Chapter 16

At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. I avoided her gaze and took a step back.

“W-what did you say?” Claire asked with an awkward smile.

“This Holy Power… I can’t possibly not recognize it,” Lilia said, taking a step closer to me. “You are the Saintess, aren’t you? Why are you here?”

“Please be quiet,” I said in a low voice. “Don’t say that out loud here.”

Lilia paused for a moment, then made a surprised expression. Her hands were still glowing as she continued to heal Luan.

“Saintess… I have so many questions. Why are you in this state… and why have you been hiding?”

I sighed and said, “I’ll explain later. For now, please focus on healing Luan and the spirit. We’ll talk after that.”

Lilia reluctantly nodded and concentrated on the healing again. But her sharp gaze was still fixed on me, as if the questions wouldn’t stop.

—

The healing light enveloped Luan and the spirit as sacred power emanated from Lilia’s fingertips. The spirit’s faint glow gradually brightened, and color began to return to Luan’s pale face. I quietly sighed in relief as I watched her work.

But Lilia’s sharp gaze remained fixed on me. Her eyes seemed to crave the truth, going beyond mere curiosity. That kind of gaze was unfamiliar—it wasn’t the reverence I was used to as the Saintess, but a different kind of pressure.

“Saintess,” she spoke again. Her voice was cautious but firm. “There’s too much I don’t know. Could you tell me more about what happened at the Cathedral?”

I turned my head to avoid her gaze. Claire and Zion, sensing the awkward atmosphere, quietly watched our conversation.

“Now is not the time for that,” I replied calmly. “We need to finish healing Luan and the spirit first.”

Lilia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Understood. But we must talk later. I need to know why you’re here, Saintess.”

“Understood,” I replied shortly, not continuing the conversation.

—

As the healing continued, Claire and Zion whispered quietly behind the wall. Linda, standing next to Zion, kept glancing at me and Lilia with an uneasy expression.

“Ellie, unnie…” Linda suddenly spoke up. “Um, I might be wrong, but… when the healing started earlier… I felt an incredible light coming from you…”

Hearing that, Claire and Zion simultaneously turned their heads to look at me.

“Did Linda just figure it out?” Claire muttered softly.

I awkwardly shook my head and said, “It’s probably just a misunderstanding. The Holy Power spreads during the healing process, so that must be it.”

“No… it wasn’t just Holy Power…” Linda pointed at me and whispered. “Unnie… you’re really the Saintess, aren’t you?”

At that moment, Zion coughed awkwardly, trying to lighten the mood. “Linda, do you even know what a Saintess is?”

“Of course I do. We’ve heard so much about the Saintess in our party,” Linda nodded and said to Zion. “But now that I think about it… is Ellie unnie…?”

I cut her off firmly. “Sorry, Linda. I’ll explain everything later.”

Linda flinched and closed her mouth. Her face was still full of questions, but she didn’t ask further.

—

Lilia finished the healing and removed her hands. Luan was fast asleep, and the spirit now emitted a small but gentle light. She took a deep breath and said, “For now, this child and the spirit are stable. But they’ll need a few more days of treatment to fully recover.”

“Thank you so much, Lilia,” I said sincerely. But her gaze still didn’t let me go.

“Saintess,” she said in a firm voice. “Now you must answer my questions. Why did you leave the Cathedral? And why have you been hiding all this time?”

“Lilia,” Zion intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Now isn’t the time to discuss the Saintess’s circumstances. We came here to save this child and the spirit, not to interrogate her.”

“But…” Lilia looked at Zion with a flustered expression. “This is something I can’t understand. Ever since the Saintess left the Cathedral, the church has been in chaos, and the demon beasts’ energy has been growing stronger. I can’t help but think all of this is connected.”

I sighed and said, “Lilia, I’m aware of that too. But there are things I can’t explain right now. So please, just wait a little longer.”

Lilia fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Understood. But when the time comes, you must tell me everything.”

“Please understand that I can’t wait any longer. And don’t forget that the church is looking for the Saintess.”

I bowed my head and replied, “Thank you, Lilia.”

…

After Lilia left the room, Claire quietly said, “What are we going to do now, Ellie? If that person reports to the church, we’ll be caught in no time.”

“True,” Zion added. “Lilia is surprisingly sincere and keeps her promises to people, but she’s also someone who has sworn loyalty to the church… If it benefits the church, she might tell them about us…”

“For now, we have no choice but to trust her,” I replied in a calm voice.

…

The inn room was quite cramped, but it wasn’t bad. The gentle warmth from the fireplace filled the space, and Luan was quietly sleeping on the small bed. The spirit was still floating beside him, emitting a faint light. Claire and I were talking by the window.

“Ellie, honestly, can we trust Lilia?” Claire asked. Her voice was as relaxed as usual, but her eyes were serious.

I looked out the window and answered, “Honestly? I’m not sure. You know Lilia is fiercely loyal to the church, right? After she became a candidate for Saintess, she swore to devote herself to the Saintess, but whether that devotion is for me or for the church is ambiguous.”

“So, that means we can’t trust her,” Claire sighed and crossed her arms. “There’s a limit to how long we can keep running like this without being able to explain why you’re on the run.”

“But there’s no other way,” I shook my head and said. “If Lilia reports to the church, we’ll be caught in an instant.”

Claire stared at me intently and said, “But, Ellie. You know this too, right? This is something that will eventually come to light. Not just that you’re the Saintess, but also… that you were originally a man.”

At those words, my face stiffened involuntarily. Claire, seeing my expression, continued without hesitation.

“Honestly, a curse is a curse. Being chosen as the Saintess and having your gender forcibly changed… I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

“Quiet, Claire,” I sighed and retorted. “It’s not just a simple joke, you know?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Claire shook her head and stifled a laugh. “But honestly, we really can’t let Linda find out. Did you see her reaction earlier? She’s ridiculously sharp.”

“True,” I said with a tense expression. “But Linda might have already figured something out. That question earlier seemed like it was on purpose.”

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and Linda barged in. She was carrying a bunch of food in both hands, and her face was filled with her usual innocent smile.

“Unnies~ What are you doing here? Were you two having a secret conversation without me?”

“Linda? What, why are you…?” I stammered as I looked at her.

“Oh, nothing. I brought snacks. The atmosphere in our room was way too heavy. But earlier, you were talking about the Saintess, right? Unnie, are you really the Saintess?”

Claire covered her face and muttered, “She’s really sharp as hell…”

I sighed and replied, “It’s better not to talk about that right now.”

“Ah, why not! I really want to know!” Linda insisted as she approached. “Unnie, I’m really curious about the Saintess thing. Is it true that you were originally a man and became the Saintess?”

At that moment, the door opened again, and Zion walked in. He had a shield slung over his back, and as soon as he heard Linda’s words, he chuckled and said, “Wow, Linda. You’re really sharp. How did you manage to hit the nail on the head like that?”

“Zion!!!” I looked at him with a shocked expression. “Shut up!”

But Zion ignored me and sat down on a chair, saying, “Linda, you’re right. Ellie was originally a man. After being chosen as the Saintess, she became like this.”

“Really? Wow…” Linda’s eyes widened as she looked at me. “So that’s why Unnie is so pretty… If you were a man, it would have been such a waste…”

“Linda!!!” I shouted, my face turning red. “Don’t talk about that!”

…