Vol 2. Chapter 45: A Close Call

“Hey, hey, little Vanessa, what do you think? Back when I made my entrance, wouldn’t it have been better if I’d struck a pose and added an entrance line, something like—‘Ta-da! The Church’s idol, the Holy Pretty Girl, Vanessa-chan makes her dazzling debut~’?”

Selina spoke with a face full of regret.

“And, and, I left in such a hurry, I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to everyone.”

‘Understood. Thank you for showing mercy earlier and sparing me.’

Vanessa’s voice echoed politely but absolutely filled with speechless frustration inside Selina’s mind.

If Selina had really done something like that—and if even a single person had heard it—Vanessa figured she could start shopping for real estate on another planet.

Though... people mostly thought it was the Goddess manifesting, so technically it wasn’t connected to her... yet.

‘Personally, I don’t think that was necessary. You already handled it perfectly. That’s enough.’

“Really? Hehe~ Speaking of which, little Vanessa, have you thought about finding a partner?”

Selina suddenly smiled with a sly glint in her eye.

‘No, not really.’

Was her ancestor completely out of touch with her situation? She could barely afford to eat, where was she supposed to find the energy for romance?

Okay... she did have some vague thoughts along those lines, but only with other girls. And Selina’s idea of a partner was definitely not aligned with hers.

“What a shame~ Little Vanessa’s so pretty, isn’t it a waste not to use that to your advantage?”

Selina teased as she casually reached below, giving those mountainous peaks a light lift.

‘Senior, please don’t do weird things to my body!’

“What’s there to be shy about? I’m your ancestor, you know. Your bloodline, your body, all came from me. Let me take a look, get hands-on for a second, what’s the big deal?~”

Selina’s tone dripped with playful mischief.

Vanessa’s current expression couldn’t be seen, but judging by her voice, it wasn’t hard to imagine her face flushed red, thoroughly embarrassed.

“In any case, please don’t say outrageous things with my voice, and stop doing weird things with my body.”

Vanessa took a deep breath—well, tried to, considering her current state made that impossible.

“But still~ I think there’s someone who’s a good match for you. Likes you enough, similar experiences, same status, sigh sigh~ What a pity. If I were still alive, I’d definitely set you two up, tie that little red string of fate.”

Selina sounded genuinely regretful.

‘...Excuse me, but who exactly are you talking about?’

Vanessa was confused. Selina had been dead for how many centuries? By all logic, everyone she knew should be long gone. How could she still be matchmaking?

“Mhm~ Who else would it be? That little girl Aesphyra, of course. You know her, right? She’s the last bloodline of the Ancient Empire’s royal family.”

‘Allow me to remind you, reading other people’s memories is incredibly rude, Se-li-na Senior.’

For the first time, Vanessa’s always composed, elegant tone cracked slightly.

“Sorry~ But it was just too interesting. Little Vanessa’s life experience is so rich! You even spent time in other realms? Fascinating~”

Selina chuckled teasingly.

“But I’m serious. You two really make a perfect couple~”

‘Please stop saying such irresponsible things. I will never, ever fall for that overly affectionate woman!’

Vanessa finally couldn’t take it anymore. This felt exactly like a family elder nagging her to get married—with the worst possible candidate, no less.

“Pfft, don’t get so worked up, little Vanessa. I was just teasing you~”

“But honestly, the reason I didn’t even have time for a proper farewell back there... is because I really didn’t have much time left.”

‘...Selina Senior?’

“My time’s almost up. I have to return to my resting place. So, the mess that’s left behind... that’s all yours to deal with, little Vanessa.”

‘Wait—what mess? What do you mean, mess?!’

Vanessa froze.

But Selina didn’t answer—or more accurately, she didn’t have time to explain.

The next instant, Vanessa snapped back to her body, abruptly opening her eyes.

The first thing she saw... was a change in her System notifications.

‘Virtue +2000.’

‘Current Virtue: 4024.’

What...?

Wait, that much? But... none of the other heroines were even watching, were they?

After a brief moment of shock and thought, Vanessa came to a conclusion.

It must’ve been the accumulated Virtue from resolving the Demon God Pillar incident. The System had calculated all her actions and contributions—how many fanatics she’d killed, how many lives she saved—and awarded Virtue accordingly.

Two thousand Virtue in one go. She’d never seen a jump that massive before.

But thinking about it, it wasn’t unreasonable. She’d risked her life to repel the Demon God Pillar. Even if it was just a single tentacle... and with borrowed power from her ancestor...

Still, driving off a Demon God Pillar? That warranted high Virtue.

Truly... she owed her ancestor dearly for this one.

Just as Vanessa attempted to move her body, she realized she was lying there like a discarded doll in front of the Radiant Sanctum of the Saintess Selina Cathedral.

“Me...?”

Vanessa’s beautiful apricot eyes widened. She tried to move... but didn’t have an ounce of strength left.

“Eh? Eh?!”

Vanessa froze briefly, but as reality set in, panic flickered across her heart-shaped pupils.

She couldn’t move—at all?!

Was this because she’d let her ancestor possess her body? Her strength and mana had been completely drained?!

Now she was like a ragdoll tossed aside, incapable of even twitching a finger. The only thing still under her control was her eyelids and facial expression. If a goblin walked by, she wouldn’t even be able to resist!

Thankfully... there were no goblins at Carillian Academy.

But... Selina had controlled her body and returned here in full view of everyone!

There were definitely people coming to inspect the Cathedral!

If they saw her just lying here in front of the Radiant Sanctum, wouldn’t everything be exposed?!

How was she supposed to explain herself? If the Church found out, what would happen to her?

The current Church was completely controlled by the Pope and the upper echelons. On the surface, they might not touch her, but behind the scenes? They had countless ways to deal with a rootless Fasylis descendant like her.

They wouldn’t necessarily kill her—but turning her into a puppet Saintess? That was entirely possible.

And she... had zero interest in the Saintess position. She didn’t want to live under the same roof as those two-faced hypocrites!

“Your Excellency! Your Excellency the Goddess! Are You still here?!”

Just then, the voices of the followers echoed below—students, instructors... all coming to investigate.

The Academy leadership would definitely be inspecting the scene too—to determine whether this was a true divine manifestation or a fraud.

In any case... they were going to thoroughly search Saintess Selina Cathedral.

So this was the “mess” Selina was talking about?!

No... really... there’s not even a sliver of strength left? Couldn’t she at least have moved me somewhere safe before leaving?!

Selina made it home safely, but she was stranded here!

Who was going to save her now?!

Don’t leave her like this, alone!

Vanessa’s face turned ashen—she was even more desperate now than when she’d faced the Demon God Pillar.

In mere moments, she would be discovered, sprawled in this undignified, utterly exposed posture. Her identity... everything... laid bare before the Academy.

Worse than her identity, what truly horrified her was how unladylike she looked sprawled like this.

But that wasn’t the main concern!

Someone... anyone... hurry and save her!

The footsteps drew closer. Vanessa could hear them—they were already at the spiral staircase leading to the Radiant Sanctum!

Just a few more steps... and they’d see her lying here like a lifeless doll.

Wait... when she collapsed, was her skirt... flipped up?

If that was the case, wouldn’t that mean...?!

No—no way!

Vanessa squeezed her eyes shut, as though that could help her escape reality, escape what was coming.

She didn’t want to be gawked at like some rare animal on display!

Being seen like this... it was too humiliating!

Had they arrived yet?

Why did this moment feel endlessly long...? Was it her desperation making time drag out?

Wait.

Vanessa, eyes tightly closed, sensed something unusual.

Her position... had changed.

It felt like... she was being held?

Was this also an illusion? But how could lying down possibly feel like being held?

No—something was off. So much time had passed... why wasn’t there any noise? No footsteps, nothing. Surely, people didn’t see her collapsed there and collectively freeze in speechless shock... right?

The moment Vanessa cautiously opened her eyes, she met a pair of flirtatious, violet eyes filled with amusement.

“?!”

The moment she recognized those familiar violet eyes, her apricot eyes flew wide open.

‘Virtue +400.’

‘Current Virtue: 4424.’

“Oh? You noticed already? I thought I’d get to enjoy watching Miss Vanessa play ostrich a little longer~”

The silver-haired girl’s playful smile was like a delicate, mischievous porcelain doll.

One hand supported Vanessa’s waist, the other beneath her knees—holding her in a bridal carry.

Despite the height difference, it was the shorter Aesphyra carrying the slightly taller Vanessa—creating an amusing visual contradiction.

This... this shameless woman!

Vanessa froze, processing the scene—and the realization of what had just happened. A blush of soft pink rapidly bloomed across her cheeks—whether from embarrassment or anger, even she wasn’t sure.

Aesphyra must have used her Divine Favor to freeze time, quietly carrying her away from the Radiant Sanctum before anyone could react.

“Put me down.”

Vanessa bit her lip, her voice trying to sound firm—but her weakened body made her soft, bird-like tone come out more like coquettish whining.

She had been worried about Aesphyra getting hurt fighting the fanatics—but now, it was clear her concern was completely wasted. With how thick-skinned Aesphyra was, some crazed cultists couldn’t possibly lay a finger on her.

“So cruel~ I swooped in and saved Miss Vanessa, and I can’t even get a thank you? Truly heartbreaking~”

Aesphyra’s pitiful expression resembled a pampered kitten begging for scraps.

Heh.

Vanessa wasn’t moved. She knew this white-haired vixen was a veteran actress—fall for her performance, and you were doomed.

She shot Aesphyra a quick glance, confirmed she was unharmed, then looked away.

As expected... she was the destined heroine of the original story. Those fanatics couldn’t even tear her clothing, let alone hurt her. What was Vanessa worrying about?

The fanatics should count themselves lucky they were still under the tutorial zone protection—the heroine’s current level too low to one-shot them. But once she grew stronger, they’d understand real fear.

She nearly forgot—Aesphyra had been at the cathedral too.

But when had she finished dealing with the fanatics, noticed Vanessa in the sky, and dashed over to scoop her up?

“Anyway, put me down.”

Vanessa refused to meet Aesphyra’s gaze.

“Really? Are you sure, Miss Vanessa? If you insist~”

Aesphyra tilted her head mischievously, loosening her grip.

Vanessa’s expression changed instantly. She realized her body was still completely powerless. If Aesphyra let go, she’d flop to the ground like a broken doll.

“W-Wait—don’t let go.”

“Eh?”

Aesphyra’s eyes gleamed playfully.

“What’s wrong? Miss Vanessa can’t bear to be apart from me~?”

“I never said that! Aesphyra, stop being so full of yourself! I can’t wait to get away from you.”

Vanessa’s face flushed pink—whether from anger, shame, or both, even she didn’t know.

“In that case, since Miss Vanessa finds me so disgusting, I’d better put you down, lest I trigger your obsessive cleanliness.”

Aesphyra feigned deep contemplation.

“Y-You... don’t let go yet...”

Vanessa quickly interjected.

If Aesphyra let go, she’d collapse gracelessly in front of everyone.

“One moment you want me to let go, the next you can’t bear to lose me... Miss Vanessa, which is it?~”

“Of course I... I can’t bear to lose you...”

Vanessa replied before realizing—she’d fallen right into Aesphyra’s verbal trap.