“At that time, it must have been you, Goddess, who protected me. Otherwise, I could never have become the Saintess, revered by the nation and respected by all.”
“All of this is a treasure you bestowed upon me…”
Cecilia always kept it in her heart, never forgetting why she became the Saintess.
She did not become the Saintess for the adoration of the common people, nor for the enjoyment of wealth and luxury. She only wanted to serve and care for the Goddess with all her might, as a qualified Saintess.
Starting from the age of five, she began to undergo the most rigorous Saintess training day and night.
Learning theology, learning history, learning magic, learning etiquette…
She gave up all childhood pleasures, just to become the most qualified Saintess, ready to provide the best service on the day when Primrose, the Goddess, descends.
This was her unique faith. Faith was her primal driving force!
But she didn’t want to speak of all her efforts, lest the Goddess think she was boasting.
Primrose was very embarrassed. ‘Protection? Where was I even at that time?’
Cough.
She gave a light cough. “I know the situation, Cecilia. You did well. I commend you.”
Primrose didn’t know what to reward Cecilia with. So she might as well give her a hug.
Hug~
Cecilia was pulled into Primrose’s arms.
Since she was still on her knees, her face pressed against Primrose’s navel.
Even through the thin bath towel, the soft, warm touch made her feel as if she’d been electrocuted.
Cecilia’s gaze instantly went blank.
The Goddess… hugged her?
A huge wave of happiness, like a volcanic eruption, instantly overwhelmed her reason.
She felt all the blood rush to her head, and her vision went dark.
Then, her nose grew hot.
Two streams of bright red liquid slowly flowed from her nostrils.
With a thud, Cecilia’s vision blacked out, her body went limp, and she slid straight out of Primrose’s embrace, her face splashing into the pool water, staining the surface red.
“Hey! Cecilia!”
Primrose reacted quickly and scooped Cecilia out.
“Goddess… this is too intense.”
With those words, Cecilia’s head lolled to the side, her eyes turning into slow, spinning spirals.
Primrose looked at the Saintess, who had fainted from excitement and shame in her arms, and felt a headache coming on.
What the hell was this?
***
Far away in the northern continent, in an abyss land shrouded in eternal night.
This was the territory of the Demon Race.
Unlike the vibrant scene of the Human World, the sky here was always dark red. There was no sun, no moon, only a few stars emitting eerie purple and red light.
The ground was charred black, barren and lifeless, with rivers of molten lava flowing through the cracked earth.
The air was thick with the nauseating stench of sulfur and blood.
At the very center of the abyss stood a massive castle built from countless bones and black crystals.
This was the Demon King Castle.
At the top floor of the castle was a vast, eerily empty hall.
The hall’s floor was made of polished obsidian, clearly reflecting the chandeliers made of soul flames on the ceiling.
The walls were covered with murals depicting the battles and massacres of the Demon Race, each one filled with blood and violence.
At the end of the hall stood a throne built from the skeleton of a giant dragon.
Above the throne, a thick, impenetrable darkness gathered.
The darkness seemed alive, slowly writhing, emitting a terrifying pressure that made souls tremble.
No one could see who was sitting on the throne, only a vague silhouette.
At this moment, beneath the throne, a dozen or so demons of various shapes were kneeling.
Some were as massive as mountains, some had hideous faces, and some exuded a cold, eerie aura.
Each of them was a powerful existence that could terrify entire human kingdoms.
They were the Twelve Demon Generals under the Demon King’s Army.
No, now only eleven remained.
The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive to the extreme. All the Demon Generals kept their heads down, not daring to breathe loudly.
Just moments ago, the soul lamp representing one of the Twelve Demon Generals, the Horse-faced Demon General, had gone out.
This meant that the one who had volunteered to intercept the newly descended Hero and Goddess was dead.
“What a disgrace!”
The Forced Reversal Trap personally set by the Demon King himself, combined with the Century-spanning Space Lock, was meant to ensure that the newly arrived Hero and Goddess would be killed in their weakest cradle.
This should have been a foolproof plan.
For the past three hundred years, they had used this method to successfully slaughter three Heroes and drive three Goddesses insane.
‘But this time, they had failed?’
And one of the Twelve Demon Generals had died!
Although the Horse-Faced Person was the weakest of the Twelve, this was still a slap in the face to the entire Demon Race.
Just then, a succubus with a voluptuous figure, a seductive face, and a pair of bat wings on her back walked in from outside the hall.
She wore a revealing black leather armor, her snow-white thighs and full breasts barely concealed. With every step, her waist swayed in an alluring arc.
Her name was Lilisi, one of the Four Heavenly Kings under the Demon King, in charge of Demon Race intelligence and extremely skilled assassination techniques.
Lilisi ignored the cowering Demon Generals and walked straight to the foot of the throne, kneeling on one knee and bowing her head respectfully.
“Demon King.” Lilisi’s voice was full of temptation, enough to stir the heart of any male creature. “The Horse-Faced person’s soul lamp has indeed gone out.”
The darkness on the throne remained silent, showing no reaction.
But Lilisi knew the Demon King was listening.
She continued, “According to intelligence from the front lines, the Horse-Faced person and the vanguard army it led were completely annihilated at Tattle Town on the kingdom’s border.”
“The newly descended Hero and Goddess were the ones who acted.”
“It is said that with just a few support spells, that Goddess gave a level-1 Hero the terrifying power to instantly kill thousands of monsters and slay a level-60 Demon General in one blow.”
Even as she delivered this report, there was a hint of disbelief in Lilisi’s tone.
This completely exceeded their understanding of a Goddess’s support abilities.
The Holy Blessings of the past three Goddesses had been as fragile as a layer of paper before the Demon Generals.
At most, the Goddesses could heal some flesh wounds or provide insignificant attribute boosts.
But this time, the Goddess’s strength was on a completely different level.
“Instant kill?”
Finally, a voice came from the throne.
The voice surprised all the Demon Generals.
It was neither a majestic male voice nor an icy growl.
It was… a crisp, soft, slightly lazy… loli voice?