56. Seeking Self-Reliance Over Divine Intervention
Two days ago.
While Agnes was still praying, Calysia, after massaging Reina’s clone, bid farewell and welcomed an unexpected guest.
A devout, responsible, and utterly ordinary nun, seemingly a senior who had a good relationship with Bishop Lei. But ever since the Fred incident, she had inadvertently discovered that the dragon race’s Demon Moon, the [No-Scale Heavenly Moon], a seductive and powerful succubus, was also named Ann. This aroused her suspicion. And this time, when Ann visited her alone, she gave her a hint of her demonic identity, and only then did she fully understand—the two Anns were indeed the same person, not a coincidence.
The two met in the office, and Ann immediately started asking about work.
“Miss Agnes, I never expected you to have sided with Lady Reina so early…”
Ann sighed:
“By the way, how is the matter with Bishop Paris being handled?”
Ann was originally her subordinate, but now she had become her superior.
Agnes felt a little annoyed by this.
—She was a demon transformed by the magic power of Reina and Calysia. However, because she wasn’t fully developed, her body was still growing, and she hadn’t grown a tail or wings.
If she had wings, she definitely wouldn’t be so humble. The Saintess had even thought, why not just turn into a soul and enter Reina’s belly, so she could be born as a dragon egg and completely reshape her already fallen body and mind.
“Hmm… Bishop Paris is a person dedicated to humanity, she’s definitely more loyal to humanity than I am~ The Holy Knights also like her very much.”
“It doesn’t matter, all the succubus priests are on our side.”
Ann tilted her head and smiled.
Agnes froze… What did she mean by succubus priests?
Ann then answered her question:
“Now, half of the priests have been transformed into succubi. Humanity is the dragon race’s other base of operations, no need to worry~”
Saintess Agnes chuckled awkwardly.
—So humanity had already been corrupted to this extent. She was even a latecomer.
Goddess of Light is so mischievous~
After a few minutes of idle chat, Ann began to explain her purpose for coming:
“Miss Agnes, both you and I are beings who have fallen from humanity into demonhood. Based on my previous inquiries, I can see that you’ve completely sided with us~”
“Mm-hmm.”
“So…”
Ann hesitated.
“I want you to help Sister Reina.”
Agnes had already planned to do so, but she still tilted her head in confusion:
“Did something happen?”
Ann lowered her head, seemingly recalling something sad.
“Actually, not many people know about this. Sister Reina was injured in the battle against Fred and is temporarily blind. The Dragon King is very concerned about this and hopes you can take good care of her clone.”
Hearing that it was Calysia’s order, Agnes felt an unprecedented joy.
It seems she really trusts me.
But she still felt a little regretful… Why couldn’t she take care of the main body?
Ann took a deep breath.
“To be honest, Sister Reina, like us, is a demon who has fallen from humanity. But as a succubus, I can see her worries in this regard. I think, if it’s for the Dragon King’s sake, you can talk to her more.”
“A girl who is unwilling to face her own heart,” Agnes chuckled wryly.
“Okay.”
Agnes smiled, held the succubus’s hand, and said with a smile, “I’d be happy to. Actually, I had a similar plan long ago…”
…
Hearing these words, Reina felt she had lost all face.
She had lived her life upright and with integrity, how could she have a child with the Dragon King?
You talk about the Dragon Queen? What does that have to do with me?!
Although she was happy to be suspected like this, Reina didn’t want the Saintess to have any misunderstandings, so she maintained her authority.
“Agnes, don’t talk nonsense. We are not the same person.”
“But you two are so alike, and you’ve never appeared at the same time,” the Saintess said with disappointment.
Reina was speechless for a moment, but didn’t rush to answer, giving the Saintess a puzzled look.
Is she trying to bait me, to make the clone and the main body meet?
However, if possible, she could really have her main body and clone in the same space, but Reina hadn’t expected Agnes to be so naive. If this could prove her innocence, the cost was too low.
Just then, Reina’s main body began to transfer power to her clone, ensuring that she could stand up. As what should have been the Dragon Mark on her chest emitted light, Reina found that the effect was very good… The only drawback was that it might bring her closer to corruption.
“Saintess, can you help me up to pray?”
“Okay~”
Although the church had been blown to smithereens by the Fred incident, the Saintess’s church would have to suffice. The Saintess agreed to her request, so she took Reina’s body, supported her, and placed her on a chair with two wooden wheels.
Reina was speechless: Agnes actually prepared a wheelchair for me!
She stood up, originally wanting to reprimand the Saintess, but then she remembered her devout appearance and let her go. Building a good master-servant relationship was also a part of expanding her influence.
Because the clone was more lacking in magic power than the main body, Reina had no way to sense her surroundings. But now, she suddenly had a good idea—if she could increase her Light level to a certain extent and use [All-Seeing Eye], she could reopen her blind eyes.
But having eyes meant losing combat ability, which meant she couldn’t level up through [Eternal Golden Radiance]. In that case, she could only rely on external forces… for example, items like the God-Binding Collar, which had gathered a large amount of divine treasures.
But once used, the God-Binding Collar would “blacken” like other artifacts, and whether it would still have its original function was a mystery. Therefore, Reina decided to wait and see for a while.
Following the Saintess’s guidance, she arrived at the main hall of the church, the place with the statue of the Goddess of Light. This way, she could purify the body of her clone and drive out the vassal magic power within her.
“Lady Saintess~”
“Sister Agnes~”
Reina knew these voices belonged to the priests and nuns. Although they usually assisted the Saintess, they were actually succubi.
…When did these people get so close to the Saintess?
The Saintess gave the priests a look, and all the uninvolved people left the scene, giving Reina a private space to pray. Hearing the footsteps fade away and a soft closing of the door, Reina finally breathed a sigh of relief, knelt before the statue of the Goddess of Light, and clasped her hands together.
To eliminate the filth within her, she had to pray devoutly to the Goddess of Light, silently chanting “May the Light purify my body.” Although Reina disliked the Goddess of Light, for the sake of her body’s purity, she had no choice.
But this time, Reina racked her brains but couldn’t picture the Goddess of Light.
A few minutes later, she stood up, turned and walked away, and said angrily:
“Seeking help from a god is not as good as seeking help from oneself.”
“…”
“To hell with your gods.”
