I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Anastasia Romanova PoV]

The Holy City of Notredame—the place where the Goddess descended from the highest realm to personally bless the first Saint.

This was where the teachings of the Temple of Goddess Diana had first begun spreading thousands of years ago.

At that time, the Saint prayed to the Almighty to grant humanity the power to fight against the evil demons that were attacking them.

This was because, back then, humans were the weakest intelligent beings in the world.

After being blessed by the Goddess, the first Saint shared that blessing with the people around her.

This blessing came to be known as Divine Magic, the magic frequently used by Priests today.

This magic was an extremely powerful weakness against Demons, allowing humanity to fight them and eventually drive them from this world.

As time passed, the influence of the teachings of the Temple of Goddess Diana grew tremendously.

Today, there was only one country that had yet to be touched by its teachings:

The Nordica Kingdom, located at the far northern edge of the continent.

Several Priests had been sent there to spread the teachings, but the people of Nordica had always remained steadfast in their beliefs.

The Temple Authority had even urged every nation in the world to refrain from establishing any form of cooperation with them, whether economically or militarily.

The purpose was to isolate them further, ensuring that their kingdom would never develop.

At the moment, I was in the Holy Temple Complex after completing today's Trial.

I was on my way to meet my older sister, Alisha, who had come here to visit me.

In the main plaza not far from where I stood, I could see countless Priests and Inquisitors.

They were currently waiting for the memorial ceremony for Holy Knight Remilio, who had fallen while protecting the citizens from the attack of the Cursed Children and The Masquerade.

I eventually arrived at a tea shop in the culinary district.

Inside, I saw a woman with the same hair color as mine sitting elegantly while sipping her tea.

"Big Sis Alisha!"

I quickened my pace as I approached her.

She noticed me and smiled.

"Ana. It's been a long time."

The moment my sister stood up from her chair, I immediately embraced her and rubbed my cheek against her body.

"You haven't changed at all, Ana," my sister said as she gently stroked my hair. "No matter where you are, you're always so clingy with me. Aren't you worried that your image among the Priests will suffer once you become a Saint?"

"Hehehe. Even if I become a Saint someday, you'll still be my big sister," I replied. "And I'll always be your little sister, no matter when or where."

After greeting each other, my sister and I sat down again.

Big Sis Alisha called a waiter over and ordered some tea and sweets for me.

"So, how have your Trials been going, Ana?" Big Sis Alisha asked. "Tell me how the holiest woman on this continent will be chosen."

I began explaining the three Trials for selecting the Saint.

The first was a Trial of endurance and mental fortitude, meant to prepare the Saint candidates to bear the highest authority and influence on the continent.

During this Trial, each candidate would be taken into a room called the Dream Chamber.

Inside, we were subjected to illusions that were incredibly close to reality.

The illusions depicted simulated scenarios of war and disasters.

I could still remember those horrifying scenes.

Children being slaughtered by monsters.

The screams of people suffering.

The cries of grief as their loved ones died before their eyes.

I couldn't bear to remain there for very long.

So far, I had never lasted more than five minutes inside the chamber.

Because of that, I was the weakest among the candidates in this aspect.

"Don't look so gloomy, Ana," Big Sis Alisha said, trying to cheer me up. "I'm sure you'll be far superior in the other Trials."

I smiled at her words.

"You're absolutely right. In the Trial of magical mastery, I'm far ahead of the others."

"Ana, you've always had a natural talent for mastering Divine Magic since you were a child," my sister praised me. "Then, what about the third Trial?"

"Ughhh... To be honest, I don't really understand the third Trial either," I replied before sighing. "The third Trial is about determination and resolve. I think every candidate has an equally strong determination to become the Saint. I don't know how that aspect is supposed to be judged."

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"I see... Do you think the Goddess herself will be the one to judge that aspect?" Big Sis Alisha wondered aloud.

I simply shrugged and shook my head.

After chatting for a while, I heard a commotion coming from the city's main street.

A large formation of Knights on horseback was passing by.

At the front of the procession was a horse-drawn carriage carrying a coffin toward the plaza.

"I suppose it's time, Ana," Big Sis Alisha said. "Let's go to the plaza as well."

The two of us left the culinary district and walked toward the plaza.

The mounted Knights had already dismounted and formed a path through the crowd so that the coffin could pass through and be carried to the front of the Main Temple.

Suddenly, the noisy conversations among the visitors ceased.

Everyone had noticed a man in his fifties wearing Priest's robes walking out of the temple.

He was Vicar Lorentius—the highest-ranking leader of the Temple Authority of Goddess Diana.

"Everyone, your attention!" Vicar Lorentius announced. "Today, we gather to pay our final respects to Remilio de Banderra—the Holy Knight who sacrificed his life while protecting Grenaut City from the terror of the Cursed Children and the Heretic group known as The Masquerade!"

Everyone listened intently to the Vicar's next words.

"We will not cower before the threat of the Cursed Children! And we will immediately hunt down The Masquerade, the Heretics responsible for the attack on Grenaut City!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, their spirits rising at the Vicar's declaration.

Several visitors could also be heard shouting insults at the Heretics.

"Let us observe a moment of silence and pay our final respects to the Goddess's Knight. The moment of silence begins now!"

After the Vicar gave the order, melancholic music suddenly began playing.

The Inquisitors and visitors in attendance lowered their heads.

The coffin of Holy Knight Remilio was lifted by four Knights.

They walked between rows of Knights, each holding their swords aloft as a sign of respect for the fallen Holy Knight.

After reaching the front of the Temple, Vicar Lorentius recited a brief account of Holy Knight Remilio's life so that those in attendance could remember him as he had been in life and never forget his contributions during his service to the Goddess.

After the ceremony ended, Holy Knight Remilio's body would be cremated, and his ashes would be placed in a special chamber reserved for Holy Knights who had fallen on the battlefield.

"All right, Ana. I have to return to Wisperia City and continue my field practicum duties there," Big Sis Alisha said.

I nodded and hugged her tightly before we finally parted ways.

After Big Sis Alisha left the Holy City, I headed toward the administration building located not far from the Main Temple.

I went there to attend a meeting concerning the ongoing campaign to eradicate the Heretic group whose activities had become increasingly brazen.

When I arrived at the meeting room, many important officials were already present.

Even all the Cardinals had gathered there.

I also saw the other Saint candidates speaking with several Priests.

However, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Everyone present straightened their posture and behaved perfectly because Vicar Lorentius had arrived.

"My brothers and sisters, we have gathered here today to discuss our plans to eradicate the Heretic group whose increasingly violent activities continue to terrorize the citizens, challenge the Authority, and threaten our influence across this continent!" Vicar Lorentius declared.

"One Holy Knight has already fallen. They are also a symbol of the strength of our faith. If we fail to respond to this incident, then the people's trust in us and our influence in the eyes of the public will decline."

Vicar Lorentius was right.

If the Temple simply remained silent after its strongest Knights were killed without launching a counterattack, people would begin questioning the Temple's ability to suppress those who defied the teachings of our Goddess.

"A few days ago, an attack was carried out by three Cursed Children and two Performers, resulting in the deaths of nine Senior Inquisitors, forty-seven Inquisitors, and one Holy Knight," Vicar Lorentius continued. "As for the innocent civilians caught in the attack, twenty-six people died, while approximately three hundred others were injured."

I was quite shocked upon hearing this information.

The number of Inquisitor casualties was extremely high this time.

If I remembered correctly, the last time the Temple Authority suffered casualties on this scale was fifty years ago, during the Demon attack on Wisperia City.

"Cardinal Markus, do we have any information regarding the Performer who killed Holy Knight Remilio?" the Vicar asked a middle-aged man.

"According to the testimony of the Inquisitors who fought during the previous Dragon attack, they stated that their new Performer possesses an ability capable of summoning a shield that can withstand powerful attacks," Cardinal Markus explained. "However, the Nature Mana possessed by this new Performer has not been identified at all."

"Very well. Spread a bounty describing his physical characteristics and abilities. Offer a substantial reward to anyone who possesses information regarding this Heretic."

The meeting finally ended shortly before nightfall.

I hurried back to my room to rest so that I would be more refreshed for tomorrow's Trial.

There were only twenty days remaining before the Night of Blessing—the night when the Ritual Miracle Chosen would be performed.

The night when the Goddess would choose the holy woman who would become her representative in this world.

"I hope everything will be all right until the Night of Blessing arrives."

[Ariel PoV]

Before I knew it, two months had passed.

Now that we had entered the final month, I felt as though this region had already become my home.

That was because of how close I had grown to the people living in the villages throughout the Margraviate of Cataluna.

"All right, Dio. How do you read this sentence?" I asked the little boy beside me.

At the moment, I was on the outskirts of the village, teaching the children how to read and write.

"Umm... His... tory... of... Ara... gon... Em... pire..." the boy stammered as he sounded out the sentence I was pointing to. "First... King... And... Establisment... The Kingdom..."

"You've become much more fluent compared to the last time we met," I praised him.

Hearing my praise, Dio's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

These children really were adorable.

"You know, Sister Ariel, Dio has been studying day and night while waiting for this moment," a little girl sitting in front of me said. "He wants Sister to praise him so that he can get more attention from you!"

Hearing the girl's words, Dio's cheeks turned even redder.

He then glared at the girl in annoyance.

"You're so noisy, Sena! I'm not the only one who studies like this! The other boys do it too!" Dio said defensively.

"Now, now, don't fight," I said, separating the two of them. "All right, it's getting late. We'll meet again at our next lesson."

The children and I then walked toward the center of the village.

Many villagers could be seen going about their daily activities.

I noticed a sheet of paper pinned to the village notice board.

Usually, announcements or bounties were posted on the papers attached there.

I walked closer to the notice board and read the information written on the sheet.

There was an illustration of a mask that I knew very well, accompanied by information regarding someone's physical appearance and abilities.

BOUNTY

Name/Alias: The Fool

Physical Characteristics: White hair, green eyes, approximately 179 cm tall. Black cloak and suit.

Abilities: A powerful shield resembling a lotus flower; sword user.

Nature Mana/Magic: Unidentified.

Crimes: Caused major chaos in a city and killed one of the Holy Knights.

Any citizen who has seen this individual or possesses information regarding the target's abilities or whereabouts will be rewarded with 2,000 Gulden by the Temple Authority.

There was no doubt about it.

That was the mask worn by the man who had always saved me back then...

My heart was in turmoil after reading the notice.

Why had one of the members of the Heretic group, The Masquerade, always saved my life?

What was that man's true objective?