EP wasn't the only conglomerate that had approached Elise in private.
In truth, every conglomerate had reached out to her behind the scenes—especially W&W, the parent conglomerate of Queenvail Girls' Academy, which coveted Elise immensely.
From their perspective, with Elise in Queenvail, the school would remain at its peak for at least the next half-century.
But unfortunately, a saintess cannot be associated with money. So Elise had to refuse W&W. Beyond them, only one conglomerate and its academy truly suited her.
Saint Galahadworth Academy and its parent conglomerate—EP!
Among the six major conglomerates in the original story, only Saint Galahadworth and the main plot setting Seidoukan Academy actually felt like schools.
As for the rest...
Arlequint focused on research, Rewolf was basically a mafia, Queenvail handled song and dance, and Jie Long focused on martial arts.
Some weren't bad—but they all lacked something.
And Elise, as a saintess, would feel out of place in most of them. To best amplify the image of the "saintess," Elise chose to meet privately with Saint Galahadworth and EP.
I wonder what Queenvail would think if they found out?
Well, wherever the lovely saintess goes, she'll shine regardless!
"Hm?"
As Elise walked down the corridor, she suddenly sensed something amiss. The air around her had turned deadly serious.
Something powerful is about to appear up ahead...
Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps echoed sharply against the ground, cutting through the silence.
A man in white appeared before Elise. In that moment, their eyes met—his pitch-black pupils met her sapphire-blue gaze.
What a coincidence.
Meanwhile, in the pitch-black meeting room, a group of EP executives continued their discussion about Saintess Elise.
In their minds, the outcome of today's operation was practically guaranteed. Elise and her ragtag team would be easily handled.
I'm no weakling, you know? If Elise could hear their thoughts, that's probably what she'd say.
As for the Church members she brought along—Elise thought they were adorable. After all… someone had to witness the Saintess' brilliance!
Click—
The sound of a door opening suddenly rang out, drawing every gaze in the room.
The man in white slowly stepped in and swept his eyes across the room.
"Mission accomplished, right? Where is Elise?" one of the executives seated at the head asked flatly.
But the man ignored him—ignored everyone, in fact. He simply opened the door completely, then bowed slightly and made a "please enter" gesture.
What happened next stunned everyone present. Elise walked in, smiling warmly and waving her hand.
"Greetings, everyone!"
Why are you here?!
It was the question on every executive's mind—but what terrified them more was that their bodies had suddenly become completely unresponsive!
A powerful drowsiness flooded their minds…
Until consciousness faded entirely—
...
Days later, headlines shook the world.
[Conglomerate EP and the Church Announce Harmonious Cooperation to Build a Better Society Together!]
The Church had long been suspected of becoming the world's seventh conglomerate. Many clever individuals had already realized this and picked their side early.
But this news threw everything into chaos.
The other five conglomerates were in uproar. None of them had received even a hint of warning. In a panic, they contacted their intelligence agencies to launch investigations into how this happened. Meanwhile, journalists scrambled like they had discovered a new continent—each secretly beginning their own inquiries.
At that moment, all eyes were on EP and the Church. But unfortunately for them, their efforts would be in vain.
The most confused, however, were the mid- and lower-level members within EP and the Church. It felt like their minds had just been dragged through the dirt.
Boss, what the heck just happened?
We went to sleep and woke up to find the entire world changed?!
As shocking as it was… it didn't seem so bad either?
They knew there was no way this could be simple. But making wild guesses might get them killed faster, so better to just act like nothing had happened.
Countless factions under both the Church and EP scrambled to forge connections. Their network of alliances rapidly expanded—most participants being prominent aristocratic families.
To outsiders, EP and the Church might still look like separate powers. But in reality, both were already completely under Elise's control. It's just that, for the time being, EP was allowed to exist—because "EP must not be destroyed."
Even so, Elise's status as the "saintess" skyrocketed.
She had now become one of the most famous individuals in the world!
The faith power she received surged dramatically. At this point, she might even be able to match powerhouses like Fan Xinglou or Helga.
The news came quickly—and faded just as fast.
Though both sides had announced their cooperation, for the average person, it made no difference. Life went on. Work went on.
It was just that... people might now want to keep one eye open.
The alliance between EP and the Church had drastically expanded EP's influence. The EP of today was no longer the EP of old. It now carried the aura of a "world's number one conglomerate."
Naturally, this would draw fire from the other conglomerates—but Elise didn't care!
As long as she endured until the end of the story, even the apocalypse wouldn't faze her. Why care whether a conglomerate lives or dies? At that point, she might even laugh out loud.
"No, no. How could a saintess like me have such wicked thoughts?" Elise knelt in prayer before the church's statue, alone.
This definitely isn't my fault. A gentle and kind saintess like me would only mourn for the loss of life. Only a demon would feel joy over it.
"I must pray to God (me) and receive divine revelation! Please grant your guidance and light the way for this world!"
"As the Church's saintess, it is only right that I lead the people in fulfilling the will of the divine!"
Elise, content.
...
While the world trembled in uncertainty, a piece of tabloid gossip caught Elise's attention.
[Super Rookie Appears at Queenvail Girls' Academy! Have You Ever Heard Such a Soul-Stirring Voice?]
The article appeared only briefly before being buried beneath waves of Foundation-related news. People in Asterisk could see it, but worldwide, it barely made a splash.
Everyone was too focused on the conglomerate news. Who had time for idols?
Besides, Queenvail's idol quality had been hit or miss in recent years. Without a standout figure, most readers probably just scrolled right past it. But Elise stared at it silently for a long while.
Could it be... maybe… possibly Sylvia?
She clicked on the article, and there appeared a familiar purple-haired girl onscreen—causing Elise's expression to freeze.
Did I just backstab my friend on her debut day?
Haha. What do the Foundation-Church dealings have to do with Elise? That betrayal? Surely it has nothing to do with the Saintess...
Sylvia and I are best friends, after all!
"I'll apologize to her in person later…"
Yup. Today's Saintess is still the same as ever.