"Congratulations on your promotion, Major Stern."

"Lady Saint, you are too kind." I bowed to the Elder with many eyes on us. The audience with the King went better than I expected. "I should congratulate you instead. The only saint of humanity since the Collapse."

"It's not my merit alone. The people have chosen me to protect them, and I answered their call." She talked as if we were strangers. The nobles present seemed cautious around her, and I could guess where the missing ones went. "There is still more to do before I can rest though."

This meant she was ready for the next phase of her plans. Curiosity mixed with fear in me, I looked forward to them. She made me a part of it all, and I wasn't bad off until now. She promised me this rank a while ago, and I didn't expect the King to grant it right after my return.

"Thank you for your service fighting this terrible menace, and allow me to pray for your fallen men." She kept up the act on our way out. The corridors were full of lower-ranked aristocrats and more commoners than I expected. I knew she had an explanation. "I hope their loss wasn't in vain."

Her words rang hollow when she was the one ordering their deaths, but that's how she rolled. Her skin looked better than ever since her transformation. Her eyes sparkled, and her golden blonde hair fluttered with every step. Her clothing was white instead of the usual gray. It was a subtle difference, but she almost glowed in it, the image of purity.

It contrasted with her real personality, and I needed to focus on my performance to keep up this image. Not everyone was happy with her, and being close to such an influential person endangered me too. The higher-ranking nobles who still attended looked at me with disdain. While I couldn't hear what they talked about as we passed them, I had a good guess. They wanted both of us gone.

"Look at the stuck-up royal bastard, now that the Elder Advisor has become a saint, he licks her boots as you'd expect." I caught an idiot's mumble, but he was wrong. I licked her boots way before she became this influential. I saw the potential even back when she was that wrinkled old lady everyone hated but nobody could step over.

"He should have died with his men on that expedition." Another whispered, but too loud to ignore. "Since when did he take over the Royal Company anyway? It should be in the hand of the noble houses."

In their eyes, this expedition was nothing short of a disaster. A company's worth of soldiers set out, and only half a dozen returned. But the Elder requested it, to tie up loose ends while showing how dangerous the lizardmen threat was.

The King was on her side, but the aristocrats bickered, instead of facing external threats. The Elder wanted unity, even if it was against her. She needed to solidify her position in Sanctuary and strengthen this stronghold too. The Demon Lord was on the move, even if I didn't run into them, I had seen the signs.

The Elder pinched me, careful not to get noticed by the onlookers, but it was a clear sign that I had to continue acting. I spent too much time listening to the whispers as we neared the main gates.

"We suffered terrible losses, but now I know the extent of their strength. And their strong points," I claimed, hoping this was the scene she wanted to act out. "They are fearsome warriors and have plenty of samans casting spells. If I knew what I'd run into, I would have requested the aid of the Church, but as it seems, you needed them back home too."

"Nothing I couldn't handle." She nodded, holding onto my arms. "I agree that we must cooperate more, between the Church and the Army. With the Inquisitorias dismantled, we no longer hold military strength. But we still have to fight off these dangerous monsters."

Of course, they were dangerous when the Elder was behind them. She advanced her plans while I was away, which I expected, but still caught me by surprise. For some time I felt like she lacked the ambition or the guts to make the next step. She spent a long time on preparations and intricate plans. She could have grabbed power at any given moment without them.

But now she did it, and when the nobles realized it, they could no longer stand against her. During the audience with the King, I heard a few snippets. The royal guards ousted the most influential aristocrats when they accused the Elder.

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"I heard about the miracles you performed in the slums, moments after defeating an army of undead." I nodded, more towards the witnesses in the hallway than the Elder herself. "I'm grateful for you defending the people when I wasn't here to protect the city."

The remaining nobles scoffed at the obvious flattery, but I had to spread the word in case some lived under a rock. The commoners looked at her with different eyes. As far as I recall, she aimed for the masses' approval, instead of pleasing the ruler's caste. They didn't have to be influential to give her their power.

"You can't be everywhere at once, Stern." She acted for the crowd too, walking out of the castle. "Sanctuary needs more good people like you, Major. Then the burden on us will lessen too."

The newfound companions followed us a few steps behind. The child seemed wary of the Elder, while the father threw in all his charms to get closer. I could be jealous if I didn't know her plans to marry me for the throne. And her tendency to look at everyone as potential tools.

"I can't believe my luck to receive such an honor." He leaned in closer as we went. "The Captain of the Royal Company is now a Major. And not long after he rescued us, we got the chance to meet the Lady Saint Ghisella in the flesh. Most of humanity doesn't even know about her miracles yet."

"I didn't seek fame with them anyway." The Elder glanced at Hakim, her eyes showing some annoyance. "The people needed my aid, and as the head of the Church, it was my duty to help them."

She grabbed my arm, nodding towards the child next. She didn't want to speak in front of them, but I understood enough, something was off with them. I already suspected it since the ambush.

The kid fought like a veteran, and his father disappeared in the middle of the battle. While I had no solid proof against them, I knew they were suspicious. I was curious, if nothing else, what they tried to achieve by coming to Sanctuary.

Even if they didn't realize it, they helped the Elder's plans by a great deal. She wanted an army instead of a few companies for the King and the nobles. She wanted thousands of men under a single banner and with either of us at its command. Losing a few troops and their story about the invading lizardmen did exactly that.

"You, kind sir were a great help too, convincing the King about the importance of a standing army." That was an understatement, as she bowed to the dark-skinned man. "The people here have a bad habit of only caring about what's right in front of them."

"Indeed, threats beyond our borders can't get their attention." I joined in too, as we passed the last group of people not paid by us. We no longer had to act on our way to the Main Temple, for other than these two following us. "But your words justified a unified command for all the separate armies in Nordhaben. Let's hope the nobles won't fight it."

"They will, but they can't back the King into a corner now." She predicted as if trying to fill me in on the details while I was away. "When they begged him to execute me, the people chanted my name, and His Majesty realized whose side they were on."

"They were a bad influence on His Highness ever since the Collapse. It was about high time he saw their intentions to wrestle all power from him." I spoke with the two in mind, not saying anything I wouldn't want potential spies to hear. If the Elder's intuition was right and they came to infiltrate the city... Hearing about our solidifying strength might spook whichever country they spied for.

"They showed their colors when they refused to defend the city but led their armies to the slums to apprehend me." The Lady Saint explained, looking at Dio. "I crushed them with words alone. But I wish I could crush them like I did the zombie hordes."

"Of course, everything is for the good of the people." I nodded, confused by her sudden passion. We could take a carriage to the Main Temple, but she wanted to walk. To show herself to the people, and sure enough, they cheered her wherever she went. Considering how much they hated the Elder right before I left, it was odd to see.

A little show of force and a fake miracle changed their hearts fast. The noble's desperate attempt to curtail her popularity backfired, boosting her image. I made predictions before, but she outperformed them all. Was it luck or other preparations in secret? I couldn't get her to talk with Hakim and the kid around.

"Allow me to be your host." She turned towards them once we reached the main entrance. "You came a long way, helped Stern in a fight, and even furthered our agenda in front of the King. I want to repay you somehow. It's our task to defend all humans, yet you helped us instead."

"Ah, your words are too kind, Lady Saint." Hakim bowed, grinning at the child behind him. "We didn't do much, and can't say we were selfless either. My sole motivation was to save my skin, and give my son a chance to reach adulthood in a city safe from dangers."

"Well, I do have a spell that could help with that. But why should I turn him young again if the goal is to get old here?" The Elder raised her eyebrow, watching Dio with a knowing look.

The kid's face distorted but returned to normal right after. What was she on about? It had an effect on my quests for sure, but I couldn't follow. Hakim's grin disappeared too, and he took an uncertain step backward. She raised her hand, ready to strike.

"Oh no, you won't go anywhere." She claimed, nodding towards the entrance. "As I said, I'd like to be your host for the foreseeable future. Now get in, and explain why you tried to smuggle a goblin into Sanctuary."

"A goblin?" I asked confused, and with a wave of her hand, she undid the illusion that hid the beast in plain sight all this time. "What the?"

"You couldn't bother with a better name, Dioneras?"