While discussing strategies with my grandfather in training mode, there was one overarching premise we had agreed on.

I needed Faybi to recognize me as the Apostle of Armadi.

If not, no matter what I said, Faybi wouldn’t really listen. She’d just half-hear me and eventually act according to her own will.

However, if she acknowledged that I was Armadi’s Apostle, things would be different.

Faybi, who had longed for God’s love but realized she could never receive it because she was a fabricated saint, would listen to the words of someone who claimed to be God’s Apostle. To her, my words would be the very words of God, as long as the incompetent, worthless Holy God didn’t speak to her directly.

There’s no way she could ignore that, right?

Of course, this means I’d have to deal with her complaints, but if it meant convincing Faybi, that would be a small price to pay.

I don’t know what kind of responses the Mesugaki skill would give, but as long as I pamper her enough, things should turn out fine, right?

That was the plan. But when Faybi brought up the Apostle of Armadi herself, I was caught off guard.

Had she figured it out? How?

No, that didn’t make sense.

Who in their right mind would think that someone like me—who constantly calls Armadi a useless god—was Armadi’s Apostle?

Was it because I could use holy magic?

Most people thought, “Wow, Armadi really is merciful, even to crazy people like her.”

Even the bishop who taught me holy magic thought so.

‘How did you…’

"Hey, worthless saint, how did you figure it out?"

Seriously! This made no sense!

Faybi, have you been practicing some kind of mind-reading technique?

Did you learn some cheat skill that lets you see other people’s status windows?!

Faybi widened her eyes and lifted the corners of her mouth.

That look of joy came from her certainty that I was Armadi’s Apostle.

If the cheeky little girl in front of her was really the Apostle of God, then Faybi, who called herself a saint, would gain hope that she wasn’t a complete fake.

But that joy quickly vanished from her face.

Faybi, who had opened her mouth to speak, closed it again and lowered her gaze, fidgeting with her hands resting on her lap.

This wasn’t the confident and bright Faybi I knew, and I was sure she was hiding something.

Still, I didn’t push her.

I waited for her to speak.

“Well, that is…”

Faybi muttered several lies.

However, since she wasn’t used to lying, her attempts were obvious.

Her voice trembled, she avoided eye contact, and she didn’t know what to do with her hands.

Anyone could tell she was lying. After a few more probing questions, Faybi finally fell silent, before speaking in a quiet, almost defeated voice.

“I heard it from the Apostle of Tariki.”

Her words were shocking.

She had dealt with the Apostle of an evil god!

<So that explains the dark energy residing in her.> ‘...Yeah.’

Faybi’s abduction by Nakrad made sense now. Despite being a saint with holy powers, the darkness had taken hold of her.

At the time, we couldn’t figure out why, but now it was clear.

She had made a deal with Nakrad, and that’s how the darkness crept into her.

<What will you do about this?>
‘About what?’

<Dealing with an Apostle of an evil god is a grave sin.>

My grandfather’s voice grew stern.

In the past, it wouldn’t have been strange to behead someone on the spot for this kind of sin. Once someone is touched by evil, they can never return. He said I should denounce Faybi immediately.

Every word he spoke dripped with hatred—more than I’d ever heard from him when dealing with other Apostles of evil gods.

His feelings were probably tied to past experiences, ones I didn’t know about.

But I couldn’t sympathize with his hatred.

So what if someone made a deal with an evil god?

If the situation called for it and the choice was efficient, wouldn’t anyone make that decision?

Even in games, I’ve struck deals with Apostles of evil gods whenever necessary. I’ve even played as an Apostle of an evil god before, though that particular storyline was kind of boring.

Anyway, I had no intention of condemning Faybi.

If it was efficient, I’d make a deal with an evil god without hesitation. That’s just how gamers think.

What shocked me wasn’t the deal itself but how much Faybi had been struggling internally without me noticing.

As I’ve said before, Faybi was someone who truly deserved the title of saint.

In other words, she wasn’t the type of person who would compromise with an evil god.

The fact that she had wavered meant the turmoil inside her had been immense.

And there I was, blindly assuming Faybi would be fine.

Hah, how pathetic.

And I call myself a veteran of Soul Academy?

This isn’t a game. It’s reality based on a game world.

Get out of your delusions and start seeing what’s right in front of you, idiot.

I ignored my grandfather’s voice and stood up, walking over to Faybi.

She widened her eyes, then looked resigned, before shutting them tightly in fear.

I wanted to hug her with open arms, but… my Mesugaki skill wouldn’t allow such a kind-hearted gesture.

Instead, I put my foot on the bed, towering over her, and hid my smirk with my hand.

‘Faybi, did you really think I wouldn’t know?’

"Puha! Stupid, worthless saint. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? Only a fool like you could be tempted by an Apostle of an evil god."

Through my mocking laughter, Faybi opened her eyes, her expression blank with shock.

‘It’s alright, Faybi. Everyone has moments of weakness.’

"So what? You’re just a stupid, useless saint. Of course you’re dumb."

“What are you—”

‘No matter what you’ve done, you’ll always be a saint to me.’

“Hah. You’re such a hopeless idiot, aren’t you? I don’t care what you’ve done. In the end, you’re still a worthless saint.”

My Mesugaki skill finished its line by poking Faybi’s forehead a couple of times.

I didn’t mean to take it this far! But, well, I guess the message got across, so that’s a relief… right?

As I rested my arms on my leg, waiting for her response, tears began to well up in Faybi’s eyes.

Uh.

Wait.

No.

“Waaah!”

The calm, dignified saint suddenly started bawling like a high school girl, and I was at a complete loss.

What? What?! Why are you crying all of a sudden?!

I didn’t say anything bad, did I?!

I just told you I believed in you no matter what! Why are you crying?!

<She’s probably overwhelmed with emotion. She was expecting to be condemned.>
‘Right?! So I didn’t do anything wrong, right?!’

I was panicking, thinking I’d said something terrible, but my grandfather’s explanation helped calm me down.

Just as I began to relax, my grandfather let out a heavy sigh, clearly intended for me to hear.

<Do you really plan to forgive her? For turning her back on the faith and dealing with an Apostle of an evil god?>
‘Yes.’

Unlike my grandfather, who’s still stuck in the past, I, a proud member of the MZ generation, know Faybi.

Even if she wavered, Faybi is someone who can regain her unwavering conviction.

So no, I don’t plan on condemning her.

Honestly, I don’t even understand what exactly she did wrong.

So what? If necessary, anyone could make a deal with an evil god.

<...Is that your will, or the will of those who trust you?>

In response to my firm answer, my grandfather asked in a low voice.

He was probably asking if my words reflected the useless god’s will or my own.

Grandfather, are you stupid? The answer is already clear.

‘My will is Armadi’s will.’

That pathetic, useless god would’ve intervened the moment I did something he didn’t like.

In some way or another.

The fact that the worthless god has stayed silent means he agrees with my actions!

So my will is his will!

Get it?

After I declared this proudly, my grandfather was momentarily speechless before letting out a chuckle.

<Kuh. Yes, you’re right. You are Armadi’s Apostle, the first of your kind. It was foolish of me, a mere disciple, to criticize your words.>
‘Grandfather?’

<Hah. I’ve been sleeping for too long. I’ve become no different from the hardheaded fools in the church. It’s truly pathetic—so pathetic that I can’t stop laughing.>

With Faybi sobbing so much her eyes were swollen shut in front of me and my grandfather laughing heartily in my head, I found myself at a complete loss.

...Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown out the vain fox. At least watching it might have brought me some peace of mind.

After some time, Faybi finally calmed down. She went to the bathroom to wash her face before coming out again.

Her eyes were red and swollen—something unimaginable for the usual elegant Faybi.

Ah. If I could take a screenshot of this and post it in the community with a title like “The Saint’s Ruined Face,” the response would be amazing.

The saint’s fan club would go berserk. They’d scream about how I was trying to slander her with a fake photo.

Their reactions were always so fun to mess with.

Too bad they all disappeared once Soul Academy became a dead game.

“I... I’m so sorry, Lady Alrn.”

Faybi’s voice was hoarse from all the crying.

‘It’s fine, Faybi. It happens.’

“Puhahaha! What a pathetic, ugly face, totally fitting for someone as worthless as you. You should go around like that all the time!”

“Ugh…”

Embarrassed by her own appearance, Faybi blushed deeply.

If I teased her just a little more, she might explode.

Seeing the usually composed saint’s face change so dramatically like this was kind of fun.

For a moment, the thought of teasing her more crossed my mind, but I held back.

If I made her cry again, I really wouldn’t know how to deal with it.

Besides, I still hadn’t even started on the important things I needed to tell her.

I had to let Faybi know that she really was destined to be a saint, and she needed to stay strong and keep working toward that.

I also had to tell her that, even though she might be unhappy with the church, she had to endure it until she became strong enough to change things.

And there were things about her past I needed to talk to her about, too.

Now that I thought about it, I had a ton of things to discuss.

If I made her cry again, we’d be up all night.

So I decided to save the teasing for later.

‘Faybi...’

“Hey, worthless saint. Now we’re going to talk about some important stuff. Listen carefully.”

“Yes.”