was the true Saintess from the beginning?" Seraphine asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Yes, that's correct. In my case, I learned about it through a 'divine oracle' that was given to me after I became the Hero," the Hero responded.

"And for me… I found out when I was treating Lady Lilith some time ago… it was by chance, really…" Serista added, her voice tinged with unease.

Their responses confirmed that both had known of my status as the Saintess well before it became public knowledge. For context, the Hero often used the excuse of a 'divine oracle' whenever he needed to predict future events in this world. The inhabitants of this world were unaware that the Hero came from another world and knew the storyline, so this explanation usually sufficed.

"But why didn’t you tell me earlier… No, on second thought, it makes sense that you kept it from me," Seraphine concluded, understanding the reasoning behind their secrecy.

"Exactly. As I mentioned before, I never cared whether Serista was the real Saintess or not. As long as she could fulfill her duties by my side, that was all that mattered," the Hero said plainly.

"Hero…," Serista whispered, touched by his words.

"And that's why I couldn’t tell you, Seraphine. If I had, and you had distanced yourself from Serista just because she was a 'fake' Saintess, it would have made our journey much more difficult," he added.

"I agree with that. Even if Serista couldn’t fulfill the role of a Saintess, her abilities as a priestess, particularly her divine power, are exceptional. In fact, she’s probably far more skilled than Lady Lilith, who only recently became the Saintess," Seraphine acknowledged, offering a subtle consolation for Serista’s contributions.

Her words made it easier for me to bring up Serista’s role in my own transformation.

"Yes, and Serista was the one who secretly consecrated me, making me the Saintess. She risked her own safety to do so, which makes her more fitting for the role of Saintess than I am," I added, genuinely meaning every word.

"N-No! Lady Lilith, please don’t say that…!" Serista stammered, horrified at the suggestion.

Given her devout upbringing within the church, Serista was understandably shocked by what she considered a blasphemous statement. However, I couldn’t afford to stop here.

"But I truly believe that Serista is more suited to be the Saintess. She has courageously led the fight against the demons alongside the Hero, something I have yet to do," I continued.

"N-No… I’m too selfish to be a Saintess…," Serista replied, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

"Actually, your human qualities make you even more fitting as the Saintess. And—" I began, but my words were suddenly interrupted.

"Anyway, there was a demon among those present when MacHart’s dark magic was exposed. It seemed to be fleeing in a hurry, so we went after it, which is why we were late," the Hero interjected, steering the conversation back to his own accomplishments.

"Thank you, Hero. I appreciate your efforts in the demon hunt," I replied, though it was clear he was trying to shift the focus away from my words.

It was likely that the demon he mentioned was Evelyn. Ideally, I would have liked to deal with her as well, but the reason we didn’t was that I didn’t want to spread our resources too thin and risk failing to deal with MacHart. Even though Evelyn was a formidable demon, MacHart was a prince, and handling him was far more challenging in every respect.

"I see. Thank you, Hero," I said, trying to steer the conversation back.

"And judging by how quickly the demon fled, it seems like it figured out that Lilith is the real Saintess. If we’d left it alone, that information might have spread among the demons," the Hero added nonchalantly.

"...What?" I replied, caught off guard.

"I’m not trying to make a big deal out of it. Just saying," the Hero said casually, though his words implied, "You owe me for saving your life, Lilith."

"Thank you, Hero, I truly appreciate it," I responded, though internally, I added, "Yes, I’m really, truly grateful, you jerk."

After finishing the briefing, a silence settled over the room. Initially, I was tense, thinking I’d have to make a troublesome confession about being the Saintess. But as the meeting progressed, I realized those worries were unnecessary.

Seraphine had already been certain of my identity before I revealed it, and Agnes had gradually accepted it as the truth. Now, only the six of us knew that I was the true Saintess.

...And soon, it would be up to us to confirm that Serista was not the true Saintess.

"Well, now that it’s out in the open, I suppose it’s for the best. It’s a shame that the possibility of Serista being the true Saintess is completely dismissed, but at least we know for sure that Lady Lilith is the real Saintess," Seraphine said, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

"I-I’m so sorry for deceiving everyone…," Serista stammered, bowing her head.

"Don’t worry about it, Serista. We all knew, and for now, it’s better for the public to continue believing that you’re the true Saintess," Seraphine reassured her.

"...No, that won’t be necessary, Princess Seraphine," I interrupted, catching everyone by surprise.

Seraphine turned her gaze towards me, slightly tilting her head in curiosity as I approached Serista.

"Serista," I called softly.

"L-Lady Lilith? Please, there’s no need to be so formal…," Serista replied, visibly flustered.

"Have you ever thought, even once, that you wanted to be the real Saintess while traveling with the Hero as the 'fake' one?" I asked.

"...What?" Serista responded, her voice tinged with confusion as she processed my words.

Clearly uncertain of my intentions, she nervously glanced around, her eyes darting from side to side.

"W-What are you saying, Lady Lilith…?" Serista stammered.

"I mean exactly what I said. I think you’re more suited to the role of Saintess than I am," I explained calmly.

"Th-That’s… such a blasphemous thing to say…," Serista replied, shaking her head.

"I don’t think it’s blasphemy at all. You’re the one who embodies the virtues closest to the goddess’s will: selflessness, unwavering love, and the courage to face any danger," I continued, trying to convince her.

"O-Oh no… I-I…," Serista was clearly overwhelmed, her face growing more distressed with each word.

"Lady Lilith… or rather, Saintess Lilith… you shouldn’t say such things lightly…," Agnes interjected, her voice tinged with concern.

"Lilith, be careful with your words. You might invoke divine punishment," Ethan added cautiously.

Apparently, Serista wasn’t the only one troubled by my words. Both Seraphine and Agnes were now watching me with worried expressions, and even Ethan seemed alarmed, his wide eyes staring at me in disbelief. Was this really such a shocking idea?

Only the Hero, also from another world like me, seemed unfazed. Seizing the moment, I decided to direct my argument to him.

"Hero, what do you think?" I asked.

"...Me?" the Hero replied, clearly caught off guard.

"Yes. You’ve spent the most time with Serista, so you must know better than anyone that she’s the most fitting person to be the Saintess, right?" I pressed, trying to bring him on board with my plan.

"We already discussed this, so help me out here," I thought to myself.

"If Serista became the Saintess instead of Lilith, it wouldn’t cause any problems. In fact, since most people already believe Serista is the Saintess, it might even be for the best," the Hero replied, adding his own thoughts, "It would also make it easier to protect Serista from the public eye."

Hearing his response, I thought I was on the verge of success. If I could secure the Hero’s agreement, Serista’s would surely follow. My plan was simple: pass on the title of Saintess, along with all its responsibilities, to Serista. Then, I could finally enjoy a peaceful, leisurely life in this world…

"It seems you agree, Hero," I said, trying to solidify his support.

"It’s not about agreeing. It’s more that I’d prefer if that were the case," he clarified.

"In that case, Hero, if it were possible for me to transfer my 'qualifications as Saintess' to Serista, what would you think about that?" I asked, pushing the matter further.

"Saintess Lilith?!" Serista gasped.

"Lilith? Have you lost your mind?" Agnes exclaimed.

"O-Oh no… oh no…!" Serista stammered, on the verge of panic.

"..."

Except for Ethan, everyone else in the room seemed shocked to the point of standing up. The Hero, however, remained seated, calmly listening to my proposition.

Given that the Hero was fully aware of the situation, I had expected him to support my plan, but instead, he responded with an unexpectedly lukewarm and vague answer.

"Hmm, I’m not sure what to say," he replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked, taken aback by his response.

"To be honest, I’ve worked closely with Serista, but I have almost no experience working with you, Lilith. At last year’s end-of-year hunting festival, we weren’t even in the same party, and even during the MacHart incident, we fought separately for most of it," he explained.

"I don’t understand what you’re trying to say, Hero," I said, feeling my frustration build.

"What I mean is that I can’t make an objective judgment on who is more suited to be the Saintess. I know Serista is a great priestess, but I don’t know enough about you, Lilith, to say whether you’re a great priestess, a great mage, or a great swordsman," he said, laying out his reasoning.

"..." I fell silent, processing his words.

"Sure, I’d prefer it if Serista were the Saintess, given how long we’ve worked together. But I can’t make that judgment when I barely know you," he concluded.

What was this? His logic was sound, but did he really have to bring this up now?

Wasn’t the plan to transfer my Saintess powers to Serista already agreed upon? Why was he suddenly being difficult?

As my mind raced with frustration, someone else spoke up, interrupting the Hero's string of excuses.

"By the way, Lilith…," he began.

"...By the way," Ethan's cold voice cut in, sending a chill through the room.

"..." The Hero fell silent as Ethan's aura flared with a cold, blue energy.

Ethan's eyes narrowed, and his gaze was filled with deadly intent as he stared directly at the Hero, making it clear that he would not tolerate any further discussion on the matter.