The Villain Saint is my secondary account

As if his mind had suddenly wandered for a moment, when his attention returned, the Templar Knight could no longer see the man in black.

What just happened seems like an illusion.

He looked around in surprise, then turned behind him, but saw no one.

……

Vanessa led Eileen up to a room on the fifth floor of the spire, which was the archbishop's private office.

Vanessa left one of the Templar servants behind, instructed the other servants to take Eileen's attendants to the reception room next door, and then left two Templar Knights to guard the door before she and Eileen went into the office.

The interior is a spacious and bright open room, with a semi-circular black walnut wooden table placed in the center against the wall, and soft leather sofas on both sides for guests.

The windows on both sides of the room offer excellent views, overlooking the bustling city at the foot of the mountain on one side and gazing at the distant sea on the other.

"Wow, this is the archbishop's room." Eileen walked into the room and admired it. "It's very grand."

“Oh dear, Miss Eileen, stop pretending. Your bedroom in Windseeker's Keep is far more luxurious than mine.” Vanessa lightly removed her bishop's hat from her head and placed it on the table, then plopped down on the sofa and looked at Eileen. “Honey tea again?”

“Okay, add an extra slice of lemon.” Eileen sat down on the sofa opposite Vanessa. “I’m genuinely happy for you, Vanessa. I came back to see you and found out you’ve already become an archbishop.”

Vanessa couldn't help but smile wryly. After the servants withdrew and closed the door, she sighed, "To be honest, I actually wish my sister were still the archbishop."

"Huh?" Eileen was taken aback. "Did something happen to Sister Beverly?"

“She…she was sick,” Vanessa paused, “and her condition hadn’t been very good, so I took over.”

"How could this happen? Is it a very serious illness?"

"It's a long story..." Vanessa seemed reluctant to discuss the matter in detail, abruptly changing the subject, "How have you been at the academy these past six months?"

"Not bad. But let me tell you, I actually saw the Saintess at the academy last week..."

The two girls chattered intimately like two little birds, with most of the conversation consisting of Eileen praising the saintess's beauty and her heroic demeanor during her duel with the princess.

Although Vanessa had reservations about the saintly heresy, she knew that the noble lady in front of her was Ella Hayville's academy follower and a loyal fan, so she only mentioned that she had met Ella at the sanctuary a few days ago.

This delighted Eileen, who kept asking where the current Holy Maiden was, wanting to invite her to visit Wind Chaser Castle. Unfortunately, Vanessa didn't know either, saying that she hadn't returned since leaving the city to investigate.

These soft, melodious warbling sounds drifted out the window, where Ella, who was hanging by the window with tentacles extending from under her cloak, heard them clearly.

Besides the fact that the evil god's magic inherited from the moon goddess's authority was indeed useful, making it easy to influence the mind and perform magical micro-management to break the barrier array, Ella was familiar with the terrain because she had wandered around once before when she got lost, so she didn't encounter any major obstacles along the way and found her way here.

Furthermore, she discovered that the interior of the Ocean Sanctuary was somewhat empty for some reason. Most of the people she encountered on the way were low-level Templar Knights and Arcane Mages, and she had never seen any elders or priests who were at the Grandmaster level.

The Ocean Sanctuary is built on the edge of a cliff halfway up the mountain. Since Ella's window overlooks a cliff and a forest, and further away is the southern city district at the foot of the mountain, she doesn't have to worry about passersby looking up and seeing her.

Listening to the long conversation between the archbishop and the eldest daughter of the Maltz family inside the window, the girl under the fox mask sighed with her mouth slightly open.

She thought there would be crucial information about the secret dealings between Wind Chaser Fortress and Ocean Sanctuary, but all she got was a bunch of flattery about herself.

The two girls chatted about everything from the duel in the Imperial City to their school life, from their school life to the hot news in the Imperial City and Stormport, and even about Eileen's adventures on Lyre Peak in the Howling Mountains.

Are all conversations between women this pointless...? Ella couldn't help but mentally complain as she listened to these comments.

However, she at least learned that Eileen and Vanessa were childhood sweethearts, which was why they came to visit the Ocean Sanctuary. She also learned that Eileen had returned home specifically to celebrate her birthday, which was the day after tomorrow.

This information does match the news that Jenny gave us about "Windseeker's Keep seemingly preparing some kind of banquet"—unfortunately, it just feels like this intelligence is completely useless.

Finally, thank goodness, the two girls ended their soap opera-like conversation with Eileen's persistent pleading that Vanessa agree to attend Vanessa's birthday party the day after tomorrow.

Vanessa then escorted Eileen all the way to the entrance of the lobby on the first floor, where the two chatted for a while before Eileen left the church in a carriage.

After seeing Eileen off, Vanessa leaned on her scepter and walked up the long staircase back to her office on the fifth floor.

She sometimes wondered what kind of architect would think of placing the archbishop's office on the top floor of the church.

Isn't this design designed to exhaust office workers who constantly have to go back and forth between the chapel and the office?

Archbishop Vanessa, outwardly dignified and elegant but inwardly cursing the architect, pushed open the door, only to suddenly notice that the window on one side of the office was open at some point.

That's strange, I hadn't opened the windows when I went downstairs.

Vanessa stepped forward in confusion, only to hear the half-closed door behind her slam shut with a "bang".

She quickly turned around and suddenly saw a man of similar height, wearing a fox mask and dressed in black, standing at the door, staring at her silently.

Archbishop Vanessa instinctively wanted to scream, but upon seeing the fleeting glimpse of deep red in the dark eye sockets of the mask, she instantly lost consciousness.

Seeing the archbishop of the Ocean Sanctuary collapse to the ground with almost no struggle, Ella realized that he seemed surprisingly frail.

It wasn't until much later that Vanessa, who was lying on the sofa, slowly opened her eyes. In her field of vision appeared a silver-haired girl dressed in black. On the side of the girl's forehead was the white fox mask that Vanessa had just seen.

“Saint…Saintess!?” Vanessa recognized her immediately upon seeing her signature silver hair and red eyes.

But the bewildered archbishop was somewhat confused about the situation. She leaned back on the sofa with her mouth slightly open until she realized that her hands and feet were tightly bound with hemp rope, and that a soundproofing array was being set up around the sofa, which was slowly floating. Only then did her fear begin to surface.

"Holy Maiden... what are you doing!?"

Because the Ocean Sanctuary's role in the whole incident was still unclear, and more importantly, because she suspected that the previous Archbishop Beverly might have been framed by the person in front of her, Ella harbored some hostility towards Vanessa.

In addition, if she spoke politely, this guy might just be spouting riddles, so she naturally became much less polite in order to be efficient.

“Don’t be nervous, Your Excellency,” Ella said with a gentle smile. “I just wanted to ask you a few simple questions.”

Chapter Seventy: The Weak Bishop

“Your Holiness, is there...is there some misunderstanding…” Vanessa’s mind was once again filled with the mysterious rumors of Ella and the evil god, and panic was spreading in her heart. “If this continues, I…I’ll call for help!”

“I will not restrain your behavior, Your Grace, but my time is limited. So if we haven’t reached an agreement by then, the people you summoned will only be able to pay their respects to your remains.” Ella’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly, and her words no longer resembled those of a saint, but rather those of a cunning devil.

Ella chose not to wear a mask and reveal her identity because she believed that if Vanessa was not on the same side as the Maltz family and the fake saintess, then revealing her identity would help her gain Vanessa's trust and learn more information.

What if Vanessa isn't on her side?

The solution was simple—they'd already seen each other's faces, so why would they want to leave alive? After all, the Seven Stars Society was accused of "assassinating" counts and "massacring villages" in the wanted posters plastered everywhere by the guards, so assassinating a bishop wouldn't be a big deal.

So although Ella didn't make any explicit statement, there was indeed a hint of murderous intent in her crimson eyes.

"Waaah..." Vanessa's small body trembled, and tears were already welling up in the corners of her eyes.

She was, after all, just a girl who was forced to temporarily fill in. Not to mention her real divine magical abilities, even her temperament was far inferior to that of a normal priest who had reached this position.

Seeing that Vanessa had calmed down, Ella asked her first question: "What exactly is the relationship between your Holy Temple and the Malz family?"

“No…it’s nothing…” Vanessa answered honestly.

Then, she suddenly felt a smooth and cool touch on her neck. The bishop girl looked over and was shocked to see a dark tentacle lying on her snow-white skin.

The archbishop, who had been stunned for a moment, then his beautiful eyes widened, and he let out a scream that could almost pierce eardrums: "Eek!!!"

Fortunately, Ella had anticipated this and had already set up a soundproofing array, so the scream didn't escape the room.

But the terrified girl's face was twitching with fear as she looked at the tentacle, and crystal tears welled up in her eyes, dripping onto her chest.

Is it really necessary...? Looking at Vanessa, who was already in tears, Elado was speechless. She hadn't even done anything yet and she was already so scared. He didn't know if it was real or if she was just a good actress.

Even its tentacles bent into sharp points, as if wondering why the girl's reaction was so intense.

“My patience is limited, so don’t lie. Think carefully before you answer,” Ella continued to threaten.

"It's...it's really..." Vanessa's voice became somewhat indistinct due to sobs, "It's true..."

"Hmm?" Ella frowned slightly. "But wasn't that the eldest daughter of the Malz family just now?"

“She…she…she’s just…just a friend…” Vanessa said in a trembling voice.

Ella touched her lips with her fingertips, leaned closer, and stared into the girl's eyes. "Hmm? Just ordinary friends, huh? I smell a lie in your mouth, don't you think?"

“It’s really…it’s really true…” Tears streamed down Vanessa’s fair face. She then noticed the tentacles around her neck starting to stir again, the cool, slippery touch feeling like something was licking her face.

Poor Vanessa's fragile defenses were instantly shattered. "Wow... I was wrong! I was wrong! I... I not only considered her a friend... I... I liked her!"

"I...I've had a crush on Eileen since I was little! She always thought I only saw her as a friend! Waaaaah!" Vanessa cried out, "I...I didn't dare tell her, waaaaah..."

Ella's lips twitched. "Um... I'm not interested in that. I just want to know, you really have no other connection with the Malz family?"

"No, I'm not interested, yet you're still pressuring me like this, waaaaah..."

"Ok?"

"No, no, no! There's nothing else! I really only have... a private relationship with Eileen! Waaaaah..."

No wonder she's Eileen's best friend; they're both crybabies.

Ella was a little troubled. If this guy really didn't have any dealings with the Malz family, then she couldn't resort to any drastic measures.

But we can't make that conclusion right now; what if he's just a good actor?

Since she couldn't get an answer from that question, Ella changed the subject. "Alright, you've barely passed. Second question: why did the previous bishop of your Ocean Sanctuary abdicate?"

"She...she's sick..."

Ella frowned slightly.

"Wow!! She...she's missing! Waaaaaa..." Vanessa quickly changed her tune, her small bit of stubbornness as the bishop girl couldn't withstand Ella's pressure for even a second. Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, even overflowing into her mouth, making her answers indistinct, "Waaaaaa...Beauri...waa ...

Ugh, this is so troublesome... Ella had no choice but to take out her handkerchief and wipe away some of the tears on this guy's face so that she could hear him clearly.

But seeing Ella suddenly reach out her hand, Vanessa became even more terrified, her head shaking wildly as she struggled, "Don't kill me! I'm telling the truth! Don't kill me, waaaaaah!!!"

"Oh, stop crying, Your Grace, I didn't mean to kill you." Ella wiped her face with her handkerchief a couple of times but missed, so she angrily reached out and pinched Vanessa's soft cheek with her left hand to keep her from moving. "How did she disappear?"

"Oh oh oh..." Vanessa's mouth distorted as she cried, making a sound like a rooster crowing. "Oh no, I don't know, oh, one day she left a letter and then left, oh oh oh..."

Ella held Vanessa's tears in her left hand as if she were squeezing a ball, and then used her right handkerchief to wipe them away before asking, "You're not lying to me, are you? She just left so casually?"

“Waaah, it’s true… I can show you her letter… Waaah… It’s in that drawer over there…” Seeing Ella’s eyes narrow with suspicion, Vanessa’s tears, which she had just wiped away, were about to well up again.

Even Ella wondered how this guy could cry so endlessly; perhaps he was a follower of the water god.

"Alright, have you seen this before?" Ella rolled up her handkerchief with a look of disgust and put it back in her bosom. She then took out a box containing a damaged sachet.

The surface of the sachet shows some signs of corrosion, making the letters printed on it somewhat blurry, but their outlines are still discernible.

This was the sachet that Li Cheng and Xiao Deng had found in the hole under the big tree in the misty forest, and they later gave it to Ye Xiao.

The letters "Shelley" on it are the surnames of the current Ocean Sanctuary Bishop Vanessa Shelley and the former Bishop Beverly Shelley. It's no coincidence that this thing appeared in the underground cave where the Fish Scale Corruptors roam.

Vanessa's eyes, which were already blurred with tears, widened instantly the moment she saw the sachet. "W-W-Where did you get this?!"

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions."

"I'm sorry... please don't kill me..."

"So you've seen him before, right?"

“This…this must be the one I knitted for my sister…” Vanessa sobbed, “I also have one in my pocket…”

"Oh." Ella nodded, then let the tentacles on Vanessa's neck swim down to her waist to search, resulting in the poor girl screaming again.

Annoyed by the other party's shrill shouts, Ella simply swung a blade from her sleeve and cut the ropes binding Vanessa's hands. "Oh, give it to me yourself."

Anyway, she had already figured out that this guy was a complete weakling, so it didn't matter whether she tied him up or not.

Concealing a knife in one's sleeve was Ye Xiao's specialty, and Ella naturally knew it too. However, Vanessa was even more frightened when she saw the sharp blade. Nevertheless, she still tremblingly took out an object from the small pocket inside the clothes that was close to her rather fleshy belly.

A snow-white sachet, identical in appearance to the damaged one in Ella's hand, only much neater and cleaner.

Most importantly, the word "Shelley" is embroidered on them.

This makes it clear that the owner of the sachet in Ella's box is none other than Bishop Beverly Shelley, who disappeared from the Ocean Sanctuary.

Chapter 71 Ella's Speculation

Subsequently, under Ella's coercion, Vanessa, in a trembling voice, recounted the events surrounding Archbishop Beverly and the disappearance of the delegation once again.

As they talked, poor Vanessa forgot the situation and started confiding in Ella.

The Malz family had been eyeing the Ocean Sanctuary, and the holy water had dried up because they were not getting a response from the Ocean Goddess. Many clergy with wavering faith left under pressure, or went to other Ocean Sanctuaries or even joined the Malz family. All these messy things were exposed.

"Oh dear, if you had been honest earlier, none of this would have happened." Ella took out her handkerchief again and wiped away the archbishop's tears. The poor archbishop's eye makeup was all ruined from crying. "Since the Ocean Sanctuary is also a victim..."

Ella slowly integrated the information she had gathered into her mind.

Why did the Ocean Sanctuary delegation suddenly change course on their way to the Imperial City for the pilgrimage festival? It's obvious that Horn Village is off the road leading to the Howling Mountains.

There is only one possibility: they have encountered something more important than the pilgrimage.

This matter is very likely related to the discovery of traces of the former bishop, Beverly.

The bishop, who had been missing for a long time, suddenly had a clue at this time, which is why they hurriedly changed their itinerary in the dark rainy night.

They don't know the situation of the missing persons. If, because of their delay, the clues that could have been found are lost, and the people that could have been found are gone, then the problem will be huge.