Inside the dim dungeon of the military camp, Rachel, her voice hoarse from shouting injustice, leaned weakly against the iron bars, feeling utterly at a loss.
“When will Truth come to clear my name…?”
Rachel never expected things to turn out like this. If she had known earlier, she would have stopped sooner.
But at that time, Truth’s appearance was just too adorable—her cuteness even triggered Rachel’s own cute invasion syndrome.
She felt that the girl wasn’t that detestable after all, Rachel thought. So Truth was the type who liked to play pranks on others?
Sure enough, if she was a Saintess, she must have a lively side in private. But how did she fool my Purification Eye?
Even after everything Rachel did to her, Truth didn’t retaliate the way the Purification Eye foresaw.
It seemed it really was just a simple prank all along. But one thing Rachel was certain about—
Truth had definitely come into contact with some demon!
“Or maybe she caught the Sinful Aura while assisting others in hunting demons… It seems what the teacher said wasn’t without reason. My eyes can’t see the whole truth with absolute certainty…”
Suddenly, Rachel grew anxious about her own future. Her proudest ability wasn’t something she could fully trust.
Creak The iron door of the dungeon slowly opened, and a burly knight stepped inside.
It was Kavel. After dealing with demons in Watchtower City, he rushed back to pay respects to Saintess Aisia, confirmed Truth’s condition, and now came to check on his wayward student.
“Damn, Rachel, I can’t believe you dared to do something like this! The whole military camp is in uproar!
I don’t even know whether to praise you or scold you. As a demon hunter, your guts have earned the respect of all of us hunters.”
Kavel gave Rachel a thumbs-up reminiscent of Morpheus’s style through the bars. Rachel staggered to her feet.
“This really isn’t what you think, teacher!”
“Well, it depends on what Saintess Aisia says. She just hinted she wants to exile you.”
Exile? No way. I’m someone blessed by the Goddess herself. That punishment would be way too harsh for me.
As the earthly representative of the Life Goddess, Rachel was well aware of her influential standing among the demon hunters. Except for Kavel, no one dared to reprimand her.
But unfortunately, the one now scolding her was the Life Goddess’s spokesperson on earth. Unless the Goddess personally delivered a divine decree to spare her, this punishment was inevitable.
“Then… what did Truth say? She must have said something!” Rachel clutched the bars anxiously.
Though Truth liked pranks, Rachel knew she was fundamentally kindhearted—otherwise, she wouldn’t have been chosen by the Goddess as a Saintess!
“Truth…” Kavel hesitated, seeming reluctant to reveal her thoughts. But seeing his student’s hopeful expression… fine, he’d say it:
“She said she wants to take you to the market square to chop off your head.”
“What?!”
“You might be a bit too extreme in how you treated Rachel. You’re a quasi-Saintess after all. Directly sentencing someone to death isn’t great for your followers’ impression of you.”
Inside the tent, on a spacious sofa, Aisia gently stroked Truth’s hair as she lay on her lap. They had just exchanged some simple impressions, and Aisia found the future Ninth Saintess surprisingly contradictory.
She looked adorable, with a rare hair color that drew envy, yet the words she spoke were all extremely extreme.
Maybe she was just venting?
“I’m only a quasi-Saintess. Haven’t passed that so-called Divine Selection Ceremony yet. Executing someone isn’t a big deal. I’m just afraid that girl will run her mouth everywhere. Only the dead can’t talk,” Truth replied lazily.
This was probably the first time she’d been caught off guard since crossing over. She was afraid this would spread around.
So embarrassing. No more playing this kind of play.
“But she’s blessed by the Goddess. The Goddess has high hopes for her innate Purification Eye. So directly sentencing her to death would be difficult.”
“That skill is outdated. Even at max level, it’s useless. Skill Copy needs a target to copy from. Nowadays, even High-Level Players can hide in the Shadow World, where most skills are restricted. That Purification Eye can’t copy skills there. Only its Time Axis Drag is somewhat useful.”
Truth’s few words left Aisia speechless, unsure how to respond.
The Goddess was right—Truth must have gained ancient power and knowledge in the Dea Underground Labyrinth. She really understood the Purification Eye well. Alright, I won’t argue about that skill topic, but the Saintess topic is another matter!
Aisia then began lecturing Truth about the virtues of tolerance Saintesses must learn. Truth couldn’t respond, but hmph, never underestimate your seniors.
Because she wasn’t listening at all.
Unexpectedly, this Aisia was the Saintess about to undergo her Divine Selection Ceremony. She seemed easy to bully and smelled nice too—like fresh flowers…
Truth gently bit Aisia’s thigh, causing the latter to flinch slightly.
“Hey! Don’t bite me!”
Hmm, average reaction, needs training, Truth evaluated silently, then allowed herself to be helped up by Aisia.
“Goodness, you’re just like Trisa, always biting people!”
“Who’s Crusty Shark?”
“She’s the Seventh Saintess. She often bites others and leaves them covered in saliva. You absolutely can’t be like her.
Alright, if you’re feeling better, I’m going to check on Rachel’s situation now. I have a feeling there’s more to her story. You coming?”
“No, I’m afraid I can’t resist biting her.”
“Then stay put and don’t run off. After my people restore order in Watchtower Fort, I’ll bring you back to Dea City. I’ll be back soon. Meanwhile, I’ll see how your etiquette lessons are going.”
With that, Aisia stepped outside the tent. Soon after, Truth slipped out and disappeared quietly into the camp.
“I still need to check out the Watchtower Fort dungeon…”
…
The “Lost” nature of the mist had mostly dissipated, with only some peripheral areas left unrepaired.
Suna carefully followed the torches set up by the Adventurers and the campfires within the mist, carrying Elis’s Staff on her back.
Elis had said to borrow the staff temporarily. It only needed a simple assembly to be usable. The staff’s body wasn’t important—what mattered was the Celestial Fire Gem at the top, its superior quality, and the surrounding Runes.
“To become a Plague Mage…”
After confirming no monsters would suddenly appear in the mist, Suna bowed her head, contemplating Elis’s words.
Plague Mages, heretics who worship the Plague instead of any deity, once they became one, stood against the five True Gods—essentially making themselves enemies of all humanity. They had to live in hiding wherever they went, afraid of discovery.
But Elis said the True Gods tacitly accepted the existence of Plague Mages. They only suppressed the Plague’s followers openly because they feared losing their faith.
After all, humanity was limited and already divided among the five True Gods. If they wanted to fight, they should target other gods’ followers instead.
“This needs careful consideration. Once the arrow is loosed, there’s no turning back! Oh right, I still have to send Elis a letter first.”
Elis wanted Suna to help contact her teacher Rosalia in the royal capital.
But it was probably wishful thinking—Rosalia’s whereabouts were unpredictable; she could be in the capital in the morning and in Snowmant City by afternoon.
Still, it was worth a try. If it didn’t work out, Suna would have to be further persuaded to approach Lord Heavenly Fire herself…
As the mist gradually faded, Suna finally stepped out. Just as she planned to go home and study the Plague carefully, a low, hoarse voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
“Report to Watchtower Fort for training immediately.”
This was… a demon’s voice! Suna jumped in fright, cold sweat running down her back. What did that demon want to do to her this time?
At the same time, at the gates of Dea City, Reg stopped in his tracks, standing still. Anderson, who was nearby, looked puzzled and asked:
“Did a ghost possess you?”
“Urgent matter. Come with me to Watchtower Fort.”
“No.”
“There’s a benefit.”
“When do we leave?”