Who Is the Demon? (3)
- Sizzle...
Upper Village, where I'd come without a second thought at Calvarion's suggestion.
Honestly, I had no real reason to come here.
Most of the information available in the Upper Village could be gotten just fine from the papal palace or the grand cathedral.
There was zero reason to take the risk and visit.
"This is quite unexpected."
"What is?"
"I never imagined you'd show your bare face like this."
"I've got my reliable guard Lumina, and Beatrice Valoa too... and above all, you've got the archbishop right beside me."
In any normal situation, I'd have shot down the invitation flat out.
But things were different now—with Archbishop Calvarion at my side.
No matter how scheming the old fox was, he'd publicly declared he'd support me.
He couldn't just ignore me if I got into trouble.
"That's right, Lady Vivian. I'll stake my life to protect you, so don't worry about a thing!"
Lumina, leading the way, turned with a resolute expression and spoke firmly.
"I-I'll do my best too...!"
Beatrice Valoa, right beside her, followed up in a voice that barely squeaked out, her own show of determination.
She seemed completely new to escorting through a village—every move awkward and clumsy.
"Youth truly shines so brightly. With such loyal companions at your side, Lady Vivian, your path ahead will be smooth indeed."
Calvarion, who'd been staring oddly at Beatrice with a blank face, spoke in a dry tone.
"Of course. They're escorts I picked out myself, as the saintess."
"Who could question that transcendent judgment of yours? Truly impressive."
"Thanks for the praise."
Unlike the Lower Village, thick with the scent of people,
everything here in the Upper Village was excessively neat and orderly.
No bustling market noise, no tantalizing food smells teasing the nose.
Just priests in pristine white robes lining the streets.
Each one they passed bowed deeply to Calvarion, showing utmost respect.
"...?!"
But that lasted only a moment—
the instant their eyes met mine, standing awkwardly beside him,
they all widened their eyes in unison, panic rippling through their bodies.
"A-Archbishop... what in the world is that...?"
"She is a noble one who has received His Holiness's full favor. Show her proper respect."
Calvarion halted and answered the flustered priest with solemn gravity.
The priest swallowed a nervous laugh, then hesitantly spoke again, even more bewildered.
"But anyone can see that's a demon, isn't it? I don't know what wicked trick is making her glow like that, but..."
"How rude. I clearly said she is a noble one who has received His Holiness's full favor."
He tossed out the low words indifferently,
then slowly withdrew his gaze from the priest.
"Th-that can't be. Why would His Holiness...?"
"Do not approach any closer. Lady Vivian is uncomfortable."
Lumina's low, stern voice followed.
The priest, clueless about the full context, just rubbed his eyes in disbelief, doubting his own sight.
"The Holy Knights... and even Lady Valoa...?"
"Please set aside your doubts, priest. The one before you is the very person prepared by the Goddess herself."
Beatrice chimed in, driving the point home.
The priest's face went slack as if the world had crumbled, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Wh-what in the world...?"
A bizarre silence settled around us in the street.
Just then, as the stares from passersby grew ever more piercing—
"Get up, priest. You'll dirty your robes."
I finally parted my tightly shut lips.
And extended a gentle hand to the man slumped weakly on the ground.
"I'm Vivian Paustina. As you can see, I'm a demon."
No sooner had I finished than the faint light cloaking my body erupted in a brilliant flash.
It enveloped everything around us in cozy warmth, mercilessly illuminating the priest's pale face.
"G-gasp...!!"
"......"
Perfect timing.
Introducing myself to the priest, and bam—the light explodes like it was waiting for its cue...
A reasonable suspicion crept in: was the Goddess monitoring me live, hitting the special effects button?
"Th-this light... what...?!!"
"How can such immense Holy Power come from a demon...?!"
The area buzzed like a kicked beehive.
An utterly burdensome situation, sure.
But whatever—I'm a bona fide saintess right now.
Who'd dare point fingers at me, casually emitting light like this, and call me fake?
It might sound arrogant,
but as a demon playing saintess, I needed a certain shamelessness to act the part boldly.
"I'm the saintess."
"N-no... that can't be...!"
"I get why you'd feel that way, but I'm still the saintess."
"How could a demon be the saintess...?"
The more the priest denied, the brighter the white radiance burst from my body.
So intense that his narrowed eyes soon squeezed shut tight.
"Argh!! My eyes—it's blinding!!"
"I feel like my body's burning up too."
"Stop... please stop...!! I'll admit it, just please stop!!"
A desperate surrender finally spilled from the priest's lips.
I hadn't planned to go this far, but I'd unwittingly wrung an admission out of him the brutal way.
Only after pushing one priest to the brink of blindness did the light finally fade.
My body returned to its soft glow, accompanied by a sizzle and faint wisps of smoke.
"Sorry. No idea why, but the Goddess must be super excited."
"The Goddess is excited...? What does that...?"
"I'll apologize on her behalf. And I'll fix your eyes too."
I approached the trembling priest, eyes still clamped shut, knelt down beside him, and crouched gently.
- Swish...
Cautiously, I reached out and lightly covered his eyes with my palm.
A subtle warmth flowed from it, softly enveloping his quivering eyelids.
"Still hurt?"
At my calm question, he tentatively touched his eyes with shaky hands and slowly opened them.
"......?"
But for some reason, he just blinked blankly for a long while, saying nothing.
I'd definitely healed the pain with holy magic—why the silence?
Don't tell me he'd already lost his sight...
"Ah, I can see so clearly now..."
"Pardon?"
"Just moments ago, everything was a bit blurry, but now it's like I've been reborn..."
As negative thoughts raced through my mind,
his unexpected response left me blankly staring.
"I can even see far-off things crystal clear!!"
"Oh, really?"
We'd barely stepped off the carriage and walked a few steps into the Upper Village streets, and already this miracle?
But this felt less like my own impressive power and more like the Goddess belatedly cleaning up her mess.
She'd nearly blinded an innocent priest, after all.
Her way of saying sorry, maybe?
"This too must be the Goddess's will. So cast aside your doubts and find peace."
"I can't believe it. How could this...?"
I murmured softly to wrap things up,
and the priest, voice trembling even more, spoke without hesitation.
"A-are you really a demon...?"
If he really wanted to know, it wouldn't be hard to confirm I was one.
Why ask so directly?
"Yes. As you see."
I wasn't even wearing my veil today, so it should be obvious.
"I see... so that's why His Holiness and the archbishop..."
"What's with the sudden change?"
At my puzzled question, he dropped his head as if struck by profound realization,
then continued in a low, earnest tone utterly unlike before.
"I feel so pathetic for failing even this simple test and furrowing my brow first..."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I'm still so far from true faith. I let appearances blind me to the genuine light."
A familiar yet ominous flow.
Having been through this a time or two, I instinctively furrowed my brow.
But the priest, kneeling politely before me, didn't back down at my expression.
He bowed even deeper, crying out in fervent plea.
"Have you taken the form of a demon to test our pitiful faith...?!"
His absurd declaration caught me completely off guard.
I'd never expected that from him.
"Not just the appearance, but wielding demonic power so meticulously to test us!"
"It's not borrowed. It's mine."
"Ah, what strict yet merciful guidance this is!"
Was his earnest cry the spark?
Nearby priests, who'd been watching, finally glanced around and bowed to me in unison.
"Messenger of the Goddess..."
"Forgive our ignorance, please..."
This unpredictable surge of faith never got easier to handle.
I'd had zero intent to incite it, yet I'd unwittingly set the Upper Village priests' devotion ablaze.
"Lu-Lumina, Beatrice...?"
"As expected of you, Lady Vivian. You've even captured the Upper Village priests in one go."
"Amazing... this is what a real saintess is like..."
Even as they blocked the priests from getting too close,
Lumina and Beatrice casually added their burdensome praise.
"......"
An overwhelming, suffocating situation.
But whatever—at this point, denying it one by one would just tire my mouth.
No real reason to deny it anyway,
and things weren't going that badly...
"......Thank you. I'm truly grateful for the warm welcome."
Just enjoy it.
I wasn't doing anything wrong.
I spun around on the spot, offering a simple greeting to the priests—
- Creak...
when Calvarion, silently watching from afar, caught my eye.
No particular expression on his face,
but for some reason, his right hand gripped his staff with tense force.
"......"
Impressive? Obsessive?
In this chaotic mess, he alone was lost in calculation.
What on earth was he plotting to stay so serious?
Impossible to read his intentions.
"Archbishop."
"......Ah, yes?"
I paused my greetings and approached him directly.
He flinched a beat late, hurriedly turning to me.
Without hesitation, I gently placed my right hand on his body.
"Sorry, you're stressing me out too much. I'm confiscating your Holy Power for a bit."