"Hero, this is a mistake from our past, there's no reason for you to gamble your future on it."

"So rather than this church that's destined to be abolished, there will definitely be a place more suitable for you in the Holy City."

[Hero's Persistence (Very Appealing +30)]

D100+30=d100(10)+30=40

"...Understood."

Looking at the bishop who spoke sincerely, the Hero, though still slightly hesitant, eventually nodded with regret.

She stood up, glanced at the Evil-breaking Bishop, and smiled gently: "Thank you for the introduction today, Mr. Bishop. I will look around to see if there's a more suitable church for me."

[Depraved Hero's Perception (75+ success)]

D70+50=d70(25)+50=75

After bidding farewell to the Evil-breaking Bishop, the Hero and the Gleaming Scale Serpent left the Evil-breaking Church and set off on the road back to the inn.

The sunset's afterglow stretched their shadows on the streets of the Holy City. Although it was not yet night, it was too late to choose and visit another church.

Thus, the Hero decided to go back to rest, get an early sleep, and first explore the situation with the Nether Sea Dream Erosion Group in her dreams.

'That guy was hiding something, although everything he said was true.' echoed her lazy inner voice in the Hero's mind.

"Hmm, I felt the same way."

The Hero nodded calmly, not at all surprised.

"Mr. Bishop, rather than not wanting a Saintess Candidate, it's more like he doesn't want 'me' as the Saintess Candidate.

"Do you have any leads?" she asked her other self in her mind.

'Heaven knows, I'm too lazy to think too much about it, anyway it doesn't matter, it's not like I have to join his lousy church.'

Accustomed to the sloth of her other self, the Hero did not insist.

"You're right, although it's rare to find a group to kill goblins together with, it's not necessary to join their group to kill goblins."

On the other side—the Evil-breaking Church.

After watching the Hero's figure disappear into the dusk, the Evil-breaking Bishop finally sighed softly, shutting the door as he returned inside the church.

The Saintess selection was about to begin, and while the surface of the Holy City was bustling, underneath a dark undercurrent had long been surging.

The largest and deepest vortex originated from that Divine Knowledge Saintess who had resigned and vanished without a trace.

Though she returned suddenly after disappearing, she vanished again without a trace after resigning...

Not only failing to perceive the calamity of the capital's transition—almost leading to the Kingdom's annihilation—but also leaving no explanation for her actions.

Despite the seriousness of not foreseeing the disaster of replacement, considering her past achievements and power, the Kingdom wouldn't punish her.

Yet her unexplained resignation and disappearance sparked greater doubt.

Has the Divine Knowledge Saintess lost her prophetic power?

Is her title of Divine Knowledge already untrue?

If so, when did it start?

Did she hide this fact long ago, playing the role of a false prophet?

As the whirlpool of suspicion expanded, another prophecy left by the Divine Knowledge Saintess was naturally put into question.

That is—the prophecy of the next generation Saintess.

A fierce strife had erupted among the sects within the Church over whether to adhere to this prophecy.

Among them, the Faithful Sect was particularly firm in believing that the prophecy should be followed to find the "black-haired emerald-eyed" girl and proclaim her as the next Saintess.

But more factions believed that the Saintess's prophecy was already unreliable and advocated for an open and fair selection for someone truly qualified.

Although the Faithful Sect's influence in the Church Court was among the top, in the end, they were outnumbered, leading to the hasty commencement of the Saintess selection.

However, now, the suspected prophesied next generation Saintess coincidentally became one of the candidates...

"My little church can't be involved in such a struggle..." The Evil-breaking Bishop slumped wearily into the chair, staring hopelessly at the ever-rusting broken sword with a wry smile.

While he regretted refusing the Hero, he didn't and couldn't regret it.

Back then, he also firmly refused to partake in the demon man's extermination, resulting in isolation and ostracization, nearly forcing him out of the faction.

But ultimately, because he was the only one in the church who had not stained himself with the demon man's blood, he gained his current position of Bishop.

"But, a Hero who vanquished the Corrupted Phoenix..."

Under the light of Spirit, the Evil-breaking Bishop's thoughts drifted away as he fell into contemplation.

There was another method besides relying on a Saintess's influence to draw in many believers, a way to mend the broken sword—

Simply, if one doesn't pursue 'quantity', pursuing 'quality' will suffice.

Despite the pollution, this broken sword was created to exorcise evil.

As long as an unprecedented Exorcism Will is devoted, exceeding all previous prayers, it's no small task to restore the bloody rust if even the sword itself could be reforged.

"To give prayer such quality, it would be roughly equivalent to overcoming a full-strength Great Demon; if the sword doesn't utterly shatter in battle, it may even transform into a legendary weapon..."

The Evil-breaking Bishop muttered to himself, suddenly laughing and shaking his head.

"What am I even thinking, this is the Holy City, where's the Great Demon... We're not some kids who fantasize about unleashing the End of the World Sword to save the world every day..."

However, he failed to notice—

The rusty broken sword on the high platform seemed to tremble slightly, almost imperceptibly.

→☆→☆→☆→✧←★←★←★←

As the sun set in the west, dim yellow light streamed through the windows, casting mottled light and shadow inside the inn room.

The Hero had already donned comfortable pajamas but did not crawl under the covers as usual. Instead, with a severe expression, she clutched the blanket, poised as if about to step onto the battlefield.

She looked at the Gleaming Scale Serpent, who stood alert by the bed.

"Gleaming Scales, I'm going to sleep now. You must be ready to wake me at any moment, don't hold back!"

"I understand, you can leave it to me, Your Majesty."

The Gleaming Scale Serpent also nodded with a grave expression.

"Then, I'm heading out."

The Hero took a deep breath, then popped open the cap of the Dream Creation Potion bought earlier that morning, and downed it in one go.

Hope it's not too potent—

However, she didn't sense the fiery heat she was on guard for. As the potion slid down her throat, a refreshing flavor flowed in, with a sweet and fantastical aftertaste so pleasant she regretted not savoring it longer.

The next moment, the girl fell backward onto the pillow with a thud, like someone who had died, falling into a deep slumber.

[The Hero consumed the Magic Potion: Dream Creation Potion R5]

[The Hero opened the door to the dream realm: Land of Dead Dreams]

[The Hero activated Advanced Magic: Treasure Pointer of the Dreamrealm (2d Perception+50), Skill Activation: All-Domain Super Sense (+D1+30, Mark+200)]

3d70+150+80+200=d70(18)+d70(66)+d70(2)+430=516

[Nether Sea Dream Erosion Group (Body Judgement D900)]

D900=d900(642)=642

[Saintess's Precepts]

D972=d972(935)=935

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