Chapter 05

“You don’t think that by using your sister to curry favor with the crown prince, he’ll agree to let you join the competition team, do you?”

Ye Di dropped his casual pretense. His eyes widened, embarrassment and anger clearly visible.

It made him sound like a despicable man selling his sister for personal gain. Wasn’t building a relationship with the crown prince beneficial for her as well?

He was about to argue when he saw Ye Zheng lift her gaze. Her eyes curved gently, filled with reproach tempered by indulgent affection.

“The crown prince is not easy to deal with. Don’t take his empty promises at face value.”

“With little Di’s abilities, you’ll naturally make it into the team next time. Why humiliate yourself before the crown prince?”

Hearing her affectionate tone, Ye Di relaxed. This was how it should be. Ye Zheng had always indulged him the most. When he caused trouble as a child and blamed her, she would quietly accept the punishment without complaint.

His playful grin returned, his voice tinged with spoiled petulance. “But the next round is three years away. That means during my school years, I can only participate once in the national tournament. After graduation, my starting point will be even lower than Ryan next door.”

“Sister, help me, alright? This is for the honor of the Ye family too.”

Ye Zheng lowered her lashes, hiding a flicker of coldness in her eyes. For the Ye family’s honor, her dignity must first be crushed. Would honor gained that way ever shine upon her?

When she lifted her head again, she was once more the gentle, slightly timid elder sister Ye Di was familiar with.

“Alright. But I still have prayer duties this weekend. As the saintess, I cannot delay the church’s regulations.”

“That kind of thing can just be handed off to someone else.”

“The selection of those who pray to the God of Hope is strict. They must be of noble birth and possess at least A-grade talent. People who meet those conditions…”

Ye Di clenched his teeth and raised his voice. “Then I’ll do it. I’ll pray in your place.”

Ye Zheng nodded with satisfaction.

“Don’t worry. This weekend, I’ll speak properly with the crown prince on your behalf.”

“Oh, right. Remember to bring knee pads. You’ll need to kneel for six hours during prayer.”

The extravagantly dressed boy halted and spun around. “What? Kneel for six hours?”

Ye Di stared at her in disbelief. He had never truly understood the saintess’s duties. He only knew she was forbidden from marriage. Was her daily work really this brutal?

He wanted to negotiate further, but the corridor was already empty. Ye Zheng had long since closed the door.

✧✧✧✧✧

“Prepare a car to the Imperial Central Station.”

Ye Zheng pressed down the elegant white brim of her hat. The flowing, sculpted layers of her gown swayed lightly in the breeze, resembling a pure white lily. The butler hesitated. The Imperial Central Station connected directly to the lower district.

Just the night before, he had overheard the master instruct Miss Ye not to go to the lower district anymore. It was chaotic there. If something were to happen…

“I am the church’s saintess. I must fulfill my duties.”

“But the master said—”

“If you don’t inform him, he will not concern himself with my whereabouts.”

The lace brim concealed half her face. The butler could only see the corner of her lips, curved in a smile that was not quite a smile.

“Besides, by regulation, the status of the church’s saintess is higher than that of an upper-district judge.”

The butler trembled inwardly, nodded repeatedly, and hurried to give the order. Only after watching the car depart did he finally relax.

If it had been the master or the young master issuing orders, he would never have hesitated.

Only now did he seem to recall that the young miss’s status was, in fact, no lower than theirs.

The black car bearing the Ye family crest drove steadily through the streets.

Pedestrians whispered as they caught sight of the emblem. Even within the upper district, hierarchy was rigid. A family that produced both a grand judge and a church saintess unquestionably stood among the highest ranks.

Inside the car, the partition rose. The saintess casually lowered her hat to cover her face and fell asleep without concern for decorum.

『Wake up. You’re about to enter the plot.』

『Have you decided how to modify it and make a striking entrance?』

“I have.”

Ye Zheng replied lazily, not lifting her hat.

『…』

『Very well. You are already a mature awakened paper character.』

『I trust you won’t repeat the foolish actions assigned in the original storyline. I’ll be resting. Even if you call for me, I won’t respond immediately.』

Ye Zheng lifted the hat slightly. “Really?”

The system somehow sensed delight in her tone.

Ye Zheng’s mood visibly improved. She even hummed softly until the car came to a stop.

The Imperial Central Station was the transportation hub of the Sacred Citadel Empire. Its exterior resembled a grand ancient fortress, solemn and mysterious, while its interior concealed ingenious mechanisms.

Three hundred years ago, this site had been occupied by an S-grade Aberrant Realm known as Spatial Turbulence.

Unlike typical realms filled with monsters, Spatial Turbulence contained only warped space. No matter how powerful an ability user was, they would be crushed by spatial distortion until an S-grade space-time ability user intervened and barely suppressed it.

After a century of research and reconstruction, experts from the Ability Association transformed the realm into a transportation center.

From the upper district to the lower district, the journey took only ten minutes. Of course, the cost of those ten minutes equaled an entire year’s expenses for a lower-district resident.

Ye Zheng passed through an elaborately carved doorway. A group of people awaited her in the private passageway. The two tall figures at the front bowed respectfully.

“Wende, Charlie, let’s go.”

With a light wave of her hand, Ye Zheng led the church guard knights aboard the train.

The interior was luxurious and comfortable. The only flaw was the scenery outside the windows, which consisted solely of silent darkness. The train did not travel across the empire’s land but through the Aberrant Realm itself.

Reflected in the pitch-black glass was the girl’s profile. She parted her lips, appearing to give instructions to the knight beside her.

✧✧✧✧✧

The journey from the Imperial Central Station to the nearest disaster zone in the lower district took less than an hour, yet Charlie was already restless.

He watched as the noble and radiant saintess personally used her A-grade ability to treat low-level ability users, even washing their wounds herself. What a waste.

Recently, Aberrant Realms had descended more frequently in the lower district. Casualties among both civilians and ability users were rising. Yet instead of focusing on containment, lower-district residents had begun protesting, demanding resources from the upper districts.

Even now, loud clamor echoed outside the church’s medical area. Charlie wrinkled his nose. The smell inside also unsettled him. As a beast-type ability user, his sense of smell was unusually acute.

Perhaps due to the overcrowding, an unpleasant odor lingered in the air, making him increasingly uncomfortable.

“Charlie? If you’re feeling unwell, you can go rest inside. I know your ability is strong, but your sensitivity to smell is troublesome.”

Clear water flowed from the girl’s hands, her A-grade ability Stream enveloping the patient’s bloodied arm. In moments, the flesh was clean and pale, smooth as lotus root, with no trace of injury remaining.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The woman expressed her gratitude awkwardly. As an E-grade ability user, she had never imagined receiving treatment from someone of such status.

Charlie stared at the saintess bathed in gentle light. He had not expected her to notice his discomfort while treating others. Deeply moved, he shook his head.

“No. Protecting you is my duty. Please allow me to stay.”

Ye Zheng turned and smiled softly. “Wende is here as well. Nothing dangerous will happen within the church.”

Charlie hesitated. What kind of knight was Wende anyway? Just a tall, sturdy maid.

But the stench grew stronger. He sneezed several times, his face flushing with embarrassment, and finally retreated to the lounge.

Ye Zheng continued treating patients until church staff urged her to rest repeatedly. Even the injured ability users waiting their turn pleaded for her to take a break.

Everyone could see it clearly. The church’s saintess truly lived up to her title as the agent of the God of Hope. She pushed her ability far beyond safe limits, her face growing paler by the minute, looking weaker than the very patients she healed.

Lower-district ability users had always despised the church’s hypocrisy and exploitation. Many had heard of the saintess’s reputation but dismissed it as empty propaganda.

The upper districts lived free from Aberrant Realm threats, yet criticized the lower districts’ desperate struggle for survival as lacking dignity.

But now, within the church, quiet discussions arose, tinged with genuine admiration.

A young woman nudged her companion and whispered teasingly, “I told you. The saintess is different from the rest of the church.”

“Hmph, fine. At least she truly did not slack off. Compared to those big shots who merely occupy their posts and do nothing, this Saintess at least lives up to the taxes she enjoys.”

The young woman reached out and poked her sister’s forehead. “You were clearly thinking of offering her water just a moment ago.”

Her sister flushed in irritation. “She’s a big shot, surrounded by so many people. How could it possibly be our turn to curry favor?”

She then gazed thoughtfully at the Saintess’s retreating figure. “Look, the one beside her seems to be a female knight. Does the Church recruit women as knights?”

Her sister turned her head sharply, excitement lighting her eyes. “Really? Both the Royal Guard and the Church Guard are made up entirely of men. Can women join now?”

The first sister shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything like that. Maybe it’s a special case for the Saintess. After all, the Saintess is a woman who serves the gods, so having male knights around her might be inconvenient in certain respects.”

“Now that you mention it, the Saintess really does need female knights.”

The two sisters looked at each other, and in both pairs of eyes, a faint spark quietly ignited. 

✧✧✧✧✧

Ye Zheng was supported by Wende as she left the medical area. Seeing the girl leaning against her, Wende’s heart ached. “My lady, overusing your ability is extremely dangerous.”

“There are far too many injured people in the lower district. You cannot save them all by yourself.”

Ye Zheng shook her head gently. “I am still far from my true limit. Pursuing justice and excellence is the family motto of the Ye family. As a noble who benefits from the offerings of the lower district, I have an obligation to bring them justice and excellence.”

“Wende, this is what is fair and right. This is what I, as the Saintess, must put into practice.”

The tall woman fell silent. She did not fully understand what the Saintess was striving for, yet that did not prevent her from offering her absolute loyalty. This, she believed, was precisely what a knight ought to uphold.

Wende changed the subject. “Everything has been arranged. My lady, you have ten minutes of secret activity time.” She glanced worriedly at Ye Zheng’s pale face, then finally lowered her head.

“Please be careful, my lady. I will handle everything on your behalf.”

Ye Zheng smiled and nodded. Among the entire Church Guard, Wende was the only one she had promoted despite fierce opposition. She was her own person. Evading the Church’s surveillance to carry out her private plans was no easy task.

Even so, she had to do it. Not because of the upcoming comic plot, but because this was something she would have done regardless.

Before leaving, Ye Zheng gave her loyal female knight one final instruction.

“Wende, inform the royal knights stationed at the church to go to Sieg Square. Tell Saintess left something there. Please make sure to retrieve it for me.”

Wende did not understand, but she nodded firmly and watched as the Saintess slipped out through a small side door.

Wearing a gray cloak, Ye Zheng walked through the noisy streets. This unremarkable attire made her blend seamlessly into the lower district.