Chapter 441: A New Enemy Joins the Battle in Thirty Seconds

Liya was still dressed in that same pure, sanctified long gown as before, yet the majesty that belonged to a Saintess had, along with the sacred crown upon her head, faintly surfaced between the young girl’s brows and eyes.

Seeing Liya again, Ariel was somewhat uneasy. She didn’t believe that the deep bond between her and Liya would grow estranged over the mere span of a month.

But the position of Saintess was, after all, too high and too distant, and Ariel had not been there to accompany her along the way. So in her heart she worried a little: would there now be a lamentable thick barrier between them?

Yet when she and Liya embraced, feeling the familiar breath in her arms, the heart that had been suspended came to rest.

Liya was still Liya, still that lovely and kindhearted girl. She would not change in the slightest just because of a lofty seat as Saintess.

And as for Ariel, she was still the one closest by the waterside pavilion—the childhood friend who benefited from proximity.

As for that touch of mature allure revealed while playing around just now... that must be the growth one must go through to reach the summit among the clouds.

Liya... has had it hard.

Feeling sour for Liya’s hardships over this past month, Ariel secretly wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes and pulled Liya down to sit.

“Right—Liya, can you tell me what happened to you this past month? And the specific details of how you became Saintess—I’m really curious.”

“Of course. I’m also really curious about what you went through this month, Ariel. I didn’t expect that not seeing you for a month, you’d have become so amazing.”

After a whole day of busyness, Liya was also quite happy to chat with this long-missed friend.

However, before she began, she did look to Ariel with a trace of regret and said:

“It’s just... regarding the details of how I became Saintess...”

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Liya’s hesitant look, Ariel suddenly felt a familiar déjà vu.

As if seeing a certain mutt yapping away in front of her.

Sure enough, the next moment, Liya’s cherry lips parted slightly, and she breathed out two words:

“Classified.”

“...”

Ariel forcibly restrained the twitch at her eye corner.

“Sorry, Ariel. I’m not deliberately trying to hide anything from you.”

Liya gripped Ariel’s hand and hurriedly apologized:

“But you’re not Church personnel, after all. There are many things I can’t disclose to you.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

Ariel quickly recovered her mood and laughed heartily:

“I don’t mind.”

As she spoke, she reversed her grip and kneaded Liya’s soft little hand a few times, then cast a provocative glare at Muen at the side.

So what if there’s a so-called “shared secret” because of Church rules? Look at me—I can hold Liya’s hand. Can you?

“...”

Muen rubbed his nose and pretended not to see Ariel’s provocation.

“Where should I start... let me think... Right, from that forest before. Ariel, listen—back in that forest, I saw a really big octopus...”

Not noticing Ariel’s small actions, Liya had already begun chattering away.

But she skimmed over the heavy parts and chose some lighter bits to tell, and at the same time concealed Muen’s presence as much as possible, to keep Ariel from sensing anything about their relationship.

“Hold it.”

Ariel suddenly called a stop.

“W-What’s wrong?”

Liya jumped in fright, thinking she had said something wrong and Ariel had noticed something.

But no—Ariel merely turned again to the side where Muen was working hard to lower his sense of presence, tipped her chin, and said:

“How can there be an outsider present during a private chat between besties?”

Ariel bit down hard on the two words “outsider.”

“This...” Liya hesitated.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go first, take a stroll.”

Muen, for his part, didn’t feel anything was wrong. Under Ariel’s “looks like I’ve won” expression, he raised both hands to indicate surrender.

Then, while Ariel wasn’t paying attention, he secretly threw Liya a “we’ll talk tonight” look—and, catching Liya’s own stealthy playful wink of “I didn’t understand,” likewise while Ariel wasn’t looking, he hummed a little tune and walked out the door.

It was already evening, and the weather was quite nice.

The night wind swept the flaming clouds, rolling magnificently along the horizon.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t had a good, proper relax this whole month.”

Muen stretched, and couldn’t help rubbing his kidneys along the way.

Fortunately, no matter how powerful Liya’s Holy Light Arts were, she was, in the end, just a still somewhat tender young girl... no, nothing more than that.

For now, still bearable—no, should say: just one little Liya, easy as pie, no pressure at all.

...

...

While Muen was humming a tune and wandering all over the Holy City, a furtive figure was also moving cautiously through the Aimier Grand Cathedral.

Relying on reconnaissance from these past days, the figure successfully avoided the passing nuns and clergy. The figure was about to reach the cathedral’s exit and, by taking the carriage waiting there long since, dash out of the city.

In the figure’s bright little eyes, excitement already flashed. After so long lying low and hardening the will, it was for this very moment; now at last it was time to—

“Yo, what a coincidence, Pink Bear. It’s getting late—heading out as well?”

“...”

In mid-gallop, Pink Bear froze, for the voice from the carriage wasn’t that of the booked driver.

It was...

“The cathedral isn’t a demon lair. Why are you being so sneaky?”

The carriage curtain lifted, revealing a flawless pretty face, studying Pink Bear with meaningful eyes.

“Or is it... you’ve done something bad again?”

“...Bad... bad? How you talk. Do I look like the sort who does bad things?”

Under that same gentle gaze as always, weighing pros and cons, Pink Bear ultimately did not turn tail and run, and instead obediently got into the carriage.

Opposite, the woman who no longer bore the title of Saintess and had returned to the identity of an ordinary person still sat straight-backed, posture elegant—leaving Pink Bear in a momentary daze.

“This...”

Noticing Pink Bear’s gaze, Latina lowered her head and, with practiced fingers, smoothed the hem of her skirt, making it neatly fit along her thighs.

“It’s habit. I said I wanted to let loose, and I haven’t given up smoking and drinking—but after disguising myself for a full twenty years, some things have become habit. As long as I’m in front of people, it’s almost instinct to be this way.”

“I see...”

A glint flashed in Pink Bear’s eyes.

“Let’s stop with that. We haven’t finished what we were just talking about—don’t think to change the subject.”

Latina propped her cheek and smiled, eyes narrowed, fixing her gaze on Pink Bear:

“Seeing you leaving in such a hurry, I thought you might have slipped a few Church silver pieces during the sacramental banquet just now, planning to secretly sell them to buy your beloved cigars and pin-up magazines.”

“Nonsense!”

Faced with the accusation, Pink Bear bristled with righteous fury:

“However you put it, I’m a dignified scion of the imperial family. How could I stoop to petty thie—”

Before Pink Bear finished, a delicate vessel slipped out of the leather suit with the intensity of Pink Bear’s movement, clattered, spun a few times, and landed by Latina’s feet.

“...”

The two stared at each other for a moment. Pink Bear cleared the throat, face unblushing and heart unflustered, stuffed the vessel back in, and said:

“Ahem... buying books... that’s not called stealing... How could this be called stealing? This is robbing the rich to help the poor. This is denouncing the Church’s extravagance!”

“...Enough. That was the payment the Church gave you for your previous help. Otherwise, did you really think you could take Church property out?”

Latina really couldn’t bear it and cut off this shameless spiel.

Yet there wasn’t much anger in it. This one had been just this shameless twenty years ago; after so long, aside from always hiding inside that ridiculous leather suit, not much else had changed.

Whereas she ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ herself had, in the end, been subtly changed quite a bit by the position of “Saintess.”

So what was she angry about?

The carriage was moving now. Latina lifted the curtain, her gaze gliding over the already all-too-familiar Holy City outside.

“You really want to slip away alone—just like twenty years ago?”

“What do you mean, slip away... I’ve finished my affairs at the Church for now, and the Academy students have already returned with the other instructors. That last girl called Ariel has also been found... I’m just going back to where I should be.”

The reasoning was sufficient, yet Pink Bear’s tone grew increasingly lacking in confidence, gradually dwindling to a mosquito’s buzz.

Latina did not let it go, but looked right into Pink Bear’s eyes:

“Are you that afraid of this old woman who hasn’t many years left?”

“Old woman?”

Pink Bear curled the lips in a soundless smile:

“If you’re an old woman, then what am I?”

“Oh, true. Staring at that comical leather suit on you every day, I nearly forgot you’re no different from me—half a foot in the coffin as well, old man.”

Latina continued looking out the window:

“Wait for me a few days. I’ll go back to Belrand with you.”

“Huh?”

Pink Bear was dumbstruck:

“What did you say?”

“I said... I’m going back to Belrand with you.”

Latina’s smile was half amused, half not. “How many times do I need to repeat it?”

“W-Why?” Pink Bear could barely get the words out.

“Do I need a reason? I’m no longer the Saintess. Naturally, I’ll go wherever I want.

Besides...”

In the depths of Latina’s eyes, reflections of distant lights and shadows flickered as she said softly:

“Didn’t you always tell me how wonderful Belrand is? Of course I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“But...”

Pink Bear fell silent for a moment:

“It’s not wonderful there lately. Not at all.”

“Is that so?”

Latina glanced at Pink Bear, abruptly lifted a foot, and drove her jade toes brutally into Pink Bear’s belly. The soft leather suit caved in at once; Pink Bear’s eyes nearly popped out, struggling with all might.

Gazing at the flailing Pink Bear, Latina smiled:

“But you’ll protect me, won’t you, old man?”

“...Uu... I will, I will...”

Tearful and snotty, Pink Bear had no ability to resist and could only submit under the tyranny of the wicked woman before them.

Damn it—could a kick that could kill three elephants really be something I’m qualified to protect?

Pink Bear griped inwardly.

“Very good.”

Seeing Pink Bear submit, Latina’s beautifully curved legs once again pressed neatly together beneath the long skirt. Pink Bear’s gaze sneaked after them, but before there was time to properly appreciate the view, the carriage jolted and stopped.

“What’s this...”

Pink Bear asked, bewildered:

“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked what you’re going to do yet.”

“Handle some affairs.”

“Affairs? Aren’t you no longer the Saintess?”

“Even so, Liya has only just taken office. There are many things where she still needs me, her teacher, to lend a hand. And this time it’s related to you, so I brought you along.”

“Related to me.”

Pink Bear pointed at Pink Bear’s own chest, even more at a loss.

“That’s right.”

Latina nodded:

“The specific matter is this: because Evil Gods have been increasingly active of late, His Holiness the Pope has decided to bring together anti–Evil God organizations from various nations to exchange experience and intelligence and the like—and, best of all, to rely on the Church to establish a unified front.”

“And, on the continent, the organizations most famous for handling Evil God incidents—apart from the Church—are...”

Pink Bear suddenly understood as well.

“Yes—the Silent Bureau of your Empire.”

Latina nodded and stepped out of the carriage.

At the same time, another figure also stepped down from another carriage a short distance away.

The two greeted each other with polite courtesy.

“Hello, I’m the Church’s representative—former Saintess, Latina.”

“Hello. Your reputation precedes you.”

Before Latina, the other casually gathered her long hair and swept it across her chest. With a beauty mark at the corner of her eye and crescent-moon eyes, she revealed a gentle yet alluring smile:

“I am the Acting Swordbearer of the Silent Bureau—Anna Kaplin.”