Chapter 19: The Next Holy Maiden (1)
She was not usually an impulsive woman, but Loseweisse truly loathed Angelica. Originally she would just humiliate Angelica when happy, torture her when angry, using her as an outlet. At this point, it was not hatred, but rather treating Angelica like an amusing toy, deriving psychological and spiritual pleasure from seeing her once strongest rival fallen to such a state.
However, Loseweisse could never have imagined that Angelica would have a day to turn the tables. And then even steal the glory that should have belonged to Loseweisse. Thinking of this, the hatred in her heart became unbearably intense. Loseweisse regretted deeply that she did not kill Angelica before – a vile woman like her should have just been killed directly.
If she had killed Angelica then, that woman would not have appeared at the banquet. Loseweisse was convinced that Angelica only happened to be a maid catering to the hero’s preferences. Without her, Qin Chu would definitely have chosen Loseweisse.
Regret and loathing drove Loseweisse to a degree of madness. If only that woman did not exist, everything would be better. Once this thought arose in her mind, it burned like a spark, continuously igniting and growing hotter.
Malicious intentions welled up, and her murderous intent grew denser. Although Angelica’s strength was decent, the collar around her neck sealed her power, making her no match for Loseweisse at all. To kill Angelica would be nearly effortless.
Afterwards, she could just blame it all on the demon beasts. After all, if demon beasts could directly attempt to assassinate the hero at the banquet, killing the woman the hero fancied would be natural too, no?
This may arouse some suspicion, but it wouldn’t be a major problem. There would be people in the Holy See who could arrange everything properly. Even if Qin Chu didn’t believe it, as a newly-arrived hero faced with all the evidence provided by the holy church, could he really overturn it?
Besides accepting it, Qin Chu had no other choice. Moreover, in Loseweisse’s view, Qin Chu may not even stand up for Angelica, since he only liked maids, not Angelica the woman. Qin Chu had only known Angelica for a few hours – how much affection could there be? At that point, compensating Qin Chu with ten or twenty more maids would extinguish his anger.
With a gentle smile, Loseweisse took step after step towards Angelica. Angelica could clearly sense the murderous intent hidden beneath that smile. Her throat moved as she rapidly backed away: “Your Holiness, what do you intend to do?”
“You cannot kill me…”
“The hero will not tolerate such a thing.”
She did not wish to die. She had finally experienced warmth, able to break free from this cage. She still wanted to start a new life, to live well. She did not want to die.
Pff… Angelica’s words made Loseweisse break into laughter: “Ha, still thinking of the hero now?”
“You don’t actually think the hero has taken a liking to you, do you?”
“Qin Chu only likes maids, you understand? He likes maids, not you as a person. Rest assured, after you die, I’ll dress as a maid and accompany that disgusting hero…”
“Just imagining the once lofty Holy Maiden dressing as a maid for him, that man will definitely be very excited, no?”
“By then, he probably won’t even remember there was once a woman named Angelica…”
Angelica turned deathly pale, shaking her head in refusal to accept that the man who made her feel warmth, Qin Chu, would be as Loseweisse described.
The hero…no, Qin Chu, could not possibly be that kind of person.
Backing her into a corner, Angelica wanted to flee but had nowhere to go. Just as Loseweisse closed the distance between them…a figure suddenly appeared.
“Loseweisse, what do you intend to do?”
Loseweisse’s eyelids lowered as she turned around. It was Augustus, having just ended a brief meeting with Wadsworth(1) and Saint Monique.
“Nothing, just bidding farewell to my little maid. After all, she’s served me for so long, I’m a bit reluctant to hand her over to someone else so suddenly.”
The originally horrific expression vanished in an instant from her face, Loseweisse regaining the elegance and nobility of the Holy Maiden.
“I see. By the way, I have something to tell Angelica.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll take my leave.” Loseweisse smiled softly, hands crossed before her chest as she curtsied to Augustus, then turned to leave.
The moment her back was turned, that beautiful face twisted like a demon’s.
After Loseweisse left, Augustus finally looked to the panicked woman before him: “Angelica, congratulations, the hero is quite taken with you. This is your glory.”
“You must properly serve the hero, without any negligence. Understood?”
Originally, with Augustus’ status, he did not need to face Angelica personally. But Augustus needed to demonstrate his sincerity. Even if it might seem to diminish his authority, Augustus decided to handle this personally. After all, sometimes humbling oneself was a form of favor.
Angelica felt a bit grateful that he had saved her, but this gratitude was not very strong, as she clearly understood that Augustus merely intended to use her as a tool.
What he was about to say next was the most important part.
Sure enough, after a brief pause, Augustus spoke again: “The hero is of utmost importance to the Heavenly Continent, so there cannot be any mistakes…Whatever demands the hero makes, you must satisfy them.”
Just as she thought… Angelica sighed inwardly. Even though this was the Holy See, was he telling her to sell her body?
However, Angelica did not harbor much rejection. After all, when she initially agreed to Qin Chu’s request, she had already steeled herself – as long as she could escape this cage, she was willing to do anything.
“While serving beside the hero, you must constantly watch his movements – what the hero does every day, who he interacts with, what he says…”
“This is not monitoring the hero. You must understand, I do this for the hero’s own good. Although the hero possesses two transcendent authorities and astonishing talent, as a newcomer he is unfamiliar with this world. There are some matters we need to help him judge.”
“In this world, there are many who wish to claim the hero’s power for themselves. I simply don’t want the hero to be deceived by shameless people and stray from the right path.”
Angelica did not respond, neither accepting nor rejecting the claim.
Augustus did not rebuke Angelica’s rudeness: “There is also one more matter.”
“I will reopen the investigation into the selection of the Holy Maiden.”
The originally expressionless Angelica suddenly raised her head, eyes flickering with disbelief, upon hearing those words.
“Back when the previous Pope had just retired and I took over the Holy See, although I wanted to investigate thoroughly, I encountered obstacles at every turn.”
“This time, I will definitely uncover the truth and clear your name.”
“At that time…”
“I will appoint you as the next Holy Maiden of the Holy See!”
“Do well, and I have high hopes for you. Once you become the new Holy Maiden, your status will match the hero’s, and you can marry Qin Chu…”
…
“Achoo…”
At the Brave Adventurer’s Bar, Qin Chu rubbed his nose, feeling a chill down his back.
He didn’t know which bastard was scheming against him behind his back… Qin Chu didn’t dwell on it much as he awaited Candice’s sign-up.
Behind the counter, Candice’s figure was no longer visible – the Demon Princess had transformed into a terrifying huntress.
Revised Character´s names for This and Upcoming Chapters: (Aready edited some on previous chapters)
Wozwoz > Wadsworth(1)
Monique > Saint Monique
Natiya > Natia
Vansen > Benson
