Fiore had always lived behind a veil of falsehood. He saw kindness in everyone, so those around him seemed like good people. His sun-like radiance made it hard for anyone to appear truly bad. Whenever someone did wrong, Fiore would empathize, find excuses for them, and offer help.

Then he’d silently bear the pain, finding small joys in hardship.

“I helped others. That should make me happy.” Whether he truly was happy, only Fiore knew.

Until Lilithia appeared.

This girl would hug him frankly, asking for help. She cooked delicious meals for him and wore clothes only he could see. Most importantly, she never lied to him.

That’s why he fell for Lilithia. Her free-spirited, almost selfishly detached way of life began to change Fiore.

“You can be kinder to yourself.”

“Don’t bother with things that don’t concern you.”

When he realized this, he saw his life was a lie. So when Bernadette told him, “I have clues about your pendant,” only to deceive him, his fury erupted. In the past, he’d have thought, “She did it for my own good.”

But now, he was truly angry. He wanted to know—what did “for his own good” even mean? Did he need it? Would he fail to become the Sword Saint without this trip? If she needed help, why not just ask? He’d have helped.

Worst of all, she’d secretly destroyed the pendant, claiming, “It’s Demonfolk property. It must be erased.”

Then what was the meaning of his entire journey?

If a mere pendant could sway him, if he couldn’t even protect his mother’s keepsake, what was all his struggle for?

“*For his own good*.”

Those four words could no longer blind Fiore. He could see. He could think. And so, he changed.

“Big Brother Fiore, won’t you go to the border? Sister Bette might do something extreme~” Luna said worriedly beside him.

Fiore glanced down at the child.

Facts he’d deliberately ignored, memories he’d avoided—now, recalling them revealed countless inconsistencies.

Was he the only one who didn’t know?

“If she acts, she’ll die.”

Killing intent.

Luna stumbled back several steps, startled by the unconscious aura radiating from Fiore. But that killing intent was the least of her fears.

What terrified her more was Fiore’s attitude toward Bernadette.

This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t how Fiore should act—especially toward Bernadette. It wasn’t how a Sword Saint should treat a Holy Maiden.

Then Fiore suddenly locked eyes with her.

Luna’s mind went blank. He looked away just as quickly.

“Still, knowing her nature, she probably won’t do anything drastic.”

Fiore said nothing, yet everything. For the first time in years, Luna felt fear toward him. He’d become unfathomable. This wasn’t right.

The Sword Saint—shouldn’t be like this.

Fate’s path shouldn’t twist this way.

She’d underestimated that girl’s influence on Fiore.

…

Bernadette stood speechless. She longed to refute Lilithia’s words but found no arguments. Frustration flared, then icy dread washed over her.

She’d lost her composure. Her calm.

Only now did she realize Lilithia was right.

She *was* arrogant.

Unknowingly arrogant. Mistaking her pride for humility and kindness, she’d hurt Fiore. Staring at the seated girl, Bernadette felt Lilithia’s figure swell, casting a monstrous shadow over her heart.

She fled, sobbing.

“Ugh… I messed up, Lilithia.”

Lilithia muttered it herself.

She felt she’d gone too far. Her words weren’t lies, but… well, Bernadette was just a teenager. Still a kid.

Lilithia had once lamented, “There’s no true sincerity around Fiore.” How tragic.

If these girls’ issues weren’t fixed soon, everything would collapse. Lilithia had glimpsed that broken future. If her words could help…

Probably useless.

People always repeat the same mistakes.

Lilithia slapped her cheeks hard, shaking off the gloom.

She lifted her skirt, examining the marks on her stomach.

“Fiore! What rotten luck with girls! Can’t you attract two cute ones? Bernadette’s gorgeous, sure, but this type is such a hassle.”

And she’d made her cry.

Honestly, Lilithia felt guilty.

Come to think of it, Bernadette never blessed that vial of black blood with holy light or anything? Lilithia stared at it for ages before burying it.

No choice. The Holy Maiden’s words still unnerved her.

Though the blood inside her body was another matter.

Anyway, Bernadette had run off. Time to head back. Re-register her info—Verutan had just hit Intermediate Mage rank and could take tougher missions. This was warzone territory; full-scale conflict could erupt anytime.

Lilithia needed to research how to break through her own bottleneck.

Ask Verutan? No! Pride might not fill her stomach, but picturing Verutan’s smug face made her cringe. Besides, what useful advice could someone who breezed through ranks offer?

“Verutan! Stop gawking! Get out here!”

Verutan emerged from behind a tree, eyeing Lilithia with newfound wariness.

So Bernadette never considered keeping their talk private? What a fool.

“Lilithia, do you like Fiore?”

“Pfft!” Lilithia choked on her own spit. “Cough! What are you saying? You’re eleven! What do you know about ‘liking’ someone?”

“But if you don’t like him, why… defend him so fiercely?”

“My bond with Fiore is like my bond with you. See how caring I am with you?”

“? If it were me, you’d just say, ‘Do whatever. His business isn’t mine.’”

Lilithia froze.

Yeah, with Verutan, she’d probably say exactly that. This brat was so annoying, always acting superior.

“So you *do* like him?”

“No!”

The little girl bit her finger, puzzled. “Why deny it? Lots of people like Fiore. I like him too.”

“Uh—well, from *that* angle, sure, I like him. But this ‘like’ and that ‘like’ aren’t the same~”

“?”

Lilithia’s face flushed.

Adults were adults, and never having raised kids showed. Seriously, brats shouldn’t ask things they shouldn’t!

“??”

Stop staring at me with those innocent eyes! Lilithia grabbed her hair, flustered. “Just wait till you have a crush! You’re due for one any year now!”

She spun around, marching toward the old campsite.

Time to head back.

…

She got promoted.

No surprise—she was the Holy Maiden. Though she hadn’t bound Lilithia or sealed the vial of Demon King blood, Lilithia’s merits weren’t buried. Bernadette vouched for her, filed a report, and secured the rewards.

The solution for the blood vial?

Hand it in. Trade it for merit points.

“Hmph~ She finally showed some Holy Maiden grace. No wonder she’s the heroine,” Lilithia mused.

“A jealous woman’s face is truly ugly!”

“A brat like you would’ve been turned into an X-processing tool on X-planet.”

“?? What’s that?”

Lilithia cleared her throat lightly. “Nothing. Just random grumbling. No big deal.” She handed in the vial anyway.

Not a huge reward.

After all—that spell seemed useless against Holy Maiden Bernadette. Later, mages concluded it could only annoy her.

“Foolish Crystal Orchid Empire. They underestimated the Holy Maiden’s power.”

Such comments were everywhere.

But it made no sense.

From how she’d ambushed Lilithia, that enemy wasn’t stupid. A smart person wouldn’t waste effort on a mere nuisance.

So what was their real goal?

Far away, at that very moment.

A certain entity snapped its eyes open.

“Let this one see how Tulip Empire’s Holy Maiden fares. Did she arrogantly erase that weak spell?”

It resembled a lump of flesh. A pale arm sprouted from it—then snapped off.

Lilithia felt the black blood inside her stir. Instantly, Fiore’s golden drop suppressed it.

“??”

Both Lilithia and the unknown entity froze in confusion.