Chapter 443: Sharpening the Knives

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The dull knocking sounded outside the door.

So sudden.

In the hush, Liya and Muen under the bed both stiffened at once, staring warily toward the door.

Who was it?

Lin?

No—that was definitely not Lin’s knock. Familiar with Lin, Liya knew perfectly well: as a well-bred High Sister, Lin always paired her knocking with a polite greeting.

Then other nuns?

Also no.

So that her relationship with a certain mutt wouldn’t be exposed, by Liya’s own insistence—and Lin’s stern order—the Saintess’s room, after nightfall, was an absolute forbidden zone to ordinary nuns and Church clergy alike!

Ariel’s knock had already scared them half to death, but who else would knock at a time like this?

“Is something wrong? Aren’t you going to open it?”

While the two of them were tensely trying to guess, only Ariel—who knew nothing—asked curiously.

“R-right... opening now.”

Liya snapped back to herself. She realized that wondering who was outside was pointless—open the door, and the truth would be obvious.

So she went to the door, pressed down the handle, took a deep breath, and opened the door that had only just been closed moments ago.

At the same time, Muen, under the bed, furtively stuck out half his face to sneak a look toward the doorway.

Then Liya and Muen shuddered together as if struck by lightning, stunned as the door swung inward to reveal that... exquisitely beautiful face wearing a seductive smile.

“Good evening, Your Holiness the Saintess.”

Outside the door, Anna pinched her skirt and bowed respectfully:

“Anna Kaplin, here by rude intrusion to pay my respects. I hope I haven’t disturbed you.”

“Y-you...?”

Looking at that not-quite-familiar pretty face, Liya went blank where she stood—her brain short-circuited for several seconds.

Of course she recognized the woman at a glance. Though they’d only crossed paths once, even that brief encounter was unforgettable. And now, thanks to a certain bad man, it was even more impossible to sever!

Because back at the academy, she had accidentally seen that kind of thing through a classroom window—the passionate “performance’s” male and female leads had been Muen under the bed behind her, and Senior Anna standing before her!

Though Liya herself had experienced that scene several times since, the memory of that steamy tableau had given the once-pure Liya quite a shock.

Why was she here?

For a moment, Liya felt a scrambled, caught-in-the-act panic, as if she were about to be discovered “in the very act.” Her thoughts tangled, and she didn’t know how to react.

And Muen under the bed at this moment...

His. Heart. Stopped.

Why?

Why would Senior Anna appear in the Holy City—at the Aimier Grand Cathedral—here?

That made no sense! Shouldn’t she be in the Silent Bureau, training as the Swordbearer’s successor? How could she—

Wait, the Silent Bureau?

In a flash, Muen’s mind replayed the scene on Liya’s desk—the anti–Evil God organizations invited by the Church to attend the conference!

If Senior was here as the Silent Bureau’s representative... that explained everything.

Damn it, he shouldn’t have been so impatient just now. If he’d stayed with Liya to go through every page on the desk first, he wouldn’t be so unprepared!

If he’d known Senior was coming to the Holy City, he would’ve played this much cooler.

Right then Muen finally understood how important Sister Lin was.

Sorry, Sister Lin. I shouldn’t have called you stiff.

Now that he thought about it, you standing faithfully at the door, driving off all unrelated personnel, was a beacon in the sea fog, an alarm before the coming disaster, the trumpet sounded when the end draws near!

Regret aside, Muen could only curl himself tighter under the bed. By instinct, he judged that Senior barging straight into Liya’s room meant she’d leveraged information as the Swordbearer’s heir and deduced some clues.

This visitor was not friendly...

“Ah, h-hello, Senior Anna.”

After a brief panic, Liya regained her composure as Saintess and returned the greeting politely.

She quickly recalled those documents she’d seen before. Although she hadn’t seen Anna there, she had already guessed why Anna would appear.

Precisely because of that, like a beast catching a whiff of its own kind mid-meal, Liya instantly shifted into battle state.

Though their last meeting had been excruciatingly awkward, this time—she had no intention of losing!

“Huh? You’re Senior ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Anna from the Academy, right?”

Only Ariel—still clueless—lit up at the sight, dazzled by Anna’s peerless beauty. She hurried over excitedly:

“I’m from the Academy too—second-year student, Ariel Bugaard. We’ve met before. Do you remember?”

“Of course, Miss Ariel. Your performance that night was truly unforgettable.”

Anna gave a slight nod to Ariel.

“Thank you.”

Ariel’s eyes shone even brighter.

The “night” Anna meant was the day those perverted male same-sex cultists invaded the academy. Ariel had fought them with extraordinary courage. Though the scene had been chaotic and deafening, she hadn’t expected Senior Anna to remember.

Right—

Ariel suddenly recalled that on that same night, she’d forged a bond with a certain blonde beauty.

Unfortunately, she’d been too busy afterward and never found the time to dial the frequency she’d long since saved into her sound-transmission stone.

Looked like she should pick up that thread when she had the chance.

“Senior Anna, visiting so late—did you need something?”

Liya straightened her back, eyeing Anna warily.

Anna Kaplin before her was indeed a great beauty even Liya couldn’t help admiring.

Exquisite features, a seductive yet not gaudy aura, eyes as if soaked in spring water—deeply alluring.

Not only a peerless face; her figure was nearly flawless—full curves front and back, lush lines, and those hips that flared from a slender waist... even Liya, as a woman, found them breathtaking.

No wonder that bad man liked her.

“No major business. I’m here tonight in a private capacity to pay a visit to Her Holiness. And you can skip the ‘Senior’—just call me Anna.”

Anna was also examining Liya closely. She hadn’t looked carefully last time; now that she did—

Playful-cute looks; every frown or smile tugged at the heart. A figure a touch on the plump side, only making her womanly charms more pronounced; in that pure white ceremonial gown, she looked too moving to be a thing of earth.

Especially—

Anna glanced down, quietly, at the mountain range even more majestic than her own.

As expected—the type that bad man would like.

“In that case, you don’t need to call me ‘Your Holiness’ either. Just call me Liya.”

With a gentle smile, Liya led Anna inside.

When the door closed, the three girls from the same academy smiled at one another. At a glance, everything looked perfectly harmonious.

“By the way—my sudden visit didn’t interrupt you, did it? You’re awfully busy these days.”

Anna’s peripheral vision swept over the desk strewn with messy papers, then toward the bookshelf beside it, which was arranged perfectly neat.

Two completely different scenes in one place—it was as if...

“...No, not at all. I just happen to have nothing urgent right now,” Liya replied with a smile, casually blocking Anna’s line of sight.

“Hmm?”

Ariel tilted her head, puzzled. Hadn’t she just said—

Right.

She realized at once: unlike with her, who was a close friend, Senior Anna was still a guest, after all. Politeness came first—you couldn’t just shoo a guest away.

“Then I’ll go first—you two chat?”

Ariel blinked, speaking pitifully.

“Wait.”

Liya hurriedly caught her hand:

“No need to go, Ariel. Since Anna is here privately, we won’t be discussing anything too secret. You stay too—we’re all classmates.”

Because of that past incident, Liya felt she was born one step shorter than Senior Anna; she had to find someone to steady her nerves. Otherwise, if it were just the two of them alone—with Muen hiding under the bed—she really would feel like an adulterous pair about to be caught in the act.

“Really?”

Ariel lit up with joy.

She glanced at Liya, then at Senior Anna, who kept smiling and looked so easy to get along with.

Two peerless beauties sharing a room with her, settling in for girls’ private midnight talk.

Warm lights, fluttering candle flames, the air a touch overheated—what better time to close the distance and deepen their bond?

With a chance this good, how could a girl dedicated to opening a grand crystal palace—a Queen of Girls’-Love—not seize it with both hands?

She rubbed her palms together, excited and nervous.

Ariel—already sharpening her knives!