Ouch, ouch, ouch—!
Every time Lovene woke up in a hospital bed, she couldn't help but grimace in pain.
Fortunately, there was no one else in the bedroom. Otherwise, if this unflattering image of her were to leak out, the idealized perception of the many believers who viewed her as a goddess would probably shatter instantly.
Elegance. A Saintess had to maintain her elegance.
Casting Holy Light on herself to completely heal her internal injuries, Lovene wiped the grimace from her face and replaced it with a gentle smile.
At the same time, she purified the remaining contamination in her body.
As for her mana...
She felt it for a moment and nodded in satisfaction.
The early stage of Rank Three.
After absorbing the emotions of Physician Vera, her mana had reached the mid stage of Rank Two. This time, her performance of turning into a monster had allowed her to leap two levels at once, reaching the early stage of Rank Three!
That was right. Turning into a monster for Marcus and the people of the territory had also been part of her plan!
Unable to purify Marcus and the contamination source at the same time?
Heh, ridiculous.
For ordinary people, they indeed had no way to purify both Marcus and the contamination source simultaneously. But she was no ordinary person. The Holy Light she cast using the Heart of the Saintess could have purified them both in an instant.
The reason she didn't do so was simply to make them feel sorry for her.
And indeed, she succeeded. The reluctance and pain felt by Gale, Marcus, Elena, and Mia were still fresh in her mind. Not only that, but after learning about what happened, many citizens in the territory had also developed deep feelings of pity and affection for her.
It was precisely through the pity of these people that her mana had reached the early stage of Rank Three!
This level was already close to Clement's!
As for why she had teased Mia after being saved...
Hmph, that was her revenge!
In the timeline where she had completely died, everyone's grief and heartache had been exceptionally intense, which would have boosted her mana level to the early stage of Rank Four. Afterward, she would only have needed the Heart of the Saintess to reconstruct her physical body to resurrect.
But Mia had turned back time.
Although she survived in the new timeline, her mana level had dropped to the early stage of Rank Three—an entire major rank lower. How could she tolerate this?
That was why she had teased Mia after being saved, making her blush to punish her thoroughly!
Who would have thought that Mia would actually put her to sleep!
The old Mia would never have laid a hand on her!
She had changed. Even her loyal dog had changed.
Lying on the bed, Lovene let out a soft sigh.
Of course, her dissatisfaction with Mia was just a minor, petty grievance. In her original plan, the intended outcome was always for Mia to reverse time and save her.
After all, in the first timeline, although she had obtained greater power, she was technically dead in the eyes of everyone, meaning she would no longer have an identity to interact with them.
It would have been like killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Furthermore, once she died, the Church of the Morning Light would definitely come to investigate. It was highly possible that her secret of being able to resurrect using the Heart of the Saintess would be exposed by them. After all, the Church of the Morning Light was not to be trifled with.
Their methods were far beyond her imagination.
If she wanted to deal with them, she not only had to quietly increase her own strength but would likely also need to secretly build up her own faction, or at least expand her following of believers.
With this thought, she sensed the Heart of the Saintess within her soul.
The church's soul seal had been pried open a little further by her, and the growth of the Heart of the Saintess had granted her a new ability, called Sacrifice Transfer.
As long as the other party opened their heart, a connection could be established between their hearts. When that happened, she could bear the physical pain of others.
To put it simply, it meant transferring someone else's physical pain onto herself.
Understanding her new ability, Lovene's lips twitched.
Now, she could heal, assist with purification, and even absorb damage for others...
She was practically the most professional healer.
...
As the days went by, the territory's grand ceremony was held as scheduled.
The plaza was packed with people, stretching from the steps of the lord's manor all the way to the old stone pillars at the edge of the square. Even the entrances of the alleys on both sides were crowded with eager citizens craneing their necks to see.
The morning light filtered through the gaps of the lord's manor's spires, casting a warm, even glow over the crowd.
As the ceremony began, Marcus stood at the top of the steps and recounted the entire sequence of events regarding the anomalies in the territory. He spoke of his initial contamination, the rumors heard from the fishermen, his self-sacrifice in the long night, and finally, the ultimate battle.
He did not shy away from the heavy details, presenting them all before everyone. The citizens listened in silence, these previously unknown secrets stirring a silent undercurrent among them.
“This is the Saintess who saved our territory, Lady Lovene!”
Marcus turned to the side and raised his right hand, pointing behind the steps.
Lovene stood at the beginning of the carpet, wearing her white holy robe. This holy robe was more formal than usual, its collar adorned with intricate silver threads and its sleeves draping past her knuckles, exuding an air of sacred mystery.
Mia stood by her side, supporting Lovene's elbow with her right arm so that Lovene could lean on her for support without looking completely helpless.
Lovene moved slowly across the carpet, as if every step took an immense amount of effort. Especially when she reached the center of the carpet where the crowd was densest, she carefully covered her mouth and coughed softly a few times.
In this brief interval, the sound of her coughing cut through the whispers of the plaza. The morning light shone on her pale profile, casting a nearly translucent glow over her features.
Soft murmurs began to ripple through the crowd:
“The Saintess looks so weak.”
“Of course she does. She almost sacrificed her life. If they hadn't figured out the monster's weakness at the very end, she might have had to be buried in that monstrous form...”
“The Saintess is just too kind. Before this, she even treated everyone for free and collapsed from exhaustion. And now, she has saved our territory. Such a wonderful person... I hope she recovers quickly.”
“She definitely will! I heard that the Saintess is actually the reincarnation of a goddess, sent to the mortal world just to save us from our suffering!”
These whispers rippled through the crowd like waves on a lake, and Lovene's reputation gradually solidified through them, elevating her from a mere name to an inviolable, sacred existence.
She stood on the high platform, the hem of her holy robe swaying gently in the breeze. Combined with her stunningly beautiful face and sweet smile, she looked exactly like the goddess the citizens had envisioned.
Lord Marcus then went on to recount more of Lovene's deeds and bestowed upon her the title of Saintess of the Territory. Finally, amid the high expectations of the citizens, he offered them some words of encouragement, bringing the opening ceremony of the grand celebration to a close.
What followed was a carnival for the citizens: a three-day holiday, bustling markets, endless performances... more than enough for them to enjoy themselves to the fullest.
Once the opening ceremony concluded, Marcus did not join the festivities in the territory. Instead, he led Lovene and Mia through an inconspicuous corridor, heading deep into the underground of the lord's manor.
Rate on N.U.
