“The technique of combat?”
Kuchierkan looked at the greatsword in her hand. In the past, she had always relied on her violent Magical Power and draconic physique to suppress her enemies.
However, her invincible advantages had been targeted and countered for two consecutive days. This was the first time she had felt so helpless in a fight.
In the past, when facing the Elders in Dragon Valley, she would suffer crushing defeats, but at least it was never a total one-sided suppression like today, where she didn’t even have the chance to fight back.
Kuchierkan sighed.
The restlessness in her Dragon Blood had been beaten into submission by Andrea. She said honestly, “Thank you, Senior, for teaching me a lesson. It seems I need to focus on improving my techniques from now on.”
Hearing this, Andrea felt a bit sheepish. She grumbled inwardly, ‘Why did I end up awakening this Princess? You better not learn anything. If you do, I won’t be able to bully you anymore with my meager skills.’
Come to think of it, this was also the first time Andrea had faced a fellow dragon in frontal combat and won.
Although the preconditions were strict, a win was a win. Andrea was always one to encourage herself. She secretly pumped her small fist to cheer herself on, deciding that she would go find Ailaira and show off later.
Speaking of Ailaira, the excited Andrea finally remembered she still had a mission. She coughed twice, recalling the lines Ailaira had given her, and spoke. “Kuchierkan, I’ve satisfied your request. How is your own mission coming along?”
“Ah? Oh, right! The Elders did give me something to do.”
Kuchierkan realized this as if waking from a dream, scratching her head with an embarrassed laugh. Watching her, Andrea felt she was a bit unreliable. Was it really okay to leave an important task to someone like this? Dragon Valley was going to fall sooner or later.
‘Look at me, I completed my task perfectly. Ailaira, you should be happy you picked me up!’
‘Wait, why did I just default to being the one who was picked up?’
Kuchierkan finally managed to dredge up the instructions from the Elders from the back of her mind. She spoke hesitantly.
“The Elders said that after arriving at the Royal Capital, I should find someone from the Church and give them something. But I haven’t seen anyone yet!”
Andrea became alert. For a member of a non-human race living in human territory, the Church of Life was the primary entity to be wary of.
She had once observed a trial held by the Church’s Disciplinary Army from a distance. That suffocating sense of pressure was something she could never forget.
Her expression grew solemn, and her voice sank. “Who is it?”
“I think the name was… Sillirora?”
—
Inside the Church’s affiliated sanitarium, in a ward heavily guarded by several Guardian Knights at the deepest point, lay a woman wrapped in bandages.
After a moment, the Sixth Saintess, who was specifically responsible for healing, entered the room. She stared at the figure on the bed whose breathing was weak and let out a sorrowful sigh. “Oh, Sillirora, why did you have to do this?”
With a wave of her hand, a green aura symbolizing healing immediately filled the ward. A moment later, all the points of light condensed with Magical Power merged into Sillirora’s body, and her breathing visibly steadied.
However, the burns caused by the explosion and her damaged internal organs were not fully healed; only her basic vital signs were maintained.
It wasn’t that the Sixth Saintess was incapable of full restoration.
Rather, it was the Chief Inquisitor’s order.
Because the Pope’s current attitude regarding the loss of a Saintess was unclear, they could not dispose of her, yet they could not let Sillirora recover completely lest she cause more trouble. Thus, they were keeping her alive for the time being, waiting to deal with her once the Chief Inquisitor successfully contacted the Pope.
Just as the Sixth Saintess finished her daily task and prepared to leave, a sudden change occurred.
The patient, who had been weak moments ago, suddenly erupted with powerful Magical Power that swept toward the Sixth Saintess.
Reacting quickly, the Sixth Saintess turned and pulled out her scepter to meet the attack. But the moment she saw the figure standing on the hospital bed, her eyes lost focus, and she gazed forward with burning intensity.
“Di… Divine Mother!”
In that moment, the face beneath the bandages was no longer Sillirora, but an appearance identical to the statue of the Goddess!
The radiance surrounding her was as holy as a deity descending to the world. With just one look, the Sixth Saintess cast aside her rationality. Like a hungry infant, she threw herself into the Goddess’s loving embrace.
The sense of security was like being in amniotic fluid, incomparable and absolute, causing all consciousness to return to the beginning of birth—to that undisturbed, eternal sleep.
The unconscious Sixth Saintess was wrapped in floating bandages, disguised as the original patient, and laid peacefully on the bed.
After a brief wait, Sillirora returned to her own appearance. She was currently naked, and not a single trace of a burn could be seen on her skin. With tears streaming down her face, Sillirora pressed her hands together and knelt in prayer. “Merciful Divine Mother, thank you for your compassion.”
“I am your most devout believer; please forgive me for borrowing your image. To carry out your will and complete the trial, I will pay any price!”
“Even if I must discard this decaying shell, I will surely offer the Mercury Witch to you!”
“May my soul, having passed through the trial, always remain by the Divine Mother’s side.”
After finishing her prayer, the fanaticism for the deity in Sillirora’s eyes grew even stronger, but the madness did not consume her reason. Continuing with her plan, she used Magical Power to disguise herself as the Sixth Saintess and walked out of the ward with poise.
Everything that had happened in the room was silent. Therefore, when the Sixth Saintess seemingly left unharmed, the Guardian Knights on duty noticed nothing unusual.
In this manner, Sillirora wore the Sixth Saintess’s guise and bypassed all the guards, leaving the sanitarium in broad daylight. However, before she could get far, she ran straight into someone she didn’t want to meet.
Trinice, accompanied by her knight, Kadella, was walking toward the sanitarium. Seeing the Sixth Saintess strolling out, a trace of doubt appeared on Trinice’s face, but she offered a polite greeting. “Good morning, Sixth Saintess.”
Sillirora was forced to stop and put on a gentle, kind smile. “Good morning, Your Highness.”
“Is the Lady Saintess in a hurry to go out?”
A look of urgency appeared on Sillirora’s face, and her tone carried a hint of impatience, as if she were desperate to save a life. “There is a critically ill patient in the South District who needs help. I am preparing to rush over.”
“I see.” Trinice nodded in realization, continuing with a touch of apology, “The situation is urgent. I’ll have Knight Kadella escort you there.”
Sillirora declined. “It’s all right. The distance isn’t far; I can make it on my own.”
With that, Sillirora said no more and quickened her pace to walk past Trinice. However, at the moment the two brushed past each other, a sharp hum rang out, and a cold blade was pressed against Sillirora’s neck.
Sillirora looked at the aggressive Kadella and then glanced at the calm Trinice. She asked in a deep voice, “What is the meaning of this, Princess? Has the Royal Family grown so bold as to draw a sword against a Saintess on the Church’s territory?”
A kind smile appeared on the corner of Trinice’s mouth as she obediently took two steps back. She said leisurely, “Of course we wouldn’t dare. But that’s only if the person in question is still a Saintess, and not an exiled traitor.”
“Am I right, Lady Sillirora?”