28. True Virtue or False Virtue?

I no longer needed to remind Kephiel; as a member of the royal family of the Great Yng Empire, she had likely seen this kind of situation far too many times since childhood. While it wasn’t exactly something we were prepared for, the concerns we had were indeed coming to pass.

Not just me, even Kephiel could probably predict what would happen next with her eyes closed.

As my gaze followed, I saw that the girl, all decked out in “golden glimmer,” who looked as if she wanted to stick a sign on her forehead saying “I’m a Young Lady,” swaggered in with a group of mostly “followers” to the church’s registration area, immediately revealing her attitude and intentions.

This “young lady” seemed to be there to sign up for the selection of the Saintess, and anyone could tell at a glance that her status was not ordinary. Amidst the whispers of the onlookers who somewhat recognized her identity, the script in my hands also revealed information about her.

“Hey, that woman who looks like a crab… it must be her, right? The young lady named Jader from the city…”

“Shh, keep your voice down! If she hears you calling her a crab, you might lose your priest’s certificate!”

[The golden-haired girl is named Jader, the daughter of a prominent church official in the city. She has come to register for the selection of the new Saintess!]

The script indicated this, and I could only respond with a bitter smile. It seemed that “wealthy and willful young ladies” could indeed appear anywhere, even in a church that outwardly seemed completely different from the ordinary kingdom.

Her purpose was clearly stated in the script: she was here to sign up for the Saintess selection.

If that were all, it wouldn’t be a problem. Whether she was just a regular registrant or using her status to coerce and entice the church officials into accepting her application, those were her own paths to tread. We would walk our own narrow bridge, and it had nothing to do with us. Nilu certainly wouldn’t provoke her for no reason.

But the trouble lies right here!

This Miss Jader not only wanted to sign up for herself, but she also had a few other thoughts in mind.

After finishing her particularly grandiose speech, she really did approach the registration staff like the “crab” the onlookers had mentioned, and then… she pushed aside the other girls who were registering nearby.

“Ugh…”

“Don’t block the way!”

As she spoke, she snatched the pen from one of the girls beside her, and before the other could react, she carelessly tore the registration form the girl was filling out in half, crumpled it up, and tossed it aside.

The girl whose form was ripped stood there in shock.

Having done all this, Miss Jader wrote flamboyantly on the new form, her mouth still muttering complaints.

“What are you ugly girls doing here making a fuss? Do you think you can participate in the Saintess selection? Don’t crowd around here; your stench is making me feel hot and bothered. I’ll give you one minute—get out of here!”

With that, she casually pushed the girl who had finally reacted, using enough force to send her sprawling to the ground!

This was simply outrageous behavior, causing an uproar among everyone around, but… it was just an uproar. The onlookers were merely spectators; no one wanted to stir up trouble, especially since this Miss Jader had a small entourage of clergy following her, making it even less likely anyone would stand up for the others.

As for the staff from the church branch responsible for handling registrations, they all seemed to know Miss Jader and were aware of her status. After witnessing such an incident, they exchanged glances, wearing expressions of wry amusement, and chose to either whistle or feign ignorance.

The girls who were trying to register were in an even worse position, all pushed to the side, watching helplessly as this young lady took over their registration area. Although there were a few brave souls with a strong sense of justice who immediately chose to speak up…

“Who says we can’t register!? You’re clearly being unreasonable!”

But… at that moment, the role of Miss Jader’s entourage became apparent.

“What does it have to do with you!?”

“With that look of yours, what do you have to compete with Miss Jader?”

“If you don’t scram, don’t blame us for ‘sending you out’!”

No matter how righteous they felt, most of the girls who had come to register were just ordinary girls. Faced with the harsh words from these lackeys, and considering the impressive status of the other party, they could only choose to leave in a flurry of nervousness and fear. This exodus further prompted other girls, who saw no hope of registering and were equally terrified, to leave as well.

Suddenly, the entire registration area became much quieter.

In this way, it was only natural that Nilu, who was not afraid to run away like the other girls, caught the attention of Lady Jader.

As she finished writing her registration, she tossed the pen aside and cast a disdainful glance at Nilu.

“What are you looking at? Don’t get in the way here!”

If this girl had said such a thing to Nilu in the Rodmar Empire, she would probably have been turned into a dried-up husk by the fairies in the next moment. However, at this moment, Nilu had to play the role of a “weak girl” well; she couldn’t waver now.

“Um… I haven’t written it yet…”

“Written? What, are you still daydreaming here!?”

Nilu’s weak response earned her a cold laugh and disdain from Lady Jader. “You think you commoners can become the ‘New Saint’? Do you understand!?”

“But… didn’t they say that any woman in the city can register?”

Nilu was very “afraid,” but still “held on against her fear,” biting her lip and “struggling.”

This answer made Lady Jader laugh out loud: “Yes, you can, but… you, and you all…”

She pointed at Nilu and the other girls behind her. “What makes you worthy of becoming the ‘New Saint’? Besides a barely acceptable face, what else do you have? The Church, the Saint, it’s not something you can just waltz into or decide to be. Don’t get in the way of my business, hurry up and scram!”

“But…”

“Hey! Get these women out of here! Otherwise, their noise will make me write my registration wrong!”

Without paying any more attention to Nilu, Lady Jader waved her hand at the followers she brought along.

The script unfolded.

【Lady Jader’s followers drove away the registering girls, Nilu’s registration failed!】

I clenched my fists in secret.

Nilu was still pretending, but if this continued without a “decisive action,” she would have to leave just like those girls before her, and judging by Lady Jader’s behavior and intentions, it was likely that ordinary girls wouldn’t be allowed to register again.

Nilu’s disguise certainly couldn’t be exposed this early. Fortunately, Kfir and I had come along, so now it was up to us to “cooperate” a bit.

“Kfir, wait here. I’ll go lend a hand; otherwise, Nilu won’t be able to make a move.”

“Hmm.”

Kefir and Nilu don’t get along, but she knows she can’t let Nilu be exposed or fail right now, so she agrees without hesitation.

And I, too, immediately step forward.

“You! What are you staring at? Get out!”

“Or don’t blame us for getting rough!”

Just then, before Nilu is about to be pushed down by one of the extras, I step in front of her, pushing the guy back and blocking him.

Brother, you’d better not touch this “little rabbit.” My displeasure is secondary; more importantly… once you do, you’ll probably find it hard to wish for death afterward.

“You’re openly driving away the girls who signed up. Could it be… this is the church’s dark secret?”