Villainess and Grimoire

Chapter 74 – Annual Tournament Arc

"Thank you for the information, you may go," I smile kindly at the man.

"You welcome lady, also I was asked to deliver this by a... what I consider to be a suspicious man that was hiding inside a dark hood, in case it ends up being something bad you can just tell me, and I'll send the guards after him for an interrogation," he said in a very serious tone making a few wrinkles and veins easier to be seen.

"Very well, I'm deeply grateful for your concern, however, there's surely nothing to worry about as I have the crown Prince Julius on my side, it would be very stupid if someone attempted to do anything they shouldn't to my person," upon hearing these words the man relaxed and smiled kindly saying.

"Yes, lady Aurora I do believe you're words are rightful especially so after the show you have provided to the masses today, I don't believe anyone would attempt to meddle with you easily unless they knew for sure they could beat you one on one, unless it's a group of enemies that way it becomes a lot harder to survive, but even then I have faith that the goddess Aria wouldn't allow someone with your talents to die easily."

"I'm certain that after today I should be able to honor the goddess Aria and all the blessings she has provided me, despite being born a very weak and sickly peasant passing through death's door many times," I store the paper in a pocket and then shortly after as the man is about to reply, a different man who heard my last words voiced out in a happy tone.

"That is certainly true general Aurora for I the pope Klaus have started spreading the news of your capabilities towards the different churches from the nonexistence of any troublesome features that most of us have, from the excellent preparing you did by creating that magnificent outpost to the defense in the southern territories, such tales have raised a great number of worshippers to which we're truly blessed to be allies with the crown Prince Julius, in fact, I have come with the good news that will certainly, surely, delight the ears of any who calls themselves a general."

'That man can detect your disgrace and if you're lying so anything related to the army I'll help you answer just relax Iris, and now bow lightly so that he doesn't easily notice your green eyes which I don't know if he remembers them, but he might, and the person next to him is the Saintess, I don't know what kind of abilities she has aside of the premonition one, but from all the encounters I've had I can tell that she likes me to some extent so don't worry about her.'

I start by bowing while speaking, "your eminence and the Saintess honor this kind hardworking soul with your presences, I have been told great things by Prince Julius related to both of you, thus I do not know how I can be of help but if there's any service I could present with my arts of war, I'd be happy to as long as the crown Prince himself allows such to be executed," as soon as I started speaking a smile appeared on the pope face which became wider and wider, as my words flowed into his brain almost like that's what he wanted to hear, words I heard and repeated from Aurora.

"It has gotten to my ears that the general was interested in having the Saintess presence in the army, as to what I initially didn't understand the reasoning, therefore, I had declined the idea, however, after the recent events where the crown Prince Julius is doing his best to increase his army number, and strength which by far is the largest force out of the three heirs, we came to tell you that the Saintess will join your army along with those of the church army, they left the pink rose family command as they didn't care for her, they want to help us and the goddess, as such you can count with 40 thousand men plus the one and only Saintess of the lumen kingdom, to heal those who get hurt during the war!"

"Very well, I? am deeply grateful for such a blessing. I promise to keep the Saintess safe and even make her stronger than what she is currently, along with your men of faith, they too shall reach higher heights becoming more powerful through my knowledge and severe training, as for the possible rewards which I'd assume would be the new land that we conquer, I'll leave it to your eminence and the crown Prince to handle," I maintain my composure and bowing posture through the entire conversation which the pope thinks I'm simply being respectful to him, especially after the last incident that was our meeting which was pretty awkward, of course that Iris doesn't know this.

"I'm truly grateful and happy for such words, I'll be cheering you up tomorrow, and make sure to compensate you with an amazing reward if you become this year's champion."

"In that case I'll push myself even harder to be blessed by not only the goddess but the pope himself," he smiled and left happily and then the Saintess after checking that the pope was completely gone signalled the man that works for the tournament to go away, and approached me whispering in my ears, "I'm truly grateful and happy that I'll finally have an excuse to be able to see the world around, for more than 30 years I've been stuck in the church as a premonition tool, anything I can do to help you just let me know and I'll move mountains and rivers to see it done," she approaches her head closer and kisses my forehead, and while still inclined towards me she says, "every Saintess through her life chooses between a hero, a noble or even a summoned, it doesn't matter who exactly... we of my lineage are the ones who choose therefore the one I want is you, a peasant," she touches her forehead to mine and speaks," may you be acknowledged by the goddess Aria and ultimately bring the humans the salvation they seek from all these monsters, blessed skill grace," as soon as she finished multiple voices filled my head while my whole body raised from the floor making me float and a green aura that expanded from me reached for the sky.

System: The title Grace has been received.

System: The goddess Aria was forced to acknowledge you as an ally.

System: The title Ally has been received.

System: The god of evil has declared you an enemy placing a bounty on your head through the different demonic cults, strings will be pulled against the human race as a need to avenge itself for granting you the power and thinking of you as a possible subject feeling betrayed.

System: The title Enemy has been received.

System: The title Betrayal has been received.

System: The goddess of order Luna has taken a neutral stance as you took a better path acknowledging your existence once again.

System: The title Redemption has been received.

System: The god of chaos has further approved of your chaotic self which expanded to the point of making your enemy an ally, and an ally an enemy while changing the negative perspective into a neutral one causing havoc among all gods.

System: Due to your influence, the god of chaos through the entire world will be implementing all sorts of dangerous seal releases that will start occurring once the system finishes updating, estimated time 5 years till it's finished, such places can already be explored but they're very dangerous and not all are visible, much less easy to find.

System: Due to the skill the Saintess used two random skills from the goddess Aria herself will be duplicated and given to you as a blessing.

System: The blessed skill soul manifestation has been acquired.

System: The blessed skill endless growth has been acquired.

System: For as long as you live the one who holds the class Saintess will always be your ally.

System: As the Saintess ally the affinity with heroes will increase causing them to... calculating it with your greatest type of fame parameter... error an abnormal amount of disgrace has been detected in your status.

System: The villainess title has been acquired, together with a unique skill hero detector, heroes receive disgrace detection skill once they fully awaken by leveling up their class to rank 5, affinity they'll have to you is extremely negative, if they detect you, it may cause them to think you're an enemy and attempt to kill you.

※※※

In the Goddess Aria realm before the light struck her.

"Hum? This is!?" Greenlight enveloped her duplicating two of her skills and delivering them to the chosen one by the Saintess.

'Endless growth and soul manifestation, the first one will make that human reach higher heights what a lucky fellow, too bad for the second one which is utterly useless for someone without a realm,' the goddess laughed amused, 'to think the Saintess of this generation didn't pick either of the heroes I sent, what a waste.'

She drank some wine from her golden chalice and then said," well it doesn't matter, once the summoned ones grow, they and the armies should be enough to keep my race alive in Artana, no matter what happens, I will win, I must..." She said fully knowing that out of all races hers was the most prominent to lose.

'This time I even went as far as to use all the power I had saved from the very beginning making me unable to do anything for the next 200 years, so this will be the turning point with the 30 summoned I brought, the other three gods shall lose.'

'What's this? Why were 4 skills duplicated and not two?'

'Unique skill observation, Iris,' as soon as the goddess started checking who this peasant was, and started checking her information cold sweat ran down her back.

Status:

Level: 15 | Experience 200/1500

Fame: 3000 | Disgrace: 30000

Unique Class: Babel Witch | Rank 3 | Experience 4240/8000

Race: Human | Name: Iris | 9 Years old

Health: 1170/1170 | Mana: 3700/3700

Status Points:5

Strength: 301(+29) | Stamina: 77(+40) | Agility: 85(+35) | Dexterity: 119(+20) | Intelligence: 244(+31) | Wisdom: 330(+40)

Attack: 0 | Magic Attack:0 | Defense:0 | Magic Defense: 0

Soul: 1754

Titles: Reincarnated+(S), Mana(S), Mana Exhaust(S), Health(S), Purchase(S), Wisdom(S), Body Training(S), Animal Slayer(S), Cooked Fish(S), Preyed Upon(F), Cheater (S), Heritage(S), Amalgam(S), Ice(S), Cooked Bird(F), Cooking Series (E), Slayer Series(F), Sale(S), Soul-bound(S), Element(S), Contracted(S), Peasant (F), Class(A), Monster Slayer(D), Slime Slayer(B), Skill Mastery(A), Criminal(S), Herbs Gathered(S), Herbs Types(S), Potion Brewer(S), Potion Types(E), Status Mastery(S), Beast Slayer(C), Horned Rabbit Slayer(C), Potion Administered(F), Goblin Slayer(E), Orc Slayer(F), Assassination(S), Herbalist Series(C), Skeleton Slayer(C), Potion Selling(F), Potion Failed(D), Potion Succeeded(D), Alchemist Series(F), Money Maker(S), Merchant Series(C), Trading(S), Herbs Sold(S), Herbs Bought(S), Disgraceful (S), Zombie Slayer(F), Curse Slayer(S), Turtler Slayer(F), Corpse Transporter(S), Library Completion(S), Crime Series(F), Wise(S), Strong(S), Human Slayer(F), Murderer(F), Villainess(S).

Completed Series: Fishing(S), Farming(S), Illusion(S), Reader(S), Tree(S), God(S).

Skill Points: 2

Actives: Status level 60(C), System Library level 100(S), Mana Coat level 70(B), Mana Wave level 20(E), Ice Bind level 30(E), Ice Sword level 20(E), Icicle level 60(C), Long Slash level 40(F), Ice Expansion level 10(F), Ice Hammer level 1(F), Ice Spear level 1(F), Ice Wave level 10(F), Ice Light Armor level 20(E), Ice Heavy Armor level 10(F), Triple Slash level 50(D), Thrust level 30(E), Parry level 40(D), Backstep level 20(E), Dance of Death level 5(F), Vanish step level 1(F).

Passives: Bleeding Resistance level 50(D), Swordsmanship level 50(D), Sword Mastery level D(40), Mana Control level 50(D), Ice Control level 38(E), Slight Wisdom Boost level 40(D), Slight Mana Recovery level 60(C), Acid Resistance level 1(F), Ax Art level 1(F), Ax Mastery level 1(F), Corpse Dismantler level 10(F), Brainwash Resistance level 100(S), Night Vision level 30(E), Slight Stamina Boost level 40(D), Slight Agility Boost level 35(E), Slight Strength Boost level 29(E), Slight Intelligence Boost level 21(E), Slight Intelligence Boost level 20(E), Slight Health Recovery level 46(D), Ice Resistance level 50(D), Cold Resistance level 60(D), Heat Resistance level 30(E), Lightning Resistance level 40(D), Knockback Resistance level 22(E), Stealth Detection level 15(F).

Class Actives: Dark Alchemy level 52, Magic Analysis level 50, Destiny Cards level 1, Cursing Objects level 5, Decay level 5, Mana Shield level 40.

Class Rituals: Snow Falling level 40.

Class Passives: Dark Alchemy Mastery level 40, Witchcraft level 100, Curse's Mastery level 100, Ritual's Mastery level 30, Magic Control level 60, Magic Knowledge level 60, Ice Mastery level 40, Babel Mastery level 20, Grimoire Mastery level 20.

Babel Arts: Grimoire Possession, Grimoire Renouncing.

Unique: Appraisal level 53, Illusion level 1, Hero Detector level 1.

Cursed: Unidentified Skill, Mirror level 17.

Blessed: Soul Manifestation level 1, Endless Growth.

Rare Element: Ice.

Cursed Soul-bound(Grimoire Rank Unique Final Phase: 1/51200)

Contracted Witches: Adorable.

"Just what in the world happened to this kid to have this much disgrace and a cursed unique babel witch class!? Villainess title? Were there even such things? Don't tell me this... Unique skill Artana records," a while passes as she reads about the birth to the present related to Iris.

'I don't remember reincarnating someone from a different world 9 years ago... was it one of my underlings? Why didn't they remove that cursed being Aurora from her soul and destroy it? In the end, they seem to be stuck to a soul-bound contract so once Iris dies Aurora will follow through,? if it wasn't for that the weapon could become dangerous in some hundreds of years and disrupt the balance of Artana.'

'This is strange, Iris status only has soul manifestations and endless growth... hum unidentified skill? A skill that the system couldn't compute? I'm lacking the necessary power currently to identify it... but I have enough to at least check the other girl, unique skill observation, Aurora,' she reads her status as attentively as she did with Iris.

Status:

Level: 15 | Experience 200/1500 | Class: Pandemonium

Race: Human | Name: Aurora | 9 Years old

Health: 1000/1000 | Mana 1700/1700

Status Points: 5

Stamina: 100 | Intelligence: 90 Wisdom: 170 | Soul Power: 0

Attack: 5 | Magic Attack: 90

Titles: Aeternum(S), Uncursed(S), Soul-bound(S), Contracted(S), Devourer(S).

Completed Series: God(S)

Skill Points: 10

Actives: Status level 40(D), Darkness Barrier level 7(F), Piercing Darkness level 13(F), Mana Coat level 8(F), Dark Coat level 9(F), Mana Wave level 1(F), Dark Bind level 14(F), Extraction level 10(F).

Passives: Mana Control level 25(E), Dark Control level 19(F), Monster detection level 50(D), Beast detection level 40(D), Night Vision level 50(D).

Unique: Transformation level 70, Killing intent level 5.

Cursed: Unidentified.

Blessed: Endless Cap, Endless Awakening.

Unique Element: Dark.

Cursed Soul-bound

Contracted Skills: Telepathy(F), Giver(E), Deconstruct(D), Stacking(C), Split(B), Imbue(A), Consumer(S), Unique(3/3 effects).

Consumed Skills:

'This status is so strange, I'm pretty sure sentient weapons with souls shouldn't have a... wait unique skill transformation?' The goddess starts laughing crazily.

'Quite the trickster this one is, well no matter, they'll die soon enough either from the dangers of the world, the war against the goblin king that I warned the Saintess about, or ultimately from age and their silly cursed contract which they won't be able to remove on their own,' a bit calmer now she takes another sip of her wine.

'Since I'm forced to be allied with her till she dies or the human race wins, I hope they'll at the very least be useful to me and the humans, let's see how they fare in the future.'

'Time to sleep for two hundred years, I wonder how much will change by then, and how big my human territory will be...'

※※※

"I... don't know what to say, Saintess."

"You don't have to say anything, just make sure you keep us all safe through your marvelous commanding abilities, and your own strength leading the human race to victory, as our almighty and beloved goddess Aria wishes for."

"I... I understand I'll do my best to reach your expectations."

"Good we'll meet again soon," she turns around to the exit and heads there to meet the pope who runs at her screaming, " what the fuck did you do Serenity!?"

"I have chosen the candidate I deemed worthy, I believe that this girl will be the one to follow the goddess Aria the best," she looks coldly at the pope as it is her right and choice, the Saintess makes him quiet and furious inside as he wanted her to bless the hero they got for themselves.

She starts walking back and he follows through adjusting his white hat and clothes after making a small scene, sadly for him, it was something that could not be changed, the reason why he gulped her words and moved on in absolute silence thinking in ways to possibly use Aurora in the future, alongside the church hero even the simplest method like marrying the two of them.

'I don't know what happened just now...' I straight my body up as it was starting to hurt my back.

'You do but you just haven't come to terms with it, I saw this amazing green light that reached for the sky, and not only me, everyone that was heading out of the coliseum, rumors will now spread making me even more famous once word comes out of it, I whose system doesn't even give me fame or disgrace,' Aurora laughed insanely at the irony of her words on top of the coliseum.

'It seems I received a random skill from the goddess a soul manifestation one, perhaps it'll be useful in the mirror world, I really want to help out our sister, especially since she's alone in there.'

'Yes I know but it'll take some time for that, once the tournament finishes go to the mirror world and try the skill in there as we don't want anyone to see you do whatever the skill does.'

'That does sound wise I might accidentally make my soul come out of my body, and people think I'm a ghost, like in that one book I read or something silly such as that,' we laugh at each other on my silly joke, and then I hear a voice.

"You seem happy Iris, it seems like you were blessed by the Saintess wrongly, but even then the blessing is yours to keep, and I'll take it as a secret to my grave."

I look to the source of the voice finding the crown Prince Julius, "yes, I was quite surprised myself, she didn't even give me time to swap somehow with my sister."

"Such things are fated, like the successor of the white rose family a similar but yellow light came out of her instead, I don't know yet the details but that was the light of a hero, to think someone that young would be able to acquire such a feat, it seems this new generation is becoming rather interesting, and she's even a good friend of yours from that white ring you have, so it makes me feel that there's truly something special about you, not to forget about your sister who pretty much revered you, while she was with me at the southern military post as she calls it."

"I believe that my sister is the truly special one," I smile kindly at him.

"You give me too much credit," she appears behind the Prince with the guards wearing the black hood I left in the room earlier.

"Today was a pretty amusing day, so let's go enjoy some food and then rest, so that tomorrow we can celebrate with a big banquet."

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