“We should all follow the Goddess’s instructions. Do you still remember the oath we swore in the Heavenly Oracle Sanctuary?”
“I remember.”
Philina’s thoughts drifted back to the distant past.
Back then, Liya and that esteemed lady had led all the remaining heavenly oracle envoys, following in the Goddess’s footsteps.
What came next was the decisive battle against the evil god.
They were determined to settle the score with the evil god who had killed Olivia.
Of course she remembered.
The gentle girl named Gabriella had looked back at them with ice-cold eyes that had long since lost the warmth they once held when Olivia was still alive.
That was why they all hated Isabella. They loathed her just as much as Gabriella did.
So why had they accepted the evil god now?!
“If Gabriella has chosen the evil god, then we should follow her lead and pledge our loyalty to the darkness as well, right?”
As she spoke, Liya’s hand that had been stroking Philina’s head moved to the back of her neck while her other hand rested on Philina’s forehead.
Philina watched with her own eyes as shadows flowed from Liya’s fingertips.
That power she had once seen on the evil god was now present in Liya as well.
What Liya intended to do was obvious—she wanted to corrupt Philina, a heavenly oracle envoy, and drag her into the abyss.
“No, please wait!”
Philina broke free from Liya’s touch and stumbled back several steps.
A trace of hesitation still lingered in her eyes.
“You can interpret it that way~”
“You’re saying heavenly oracle envoys should obey the evil god and become her apostles?”
“But that’s a conclusion you reached after being hypnotized by the evil god!”
Philina hugged her shoulders tightly and reached once more for the sword at her waist, only to find nothing but the cinched waist of her maid uniform and soft fabric.
“Lady Gabriella harbors a deep hatred for the evil god… Olivia didn’t even get the chance to break her curse before she died.”
“I…”
Philina’s delicate body trembled.
She had to bear the consequences of her own mistakes.
Even if it meant she might mentally collapse and fall just like Elsa and the others.
She could endure the darkness. She could save Olivia.
She could save Gabriella.
Miss Simona is innocent…
Philina’s voice was filled with unwavering resolve.
Liya shook her head, then let out a soft sigh.
A flicker of guilt appeared in her shadow-tainted eyes.
Did I awaken her rationality?
Philina thought she had found an opening, but Liya simply sighed and said,
“Look at you, still thinking of others even now… You’ve always been like this. Maybe impulsive, maybe stubborn, but still so kind.”
“Miss Philina, if you don’t believe me, you can stay here a few more days. None of us will stop you from leaving. In fact, we welcome you.”
There was a doting tone in Liya’s voice, just like in the old days.
She had never treated the pure heavenly oracle envoys as enemies.
“When you’ve thought it through, I’ll let you join [Shadow] just like Elsa and become one of us.”
“Ah… Ha…”
Soft, coquettish moans from a young girl echoed through the bedroom in the early morning.
She placed her hand on her flat, fair abdomen, gripping the other warm hand resting on top of it.
The pink patterns glowed faintly, as if digesting the shadows that had flowed into them and turning them into even more brilliant fluorescence.
“Mm~”
“It won’t be long now, my wife. This should make you feel better.”
“I understand~”
Mornings held special significance for Gabriella these days.
Because she was carrying a baby, her body was currently very weak.
She didn’t know how long this would last.
She only knew that in three months, her belly would gradually grow larger, just like any pregnant woman.
By then, she would hardly be able to use any mana, and both her body and mind would be subtly influenced.
For example, she would become even more attached to the person protecting her.
“Mm… Haa…”
After Isabella removed her hand from her belly, the flush on Gabriella’s face became even more pronounced.
She lifted her head and looked at her wife with a gaze full of longing and something almost unreasonable.
“Is it… over?”
“Mm~ Feeling better now, my wife?”
“Yes…”
When Gabriella recalled the predicament she had faced yesterday, her eyes grew misty with tears again.
This was the first time since Isabella had gotten her pregnant.
It was more painful than any illness she had ever suffered.
What pained her even more than the symptoms was this weakened body.
Her body grew warm once again.
It felt as if the all-powerful Silver-White Sword Empress had completely disappeared, and she was now nothing more than a fool carrying the Demon Prince’s child.
The books never mentioned that giving birth would be this painful…
Although there were records of mana instability causing severe pain or even death, those were extremely rare cases.
A situation as painful as hers was even rarer.
Could I be that lucky one?
But when she thought back to what happened last night, a sweet smile bloomed on her face.
It definitely wasn’t because that idiot Demon King had stayed with me all night, making me feel so happy~
“Master, don’t go.”
Suddenly, seeing Isabella shift toward the edge of the bed, Gabriella panicked.
“Hm?”
“I want Master to stay with me…”
Tears welled up in her eyes, but they were as sweet as honey.
It wasn’t that Gabriella actually wanted to cry.
The moment Isabella’s hand left her abdomen, she had already thought of many ways to make her stay.
This way, the idiot Demon King would “take the bait” and feel sorry for her, staying to keep her company for a while longer.
“You’re not allowed to leave. Don’t leave me~ Wuu.”
Isabella gently kissed her lips. Gabriella widened her misty eyes, thinking it was a deep, affectionate farewell kiss.
But the idiot Demon King actually sat down beside her, though she didn’t slip back into the warm blankets with her.
She really took the bait~
“Mm, then I won’t leave.”
“Lady Isabella, what do you have to do~?”
“Recently…”
A complicated emotion flickered in Isabella’s eyes. She quickly shook her head.
“This isn’t something my wife needs to worry about.”
“I can still help you.”
“My wife, who can’t even speak properly right now, still wants to fight against humans? Just leave everything to me.”
“You…”
Gabriella’s tears were gently wiped away.
The tail poking out from under the blanket swayed back and forth before finally wrapping around the Demon King’s waist.
“So… Master isn’t going to stay with me today?”
“If my wife wants me to…”
“You idiot Demon King~ You didn’t get any rest yesterday either.”
There was a hint of teasing in Gabriella’s eyes, but even more concern.
As long as she knew Isabella would like her at any time and obey her commands whenever she wished, she was already very satisfied.
Of course, resolving the difficult issues of the war was more important.
If the old her had been working hard to undermine her Master, then now was the time to reap the rewards.