“Humiliation Value increased by 120,000”
“Annoyance Value +120,000”
“Physiological Favorability +1”
“Mental Favorability +1”
***
The next day, at noon.
Su Nian lay on her large, soft bed, her eyes staring blankly at the intricate crystal chandelier on the ceiling.
The sunlight was just right.
Golden rays pierced through the thin window curtains, softly spilling over her body with a warm glow.
However, her heart was clenched tight.
She raised her hand and tapped open the System panel.
A faint blue light screen emerged.
[Status Window]
[Mental Favorability: -68]
[Physiological Favorability: 93]
[Current Combined Favorability: 25]
Even though the Horned Demon’s behavior over the past two days had become increasingly excessive, challenging her bottom line time and time again.
According to common sense, her hatred for him should be growing by the day.
Her Mental Favorability should be dropping.
‘It must be those damn status effects again!’
Su Nian frantically defended herself in her mind, grasping at this final straw.
But when she forced herself to re-examine the descriptions of those statuses word by word…
She couldn’t find a single rule that explicitly stated they would directly twist her “Mental Favorability.”
A thought that Su Nian didn’t dare to dwell on surfaced in her mind.
‘Could it be… that in my subconscious, I don’t actually hate this kind of thing that much?’
‘Even…’
‘In that extreme humiliation, within that loss of control from being completely dominated, did I actually taste a hint of… a sensation I shouldn’t have?’
‘No!’
‘Impossible!’
Su Nian suddenly sat up in bed, her soft silk quilt slid down from her smooth, rounded shoulders, revealing a large expanse of skin flushed red from agitation.
She grabbed her head with both hands and shook it vigorously.
‘I used to be a man of integrity!’
‘I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t fall this far.’
At this moment, she realized with absolute clarity.
Right now, her greatest enemy wasn’t even that Horned Demon Bastard.
It was herself.
It was the “self” that needed to desperately maintain her true heart amidst this endless sinking.
***
Aside from that.
In the coming days, Su Nian had to face another matter.
It was a trouble that made her feel incredibly irritable yet impossible to escape.
That was… the Third Prince.
Originally, she had already explicitly rejected the invitation to go to the Royal Capital to meet the King.
She didn’t want to get involved, nor did she want to be bound to the Red Maple Kingdom.
However, she didn’t know what kind of madness had gripped that Third Prince, Elvin.
In the name of the Royal Family, he announced a grand plan that shook the entire kingdom.
The kingdom was to build a structure on the edge of the Central Square of Academy City that could be called a “wonder.”
A giant tower that soared into the clouds, tall enough to overlook the entire city.
During a live broadcast of a city-wide magic image, Prince Elvin declared to everyone in a tone bordering on fanatical.
“Once completed, this tower will be the tallest building in the world.”
“It shall be named—”
“The Saintess Tower!”
The prince also said that the tower was meant to display the Red Maple Kingdom’s illustrious prestige from the battle of the Floating Fortress and, even more so, to highlight the miracles of the “Star-Moon Saintess.”
On the day of its completion, they would invite her, the “Star-Moon Saintess,” to ascend to the top of the tower to bestow blessings upon all the people of the city.
Though called a blessing, it was actually a massive, wide-range group buff magic.
During the previous battle, she had used it on the mages and Gryphon Knights.
Through the mana amplification of the Saintess Tower, her prayer magic could indeed increase its coverage area, granting the populace a bit of strength and constitution while slowly restoring their physical energy.
For the Red Maple Kingdom, which was plagued by internal and external troubles.
This was undoubtedly a brilliant move, utilizing the prestige she had painstakingly accumulated to the absolute limit.
One had to know.
Although the Holy See’s own strength was average, they held extremely high prestige in the eyes of the people of various human nations.
That was the foundation they stood upon.
Now, the kingdom seemed intent on molding her into a brand-new focus of faith to intercept the “religious hegemony” of the Holy See.
Originally, Su Nian didn’t care much about this.
She only ever cared about two things.
First, obtaining 100 million Humiliation Value as soon as possible.
Second, she must not let the Combined Favorability reach 70 first, or she would get pregnant…
Just as Su Nian was hesitating.
The Horned Demon appeared by her side.
“You have surely heard of the Red Maple Kingdom’s plan to build the Saintess Tower.”
“My suggestion is that you agree to them first and express your willingness to cooperate with the blessing.” Chu Tian’s voice rang in Su Nian’s ear.
“This will be beneficial for you and for my plans.” The Horned Demon Lord’s voice carried an irresistible authority.
Su Nian rolled her eyes.
‘Suggesting? As if.’
Since he had already decided, she could only agree.
‘Hmph.’
‘I’ll just follow the Horned Demon’s lead for now, lay low and develop, then see what happens later.’
Besides, the construction of the Saintess Tower was already certain; she only needed to cooperate with the blessing.
With the amplification from the magic circle, the consumption wouldn’t be large.
For her, her prestige would also reach an unprecedented peak.
After all the God of Light only gave oracles; he would never descend to give a “blessing.”
“Fine, I’ll do as you say.” Su Nian took a deep breath and agreed.
But soon, a scene uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.
Based on the Horned Demon Lord’s level of perversion.
Atop that tower that soared into the clouds—the “Saintess Tower” that symbolized her purity and glory.
While she was “blessing” one million people, what if that man, like a ghostly shadow, silently used Invisibility Magic to appear behind her?
In the holiest, most worshipped place in the entire world, he would… desecrate her.
In the prayer room that countless people looked up to.
The moment the doors closed, that man would tear away all her disguises, pin her against the cold wall, and make her remember her true identity.
Or perhaps, he would make her wear certain unspeakable things beneath those holy robes.
He might even use magic ink to write shameful characters on her fair skin that only he could see… commanding her to pray and bless millions of people in such a state.
‘Eek! How could I think of these things?’
Su Nian suddenly felt her face flush.
What on earth was her head filled with?
The Horned Demon hadn’t even done anything yet…
‘I’m just scaring myself.’
Besides, while the construction of the Saintess Tower would utilize many mages, it would still take a certain amount of time.
Perhaps by then, she would have already obtained enough Humiliation Value to complete her mission.
***
At the same time.
In addition to the construction of the so-called Saintess Tower, the Third Prince also publicly voiced a bold claim.
He said he admired the Star-Moon Saintess and wished to marry her…
Such a declaration immediately caused the other two princes to feel a sense of crisis…
The current Star-Moon Saintess—Su Nian—had prestige that was currently at its peak.
The miracles she performed during the battle of the Floating Fortress had been composed into epics by bards and sung everywhere.
Her status in the hearts of the people was extremely high.
If they stood by and watched as their good-for-nothing third brother, who had nothing going for him but his face, actually married this Saintess who walked among mortals into the Royal Palace…
Then there would be no suspense left regarding the succession to the throne.
For a moment, the clouds of political intrigue gathered.
The First Prince and the Second Prince immediately dispatched their trusted aides.
Carrying secret orders, they rushed toward Academy City.
They had only one goal.
At any cost, they had to prevent even the slightest possibility of anything happening between Su Nian and the Third Prince.
***
Regarding the Third Prince’s declaration, Su Nian was naturally 1,000,000% unwilling.
‘I don’t want that at all!’
Setting aside the fact that she hadn’t decided whether to accept men yet, even if she had that thought later, it definitely wouldn’t be the Third Prince.
‘Even the Horned Demon… is better than… the Third Prince.’
‘Wait… no. The Horned Demon won’t do either… That guy is an arch-nemesis!’
‘An arch-nemesis is still an arch-nemesis; they won’t become a… husband.’