"Go ahead, what do you want from me?"

The saintess crossed her pale, shapely legs, expertly holding a cigar between her fingers, and asked,

"Don’t tell me you’re here again to ask me to borrow the All-Seeing Eye from His Majesty just to help you locate a student you carelessly lost. What nonsense."

"Nonsense? Am I the type of scumbag who only looks for you when there’s trouble?"

Pink Bear rubbed his furry paws together and chuckled slyly.

"Couldn’t I just stop by to visit you for no particular reason?"

"Oh? Since when were you so conscientious?"

The saintess dropped her gaze, sneering as she cast a chilly glance at Pink Bear.

"When you came looking for me a couple of days ago, you didn’t say that."

"Ahem. Well, those circumstances were special. That was just a temporary measure. Now that the crisis is mostly resolved—okay, fine, only half resolved—didn’t I rush right over to see you as soon as I could?"

Pink Bear squeezed out a flattering smile, patting his chest dramatically.

"This shows my sincere heart!"

"Heh. Sincerity? Coming empty-handed also counts as sincerity?"

"Who said I came empty-handed?"

Pink Bear straightened his posture, his voice firm.

"What could possibly be more valuable than the friendship I bring?"

"Heh. A decade has passed, and you’re still as shameless as ever."

The saintess wore an expression as if she were looking at a complete scoundrel. Lazily propping her chin on one hand, she blew a puff of smoke into Pink Bear’s face and chuckled softly.

"In that case, did you notice anything different on me?"

"You..."

Pink Bear suddenly fell silent. He stared at the saintess—this saintess worshipped by countless devotees—and said in a low voice,

"You seem... a bit different from before."

"Uh-huh?"

The saintess arched her thin, willow-like brows slightly, casually twirling a strand of her hair around her finger.

"Am I?"

"You are, you are! I almost didn’t recognize you at first."

Pink Bear nodded vigorously, his gaze trailing along her slender fingers.

Her golden hair cascaded loosely, glowing faintly as it caught the light. Mystical patterns adorned her skin, marking her as the living embodiment of the goddess her followers revered. Her chest, impossibly full and ample, seemed to mirror a vast generosity of spirit.

Though her demeanor lacked the elegance of yesteryears—if anything, her posture and actions were closer to that of a rogue—her flawless appearance and saintly aura still shone through.

But...

"I remember your hair wasn’t this color in the past," Pink Bear said suddenly, his voice now rough and gravelly.

"Could the Holy Light of the Life Church actually have a corrosive effect, causing you to..."

"Hmm? Oh, you’re talking about this?"

The saintess casually picked up a lock of her gold-dyed hair, holding it in front of her eyes.

"I dyed it."

"You dyed it? You mean dyeing it caused side effects? Or wait... what did you just say?"

Pink Bear’s face froze, and his voice shot up several octaves.

"Did you say you *dyed* your hair?!"

"Yep. I thought my old hair color was too plain, so I dyed it this color. Does it look nice?"

The saintess playfully flipped her radiant, sunlight-like golden locks as if showing off.

"Not only that, but I also added a special fluorescent powder to make it extra eye-catching."

"Fluorescent powder?! Not Holy Light?" Pink Bear was even more dumbfounded, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Of course not."

The saintess gave him a "don’t be stupid" glance and held out her palm, revealing shimmering specks of powder. "Do you think anyone could possibly maintain an unbroken stream of Holy Light twenty-four hours a day? That would be exhausting. I just let a little divine aura slip out to fool people, that’s all."

"You... You..."

Pink Bear’s eyes widened in disbelief. He suddenly shivered and glanced at the intricate patterns on her skin.

"Wait a moment. If your hair is dyed, then those legendary divine marks—are they..."

"Tattooed."

"Ta... tattooed..."

Pink Bear almost bit his own tongue.

Many believers followed this saintess with fanatical devotion because of rumors that the holy markings on her body were divinely bestowed—the unmistakable blessings of the goddess herself.

Pink Bear had always known those markings weren’t natural, but he hadn’t expected...

"And... your, uh, chest that seems to have undergone some kind of miraculous 'secondary development'..."

"Obviously padded. Every saintess throughout history had a rather large chest. If mine wasn’t big enough, I’d feel completely out of place."

The saintess ran her fingers over her "ample" bosom and threw Pink Bear a flirtatious wink.

"Crafted by the Holy Sacred Workshop, premium quality. Even if someone gropes them, they won’t suspect a thing. The texture feels perfectly natural. Care to test it for yourself?"

"... …"

For a while, in the suddenly silent confessional booth, Pink Bear’s mouth gaped open like a fish out of water. No words came out.

The terms “dyed,” “tattooed,” and “padded” spun like a kaleidoscope in his mind.

He turned to glance at the benevolent statue of the goddess. Suddenly, his whole body trembled angrily.

What had become of this world? Would things ever go back to normal?

Even a saintess could be fake?

"You... You’re deceiving the faithful!" Pink Bear exclaimed, pounding his paws in grief for her followers.

"Deceiving the faithful? Have I been deceitful?"

The saintess’s gaze sharpened and grew meaningful as she looked at Pink Bear.

"Someone as... thoroughly... acquainted... with such things as you are, should know very well that my reputation stands as one of the finest among all previous saintesses."

"... …"

Pink Bear fell silent.

Because she was right.

This saintess’s reputation was, indeed, unreasonably good.

"So, do you understand now?"

Switching legs as she crossed them, the saintess took a deep drag on her cigar, exhaling in satisfaction.

"Even though I smoke, bleach my hair, and get tattoos, I am still an extraordinary saintess."

"... …"

"Though, really... failing to see through any of this—Orlanriel, your judgment remains as poor as ever." Her smile turned cold.

"Ha… For a moment, I thought becoming a saintess was just like a teenager transferring to a new school and wanting to reinvent herself."

Pink Bear’s mouth twitched, and he forced an awkward grin.

"I stopped being a teenager long ago," the saintess replied coolly. "Twenty years ago, actually. When the saintess before last abandoned her responsibilities to chase after true love, and the previous saintess died unexpectedly two months into her position, forcing me to take over."

She took one last puff of her cigar, extinguished it against her chair, and then stood up.

"If you came here just for this kind of trivial nonsense, I’m afraid I won’t keep you company. Unlike you, I don’t have endless time to waste."

"Wait… hold on. I still have one question."

"Speak."

"Since…"

Amid the swirling smoke, Pink Bear lowered his head, hiding his comical face in the shadows. Then, in a soft voice, he asked,

"You’re an extraordinary saintess, Your Grace. But why are you, at this juncture, suddenly performing this ceremony to choose your successor?"

"Hmm..."

The saintess touched her chin thoughtfully, smiled, and said,

"Maybe I… just wanted to indulge myself, like the saintess before last?"

"Liar."

Pink Bear looked up sharply. "If you were the type to indulge yourself, you wouldn’t… wouldn't go to this far."

"True enough—indulgent people don’t pretend to be good girls."

The smile abruptly vanished from the saintess’s face, and her gaze turned deep and unfathomable. She stared intently at Pink Bear.

"So… are you certain you want me to tell you the truth? The real reason."

"... …"

The reason...

All of Pink Bear’s humor and playfulness faded away. He raised a paw, as if reaching toward the woman in front of him.

If he touched her, he could know everything.

But… in the end, this paw—that scarcely deserved to be called a hand—halted in midair for a moment, then dropped powerlessly.

"Heh. You’re still such a coward, old man."

The rarely-heard nickname made Pink Bear feel a wave of disorientation. But when he collected his thoughts, the saintess in front of him was smiling again.

A perfect smile.

She turned and left.

As she passed through the light, the holy radiance seemed to cleanse all her imperfections. Her hands clasped together at her abdomen, her back straight, and she once again became the revered saintess adored by many.

"Oh, one more thing," the saintess suddenly said, turning back toward him.

"I know what else you wanted to ask about. But regarding Cantwell in The Lost Lands, that matter is under His Majesty’s sole authority, and I have no right to intervene.

"However, I can assure you this—when it comes to this issue, everyone is starting on equal footing, including those kids I’ve been training. Understand?"

With that, she didn’t wait for Pink Bear’s reply. She stepped into the light outside, leaving him alone in the darkness.

…

"A coward?"

In the dim confessional room, a furry hand emerged from Pink Bear’s mouth, holding a cheap, nearly burnt-out cigarette.

"If I were really a damn coward, it’d be great. Then I could just go find some big-breasted woman and cry my heart out."

Pink Bear stared blankly at the goddess’s benevolent statue, flicking ash from his cigarette while unceremoniously scratching his rear.

"Too bad there’s no coward here. Just one ridiculously cute little pink bear."