Yunier was very interested in Herbert.

She—or rather, the Cold Winter Goddess Uphemia—silently recalled all the earlier conversations.

Couldn't help but smile.

"Hehe~ What a cute little guy."

Initially, Uphemia just wanted to come over and see for herself, to observe the specific situation.

She was very curious about what kind of person had "deceived" her most cherished little kitten.

Uphemia knew Hecayas's temperament.

Although her little kitten was a bit naïve, it wasn't stupid, retaining a beast's sharpness, not easily deceived by others.

This meant—the ones capable of deceiving Hecayas were all expert liars!

As an understanding mother, Uphemia put Hecayas's feelings first.

The relationship between mother and daughter had become quite delicate since the little kitten entered her rebellious phase, and she didn't want to become even more unwelcome.

So, Uphemia chose to incarnate herself in this abstract way.

She would transform and go firsthand, to scrutinize the situation, see through the opponent's schemes, uncover the truth, and ultimately rescue her little kitten!

...That was her initial plan.

As the "most favored Divine Favorer of the Ice and Snow Goddess," the incarnation of Yunier knew more than others.

She knew who to help, knew that Herbert had made an agreement with the Ice and Snow Goddess.

She was even aware that the Ice and Snow Goddess intended to absorb Herbert as a new Divine Favorer!

Yunier's task included being Hecayas's eyes and ears, reporting about Herbert to her, and acting as a persuader to turn him toward the light.

At this time, in Uphemia's heart, Herbert was an insect that had bewitched her little kitten with special means.

And insects needed to be thoroughly eliminated.

However, Uphemia was not an unreasonable deity and wouldn't take action directly from the start.

Thus, in the preliminary preparations, she also listened to others' evaluations of Herbert.

From Laila, Uphemia got an initial impression.

A proud, yet not only proud, mortal.

Excellent, yet flawed, not perfect.

Then, Uphemia went to the slums, mingled among the Paladins there, and overheard some gossip about Herbert.

In their words, Herbert appeared in another form.

A brave warrior, a just judge, a compassionate superior...

Facing noble power without retreating, showing no mercy to evil, yet generously compassionate to the weak.

In the eyes of the Paladins, Herbert almost became a model of the Paladin, someone they willingly followed.

If it weren't for almost being discovered by that nun with the dangerous book, she would have shifted her form further to ask more closely.

After that, Uphemia's impression of Herbert changed once again.

From the initial "villain deceiving Hecayas with intrigue" to the "guarded object attempting to lead my child astray."

Still not favorable, still someone who deceived her adorable child, needing to be cautiously guarded against.

But not necessarily an evil person.

In different people's eyes, they had different views of him.

What the truth was, she still needed to personally observe.

And when she truly arrived in Elda and saw this youth who resembled a noble more than a Paladin... her thoughts shifted again.

The descriptions she heard before from others—they turned out to be true.

Although his entrance created quite a stir, and those complex auras surprised her somewhat, that scene could only frighten Joanna and couldn't scare her.

But Uphemia was still awed.

Joanna couldn't see, only seeing the blood all over, but in her eyes... that scene was far more astonishing than even the Half-Elf perceived.

Perhaps Herbert didn't expect outsiders to notice, or he deliberately showed it to her.

It was a bizarre scene mingled with evil and holiness.

Uphemia saw an abundance of souls entwining around Herbert!

Hundreds and thousands of Demon souls howled, issuing silent screams at him.

Instead of returning to the Sea of Chaos after death, they were bound by his side, slowly drawn into his body, converging into the shadows beneath his feet.

Herbert walked nonchalantly on a path forged from souls.

Yet at the same time, his soul radiated a brilliant holy light.

The light emanating from him dispelled the darkness, melted the encroaching malice.

He resembled a ray of light born in the most intense darkness.

Incongruous, yet seamlessly one.

Light and shadow found balance on his body, harmoniously coexisting.

Behind Herbert, which Divine Spirit truly stood?

Uphemia felt a trace of the Sun God's aura, but who then represented the shadow?

To avoid exposing her presence, Uphemia didn't investigate further, leaving this question in her heart.

In addition, what attracted even more of Uphemia's attention was the aura emitted by Herbert.

As Laila said, he possessed a kind of arrogance difficult for others to perceive.

It wasn't a deliberately displayed or externally cultivated façade, but rather an intrinsic nature emanating from the soul.

His demeanor appeared cheerful, with no lack in manners, and there was no falsity in his eyes.

Yet paradoxically, one could faintly sense the arrogance stemming from the depths of his soul.

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