NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 12 - The Saintess is a Con Artist (1)
I Raise With In-app Purchases – 12
EP.12 The Saintess is a Con Artist (1)
– Woowoong! Woowoowoowoong!!! –
– Flashes, flashes! –
The golden light gradually expands, changing into a human form.
And finally, in the place where the light completely disappeared, a person actually appeared.
“Damn.”
I can’t help but curse.
The girl who appeared in front of my eyes blinked her red eyes, as if containing madness in her snow-white hair like freshly fallen white snow.
“Of all times…”
It’s not a big problem picking her.
It’s not that her performance is lacking.
Moreover, she’s a tier 1 character, one that absolutely needs to be chosen.
When she’s added to the party, the endurance increases tremendously.
The healing effect is overwhelming.
‘Plus, she’s beautiful.’
Beauty reminiscent of a white angel.
Anyone who sees her for the first time would spit out admiration, saying she’s the most beautiful.
Snow-white hair, snow-white eyelashes, skin as fair as white paper.
A girl with a soft and pure atmosphere, so gentle that one would instinctively want to kneel and, if boiling, she’d probably kindly embrace you.
[Name: Fran (SSR)]
[Grade: A]
[Skills:
[Stats: Power (D) Health (D) Agility (D) Divine Power (S) Charisma (A)]
Her long white hair reaching down to her waist fluttered in the wind.
The long eyelashes of the Saintess Fran moved, and soon her deep red pupils were revealed.
“Huh?”
Doubts circled in her red pupils.
“What brought you here?”
The situation of suddenly standing in the plaza was incomprehensible.
I glanced at her Divine Power pouch.
‘Surely, it’s essential to carry it around.’
Seeing the overwhelming grandeur of the Divine Power pouch that I had seen in the illustration with my own eyes, I involuntarily swallowed hard.
To possess that level of Divine Power pouch at that age.
She was a dangerous girl whose mere existence could turn a man into a criminal.
And her skills were ridiculous too.
If she considers someone a heretic as an actual heretic, she has a skill to deal with them, right?
Being subject to
‘Under the effect of weakening, the attack power decreases, the damage received doubles, and on top of that, it causes an incurable state.’
To performance enthusiasts, she was an irreplaceable tier 1 character.
Then a question arises here.
Why did I show a negative reaction to such a capable character?
‘She’s a fake Saintess.’
She made a bewildered expression for a moment, not knowing why she was here, then looked at the people around her as if it didn’t matter and fiercely sparkled her eyes.
Strange is strange, but the fake Saintess couldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Hello. You seem to have a lot of fortune on your face.”
“Oh my.”
“Um, excuse me! Can I get a glass of water? My throat is so dry… Oh! Thank you. Phew~ You’re really kind. It seems like you’ve received a lot of blessings from your ancestors. However, it seems like you’ve almost exhausted their strength…”
“Ah, hey!”
“Excuse me~ Your face looks very nice. By any chance, do you know the Tao?”
“Miss, I might not know the Tao, but I know the rules between men and women. How about it? Do you have time?”
What are you doing to a minor?!!!
Of course, before I could intervene, Fran deftly folded the guy like a piece of paper and threw him into a narrow alley.
Even though the Power stat is D, the buffed stats by Fran’s monstrous Divine Power were not at a level where a man could win.
You shouldn’t ignore the innate SSR.
Having thrown away the trash like that, Fran’s gaze suddenly focused on one place.
“Oh my, hello.”
It was me.
“By any chance, do you know the Tao?”
Her dazzling Divine Power pouch jingled!
====
***
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Do I know the Tao?
“I do.”
“…You do?”
I calmly said something to fluster Fran.
“Ah.”
“How do you know?”
“You want me to say it outright?”
“…..”
“Good words come at a price.”
Provoking the fake Saintess.
She seemed flustered by the strange situation of her own words coming back to her from others.
“Fine. Since you said something nice, I can’t just sit quietly. I’ll buy you a drink.”
She probably suspected that I, the ‘believer guy’, was dispatched by another false church.
“Shall we go to a cafe?”
The look in the fake Saintess’s eyes turned fierce.
Her intention to expose where this heretic came from was clear.
As soon as we entered the cafe, I confidently placed an order for a drink.
“Chocolate latte. Extra whipped cream.”
“…That’s a bit expensive.”
Where would the fake Saintess have money?
Despite the false church being quite established, the academy life itself was costly, and her wallet wasn’t in a great condition.
Fran could attend the academy because her abilities focused on ‘healing’.
If not for that, the church wouldn’t have supported her.
Living hand-to-mouth, Fran always came out to the streets on weekends to evangelize.
Most of it was nonsense, but she believed that saving at least one person among them and making them believe in her false god was ‘justice’.
“Cho-co-La-te-With-Ex-tra-Whip-ped-Cre-am-Please.”
Emphasizing again, I had to order the chocolate latte for her.
She ordered an iced espresso, the cheapest option.
…If she’s going to be that stingy, she should have just ordered an Americano.
But her stinginess felt like someone else’s problem, so I felt sympathetic.
Indeed, the fake Saintess had excellent abilities in mesmerizing people.
Her Divine Power pouch was quite threatening.
– Jingle! –
A while later, the drinks arrived.
I tasted the sweet chocolate.
The sweetness that tingled the back of my throat made me smile contentedly.
“Hmm. So what lesson are you giving me?”
Meanwhile, having slightly sipped the bitter iced espresso and failing to control her expression, Fran spoke up.
“Do you know how to get closer to a god?”
“A method to get closer to a god? Of course, I know. Are you interested? Even though I look like this, I have remarkable abilities. I’m even attending the academy! My fees might be a bit high, and the ceremony might cost you, but with just this, you can receive a great blessing! You won’t regret it.”
“…..”
A truly cult-like offer, but the ceremonies organized by Fran did have real effects.
They provided quite a good buff.
Moreover, the buff applied to the entire party.
So, when breaking through boss stages, I used Fran’s ceremonies.
While being part of a false church, the abilities of ‘Fran’, who conducted those ceremonies, were not false.
‘The false ones really latched onto Fran.’
I arranged for the ceremony to be connected with another student later.
“What I mentioned was about getting closer to a god, not a ceremony.”
“The ceremony is the best way to get closer to a god!”
“I doubt it. I don’t think that’s what I know.”
My definite denial flustered Fran.
“Then do you have something?”
“You don’t know much more than you think?”
“W-why such harsh words!? Are you saying I don’t know anything? I’m studying theology harder than anyone else!”
Why believe in a false god while studying theology?
That’s why there’s a saying about empty-headed people.
“But do you even know this?”
“What method do you know to get closer to the god you know?!”
“Relics.”
“!!”
Just so you know, when I mention ‘relics’, I’m not talking about the relics believed by the false churchs, but the relics of the real gods worshipped and followed by the inhabitants of this world.
‘She hasn’t experienced the scenario yet, so she doesn’t know.’
Those relics are naturally the unique equipment of the fake Saintess, Fran.
Once she obtains that relic, she’ll be able to use far more powerful abilities than now.
‘Fran’s abilities haven’t grown because she hasn’t prayed to the right god.’
Once she obtains the unique relic, her abilities, directed toward the real god, will dramatically increase.
Of course, Fran will probably still think it’s the power of the relic and continue praising the false god.
‘Fran, being a tier 1 character, found it difficult to break through the scenario. Realizing the god, she believed in was false, she was going to commit suicide, and preventing that was the character scenario.’
The shock of the shattered belief in the god was beyond imagination, and to prevent that, much preparation was needed. Each choice was crucial, a wrong one could lead to a suicide ending.
“R-Relics? I’ve heard of such things… if it’s really a relic, it might be a way to get closer to a god.”
Muttering something to herself, she seemed unable to refute my mention of relics.
“Right? Relics.”
“Well, that’s true… but relics aren’t easily obtained. I can conduct ceremonies anytime with just the necessary items. Moreover, our church has lost a lot of power, so it’s hard to find relics.”
When there were no relics to begin with, where could she possibly get them? She may be light years away, but her powers are real. If the false church made up a fake relic, it would end with her being accused of heretic and executed.
“But I know where the relic is.”
“Y-You know where our church’s relic is?”
Your church doesn’t have a relic.
“Yes.”
At my indifferent response, she extended her hands.
“Please!”
What an audacious demand.
“Why?”
“You said it’s our church’s relic. Of course, you should return it!”
“So why should I?”
“Isn’t it natural to return items to their owners?”
“I don’t want to. Also, do you have any proof that this relic belongs to your church?”
“Please show it to me first. I can verify it. If it reacts to my Divine Power, then it’s our church’s relic.”
Light years, you’re not a false god’s fake Saintess, you’re a real Saintess blessed by the true god, so obviously the relic will respond, right?
‘If she sees the relic, she’ll probably throw a fit out of joy.’
I can’t let that happen. I shouldn’t give the relic to her just yet.