The Fake Sheep Elixir and the Angel of Death

The living room of my Safe House now looked like an illegal alchemy lab. Measuring cups, pipettes, and spirit burners were scattered across the Italian marble table.

The time showed 04:30 AM. The sun would rise in an hour.
My time was running out.

"One small mistake in temperature," I muttered to myself, my hand holding the tweezers trembling violently from exhaustion, "and this thing will explode, turning my face into soup."

In front of me, inside a heat-resistant crystal container, the petals of the Lunar Flower worth 100,000 gold were boiling in a solution of distilled holy water.

The theory was simple. This recipe was written on page 892 of the Forbidden Alchemy Codex that I had memorized.
The practice? Hell.

I couldn't use fire magic to heat the cauldron because my Mana Poisoning would contaminate the purity of the ingredients. So, I had to do it manually, controlling the spirit fire temperature by enlarging or shrinking the wick in an analog fashion.

"Come on... turn..."

The liquid in the cauldron was cloudy blue. The color had to change to milky white to succeed.

Drip. I added Unicorn Horn powder (don't ask where I got it, Amon's old inventory had strange items) into the mixture.

BOOM! Thick white steam exploded from the cauldron, filling the room with the smell of... vanilla and hospital antiseptic?

I coughed, waving my hand to clear the smoke.
When my vision cleared, I saw it.

At the bottom of the cauldron, a thick liquid remained, about the amount of a small shot glass.
The color was pure white, glowing dimly in the darkness of dawn.

[SYSTEM: CRAFTING SUCCESS!]
[Item Created: Elixir of the Innocent Sheep (Grade A)]
[Effect: Changes the user's 'Soul Alignment' aura to [Neutral-Good] for 24 Hours.]
[Side Effect: Body will feel like it's burning from the inside for the first 5 minutes after consumption due to the clash of Holy vs Dark Blood energy.]

"One shot glass worth the price of a castle," I picked up the glass carefully. "It must taste better than minimart coffee."

Without hesitation—because hesitation meant death—I downed it in one go.

"Ghh..!"

First second: It tasted sweet like warm milk.
Second second: It tasted like swallowing molten nails.

"AAAARGGGHHH!"
I fell to my knees, clutching my neck. My chest felt like it was going to explode.
The holy energy from the potion was warring with the Zeroth Curse in my blood. They consumed each other, destroyed each other, and neutralized each other.

Cold sweat flooded my body. My vision blurred.
For five minutes, I rolled on the expensive carpet floor, stifling my screams so the neighbors (if any) wouldn't hear.

Then, suddenly... silence.
The pain vanished completely.
Replaced by a sensation of emptiness. Clean. Light.
It felt like the sins of my life had been lifted—fake, of course.

I crawled to the mirror.
My red eyes, which usually glinted evilly, now looked... softer. The gloomy aura that usually followed me like a storm cloud had disappeared.

In the reflection, I didn't see a Villain. I saw a model student who was slightly sleep-deprived.

[Disguise Active: 23 Hours 59 Minutes]

"Perfect," I smiled weakly, wiping away the sweat.
Now, time to go to school.

Helios Academy Gate. 07:45 AM.

---

The atmosphere was like an intergalactic boyband concert.
There was a huge banner reading: "Welcome Saintess Aerith!"
A red carpet path was rolled out from the gate to the main doors. Flowers were scattered.

Hundreds of students lined up neatly on the left and right of the road. News reporters clustered at the boundary line guarded by security golems.

My black limousine glided slowly, breaking the crowd in the special noble lane. But no one cared about me today. All eyes were on the golden carriage convoy in the distance.

"They are so noisy," I complained while adjusting my tie in the rearview mirror.

In the front seat, Luna glanced at me.
Since I entered the car this morning, she kept looking at me strangely.
Not a look wanting to kill. But a confused look.
Usually, sitting near Amon felt like sitting near a cold grave.
But today... Her Young Master smelled of Vanilla Soap and Sunshine.

"Young Master," Luna finally spoke. "Did you... change your perfume?"

"Why? You don't like it?"

"No. It's just... the smell is very clean. Unlike you."

"Sometimes monsters want to take a bath too, Luna."

The car stopped.
"Drop me at the side door. I don't want to get trapped in that religious fanatic crowd."

I got out, trying to sneak into the building. But of course, Fate (Novel Plot) said: NO.

"THERE HE IS!"
A student shouted.

Turns out my entry path intersected directly with the stopping point of the Saintess's carriage.

The convoy stopped right in front of me.
The golden carriage door with sun carvings opened.
A knight escort stepped down first, then extended his hand.

A smooth white hand, wrapped in a lace glove, accepted it.
And out she came.

Aerith Solari. Her height was about 160 cm (rather petite), her golden hair glistening under the morning sun, creating a natural Halo effect. Her brilliant green eyes were full of compassion. Her smile could cure leprosy (literally).

The crowd cheered hysterically.
"Saintess! Saintess!"
"Look at me, Lady Aerith!"

Aerith smiled gently, waving to everyone.
Suddenly, she stopped.
Her nose wrinkled slightly. Her head turned sharply.

She felt something. Or rather, the absence of something.

Her green eyes, which were natural sin-detecting artifacts (Divine Eyes), swept the VIP area.
Her eyes passed Lukas (bright golden aura), passed Sylvia (cold blue aura), passed Eylia (red spirited aura).

Then her eyes stopped on me.
Amon Von Zeroth.

The crowd went silent.
Everyone thought: "Zeroth is finished. He will be judged as a demon on the spot."

Lukas Bright looked at me anxiously. Sylvia looked at me curiously.

Aerith started walking. Not to the podium, but straight towards me.
The knight escorts panicked but followed behind.

The distance between us thinned. Five meters. Three meters. One meter.
I held my breath.
Did this potion work?
Or did she smell the hidden sins?

In the Inventory of my mind, my finger was ready to press the activation button for [Smoke Bomb]. If she said 'Arrest him', I would blow this place up and run to be a fugitive for life.

Aerith stopped right in front of my nose. She had to look up slightly to meet my eyes.
Her green eyes glowed—her Detection Magic was fully active. Scanning my soul.

One second passed feeling like a year.
Sweat trickled down my back, under the expensive shirt. Please work. Please work.

Suddenly, Aerith's eyes widened. Pure shock adorned her beautiful face.

"You..." Aerith spoke, her voice melodious like silver bells.

The crowd held their breath. Waiting for the death sentence.

Aerith grabbed my hand. Holding it with both her warm hands.

"You... your soul..." Aerith blinked in confusion. "Empty?"

"Excuse me?" my eyebrow raised. That was acting.

"Clean. Too clean," Aerith muttered, but loud enough for the front row to hear. "Usually everyone has a little gray stain. Small lies, envy, anger. Even Hero Lukas has a stain of arrogance."

Lukas in the distance choked on his own spit. "Cough!"

"But you..." Aerith stared at me with amazement, as if looking at a rare species. "Amon Von Zeroth. Your name sounds terrifying, but your soul is plain milky white. You... are you the most sincere person in this academy?"

Silence. The entire Helios Academy, from the security guards to the Headmaster, gaped.

Amon Von Zeroth? Sincere? Pure?
The person who burned his classmate's homework book last year?

The potion worked too well. The potion didn't just hide the dark side, but bleached everything into a fake extreme positive.

I had to control this narrative before it became ridiculous.
I pulled my hand slowly from her grasp. Remaining polite, but distant.

"You exaggerate, Holy Lady," I said flatly. "I am just a person who sleeps soundly because I don't care about other people's business. The absence of intent does not mean kindness. It is only... indifference."

Aerith wasn't offended. Her eyes sparkled even more.
"Non-judgmental indifference... True tranquility amidst worldly chaos! Like a holy hermit!"

Oh God. This girl's misunderstanding reached the level of theology.

"Thank you for welcoming me," Aerith smiled, this time a sincere smile just for me. "I hope we can be good friends, Amon. I feel comfortable near you. You are like... a calming white canvas in this noisy world."

She bowed slightly, then turned and walked towards the podium, leaving the crowd whose brains were still bugged processing what just happened.

The notification panel in my eyes exploded.

[CRISIS AVERTED!]
[Quest Completed: The Saintess' Judgement]
[Reward: Saintess Aerith is interested in you.]
[Reputation Update: Some students think you have repented. Others (Sylvia & Lukas) think you tricked God.]
[Potion Effect Time Remaining: 23 Hours.]

As Aerith left, Sylvia approached me. Her chill pierced the bone.
She whispered as she passed: "You might be able to trick her innocent holy eyes... But my nose smells chemicals, Zeroth. Lunar Flower?"

My body froze.
"Smart woman," I whispered back without turning. "Keep this secret, and I will tell you how to cure your 'Frostbite Heart' permanently."

Sylvia's steps stopped.
An offer she couldn't refuse.

I strolled into the school building, while chaos continued behind me.
One more disaster avoided.
One more Heroine entangled in my web of lies.

But wait.
If I have to drink this potion every day while Aerith is here...
...I need more money. Lunar Flowers are 100,000 gold per stem!
I'll go bankrupt in a week!

"I need a source of income," I muttered while walking to Class S. "Dungeon? No, my physique is weak. Gambling? Too risky."

Then my eyes fell on the bulletin board in the hallway.
A small tournament poster with large text:

[STRATEGIC WAR GAME - SIMULATION BATTLE]
[Wanted: Commander for Academy Team.]
[Prize: Full Scholarship & Access Rights to School Herbology Warehouse.]

Herbology Warehouse. The place where free Lunar Flowers grew belonging to the school.

The cunning smile of the Final Villain formed on my face again.
Time for the Pro Gamer to play a strategy game.