The moment the Saint arrived at the Adventurer's Guild, she instantly put on her signature charming and warm smile. The crowded guild erupted into loud cheers. Many adventurers and staff bowed their heads in deep reverence as she passed, and Solenne waved back with flawless, gentle grace.
Standing at the center of the hall to receive her was the leader of the establishment. He stepped forward and bowed deeply. "My Lady, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Vistor Ashford, the Guildmaster and the ruling Baron of Greenvale."
Vistor Ashford was a dedicated noble in his mid-thirties. A family man with a loving wife and children, he was an incredibly responsible ruler. To ensure Greenvale remained safe and prosperous, he had personally taken over the management of the local guild. He understood that advancing his territory through crops and livestock alone weren't enough; he also needed to drastically improve the quality and discipline of the local adventurers.
Solenne smiled gently at him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Vistor Ashford. I am Solenne the Radiant, but please, just call me Solenne."
The Guildmaster felt a wave of nervousness wash over him. "Ah... then, you can just call me Vistor, My Lady."
She kept her pristine smile intact before speaking softly. "Lord Vistor, may we discuss a certain matter in private?"
Vistor looked at her, briefly awestruck by her unmatchable, ethereal beauty. However, he was a disciplined man who knew his place, refusing to get carried away. "Ah, yes. Right this way to my office."
As they began walking through the guild toward the stairs, flanked by her stern Royal Guards, the crowd of adventurers stared in absolute fascination. Her pure white, silk-smooth skin and divine presence were unlike anything they had ever seen. Most of the male adventurers stood completely frozen, while the female adventurers watched her with eyes full of awe.
Suddenly, a heavily intoxicated adventurer staggered forward. Looking at her with bloodshot eyes, he let out a loud, disrespectful catcall. "Ah, Lady Saint! You look way more gorgeous than ever! Why don't you come and play with me for a-"
Before the drunkard could even finish his sentence, a Royal Guard blurred into motion. With terrifying speed and ease, the guard grabbed the man, smashed him violently face-first into a nearby wooden table, and threw his unconscious body straight out the front doors of the guild.
The entire room went dead silent.
Panic struck Vistor's heart. He instantly dropped to one knee, bowing his head low. "I am profoundly sorry, Your Highness! You should never have had to experience such disgusting behavior in my establishment!"
Solenne merely maintained her serene smile, waving her hand dismissively. "It is quite alright, it's okay."
As Vistor slowly lifted his head, a chilling sensation crept up his spine. Suddenly, Solenne’s voice resonated directly in his ears but it was no longer soft. It was incredibly deep, heavy, and laced with a terrifying undertone. "But do ensure you are more careful next time, Baron."
None of the surrounding adventurers heard a single thing. Solenne had perfectly compressed her mana to transmit the message directly and exclusively to Vistor's mind.
The Baron’s face instantly turned deathly pale. Shaking uncontrollably, he managed to stammer out a trembling response. "Y-Y-Yes... My Lady."
With that, they quickly hurried up to the second floor where the private office resided.
As a Saint, Solenne was one of the absolute superpower beings and most influential figures within the Valerian Empire. If she truly wished it, she possessed the authority and magical destructive power to wipe this entire frontier town off the map. Normally, she was a woman of immense patience and profound forgiveness. However, after a week of terrible sleep during her travels and constantly draining her mental fortitude by keeping [Divine Eyes] active, her psychological limits were completely stretched.
Following that brief, terrifying slip in her demeanor, the moment they stepped inside the secure office, the Saint sank deeply into the plush sofa. She immediately deactivated [Divine Eyes], letting out a long, silent breath as she tried to relax her aching mind.
For a long moment, no one uttered a word. The room was perfectly still as Solenne rested with her eyes closed, fighting to regain her composure. Sensing her fatigue, Baron Vistor silently walked over to the side counter, carefully preparing a cup of warm, soothing herbal tea to help her calm down.
After a few minutes, the heavy tension in Solenne's chest finally began to dissipate. She opened her eyes, looking up at Vistor with her perfect, warm, and radiant smile fully restored.
"I must apologize, Baron," Solenne said softly, her voice returning to its melodic tone. "This has been an incredibly difficult period for me. For weeks, I have been unable to rest properly. Please, forget whatever transpired downstairs."
The Baron let out a massive, visible sigh of relief. "There is no need to apologize, Saint Solenne. I am the one who is ashamed of how like wild animals some of these adventurers behave. I only recently took over the direct management of this guild to clean up its previous mess. If the old management were still in charge, this place would be an absolute disaster. Luckily, I wasn't too late to step in and fix it."
Solenne maintained her calm, supportive expression. "Haha, that is wonderful to hear. You truly are a responsible ruler who cares deeply for his town. Such a trait is quite rare among nobility these days. Please, keep up the excellent work and continue to make Greenvale better."
Hearing her warm praise, the terrifying scene from the hallway completely faded from Vistor's mind. He internally thought, Ah, maybe she was just having a terrible day. For a second out there, I thought she was a cold-blooded monster...
"Thank you, Saint Solenne," Vistor replied respectfully.
Deciding it was time to speak openly, Solenne set her teacup down. "Without beating around the bush, Vistor... the true purpose of my sudden visit to your town is directly related to a sacred revelation I received from Goddess Vale."
Vistor’s eyes widened, his posture instantly straightening.
"According to the divine revelation," Solenne continued, her expression turning grave, "a foreign anomaly possessing a monstrous, unimaginably vast amount of mana has suddenly materialized. The Goddess could not pinpoint the exact entity, but the divine signal pointed directly to the furthest reaches of the northeast. And since Greenvale is the absolute final border town of the Valerian Empire in this quadrant... the answer must be hidden right here."
Vistor frowned, looking thoroughly confused. "But... My Lady, there has been absolutely nothing unusual reported here recently. No sightings of high-level calamity monsters, and no strange magical disasters have befallen Greenvale."
The Saint took a slow, deliberate sip of her warm tea. "I understand your confusion. But regardless, I must personally investigate and verify this area. Therefore, if you do not mind, I intend to stay within your city for the foreseeable future."
Right as the words left her lips, a sudden, violent BOOM rattled through the floorboards from downstairs. The heavy vibration caused the porcelain teacups on the table to clatter loudly.
Startled by the abrupt commotion, Saint Solenne flinched slightly. Her eyes narrowed as she looked toward the door. "What was that?"
Baron Vistor, however, merely chuckled reassuringly, waving his hand. "Ah, don't mind that, My Lady. The sound is coming from the testing chamber directly beneath us. It’s quite common to hear heavy impacts when new adventurers take their physical exams. In fact, a sound that loud usually means good news it means we have an applicant capable of reaching B-rank or even A-rank strength."
Solenne managed to restore her serene expression, taking another slow sip of her warm tea. "Well, it seems you have been truly blessed by Goddess Vale, Lord Vistor. Your town possesses fine talents."
An awkward, heavy silence settled over the room for a brief moment. Sensing that the Saint needed space to rest, Vistor politely broke the silence. "Perhaps I should head downstairs and check on the source of that impact myself. It could be important... Ah, and please, consider this office your personal residence for now. Make yourself as comfortable as possible."
Solenne offered a soft nod, her eyes fixed on the swirling tea leaves. "Hmm. Thank you, Baron."
With a respectful bow, Vistor exited the room, leaving the Saint alone with her personal Royal Guard.
Finally able to drop her rigid posture, Solenne leaned back against the plush sofa, taking a moment to genuinely enjoy the aroma of the herbal blend. Wanting to lighten the somber mood, she looked up at her stoic protector. "I wonder what kind of leaves were used to brew this tea? It has a remarkably calming effect."
The Royal Guard, recognizing that his lady was simply making light chat to ease her exhaustion, offered a faint smile. "Perhaps we can ask the Baron after he finishes his business downstairs, My Lady."
Solenne smiled warmly. "Yes, perhaps we-"
Before she could finish her sentence, the words died instantly in her throat.
Shiver.
An abrupt, colossal wave of pure, unadulterated killing intent erupted from the floorboards below. It wasn't a physical force, but a spiritual anomaly an aura so suffocatingly dense, dark, and malicious that it felt like an ancient god of death had just opened its eyes right beneath her feet.
Solenne’s pupils dilated in absolute panic. The color drained from her face until she looked as pale as a corpse. She froze entirely, her teacup suspended mid-air, her hand trembling so violently that a few drops of the warm liquid spilled onto her fingers.
She looked at her Royal Guard, but to her horror, the guard stood completely unbothered, his hand resting casually on his sword hilt. He hadn't noticed a single thing; because he was standing behind the couch, he couldn't see the Saint's expression. The terrifying aura was operating on such a high, transcendental spiritual wavelength that only an entity with divine perception like her could feel it. It was raw, stronger than a calamity itself... like a... goddess.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the suffocating pressure vanished, snuffed out in a single second as if it had been forcefully suppressed.
Before Solenne could even process the terror, the office door clicked open. Baron Vistor walked back inside, completely oblivious to the spiritual storm that had just occurred.
"Ah, please accept my apologies for the delay, Saint Solenne," Vistor said, exhaling a breath of amazement. "It was just as I thought. We have two new adventurers downstairs. One of them possesses a monstrous level of physical and mana power that easily rivals an S-rank powerhouse. My staff and the proctor were arguing fiercely over whether we should legally grant him the S-rank title on the spot. But, of course, guild procedure dictates that he must first clear an A-rank mission alone or an S-rank mission with a party. Right now, the receptionists are processing his official A-rank registration plate."
Solenne’s heart was still hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her breathing was shallow. Desperate to regain control over her crumbling psyche, she quietly funneled a precise stream of holy mana into her own soul core, chanting a silent, high-tier mental fortification spell.
[Divine Heart]
A faint, golden light pulsed deep within her chest. Instantly, a wave of profound artificial calmness washed over her mind, forcefully stopping her hands from trembling and stabilizing her erratic breathing.
Her Royal Guard noticed the Saint's spell and immediately shifted into a standby position. Vistor, looking confused by what had transpired while he was gone, asked, "Umm... what happened, Lady Saint?"
Once her perfect Saint mask was safely locked back into place, she forced a gentle, curious smile, looking directly at Vistor. "No, nothing happened," she replied smoothly.
That terrifying, ungodly killing intent from a moment ago... there was no doubt about it. This was the catastrophic, unpredictable anomaly that Goddess Vale had warned her about. It wasn't a monster; it was hiding right inside the guild.
"An A-rank powerhouse? How fascinating," Solenne spoke, her melodic voice flawlessly masking the inner panic screaming in her mind. She stood up gracefully from the sofa, smoothing out the folds of her sacred robes. "If you do not mind, Baron Vistor... may I be the one to personally hand them their new adventurer identification plates?"