The setting is the dormitory of a convent.
Esther, dressed in her nun’s habit, lay sprawled on her bed, discreetly flipping through the pages of a book.
The cover depicted a handsome young man, and the title read The Hero and the Saintess’ Love-Love Grand Operation!
The story was predictable: a romance secretly blooming between the hero and the saintess in the hero’s party.
“Oh… How wonderful it would be if I could one day fall in love with a hero like this. But first, I’d need to be chosen as a saintess, and with Senior Sister Theresa around, that’s impossible, right?”
As Esther was lost in her daydream, a knock came at the door.
Knock, knock.
“Esther. Esther Nuvana. Open the door.”
“Eek! Ah, y-yes, coming!”
Esther quickly shoved the book under her bed and scrambled to open the door.
Standing outside was the dorm supervisor.
The supervisor glanced keenly at Esther’s bed.
“What were you doing, Esther?”
“…I-I was reading a book.”
“What kind of book?”
“…T-The Bible, ma’am.”
“…Hmm.”
The supervisor tilted her head slightly and spoke.
“Is that so? Hmm… I see. But remember this: reading forbidden books will get you expelled from the convent immediately. You’re a top student with high expectations from many. Don’t tarnish your reputation with inappropriate behavior.”
“O-Of course.”
“Get ready and come out. We have work to do together.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be out shortly.”
As the door closed, Esther, now alone in her dormitory, pulled the book back out from under the bed.
However, she didn’t continue reading. Instead, she was overwhelmed by a deep sense of guilt.
“The supervisor trusts me… but I lied to her… How embarrassing… Lying to someone just to read a book? That was so despicable of me… I’ll never do something like this again.”
With her firm resolve, the video ended.
Lesia and everyone else remained silent.
In fact, anyone watching this scene in any part of the world likely felt the same.
“This… is supposed to be her most embarrassing moment?”
Everyone has secrets they’d rather keep hidden.
Secrets so mortifying that being exposed would make them want to disappear.
Hell Memory was a cruel spell that dredged up the darkest and most humiliating memories.
And Lesia knew better than anyone that lying under its influence was impossible.
In other words, this was truly the memory Esther found most embarrassing.
“Phew… Are you satisfied now? Are you happy after exposing my secret?”
Her ears had turned bright red.
For a saintess, this kind of incident seemed to fall under the category of utterly shameful.
Lesia appeared somewhat flustered.
“Ha… Hah… You’re quite the audacious saintess. In some ways, even more so than Theresa. Fine… I’ll admit it, Esther Nuvana. You are indeed a worthy candidate for the hero’s party. To think you’ve withstood my Hell Memory spell and remained socially intact—you’re the first.”
“So what? What do you want me to do about it? What meaning is there in exposing someone else’s wounds like this? You’re the worst! At one point, I was curious! I wondered why a powerful mage like you defected to the demons! But now? I don’t even care anymore! Someone as rotten as you becoming a demon—it’s no surprise! Do you have no heart at all? Do you not care about the humiliation and pain you cause others by exposing the secrets they want to keep hidden?!”
“Ugh… The latter question isn’t worth answering, but I’ll respond to the former.”
Lesia, regaining her composure after her failed provocation, replied, her tone measured.
“Why did I become a demon? It was to pursue a higher realm.”
“Don’t make me laugh!”
This time, Cynthia screamed in fury.
“You betrayed us for that? Do you have any idea what my family went through after your betrayal? My parents died, and I was pushed to the brink of death myself! Pursuing a higher realm? Say something that makes sense, you bastard!”
“Ha… I was, of course, aware of the pain your family would endure. It’s not as if I didn’t consider it.”
Lesia’s expression grew unusually serious.
“I knew from a young age that I was born a genius, a product of God’s whim. Without effort, everything came to me as if I had worked for it. Magic, martial arts, theoretical knowledge—all of it became mine effortlessly. Even without studying, I was always hailed for having the best grades in the academy’s history. I didn’t particularly try hard, yet I won the Mage of the Year award. Everything felt meaningless. If I wanted, I could become a Sage or a Grand Sage with ease, form an army, fight against an empire, and even become an emperor. It all felt within reach.”
Before anyone realized it, all attention was on Lesia as she spoke.
“Because I could do anything, I didn’t particularly want to do anything. Can you even understand that kind of feeling? Knowing with certainty that if I tried, I could achieve anything meant I didn’t need to test my limits. I was simply confident in my position at the top. I knew I had the strength to reach the final destination of whatever path I chose. Yet, paradoxically, I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything. I was just empty. At the same time, I pitied humans. Most of them had to struggle desperately to achieve anything, and even then, they often failed. It was the opposite of my existence.”
Up to this point, Lesia’s tone remained calm.
But then—
“One day,” she continued, her expression suddenly turning serious.
“The Great Prophet Circe came to me. At first, it was just an ordinary conversation, the kind of meaningless praise I often heard, like, ‘Perhaps you could become a Grand Sage to replace Minerva.’ Then, out of nowhere, Circe delivered a prophecy—a prophecy I couldn’t ignore.”
The Great Prophet Circe was famous for her unerring accuracy in predictions.
“‘Soon, a genius far greater than you will appear in this world. A monster with overwhelming power that will make your talent seem like a scrap of paper. The world will praise his name, not yours. No matter how hard you try, you will never surpass him. Not as a human.’”
“That was what Circe told me.”
“The Great Prophet may have a mischievous personality, but when she prophesies, there’s no room for falsehood. Her predictions are always correct. After hearing her words, I couldn’t sleep. I felt like I was having a panic attack every night.”
“Someone greater than me will appear? Overwhelming talent? I can’t surpass him no matter how hard I try? It was impossible to accept any of it, but Circe’s prophecy was never wrong. The thought of someone who would make me seem insignificant consumed me.”
Lesia looked up at the sky with a detached expression.
“That’s when I realized my true nature.”
“I wasn’t empty; I was reveling in it. I enjoyed being at the top. I couldn’t help but take pleasure in looking down on humans from my position. Conversely, I couldn’t tolerate the idea of anyone else standing at the top in my place.”
“So, I asked Circe how I could become stronger. And she replied.”
“‘Go to the Demon Continent, and you will grow stronger.’”
“I understood the meaning immediately and acted on it. That’s all there is to it.”
Lesia recalled the Blood Coronation incident, a faint smile crossing her lips.
It was a smile tinged with emptiness, but suddenly, her expression turned ferocious.
A twisted grin of madness began to spread.
“Do you know this? Just breathing the air of the Demon Continent makes demons stronger. From the moment I became a demon and crossed over to the continent, I could feel an incredible surge in power.”
“Especially over the past year, the change has been undeniable. Even without doing anything, I felt a growing sense of fulfillment. And it wasn’t just me. Over the last year, all demons have grown exponentially stronger. It’s because the demonic energy on the continent has thickened significantly. You’ve heard that during the Paleozoic Era, insects were larger because of the higher oxygen levels in the atmosphere? It’s the same kind of phenomenon.”
Everyone listened to Lesia in silence.
However, Lesia didn’t reveal the most crucial part of her explanation, choosing to keep it to herself.
There was no reason to give unnecessary information to the Hero’s Party.
The part he kept hidden was this:
‘I realized then. The sudden intensification of demonic energy over the past year was because of the Hero. The Hero’s power is directly proportional to the Demon King’s power. The summoning of a powerful Hero inevitably strengthened the Demon King as well. That’s when I understood who the genius surpassing me was. The Hero summoned a year ago—Victor—was that genius. But you fools have failed to recognize Victor’s importance, treating him with disdain and neglect. That’s why you’re all idiots.’
Still, even though Lesia held back as much as he could, there was one person who caught a glimpse of the truth from his words.
‘Wait a moment… If what this demon says is true… Could it be…?’
That person was none other than the saintess, Esther.