Chapter 91: The Oracle’s Command

“I am her friend.”

“What?”

Philina smiled and said something that left even the Thunder Saint baffled. 

She placed a hand on her own cheek.

“Right now, the strongest person in this castle is you. How strange~ Gabriella is clearly far more powerful than all of you combined, yet none of you seem to care about her. Have humans these days forgotten how to revere the divine?”

The Thunder Saint fell silent for a moment. 

She knew that a Goddess had once existed in this world. 

The prophecy of the Heavenly Hammer Sage spoke of the Goddess soon waging battle against an evil god. 

And this person disguised as Philina might truly be connected to that exalted being.

Her attitude immediately became more respectful.

“Miss Philina, we do not know where Lady Gabriella is.”

The Thunder Saint wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“Lady Gabriella died in the Demon Domain eight years ago. For some reason, she came back to life.”

“What?”

At that moment, the Thunder Saint opened her mouth to speak, only to realize no sound came out.

Her body suddenly went limp and powerless. 

She collapsed to her knees, able only to lift her head and gaze at the red-haired girl who claimed to be Gabriella’s friend. 

She could not look away.

Cough.

Philina—or rather, the girl now known as Philina—closed her eyes.

She searched through the memories in her mind and finally found information matching what the Thunder Saint had said.

More memories surfaced: the information she had gathered about this world in the ten-plus years since her reincarnation.

Among them were the glorious deeds of the Silver-White Sword Empress, a campaign to assault the Demon King, and the ruthless betrayal of that same Sword Empress.

Rage surged within her. 

Countless sharp blades seemed to flash in her eyes. 

If looks could kill, the Thunder Saint would already have been cut to pieces.

“Lady Gabriella… Lady Gabriella… Why did this happen?”

“Why did humans treat you this way?”

Philina suddenly recalled marching alongside Grand Commander Elsa to the Demon King’s Castle. 

Back then, she had even crossed swords with Gabriella once.

But what happened next…

To protect humanity, Gabriella was captured and controlled by the evil god. 

Right in front of Philina and the Ice Saint Tina, she swore loyalty to the Demon King.

In the end…

Even Commander Elsa discarded her Grand Commander medal! 

She chose to betray humanity!

Yet the Gabriella of old could have slain the evil god for the sake of humanity and world peace—only she failed to seal away a fragment of that soul.

Now, the fated battle between the Goddess and the evil god was about to begin. 

But Gabriella had been bewitched and controlled… all to repay a debt to the very race that had betrayed her?

“Lady Gabriella, this is not your fault.

“You are still far too kind.”

Philina murmured to herself.

Then she looked at the Thunder Saint and gently pulled her up from the ground.

“Who is the current ruler of humanity?”

“The… Holy Queen, Her Majesty.”

“Where is she? I need to speak with her.”

At that moment, the Thunder Saint pointed toward the northern sky.

Philina seemed to understand something. She turned into a streak of crimson light and vanished.

Only the Thunder Saint remained, frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.

After a short while, the Thunder Saint finally stood, brushing the dust from her clothes with lingering fear.

She vaguely remembered the history textbooks—the legendary figures said to stand beside the Goddess.

“An Oracle.”

At the same time, Philina reached the highest peak of the Black Stone Mountains in an instant.

The wind lifted her hair as she gazed at the sun above. For a moment, she felt lost.

That human was right. 

The Holy Queen, Lady Simona, had left in this direction.

She had gone to the Demon Domain with Gabriella.

Yet after so long, there was no news at all. 

Even the Thunder Saint herself did not know Lady Simona’s whereabouts.

“Simona.”

Philina was one of the few in the Knight Order who had mastered long-distance voice transmission magic.

She remembered establishing a magical link with Tina that allowed communication over vast distances.

After reincarnating, she had simply encountered some difficulties and been imprisoned by that girl calling herself the Saintess.

This magic had not existed tens of thousands of years ago.

“Deconstruct…”

“Hm.”

“I understand.”

Philina closed her eyes. 

When she opened them again, her ruby-like pupils glimmered faintly. 

She could sense the distant presence of the Holy Queen.

Right now, she was in the Demon King’s Castle… What was she doing there?

Philina could not comprehend why the Holy Queen would go to the Demon King’s Castle.

Because the current Holy Queen could escape from there anytime she wished.

That was precisely why Philina could sense her in reverse.

…Could it be that she was carrying out a mission with Tina and Elsa?

Philina thought she understood.

But the Holy Queen’s negligence was unbearable.

She closed her eyes again, tracing every thread of magical energy in the air. 

In a tone of reproach, she sent her voice to the Holy Queen:

“This is Oracle Philina. Please hurry and bring back the Goddess. I will assist you. Do not slack off.”

At that very moment, in the inner residential palace of the Demon King’s Castle.

Sunlight filtered through orange-yellow curtains, spilling onto the golden hair of a girl cradled on the sofa. 

Holy Queen Simona let out soft, breathless gasps. 

One hand gently caressed her lips while the other touched her waist.

“Liya, Master, please don’t…”

Shadows slipped along Liya’s slender fingers into Simona’s chest. 

Her suddenly widened eyes bore the marks and patterns of the demon race. 

The golden horns atop her head flickered in and out of view amid the swirling miasma, rendering her struggling cries utterly meaningless.

“Little Simona, is this… okay?”

“Ah… ahh…”

Simona gripped Liya’s wrist tightly, but what followed was a deep kiss.

A faint, unnoticeable resolve burned in her flushed cheeks and defiant eyes. 

Yet the demonic whispers coiling around her ears threatened to shatter her reason at any moment.

“Our relationship has returned to how it once was. But don’t worry—I won’t hurt my beloved, just like the Demon King.”

“Mm…”

Simona nodded. 

To gather intelligence, to deceive everyone, she had no choice but to temporarily submit to Liya.

The Oracle Philina’s voice transmission rang in her ears. 

Her eyes flew open in realization.

But soon, it dissolved into nothingness amid Liya’s kisses.

She could not afford to be careless. 

In an instant, she understood the significance of the sender to Lady Gabriella and the importance to their future plans.

So she immediately replied through transmission:

“Mm! Mm… Oracle, my lady…”

“I’m… fine… I will… bring her back… rescue… Gabrie… ahh, my lady♡”