Annoying.
Annoying.
This is seriously pissing me off!
"That greasy old geezer. I'll definitely make sure he's punished!"
The words slipped out before I realized it, and I quickly shut my mouth, glancing around the corridor. If someone overheard me, it'd be a disaster. After all, I'm currently walking through the halls of the Cathedral in the royal capital.
There are so many reasons I'm upset, but the biggest one has to be Elizabeth. Ever since she came back, everything's been going haywire.
Just earlier, when I asked that Pope, "Why is Lady Elizabeth back?" his response, completely devoid of remorse, was:
"It's beyond my power to intervene in the kingdom's laws."
Seriously? Are you stupid? She bullied the Saintess! The Church should be protesting more than this!
But no, all he does is take bribes, he's useless when it actually matters.
"Ahhh, I'm so—"
Oh crap. A priest.
For now, I'll just smile and bow my head. That should do it, right? As the priest passed by and returned the gesture, I heaved a sigh of relief.
"The Church doesn't matter right now. It'll be mine to control soon enough anyway."
In the dimly lit corridor, I tried to calm myself by taking a deep breath.
The rotting things inside the Church? Yeah, I knew about that—it's part of the game's story. There's even a mid-game quest called 'Purify the Rotten Church' where I'm supposed to purge the pigs and rebuild the organization from scratch.
For now, I'll let those pigs fill their pockets a little longer—for my sake.
After all, what's the point of taking over a broke organization?
Think about it: rebuilding the Church will take a lot of money. My personal bedroom need to be lavish. I want my wardrobe redesigned with the cutest outfits. For that, I'll need the Church to keep working hard to gather funds for me.
Actually, if I were to crush it now, it would only inconvenience me. As frustrating as it is, I still need the Church as my backing for now. But when the time comes, I'll graciously wipe them out with the bare minimum of mercy.
Once I've established myself as the Saintess, I won't need that greasy old geezer anymore.
Oh, right! I just remembered—the Church has another role to fulfill as a gatekeeper.
They're guarding the dungeon hidden beneath the Church.
That's a place that becomes accessible around the same time as the mid-game quest, and it's where my exclusive weapon, The Cursed Staff, is stored. It starts out as a weak weapon, but when purified with the Light of Purification—a spell learned near the endgame—it transforms into The Saintess's Staff.
It's my ultimate weapon. It dramatically amplifies my light magic, making it practically an anti-Elizabeth weapon.
Normally, this is part of a mid-to-late game event, so there's no need to rush into it yet. The gatekeeper and the dungeon itself aren't anything to worry about right now.
"…But if she's come back, that must mean—"
I muttered under my breath, unable to keep quiet. After all, I'd already sensed it back then but had let it slide.
"—She's a reincarnator too, isn't she?"
That strange feeling when we cast Elizabeth out. Her silence, her behavior—so different from the game—gave me pause. If I'd been more suspicious back then, I could have handled her more effectively.
But regret won't help me now. Elizabeth is back.
The only conclusion is that she's a reincarnator too. And if she's the final boss and a reincarnator, she'll definitely be aiming for my ultimate weapon. That staff is a huge power boost for the heroine, after all.
For now, the Church has to stay as gatekeeper to stop Elizabeth.
That dungeon, while accessible mid-game, is far too dangerous for me or anyone else in our current state. We need to level up our abilities as quickly as possible.
And then there's the scenario to progress. The closest event involves Dario, I think.
This weekend, his almost-fiancée (practically his fiancée) Cecilia is supposed to confront him.
Something along the lines of:
"The dungeons are great, but shouldn't you focus on more pressing matters?"
It's something like that.
But Dario's been working so hard—for me, and for the world!
But that's fine. If his foolish fiancée can't show any understanding, I'll just comfort Dario myself, and that will bring us closer together.
This is the trigger event for Dario's route. Sure, Dario and the others are already head over heels for me, but I can't afford to skip key events.
After all, their love for me strengthens everyone—and more importantly, this is an otome game! Missing out on heart-throbbing moments with the handsome guys would be utterly absurd.
The event happens after their dungeon exploration, so it lines up perfectly with leveling everyone up. The only difference is that in the original scenario, it was just Dario and his knight escorts exploring. In the game, the event takes place in the evening, but since I'm here, why not bring everyone along?
I'll even sprinkle in a little essence of my own and throw in some moves to keep Elizabeth in check.
…Yes, that's it.
Lately, she's been cozying up to Cecilia. She's probably planning to sabotage this event somehow.
This will be my revenge for the humiliation she caused me in front of everyone. I'll show her that I'm superior in every way. Because I am superior—in looks, intellect… and even in men!
Speaking of Elizabeth's "man"… Ugh, just thinking about him still irritates me. He's probably some worthless noble from a viscount's family who took her in during the storyline.
Honestly, it's pitiful that she's stuck with someone like that. From what I've heard, he's just tall and not much else.
Okay, maybe his face is decent, but a poor viscount with no prospects? Perfect match for Elizabeth.
See? When I think about it, she's not even worth getting angry over. That realization makes my irritation feel a little more manageable.
My position as the Saintess.
The specs of men around me.
My knowledge and abilities.
Elizabeth can't win against me in any of these.
"I'll make her regret ever crossing me."
With a sly smile and a lightened step, I hurried through the Church.
First things first, I need to tell Dario to take me along if he's heading to the dungeon. It should be that E-rank dungeon near the capital.
While watching everyone show off their skills, I'll also plan my next move to defeat Elizabeth.
————
"Hey, brat. You're heading to the dungeon tomorrow, aren't you?"
"I told you, stop coming into a guy's room in the middle of the night…"
Randy, clutching his head in frustration, glared at Ellie, who simply laughed it off with a carefree "Don't worry about it."
Randy held back a retort, opting instead to push the conversation forward rather than get into a pointless argument.
"Yeah, I'm planning to go, but it's just the nearby E-rank dungeon. Nothing exciting."
Randy furrowed his brows as he spoke. His current adventurer rank only allowed him access to E-rank dungeons.
"Stupid brat. Such a place is a waste of time."
Ellie smirked mockingly, but Randy pouted in response. It wasn't like there were any higher-rank dungeons nearby. Even if Ellie used her teleportation magic, they'd just get stopped at the entrance checkpoints.
"What if I told you there's an ancient underground temple hidden beneath the Church in the center of the capital?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—those are some dangerously tempting words you're throwing around."
Randy leaned forward in interest, and Ellie, with a mischievous grin, began explaining the secret back route to this forbidden location.