Chapter 746: A Goddess’s Advice to Godhood 3

"Please forgive my rudeness earlier," Liyana said with a graceful smile. "I didn’t mean to startle you, Saintess."

"U-Uwah!"

Emilia nearly dropped the bags of bread again.

"I-It’s fine! And... p-please call me Enna while we’re outside."

"Oh?"

Liyana blinked before giving a small nod.

"I see. You’re hiding your identity."

She lightly raised a finger.

"But please don’t worry."

A faint ripple spread through the surrounding air.

"I’ve already cast a noise-cancellation spell around us."

"No one outside this area can hear even a single word we’re saying."

"I-Is that so...?"

Emilia let out a small sigh of relief.

The two of them were standing in one of the busiest parts of the commercial district.

They were only a short walk away from the cathedral, meaning students weren’t the only people nearby.

Pilgrims.

Believers.

Priests.

Even nobles visiting the academy.

There were far too many eyes around.

Clutching the bags of bread tightly against her chest, Emilia nervously glanced left and right before carefully stepping closer to Liyana.

"..."

Something about that name...

It sounded familiar.

"Liyana..."

She quietly repeated it to herself.

Then—

"Heavens..."

Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

There was only one family on the entire continent that carried that surname.

The House of Heavens.

The Emperor’s greatest pillar.

A family so influential that even kings and nobles treated them with the utmost respect.

Led by the current Grand Duke—

Luther Heavens.

The strongest swordsman on the continent.

Countless stories surrounded that family.

Its military might.

Its loyal retainers.

Its unparalleled prestige.

And...

Its youngest daughter.

A girl said to possess breathtaking beauty and talent worthy of the Heavens name itself.

Protected so carefully that very few people had ever met her in person.

Emilia slowly looked back at the young woman standing before her.

White hair.

Crimson eyes.

Elegant posture.

An aura of effortless nobility.

Everything fit.

"...L-Lady Liyana?"

She instinctively straightened her posture.

"I-It’s an honor to meet you. What brings someone of your status to speak with... me?"

Liyana couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

"Fufu... Please, you don’t need to be so formal with me, Saintess."

She smiled warmly, though there was an elegance to every movement she made.

"Yes, my noble rank may technically be higher. But you aren’t an ordinary commoner either, you’re the Saintess chosen by the Goddess of Light countless believers place their faith in you."

"Kings welcome you."

"High priests answer to you."

"I imagine the number of people who admire you far exceeds those who admire me."

She gave a small shake of her head.

"So... Please feel free to speak with me openly."

Emilia smiled awkwardly.

"...I-I’ll... try."

Though somehow...

Being told to "act naturally" by the daughter of the most powerful duke on the continent only made her even more nervous.

It was... difficult.

Strangely difficult.

It was the same kind of pressure Emilia felt whenever she spoke with Princess Snow or Lady Rose.

People whose status and talent naturally made others nervous around them.

But Liyana was different.

Her smile was warm.

Her voice was gentle.

She never once acted arrogantly.

And yet...

There was something about her presence that Emilia couldn’t quite describe.

An indescribable eeriness lingered beneath that elegant smile, making it impossible for her to completely lower her guard.

"Don’t worry," Liyana said softly after noticing Emilia’s stiff expression. "You don’t have to be so nervous."

"I really only wished to have a brief conversation."

"I’m still quite busy with official duties today, but when I sensed your presence nearby, I thought... why not take the opportunity to greet the Saintess?"

She let out a graceful laugh.

"After all, meeting you like this is quite a rare occasion."

Emilia blinked.

"You wanted to have a small conversation...?"

"Mm."

"Nothing too important."

"I merely wished to satisfy a bit of curiosity."

Liyana clasped her hands together behind her back as she looked toward the bustling streets.

"You could call it the curiosity of a devoted believer..."

She slowly turned back toward Emilia.

"...Along with a little personal interest."

A faint smile curved her lips.

"After all...I’ve heard you’re acquainted with my fiancé, my darling."

For just the briefest moment...

A crimson glimmer passed through Liyana’s eyes.

It vanished so quickly that Emilia failed to notice it.

"...Darling?"

Emilia tilted her head.

Then, almost immediately, she remembered.

There was only one person the rumors constantly paired Liyana with.

"...Your fiancé?"

A bright smile spread across Liyana’s face.

"That’s right."

"...Senior Riley?"

"Mm~"

Liyana nodded happily.

"It seems my darling has been... rather popular lately."

She placed a finger against her lips as though genuinely pondering the matter.

"You could even say..."

"...He’s become a bit of a player."

"W-What?"

Emilia’s face immediately turned red.

"N-No, Senior Riley isn’t like—"

Seeing her flustered reaction, Liyana simply giggled.

"I’m only teasing."

"...Mostly."

Emilia suddenly wasn’t sure if she was joking anymore.

"I was simply curious."

"As his fiancée, it’s only natural that I’d want to know the people he spends his time with."

She looked at Emilia with a gentle smile that somehow felt incredibly sharp.

"And how much of an influence he’s had on them."

"I-I..."

Emilia couldn’t find the words to respond.

Liyana quietly observed her for another moment before her expression softened.

"Fufu..."

"I’m relieved."

"Hm?"

"It seems..."

"There isn’t any essence left on you."

"...Essence?"

Emilia blinked in confusion.

She had no idea what Liyana meant.

Liyana simply smiled without explaining.

"There is one thing, however."

Before Emilia could react, Liyana slowly stepped closer.

"May I?"

"H-Huh?"

A slender hand gently reached toward Emilia’s face.

Without the slightest hesitation, Liyana’s thumb softly brushed across Emilia’s lips, wiping away a tiny crumb left behind from the bread she had sampled earlier.

"There..."

She pulled her hand back with an elegant smile.

"Much better."

Emilia stood completely frozen.

She instinctively touched her lips, still trying to process what had just happened.

Liyana gave a graceful bow.

"I should be going now."

"It was truly a pleasure meeting you, Saintess."

With those parting words, she turned and calmly disappeared into the crowd, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Emilia who could only stare after her retreating figure, still wondering...

What exactly had just happened?

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the utterly confused Emilia...

Anna and Amon stood frozen among the crowd.

Neither of them had taken their eyes off Liyana from the moment she approached the Saintess.

As Emilia’s personal guards, they should have intervened immediately.

Even if it meant exposing themselves.

Even if it meant revealing the Saintess’s identity.

The moment an unknown noble approached Emilia without warning, they should have already been standing between them.

And yet...

They couldn’t move.

Not a single step.

Not a single finger.

It wasn’t because their bodies were restrained.

No spell bound them.

No pressure weighed down on them.

It was something far stranger.

Their instincts...

Were refusing to let them interfere.

As though every fiber of their being was warning them.

Don’t move.

The two siblings had experienced fear countless times before.

They had stood before demon beasts.

Faced assassins.

Even crossed paths with powerful archmages.

But this...

This wasn’t the fear of overwhelming strength.

It was something they couldn’t describe.

An indescribable sense of familiarity mixed with an instinctive warning.

Almost as if they had unknowingly stepped into the territory of something they were never meant to approach.

Anna clenched her fist.

"..."

She wanted to move.

She couldn’t.

Beside her, Amon wasn’t any different.

Cold sweat slowly ran down the side of his face.

The two exchanged a brief glance.

Neither spoke.

Neither needed to.

They had reached the exact same conclusion.

Whatever that woman was...

Whatever feeling she had awakened within them...

They were better off not pursuing it.

Some curiosities...

Were never meant to be answered.

Only after Liyana completely disappeared into the sea of people did the strange sensation gradually fade.

"..."

"...What..."

Anna quietly exhaled, only then realizing she had been unconsciously holding her breath.

Amon silently nodded.

Neither of them understood what had just happened.

And neither wanted to.

...

Meanwhile...

Emilia was still standing where she had been left behind.

She blinked several times before finally shaking her head.

"O-Oh no!"

She looked down at the paper bags in her arms.

"The bread’s getting cold!"

That alone was enough to snap her back to reality.

Clutching the bags tightly against her chest, she hurriedly ran toward the cathedral.

"I hope Vanny hasn’t been waiting too long!"

She disappeared into the bustling crowd, completely unaware of what had just transpired behind her cheerful smile.

Yet even as she ran...

Her thoughts kept drifting back to the elegant white-haired young lady she had met only moments ago.

For some reason...

She couldn’t stop thinking about her.

....

Meanwhile...

Somewhere on the continent.

Hidden beneath the earth, deep within an ancient underground labyrinth forgotten by time, dozens of hooded figures gathered in complete silence.

The massive chamber was illuminated only by crimson candles.

Their dim light danced across weathered stone walls covered in countless dark-red carvings.

Ancient symbols.

Unknown scriptures.

Ritual circles drawn in what looked disturbingly close to dried blood.

At the center of it all stood a grotesque black altar.

It wasn’t carved into the likeness of any known god.

Nor did it resemble any demon worshipped throughout history.

It was simply...

Wrong.

Looking at it for too long left an indescribable discomfort creeping into one’s mind, as though the altar itself rejected being understood.

The hooded figures slowly lowered themselves to their knees.

Then...

They began to sing.

It wasn’t a language spoken anywhere on the continent.

It sounded ancient.

Broken.

Yet strangely harmonious.

Their voices echoed throughout the cavern like a solemn hymn.

"Our god..."

"Our marvelous god..."

"Please hear our prayers..."

"Grant us your blessing."

"Grant us your salvation."

One after another, the worshippers bowed until their foreheads touched the cold stone floor.

"We who have lost our way..."

"We who have abandoned the path..."

"Please grant these wandering souls another chance."

Their voices gradually grew louder.

"Break the chains of providence."

"Guide us beyond the will of this universe."

"For fate itself..."

"...is but a foolish illusion before Your existence."

"Oh, Great One..."

A deep, crimson light pulsed from the altar.

An unstable energy slowly seeped into the surroundings.

It was chaotic.

Wild.

Yet oddly familiar.

Not far away...

Hidden among the shadows high above the chamber, Lavine silently observed the entire ritual.

"..."

She frowned.

Master had asked her to investigate rumors of a mysterious cult that had begun worshipping him.

At first, she assumed it was nothing more than another strange religion that would disappear after a few weeks.

Instead...

She found this.

A fully organized group.

With rituals.

Prayers.

Followers.

And...

That energy.

Lavine narrowed her eyes.

"...That’s Master’s energy."

She couldn’t mistake it.

Although heavily distorted and mixed with something else, the presence lingering around the altar undoubtedly carried traces of Riley’s divinity.

Which only made everything even more confusing.

"..."

"...How?"

Lavine stared at the fanatics below with an expression that bordered on disbelief.

"Just...How in the world did you become their god, Master?"

For the first time since beginning her investigation...

Even she had absolutely no idea what was going on.