25. As Expected of Brother Shao Ou

The fairies’ playful discoveries became the beginning of a new “main storyline” in my script, after I had escaped the church with Ikusis! Without much hesitation, the next day, I set off with Kephiel and Nilu, bringing all the fairies along, fully “armed” as we left our residence, heading towards the lively place the fairies mentioned that seemed to be preparing to select a trusted Saintess.

At this moment, within the city.

Although this was merely a “satellite city” far from the headquarters of the Order Church, the atmosphere around us hadn’t changed much. The “believers” still looked like chives, sprouting one after another, and indeed, as the fairies said, there was a “big news” unfolding. After we had changed our clothes a bit for disguise, and I confirmed that we were temporarily safe in the script, we headed towards the largest church in the city, which was already bustling with activity.

“This should be the ‘scene’ the fairies were talking about. Hold on to me tightly, don’t wander off.”

The unlocking of this “new scene” naturally came with the emergence of the script, clarifying the previously hinted “main storyline” significantly.

【The Order Church is selecting a trusted ‘Saintess’.】

As I looked around, the lively and noisy scene before me seemed less like an immediate “selection” and more like “registration,” as the clergy standing on the high platform didn’t perform any flashy maneuvers; they merely reiterated the current “selection.”

“Please, female believers with a priest certificate or those who have served in various churches, come here in order to register! The church headquarters will conduct the first round of screening interviews after receiving your requests!”

As the speaker’s words echoed, Nilu handed me a paper flyer she had casually picked up, which detailed the situation regarding the “selection of a new Saintess.”

“To all devout female believers of the Goddess, the current Saintess, due to the excessive delivery of the Goddess’s will, has been working day and night, leaving her physically weak, and thus is temporarily unable to fulfill the duties of the Saintess. We are deeply saddened. In order to continue conveying the will of the Goddess of Order and bring forth her blessings, we need to select a new Saintess to take over the responsibilities of the current one and receive the Goddess’s grace. We ask all female believers to go to the local…”

I didn’t continue reading the rest, as the meaning was already quite simple and clear: the church could not be without a Saintess to receive “faith” and believers. Since we had already taken the current Saintess away, they needed to find a reason to have Ikusis “step down” and select a new one to take over her duties.

This was a lie, but… the truth wouldn’t be known to many.

“Are they anxious?”

The two women turned to look as well.

“Pretty much, but even if they’re anxious, this is still a tactic. Let the old saintess step down, and once the new one is chosen, the existence of the old saintess will gradually be forgotten by the followers. By then, the threat posed by Ikusis, who still makes the church wary and hesitant to act against us openly, will diminish. The church won’t need to hold back anymore when they decide to strike.”

As for the saintess’s reputation, unfortunately, it won’t be of much use. No matter how well Ikusis performs or how accurate her prophecies are, the people here will only remember her as “the saintess,” not by the name Ikusis. As for the new saintess’s “prophetic abilities,” I have no idea, and… we can’t wait until then to find out.

【The Blade of Order decided to eliminate the Light Fairy Ikusis after selecting a new saintess.】

The script appeared alongside.

Sister Urasilu acted with remarkable speed against us; just after we had barely escaped, the church had already begun selecting a new saintess. It seems her actual power within the church is not insignificant at all.

My words were something that Kephiel and Nilu couldn’t possibly misunderstand. However, as soon as I finished speaking, Nilu expressed her astonishment “from the heart.”

“Truly, you are worthy of Mr. Oujilide!”

“Nilu… that kind of exclamation sounds very insincere.”

“Ah, so this is your uselessness, my lady. As a maid, even if I already know what my master will say, I must still offer my admiration at the right moment.”

“Isn’t that just flattery? He doesn’t need to hear it!”

Two big shots, I can hear everything from over here; could you please tone it down?

Realizing that there were many eyes around, Kephiel and Nilu’s “crossfire” came to an unexpected halt. Even though they knew what Sister Urasilu from the church was planning, they both turned to me in unison and asked.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

“Your Majesty, what do you decide to do?”

After a moment of silence, I rubbed my forehead: “Just waiting won’t do; it would be better to run away. However, we can’t just take the saintess out and expose everything directly; that would be too rash.”

It’s a hassle, but… it’s also an opportunity. After all, this time, the other side can only use lies as a disguise to achieve their goal—selecting a new saintess. I have a clear understanding of the church’s actions, which gives me the upper hand for now.

I don’t need to put Ikusis at risk by revealing her identity to expose the church’s actions; it might not even succeed and could lead to endless troubles. Instead, I can use other means, like practicing Tai Chi, using the opponent’s actions to serve my purpose.

For example… like this.

I blinked, and a rough idea had already taken shape in my mind, but what followed was the “selection dilemma” I encountered in execution.

If Kephir were to go and “do that,” it would definitely not work; there were certainly people inside and outside the church who knew about Kephir’s identity and status in the Great Ying Empire. As for the fairy, Alsace truly lacked that “aura.” The three little girls—Jia, Si, Magnes, and Ignis—were still a bit undercooked; and as for the most knowledgeable and wise Claudilus, her innate “witch aura” made it clear that I could pass on her without a second thought.

Choosing anyone… seemed to be slightly off, except for…

Feeling the softness of Kephir and Nilu silently clinging to my arm, I… glanced at Nilu’s face. Was it really that rare for me to suddenly gaze at her so “eagerly”? The assertive Nilu actually averted her gaze from me for a moment.

“Your Majesty, do you… do you have any orders?”

Though I might have to spend quite some time later to cheer Kephir up, well…

It seemed I had found my “suitable candidate” for what I intended to do next.

So, I slowly spoke.

“Nothing much, but, Nilu…”

“Do you mind turning back to your ‘original’ self?”

I looked at Nilu’s face, which held a hint of confusion, and said.