* * *

As the nobles fled from Lily, I ran to her without hesitation. I supported her as I staggered and laid her down to check her condition.

It seemed that the heretical transformation had progressed to some extent, and I didn’t look well.

‘The pocket watch…!’

I hastily pulled out the pocket watch from inside my glove. In the original novel, this pocket watch was used to save Archbishop Revulin’s daughter, Mia.

So, it should have been Mia turning into a heretic, but I couldn’t understand why it was Lily instead.

Clutching the unchanging pocket watch tightly, I hung my head.

‘Jeanne doesn’t have the holy power to use this. It’s impossible for her.’

Lily retched and vomited everything I had eaten.

Unbothered by the vomit that stained my clothes, I held Lily’s hand.

“Lily, just wait a little longer. Once Archbishop Revulin arrives…!”

“I-I don’t have much time. My Lady, please listen to me.”

Lily grasped my hand tightly. Hesitating, I spoke in a small voice.

“My Lady… no, Jean. There’s someone waiting for you in Sacre.”

My eyes widened at the familiar name. Jean—that was Jeanne’s real name. (TL: Jeanne is pronounced as Jin, and Jean is pronounced as John.)

The name I had when I lived as an ordinary boy, not as a noble lady. Lily’s words from the past flashed through my mind.

[I’m just Lily. A maid named Lily Samierre.]

[…]

[For now, the only thing I can tell you is my name. But please know that I’m here to protect you, My Lady.]

I was so shocked that I let go of Lily’s hand. In disbelief, I muttered.

“How… how do you know that name…?”

My voice trembled even as I spoke. Lily, who had been watching me quietly, gently touched my cheek. Her tear-filled voice pierced my ears.

“Find Camille. The answer you’re looking for will be there.”

“What do you mean? What answer? Who did this to you…!”

Lily’s face, now disfigured beyond recognition, crumbled like flower petals.

As I blankly watched Lily’s transformation, a hand grabbing my wrist brought me back to my senses.

“Go get Archbishop Revulin now, hurry!”

Cedrick urgently shouted at the guards. I shook off Cedrick’s hand as he tried to pull me away.

Lily, now transformed into a strange-looking heretic like the one I had encountered before, wobbled as I stood.

Creak―.

Lily, fully transformed into a heretic, now looked like a giant tree.

Red lilies bloomed from the branches that sprouted from her body. I stared blankly at Lily as I walked towards me.

“Jean.”

“…”

“Jean!”

My mind was in turmoil. I couldn’t even begin to guess how Lily knew that name.

Cedrick, who had been calling my name repeatedly, grabbed my shoulders. He sighed and spoke calmly.

“I understand how you feel. But we have to leave. There’s nothing we can do right now.”

“…”

“Archbishop Revulin will be back soon. So…”

“It’ll be too late.”

My firm answer made Cedrick hesitate. As the original author, I knew. A heretic loses their humanity in about five minutes.

First, the body transforms into a heretic, and then the mind is completely taken over.

The time to revert a heretic back to a human is only about five minutes.

‘Why can’t I save her even though I know the original story?’

I looked back at Lily, clutching the pocket watch tightly. Frustration welled up inside me.

‘Why can’t Jeanne perform a true miracle?’

Lily, roaring in agony, suddenly charged at me. Sensing danger, Cedrick quickly pulled me into his arms.

In a situation filled with the stench of blood and the echoes of screams, only one thought occupied my mind.

‘I want to save her.’

I felt the pocket watch grow hot in my hand. Breaking free from Cedrick’s embrace, I stood in front of Lily.

I stared at Lily, who was reaching out to kill me, with unwavering eyes.

‘I want to perform a miracle.’

A warm breeze blew from somewhere, making my hair flutter.

A bright light seeped through my fingers.

Ding, ding―.

With the sound of a sacred bell, a clock-shaped magic circle appeared beneath Lily’s feet.

Golden chains sprang from the magic circle, tightly binding Lily.

“Screeech… Screeeech.”

Lily, unable to move due to the chains, stared at me as I slowly approached her.

“Lily.”

I cupped Lily’s hardened, tree-like cheek in my hand.

Lily, who had been writhing violently, hesitated and looked at me. I spoke calmly to the grotesque-looking Lily.

“Tomorrow… I’ll let you tie a ribbon in my hair, just this once. I’ll even let you stroke my hair.”

“…”

“So let’s go home now.”

A red lily fell at my feet. Although it might have seemed like I was acting out of concern for Lily, in reality, I was doing this for myself.

I wasn’t being kind to the monster Lily had become out of mere pity.

I had something to ask Lily. What did I mean by saying the answer I was looking for was in Sacre?

And who was this Camille that was waiting for me?

Lily, who had been quietly watching me, finally slumped. I sighed in relief as I saw her gradually return to her human form.

‘It worked. I don’t know what’s going on, but…’

Lily, fully restored to her human form, collapsed into my arms.

A dead silence followed. The nobles, frozen in fear, began to murmur one by one.

“…She’s the Saintess of Maya.”

“Yes, that’s definitely Maya’s power.”

Their gazes were filled with awe, fear, and admiration.

Amidst the crowd of nobles, I locked eyes with Carlisle, who was holding a great sword.

There was something different about the way he looked at me.

‘It must be my imagination.’

I gently laid Lily on the floor and stood up. The temple knights, who arrived late, surrounded me.

“You must be Lady Jeanne.”

The voice was emotionless and dry.

My body tensed as soon as I saw the person walking out from among the temple knights.

Brown hair, light green eyes reminiscent of a lush forest.

Luke Bernie, the main character of this novel.

Luke’s gaze fell on the pocket watch I was holding. For some reason, I felt uneasy.

It was originally an item that should have belonged to Luke.

He smiled faintly at me, as if noticing that I couldn’t meet his eyes.

“I’m glad the pocket watch found its rightful owner.”

With those words, Luke raised his rapier.

The blade descended vertically, piercing Lily’s stomach.

Blood splattered on my face as I watched the scene in a daze.

‘No.’

The unexpected death of Lily caused my legs to give way, and I collapsed to the ground.

Luke, who turned away as if nothing had happened, spoke to the knight at the front.

“Tell Archbisho Revulin there’s no need for him to come, since the heretic has been dealt with.”

“Yes, understood.”

The knight bowed his head. As Luke was about to leave, I spoke in a fierce voice.

“What are you doing?”

“Pardon?”

“I said, what are you doing?”

Luke, who had been looking at me expressionlessly, shrugged.

“…Well, I was simply following the church’s order to kill the heretic.”

“…”

“And everyone who supports heretics as well.”

Compared to my trembling, Luke remained calm. It was as if he was placating a naive noble lady who didn’t understand the ways of the world.

I clenched my fists and pondered. Though I was momentarily enraged, I knew I shouldn’t let my anger show here.

‘Showing emotion will only make it easier for him to read me.’

I couldn’t let myself be swayed by emotions like Jeanne in the original story. That’s the quickest way to a bad ending.

I quickly regained my composure and took a deep breath. Then, as if nothing had happened, I put on a bright smile and spoke cheerfully.

“Oh, I’ve heard of you! Luke from the House of Bernie, right? They say you played a major role in the last monster expedition. I’m really interested in monsters too, you know. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

“…”

“Oh, sorry, but could you help me up? It’s embarrassing, but… I was so shocked that my legs gave out.”

When I smiled foolishly, Luke raised an eyebrow.

He took my hand and helped me to my feet.

As I wiped the blood off my face with the back of my hand, Luke handed me a handkerchief.

It was a handkerchief bearing the Bernie family crest.

Without hesitation, I accepted it and finished wiping off the blood.

“Thank you. You saved me. I was so nervous that the heretic might attack me.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could be of help.”

“But…”

I dropped the handkerchief I had been using to wipe my cheek onto the ground.

Luke’s expression hardened at my casual act of stomping on the handkerchief.

I stared at Luke and whispered in a subtle tone.

“People are watching.”

For the first time, a flicker of unease appeared in Luke’s clear green eyes as his previously calm demeanor faltered.

He quickly turned his head, but I grabbed his cheek and forced him to look back at me.

His eyes finally showed signs of disturbance.

With a sly smile, I continued.

“Who do you think they’re watching? You, who killed Lily? Or me, who tried to save her?”

“…”

“If you care about public opinion, you’d better be more careful. The line between saintess and heretic is thinner than you think.”

Luke, unable to listen any longer, roughly slapped my hand away. I could sense his eyes wavering.

‘Maybe that’s enough for now.’

I waved my hand dismissively at Luke, who was glaring at me with wary eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m saying this for your sake. Luke, you’re a hero of the Kaisar Empire. It means you should be more mindful of how people see you. In the future, leave these rough tasks to others.”

“…I see. Thank you for your concern.”

“Yeah, thanks for lending me your handkerchief.”

Luke was a character who was highly conscious of others’ perceptions. Like Jeanne, he was from a remote island.

The fact that he overcame all the discrimination and gained fame meant that he was cunning.

‘He’s not someone to be taken lightly. If I can’t oppose him, it’s better to win him over to my side.’

Just as I was smiling brightly at Luke, who seemed somehow uneasy, Cedrick pushed past the knights and called my name.

“Jeanne!”

Cedrick strode over and flicked me on the forehead with a thump! I grabbed my throbbing head and looked at Cedrick with a resentful expression.

“Are you crazy? How long has it been since you got scolded by Father, and now you’re causing trouble again!”

“C-Couldn’t you keep it a secret…? If I get scolded again, I won’t be able to leave the house…”

“Don’t be ridiculous. As soon as you get home, you’re as good as dead.”

Cedrick grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. Even as I was being pulled along, I couldn’t take my eyes off Lily’s lifeless body.

But I couldn’t mourn her. Nobles wouldn’t care about the death of a mere servant.

That’s just the kind of world this is. I hid my complicated emotions and forced myself to keep walking.

‘I can’t afford to grieve. There’s no time for that.’

I stared quietly at the bloodstained pocket watch. It was hard to believe that I had subdued a heretic with such a small pocket watch.

But what was even harder to believe was… the ‘true miracle’ that Jeanne had brought about.

‘Let’s start investigating now. I need to find out how Jeanne was able to perform a miracle.’

I slipped the pocket watch into my pocket and walked on with a determined expression.

Since the story had diverged from the original, I had to move quickly as well.

Luke, who was already suspicious of Jeanne, might take some action.

‘There must be something I don’t know yet.’

* * *