The Villain Saint is my secondary account

There's not much you can do about the fish scales and other symptoms that appear on your body; you can only wait for them to fade away over time... Of course, they might not fade away at all.

In addition to the authority of the Fish Mother, Ella also unexpectedly acquired the arrogant divine authority that the fake saint possessed.

Although the essence of divine power was a tiny black feather that emerged from the baby's body, Ella had already returned it to Lucyville—the poor demon girl was so happy that she almost cried when she saw that Ella was actually willing to return the feather to her.

However, her powers were also copied into Ella's skill tree and became a new branch called "Lucyville's Wings".

Then, to Lucyville's astonishment, Ella casually tested the effects of the power.

This series of skills is incredibly convenient—all you need to do is leave a mini magic circle beacon beforehand, and Ella can create a spatial rift anywhere to travel through.

In addition, beacons can even serve as targets for the Miracle Sorcerer's "Phantom Dancer" skill. In other words, now any object with a beacon placed on it can become a teleportation coordinate, just like the staff did before.

Ella could already picture herself throwing out a barrage of flying knives and traversing through the surrounding space.

Unfortunately, when she activated her teleportation ability, she appeared as a cloud of black smoke, so the "golden flash" was out of the question. She looked more like a raging demonic wind from Journey to the West.

As for Ye Xiao, since he was "borrowing" Ella's magic, he was limited by his mental strength and could only use a degraded version.

Unlike Ella, who could easily create a beacon anywhere, Ye Xiao would consume half a tube of mental energy just by inscribing a beacon.

Furthermore, he has a limit of only being able to possess a maximum of five beacons at a time; exceeding this number will cause his mental energy to drain like a tap.

This is probably the difference between mortals and gods. Ye Xiao thought it was really unfair, but there was nothing he could do. His mental strength couldn't even support him using this skill to create a spatial rift of more than one meter.

Unfortunately, Ella was not able to replicate the power of light on the fake saintess.

But after thinking about it, Ella realized that she already had Holy Light spells related to the Authority of Light, such as "Healing Light" and "Sword of Judgment," in her skill tree.

Is it because it wasn't copied, or because it already existed and therefore it's equivalent to not being copied?

Ella was completely baffled, but judging from the outcome, she was still a "light" saintess who could only manipulate dark mud and tentacles, which made her very uncomfortable.

As for the Fourth Templar Knights, they have finally submitted to Ella.

Although Augustus couldn't understand why this "Saintess of Light" possessed a bunch of evil-looking spells, she strangely lacked any authority over light.

But after seeing that even a saint with the power of light might not be a good person, he came to terms with it.

The remaining Fourth Order of the Holy Temple was sent by Ella to work on the city's reconstruction. These burly guys, along with the alchemical machinery from Hope Town, worked quite efficiently.

Therefore, at this moment, Ella and Augustus were standing on the edge of the cliff, watching a group of arcane mages repair the collapsed bridge and talking to each other.

"I am ashamed before the Holy Maiden. This matter is my fault, and it almost caused a great disaster."

Despite Ella's repeated admonitions, Augustus remained kneeling on one knee.

There was no other reason than that, as the Grand Master of the Holy Knights, he had even mistaken which of his own saintesses he was, almost sacrificing an entire city to the heavens and even blaspheming the sea god. He had no face left to hide.

"Please, Your Holiness, sign the indictment on my behalf. I will resign as captain upon returning to the Holy City and accept trial."

"Oh, stop with the judgment. I already said it's not entirely your fault." Ella was really annoyed by the scene.

It's true that we can't entirely blame the other party, since the fake saintess held the divine power of light, and it would be difficult for anyone to tell the difference.

"But there's one thing I don't quite understand: how did she manage to summon you all from Morning Star Ridge?"

“A few days ago, she came to the White Tower to pay her respects and met with His Majesty the Holy Lord. She said that a powerful evil god had been born in the Loren Empire and that she had come to seek assistance.”

"Because we have demonstrated the power of the divine authority of light and received the Holy Lord's authorization, we were dispatched here to assist her..."

“Wait a minute,” Ella paused, “you mean, the current head of the Holy Temple didn’t realize back then that the ‘Saintess’ was an imposter?”

Chapter 102 Faith

“I don’t know the details of the conversation between His Holiness and that…” Augustus shook his head.

"Hmm..." Ella seemed thoughtful.

After a moment's hesitation, Augustus continued, "Then... Your Grace, how... how do you plan to announce this matter?"

Declaration?

Ella glanced at Augustus with some surprise.

Since Augustus asked this question at this point, he was obviously consulting Ella on whether he should make a fuss when reporting back to the Holy City.

After all, Ella's magic is somewhat...unique.

As firsthand witnesses, the Fourth Holy Knights knew the sacrifices Ella had made. However, after returning to the Holy City to report, rumors circulated that the "Saintess of Light" was manipulating dark magic and tentacles, making it difficult to guarantee what the Holy City and the general public would think.

“I thought you would say something like, ‘I’m sorry, Your Grace, although you saved us, I still need to report the truth to the Lord.’”

"Ahem, Your Majesty, you misunderstand." Augustus's face flushed slightly beneath his silver helmet. "Despite his many years of military campaigns, I do have some understanding of human nature and worldly affairs."

“Hmm… then let’s declare that it was the righteous saintess who summoned the holy light and ultimately defeated the evil god who was born here.” Ella replied after a moment of thought. “The Septians were an adventurers’ guild that was framed by a family controlled by the evil god, and you were the saviors I called in at the critical moment. In the end, everyone worked together to save Stormport from disaster.”

"Commander, what do you think of this answer?"

"Uh..." Augustus's mind went blank for a moment. "Wait a minute, Your Excellency, this statement... was devised by that imposter saint..."

“Indeed, it was her who designed the script.” Ella gave a slight smile as she saw the Knights Commander realize what was happening.

“But… in that case, you still risk being labeled an evil god…” Augustus was somewhat taken aback. “And if that’s the case, then we’ve become heroes instead of sinners… wouldn’t that mean we’ve escaped judgment…”

"Commander, can you stop with the constant interrogation? Can you explain why that fake saintess has the authority of light?"

Augustus paused for a moment, then shook his head. "...No."

"Then can you explain why the Lord of the Holy Temple failed to identify the true Holy Maiden, almost causing the destruction of an entire city?"

"..."

"Then can you explain why the true Holy Maiden of Light is actually an evil god who summons tentacles and uses black magic?"

"Your Holiness, please don't talk about yourself like that..."

"These questions remain unanswered, so who will believe the truth?" Ella's crimson eyes narrowed slightly. "I also wish I were the hero in the epic, wielding the sword of holy light to slay all evil, but alas..."

"Truth is often tainted, but faith must not be defiled."

The afternoon sun shone on the girl's beautiful face. Amidst the solemn atmosphere, her sly smile deeply captivated the usually stern knight commander.

Just as Ella said, they forced countless believers to believe that an evil god controlled the holy light, that the Knights Templar were bewitched, that the Holy Lord could not distinguish right from wrong, and that the true saintess was actually an evil god...

The result will not be celebration and relief that a city has been saved, but rather countless questions and a shaking of the foundations of the church's faith.

After all, most people haven't personally experienced the truth of the event, so it's understandable that they question things that challenge their own understanding.

The announcement of a false report may lead to suspicion among a few witnesses and subtle rumors.

But for most people in this world, it is still a happy and beautiful ending.

Instead of being blamed, the Fourth Knights became heroes of the event, as the Holy City provided timely assistance and Storm Harbor was saved from danger.

Of course, the price is that Ella's true identity remains hidden.

If exposed in the future, she will still be condemned by the Holy See and even the whole world.

Augustus stood there, lost in thought for a long time.

Finally, he bowed deeply to Ella.

Despite being a kneeling knight commander, he was still a head taller than the petite silver-haired girl.

"As for the report to His Majesty, I think... we can use this version for now."

“You mean…” Augustus slowly raised his head, “…without informing His Majesty the Holy Lord…that the Holy Maiden who came to the Holy City earlier was an imposter?”

Ella nodded. "Yes... because it's almost been a month, and I should be summoned to the Holy City for my formal coronation. So I plan to stabilize the current situation first and then go and see what's going on there."

"Oh, right. I'm afraid we'll need to trouble the commander to escort us then."

Since the Fourth Knights will be responsible for the reconstruction here before returning to the Holy City, it's better to wait until then and travel together, which will save the Loren Sanctuary some manpower for escorting them.

"It is my honor, Your Majesty."

Augustus readily agreed.

……

After arranging the Knights, Ella returned to the Ocean Sanctuary and found that Li Cheng and the group of guild members were not resting properly in their rooms. Instead, they were crouching down and pacing back and forth in the crater left by her battle with the fake saintess.

"No," Ella said, a little uneasy at the sight, "Why aren't you all in bed? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Your Majesty, what a pleasure!" Li Cheng, his body wrapped in bandages, greeted Ella with a cheerful bow, then picked up a small, glittering stone from the ground. "Your Majesty, look at this."

“…Gold?” Ella frowned slightly and walked over.

"Unbelievable, hehe, there's actually a gold vein under this mountain." Li Cheng laughed so hard his face was crooked. "Thanks to you, Holy Maiden, for breaking it open."

"What do you mean I smashed it open? It was that guy who smashed it, okay!" Ella was speechless. She was being talked about like some kind of monster. "Fine, you guys take your time picking it up. I'll go check on Eileen and Vanessa."

"Alright, Your Majesty, please take care." After saying goodbye, Li Cheng limped back into the pit and continued to shout to the other members, "Hurry up, Deng! It won't be good if those misers from the Malz family see this! These things are theoretically still theirs!"

Elado walked towards the Ocean Sanctuary, somewhat speechless.

This deep blue church still stands quietly on the side of the cliff, its simple and exquisite spires and snow-white exterior walls seemingly independent of time and space, completely unaffected by that great war.

Where once there was a hillside on one side, now there is a vast basin.

Chapter 103 Epilogue (End of Volume 3)

Pushing open the door, the seats in the church chapel had been emptied, and the floor was littered with wounded people lying or sitting with bandages wrapped around their bodies.

Freya, Aurora, the priestess of the Ocean Sanctuary, and a group of other priests were busy bandaging and healing everyone.

As the doors of the sanctuary were pushed open, everyone's eyes turned to it, and upon seeing that it was the saintess, they immediately bowed in respect.

Ella quickly waved her hand, signaling everyone to stop with the unnecessary formalities, "Have you seen Vanessa and Irene?"

“The bishop should be in his office upstairs,” Aurora replied. “I’ll take you there, Your Grace.”

"No need, no need, you're busy." Ella politely declined. After all, she had visited the bishop's office once before and knew the location very well, so there was no need for her to lead the way.

“Alright, Your Grace, if you need any help, please feel free to ask me or anyone else here. As for the young lady from the Malz family, I'm not too sure about her. She's probably with the bishop, and they seem to have a good relationship.”

"Okay, thank you."

Upon reaching the fifth floor, Ella quickly found the bishop's office along the corridor.

She knocked gently on the door, and after a short while, the petite girl with blue hair opened it gently, her adorable, childlike face peeking out from the crack. "Ah, Your Majesty!"

Ella nodded slightly and went inside.

She had actually considered for a long time whether or not to tell Vanessa about Beverly Shelley.

As Vanessa's older sister, the former archbishop of the Ocean Sanctuary was once considered one of the most talented believers in water magic and the most favored by the sea god.

But that's just an opinion...

The reality, however, is not so.

Ella didn't know much about Beverly either, but after thinking about it for a long time, she finally felt that she had an obligation to tell Vanessa about the "Fish Mother".

However, when Ella entered the office, she found that Vanessa was the only person in the empty room.

"Your Excellency, is Miss Eileen not here?"

“Your Holiness, please don’t use honorifics with me,” Vanessa smiled at Ella, then picked up a delicate little teacup and placed it on the table in front of Ella. “Eileen just left; she should be near the cliffs outside… She’s been through a lot and said she wants to be alone, sigh…”

Oh no, I came here intending to say something shocking.

Ella picked up her teacup somewhat uneasily and took a sip.

I wonder if Eileen is thinking of doing something rash. We should have Ye Xiao go and look for her.

Sigh... It seems like every time something like this happens, she has to go around announcing the death...

We're also responsible for comforting and providing psychological support to these victims... It's really strange, but we can't just leave them benign...

"The Holy...the Holy Maiden came to see me specifically to discuss something..."

Vanessa said timidly.

Ella glanced at Vanessa over the teacup she was holding and realized that the girl must have sensed something from the atmosphere.

Before she could even speak, the little crybaby sitting opposite her was already nervously clutching the hem of her skirt, her eyes starting to well up with tears.

“Vanessa, your sister, Beverly Shelley, the former Archbishop of the Ocean Sanctuary…”

"Three months ago, I left the Ocean Sanctuary. It was because I was bewitched by that fake saintess and became the mastermind behind the spread of the fish scale plague, 'Fish Mother'."

“She secretly established a new sect called the Pisces Society, and we discovered and stopped her from performing a blasphemous ritual against the sea god in the morning.”