Chapter 5: The Bishop’s Accusation

Allyrose recognized the shouting man. After all, his striking green hair, bronzed skin, and rugged, fleshy face made him impossible to forget.

This was Tok, the man Vivian often spoke of. In the novel, he was Vivian’s devoted simp, a noble son born into a prestigious military family, yet he behaved like a complete fool, utterly captivated by Vivian. He remained her perpetual backup, a man who would simp until he lost everything.

His temperament mirrored his appearance: quick-tempered, prone to anger, and utterly boorish. Predictably, he immediately addressed Allyrose with an impudent eviction notice.

“Hey, Allyrose, can’t you be a bit more self-aware? You’re no longer the Saintess; Vivian is the only one recognized by the Holy See now! This castle is a privilege exclusively for the Saintess, so why are you still lingering? I’ve already brought people. You have half an hour to pack your belongings and leave, or else… don’t blame us for forcibly tossing your things out!”

“Oh?”

Hearing Tok’s words, Allyrose couldn’t help but roll her eyes openly. Tok’s brows shot up, and just as he was about to explode in anger, Allyrose spoke, her voice laced with mockery.

“I believe you’re all mistaken. Yes, this castle was once property the Holy See lent me for residence, but… I purchased it with my own funds a decade ago, didn’t I? This house is now my private property. What does it have to do with the Holy See’s Saintess? It seems influential people tend to be forgetful, hmm? Are you truly suggesting you’ll seize my own home?”

“Uh…”

Tok and Vivian were momentarily stunned. Clearly, they hadn’t been informed of this crucial detail before their arrival. The ‘true’ Saintess’s face immediately fell, looking quite displeased. Yet, moments later, she suddenly bowed her head, speaking as if on the verge of soft sobs.

“Oh… so that’s how it is, *sniffle*… Brother Tok, it’s, it’s fine. I can endure a little hardship. I’ll just continue to live in the prayer room. At least it’s much better than the leaky thatched hut in the village. I’m already very satisfied, *sniffle*…”

‘Good heavens, satisfied…’

‘Satisfied, my foot!’

Allyrose’s lips twitched. Witnessing Vivian’s dramatic performance, she knew this matter wouldn’t simply be brushed aside.

As expected, moments later, the dark-haired maiden heard a cold snort. Immediately afterward, a white-bearded old man, clad in a resplendent robe adorned with a dazzling array of jewels, slowly emerged from the gathered crowd.

The surrounding monks, nuns, and guards immediately knelt in reverence upon seeing him, followed by a chorus of awe-filled cries of “Your Eminence, Bishop!”

Only Allyrose and Luo Jia, who observed from the sidelines, remained unresponsive to the Bishop’s arrival. Instead, Allyrose froze, her gaze locked onto the newcomer, her small hands slowly clenching into fists.

“Hmph, Allyrose, my dear goddaughter. It seems you’ve been thriving since leaving the Holy See. It’s truly a case of the influential being forgetful; do you no longer recognize me? Have you even forgotten the proper etiquette for greeting your elders?”

Seeing Allyrose frozen, a flicker of displeasure crossed Bishop Kitav’s face, and his voice took on a subtly threatening edge. Allyrose quickly snapped back to reality. Confronting the scene before her, the maiden gave a perfunctory curtsy before standing tall, meeting Kitav’s gaze with unwavering composure.

“What are you talking about, Godfather? How could I ever forget you?”

‘After all… you, this man, had controlled me, your Saintess, as a mere puppet for over a decade. Then, you dared to dismiss me as disobedient and orchestrate this entire drama of a ‘true’ and ‘fake’ Saintess. You are the Bishop, the true mastermind behind the Holy See’s darkest schemes!’

Allyrose’s hatred for this man likely rivaled her animosity towards Vivian and even her own fiancé. The sheer injustice of it gnawed at her, especially considering that in her past life, she had genuinely believed him to be a benevolent adoptive father.

Reborn into this life, Allyrose vowed never to forget this Bishop. She would undoubtedly settle accounts with him, just as she would with Vivian and the rest.

Noticing Allyrose’s perfunctory greeting, Kitav’s brows furrowed slightly. He seemed to detect that her demeanor today was notably amiss.

However, gazing at the opulent house before him, the greedy old fox quickly cast aside his suspicions. He glanced at the seemingly wronged Vivian, then turned back to Allyrose, addressing her in a sinister tone.

“Allyrose, you’ve impersonated the Saintess for so many years. Regarding that, we won’t pursue it further. However… we still need to settle the accounts between you and the Holy See. Setting aside the privileges you enjoyed as Saintess all these years – we’ll grant you some credit for your efforts, if not for merit – the most egregious issue is that, mere months ago, you lost the Holy See’s most vital Staff of Holy Light! Alas, do you comprehend the immense loss this has inflicted upon the Holy See?! I fear even if you were to surrender all your worldly possessions, it would scarcely atone for such boundless sin, alas—”

‘Tsk…’

Allyrose frowned, a cold expression settling on her face as she regarded Kitav’s sanctimonious demeanor. While the old man’s claim about the lost Staff of Holy Light was indeed true, the context was all wrong.

Months prior, this cherished artifact, which the maiden frequently carried, had vanished without a trace. The Holy See’s extensive search had yielded no leads, yet the matter had ultimately been dropped. The artifact had been stored within the Holy See’s vaults, not lost while in the girl’s personal possession.

While she did bear some responsibility for the artifact’s safekeeping, its disappearance was hardly her sole fault. The sudden reintroduction of the topic now was clearly a pretext to shift all blame onto her, using the guise of compensation to seize her assets.

At that very moment, the numerous sycophants of the Holy See who had accompanied Kitav began to clamor, directing their collective accusations at Allyrose.

“Exactly! How could she have the audacity to lose such a vital staff?”

“Just look at her! Still so incredibly arrogant~”

“Heh, she must be seething after being stripped of her Saintess title, just look at her clownish demeanor~”

“Lady Vivian is truly too pitiful. Even after all this, she still treats Allyrose with such kindness.”

“Precisely! Lady Vivian is far too benevolent. If it were me, I would have had Tok throw that woman out ages ago!”

The cacophony of vicious gossip caused Luo Jia, who had been observing the scene from the sidelines, to frown deeply. He watched Allyrose stand there, utterly alone, assailed by a mob of Holy See members.

The Demon Lord began to understand why this poor ‘fake’ Saintess might wish to seek refuge with him.

Moments later, amidst the clamor of voices, a single, dominant voice cut through, as its owner stepped forward from the crowd.

It was a tall, short-haired nun, dressed in a habit. Her brows were tightly furrowed, her expression chillingly indifferent—or perhaps, overtly hateful towards Allyrose. The moment she spoke, her voice was a sharp reprimand.

“Allyrose, do you feel no shame?”