56. Exasperated Laughter
Taking advantage of the afternoon, Reina inspected the treasures Shining Scale had sent.
She opened the carts, carefully counted and examined each item, then pushed them to the treasure vault behind the bedchamber, placing them one by one in their designated spots.
Just as the fat dragon chef had said, these treasures were from all over the world, weapons and valuables. If converted into gold coins and currency, they would be worth about 30 million in her previous world.
Reina had initially thought these treasures were just flashy trinkets, but holding the weighty gold jewelry in her hands, feeling their substantial heft, gave her a sense of accomplishment.
But remembering that these were gifts for her and Calysia, she carefully labeled them, keeping a watchful eye on them.
She had more important things to do now.
Reina walked to the end of the Milky Way Bridge and met Ann.
Ann was still wearing her nun’s habit—not the previous one, but a new one made according to her wishes.
“You’re still the same, Ann,” Reina teased.
“I just think this way, my identity is more distinct.”
“As a nun?”
Ann tilted her head, her hands clasped demurely over her chest, her face flushed: “As a fallen one, don’t you think a corrupted nun loses that sense of defiling the sacred if she wears other clothes? Just like Lady Reina always wearing a maid uniform, you must think the same way, right~?”
“Something like that,” Reina’s expression remained unchanged.
…Corruption is truly terrifying.
Although Reina didn’t dislike this loyal succubus, she didn’t want to become such a twisted and corrupted demon.
She took a deep breath and began to give her important instructions:
“Ann, arrange for the [Azure Scale Knights] to have new armor made. No need to spend too much money, but it must be light gray.”
“Since it’s for Lady Reina, why not azure armor?”
Ann tilted her head, taking notes in her small notebook. She had become a proper little secretary.
“The Dragon Knights are guardians who protect the Dragon King, not knights who protect me. Light gray is to distinguish them from silver-white, because the Dragon King is a supreme being.”
“Understood.”
“By the way, how is that matter progressing?”
Just then, Ann suddenly remembered something and took out an envelope from her hidden space—it was the letter Reina had been waiting for, the one that had taken a circuitous route to finally reach her hands.
An unopened, gold-inlaid white envelope. Its front was marked with sacred text, and the surface was covered in cross-shaped patterns.
Opening the envelope, the ink handwriting leaped off the page.
“I got it from my best friend. She’s quite efficient, and she wasn’t discovered as my vassal~”
“Mm…” Reina carefully read the letter.
“Hmm?” Reina noticed something amiss and looked up: “Ann, what do you mean by vassal?”
“Because puppets still need to be hypnotized every time, turning her into a low-ranking vassal is much more convenient~” Ann smiled.
Reina suddenly thought of something unsettling.
If Ann had the ability to turn ordinary women into succubi, then the entire church might quickly experience a chain reaction, becoming her puppets.
Reina sighed: “Alright, don’t go too far.”
“Okay~” Ann nodded slightly. “Don’t worry, Lady Reina, everything is proceeding according to your plan. It won’t be noticed.”
After repeatedly giving instructions, she bid farewell to Ann.
When she returned to her own lounge, she took out the letter Ann had given her and carefully read it.
To Reina’s surprise, such a precious letter wasn’t written by the Pope himself, but by another name familiar to Reina.
The Saintess, Agnes.
One of the few NPCs in the Church of Light who could be recruited. If the Church of Light didn’t perish, she was an NPC who could never be recruited, a testament to her level of faith.
Her handwriting wasn’t particularly beautiful, far less practiced than Calysia’s.
But it was clear that every word was written with care.
“Greetings, Hero of Wood Village. It is an honor to receive your letter, and I am filled with pride and respect for your guidance of humanity. In recent years, that was the first group of humans to escape from the clutches of the despicable dragon race.”
Hearing the words “despicable dragon race,” Reina instantly felt a little annoyed, then she remembered that she was still human and silently cheered for the Saintess’s statement.
“Following your [Divine Gift of Light], we once again achieved victory in the battle against the orcs and, as you instructed, retrieved the Goddess’s treasures. Please accept these gifts, though they are insignificant compared to what you have given us.”
Reina then noticed a gold shimmering bracelet tucked inside the envelope. Just one glance, and Reina knew it was the real deal.
She immediately put the bracelet in her apron pocket and continued reading.
“Thank you once again. This is crucial to the hope of humanity. As you know, I am the leader of the Church of Light, the current Saintess. I noticed you inquired about the Pope. He has ascended to heaven for the future of humanity, returning to the side of the Goddess of Light.”
Reina couldn’t help but laugh.
As expected of the highest difficulty world—that old fart Pope had actually died without a word.
He was one of the strongest non-recruitable NPCs on the human side, with a terrifying level of 91, even without his equipment, practically the strongest being below the Four Kings of the Realms. It was hard to imagine what kind of monster could defeat him. If it were someone like Gold Scale, it would be understandable.
“Hero, forgive my boldness.”
“We firmly believe that you have received the Divine Gift of Light, but we have encountered many obstacles in convincing others. If possible, please prove the purity of the Goddess of Light, and we, your lost lambs, will follow your noble guidance.”
The Saintess’s meaning was simple: The transaction went well, and I’m willing to serve you, but you need to prove that you are the Goddess of Light. This is very important to me.
The so-called [Divine Gift of Light] referred to the magical creations and guidance of the Goddess of Light.
As long as she sent a pure [Creation of Light] along with the letter to the Saintess, it would be enough to prove her identity as the Goddess of Light.
Reina could actually produce a [Creation of Light]. It was even quite simple for her.
She spread her fingers, tried to gather her power, and easily channeled pure light magic, weaving it into a golden flower—however, this flower was deep purple. Then, she skillfully invoked light magic, and wings identical to the Goddess of Light’s appeared behind her.
These weren’t real wings, but just like the Goddess of Light’s, they were wings manifested from magical elements.
Reina could guarantee with her life that what she was using now was definitely the power of light. But on the surface, it was completely different, showing no trace of light, appearing closer to darkness!
If she sent this Creation of Light to the Saintess, forget about helping Reina, judging by the Saintess’s personality, she would probably want to die, perhaps even follow the Goddess in death by being buried alive with her, completely abandoning all hope.
—You wouldn’t want the Goddess of Light to have become a plaything of darkness, would you?
—Good news, the Goddess of Light you worship has joined the demons~
“Hahaha…”
Reina let out an exasperated laugh.
When are we getting a side story featuring Ann’s vassal pyramid scheme?