Pope Ferdinand sat alone in a large and opulent office, bald head shining as he wrestled with a tall stack of paperwork. There were glittering ornaments adorning the walls, serving both as a demonstration of wealth and a source of light. Exhausted after working the long hours necessary to keep a massive organization like the Church stable, he tilted his head back and let out a tired sigh.

Ah, geez. That bloody Daegal house… Luckily, we managed to take custody of Maven. The Duke is pushing for her to return home as soon as possible. He must be concerned about losing influence over his own daughter. Blast it, at least I negotiated a month-long stay under the guise of magic lessons. No matter how powerful she may be, it ought to be easy to bend her to our purpose. Maven is naught but a child and new to the ways of magic, after all. There’s no way she could -

*Bang*

The door to the Pope’s private office flew open and Fae flung herself inside. She was rather new to the Church, but Fae's competence had won the Pope’s favor. Not only did she possess powerful light magic, but she would always skillfully carry out the tasks given to her. It was quite unlike her to break decorum, bursting into the room like this.

“What seems to be the problem, Fae? I do assume there must be a problem. A serious one, at that. If not, I would be greatly disappointed in you.” Pope Ferdinand squeezed out, tone conveying the irritation bubbling beneath the surface.

“Your Holiness, it’s Maven! Sh-She……” Fae said between gasping breaths.

“She did what, exactly? I believe you were meant to be teaching her magic at this time. Take a deep breath, collect yourself, and slowly tell me what’s happened.”

Following the Pope’s instructions, Fae took several deep breaths in an animated fashion before continuing. “Yes, Your Holiness… I was teaching Maven the most basic of spells - the artificial spirit - and something miraculous occurred.”

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“Something miraculous?”

“Something miraculous indeed. Instead of your ordinary spirit, she managed to create something else entirely…… a fairy, of all things.”

“A fairy, you say?” Pope Ferdinand said in a pensive tone, “What kind of fairy? Are you sure Maven was actually responsible for doing something so outlandish as actually creating life? That kind of feat would be well beyond the capability of a human. Even the most legendary of heroes has never done such a thing.”

“I saw it with my own eyes, Your Holiness! I saw her create some sort of egg and I witnessed the fairy emerge with my own eyes. That fairy must be a gift from the goddess. A sign! That likeness, in the image of our goddess Kannon herself. That beauty, far beyond us mortals. That aura, radiating the purest Light attribute - one of the most sacred sights I’ve ever seen.”

*Tch*

The Pope secretly clicked his tongue in displeasure.

That Maven… already causing trouble. It was just supposed to be a simple lesson in magic! Why is she causing problems on her first day here at the Church? Why am I getting this sinking feeling in my gut, that a storm is approaching the Church? Pawns don’t deviate from expectations like this.

Collecting himself, the Pope pulled himself up off the chair and made his way to the door.

“Come with me, Fae. Let’s go see this gift of the Goddess that our Saintess has brought us.”

Together, the two quickly made their down the hall to the room where Maven was. Forcing a benevolent expression on his wrinkled face, Pope Ferdinand opened the door and came face to face with this mysterious new Saintess for the second time.

Staring at her young face, the Pope couldn’t help stare at the dragonfly wings that were visible behind her head. As if the owner of the wings sensed his gaze, a small face peeked its way out from its hiding place. The second he laid eyes upon seeing that face, the Pope’s mind blanked out entirely.

That face… isn’t that the face of the Goddess herself? It is exactly the same as the statues enshrined that have survived since the age of gods. Don’t tell me…… Is this truly a sign from the Goddess Kannon? THAT Goddess? The one that nobody has heard a peep from in centuries? It can’t be… The Church can’t afford her meddling right now. Not when we’re working to begin the final push to eradicate the vile demon race.