An Unexpected Plan

The first plan had failed, but that was just an appetizer—a probe to test the Saintess' depth.

And, as expected… she was very deep!

But the real show was just beginning!

Under the eyes of countless onlookers, they would strip away everything hiding the Saintess' body, reducing her to her most primal, natural state.

Thinking of this, a crooked smile tugged at John's lips.

"I'd heard that the Church's saintess was a special Genestella—quite powerful. Looks like bringing a Strega along was the right decision."

This place had just come out of war, after all.

So if a sudden, strange accident occurred, wouldn't it be… understandable?

Like, say, a corrosive fountain suddenly bursting up from underground—it's totally reasonable, right?

Do it!

John exchanged glances with the Strega. The water-manipulating girl crouched down and began pouring the prepared corrosive liquid into the underground channels, slowly guiding it toward the ground beneath the Saintess.

"Earlier, she dodged the porridge right in front of her. But what now?"

"Faced with an invisible attack… what will you do, Lady Saintess?"

Why not just obediently reveal your beauty for us all to see?

The ground began to tremble slightly. Most people wouldn't notice—but Elise sensed it almost instantly. John had underestimated her.

Something's beneath me...

Water?

Could it be…?

Looking around with faith-enhanced perception, Elise quickly located the source of the disturbance: a Strega who could manipulate water. And this water... was laced with something unusual.

Interesting!

Allow this saintess to give you a proper lesson!

The position was set. All they needed now was the signal. As soon as the water erupted, the photos would be taken.

Orders were passed among the group. John and another photographer took their positions.

"Go!"

At the command, the Strega used her Prana to blast the water upward, and the photographers fired their shutters in quick succession.

But Elise suddenly stomped the ground—forcefully redirecting the underground stream. The water erupted sideways instead, completely missing her.

Once again, Plan B barely grazed its target. Elise remained untouched, while John and his team let out a collective cry of despair.

"Hey, John. What kind of photo did you get this time?"

One of the other photographers came over. John understood immediately and handed over his camera.

"Let me see yours too. I'm curious what you got."

In John's second photo, the redirected spray of water arced past Elise, and thanks to the sunlight's reflection, a small rainbow had appeared. Elise, in turn, was caught mid-pose, praying toward that rainbow.

A perfect saintess prayer image!

And the other photos? All similarly stunning. Every time they tried something, something interfered and turned it into something transcendent.

The two photographers looked at each other—shocked.

"John… I think I'm starting to believe it. Maybe she really is God's daughter—a true saintess."

He paused, then continued, "Do we really need to keep going? At this rate, the next photos will probably turn out the same."

"..."

John fell silent. He had still wanted to try one more time. But after seeing all the photos, he was starting to waver.

They had taken over eighty pictures across both operations—

And every single one of them was bizarre… yet breathtaking!

If they submitted these to a photography competition, they'd probably sweep the top rankings!

--After all, photos of this level weren't something that could be captured easily. It usually took a mix of great skill and absurd luck—yet they had taken over eighty of them?

That went way beyond what luck could explain!

There was another possibility…

That the Saintess' power was something they simply couldn't mess with. And if that was true…

"We… might really need to reconsider."

After a long silence, John finally gave in. He'd still wanted to try Plan C, but once it started, it wouldn't be easy to stop—and it would definitely result in casualties.

He admitted he wasn't a good person. He'd go to great lengths for the sake of a photo, even if it meant ruining someone's future.

But taking lives—that was a different matter altogether.

He was a professional journalist, but he wasn't stupid. Plan C had been decided by the Foundation, and those people at the top didn't care one bit about the lives of refugees in some small country.

If he really carried out Plan C, the Integrated Enterprise Foundation would probably use him as a scapegoat… John couldn't help thinking.

"Tell the others to pack it up. We'll just report this as a failed mission."

"Alright, but make sure you keep backups of those photos. I've actually grown kind of fond of that saintess."

"Haha!" John laughed heartily. "Let's go pray at the church sometime. Maybe it's time to rethink this whole journalism career."

BOOM—

Suddenly, an unnatural sound echoed through the area, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Most of the others didn't understand what it meant—but John absolutely did.

That was Plan C!

"What's going on?!" John panicked. "Wasn't I the one supposed to give the go-ahead on Plan C? Don't tell me…"

"The Integrated Enterprise Foundation planned to use it from the start?!"

—A few minutes earlier.

You're still too inexperienced. As the perfect saintess, there's no way I'd let you get the better of me.

Elise calmly continued distributing food, while keeping her senses focused on the Foundation agents in the distance.

Finally, it seemed they were about to call it quits.

Once again, the beautiful and kind-hearted saintess had emerged victorious.

But then…

Something feels off. Is something bad about to happen?

Though Elise wore a blindfold and no one could see her eyes, she quietly released her power, sending it outward to scan the surroundings.

Underground…

There's something terribly wrong beneath us!

The moment Elise "saw" it, her expression turned grim.

A mysterious hollow space deep beneath the earth—no accessible path, completely sealed off. And yet… it was filled with explosives!

If it detonated, the surrounding ground would collapse, and every refugee here would be buried alive.

The Integrated Enterprise Foundation… really went that far? Was it those guys? No—their expressions, their emotional fluctuations—they're not lying. This must've come from the higher-ups!

To deal with me, they'd go this far?

No choice. I'll play along with you for a bit… But right now, saving lives is what matters most!

"Everyone, run! This place is dangerous!"

BOOM—

An explosion thundered through the air, followed by the rumbling of the earth beneath them.