The residual aura of light at the scene was indeed incredibly thick, proving that "Colette" had not lied; a great battle had indeed taken place here.
Siniel quietly had 9527 scan the "Colette" before him, but the results came back completely normal. The System even settled the mission rewards.
However... he still decided to test her further.
The blue-haired youth glanced at the spirit, then walked up to Cecilia and softened his tone: "Your Excellency Anastasia, do you remember? When we were children, we buried a time capsule together under the oak tree behind the church."
Cecilia: "..."
What?
What tree? What capsule?
This question is way out of syllabus! Caesar never taught her this!
Cecilia was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat. She looked toward the cave entrance as if for help, but it was empty.
Should she answer "I remember"? What if he asks what was inside?
Should she answer "I don't remember"? Wouldn't that be even more suspicious?
In her extreme panic, Cecilia's brain stalled.
She chose the most cowardly response—
To say absolutely nothing.
She just quietly looked at the blue-haired youth before her, her gaze calm.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The suspicion in Siniel's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a complex sense of emotion.
"...My apologies."
The hero gave a bitter smile, stepped back, and bowed deeply.
"I was being presumptuous. To become a Saintess Candidate means severing ties with the mortal past... It seems you have already made the resolve to serve the gods."
The child who used to run after him all day was no longer there.
Siniel felt somewhat gratified and turned to the High Paladin, saying, "It seems it truly is Your Excellency Anastasia. I saw piety in the Saintess's eyes; only such a conviction cannot be faked by others."
Cecilia:???
She didn't know what he was talking about, but it seemed she had passed?
One could only say that our Hero was truly a Hero, decisively choosing the interpretation most favored by the comments—seeing this, the High Paladin also stood up, patted the dust off his knees, and his favorability toward Siniel soared.
"Since the Saintess is unharmed, we should not linger here." He extended an invitation, "Your Excellency Siniel, why don't we travel together? We can escort the Saintess back to Osterburg and look out for each other on the way."
Siniel shook his head and politely declined.
"Thank you for your kindness, but we just came from Osterburg and are preparing to head to our next destination."
Seeing this, the High Paladin did not insist and nodded.
The two parties parted ways. Cecilia left the cave under the "protection" of the two knights.
It wasn't until they were several hundred meters away.
That Caesar, hiding underground, finally breathed a sigh of relief and poked his head out.
"That was close..."
Siniel's probing just now had almost given him a heart attack.
Fortunately, that silly dragon was so scared she didn't dare speak, otherwise, they definitely would have been exposed.
However... Caesar looked at the figure in the distance surrounded by the group.
Cecilia's walking posture... why did it look so awkward?
Setting aside the fact that her limbs were moving in sync, why was there something pointy under her robe?
That's a tail, isn't it!
That is definitely a tail!
That silly dragon actually forgot to retract her tail during the Transform!?
Caesar slapped himself in the face.
It was lucky those High Paladins were treating her like a god right now and didn't dare stare at her backside, otherwise, the secret would have been out... The group returned to the main road.
The High Paladin was indeed experienced, as he pulled another spare, luxurious carriage from his storage ring.
Cecilia sat alone in the carriage.
With no outsiders around, she finally didn't have to put on an act.
"Phew..."
She slumped onto the cushions without any decorum, and the tail that had been cramped for half a day finally slipped out from under her skirt, wagging comfortably a couple of times.
The tail swayed left and right like a creature entirely separate from its owner, a stark contrast to the Silver Dragon's exhausted state.
So hungry.
She was really so hungry.
Because she had been too excited about comprehending a new skill earlier, Cecilia had completely forgotten that she had been in a deep sleep for a full half-month.
She hadn't eaten a grain of rice in half a month and had used the Payday, consuming a massive amount of physical strength. Now, smelling the faint scent of incense in the carriage, she felt like gnawing on the seat cushions.
*Grumble—*
Her stomach let out a loud roar.
Cecilia clutched her stomach, looking out the window with teary eyes.
Where on earth did that bastard Caesar go?
Didn't he say he would follow?
If she were to starve to death in this carriage, she would definitely turn into a vengeful spirit and haunt him every day for food... Thinking this, she finally managed to endure until they reached Osterburg.
Upon arriving at their destination, the High Paladin settled the Holy Pilgrimage Team in the best inn in town, while he hurried to the local Church of Light to report the serious incident of the Saintess being attacked, preparing to transmit the intelligence back to the Royal Capital immediately.
Meanwhile, Cecilia, playing the role of the Saintess, was arranged to stay in the highest-grade guest room of the Convent. It was a typical Gothic building, with spires piercing the clouds and stained glass glinting coldly under the moonlight.
The Silver Dragon had returned to this city with its familiar scent.
The good news was that no one was plucking her dragon scales now, and the knights had thoughtfully prepared dinner for her.
The bad news was that as Cecilia sat at the long table covered with a pristine white cloth, she saw the exquisite plates of... grass before her.
That's right, grass.
Or rather, some kind of vegetable salad that looked like grass, accompanied by a small piece of fish as white as paper, and a glass of plain water.
"What... is this?" Cecilia pointed at the plate of grass, her entire dragon self crumbling.
"Saintess, this is the 'Ascetic Holy Meal' prepared for you." The nun said with a face full of reverence. "In this world full of suffering, only by tempering one's appetite can the Soul grow closer to the gods. It is said that you specifically requested this before."
Cecilia: "..."
So that dead woman was a masochist!
The nun withdrew and gently closed the door.
Looking at the tiny amount of food in the plate that wouldn't even get stuck between her teeth, Ceciliacouldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow.
She had no idea how to use a knife and fork. She looked left and right, and after confirming no one was at the door, she leaned her head directly over the plate and opened her mouth... Chomp!
One bite.
Water, salad, fish, and she even bit off a chunk of the plate's rim.
Munch, munch, munch.
In two seconds, only a few empty plates remained on the table.
"More..."
Cecilia licked her lips, feeling even hungrier.
This kind of bland food couldn't suppress a dragon's hunger at all; instead, it only whetted her appetite.
She really missed the steaks roasted by the Earth Dragon.
She really missed those colorful mushrooms.
Without the Earth Dragon by her side, she couldn't even get a full meal?
She couldn't contact him now and had no dragon to discuss things with. This feeling of being isolated and helpless reminded her of the time right after she was born... Cecilia lay on the table unsatisfied, holding the plate she had licked clean, and licked it two more times just in case.
"Saintess?"
The nun's voice suddenly came from outside the door. "I heard some noise inside. Do you need anything else?"
Cecilia quickly sat up straight in a fright and put the plate back.
"No... Nothing!"
The nun outside pressed her ear to the door and listened for a while, then her eyes filled with tears of emotion.
"Oh, god of light above!" The nun made the sign of the cross on her chest. "How pious the Saintess is! After finishing her meal, she actually kissed the utensils to thank the god for the food!"
Namu Amida Butsu, what piety.
Is this the Realm of a Saintess!
...Meanwhile.
In the shadows on the outskirts of the Convent.
Caesar was crouching on a roof, fiddling with a black cloak in his claws.
This was something he had just scavenged from the dead Saintess's storage ring.
[Item Name: spy cloak (Replica)]
[Quality: Gold]
[Effect: When carried, there is a 50% chance to be unaffected by additional effects. Simultaneously significantly reduces the user's presence, making them difficult to detect.]
"This is good stuff."
Caesar clicked his tongue in wonder.
This thing prevented additional effects in the game, but in this world, it had turned into a stealth artifact. As long as he didn't actively attack, even if he walked right in front of that High Paladin, the man would likely treat him as a passerby.
Though he didn't quite understand why a mere Saintess would have such assassin equipment—was it for secret trysts with a lover? Regardless, with this, it shouldn't be hard to sneak Cecilia out.
He had already scouted the Convent's defenses. The High Paladin was away, making it the perfect time to take the dragon and run.
The enemy is in the light, I am in the dark; the advantage is mine!
However, just as he was about to approach the Convent's outer wall, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
The golden vertical pupils under the hawk-bill hood caught a suspicious figure. The other person was hiding in the alley opposite the Convent, seemingly observing the place as well.
White robe, black hat, blue and black patterns.
Good grief, isn't that the Plasma Cult uniform?
Caesar had seen many grunts dressed like this in that abandoned weapons factory base.
What was going on?
Hadn't he wiped out the Osterburg base in one go? Even that Bishop Andorn had bared his heart to him; how were there still stragglers here?
And looking at this guy's posture, he also wanted to infiltrate the Convent?
Cult member seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Caesar was wearing the spy cloak, his face obscured.
The other person was in a Plasma Cult uniform, looking shifty.
The air suddenly became awkwardly quiet.
Two seconds later.
Cult member lowered his voice and asked tentatively:
"Password?"
"9909?"
Hearing this, the Cult member visibly sighed in relief, his eyes becoming excited: "I've finally found you, Lord of the dark trinity! You have no idea, our cult base was destroyed, and even the Lord Bishop was killed!"
"Heehee! I've finally... finally contacted the organization!"