Isiphlan was feeling rather anxious.
She had heard Aililan’s grand and ambitious declarations, yet she was troubled by the girl’s apparent lack of desire to “climb the ladder.”
The Fifth Wing region had always been a chronic headache for the Church. The situation there was incredibly complex—not only was there the threat of the Orcs, but there was also the watchful eyes of the Elves and the Demons lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance.
Generations of Saintesses had gone there to govern, yet none had ever dared to claim they had complete control.
Now, Aililan was daring to face the challenge head-on. If she truly could govern that place well, then ruling the entire Church would naturally be the next logical step.
But she said she wanted to stay in her own little corner?
This was something Isiphlan could not accept.
Seeing that Aililan still looked as if she had more to say, Isiphlan feared she might utter something even more ridiculous. She quickly waved her hand to interrupt. “All right, today is a family banquet. Let us not discuss these disappointing matters anymore.”
Aililan muttered softly, “How could you…”
Isiphlan glared at her, pulled her close, and began to pinch and rub her cheeks. “I told you to stop talking. Didn’t you hear me?” she said crossly. “Otherwise, I really will get angry.”
Aililan quickly begged for mercy. “All right, all right, I won’t say another word.”
The moment she broke free, she immediately slipped away to exchange flirtatious glances with Diligence.
—
Several hours passed.
The Saint of Temperance and the Saint of Generosity, who had been presiding over affairs in the Holy Land, finally arrived as well. When the two saw Isiphlan’s worried expression, they couldn’t help but feel bewildered.
After asking about the cause and learning the reason, they couldn’t resist covering their mouths to hide their soft laughter.
Lizberu, the Saint of Temperance, teased, “Lady Isiphlan, please don’t worry yourself. Saying something and actually doing it are two very different things. The situation in Atester is far too treacherous; Chastity might not truly be in control.”
Isiphlan gave her a sharp look. “Do you really think Chastity is just some innocent little white rabbit?”
At that moment, Melissa, the Saint of Generosity, leaned in as well. She asked with great interest, “Oh? It seems there are things we don’t know about yet?”
On the other side, Aililan and Yegeerlinai were hiding in a corner, still busy exchanging glances.
Meanwhile, the three other women—Isiphlan and the newcomers—found a secluded spot. Isiphlan took out two envelopes and a bottle of perfume potion, placing them in front of the two.
“What is this?” the two Saintesses asked curiously.
Isiphlan explained, “This is a perfume potion. It has already gone viral among the Elves, and now it is nearly impossible to find a single bottle. The highest grade can even be sold for over 1,500 gold coins on the black market.”
“It is no exaggeration to say that Chastity’s ability to make money is even greater than mine.”
Melissa couldn’t help but want to open it and take a sniff, but Isiphlan stopped her.
“What’s wrong?”
Isiphlan said calmly, “It contains aphrodisiac components.”
“What? Then isn’t it just… a drug?”
Isiphlan chuckled. “Anyone with a bit of knowledge knows its true nature. But do you know what its core ingredient is?”
The two felt helpless. “Please, stop keeping us in suspense.”
Isiphlan spoke slowly, “It’s a rare material from the Demon Lands.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “And the core ingredient for the highest-grade perfume is—the Succubus Lord’s Saliva.”
Temperance and Generosity: “?”
Temperance and Generosity: “!!!”
“What? The Succubus Lord’s Saliva?”
The two cried out in shock. If this hadn’t been their younger sister’s business, they would have already ordered the Heresy Inquisition Guards to wipe it out.
Seeing their shocked expressions, the corners of Isiphlan’s mouth curled upward—she hadn’t reacted much better when she first found out.
“I also felt something was wrong at the time, so I sent people to investigate in secret.”
“The result—good heavens, the investigation turned up a pile of top-secret information.”
“Do you know? The Church’s army has actually penetrated deep into the Demon Lands and occupied a mineral vein.”
“What’s even more interesting is that those high-level demons not only do not oppose it, but they also don’t attack or sabotage the operation.”
“Do you think it’s because they are kind-hearted?”
The expressions of Temperance and Generosity gradually grew solemn.
In the eyes of some hardliners, such behavior would even be considered a fall from grace.
However, the information Isiphlan held painted an extremely bizarre picture—a subtle “peace” had actually formed between Atester and the Demon Lands.
After a moment of silence, Isiphlan suddenly asked, “Do you think Chastity can govern Atester well?”
Temperance answered without hesitation, “Yes.”
Generosity pondered for a moment before nodding. “For the most part… yes.”
Isiphlan asked again, “Then, if she can even govern Atester well, can she govern the entire Church?”
Temperance and Generosity fell silent.
After a long while, Isiphlan said slowly, “I am telling you—she can.”
“But the problem is…”
“She seems to have no interest in governing the Church. She wants to turn Atester into a city that the whole world yearns for, and she even wants to settle down there permanently.”
“Tell me, how can I not be angry?”
The two were silent for a long time before saying, “It is still too early to draw a conclusion. Let us see her performance first. If she truly has that level of ability, we will find a way to bring her back.”
Isiphlan gave them a deep look, then turned toward the two in the distance who were still exchanging glances. She smiled meaningfully and said, “Perhaps, when the time comes, I really will have to rely on you two.”
—
As evening fell, the family banquet was finally prepared.
Aililan deliberately kept her distance from Yegeerlinai, even warning her beforehand, ‘Don’t make it too obvious.’
At the banquet, the Saintesses toasted one another, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
They no longer discussed political affairs, instead chatting about domestic life and interesting anecdotes.
Aililan loved this kind of atmosphere. Her several older sisters were particularly caring toward her, the youngest sister, and they kept pulling her into rounds of drinks.
Glass after glass.
Yegeerlinai watched with an itching heart until she finally couldn’t help but raise her glass. “Chastity has already had a lot to drink. I’ll drink for her.”
The Saint of Gentleness let her temper flare and said directly, “She can drink. Let her drink.”
Isiphlan watched the spectacle from the side. “Oh? My, my…”
“Diligence, since when did your relationship with Chastity become so good?”
Yegeerlinai said with a giggle, “Because Sister Chastity is a super great person. I like her the most.”
Isiphlan suddenly asked, “In what way do you ‘like’ her?”
Although Aililan was a bit tipsy, her mind was still clear. Feeling a chill run down her spine, she quickly interrupted, “Stop bullying Diligence. She’s had too much to drink.”
She hurriedly pulled the girl to her side, looking for all the world as if she were about to let the cat out of the bag if they kept talking.
This only piqued everyone’s curiosity even more.
These two—there was definitely something between them.
However, as for what it was exactly, they couldn’t quite guess yet.
Only Isiphlan seemed to have seen through everything long ago.
To see but not to speak.
It would be much more interesting to let this generation of Saintesses discover it for themselves, wouldn’t it?
She suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the past.
The Saintesses of that generation… especially that particular Saint of Chastity, who had “stolen hearts” everywhere she went.
When Isiphlan had “accidentally” discovered it back then, she had been shocked for a long time as well.
“Those were truly nostalgic times…” she murmured softly.
Once, she had thought she held a weakness over the other woman and had made many unreasonable demands.
Yet she hadn’t expected that, in turn, her own heart would be stolen.
By the time the other woman had fallen, Isiphlan herself was already beyond saving.
“So…”
Isiphlan shook her head gently, her gaze complicated.
‘My own Saint of Chastity… you stole so many hearts back then; why didn’t you steal mine?’
She pulled her thoughts back and waved her hand, helping Aililan and Yegeerlinai out of their predicament.
In the end, everyone was feeling a bit tipsy.
After this family banquet, most of the Saintesses would likely have to wait until next year’s reporting duty to see one another again.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.