The day has finally arrived.

I watched it from the highest tower of the main temple as the undead slowly limped towards the gates of the Sanctuary. I rigged the structure to blow up once they got near enough with a spectacle and timed things to arrive right as the panic washed over the entire city.

It was sad that Stern wouldn't be here to witness my magnum opus but I removed him from the city for the reason so that nobody could claim a single morsel of my glory for themselves. Not even my future husband.

The explosion shook even the massive temple building and was probably heard across the city, and the hundreds of zombies slowly poured in through the large gap. The Royal Company reacted slowly without their leader since it was never their duty to guard the city and respond to such attacks. But that was also a calculated part of my plan.

I still felt bad about eliminating all those diligent undead without reclaiming the life force I'd planted into them. But everyone in the city had to be convinced without casting any doubt on me. The gargoyle below the tower's window came to life and spread its wings waiting for me to jump on its back. I flew it right over the gate and inspected the carnage below from up close.

The idiots of Sanctuary gathered near the broken gate to see what happened, instead of running for their lives, and I considered letting a few of them die just to teach them a lesson. But no, I needed to pose as their savior, or I'd never become a saint. I worked too hard, and long to let this opportunity go to waste. I dove in and landed in front of the advancing zombie horde, replacing the screams with cheers.

"It's the Elder! She came to save us." I heard them shout. I placed a few of my men into the crowd to make sure everyone knew who to thank for being saved, and it was probably one of them yelling out my name.

Even before I did something, the panic subsided, and the people cheered for my arrival. I should have timed my entrance a bit later to have them take the danger seriously. But I was already here, and the zombies started thrashing the buildings closest to the gate, other than a few guards and civilians, there were no serious casualties so far.

"Begone, creatures of evil!" I yelled the first thing that came to mind. I should have spent more time writing a proper script for this but my deeds should have spoken louder than my words. I released the flashiest purification spell I could think of, and pulled the plug on the undead closest to me, making them fall and spectacularly turn into glittering dust. "I will send you all back whence you came from."

The cheer got louder behind me, but it didn't feel well-earned. It felt underwhelming after all this planning and effort I put into this. Maybe the zombies weren't threatening enough, although the explosion that deleted the city gate was quite something. I pretended the previous spell drained me and sent my gargoyle on a rampage.

Soldiers rushed in to contain the invading menace, and I ensured they looked weak compared to me or the undead, releasing a few fancy attacks on the zombies closest to me. I lost to my urge to drain some life forces and doing my best to hide the spell, I attacked the Royal Company's men directly. Just to let them know they walked into danger, and to make my wrinkles disappear.

Panic swept over the people again, and once I made sure they couldn't trace back that strike to me, I released another purification magic that wiped out half the attacking force. Or at least that's how they must have perceived it, but in reality, I just retracted the mana that moved them, and they practically disintegrated on their own, without extra effort on my part. The purification spell was only good against grime, but given the situation, it looked spectacular as the specks of dust disappeared.

"Praise the Elder! We're saved." The agents in the crowd chanted and it finally started to catch on. Once I finished the last of my former tools, the people of Sanctuary cheered for me as they meant it, and I felt a strange power coursing through my body. Similarly, when I drained someone's life forces, this did not make me lose my age, rather, the magicules started to overflow within me.

As a finishing act, I put out the fires and used that extra energy to restore the gate to some degree. My plans worked out so far.

"As long as I'm alive, Sanctuary will not fall to any kind of monsters, be they dead or living, even if they come from the depths of the abyss!" I shouted but had to reinforce my voice with magic to drown out all the noise. This was met with even more cheering. It took quite a while until it died down, and I was ready to advance to the next phase.

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"Your Grace, please. Even if you protect us, the people are starving." I heard one of my agents vail just on cue. I quickly found him in the crowd, although I almost struck him with a lightning bolt when I saw his terrible excuse of garments he put on. I told them to dress as the people in the slums, but his clothes were immaculate, like a rich craftsman.

Nobody else seemed to notice it though, and thanks to the spell I secretly released to steer their collective thoughts, the actual poor soon joined the vailing as well. I pulled out my best acting to show how surprised I was to see the suffering of the good citizens.

"Starvation?! Did you abandon the church, or kept this a secret from me until now?" I yelled theatrically, opening my arms wide. I really should have written a better script though. "As long as you ask, I can provide. I'm here to protect you from harm and ensure none of you suffer. Show me the enemy and I shall relinquish it, whether it is monsters or hunger."

For now, the people cheered, and beggars started to approach me. It was time to reveal my ace and prepare the hidden Bag of Holding below my modest gray robes. I made it look like I pulled the fresh loaf of bread out of thin air, and handed it over to the closest person.

They were in bad shape, even more so than I expected, and I had to force myself not to pull away from their sorry sight. But I worried needlessly since the crowd soon went wild after seeing me repeat the same cheap magic trick, feeding them with the bread they could thank the undead I slaughtered. Stern's soldiers were still out at the manor house to bake more, but for the people, it seemed like I performed some sort of miracle to feed them an endless amount of bread.

I handed out a ton's worth and ran almost out before the nobles finally made their move. I thought they lost their ambition or didn't take me seriously enough, but the speech I prepared for their arriving soldiers didn't go to waste. Stern was right, they were easy to figure out and didn’t try to do anything until the people started to chant my name. Now it was time to finish the show with a bang.

"It saddens me to confess, but the gods of the Cranta Panteon abandoned us, humans. It's even more terrible, that our beloved Church was in the hands of a necromancer until I uncovered the Pope's true intentions..." I gave a theatrical speech as the noble's soldiers not so discreetly surrounded me. "The corruption in the Empire and the Church ran equally deep, but now that I took control, I can promise to make everything right, and provide safety and food to all my followers."

"What kind of heresy are you spouting, woman?!" One of the nobles finally made his presence known, yelling. The crowd didn't notice them until now, but their cheering suddenly died. "You led the Church and confess it’s corruption? Not only that, but you accuse the Empire and its leaders as a whole. So you finally show your true colors, and entice the crowds for treason? Take her away!"

I suppressed a grin. I felt stronger than ever, and with a flick of my finger, I could have wiped out this idiot and all his soldiers for good. But they played at my hands without them knowing, talking about showing my true colors right after feeding the poor. I could tell the crowd was on my side, and if I let myself be taken in by them, I'd nearly become a martyr in their eyes. Stern's tactics rubbed off on me.

"I wasn't the head of the Church until very recently," I spoke softly, but my voice was magically enchanted so that everyone in the slums heard me. "It was led by a Pope who got into his seat via the nobles of this country. And yes, when I talk about corruption in the Empire, I also mean them. The nobles who got their power, wealth, and vast lands from the King but refused to cultivate them, and let the good people here starve."

"So you don't even deny your treasonous rhetoric. Men, seize her at once." He gave the order but looked very surprised when the heated crowd rushed to surround me and block the path of his soldiers. I planned for a long time, but things turned out much better than expected. I could have skipped the next step and still get what I wanted, but why stop here?

"No, good people, don't endanger yourselves for my sake!" I yelled, faking as much emotion in my voice as I ever felt in my entire life. "I trust the King of this country and his judgment. Please, only support me with your prayers, enough blood was spilled today thanks to the evil Pope and his undead minions."

The slum cheered as one, and the people reluctantly let the soldiers pass to capture me. I couldn't believe they were this easily manipulated, and seeing their palms put together, I felt stronger than ever before. I had to hold myself back so I don't strike down the nobles right here, but the martyrdom they endowed on me was more than worth it.

They made a big mistake in their desperation when they should have known better, I'm untouchable by their puny weapons and forces. Even if I didn't reach sainthood just now, Stern left his soldiers in my hands, and they already outnumbered their forces two to one. But this served me perfectly. I wanted to end the nobles right by the King, without providing them a chance to recover. The hardest part was to stop myself from laughing like an evil maniac.

"Elder Ghisella of the Inquisitorias, by my noble decree, I name you an enemy of the Cranta Empire, and seize you until you stand trial in front of the King!" The aristocrat yelled, his voice almost completely drowned out by the booing of the people. At least they knew my name, I didn't expect them to utter it. But they forgot an important detail.

There were no Inquisitorias now, it was only me, Saint Ghisella.