She wore an impeccable white dress and a veil that covered part of her hair. The carriage continued its march and she didn’t even turn to look at him; she passed by with total indifference, as if Ryan were just another vagabond on the street.

’Udriela...? It can’t be.’ Ryan thought, feeling his stomach drop. ’What the hell is she doing inside a human carriage? She was supposed to be a deity!’

"Ryan, what’s wrong?" Beatrice asked in a whisper upon noticing the stiffness in his posture. "Your expression suddenly changed."

Ryan didn’t respond. He focused his attention on the woman who was moving away and activated the exclusive skill of his support class.

"Inspect."

The blue system window unfolded, displaying a set of numbers that left Ryan completely astonished.

[ CHARACTER STATUS ]

› Race: [Human]

› Level: 5 — Rank: F

› Title: Saint

› Strength: 12 | Magic: 50 | Agility: 10 | Psyche: 80 | Stamina: 15 |

’Level five. Rank F.’ Ryan read the stats in his mind, completely unable to believe it. ’She’s an ordinary, everyday human. Her attributes are so low that any weak monster from the first floor could kill her without the slightest effort.’

Ryan fixed his gaze on the title blinking on the screen.

’Saint... is that her status in this nation?’

The carriage finished turning the corner, fading from sight along with its entire escort of soldiers heading toward the central plaza of Wind Valley.

"Ryan, you are looking at the saint as if you knew her. I know she is very pretty, but could you please not stare at her like that right in front of us?" Karol insisted, pressing herself tighter against his arm.

"So you know who she is? I thought it was someone else," Ryan responded, dismissing the blue system screen as he resumed walking.

"It seems things in this world are much stranger than Ophelia or any of us imagined. Forget about that for now, let’s look for the auction house."

’There is no doubt that was Udriela’s appearance. Could it be that this is a different person? Or maybe she is using relics to alter her stats.’

The group resumed their pace, blending back into the dense flow of pedestrians wandering through the commercial district. Karol wouldn’t let go of Ryan’s arm, casting curious sideways glances at the shops, while Beatrice walked a step behind, instinctively keeping a vigilant watch on their surroundings.

"That carriage and the soldiers guarding it were not simple guards from the city’s militia," Beatrice commented in a low voice, making sure her scarf perfectly covered the area of her horns beneath her yellow-dyed hair.

"That person must be really important."

"And she is, at least her position to the church is very important. They consider her just as important as the SSS-rank hero named Keeper."

’That explains why she was so heavily guarded. That means there must be many holy knights in this city, undercover just like us, of course.’

Ryan shifted his gaze toward the mage for a moment.

"Rose, since you dedicate yourself to investigating everything, how much is publicly known about the figure of the Saint within the holy deity?" Ryan asked, using the code name to maintain their verbal camouflage against any indiscreet ears on the street.

Karol raised her chin slightly, puffing out her cheeks with pride upon noticing that Ryan was relying on her mental library to understand the political landscape of Kalistia.

"The Saint is considered the spiritual pillar of the great allied nations, Krai," Karol explained in a whisper, drawing closer to his shoulder as they walked down the cobblestone sidewalk.

"According to ancient stories, she is the only direct communication channel with the SSS-Rank Hero, Keeper. The church claims she possesses a pure divine connection that guides their military plans against the demonic kingdoms. But until now, I had never seen her in person. Of course, she is exactly as they describe her."

"So, Udriela is pretending to be a human to serve as a mediator," Ryan muttered to himself with a sarcastic tone.

"What did you say?" Karol asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about how problematic it must be to maintain the security of a political symbol," Ryan replied, adjusting the sleeves of his dark coat.

"I hope you aren’t trying to steal the saint away like you did with Beatrice," Karol said in her usual playful tone.

Beatrice blushed and moved closer to Ryan.

"I had no intention of doing that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

’Even so, I’ll have to assume that this so-called saint might intervene in some way at some point. I’ll have to investigate more about her; maybe I will uncover the plans of that deity.’

"In any case, it is none of our business for the moment."

Beatrice interjected.

"If that magic accessory auction is as huge as the adventurers at the inn were saying, we should hurry before the entry passes or available seats run out."

’The probability of running into a support class is low, but with the Saint and the holy knights roaming around Wind Valley, the risk multiplies.’ Ryan thought coldly.

’I know the best thing would be not to go, but... I will just have to be much more careful.’

They walked for another fifteen minutes, delving deeper into the most exclusive sector of Wind Valley’s commercial district. The buildings in this area were notably more imposing, constructed with large blocks of polished marble and blue-tiled roofs that gleamed beneath the morning sunlight.

The guards at the corners wore rare-rank equipment and watched the alleyway entrances with strict glares.

Karol reviewed the linen map that Alicia had handed them before initiating the descent from the sky dungeon.

"According to the map’s directions, the merchant guild’s establishment is right across the next central plaza," Karol commented, pointing with her staff toward an enormous opening between the white stone buildings.

"It is the place where all relic transactions are centralized."

Ryan stopped, and said in a low voice.

Upon crossing the stone archway that led into the plaza, the trio came across a colossal circular structure that dominated the entire center of the area.

The building was surrounded by wide white marble staircases, and dozens of luxurious carriages belonging to local nobles and high-ranking adventurers were parked in the surroundings.

Men in fine silk cloaks and warriors carrying swords that emitted elemental auras formed an orderly line before the massive bronze doors of the establishment.

Ryan stopped right at the base of the marble stairs, contemplating the entrance of the imposing commercial building as he adjusted his dark coat over his shoulders.

"We have arrived at the auction house," Ryan murmured with a smile of anticipation drawing itself on his face, looking toward the great bronze doors.

"Let’s see what kind of magic accessories this guild has prepared for today."