41. Agnes’s Concerns
“I know your identity.”
The man in the suit snapped his fingers, put his hands in his pockets, and began to pace around the hall. Wherever he stepped, the ground showed signs of black decay. Reina then noticed the golden flower embroidery on the back of his suit, which was probably the “symbol” of the Shadow of God.
A few seconds later, the man in the suit chuckled:
“You’re very calm, Goddess. I thought you’d be more concerned about your origins.”
Reina wasn’t really listening to him, so she didn’t react.
Her pupils dilated and constricted, the flow of magic clearly visible in her eyes.
…What are his attack patterns?
How does he chain his moves?
Is he a physical fighter or a magic user?
How did he manage to track my movements so perfectly?
Is he related to the humans’ loss of control?
Speaking of which, talking during a battle, unless it’s to distract the enemy, is completely unnecessary. War isn’t a movie; it’s a life-or-death struggle.
Reina was a little speechless.
Was this guy just going to talk her to death?
“What’s your purpose?”
But facing a talkative enemy, Reina would still try to get more information.
“To take you back.”
“You already have that artifact, right? The [Golden Star Chart].”
The man in the suit extended a finger, the smiling face under the cat-eye mask suddenly becoming twisted and ferocious.
Reina was startled.
“You tried to find your own name on it, didn’t you? But you found nothing, right?”
“Because you can’t describe an existence you haven’t met or understood on the Golden Star Chart.”
“So, you thought it was just because your identity wasn’t ordinary.”
Reina frowned slightly.
This guy, whether he had guessed or learned it through some other means, was a bit too much.
“Are you surprised?”
The man in the suit nodded slightly, like a gentleman being praised, shy and respectful.
He raised his voice and said:
“Actually, the reason you couldn’t find it is very simple.”
The man in the suit spread his arms, his previous restraint gone, replaced by a frenzied speech. Countless dark grains of sand fell from the cracks in the ceiling, covering the entire room in a black waterfall.
And the man in the suit was the roaring narrator in this darkness.
“Because the Reina who was [human] never existed!”
…
At the same time, the Saintess was running through an ant-hill-like escape tunnel… Bishop Lei’s church was once a monarch’s castle, and underground, there was a vast, intricate network of escape tunnels, like a maze.
Before sending Calysia and Ann away, Reina had sealed most of the useless passages, leaving only one that was closest to the hidden room in the church.
As long as she followed the trail of light left by the Goddess of Light, she could successfully reach the teleportation magic circle and arrive at the God Slaying Society’s stronghold closest to the human city. That way, she could get support from the orcs.
But her running pace grew slower and slower.
Then, she gradually stopped.
“…”
“Goddess of Light.”
She touched her heart, her face filled with worry.
There was no mistake.
Although she had confirmed it long ago, she was absolutely certain.
The Goddess of Light was the Dragon King’s wife.
Ever since the Goddess of Light had sent her that tainted flower, she had been suspicious.
She began to investigate the matter, but the results were mostly vague.
The so-called hero seemed to not exist, and the source of the letters was unknown, as if someone was deliberately hiding it.
Agnes was certain.
The Dragon Queen was the Goddess of Light.
Dragons loved deeply. Even if their loved one died, they would always love them.
When the Goddess of Light disappeared, for decades, the Dragon King had been in a state of depression.
Only after Bishop Lei appeared did she become happy, and even held a wedding.
She had even witnessed the affection between the Dragon Queen and the Dragon King at the Four Realms meeting… It couldn’t possibly be mind control.
—What kind of coincidence was this?
The Saintess couldn’t think of a second possibility.
And she had already gathered enough evidence…
Coupled with various tests, she believed her judgment was absolutely correct.
As for why there were two Goddesses of Light? It must be some kind of cloning technique.
One to talk to her, the other to be intimate with the Dragon King.
Actually, even if the Goddess of Light had fallen into the dragon race, Agnes was very happy.
Because she could see the Goddess of Light’s care and concern for humanity in her letters, and her insistence on humanity reclaiming this world, which completely reassured her.
Her stance was with humanity.
Agnes was moved by her gentleness and decisiveness. Every time they chatted, she felt that a part of her heart was filled. And whenever she was alone, Reina would show a concerned expression. Last time, the Dragon Queen had even left some nutritional supplements on the table for her to eat…
This feeling was like… a mother?
But right now, the Goddess of Light’s clone was in an unprecedented crisis… If anything unexpected happened, the medium of contact with the Goddess of Light would disappear.
If her clone died, she would almost never be able to talk to Reina as a “devout believer” again.
She didn’t want this to happen.
Thinking of this, the Saintess ran on the ground. Before her was a glimmer of golden light, guiding her up the steps into the hidden room, back to the God Slaying Society’s stronghold… Under Reina’s arrangement, the security at night would definitely allow her to avoid a direct confrontation with the Shadow of God.
—I must request support!
But would it be in time?
If she remembered correctly, Kribi and most of the strongest were on missions. And to mobilize them quickly at this time would take at least half an hour.
Could the Light Clone hold out until then?
“Boom—!”
Just then, an explosion sounded, accompanied by powerful magic, and the blocked side passage beside the Saintess was blasted open.
When the smoke cleared, the young woman discovered, to her surprise, a nun with glasses… she was from the same cohort as Bishop Lei, but had always been overshadowed by Lei.
She was slightly hunched, her delicate face covered in dust.
On her shoulder, she was carrying a woman with torn clothes, her face stern, always maintaining a serious and calm demeanor.
Agnes was both surprised and delighted—it was Bishop Paris!
So, Bishop Paris hadn’t disappeared.
She had been fighting in the darkness, escaping to safety, and was finally rescued by the glasses-wearing nun!
“Saint… Saintess! I’m here to take Bishop Paris to safety!”
“Saintess, what’s the situation now?”
“Humanity is in grave danger, I’ve already, cough, cough…”
Paris saw the Saintess’s frantic appearance, got down from the glasses-wearing nun’s shoulder, patted the dust off her clothes, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her torn long robe exposing her fair waist to the air.
She used light magic to seal the “side passage” she had just destroyed, making it as good as new.
Agnes was unexpectedly happy:
“Go through the portal, find an orc, and tell them that the [Shadow of God] has been found here.”
“The situation is urgent, you must complete this.”
Saying that, Agnes turned and left, not looking at the two of them again.
Awe, I kind of hope Agnes ends up getting a family she never had. Maybe getting pseudo adopted by Reina and Cal would be nice