How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?-Chapter 410 - 130 : Unexpectedly appearing on the stage

"Draw a clear line?"

Upon hearing this, Foreno fell silent for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahahahaha!"

"Your Holiness the Saintess, are you seriously trying to make a joke?"

"Your Holiness, this isn't just me saying it, don't you even find this laughable? If you could truly sever ties with the Church, why have you spent so long hiding yourself, concealing your identity with such painstaking effort?"

"Ask yourself honestly, why don't you want to reveal who you are? What would it mean for you if you did? I don't need to spell it out, do I?" Foreno leaned forward, still wearing that benevolent, kind smile.

"And yet why do you feign such hypocrisy?" Vanessa panted. "To you, to the Church, to the Pope, I am a threat. Even when you believed my bloodline was unawakened, you still saw me as a threat. You wouldn't let me go."

"So you understand quite well, then," Foreno lifted his chin. "Then there's no need for me to waste more words."

"Truthfully, this is all your own doing, Your Holiness. Don't you see? Your performance at the Academy has been far too conspicuous."

"So conspicuous that we couldn't help but take notice. Just imagine, if you'd spent your entire life in that stinking maggot pit, quietly and happily living as an insignificant little worm, oh, I mean, an ordinary person without a soul armament, wouldn't you say we wouldn't have needed to act like this?" Foreno exclaimed.

"You wouldn't even spare an ordinary person considered a 'dead-line' by your standards."

"Dead-line? Your Holiness, you still don't understand. Although I suppose it's only natural, after all, you've never been officially acknowledged or crowned as the true Saintess by the Church. You've never truly held power, so you can't understand this principle."

"The higher one rises, the heaviest their suspicions become, so heavy it's almost incomprehensible." Foreno continued, explaining to Vanessa. "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Even if you never awakened your bloodline, even if you remained an ordinary person your entire life, we would never cease watching you, never lower our guard."

"Because I bear the name Varelis?"

"Exactly. Because you bear the name Varelis. Isn't that reason enough?" Foreno spread his hands.

"I never wanted anything to do with you. I've always loathed you hypocrites to the core. I only ever wanted to draw a clear line, to live my own life, to be myself." Vanessa clenched her fists slightly. "I never intended to return to the Church and fight for power. But you've forced me, over and over again."

"Hahahahaha! Your Holiness, why can't you understand? The point isn't what you think or want. It's about your potential, your capability."

"Even if the odds are slim, what if one day you reached that threshold, and suddenly your bloodline awakened?"

"As the source of the [Holy Envoys], you could revoke anyone's [Holy Envoy] power with a mere snap of your fingers, including the Pope's."

"Just for that reason, your intentions no longer matter. Do you really think anyone in the Church could ever feel at ease with you? Until your dying breath, you will be bound by the name 'Varelis'."

"Before you grow strong, we either crush you in your cradle, or we control you, ensuring that no matter how much you grow, you'll never dare rebel against your master." At this point, Foreno dropped all pretense and laid it bare.

"If it wasn't for your current lack of cultivation, do you think I could even dare attack you? You'd have already stripped me of my [Holy Envoy] power, heh."

"Not even the higher-ups in the Church of Radiance would let you roam free. I wouldn't either."

"Foreno! Do you harbor such thoughts?!" Fanya drew her sword and charged straight at Foreno.

"Stay away from Her Holiness!"

"Calm down, Acolyte Fanya." Foreno merely flicked his fingers. Several magic circles appeared, from which thick vines shot out, tightly binding Vanessa.

"Ugh!"

"Acolyte Fanya, I have some ties with the Cassian family, so personally, I have no desire to harm a young one like you. But if you force my hand, I won't have a choice." A magical glow shimmered in Foreno's palm. "My cultivation is at the Master level, do you believe I could slice you into pieces with just a flick of my finger?"

"So you planned all this, just to kill me?"

"Brilliant. As expected of you. Yes, indeed, I orchestrated all of this myself. Although now, my plans have changed, and I haven't told anyone else." Foreno revealed a triumphant smile.

"At first, I was simply following orders, to quietly eliminate you during this 'accident,' leaving no trace, so no one would investigate the details later. But now... I've changed my mind."

"I'm glad I didn't inform anyone. Capturing a bloodline-awakened Saintess and presenting her to the Pope, now that would be a monumental achievement."

At that moment, Amisa finally saw it, the narrow eyes gleaming with unmistakable greed.

"Of course, this is for your own good. From now on, you can live proudly in the light. After all, a Church without a Saintess isn't truly a Church. Although perhaps with a few enchanted restraints, just to be safe."

"Your Holiness, don't blame us. We're doing this for your safety. We're only preventing you from doing something foolish. Think positively, now you'll have a home. No more wandering the streets like a fugitive. You'll enjoy the privileges and reverence due to the Radiance Saintess, the finest treatment. No longer will your name be dragged through the mud. You'll bask in the worship of countless believers, just like your ancestors, perhaps even surpassing them. History will remember you, the Church's chroniclers will record that you were a greater Saintess than your great-grandmother."

Foreno spread his arms wide, as if soothing and comforting Vanessa with visions of a radiant future.

"Besides, I'm merely following orders. Please don't hold it against me."

"You could just say it plainly, make me a golden canary in a luxurious cage." A drop of sweat slides down Vanessa's temple. Her mind raced, searching for a way out.

Foreno was a Master, while she was merely a Warlock, two full ranks apart. The gap in strength was nearly insurmountable.

Because of the earlier use of [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings], her blood and magic essence were severely depleted. She couldn't use it now, and even if she could, Vanessa doubted [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] would be effective.

Honestly, Vanessa had always found [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] rather awkward. It was powerful enough to incinerate even ancient demonic pillars, let alone ordinary humans. But the problem was, how could she hit anything with it?

Her cultivation was too low, only two wings, her magic capacity too limited. As a result, [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] can only kill at point-blank range. If the enemy was prepared, it was impossible to land a hit.

To release [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] over long distances, she'd need to reach Selina's level of cultivation. Only then would she become the complete Radiance Saintess.

Right now, she is far too weak.

At mid to long range, even at close range, almost any other spell was more effective than [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings]. After all, killing a human requires nothing more than a fireball or an ice spike. It wasn't like she was fighting demons or some monstrous abomination.

Against humans, [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] was overkill, and terribly impractical.

"Tsk tsk. So this is the power of [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings]? No wonder it's called sacred fire, truly dangerous. Even an ancient cursed weapon was reduced to this." Stepping over to the scorched, pitted, and lifeless [Bloodied Debt], Foreno clicked his tongue in admiration.

This was also a veiled warning to Vanessa, don't even think about using [Flames of Myriad Divine Blessings] against him again. He was prepared. It will be futile.

"As for you two," Foreno shifted his gaze to Fanya and Amisa, who were still bound.

"You're both rising stars of the Church. I don't wish for you to perish here."

"But I can't allow you to disrupt the Church's plans. I hope you understand, one who holds power in the Church isn't this powerless, uncrowned Saintess, but His Holiness the Pope. Do you understand?"

"I don't want anything to happen to Her Holiness either. But if certain individuals refuse to listen, and insist on stirring up trouble in the Church's future, spreading baseless rumors, that would cause Her Holiness no small amount of distress."

"Foreno, are you truly going to ignore the current state of the Church?" Amisa tightened her grip on her staff and demanded.

"...That's exactly why the Church can't be entrusted to children who haven't even grown their first hair." Foreno shook his head.

"If you were a bit older, you'd understand, nothing is accidental. Only historical inevitability. Including the vacancy of the Saintess's throne."

"For three generations now, the Church has had no Radiance Saintess. And yet, under the Pope and the bishops' leadership, the Church of Radiance has flourished."

"Do you realize how fixed the power structure has become? Introducing a change now will ignite bloody conflicts, power struggles?"

"The Church of Radiance has sacrificed much to protect humanity, including the hundred-year-old defense against the Myriad Demonic Foxes, where our elite forces were nearly wiped out, leaving the Church crippled. It's taken us this long to recover. If we start another internal war now, weakening ourselves, who will protect humanity?"

Foreno stood with his hands behind his back, speaking with righteous conviction.

"Moreover, human society is already unstable, nations divided, at odds with one another. If the Church of Radiance is busy with internal strife, weakening ourselves, won't we leave ourselves open to external threats?"

"You treat the Church of Radiance like an organization, like a nation," Vanessa interjected. "Using its lofty status to extract everything you desire from human society, while treating all human nations as threats, while you yourselves are nothing but blood-sucking parasites gnawing at its bones."

"If you continue down this path, when the demon clans attack, humanity will be scattered like sand. There won't be another united army."

"Your Holiness, your worldview is too black and white. You're too easily swayed by the idea of 'human survival.' But in truth, nothing matters more than one's own survival. Only by preserving the Church can it endure. You simply fail to grasp this." Foreno dismissed her words.

"If that's truly how you think, then one day, 'human survival' will be demoted to third, fourth, even fifth priority," Vanessa coldly retorted. "Group survival, personal survival, personal desires... excuses can be found endlessly."

"Tsk tsk, say what you will. I can't match your eloquence, every Radiance Saintess has been skilled with words, I know that." With that, Foreno released Fanya's bindings. After all, both Fanya and Amisa had exhausted their magic, while he, as a Master, had been watching from the sidelines, conserving energy. These two juniors posed no threat to him.

"You two, have you thought it through? Think carefully. If you don't, I'm sure Her Holiness will be deeply embarrassed." As he spoke, Foreno used his plant magic to bind Vanessa's hands and feet, suspending her in midair.

"Tsk tsk. How the mighty Radiance Saintess, once so proud and formidable, has fallen so weak."

"You...!" Fanya pushed herself up with her palms, watching helplessly as the pink-haired girl was immobilized, eyes closed, unable to move. The crushing sense of powerlessness made her realize just how weak, how utterly useless she truly was.

Yes, she was merely an Artisan. Not only could she not protect the Saintess, she had become a burden the Saintess had to protect.

Fanya bit her lip in frustration, her palms bleeding from her clenched fists.

If only she were stronger. If only she were strong enough, this situation would never have occurred.

"Master Charon was just too impatient. If only he'd been more patient, perhaps he could've survived." Foreno's voice was filled with regret. "His death brings no benefit to the Church."

'What should I do?'

Amisa stood dazed, staring blankly, when suddenly, she spotted a small golden energy cube appearing beside Foreno.

What was that?

"Hmm?!" Foreno noticed it too. As he saw the rotating, flickering golden cube, his eyes narrowed instinctively, and he raised his hand to cast a spell.

[Light's Sanctuary]

A luminous screen appeared between his hands, which he clapped together to form a solid light barrier.

The next instant, the golden cube explodes with white cross-shaped energy.

Protected by the magic, Foreno remained unharmed, but Vanessa, bound by his plant magic, disappeared, carried away by a flash of light.

When Foreno turned around, he found his nature magic reduced to ashes. A honey-haired figure cradling the pink-haired girl stood a short distance away.

"Lady Luna!" Amisa's eyes broadened, staring in shock at the honey-haired girl with golden cross-shaped pupils holding Vanessa.

"You're... Miss Horaleth?" Fanya looked closely and recognized the girl's identity, stunned.