The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"Who goes there!" The Templar Knights only then realized what was happening and drew their swords.

"Night elves, heed my command! Draw down the curtain of night to block all prying eyes," Lilia's voice rang out at the opportune moment.

A veil of black mist hung down like a curtain, obscuring the scene near the gate with a blurry blackness.

"Protect the Saintess!" The Templar Knights shouted as they rushed toward Ella, who was standing next to Lilia. In the event of an emergency, their first priority was to ensure the Saintess's safety.

“No need.” Ella raised her hand to stop the Templars’ movements, and pointed to the Second Prince behind the knights with her white silk gloves. “Calm down, everyone, look.”

The Templars looked in the direction Ella pointed, only to see Ken Betis, whose head had been cut off, still standing motionless in the same spot.

"Crack, crack," a sound like soil cracking rang out, and something seemed to be crawling out from the cut on the Second Prince's neck, which was gushing blood.

First came a pair of slender tentacles, followed by a small head with two pairs of sharp, rounded pincers. A long body, made up of segments of carapace, emerged from the neck, its densely packed, hook-like legs pushing out.

The headless body seemed to regain its mobility as the worms grew out of its neck, awkwardly twisting its joints like a rusty puppet, before suddenly rushing out the door and fleeing.

But of course, there was no way it could escape. The old steward instantly pinned the strange body's right leg to the ground with a single sword strike, causing the insect to let out a piercing wail.

The sound was like two pieces of glass rubbing together, which was extremely unpleasant.

"Don't kill it," Ella whispered, then snapped her fingers.

The ground beneath the Second Prince's body instantly sprouted several dark tentacles like unfurling lotus leaves, enveloping his body and the half-emerged insect from his neck.

Of course, there was also the Second Prince's head. Ella glanced at it and saw that the severed head was still open and trying to sneak into a corner. She promptly summoned two tentacles to wrap around the head.

Perhaps because it was wrapped too tightly, the second prince's head fell out of the broken end like a sponge squeezed dry, leaving a pool of black sludge.

The moment the silt fell, Ella sensed that it was something she had summoned before—according to the name on the evil god skill tree in the system, this silt was called "Soil of Life".

At first, she thought it was just something else that looked similar, but the clump of mud immediately connected with Ella's soul after it left the Second Prince's head.

Although these things are not complete lives, they are like half-lives, possessing some simple thoughts that can communicate with Ella's soul.

This puzzled Ella greatly—why would this second prince have her grudges in his head?

Ken Bettis, what the hell is this guy?

Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Fanatic

Thanks to the barrier that Lilia descended in time, although the black mist that appeared out of nowhere was confusing, at least not too many people saw the bizarre image of the Second Prince crawling on his neck with insects.

Ella used the tentacles she summoned to wrap around the strange body and return it to the tower dungeon. After sending a Templar Knight to inform the Archbishop, she and the others surrounded the Second Prince's corpse, which was sealed by magic.

Lilia and her group followed them in. With the Second Prince's strange occurrence, the prison's rules were no longer so important.

"Your Highness Lilia, did you foresee this happening?" Ella asked Lilia first, as Lilia's previous words clearly indicated that she had some premonition about the situation.

“I just had a similar dream to yours, Saintess.” Because there were other Templar Knights observing nearby who were unaware of what was going on, Lilia became more reserved. “In your dream, you told me that you might be unable to make a decision today due to doubts about the dream. If that happens, let me kill Ken Betis for you.”

“A similar dream…” Ella frowned slightly. “How can you be sure that what Ye Xiao said in the dream was true?”

Lilia shook her head, revealing a dreamy smile. "You were the one who appeared in my dream, Your Holiness."

...Did Ella appear in her dream instead of Ye Xiao?

Ella was increasingly puzzled. "But... even if it's my image, how can you be sure it's the real me and not an illusion or a forgery by the Dream God?"

Lilia stepped forward, took Ella's arm, and puffed out her chest, saying, "Of course, I can tell at a glance if she's a fake Saintess."

I can't even tell if the person in my dream is real or not...

Ella wanted to retort, but Lilia spoke with such confidence, and she didn't know where she got the audacity from, "Even so, he's still your royal family's second prince..."

“He was just a prince. The Holy Maiden ordered him to be killed.” Lilia smiled, her amethyst eyes clear and bright.

what?

Ella's lips twitched; the logic running through this little princess's brain was incomprehensible.

“Your Holiness, there is no need to worry,” Lilia continued. “In a moment, we just need to have the royal envoys invite him in and have them use the image crystal to take a picture of my brother as he looks now, so that it can be sent to His Majesty.”

"Originally, I intended to claim that I harbored resentment towards my brother and wanted to take this opportunity to kill him; however, now, all I need to do is claim that the Holy Maiden discovered early on that the Second Prince had been corrupted by evil forces, and that I did not believe her and forcibly took my brother out of the Holy Temple, resulting in my brother ambushing me, and in the process of fighting back, I accidentally killed my poor brother."

"Given the current situation, this explanation should be flawless." Lilia held Ella's arm, but her deep purple gaze fell on the three Templar Knights beside her. "Hmm... the only problem is that these knights under your command might leak unnecessary information, Your Grace."

As she spoke, she brought her lips close to Ella's earlobe and whispered, "How about I help the Holy Maiden deal with these people as well? Just say it was caused by my brother going mad, and you'll be completely safe."

"No...it's not that bad." A few beads of cold sweat appeared on Ella's forehead as she pushed Lilia's head away from her cheek.

She had always felt that the other person looked pretty and quiet on the outside, but seemed a bit crazy on the inside. Now it seemed that the degree of madness was probably even higher than she had imagined.

The Templar Knights, standing a little distance away, couldn't hear the girls' whispers very clearly, but when they saw Lilia's deep gaze, they all felt a chill run down their spines.

"Ahem, let's get back to the Second Prince." Ella pinched the little princess's soft cheek, telling her not to keep staring at her Templar Knights like a snake eyeing its prey. "Have any of you seen this worm that looks like it's growing on Ken Betis's neck?"

Ella regretted it as soon as she did it. Lilia, whose cheek was pinched by Ella, did not dodge away. Instead, she rubbed her face against Ella's fingers like a clingy cat.

“Reporting to the Holy Maiden, this looks like a giant centipede that you might see in the tributary forest outside the city,” a Templar Knight said, his voice buzzing inside his helmet. “It’s just that it’s a bit too… unbelievable that it crawled out of a human body.”

"I've never heard of a centipede that parasitizes the human body," the experienced old butler remarked, offering a rather meaningless comment.

“Hmm, I’ve seen a similar account in the ‘Song of the Western Ocean’.” In the end, it was Lilia, who was well-read. Although she was a bit crazy, her knowledge was still very reliable. “A group of pirates attacked a passenger ship, only to find that the brand-new passenger ship was empty. They took the supplies from the passenger ship and then burned the ship to the ground.”

"At night, a drunk pirate with an upset stomach went outside the cabin to vomit, but suddenly saw two pirates embracing on the deck."

"Women are rare in the pirate profession, so this situation isn't particularly unusual. But the moonlight was exceptionally bright that night, which allowed him to see a worm-like silhouette emerging from one pirate's mouth and crawling into the mouth of another."

The pirate was startled and, being quite drunk, thought a monster had appeared. He immediately rushed forward and killed the pirate with the worm sticking out of his mouth. In the chaos, the decapitated pirate not only did not die, but also launched a counterattack against the pirate who killed him with his bare hands and was incredibly strong.

"The commotion alerted the other pirates, who lit torches and surrounded the moving corpse. After setting the body on fire, a charred, centipede-like worm crawled out of its neck."

"This book was written by a navigator to record his experiences at sea, and this is one of the stories. The situation of the pirate with the long worm in the story is somewhat similar to my brother's current situation."

“Similar things are recorded in other books, but they are all from later periods and scattered across different regions. This is the earliest and clearest record I have seen of the characteristics of this insect,” Lilia added. “In other words, the history of this insect may be quite long.”

Ella stroked her chin. "Is there any book that records that this kind of insect secretes or produces black sludge in any way?"

"Hmm, no, not at all."

That's strange. Why would there be my "soil of life" inside Ken Betis's head?

If the silt wasn't produced by this guy, is it possible that he "took" it?

Ella suddenly seemed to realize something, and she quickly looked at the Templar Knight beside her, "Gentlemen, could you help me find out who was in charge of guarding the Tower Prison during yesterday's Pilgrimage Festival?"

Chapter Seventy Trivial Tasks

After reviewing the guard handover log, Ella transcribed the names of the Templars responsible for guarding during the pilgrimage season. She then dispatched another Templar to summon the guards corresponding to those names.

If Ella's guess is correct, since this insect cannot produce "Soil of Life," then the "Soil of Life" hidden in Ken Betis's head was likely stolen from somewhere.

The most logical timeframe would be when Ella is fighting Evans.

The Abyss Gate that Ella unleashed during her battle with Evans had an effect limited to the Sanctuary Square and did not reach the Tower Prison. The mud that overflowed after the barrier was destroyed was most likely stolen at that time.

If that's the case, then there's a chilling fact that extends from this speculation—that the other side knew in advance that Ella and Evans would have a major battle in the Cathedral Square.

Only by anticipating the entire event beforehand can the act of "stealing the living soil" be foreshadowed.

But if that's the case, why go through all the trouble of entering the tower prison? Why not just blend in with the millions of believers on the day of pilgrimage and steal it?

What was the key factor that forced Ken Bettis to do this in his process of "going to jail," "stealing," and then "getting out of jail"?

Ella felt like her brain was about to explode.

What is the origin of the worms? Was Ken Betis manipulated or did he do it willingly? Is there a deeper conspiracy behind the Sanctuary Square incident? What is the purpose of the other party putting this handful of soil? What is the situation with her and Lilia's dream? Are Ye Xiao and Ella in the dream real or fake? What would have happened if Ken Betis hadn't died? Is it possible that other members of the royal family also have worms in their bodies...?

The scattered but abundant clues seem to be somewhat related, but following the clues leads to complete confusion.

Even after High Priest Holmes arrived with several elders, Ella remained perplexed by this series of mysteries.

She thought about it and realized that, ultimately, she was still missing some key clues.

Perhaps only by completing Evans's memory quest and figuring out the reason for Evans's madness can we find some clues in this series of unfathomable mysteries.

……

Leaving aside Ella's predicament, Ye Xiao, who had been drinking all night, hurriedly got up at Greta's call.

He stretched and pulled back the curtains in the room. The sun was already high in the sky, and the light was dazzling.

He yawned and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth with a wooden brush, only to realize that he seemed to have forgotten something.

Ye Xiao, holding the wooden cup, took a few steps back and stared in horror at the pink-haired maid in a black and white dress folding blankets. "Holy crap, why are you in my room?!"

“Isn’t it normal for a maid to be in your room?” Greta said, hands on her hips.

"Is that so?" Ye Xiao was completely confused. He couldn't quite remember what happened after he collapsed last night, but he definitely hadn't invited this uninvited maid.

Then he looked at his lower body; he was wearing a pair of shorts and his legs were bare, feeling a bit chilly in the autumn air.

"My God, I'm not even wearing pants! Get out, get out right now!" Ye Xiao hurriedly put down his water glass, grabbed Greta by the collar, and threw her out the door like a cat.

Unexpectedly, this guy not only wasn't angry, but also winked his golden pupils at Ye Xiao through the crack in the door that was about to close, revealing a sly smile, "It's delicious, sister is very satisfied."

"What are you talking about?!" Ye Xiao slammed the door shut, leaning against it with her back against it, feeling a strange sense of dread.

After washing up and getting dressed as usual, Ye Xiao opened the door, where the little maid was still smiling and waiting.

"Lady Greta, please, could you please stop sneaking into my room like that? It's scary." Ye Xiao looked at Greta's bright smile, but for some reason, he felt something was off.

It's probably not a good thing that can make the demon god so happy.

"What are you talking about? You got completely drunk, and I had to carry you back to your room in the end." Greta put her hands on her hips, her expression turning slightly displeased as she flipped through a book.

Ye Xiao scratched his head, "Ah? Okay, if that's the case, then I really have to thank you."

"Hmph, you know how to be grateful to this lady... I'm glad you did." Greta seemed to cheer up again. "Let's go."

"...Where to?" Ye Xiao was completely confused.

Even with Ella's empathy, his memory was limited to the scene of the little maid collapsing onto his chest, and he couldn't remember anything after that.

Would this guy really get up and carry me to my room when he's so drunk? But Ye Xiao herself has no memory of going back to her room, so she can't just assume he's lying—what if he really did something good?

He had also drunk quite a bit, mainly because Greta had forcefully forced him to drink—thinking of this, Ye Xiao vowed that he would never again bring this heaven-defying demon god to drink.

"Let's do some quests." Greta grabbed Ye Xiao's sleeve. "Let's finish up some of the scattered quests around the Imperial City so we can head to Stormport in two days."

That's true. The guild has a backlog of tasks that need to be done in the Imperial City in the next couple of days, so we need to finish them quickly. Otherwise, if we go to Stormport later and the tasks are overdue, we'll be penalized with money and reputation.

"But what does this have to do with you?"

“Of course we’re related. I’m also a member of the Septian Society.” Greta said, pulling a medal from her pocket with a deep blue seven-pointed star engraved on it.

"Oh, really..." Ye Xiao was taken aback. "Wait, what about your Original Sin Academy?"

"So what? Having multiple jobs doesn't bother me," Greta said nonchalantly. "They can't control me."

"No one dares to interfere then." Ye Xiao was speechless.

After packing up, the two headed to the East City. Although there were quite a few tasks, most of them were small tasks that could be handled by a few people, so the entire guild split up and went to different areas to do them at the same time.

For example, classic tasks like delivering a letter from the east end of the city to the west end, or helping a wealthy merchant's daughter find her missing cat, or monster lairs or underground ruins that require multiple players to conquer, although the rewards are slightly more generous, are naturally not done at this time due to time constraints.

Another reason for going to East City was that Ye Xiao wanted to visit the Five Fingers Bar again to find out their meeting place and code in Storm Harbor. This way, when he arrived in Storm Harbor, he could ask the "Finger One" there for some local information.

Compared to those miscellaneous tasks, this is naturally the top priority.

Ye Xiao and Greta alighted from the carriage and walked along the streets of the East District. While not as bustling and vibrant as the West District, it still possessed the splendor and grandeur expected of the imperial city.

Neat rows of small white brick buildings line both sides of the street, and colorful flowers grow outside the shops. The less crowded streets add a sense of leisure and comfort to the pedestrians strolling along.

Walking down such a beautiful street, Ye Xiao was in a pleasant mood until a little girl with light brown hair came over carrying a bouquet of flowers and tugged at his sleeve.

"Uncle and beautiful young lady, please buy a flower."

Chapter 71 Artorina's Trap

Ye Xiao admitted that he hadn't shaved for a while, since shaving didn't increase his fighting ability.

But he's not quite an old man yet!

"Get out of here, you little brat." Ye Xiao said with a displeased expression.

"You don't seem to have any kindness at all when you're not around." Gladys chuckled, covering her mouth, and took a flower before slipping a copper coin into the girl's hand.

"I've never been a good person to begin with." Ye Xiao was speechless.

The little girl carefully put the copper coin into her pocket. Her wine-red dress was simple and clean. Logically speaking, a family with a decent-quality fabric and a dyed appearance should not be too poor. However, Ye Xiao noticed that several parts of her clothes had faded slightly due to frequent washing.