Chapter 167…………………………………….

No matter how sacred it was, a door was still just a door.

If someone blocked it from the other side, it wouldn’t open.

In other words, this wasn’t a divine power duel with Riena—it was a contest of raw strength.

“Ughhhh!”

From beyond the door came Riena’s desperate groan.

But no matter how much she strained every ounce of her strength, she couldn’t match me.

After all, I had the strength-enhancing artifact, and even without it, Riena—cooped up in prison on meager meals—couldn’t contend with someone who ate well, slept well, and exercised regularly like me.

“Saintess, what in the world is going on?”

A whisper came from beyond the door.

Having heard the High Priest’s lectures in the Grand Temple once a month, I recognized the voice immediately.

Unable to open the door, Riena had pushed the High Priest to come over and ask.

“You didn’t open it last time!”

“I-I don’t know! It just suddenly won’t open!”

“Anyway, open it quickly! People are watching and it’s not looking good!”

“I’m trying! Aahh!”

No matter how hard she pushed, the door wouldn’t budge. Riena muttered to herself.

“This is strange. Something seems to be blocking the door.”

“Ah, Saintess!”

Quick footsteps and the startled voice of the High Priest followed.

Riena checked the other side of the door, but contrary to her suspicion, there was nothing there.

“Th-That’s impossible!”

Several priests restrained the horrified Riena.

“What are you doing right now!”

“This is blasphemy against the god!”

They were right.

During the Saintess verification, it was considered improper to peek at the other side of the door.

The people believed that the goddess herself stood behind the door, opening it for the Saintess, and to witness that directly was considered blasphemous.

For this reason, the verification door was placed against a wall, and spectators could only see the front.

“Let go! Something’s definitely wrong! The door shouldn’t be refusing to open! Check that door carefully!”

Riena shouted as the priests dragged her away, but the crowd’s mood had already soured.

“Get lost!”

“Fraud!”

“Give Arcia a chance immediately!”

Failing to open the door and committing blatant blasphemy, Riena had lost the crowd’s favor.

“R-Riena seems unwell… perhaps we should give her another chance…”

The event organizer, apparently instructed by the High Priest, tried to defend Riena, but the crowd jeered, cursing.

Some even threw their belongings onto the platform in protest.

“Then… we will call on Arcia!”

In the end, the organizer had no choice but to hand the turn over to Arcia.

Damn it, wasting time unnecessarily.

I muttered as I checked the pocket watch Terence had lent me.

It had already been eighteen minutes since I activated the transparency effect of the leather belt.

With a maximum duration of twenty minutes, that left only two minutes remaining.

“Miela!”

Arcia strode quickly to the door, and unlike Riena, she shouted briefly before turning the handle.

Simultaneously, I on the other side gripped the handle and turned it as well.

Squeeeak. The verification door opened, emitting a faint light.

It was the signal that the person opening the door was the Saintess.

“……”

Faces in the crowd, long silent, slowly lit up with excitement.

“Long live Saintess Arcia!”

“We believed in you!”

Thunderous cheers erupted from all around.

I didn’t even have time to relish the success—I sprinted at full speed.

My destination: the area just below the platform, where the priests were gathered.

From the start, I had planned to slip among them, wearing my priest robes today as well.

This might be tricky…!

Time was tight. If I hesitated, my clumsy descent from the platform in front of all these people would expose me.

Even though their attention was fixed on Arcia, no one could ignore a sudden new figure.

I resigned myself. I wanted a perfect execution, but there was no other choice.

I’m counting on you!

As the belt’s effect was about to end and my form nearly revealed, the world suddenly flashed with an intense, blinding light.

Far brighter than the glow of the verification door—a light that could blind anyone.

“W-What is this!”

While many shielded their eyes, I, already anticipating this, had closed mine and successfully slipped among the priests.

If the commotion had been just the light, a keen-eyed priest might have noticed the unfamiliar figure suddenly among them.

But the priests—and everyone in the plaza—were too distracted to notice anything else.

“Good heavens.”

The priest beside me gawked, unable to tear his eyes from the platform.

There, bathed in a radiant blue aura, stood a massive beast.

It resembled a deer, but far too large to be called one. Slowly descending from the air, it took its place beside Arcia.

Arcia, utterly unshaken, loudly addressed the crowd.

“Pay your respects! This is the divine messenger sent by Goddess Miela—the divine beast!”

Some priests nodded in acknowledgment.

“Yes! Just like the ancient murals!”

But not everyone trusted Arcia’s words completely.

“Um… that…”

The High Priest, trying to appear composed, asked the divine beast.

“Are you truly the divine beast?”

“Yes.”

A single, short word—but not spoken aloud; it resonated in the minds of all present, sending shivers through them.

The High Priest, so startled, even fell flat on his backside.

“I now serve the one chosen by the goddess as my master and act for my master’s will.”

The beast didn’t specify the master, but naturally, everyone assumed it was Arcia.

Her hand extended, and the divine beast placed its jaw in her palm willingly—so natural, so familiar.

“All of this is thanks to my efforts.”

I calmly walked among the priests, recalling the past couple of days’ practical training with Arcia and Lucy before this scene unfolded.

Arcia, tense before a legendary divine beast; Lucy, who disliked humans altogether.

I had guided them, calmed them, and orchestrated this spectacle.

Indeed, my plan didn’t end with Arcia opening the verification door.

I wanted to empower her further—to give her the strength to reform the corrupt temple from its roots.

For that, I asked Lucy if she could step in.

“No problem. There’s no rule against appearing before humans,” she replied readily. She also promised to assist if my form became visible when the belt’s effect ended.

A holy divine beast could see through ordinary monster tricks, so Lucy could confirm my presence with her own eyes.

Hence, when I failed to blend in before the time limit, I deliberately appeared, accompanied by a brilliant light.

“If possible, make me use less energy, Master. Returning to my true form consumes a lot, you know.”

Lucy’s earnest warning from last night echoed in my mind.

“All this power I’ve gathered… it’s not like I enjoy staying in this pitiful form!”

Lucy had lost her strength long ago, thanks to an ambush by me, Terence, and Vineta, leaving her in the form of a small fox. Since then, she had diligently conserved energy, longing to return to her true, majestic form.

“Sorry, Lucy.”

I had hoped to get there on time, but twenty minutes was short. Later, I’d have to return to the palace and properly apologize.

“Ooooh! The divine beast!”

“I can’t believe it! The divine beast has come!”

Regardless of my inner struggle, the people rejoiced at its arrival.

“Could it be here to help us humans against the monster wave?”

“Looks like the goddess watches over us.”

With the approaching monster wave, their joy doubled.

“Wait! Don’t be fooled!”

Suddenly, someone poured cold water on the celebration.

“That’s not the divine beast! It’s a monster! Investigate closely—you’ll see the truth!”

Still on the platform, Riena shouted.

“Believe me! I’m the true Saintess—I can tell! If the goddess truly sent the divine beast, she would have sent it to me!”

Nearby priests rushed to cover her mouth, but Riena yelled with all her strength.

“Arcia is a fake! She must have used some trick to open the door! I’ll open the door myself and show you! Watch closely!”

She pushed past the priests in desperation and ran to the verification door—but Arcia blocked her.

“No second chances, fake.”

Arcia shoved Riena aside, returning the insult Riena had once used.

“Now, bind her immediately.”

At Arcia’s command, the priests seized Riena and dragged her off the platform.

“Who dares call me fake! You fools! She’s the fake! That so-called divine beast is a monster!”

Riena screamed as she was dragged away, but no one listened.

The choice was obvious: between the fraud who couldn’t open the door and the one who opened it—and commanded the divine beast—who would earn trust?

“High Priest, please speak! You saw me open the door!”

Riena appealed to the High Priest, but he ignored her.

The scheming witch! Colluding with Morton Cardinal to slander our Saintess!

It was clear she now only wanted to curry favor with Arcia.

“M-Morton Cardinal!”

This time, Riena looked for the cardinal, but he was nowhere to be seen—likely having fled already.

Unable to find an ally, Riena finally cried out to the heavens.

“Goddess Miela! Help me!”

But the sky remained silent.

Riena’s eyes wavered helplessly, and after a moment, she made one last plea.

“D-Dad! Help me!”