"You're awake?"
Kurose Akira felt a dryness in his throat as he stared at the furious Roxia standing before him.
Those golden-red pupils of hers burned like blazing flames, as though they could reduce him to ashes at any moment. Yet at the same time, they resembled a frozen glacial wasteland—bitingly cold, piercing to the bone.It felt as if, in the very next instant, Roxia might unleash her power of Light and utterly erase him from existence.
Her lips trembled slightly. In a low, icy voice, she said to Kurose Akira,"I told you—don't move around!"
There was unmistakable irritation in her tone, mixed with a trace of humiliation and shame.
Roxia's memories were hazy, but fragments from her drunken state still echoed in her mind. She vaguely remembered that, while intoxicated, she had somehow developed a dangerous fascination with Kurose Akira's Solar Divinity… and had even allowed holy light to surge into her body—
Ahhh!!!
Roxia!What on earth were you doing?!
As the Pope of the Holy Church, you are the embodiment of sanctity, purity, and authority—the very face of the Lord of Light upon the Magic Continent.
How could you allow yourself such disgraceful indulgence, losing control after drinking?!
No!I must find a way to release the holy light!
Roxia tried to adjust her posture, attempting to… no! She couldn't do it at all!The holy light seemed to be… stuck!
"Damn it!"
She bit her lower lip lightly, her brows knitting together as turbulent emotions surged within her.
How did that succubus do it?How could she possibly endure such dazzling holy light?
And Kurose Akira hadn't even fully activated his half-dragon transformation—yet even so, Roxia was completely unable to resist.
As expected!Humans and succubi simply couldn't be compared!
"Roxia, relax a little. I'll—"
Kurose Akira was about to say that he would handle everything. As long as he weakened the holy light, he could separate it from her body.
"Don't move! I'll—nngh~!—find a way myself!"
Roxia pressed both hands against Kurose Akira's chest, her supple body trembling lightly.
Her originally snow-white skin had flushed crimson, like a fully ripened apple, as if blood might drip from it at any moment.
Faced with Roxia's stubbornness and resolve, Kurose Akira froze for a moment—then chose to respect her decision.
Very well then, Holy Maiden. Please do your best on your own~
(What follows is the scene of His Holiness the Pope single-handedly battling the holy light. One hundred thousand words omitted here…)
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere—within the territory of the Starfall Kingdom.
A group of knights stood solemnly in the castle corridor. Before them loomed a distinctive black-and-gold iron door.
From beyond it came faint, heavy breathing, thickening the already tense atmosphere.
Suddenly, a dull boom echoed from within the room. Along with it, pitch-black gas seeped out through the cracks in the door.
The knights' expressions darkened even further. They exchanged glances, eyes filled with worry, yet none dared utter a single sound. The entire corridor fell into deathly silence.
Only then did a man with short orange-red hair stride forward.
Taking in the scene before him, he curled his lips into a smile. Casting a cold glance over the knights, he sneered,"Just look at yourselves. I knew it the moment I saw you—another failure. What a bunch of useless drunkards."
"Prince Laps, watch your words!"
The other knights remained silent, but an elderly knight with snow-white hair stepped forward, positioning himself before Prince Laps to defend their dignity.
"Am I wrong?" Laps scoffed. "The Starfall Knights, the pride of the Starfall Kingdom, can't even bring back a single centaur. If you're not useless trash, then who is?"
"I swear on the honor of the Starfall Knights—I will bring that centaur back with my own hands and present it to Lord Tedes!" the old knight declared firmly.
"Oh?"
Laps sneered, his gaze shifting contemptuously toward the black-and-gold iron door before returning to the old knight.
"How much is the honor of the Starfall Knights worth? I don't need empty oaths. I want results. Bring that centaur back. Do you understand?"
"That's enough, Laps."
A majestic rebuke sounded from within the black-and-gold door.
In the next instant, every knight present dropped to one knee, displaying their loyalty.
Laps, however, seemed utterly unconcerned. Turning toward the door, he said,"My uncle, we don't have much time left. Once Vivian inherits the Star Power and ascends the throne, all our careful planning will go up in smoke!"
"What is there to worry about, my nephew?"
As those words fell, the black-and-gold iron door slowly opened. What greeted them was not the interior of the room, but dense, roiling black mist. Nothing inside could be seen—save for a pair of幽绿色幽 green eyes flickering within the fog.
"Even without that centaur, the scales of victory still tip in our favor. As for Vivian—I will never allow a girl created by a witch to sit upon the throne of the Starfall Kingdom. She will not claim the crown, nor will she ever inherit the power of the stars…"
...
"Finally~"
Roxia collapsed weakly onto the ground, her delicate body trembling slightly. She clutched her chest tightly, breathing softly, each breath carrying a hint of pain.
After exhausting effort, she had finally expelled the holy light from within her body—but the process had drained all her strength. Right now, all she wanted was to recover as quickly as possible.
Kurose Akira watched her quietly from the side, unable to help but marvel at her willpower, far beyond that of ordinary people.
She had truly forced the holy light out of her body—despite the process being unimaginably long, and at times even bringing her to the brink of—
Cough, cough~
Fortunately, Roxia's mastery over water-element magic was extremely flexible, playing a crucial role in the purification process.
Even though her affinity with the water element was practically zero…
Additionally—
When Kurose Akira looked at the expelled holy light, he noticed that its brilliant radiance was stained with traces of blood.
The sight reminded him of the time he and Ivsha had studied life magic together—because the exact same phenomenon had appeared back then!
"This matter," Roxia said sternly as she looked at him, "you are not to mention it to anyone else."
Not tell anyone else?
Kurose Akira was a little surprised. Did that mean that when it was just the two of them, it would be…?
"I'll take responsibility," he replied immediately, his tone serious.
"Then go feed your succubus first!"
Hearing his response, Roxia shot him a cold glare.
At the same time, she turned her gaze back to the dazzling holy light.
Though it was shrouded in darkness, it did not radiate outward to dispel it. Instead, the two forces were locked in a zero-distance confrontation.
As a result, the holy light remained brilliant and scorching—simply waiting for the moment to bloom.
After thinking for a moment, Roxia asked Kurose Akira,"Are you feeling uncomfortable right now?"
"Me?"
He was momentarily stunned. Was Roxia worried that he hadn't been satisfied?
"Cough~ I can handle it myself," he said, waving his hand.
"This incident happened because I lost control while drunk. I bear some responsibility," Roxia said, her brows furrowing as she let out a soft sigh.
Then she walked toward Kurose Akira, lightly stepping onto the dazzling holy light.
"Lie down~"
"Eh?"
"But—only this once!"
(What follows is a reward segment from His Holiness the Pope. Ten thousand words omitted below…)
Half an hour later, Roxia finished adjusting her clothes and swiftly left the guild.
Kurose Akira gradually woke from unconsciousness, his gaze slightly dazed as he looked around.
He couldn't quite remember why he had suddenly fainted. In his memory, it seemed like Roxia had used holy magic to strike the holy light…
Ah, whatever~
As long as Roxia was comforted, that was enough. The task should be complete.
He immediately opened the quest panel and submitted Roxia's character quest.
[Character Quest — Holy Maiden! (Completed!)][Quest Reward: Roxia's Advancement Material — Holy Maiden Fruit!]
"Holly Maiden Fruit?"
Seeing the material Roxia required for advancement, Kurose Akira felt a surge of curiosity.
But before he could take it out and examine it closely, another notification popped up.
[Hidden Quest: For Her Sacrifice! (Completed!)][Quest Reward: Congratulations! You have obtained the Guild Achievement Badge — Pure Holy Maiden!]
...…
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