"Lady Isabel."
The voice was soft, feminine, and carried the kind of earnest conviction that immediately set off alarm bells.
I turned and found myself face-to-face with a young woman in the white and gold robes of the Church of Radiance. She was in her early twenties, with blonde hair pulled back in a simple braid and blue eyes that radiated sincerity.
Oh. Oh, this is going to be HILARIOUS.
"Yes?" I said politely.
A priestess. Coming to save my soul or some equally naive bullshit.
This is the best thing that's happened to me since Truck-kun.
"I'm Sister Celeste," she said, and her voice trembled slightly. "I... I wanted to speak with you. If you have a moment."
A priestess. A YOUNG priestess who probably thinks she can save my soul or something equally naive.
This is going to be AMAZING.
"Of course," I said, gesturing to a nearby bench. "Please, sit."
We sat, and I watched as Sister Celeste gathered her courage. She was nervous—her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her posture rigid—but there was genuine conviction in her eyes.
She actually believes in this. In her religion, in her mission, in the power of redemption.
How... quaint.
How absolutely, utterly—
Wait.
Wait.
Something was off.
I felt it the moment we sat down—a subtle wrongness in the air around her, like a discordant note in an otherwise perfect melody. It was faint, barely perceptible, but it was there.
Dark magic.
She's radiating dark magic.
What the FUCK.
I kept my expression neutral, but my mind was racing.
A priestess of the Church of Radiance—the organization that literally exists to oppose dark magic—is sitting here radiating dark magic like a fucking beacon.
Either she's the world's worst priestess, or something VERY interesting is happening.
"Lady Isabel," she began, her voice still trembling with that earnest conviction, "I know this may seem presumptuous, but I felt called to speak with you. The Church has heard... concerning reports about your practices. About your use of dark magic."
Concerning reports. That's one way to put it.
I animated a corpse yesterday. I made blood glow. I'm learning necromancy from a man who's spent forty-three years mastering death magic.
'Concerning' doesn't even BEGIN to cover it.
But let's talk about YOUR dark magic, Sister Celeste.
Let's talk about the hypocrisy radiating off you like perfume.
"I see," I said neutrally, watching her carefully.
"Dark magic is dangerous," Sister Celeste continued, her voice gaining strength. "It corrupts the soul. It leads to suffering and damnation. But it's not too late—the Radiant One offers redemption to all who seek it. You could turn away from this path. You could embrace the light."
She's serious. She's actually delivering this speech with a straight face while literally RADIATING dark magic.
This is the FUNNIEST thing that's happened to me since Truck-kun.
I studied her for a moment—the earnest conviction, the genuine concern, the absolute certainty that she was right and I was wrong.
This is BETTER than Truck-kun.
And then I saw it.
Just for a moment—a fraction of a second—her expression shifted.
Her smile became wicked.
Her eyes gleamed with something cruel and knowing.
And then it was gone, replaced by that same earnest concern.
Oh.
OH.
You're not what you seem, are you, Sister Celeste?
You're playing a GAME.
And you just showed me your hand.
"Sister Celeste," I said carefully, leaning forward slightly, "I appreciate your concern. Truly. But I have to ask—"
I let my own magic flare, just a little. Just enough for someone sensitive to feel it.
"—do you always lecture people about dark magic while radiating it yourself?"
The change was instantaneous.
Sister Celeste's entire demeanor shifted. The trembling hands stilled. The nervous posture straightened. The earnest blue eyes became sharp and calculating.
And her smile—
Oh, that smile.
It was wicked. Cruel. Absolutely delighted.
"Well, well, well," she said, and her voice was completely different now—smooth, confident, laced with dark amusement. "You're the first person to notice. The FIRST person in three years of playing this role."
She leaned back, studying me with open fascination.
"I was beginning to think everyone in this kingdom was blind."
Holy shit.
HOLY SHIT.
She's a dark priestess. Or at least a priestess with dark magic.
She's been HIDING in the Church of Radiance.
That's BRILLIANT.
That's INSANE.
That's exactly the kind of thing I would do.
"Three years?" I said, unable to keep the admiration out of my voice. "You've been hiding in plain sight for three years?"
"Three years, two months, and sixteen days," Sister Celeste said, and her smile widened. "Playing the earnest young priestess. Delivering sermons about the dangers of dark magic. Counseling nobles to turn away from corruption."
She laughed—a genuine, delighted laugh that was nothing like her earlier trembling voice.
"And the entire time, I've been practicing blood magic in the church basement. Learning necromancy from stolen grimoires. Building power right under their noses."
This is the most AMAZING thing I've ever heard.
This woman is a GENIUS.
This woman is my new favorite person.
"Why?" I asked. "Why hide? Why not just... leave?"
Sister Celeste's expression became thoughtful.
"Because the Church has resources. Knowledge. Ancient texts that they've confiscated from dark mages over the centuries. They keep them locked away, thinking they're protecting the world."
Her smile became predatory.
"But I have access. I can study them. Learn from them. And no one suspects the earnest young priestess who's so devoted to the Radiant One."
That's... actually brilliant.
That's EXACTLY the kind of long-term strategic thinking I respect.
She's not just powerful—she's SMART.
"So the whole 'redemption' speech—" I began.
"Complete bullshit," Sister Celeste confirmed cheerfully. "I mean, I deliver it well, don't I? Very convincing. Very earnest. Very 'please turn away from the darkness before it's too late.'"
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.
"But between you and me? Dark magic is fucking AMAZING. The power, the control, the sheer possibility of it—why would anyone choose boring light magic when they could have THIS?"
I think I'm in love.
Not romantically. But like... spiritually.
This woman GETS it.
"You're insane," I said, and I meant it as a compliment.
"Thank you," Sister Celeste said, taking it as one. "You're not so bad yourself. The whole 'reincarnated villainess' thing is working for you."
I froze.
She knows.
She KNOWS.
How the FUCK does she know?
My mind went completely blank for half a second—which for me is basically an ETERNITY—and then it started racing at approximately a million miles per hour.
Did I say something?
Did I DO something?
How much does she KNOW?
Does she know about the GAME?
Does she know about TOKYO?
Does she know about TRUCK-KUN?
Sister Celeste was watching me with those sharp, predatory eyes, and her smile was widening.
She's ENJOYING this.
She dropped that bomb DELIBERATELY.
She WANTED to see me panic.
"I—" I started, but my voice came out wrong. Too high. Too defensive.
FUCK.
FUCK FUCK FUCK.
I never lose composure.
I NEVER lose composure.
And she just made me lose it in half a SECOND.
Sister Celeste leaned back slightly, still smiling that knowing, wicked smile.
"Relax," she said, and her voice was soft, almost gentle. "I don't know the details. But I know something changed."
She tilted her head, studying me like I was a particularly interesting specimen.
"Two days ago, you were pathetic. Desperate. Weak. Crying at social functions. Begging for scraps of attention from people who despised you."
Oh god.
She's been WATCHING me.
She's been watching me since BEFORE.
"And now?" Sister Celeste continued, her eyes gleaming with something that looked like genuine fascination. "Now you're radiating power and confidence like you've been doing this your whole life. You walk differently. You talk differently. You THINK differently."
She paused, and her smile became almost... admiring?
"Either you had the world's most dramatic personality shift," she said slowly, "or something... else... happened."
FUCK.
She doesn't know WHAT happened.
But she knows SOMETHING happened.
She knows I'm not the original Isabel.
She knows I'm DIFFERENT.
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
This is bad.
This is REALLY bad.
She could expose me.
She could tell people.
She could—
But then I looked at her expression again.
That smile.
That KNOWING smile.
And I realized something.
She's not hostile.
She's... curious.
Intrigued.
Maybe even IMPRESSED.
Sister Celeste was still watching me, waiting for my response, and I could see the intelligence behind her eyes.
She's testing me.
She wants to see how I'll react.
She wants to see if I'll panic, if I'll lie, if I'll try to manipulate her.
She's giving me a CHOICE.
And suddenly I understood.
This isn't a threat.
This is an OFFER.
She's showing me that she SEES me—really SEES me—and she's waiting to see if I'll acknowledge it.
If I'll trust her with the truth.
Or at least... part of it.
But the problem is—
I don't KNOW how much she knows.
I don't know if she's guessing or if she has PROOF.
I don't know if she's testing me or if she already has all the answers.
And that terrifies me.
Because for the first time since I woke up in this body, someone is looking at me and seeing through EVERYTHING.
Not just the villainess act.
Not just the dark magic.
Not just the confidence and the chaos.
She's seeing the PERSON underneath.
The reincarnated soul.
The girl from Tokyo who died and woke up in a game.
She's seeing ME.
And I don't know what to do with that.
Sister Celeste's smile softened slightly, and for just a moment, I saw something almost like... kinship?
"You don't have to tell me," she said quietly. "Whatever happened to you—whatever changed—it's none of my business."
She paused.
"But I want you to know that I see it. I see you. And I'm not afraid of what I see."
Oh.
Oh FUCK.
This priestess isn't just dangerous.
She sees through me COMPLETELY.
And I don't know how much she actually knows.
"A word of advice, from one dark mage to another—be careful. The Church is watching you. Lady Everhart is watching you. They're trying to figure out if you're a threat."
She paused.
"And for what it's worth? I hope you are. This kingdom could use a little chaos."
Oh, Sister Celeste.
You have NO IDEA how much chaos I'm planning.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said.
Sister Celeste nodded, then slipped back into her priestess persona—the trembling hands, the earnest expression, the nervous posture.
"May the Radiant One guide you, Lady Isabel," she said in that soft, trembling voice.
And then she walked away, leaving me standing there with a mixture of admiration, amusement, and genuine respect.
A dark priestess hiding in the Church of Radiance.
Playing the long game. Building power in secret.
That's BRILLIANT.
That's exactly the kind of strategic thinking I need to learn.
Several nobles had watched our interaction with barely concealed curiosity. They'd seen Sister Celeste approach me, seen us talk, seen her leave.
But they had no idea what had actually been said.
Let them wonder.
Let them think the priestess tried to save my soul.
Let them think I'm beyond redemption.
They're not wrong.