39. Temporary Cooperation
After being assigned to individual rooms at the church headquarters, the remaining task for these saintly candidates who had reached the “final selection” was simply: to strive to present themselves well. Thus, even though everyone was curious about everything within the church headquarters, or wanted to connect with their “supporters” for assistance, they ultimately chose to give up in resignation.
After all, everyone was smart; they all clearly heard the nun say, “The selection has already begun,” and no one wanted to jeopardize their chances out of impatience at such a critical moment.
For Nilu, who was also appearing as a “saint candidate” at this moment, it was even more so.
Previously, it had only been Mr. O’Keefe’s words and praises, but it was only now that Nilu truly felt the stark difference in her image before and after: it seemed that this maid appearance, which now only lingered in memories, was indeed very different from her usual self. Not only had she successfully arrived at the church headquarters, but even… the Urasiru, who had seen her before, momentarily failed to recognize her transformed self.
Whether she truly didn’t recognize her or pretended not to was still to be confirmed, but time had indeed been gained.
At this moment, evening.
Feeling the movements of the other saint candidates, Nilu decided to follow suit and rest early. However, just as the fairies flew out to guard the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in through the open window, and when Nilu turned around, she saw an “unexpected guest” arriving.
It was Kephir.
It wasn’t easy to blend into the church headquarters casually; it seemed she had somehow utilized the newly acquired power of the “Insight Fairy Icarus” to guide her here.
Thinking of this, Nilu immediately broke into a smile.
“Good evening, Miss.”
However, perhaps it was the “nature of women who are mutual adversaries,” when Mr. O’Keefe was absent, Kephir reacted in a way that Nilu had anticipated.
“He’s not here, so there’s no need to keep pretending in front of me, right?”
“…”
Nilu’s expression immediately returned to what it usually was. With Mr. O’Keefe absent, there was no need for anyone to act understanding, virtuous, or kind; interacting in their true forms saved them from the hassle of “feeling displeased.”
“As agreed, I’ll come find you after you arrive at the church.”
“You don’t need to worry so much; even if you don’t come, I won’t have any safety issues.”
The task of the “King” must be pursued with full effort; Nilu had never shown the slightest hint of slackness from the very beginning.
“Worry? How could that be? I just came to check on your status, to make sure you don’t mess up all of O’Keefe’s plans and cause us trouble!”
Two women locked eyes, and it wasn’t that Nilu was inherently combative; it was just that… every time she saw Kephir’s face, thinking of how she had deceived and usurped Mr. Oujilide’s body and abilities through various means, a surge of anger would ignite within her.
As for Kephir, though it was unclear what she was thinking, her hostility was no less than Nilu’s.
However, the tense atmosphere, even if it persisted in such a setting, held little meaning; at such a critical moment, let alone “sparring,” even speaking had to be done in hushed tones.
Before long, Nilu and Kephir simultaneously averted their gazes from each other, too lazy to argue any further.
“Fine, I don’t want to end up in that kind of situation either.”
“Likewise, Miss. If possible, I hope you won’t hold us back.”
Though displeased, Nilu understood very well: this action was not out of her own preference, but rather in obedience to Mr. Oujilide’s orders. Since it was for Mr. Oujilide, personal dislikes and preferences should not come into play; even this woman could only be regarded as one of the existing companions.
Let her act in whatever shameless manner she wished; as long as Nilu maintained her own composure, Mr. Oujilide would surely “see” it.
“As you can see, I have successfully arrived at the church. Next, I will be undergoing the final selection as a ‘Saint Candidate.’ Just as Mr. Oujilide said, these ‘arrangements’ were made by that Urasilu, and whatever she has planned for us, when the final selection will take place, and when weaknesses may arise, I will send fairies to inform you whenever I have the chance.”
Pausing, Nilu looked at Kephir, “And what you need to do is obediently wait outside, then come in when I notify you. For Mr. Oujilide’s safety, I won’t engage in any trivial ‘stealing of credit’ nonsense, so you needn’t worry about that. Do you understand, Miss?”
This was clearly a dismissal of Kephir, and Nilu knew she couldn’t possibly misunderstand.
So, the moment Kephir voiced her question, Nilu immediately responded.
“Last question, you…”
“Are you asking me nonsense? I won’t allow Mr. Oujilide to be in the slightest danger. If you truly want to help even a little, or if you want me to be even slightly nicer to you, then please hurry and leave this place where you could be discovered at any moment. Don’t make me take the fall for your mistakes.”
Having said that, in the blink of an eye, Nilu realized Kephir had already moved from her previous position to the window.
Perhaps it was to prevent this woman from feeling too downcast and jeopardizing the plan. After a moment’s thought, Nilu finally spoke up.
“By the way, Kephir, I should have said this once before, so let me repeat it tonight: as long as it is Mr. Oujilide’s expectation, even though I feel quite unhappy, I will not refuse to cooperate with you.”
“Likewise.”
“You said you would protect our fairy ‘king.’ I hope you can strive to fulfill that boast of yours, Kephir.”
“Talkative. What of your king?”
Under the moonlight, the departing Kephiel turned to glance at Nilu, and then…
A hint of a smug smile appeared on her lips.
“Of course I’ll protect him, because he is my man. Can you do the same?”
“!”
Just as Nilu was about to grab something to smash that insufferable woman, the white figure had already vanished into the night in the blink of an eye. Kephiel, even at a time like this, your womanly sarcasm hasn’t faded one bit!
I hope that when we start to “collaborate” as per Mr. Euclid’s orders, your strength can match the bravado of your words just now, and don’t hold yourself back.