Though there were countless speculations in the public about the relationship between Sylvia and Elise, in truth, nothing had changed. The two simply acted as they always had.
At least, that was how Elise saw it.
They had always been close friends. There was no need to prove anything to anyone. Even walking off the stage together didn't feel like a big deal to them.
But just because they thought that way didn't mean the reporters outside did.
As soon as Sylvia and Elise stepped off the stage together, Sylvia realized the issue and commented with a wry smile, "You've really stirred up a huge mess this time!"
"Things are probably going to explode out there, right? Are you sure you're okay with that?" Sylvia asked. "We're probably going to be watched—and even followed—for a while."
Elise simply brushed it off with a smile.
"So what? When have we not been watched by dozens of eyes every single day?"
"Was it really any less troublesome back then?"
She wasn't wrong. Given how much attention they already drew, worrying about an increase in that number would only be a waste of mental energy.
"True," Sylvia agreed. Then she suggested, "Why don't you visit Queenvail next time? I can sneak you in through the back door."
"Really? But I've rejected their invitations before. Won't that cause trouble for you if I sneak in now?"
"Not at all," Sylvia laughed. "Those folks from the Foundation would be thrilled. They've been trying to lure you in forever. Why would they cause me trouble?"
"But!"
"You have to win the Lindvolus first!" Sylvia added, her tone light as if discussing something completely mundane.
"You're that confident I'll win? What if I lose to Orphelia?" Elise countered.
"You? Lose?" Sylvia gave Elise a full once-over and finally said, "Honestly, Ely… I've never met anyone stronger than you. Not even Orphelia."
"If you lose the match, I'll just assume it was because you chose to lose—for some special reason."
...
Elise and Sylvia were arguably the two most famous individuals in the entire world of this academic battle city.
One was a world-class diva.
The other was the saintess who saved the masses.
In any country, you might not know the name of the president—but you would know theirs.
So imagine the surprise when the two of them ended up facing each other in the Lindvolus?
How could people not be excited?
Sylvia. Elise. The Festa.
Three globally captivating elements, all in one match!
To many, this semifinal was worth more than the finals themselves.
Countless people around the world tuned in—some thrilled, some delighted, and of course, some with less-than-pure intentions looking to make headlines.
Some filmed their battle to ship them as a couple.
Others started writing drama-filled articles about a saintess and a diva locked in a love-hate rivalry.
In short: everyone was riding the wave of hype.
And in doing so, they only made Elise and Sylvia even more famous.
Which was exactly what the Saintess wanted.
Faith—true divine faith—was supposed to be a power born from belief in a higher being. The kind of power only deities could wield.
The more believers one had, the stronger the divine being became. Conversely, fewer believers meant less power.
And if all believers were lost…
Then the god would perish.
Of course, within the Infinite Worlds, there were gods who didn't rely on faith. These deities drew power from entirely different sources and were unaffected by the rules of divine belief.
Elise, although human, possessed the unique gift of absorbing and using faith. This granted her the potential to become a divine being herself!
Thus, she could either become an object of worship (a goddess), or she could serve another divine being (a saintess).
It all depended on which method yielded more faith.
If the world she was in lacked strong religious devotion, Elise would most likely establish her own church.
But if she landed in a world with a powerful existing church system, then she'd join it and become something like a saintess.
So it's basically a "whoever's strongest, I'll side with them" kind of logic?
All this unclaimed faith energy, and no god to collect it? It'd be a shame to waste it, said a certain blonde girl with her eyes half-hidden behind a fringe.
So, in this world, Elise was a saintess of the Church.
And as someone who used faith as power, she needed people to know her name. Without awareness, there could be no belief. And without belief, there was no power.
Hence: Fame. Fame was essential.
Over the past few years, Elise had worked tirelessly and was now widely recognized by the public.
Once someone knew of her, they could then potentially become a follower.
Usually, divine beings required devout belief—pure and sincere faith—to fuel their powers. The more devout, the stronger the divine energy.
But Elise was different!
She could absorb lower-quality faith as well.
To illustrate:
For most gods, the requirement was: "You must worship me devoutly for me to unleash my divine power."
But for Elise, the requirement was: "You just need to like me for me to gain strength."
At first glance, they might seem similar, but in reality, the implications were completely different.
Elise's version of faith was undoubtedly weaker than that of true gods. In a head-on clash against a real deity—unless the opponent was severely weakened—Elise would certainly lose.
But the advantage was sheer volume.
After all, how many people in the world truly offer devout, unwavering worship to gods?
Now compare that to how many people could just… like Elise.
The difference was staggering.
In godless worlds, Elise could run wild without opposition.
That was her belief.
And what's more…
She could even steal faith meant for other beings.
As long as she didn't get caught.
And even if she did get caught, it didn't matter. She could just redirect her own faith stream toward that god, pretending to be a loyal follower and masking her theft.
Maximum survival instincts, fully activated.
After acquiring a vast pool of "low-standard" faith energy, the next step was to refine its purity.
That was what Elise aimed to achieve at the Lindvolus.
To be watched by the entire world.
To be loved by the entire world.
To achieve global-level fame.
If she could win the championship at the Festa, her fame would soar even higher. The quality of her faith would rise significantly—an absolute win for her.
Which meant the equation now looked like this:
Fame → Faith → Power!
Therefore—
Fame is power!