Your honor, there is a massive crowd of Saint Eleanor’s followers trying to break into the courthouse! They keep shouting, “Release the angel! Release the angel!” over and over.

Hold them back. We don’t want a situation like Knight Julius’s fan club again.

This is far worse than the fan club, your honor! Thousands of people had already gathered in the streets with more coming in! They’re starting to crash with the Anti-Devil protestors. It’s chaos out there!

Hehehe! Hahahaha! Excellent! All is going according to plan. Soon enough a bloody conflict will break out and hatred will run rampant! Witness, mortals! See how easily I turned you against each other! This is the true power of the Devil! Mwa! Hahahahaha!

Wow… now that I saw her true color, this villain act is corny as hell.

Yeah… How did we ever fall for it again? I feel like a fucking moron.

Agree.

I concur.

She’s kinda cute, though—like a dork acting tough.

Agree.

I concur.

Security, tell both protesters to send in one representative each and stop being a nuisance, or I’ll put a stop to them, personally.

Yes, your honor!

Now that’s dealt with, let’s continue the hearing. Narrator…

Yes, your honor. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the duke suggests Lady Eleanor to become a priestess and explains the various ways mana can be used by a person. A mage casts spells and uses mana as fuel. A knight or a monk spread mana throughout their body to enhance their strength and speed. An eastern cultivator… eh… cultivates their innate talent—whatever that means. And finally, a priest can reach out to others and influence their body and mind.

“That means I would be able to control other people’s mana?”

“In a manner of speaking… yes… But, think of it like communicating through mana. Whether the other party listens and follows your command depends on several factors—mainly their willingness.”

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“Interesting… But how can I reach out to other people when I can’t even access my own powers?”

“Then let them reach into you. Make them trust you, believe in you. Make them ask for your help the same way a drowning man grasps for straws… That sounded bad when I said it out loud, didn't it?”

Eleanor shakes her head.

“No, your grace. What you said is very… eye opening.”

Eleanor makes an evil grin as she fantasizes about the various ways she can abuse this newly gained knowledge. She returns to her room and thinks about the various ways mana can be manipulated.

“I didn’t know mana was so versatile. I only thought of it like an MP bar, but turns out it’s more like a chemical substance. I wonder…”

Eleanor closes her eyes and focuses on the mana sitting in her body. She was the one who had stolen and stored them there in the first place, which means… she can get them out. She turns her hand into a cup and slowly pushes mana through her pores. Mana form and condense into a droplet of shining purple liquid.

My god, the theory is true! Teacher look, look! It’s liquid mana!

Impossible… something like that should be highly unstable—

“BOOM!”

The purple mana explodes and Eleanor scatters into gooey chunks around the room.

“Wonderful… Well, at least I know it works.”

Eleanor sighs and uses her hard earned hatred to reform herself… but not fast enough, as Tessa Tate walks in and vomits all over the floor. That night, Eleanor puts Tessa through hell and tasks her to come up with a way to store liquid mana.

Eventually, it’s time to journey to the capital. The convoy leaves at dawn with Duke Ambrose and Gilda in one carriage and Princess Grace and Eleanor in another.

“Private Johnson already left. Said he’s quitting the army to spend time with his family.”

“That’s wonderful, your highness. Although I don’t know who this Private Johnson is.”

“Say, Adrian, have you ever been to the capital before?”

“No, your highness. And my name is Eleanor.”

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t care. Now, speaking of the capital, did you know…”

The journey takes three weeks. During that time Duke Ambrose teaches Eleanor the basics of holy magic. How to communicate through mana. How to heal injuries. One day, a knight falls off his horse, breaking his leg. The duke uses the situation as a learning opportunity for Eleanor. He walks her though the process, and after half an hour, the man’s leg is as good as new.

“Excellent, child. You seem to have a talent for this.”

“You over praise me, your excellency. I simply did as you told.”

“Don’t be modest, Eleanor. You can go far as a priestess… under the right guidance, of course. And I have the perfect teacher in mind for you.”

“W-who is it, your excellency?”

“It’s a surprise. I’ll introduce you to them once we reach Ivory.”

Duke Ambrose smiles and Eleanor can only give dry laughs in return.

The convoy makes its way to the royal capital, Ivory City. Lady Eleanor looks out the carriage window to see a shining city on a hill made of white marbles and gold. She looks at the city with shining eyes as she makes a vow in her heart,

“Within five years, I will definitely raze this city to the ground!”