Elysia stared at Sharon in a slightly dazed state. In her eyes, an information panel in the same style as the system appeared above Sharon’s head.

  Aside from being able to see the name, nothing else was displayed.

  Was it simply because the gap between us was too great?

  From the information provided by the system, everything looked exactly like a game.

  If question marks like these appeared, then, just like in games, this probably meant she was facing a “boss” who far surpassed her own level, right?

  For a moment, Elysia felt a little nervous.

  And besides… after kissing me, how long is she planning on holding my hand…?

  Seeming to sense the tension in Elysia’s heart, Sharon straightened up. Standing at around 1.78 meters tall, she looked down at Elysia from above.

  “I apologize. I was too impulsive. Please forgive my recklessness, Saint Elysia.” Sharon gently squeezed Elysia’s small hand as she spoke softly. “Please wait a moment. I will immediately gather the grand archbishops of the other kingdoms and hold a ceremony in your honor.”

  Elysia had been thinking about how to escape this situation, but the moment she heard Sharon mention summoning all the grand archbishops of the Church of the Goddess of Hope, she panicked.

  She didn’t want to become famous.

  This world was incredibly dangerous, what if fame made her a target for ill-intentioned people?

  Even if the church could protect her, that would mean giving up her freedom entirely.

  Living under constant surveillance… then what would even be the point of having a system?

  Ah, no, wait.

  If I stayed under the church’s protection, steadily grew stronger, and only left later… maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad choice either.

  「If the church manages to survive until the moment you become strong ?(^?^ )? ′-」

  “Hm?” Elysia frowned slightly and asked mentally, “System, what do you mean?”

  There was no response.

  Judging from the system’s message… did it mean the church would face some kind of catastrophe? Or was the path to becoming strong simply too long?

  Elysia pressed her lips together.

  Regardless of whether the system was telling the truth, I couldn’t allow this ceremony to happen. The more low-key I stayed, the better.

  “Your Holiness Sharon—”

  “You may simply call me Sharon, Saint.”

  Elysia was interrupted before she could finish.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “This…” Out of respect for the strong, she still didn’t call Sharon by her name directly. “Then, Sister Sharon, could we cancel the ceremony?”

  “Huh?” Clearly not expecting that answer, Sharon, who had just summoned her staff to her side, looked momentarily surprised.

  But she quickly understood. “The Saint does not wish to reveal her identity?”

  “Yes.” Elysia nodded. “You can call me Elysia directly, Sister Sharon.”

  “No. From now on, your name is Saint Elysia.” Sharon insisted unexpectedly.

  Perhaps it was because the title symbolized the church’s traditions. After all, every Saint of the Church of the Goddess of Hope had always followed this naming convention.

  But…

  Sharon looked at Elysia’s hands and forehead with a puzzled expression, blinking.

  The sacred seal… wasn’t it supposed to be on the forehead?

  Hadn’t all Saints of past generations borne the seal there?

  “Then… Sister Sharon,” Elysia gently pulled her hand back, “could you let go of my hand…?”

  “Oh, oh!” Only then did Sharon realize she was still holding it, quickly releasing her grip.

  Yet the moment she let go, an unexpected sense of emptiness welled up in her heart. The warmth and softness of Elysia’s small hand lingered vividly in her mind.

  “Saint, why...” Sharon opened her mouth, wanting to ask something.

  The instant she spoke, Elysia went on full alert.

  Does lie-detection magic exist in this world?

  If she asks why I don’t want attention, what am I supposed to say?

  While Elysia appeared calm on the surface but was frantically thinking inside…

  Sharon suddenly stopped.

  “I understand,” Sharon said, gripping her staff with a smile.

  “This is not your will, Saint, is it?”

  Elysia’s heart skipped a beat.

  Did someone notice when the system warned me earlier?

  Before she could react, Sharon continued:

  “This must be the will of the goddess herself!”

  “Huh?” Elysia froze.

  She genuinely couldn’t keep up with Sharon’s logic.

  “I will tell the sisters and brothers that the sacred light dissipated on its own and chose no one,” Sharon said decisively. “The other grand archbishops may sense something. I will warn them not to spread any rumors.”

  As her words ended, pale light flashed beneath her feet. A magic circle appeared, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.

  When Elysia came back to her senses, the room was empty.

  She… just left like that?

  What had that been… magic? Or perhaps a divine art?

  Witnessing such extraordinary power for the first time sent waves of turmoil through Elysia’s heart.

  When will I be able to do that too…?

  「Teleportation divine art. Requires faith」

  The system suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

  “Faith?” Elysia asked. “Faith in the Goddess of Hope?”

  「Yes. Because you possess this system, you cannot provide any form of faith」

  “Then… doesn’t that mean I can’t use divine arts at all?”

  Elysia suddenly remembered something. “Wait, don’t I have Basic Element Control? Isn’t that a divine art?”

  「That power does not belong to you, but to the sacred seal. Once the seal is removed, the ability will disappear」

  「If you wish to become stronger, please level up the cards」

  For once, the system didn’t use any silly emoticons. Instead, it seemed to be giving sincere advice.

  But how exactly were cards leveled up?

  It said one needed to interpret the personality and traits of the card’s character… but how was that supposed to work?

  Elegant Terror Clown.

  Taken literally… did that mean instilling fear and shock in others in a calm, elegant manner?

  Fortunately, Elysia had consumed plenty of literature, games, and anime in her past life. She had a rough idea.

  Something like Arthur Fleck’s Joker… or Yoshikage Kira from JoJo?

  Was she supposed to interpret them?

  Or… fully embody them?

  “By the way, system,” Elysia asked mentally, “there’s no cooldown on transformations, right? I can change whenever I want?”

  「Of course. Try as you like」

  With a single thought, an illusory card appeared in her hand.

  If what the system said was true, then this absurdly difficult world was filled with hidden dangers. Even the church, where gods existed, was not absolutely safe.

  Then the key to her survival lay in the cards she held.

  “…Clown.”

  As her voice fell, the card in her hand blazed with light. The surrounding space distorted for an instant, then quickly stabilized.

  When Elysia regained consciousness, only a tall young woman remained seated on the lone wooden bench in the confinement room.

  Her head was lowered, grayish-green hair falling down to obscure a face painted in a strangely comical manner, quiet, still, as if lost in thought.