A single coin can stump countless heroes — turns out that saying wasn’t wrong.

Vanessa had come to understand that firsthand.

She let out a soft sigh and thought about taking a bath.

The alchemy room Mirexia provided wasn’t large, but it did have a place to rest, a place to bathe, and a place to dump waste liquids.

To keep those alchemical liquids from affecting Vanessa, Mirexia had even prepared a top-grade alchemist’s robe and an enchanted mask for her, isolating the reagents from her body and skin.

But what Vanessa was refining belonged to the Curative class — potions meant to be drunk — not elemental-damage or toxin categories. Even the discarded liquids were basically harmless, so it wasn’t truly necessary. After all, that high-tier robe and enchanted mask were extremely advanced enchanted gear and outrageously expensive for a single set.

Otherwise why say alchemy is pure money on fire? From materials to crucibles and all sorts of tools, everything devours coin. The herbs are single-use, the tools wear down, essentially all of it is consumable. Even an alchemist with extraordinary talent stacks success and skill atop countless failures — how many ingredients burned, how many crucibles exploded, how many sets of robes replaced — tally the costs and it’s an astronomical figure.

So unless your family’s sitting on a gold mine, you’re not even qualified to play at alchemy. If your talent’s anything short of excellent, you’ll just burn the house down — maybe literally ruin your family.

Enchanted alchemy robes do last far longer than the rest, but the complexity of making them guarantees the price could never be friendly.

Even so, Mirexia insisted on giving her one, saying it was safer with it on. When Mirexia dug in her heels, Vanessa couldn’t win that argument; she had to accept.

She took off the alchemist’s robe, set the mask aside, and lifted her hair. The cherry-pink length that had been trapped under the hood finally spilled free.

Exhausted as she was, she still didn’t forget to summarize the lessons from her failures. Even so, she stepped into the bath with the elegance of a swan, washed thoroughly, and shampooed several times.

Freed from that airtight robe, her pale, smooth legs stepped out of the bathroom. She let out a long breath, as if all the pressure on her body were releasing in that moment.

But the second she thought of the predicament ahead, her fine brows couldn’t help but knit a little.

The materials were exhausted, and the alchemy boilers had just about all blown. Those were precious reagents with a price beyond price — some weren’t even stocked in Carillian Academy’s reserves; and even if they were, there’s no way they’d be issued to someone who didn’t even hold an official alchemist’s license.

That put Vanessa in a bind.

If she didn’t ask Mirexia, where was she going to get those alchemical materials? And even if she did ask Mirexia again, transporting the reagents to the Academy would take time — by then the term would have started.

She couldn’t very well go ask Aesphyra, right?

Going to Aesphyra for materials would be reasonable enough, but Vanessa didn’t want to do that.

Her showing up at the Academy, having a private alchemy lab, and burning through so many reagents — if someone really wanted to dig — they could find out a lot.

And if she did that, wouldn’t it nail down that the potion was refined by Vanessa? And that Vinny and Vanessa definitely knew each other?

Even if Aesphyra already suspected, it was still better not to make it so obvious. So long as that last thin sheet of paper between Vinny and Vanessa wasn’t pierced in public, it could block a lot of other lines of suspicion.

Asking Aesphyra for materials was the last of last resorts. Vanessa decided to think of something else.

These days, cooped up in this lightless lab, Vanessa felt like she was going moldy.

Time to get some air.

She dried her hair, summoned [Armor Fortress] onto herself, and stepped before the full-length mirror, drawing a deep breath.

She absolutely couldn’t go out dressed like this. This was the very place where she, possessed by Selena, had shattered the invading Demon Pillar Erunios — there were plenty of witnesses. Walking around Carillian Academy without any disguise in this attire was suicide.

Vanessa took out the blue Disguise Lenses Mirexia had given her last time, and a set of the Academy’s girls’ uniform. Her pale nails tightened slightly.

This uniform was also a gift from Mirexia, tailored later to the body measurements Vanessa had provided — and yes, Mirexia footed the bill.

With Vanessa’s proportions, the largest standard girls’ uniform would still be a strain; custom was the only option.

This time, she really was going to wear something besides [Armor Fortress] and the maid uniform.

She didn’t feel much resistance to it deep down — and that was exactly the problem!

Why didn’t she feel any resistance? Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t she feel a huge psychological block against putting on a girl’s skirt?

What was happening to her?

Matter determines consciousness, and consciousness reacts upon matter — were some of her habits getting subtly molded by her female form?

Knowing this wasn’t the time to dwell on it, she gathered in those thoughts and exhaled long, as if making a decision. She picked up the pleated skirt and the over-knee white stockings on the table.

First, the hair. To avoid arousing suspicion, Vanessa needed a style completely different from her own. And to keep those behaviors from looking fake, she needed a model — someone she’d actually seen in real life, watched her mannerisms — and best if no one else had ever seen that person, at least not in this era.

Which made the choice obvious.

Though doing this would make Vanessa want to die of embarrassment, leave her at a loss, and wish for a hole to crawl into—

As long as she reminded herself this was just role-play, that the person she was acting wasn’t herself but a stranger utterly unrelated to her — someone she herself didn’t even know — and that afterward no one would connect that image to her... in everyone’s eyes, they’d be two different people—

If she thought of it that way, the knot in Vanessa’s chest loosened a lot.

It was pure acting. That, she excelled at. She’d just treat it like performing on a stage — with herself as the heroine at center curtain.

With that thought, Vanessa began to dress.

First the hair: from her original long twin-tails to a flowing, cascade-like twin-tail style, then star-shaped clips to set off a pure, lively vibe.

Then the outfit.

Vanessa could handle even the palace’s intricate maid uniform with practiced ease; a student uniform like this was nothing. Rustle, rustle — neat, elegant, and done.

Last came perching on the high stool, spreading the mouth of the white stocking, sliding her toes in, easing it up, and smoothing every wrinkle at the ankle bit by bit.

Finally, the pink-haired twin-tail girl slipped her toes into brown loafers, bent one leg back, balanced on the other, and snugged the heel into place.

Perfect~

Gazing at the twin-tail, cherry-haired, blue-eyed girl in the mirror, the corners of Vanessa’s lips lifted into a bright, youthful, energetic smile.

She still felt mortified inside, but the moment she remembered she wasn’t playing herself — she was playing a peppy girl even she didn’t “know” — the obstacles swept clear, and she slipped into performance mode.

“Pure and spotless pretty girl, Selena — move out!” Vanessa pumped a little pink fist high, clicked her heel, and framed a V sign before one eye, winking one bright eye.

“Hm-hm~~” Humming under her breath, she pushed open the lab’s door with lively steps.

This alchemy room was a disused one in an out-of-the-way corner; no one would see her coming out.

Vanessa quickly crossed a small wood and reached the Academy’s busier main street.

Her appearance drew looks at once — some curious, some simply stunned.

Plenty of boys — and not a few girls — simultaneously asked their friends if they’d ever seen this pink-haired student, what her name was, how they could have been at the Academy this long with no impression of such a pretty classmate.

“Um, excuse me, classmate, ahem — may I ask what year you’re in?” A boy finally screwed ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) up his courage. Buoyed by the friendly aura around Vanessa, he stepped up to ask.

“Me? You can guess, classmate.” Vanessa smiled with her eyes.

“Uh-uh... judging by your age, probably about the same as me, so I think you’re...” The boy was reduced to stammering by her routine — clearly he’d never spoken to a beauty of this level. His cheeks were scarlet; he didn’t even dare meet Vanessa’s eyes.

“A pretty girl’s age is always a secret.” Vanessa tilted her head, beaming.

He felt an arrow hit his heart — not pain, but Cupid’s thump of infatuation.

Just being able to talk to a girl like this made him feel like he was soaking in honey — so sweet he couldn’t open his mouth.

“Th-then... could you tell me your name?” He swallowed, more nervous than he’d ever been since birth.

“Me? That’s right — I’m the holy healing pretty girl who sings of light and hope!” Vanessa closed one eye and flashed a V.

“H-holy healing pretty girl?” He froze.

“Mhm~ So from now on, please make sure to follow me closely.” Vanessa tucked half a hand into her sleeve, only five fingers peeking out to pinch the cuff.

“Follow...?”

“That’s right, that’s right. To be honest, my dream is to become a campus idol who brings everyone laughter and joy~!” Vanessa traced a heart before her generous chest, then fingered a heart pose.

“For that, I’m going to stand on a grand stage facing everyone and let loose a sacred song that cures every last ailment of the heart — delivering happiness, ta-da! That is the true meaning of a holy healing pretty girl who sings of light and hope and makes the flower of life bloom!” She bounced in place and struck a pose like she was ripping a guitar onstage, brimming with energy.

“Ah—ahh! I really feel the happiness coming through! I’ll follow, I’ll definitely follow!!” He didn’t understand any of it, but her stats were too high across the board. By now he was utterly bewitched by the pink fluff before him, nodding like he’d drunk a love potion.

“Mhm, mhm — thank you, my future potential fan~” Vanessa blinked at him.

He blanked. Those silky, alluring eyes nearly hooked his soul straight out of his body.

“Th-then, pink-haired classmate... when is this performance you mentioned happening?” Quite a few boys around them were getting antsy, too.

This pink-haired girl seemed to radiate a strange energy that soaked right into people and guided their emotions.

“Alright, alright — I can feel everyone’s enthusiasm. As for that... please look forward to it~” Vanessa flashed a sweet smile and waved like at an idol’s curtain call.

Of course there wasn’t going to be a performance. She was just riffing to keep the persona airtight.

Embarrassed? Aiya~ how could she feel embarrassed? The one bouncing around right now wasn’t Vanessa at all.

Worst case, she’d say her name was Selena. Everyone would just assume it was a common name and never think of a former Saintess.

Even if it came to the worst of the worst — the one looking silly would be Selena.

Hee-hee.

Just as she was about to bow out with a smile, a hand lightly patted her shoulder.

“Alright then. But holy healing pretty girl — if you’re going to perform and sing, you’ll need a venue, a stage, and a logistics crew, won’t you?”

“I’m willing to sponsor all that.”

“???” Vanessa was deep in her Selena routine when her expression froze.

She recognized that voice. It was very familiar.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this should be...

Her head turned with a slightly mechanical stiffness, and her gaze fell into a pair of platinum cross-pattern irises brimming with mirth.

“Eh-eh? Isn’t that Miss Luna Haukekai?”

People nearby, seeing who had arrived, couldn’t help murmuring.

Two peerless beauties appearing together — naturally it was a feast for the eyes and drew every gaze.

“Pardon me — how should I address you, miss?” Luna was a little shorter than Vanessa, but her presence was in no way lacking. Lifting her skirt, one stockinged leg set back, she executed a graceful Church lady’s curtsey.

“......” Vanessa took a moment to react; she hadn’t expected to run into her here.

And from the meaningful curve at Luna’s lips, Vanessa caught a whiff of something very wrong.

“Is it inconvenient to say your name? Then... may I address you directly as ‘the holy healing pretty girl who sings of light and hope and makes the flower of life bloom’?” Luna’s polite tone held a teasing lilt.

“...No need. That’s too long,” Vanessa said dryly.

“Oh? Fair enough. Then I’ll simply call you ‘holy healing pretty girl.’ How about that?”

“......” Vanessa could put on this act before strangers because strangers wouldn’t know who she was — there’d be no way to recognize her. But the honey-haired girl before her was clearly different.

Vanessa read it in her eyes.

She very likely recognized her — recognized her as the maid who’d worked in her shop last time.

No—wait. Wasn’t she wearing Disguise Lenses? How did Luna figure it out?