Offense and Defense in Transformation

It was actually no surprise that Elia was so agitated.

When she first heard Iris’s words, she subconsciously thought that the King was using a delaying tactic, planning to settle scores after the fervor died down—after all, that was the ultimate fate of those trending topics on social media in her previous life; the public’s enthusiasm would only last for about three days at most.

But then, hearing about the Church’s intervention, she immediately understood that the King had completely washed his hands of the matter, and at the same time, because the Church had entered the fray, they would definitely protect the Messiah Kingdom from collapsing due to this scandal.

It could be said that her anticipated plan had completely failed.

And no matter how she analyzed it, this was clearly that bastard Hero’s fault.

‘Even the Church’s intervention was probably part of his premeditation… Damn, damn it, why is this guy so annoying!’

While Elia was at her wit’s end, Luke, walking out of the Marquis’s mansion on the other side, was greatly relieved that the matter had ended perfectly this time.

Although from an omniscient perspective, Luke seemed to have resolved it very easily, with every step of that scummy pinkette’s calculations within his control.

But this was a feat he could only achieve with his mind-reading ability.

If he didn’t possess this skill, he would likely have long since fallen flat, or been completely misled from the start by that scummy pinkette’s feigned innocence.

Even a worm will turn; since his arrival in the kingdom, that scummy pinkette had continuously tried to scheme against him.

Even if he could easily nullify her efforts and even infuriate her in return, it wasn’t a reason for him to constantly endure silently and be passively attacked.

As they sow, so shall I.

What Luke intended to do next was to turn the tables, actively attacking that scummy pinkette!

That being said, the Goddess’s blessing on the Saintess was still very strong.

Furthermore, that scummy pinkette was deeply resistant to and wary of Luke internally, so Luke’s mind-reading ability could only operate at one-tenth its usual effectiveness when dealing with her.

Specifically, there were no barriers in mind-reading, but he could only read recent memories, with deeper layers remaining inaccessible.

However, the scummy pinkette being impregnable didn’t mean others were, so Luke decided to start with the people around her.

And to ruin her reputation, he naturally couldn’t start from the past three years when she became one of the Grand Saintess candidates and was at the peak of her fame.

Considering the feasibility of secretly threatening her and probing for game plot details… Luke decided to first inquire about the original Elia’s situation.

The first person he found was Charlie, with whom he now had a very good relationship.

‘You want to ask about Her Highness Elia’s childhood? I’m sorry, I first met her five years ago… How was she then? The same as now, kind, noble, and lovely…’

Ignoring Charlie’s beautified information, Luke followed the trail, exploring his memories, and found that he was indeed not lying.

However, what Elia was thinking at that time, and whether there had been a change of person inside her, he couldn’t discern at all.

Next, he went to ask Iris.

‘Her Highness Elia’s past? Is Sir Luke trying to understand Her Highness Elia better?’

Upon hearing Luke’s question, Iris’s eyes immediately sparkled. She then conjured a large photo album and several series of promotional brochures as if by magic.

‘Her Highness Elia has always been so radiant, you know. For example, during this forest giant attack on the city, under Her Highness Elia’s super invincible auxiliary magic, everyone’s combat power multiplied several times, easily defeating it… And during this dragon invasion battle, Her Highness Elia made us fly in the sky as if walking on flat ground…’

‘No, I wanted to ask if Her Highness Elia has always been so self-sacrificing and dedicated all these years?’ Fearing Iris would continue rambling, Luke quickly interrupted her.

Upon hearing this, Iris couldn’t help but frown slightly:

‘Has Sir Luke heard some bad rumors?’

‘No, I just feel that Elia has always been so diligent, working tirelessly to serve everyone, dedicating herself to the country… isn’t she pushing herself a bit too hard?’

Resisting the urge to vomit caused by speaking against his true feelings, Luke strenuously praised a certain scummy pinkette while trying his best to show a worried expression.

Seeing this, Iris smiled contentedly and said:

‘Indeed, Her Highness Elia has worked very hard these past few years. I used to advise her too, but Her Highness Elia said that she feels happy seeing others happy… Such a pure and noble Her Highness Elia, I truly cannot deny or stop her. But there are still things we can do, and that is to assist her as much as possible, support her, and lighten her burden!’

Although Iris genuinely expressed her true feelings, Luke didn’t listen to the latter half at all.

All he wanted was for Iris to lower her guard and engage in recollections, so he could read the corresponding memories.

But the result was somewhat disappointing to him.

Iris had known Elia a little longer than Charlie, for seven years.

At that time, although Elia was still just an apprentice Saintess in a frontier town of the Messiah Kingdom, she was already quite famous.

Her healing magic was comparable to an intermediate Saintess, her character as noble as it was now, and the townspeople praised her endlessly… The subsequent seven years were largely a continuation of this development, except her status and identity continuously rose, and the areas she was involved with grew larger.

Finally, in the advanced Saintess trial three years ago, she outshone another very capable Saintess, becoming one of the Grand Saintess candidates.

At that time, many countries invited Elia to become their patron Saintess, but Elia gave up these advantageous options and returned to the Messiah Kingdom, her homeland with weaker Holy Light influence.

With her own power, she illuminated the entire Southern Border, truly too great and selfless… This information, imagined by Iris, made Luke increasingly speechless.

‘What “couldn’t bear to see her hometown people suffering”? Wasn’t it simply foreknowledge of the plot, knowing it was safe to stay here? This scummy pinkette is really good at faking it.’

But this information was still meaningful; at least it confirmed that three years ago, Elia had already been replaced internally.

Seeing that he couldn’t obtain more meaningful information, after declining the free Saintess promotional brochures, Luke bid farewell to Iris and continued to inquire about the situation from others.

Unfortunately, even with his mind-reading ability, he gained no further insights.

After all, Elia had only arrived at the Royal Palace three years ago, and Iris was the one who had accompanied her the longest.

Just as he was about to give up, someone suddenly found him.

‘Sir Hero, are you investigating Her Highness the Saintess?’

‘Yes.’

‘You can ask Old George at the stables; he’s Her Highness the Saintess’s fellow villager.’

‘Thank you.’

Through his mind-reading ability, Luke knew that this attendant was merely a messenger, knew nothing, and the person he was connecting with was also an innocent mouthpiece.

So, he didn’t trouble the attendant, gave him a small tip, and then headed to the stables.

Old George hadn’t risen in status just because he was related to a certain scummy Saintess; he was merely an ordinary stable hand.

Upon learning that the Hero wanted to see him, he immediately rushed over, trembling with trepidation.

After understanding Luke’s intention, Old George’s face immediately changed, and he stammered for a long time, unable to speak.

But for Luke, who could read minds, merely thinking about it was enough.

‘That scummy pinkette, eight years ago, was actually a spoiled, willful, and destructive villainess?’