Chapter 139: Walking ATM?

She succeeded. Her judgment was correct.

Vanessa’s [Light Element Affinity] was much better than she had imagined, reaching excellence or even higher.

She thought this as she sipped the mana recovery potion, glancing at the fragments of the familiars scattered on the ground.

Their sins had been atoned for.

But Vanessa knew that now was not the time to relax. She had a premonition.

So she remained vigilant and promptly asked Mirexia for the mana recovery potion. Every bit of mana recovered counted, and fortunately, the alchemical potions Mirexia carried were top-tier, with excellent recovery effects.

After all, Mirexia herself was not very sensitive to alchemical potions. Without carrying such high-grade potions, the recovery effects would be negligible.

Vanessa held the long-necked bottle, one high-heeled boot resting on a stone in front of her, letting the wind tousle her dazzling hair.

The breathtaking beauty struck a somewhat dashing pose, adding a unique charm to her.

Seeing this scene, Mirexia felt her face burning, especially when she saw Vanessa drinking the mana potion she had sipped from earlier, her cherry blossom-like lips brushing the bottle’s rim. Just thinking about it made Mirexia’s face feel unbearably hot, whether from embarrassment or something else.

“Virtue +300.”

“Current Virtue: 3554.”

She wanted to remind Vinny, but the words stuck in her throat, unsure how to bring it up.

Moreover, there were priorities, and now didn’t seem like the time to fuss over such trivial matters.

But still, how should she put it? This kind of thing was...

No, she shouldn’t think like that. Perhaps Vinny was naturally a girl? If they were of the same sex, maybe it didn’t matter at all?

Yet, for some reason, this thought didn’t make Mirexia feel any better. Instead, it made her even more afraid to look at Vinny’s face.

What was wrong with her?

Vanessa approached, oblivious to Mirexia’s abnormal reaction or the increase in virtue, her attention entirely elsewhere.

There were more important matters to attend to.

“Princess Mirexia, my mana has recovered somewhat. You’re still having trouble moving, right? Don’t push yourself. Wait a moment, and I’ll help remove the lingering toxins from your body.” Vanessa crouched down, her gentle and virtuous voice soft and melodious, enough to make one’s bones tingle.

Previously, due to the distance and the chaos of battle, Mirexia hadn’t been able to get a good look at Vinny’s appearance.

Now, up close, even able to feel her breath, Mirexia could finally see the dreamlike cherry-haired girl clearly.

Her delicate pink lashes, eyes like autumn waters filled with warmth and grace, her untainted aura complementing her snow-white skin, her silky hair resembling cherry blossoms in full bloom.

The intricate white dress she wore matched her appearance and status perfectly, with wing-shaped hair accessories on either side of her head, forming twin tails, and her slender legs clad in white high-heeled boots adorned with luxurious ornaments.

Pure and flawless, like an angel.

No, she was an angel, a genuine angel.

Mirexia remembered that the Goddess of Radiance’s true form was a [Blessed Angel], and naturally, the successive Radiance Saintness carried angelic blood.

“Residual toxins? But this is [Dragon Fall Poison], the masterpiece of the [N O V E L I G H T] Alchemical Demon Pillar, Erunes. It’s likely incurable on the Terraria Continent.” Mirexia worried.

“Princess Mirexia, have you forgotten who I am? I’m a Blessed Angel. That multi-legged insect is our sworn enemy, so logically, any poison he creates, I should be able to cure.” Vanessa smiled softly, taking another sip of the potion, her palm glowing with a warm cherry hue, illuminating Mirexia.

The [Saint Envoy’s] healing art?? And this was the unique holy light of the Radiant Saintness??

For a moment, Mirexia felt as if she were bathed in warm spring water, her entire body resonating with joy, her weakness and discomfort rapidly dissipating, the comfort making her let out a soft moan.

Not just the poison, but even some minor ailments she hadn’t noticed before were being purged.

A sudden surge of blood rushed through her, but Vanessa didn’t stop the healing. Though she felt discomfort, Mirexia trusted Vinny and endured.

Soon, a mouthful of black poison blood spilled from Mirexia’s crystalline lips.

“As I thought.” Vanessa took a handkerchief and gently wiped the poison blood from Mirexia’s lips, her expression darkening as she looked at the black blood on the cloth.

“Princess Mirexia, you’ve been poisoned, and it was done through ingesting the poison.”

“You mean there’s a traitor in the student council?” Mirexia coughed a few times. The moment she spat out the poison blood, she felt invigorated, her lost strength and mana returning to her body.

“Very likely, but we can’t be sure who or how. We’ll discuss it once we return.” Vanessa discarded the handkerchief and helped Mirexia to her feet.

“How do you feel, Princess Mirexia? Has your strength returned?” Vanessa asked.

“Yes, mostly recovered. Is this the holy light?” Mirexia asked.

“Yes, it’s quite miraculous, isn’t it?” Vanessa looked at her palm. “Fortunately, you hadn’t ingested it for too long, or even I would have had a hard time. This poison is insidious. Even after so long, it still retains strong potency. Without the holy light to expel it, it could have lingered in your body forever, continuously affecting you.”

“Forever??” Hearing this, Mirexia felt a heavy weight and fear. If that were the case, the [Bronze Blood] could have used this poison to control her indefinitely, with no cure.

Thankfully, the Radiant Saintness had appeared.

“How are you feeling, Princess Mirexia? If you’re well enough, you’ll need to lend me a hand.”

“A hand?? You mean?” Understanding Vanessa’s implication, Mirexia’s expression turned grave.

“Exactly, it’s not over yet.” As Vanessa spoke, the fragments of the familiars on the ground were stirred by an invisible force, spiraling up and reassembling on the human who had emerged from the pile of corpses, now unrecognizable.

“That multi-legged insect is known as the [Blasphemous Demon Pillar], with more than just the [Alchemy] authority, including the [Sacrifice] authority.” Vanessa said without turning her head.

“So, I thought, that utterly unscrupulous creature would definitely maximize the use of its followers. With the [Sacrifice] authority, it could make use of those followers who were no longer useful, activating this authority the moment they died.”

Vanessa glanced back at the disfigured man.

Though his appearance was completely unrecognizable, Vanessa could tell he was the purple-robed man who had been constantly drinking potions when she unleashed [Holy Radiance].

Who would have thought those potions would have such a significant effect, actually saving his life.

Since he was the leader of this group of cultists, the [Sacrifice] authority’s target was likely him.

“You damn woman of the Varelis family, look what you’ve done?? You’ve turned me into this wretched state!” the purple-robed man’s voice was no longer rational, filled with hoarseness and madness.

His mind had been affected by the sacrifice.

The potions that turned humans into Demon Pillar familiars already had a significant impact on one’s thoughts.

After all, anything related to the Demon Pillar’s authority was bound to end badly.

Now, the purple-robed man was not only affected by the [Alchemy] authority but also the [Sacrifice] authority. One couldn’t expect his mind to remain normal at this point.

“You! You’re the one who turned me into this monster! Why did you do this?? Why resist? You’ll all end up as food for the Demon Pillar anyway! Yet you do these futile things, dragging me down with you!!”

“Mr. Bronze Blood, so you also know that as a follower of the multi-legged insect, the Demon Pillar’s so-called blessings are actually curses?” Vanessa showed no fear in the face of the now skin-and-bones purple-robed man, her arms crossed over her ample chest, smiling as she looked at him.

“I thought you were just evil, but I didn’t realize you’re both stupid and evil.”

“You clearly know those Demon Pillars are no good, yet you willingly act as their minions, harming the innocent.”

“Karma is real. You’ve brought this upon yourself, and it’s not unjust. Reflect on your actions.”

“You damn bitch, I’ll tear off your limbs and devour you alive!” The fragments of the monsters propped up the purple-robed man’s shriveled skin, his face splitting open and turning into a monster’s face, similar to the previous monsters but much larger, about five meters tall, with green skin and countless small eyes that induced trypophobia, swarming like red worms all over his face.

Two octopus-like tentacles extended from his back, as thick as century-old trees.

“This seems to be...” Mirexia frowned. “Erunes’s secondary familiar, the [Sharag Ghost].”

“Is that the multi-legged insect’s official familiar?” Vanessa picked up the dragon-tooth greatsword buried in the sand and tossed it to Mirexia.

“How convenient, it got blown over here. Princess Mirexia, can you still wield your weapon?”

“Yes.” With the poison removed and her strength and magic restored, Mirexia was back in fighting form. She took the greatsword, focusing intently on the formidable enemy before her.

This was an official familiar of the Demon Pillar, an opponent she had never faced before. She needed to be on high alert.

Though it was her first time facing an official Demon Pillar familiar, she felt no panic.

Her childhood friend would fight alongside her, and standing with this cherry-haired girl, she felt fearless.

“I’ll grind your bones to dust!” The Sharag’s voice carried an otherworldly resonance, making it hard to discern which world’s language it belonged to.

The two massive tentacles slammed down, crushing the spot where Mirexia and Vanessa had stood into rubble.

Amid the swirling dust, two figures emerged from the haze.

One extended pure white angelic wings, while the other unfurled powerful golden dragon wings.

Vanessa unleashed her sacred blessing [Flawless Holy Feathers], and Mirexia activated her own [Wrathful Golden Blood], now sporting a pair of golden dragon horns on her head, her azure eyes filled with valor and disdain.

“Gah?!” The Sharag stared dumbfounded at the two women soaring into the sky, its countless small eyes darting around, shooting out numerous crimson lasers.

The two figures darted through the air, dodging the laser beams, their movements so swift that the Sharag’s many eyes couldn’t keep up.

Realizing that no matter how it controlled the lasers, it couldn’t hit the agile duo, the Sharag flew into a rage. Its two massive tentacles split into countless smaller ones, lashing out towards Vanessa and Mirexia.

Vanessa flapped her wings, sending out a barrage of sharp feathers that collided with the smaller tentacles, slicing many of them apart.

[Holy King’s Baptism]

However, to Vanessa’s surprise, the smaller tentacles, once severed, multiplied into even more, like seaweed, tangling around her wings.

Trouble.

Just as the numerous tentacles were about to reach her and entangle her limbs, a crimson lightning bolt flashed, severing all the tentacles aimed at her, allowing Vanessa to escape.

“Thank you, Princess Mirexia~” Vanessa, now safe, blinked her peach-shaped eyes, her voice making one’s heart tingle as she thanked Mirexia.

Still in the heat of battle, Mirexia didn’t respond, but her heart felt inexplicably tugged.

Was this really the childhood friend she had always known?

Soon, she too encountered trouble. Deciding that passive dodging wasn’t the solution, she attempted to strike back at the Sharag with her sword.

But getting too close to its body, she found herself in a predicament. The twisted faces on the Sharag’s body opened their mouths, spewing black mist laced with alchemical toxins.

“Be careful, Princess Mirexia~” Just as Mirexia couldn’t dodge in time, she suddenly felt herself being embraced, enveloped in the scent of pure white tea flowers and lavender, as if she were a pistil wrapped in petals.

Behind her, Vanessa, who had embraced her, spread her angelic wings, encasing them both in a protective cocoon. The holy light emanating from the feathers kept the alchemical toxins at bay.

Inhaling the unique scent of the cherry-haired girl, though she knew it wasn’t the time, Mirexia felt her cheeks burning again. She tilted her head back slightly, feeling her head touch something exceptionally soft and comfortable.

What was this??

Mirexia felt it was familiar, something she knew well.

“Ah, Princess Mirexia, you can’t be so naughty~” Vanessa’s voice, tinged with a hint of reproach but still gentle and indulgent, whispered in her ear. “Even if you want to act spoiled, now’s not the time, is it?”

Could it really be??

Considering the possibility, combined with Vanessa’s motherly words, Mirexia felt her head starting to spin.

No, no, what was wrong with her?? This wasn’t normal at all??

Between the same sex, such things shouldn’t elicit such a strong reaction. She had those too, and even if they were slightly smaller than Vanessa’s, the difference wasn’t significant.

So, this should be perfectly normal... right??

Mirexia couldn’t understand. In the palace, she had interacted with many maids, and at academy, the student council members she dealt with were all girls. She had always found these interactions normal, never having such an intense reaction.

So, what was this??

“Virtue +500.”

“Current Virtue: 4054.”

Huh?? What’s going on??

Vanessa noticed the increase in virtue, feeling puzzled.

She remembered spending 1000 points of virtue earlier.

How had it almost fully recovered so quickly? Even if breathing could generate virtue, it shouldn’t be this fast.

Could it be that Mirexia was the type who could generate emotional value towards her just by existing, thus boosting virtue??

Was she a walking ATM??