Hearing Silver-haired Lilian’s words, Elia glanced back at Silver-haired Lilian, who was tightly bound by the Golden Light Chains yet still restless, a slight curve appearing at the corner of her lips:
“What’s the rush? I’m not going to eat her.”
After saying that, Elia even licked her moist, cherry-pink lips, making her words utterly unconvincing.
“Who knows what you old hag is thinking?” Silver-haired Lilian gritted her teeth and struggled.
She unleashed a furious surge of Black Energy, trying desperately to break free from her restraints, but it was all in vain.
At this moment, she was like an incompetent husband threatened by his boss, helplessly watching the one he loved being held in someone else’s arms.
The Black Energy swirled wildly around her but had no effect.
“Old hag, give me back Sister Iana quickly.”
“Old hag?” Upon hearing Silver-haired Lilian’s words, Elia suddenly stopped flying.
Silver-haired Lilian was caught off guard and crashed into Elia’s back.
But Elia acted as if nothing had happened, completely unfazed by the collision.
She raised an eyebrow and looked at Silver-haired Lilian with a “kind” expression.
Age was always a taboo topic for any girl, and Silver-haired Lilian’s action was like dancing in flames.
If Silver-haired Lilian’s intention was to provoke Elia’s anger, then she had probably succeeded.
“Looks like I need to properly teach a certain rude little brat a lesson.” Elia took hold of Silver-haired Lilian’s slender waist with one hand and laid her sideways across her slightly plump thigh.
Silver-haired Lilian’s nose pointed downward.
As soon as she touched Elia’s thigh, she first felt a soft warmth, followed by a faint, delicate fragrance that wafted into her nose.
But she was in no mood to appreciate any of that.
She desperately twisted her body, trying to break free from Elia’s hold.
Her disheveled silver hair framed her cheeks, flushed deep red from embarrassment, making her look especially miserable.
“Let go of me! You despicable old hag!” Silver-haired Lilian hissed through clenched teeth, panic creeping into her voice.
Elia chuckled softly and raised her hand to gently stroke Lilian’s back, the motion tender as if calming a frightened kitten, yet her tone carried an unyielding authority:
“Seems like someone needs to learn some manners.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than Elia lifted her delicate hand and lightly smacked Silver-haired Lilian’s buttocks.
“Smack!”
The crisp sound rang sharply in the quiet air.
Although the strike didn’t cause much pain, the insult was profound.
Silver-haired Lilian’s body froze instantly.
Her eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened.
After a moment, she snapped back, screaming in shame and fury, “You—you actually dared to do that to me!”
Before Lilian could fully recover from her embarrassment, Elia’s hand came down again on her rear.
“Smack!”
“Elia, I’ll kill you!” Silver-haired Lilian’s voice cracked with tears as she twisted her body wildly, but Elia’s grip was like iron, rendering her immobile.
“Oh? Looks like I still haven’t been harsh enough.” Elia narrowed her eyes and increased the force of her hand.
“Please no! This isn’t my body. Even if you want to punish me, don’t hit Lilian’s body, okay?”
Silver-haired Lilian’s words made Elia pause for a moment.
She lowered her head to look at the girl in her arms, brows slightly furrowed.
“You might have a point,” Elia murmured softly.
Seeing this, Silver-haired Lilian seized the moment, biting her lip and adding, “Right, this is Lilian’s body. If you keep hitting it, she’s the one who’ll feel the pain!”
Elia was silent for a moment, then sighed lightly and released her iron grip, a look of helplessness crossing her face.
Silver-haired Lilian immediately bounced off her thigh, clutching her burning backside, shooting Elia a fierce glare.
Elia ignored her and instead looked down at the unconscious Iana in her arms.
Her fingertips gently brushed Iana’s cheek as she whispered, “Let’s take you all to the church first.”
Holding Iana tightly with one arm, Elia grabbed Silver-haired Lilian by the collar of her coat with the other.
With a spread of her Light Wings, she swiftly flew toward the distant church.
***
Inside the Church.
The interior of the church was vast and spacious.
White quartz pillars supported the ceiling, and rows of pews stretched out, enough to seat thousands simultaneously.
This was not a casual roadside chapel where anyone could come and pray.
This church was only opened by the Church for major ceremonies.
Only people of very high status were invited inside, and as of now, there were only two who could freely enter this church in the world: the Pope, who was far away in the Capital, and the Saintess.
At the very center of the church stood a sacred and noble Statue of the Goddess.
Its features resembled Elia’s strikingly, as if it were an ancestor of hers.
“Hey, why did you bring us here?” Silver-haired Lilian clicked her tongue, clearly displeased.
Elia said nothing and walked over to the goddess statue, clasping her hands and silently praying for a long while.
Only after finishing her prayer did Elia turn around and approach Silver-haired Lilian and the still-unconscious Iana.
Her gaze shifted, finally resting on Silver-haired Lilian, staring at her until the girl felt a chill.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Silver-haired Lilian asked nervously, recalling the spanking she had just received.
When they had entered the church, the golden light chains binding Silver-haired Lilian had already vanished.
Yet Elia showed no concern that Lilian might cause trouble.
Not only was Elia’s power far beyond Lilian’s, but there was no chance for Lilian to do anything under Elia’s watchful eyes.
More importantly, the moment Silver-haired Lilian stepped into this church, she felt an overwhelming pressure suppressing her power.
“How much of That Creature’s aura have you been tainted with?” Elia finally broke the silence after a pause.
“Why should I tell you?” Lilian shot back.
“Not going to say?” Elia grabbed Silver-haired Lilian again and placed her back on her thigh, raising her hand once more.
“Don’t, don’t! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you,” Silver-haired Lilian immediately grew fearful of another spanking.
“To be honest, I don’t even know how much of the aura I’ve absorbed. All I know is that I’ll never be able to cleanse it from myself in this lifetime.”
“When Lilian was infected, I gained consciousness—like I was born specifically to protect her.”