"Probably from the moment the Holy Maiden said she was interested in me."
Leon answered with a smile.
"Wow—then that's truly embarrassing."
Brellita's long, slightly upturned eyes narrowed faintly, her tone still gentle.
At that moment, Leon noticed his character panel change.
He hadn't expected an extra bonus today—he'd also triggered another S-rank character's panel.
The woman in front of him was the second-billed heroine of Sword, Magic, and the Holy Land 1.
[Story Character: Brellita von Hestia]
[Age / Lifespan: 26 / 168]
[Plot Weight: A]
[Potential Rank: S]
[Class: Holy Supplicant]
[Current Tier: Fourth]
[Primary Stats: Vitality 59 / Mana 59 / Stamina 49 / Strength 45 / Agility 51]
[Titles: Blessed by God; Listener of the Earth]
[Current Affection: 40%]
[Character main quest unlocked: "Chosen by Royal Authority"]
[Quest Details: Help the Church of Astalia regain its status as the sole official faith in the Kingdom of Holsha.]
[Quest Reward: +50 Mana Cap; Reward: Advanced Holy Prayer Art]
[Character side quest unlocked: "Paladin Selection"]
[Quest Details: Help Brellita von Hestia win this year's Church of Astalia Paladin Selection.]
[Quest Reward: +10 Mana Cap; Reward: Beginner Holy Prayer Art]
Forty percent affection right out of the gate—and more than that. And he'd instantly gotten two quests?
Leon scanned the panel once, delight rising quietly in his chest.
Looks like he was heading into a harvest season.
As a side note: Brellita was clearly fourth tier, yet her raw stats looked roughly comparable to Iris's, who was only third tier.
But aside from fast growth, humans were inferior to pure-blood elves in almost every innate aspect.
Also, the Blessing of God on Brellita's body granted all sorts of high-level resistances, faster mana recovery, and amplified effectiveness when using holy prayer arts.
In particular, divine blessings came in four ranks from low to high—Blessing, Boon, Protection, and Favor. Brellita possessed the extremely rare second rank. Once she activated its protective effect, her combat power would absolutely soar far beyond what those raw numbers suggested.
And fourth tier was comprehensively stronger than anything below third. The class bonuses were viciously strong.
At this stage, Brellita could easily crush Iris.
As a veteran player, Leon of course wouldn't be fooled by raw stat blocks alone.
But since the quest owner was standing right in front of him, after a quick glance at the quests and attributes, Leon shifted his attention back to Brellita herself.
Up close, the Holy Maiden truly was stunning.
Beneath straight black bangs that fell to her brows, a pair of jet-black eyes shone round and lively. The long, phoenix-like slant at the corners lent her well-proportioned features a faint, dangerous allure.
Her ornate robe concealed her figure, but her unusually elegant, tranquil movements still hinted at graceful lines beneath.
Compared to the icy, striking beauty of Iris, Brellita's overall "type" felt more like refined, sacred elegance.
But Leon knew: in the entire Sword, Magic, and the Holy Land series, Brellita was the most ruthless heroine when it came to action.
Beneath that holy face was a woman of swift, decisive killing—no hesitation, no mercy.
Grand ideals. Unshakable will. A heart of iron. Insight into human nature—and the ability to manipulate hearts with ease.
Before her official appearance in Sword, Magic, and the Holy Land 1, her most famous deed was this:
Born as a concubine's daughter of a fallen noble house, she ventured into a lost dungeon, obtained a divine relic, successfully summoned a miracle within the church, received God's protection, and used that to class-change from a spellblade into the rare class of Holy Supplicant.
That established her position as the Ninth Holy Maiden of the church.
After becoming a Holy Maiden, she reorganized the church's knight order and conquered the monster forest north of the royal capital.
In only three years, she seized a rich territory as vast as two royal capitals.
That earned her the support of countless knights, and through her achievements—and the reputation she cultivated within the order—she rose to become the Third Holy Maiden.
Among the Church of Astalia's nine Holy Maidens, she had the worst origins, yet the highest prestige.
Even the two senior Holy Maidens above her couldn't match her fame among the common people.
From the moment she entered the story, she was a character whose mind and methods were already close to fully "evolved."
Even in terms of extraordinary rank, she was unusually high for her age.
That was Brellita.
Unlike Iris, who still needed hardship and refinement before she could transform from arrogant pride into a more compelling, heroic figure.
Unfortunately, before Part One ended, Brellita would perish together with the final boss.
If not mutual destruction, then she would sacrifice herself to defeat that boss.
Having played every side route, Leon knew her death was almost inevitable.
Only a handful of extremely narrow paths led to Brellita's perfect ending.
That was also why—despite being the second-billed heroine of Part One—Brellita's plot weight was only A, not A+, and even lower than Iris, who started as a "passerby" early on and only rose later.
As for the present, Leon was puzzled by something else.
He hadn't even interacted with Brellita before—so why was her starting affection for him so high?
Forty percent. That was already very friendly.
Once you crossed the sixty-percent line, it wouldn't be strange for things to progress into lovers at any time.
Countless thoughts flashed through Leon's mind, and he asked aloud,
"What I'm curious about is—why would the Holy Maiden take an interest in an unknown nobody like me?"
"You're a well-known figure who killed a juvenile wyvern at first tier," Brellita said with a faint smile. "How could you be a nobody?"
"Oh, come now," Leon replied modestly. "Just rumors, that's all."
In truth, his extraordinary class hadn't advanced at the time, but his combat power couldn't be measured by a normal first tier either. His growth was slower than he wanted, but as a transmigrator, he still had ways to make things happen.
"Too much modesty becomes hypocrisy, Leon Bellron." Brellita's voice stayed soft and composed. "Recently I've been looking for a suitable adviser. If you defeated the strong while being weak, then besides your personal quality, strategy must have played a major role as well."
"I see," Leon said thoughtfully. "Because the Paladin Selection is coming up soon, the Holy Maiden wants to raise her odds through strategy?"
At that, Brellita's gaze flickered.
"You guessed my purpose from just a few words? Then it seems I truly didn't misjudge you."
"You flatter me, Holy Maiden. It's simply the most reasonable inference, isn't it?"
"The Paladin Selection is still at least three months away. That's not something easy to guess." Brellita paused. "Alright, enough small talk. I want to ask you—what kind of relationship do you intend to form with Iris?"
Leon was taken aback. That question is way too strange…
He stared into Brellita's beautiful, black-pearl eyes and asked slowly,
"May I ask what standing the Holy Maiden is speaking from when she asks me that?"
"If you can become my adviser," Brellita said, "then I'll recommend that the two of you marry. What do you think?"
She dropped that shocking statement as casually as if it were nothing.