(She actually pulled it off?)

Luke was slightly surprised. This was the first time he realized his mind-reading ability ignored communication distance entirely.

Put simply: if he activated it on someone using a phone—even if the other person was on the opposite side of the planet—as long as they stood within 500 meters of the device (his ability’s limit), he could hear their thoughts.

(Sometimes I really have to admit… my power is just too strong.)

At first, Luke had been puzzled when the system rated his ability SS-rank. But over three years, it brought nothing but endless convenience and pleasant surprises.

The real question nagged him: if SS-rank was this absurdly potent, how overwhelming would SSS-rank be? And with such power at their disposal… why couldn’t the Heroes defeat the Demon King?

So when he learned Shadow Phantom would clash with the Demon Clan’s Four Heavenly Kings in the original game, Luke grew intensely curious. He took a risk—testing his ability on their comms system.

As for the results… still unclear. But at least the Ten Shadows of Night’s thoughts now lay bare before him.

But—

(Lady Moonshadow is so amazing… I can’t even meet her eyes. How does someone this brilliant exist?)

(Princess Moonshadow brought another huge donation today. When will I become half as capable as her?)

(Moonshadow… No wonder she’s my goal. Just wait—I’ll catch up to you someday!)

Luke had to admit: using that trash Saintess’s magic for theft *was* a waste of talent. But he never expected the Ten Shadows of Night—so cold on the surface—to be utterly captivated by Aelia inwardly…

Well, he’d grown used to Aelia’s inexplicable charm over this world’s people.

What he *didn’t* expect—

(Ahhh, no wonder she’s Lady Aelia! Whether as thief or Saintess, she’s mesmerizing. Absolutely perfect!)

(No wonder she’s a Seven Saintesses candidate. She tries so hard to act like a bad girl, but that innate grace? Impossible to hide.)

(Lady Aelia is wonderful. Even in disguise, she shines. I’m so lucky to work beside her!)

Wait, wait, wait—*everything’s exposed*? What happened to the “flawless disguise,” the “masterful acting”?

Luke was speechless. At least six of the Ten Shadows of Night knew Aelia’s true identity… while she remained blissfully convinced her cover was intact.

Good news? They all believed *Princess Moonshadow* was the disguise—and her gentle Saintess self was her true nature. None intended to reveal it.

Hold on… Could it be? Luke traced their memories. Truths surfaced rapidly.

Take the “humiliating” fund handovers Aelia dreaded: others saw them completely differently.

Early Shadow Phantom was a chaotic mess. Leader Aragorn brimmed with ideals but lacked experience and clarity. Poor management bred constant betrayals.

Even rare successes—installing new regimes—just swapped one tyrant for another. Oppression resumed instantly.

Just as Aragorn, disheartened, planned to vanish into obscurity… he met young Aelia in a quiet town.

Frustrated by having no way to dispose of stolen goods *or* aid the poor, she handed him every coin she’d painstakingly stolen.

Aragorn remained unimpressed—she wanted to join his crumbling group.

The organization’s infamy was real: join, and you could plunder the rich freely, slaughter families on a whim, keep all profits, and let Shadow Phantom take the blame.

For villains? Pure paradise.

Especially after tailing her and discovering she was a Novice Saintess—Aragorn was certain: she was the classic two-faced hypocrite. Outwardly pure, inwardly scheming.

He assumed she’d rot like the rest.

He was wrong.

As Saintess, Aelia lived modestly—neither lavish nor austere enough to seem pretentious. Every extra coin went to aid the needy.

She only became Moonshadow where law and light failed. Even then, she targeted only the irredeemable.

All spoils went to Aragorn—with meticulous ledgers proving no embezzlement, exposing criminals’ networks.

Once, a tiny discrepancy sent her rushing back to search. She even considered covering it herself—though her Saintess savings were so meager she could only buy her favorite treat *once a month*.

But what shattered Aragorn? When Aelia calmly asked *him* for a salary.

His first impulse: “Just keep extra next time.”

Then he froze.

*That* mindset had ruined the organization.

Aelia—understanding his dreams and the group’s decay—had subtly handed him a solution.

No. A roadmap.

Enlightened, Aragorn returned and rebuilt Shadow Phantom from the ground up.

From that day, it walked the right path.

Illegal? Yes. But run like a hybrid military-corporate entity. Rules were law. Defiance meant punishment.

All earnings submitted. Funds allocated *only* for the people—every expense logged, traceable.

New members: rigorously vetted. No nepotism. Monthly salaries rivaling knights’, never late. Retirement/disability insurance. Family welfare support. Zero worries.

Operations followed Aelia’s Saintess philosophy: *teach a man to fish*. Legitimate businesses across nations employed the poor. An international bank “harvested” nobles’ and corrupt merchants’ wealth, funding honest traders in need. Schools broke poverty cycles. Farmland and mines secured against disaster profiteering.

Cross them illicitly? They’d remind you what “underground power” meant.

Corrupt nations? Toppled strategically—key industries seized first to prevent new tyrants.

Well-governed nations? Partners against unrest.

Public support surged. Idealists, Heroes, even Saintesses begged to join.

Seven years later, Shadow Phantom stood as the continent’s strongest underground force.

And Aelia—their spiritual pillar—saw “Princess Moonshadow” become legend.

Mm. Exactly.

Her seat was never the lowest. It was second… arguably *first*.

Meetings didn’t “happen” when she arrived—they were called *because* she came.

In every Shadow Phantom member’s heart, Aelia was the true Goddess of Light.