A saintess? She's just a bad woman.

Page 89

However, his sword never left Curtis's neck.

"Clap clap clap."

Seeing this fascinating infighting, the woman clapped in a very respectful manner.

She was like a proper audience member, watching the stage actors perform and giving them a wonderful round of applause.

"That was truly spectacular. Such a decisive act of killing one's own comrade and turning against one another—a timeless classic. As expected of a nobleman, Aaron, you have great potential. You are decisive and efficient, and you can join us."

As Aaron had hoped, she offered him a chance to live, which was also an olive branch to recruit him.

So, what's your opinion?

She smiled slightly, her beauty captivating, but Aaron had no doubt that if he dared to refuse, this woman would make him die instantly.

Of course, he was still resistant in his heart, but due to the circumstances, he could not and dared not refuse.

There are no "what ifs" in choices; there are only two options: yes or no.

After hesitating for only a couple of seconds, Aaron didn't dare to hesitate for long and immediately stated his choice.

"I choose to join."

After he finished speaking, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, and his tense heart finally relaxed.

If you can't beat them, join them; there's nothing shameful about it.

He thought to himself that although he was not as good as the princess, his noble status and magical talent were still there, so he should still have some value in her eyes.

His hand finally left Curtis's neck, the hilt of the sword fell to the ground. He thought, we're on the same side now, there's no need to continue threatening him and making him unhappy.

But the moment he had that thought, a dark green shadow, like a ghost, shot towards his neck from behind. He didn't even notice the attack; by the time he realized it, the slender shadow had already pierced his throat, leaving a deep hole—a void through which he could see the other side—and then he collapsed to the ground.

"I……"

Why am I dying? The thought had barely crossed his mind when his body fell straight down and he breathed his last.

167. The person I long to see

He had considered taking up the sword again, even on his deathbed, and dragging the princess along with him to the afterlife.

However... not only is the vine poisonous, but in addition to the blood toxin, it also causes a terrifying paralysis. He can't move a single finger or even blink, as if he's been beaten into a state of paralysis.

Some of the blood spurted onto Curtis's long hair and clothes, and she was equally shocked and speechless.

The reversal always came too suddenly, and she felt like an outsider.

“Foolish! How could we possibly covet worldly power? Besides, how could a mere viscount think he could be of any use to us? Is it naivety, or utter arrogance, that he doesn’t know his own limitations?”

The woman's eyes held mockery, and a sarcastic smile curved her lips.

"So-called power is nothing but fleeting clouds. Even the throne will be washed away by time and turned into sand."

"However... little princess, you are somewhat useful to our plan, come with me."

She extended a hand to Curtis, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"..."

Curtis didn't say anything, but his feet moved in that direction as if guided by his will.

Since she couldn't resist anyway, and had no intention of dying, she could only submit.

She reached out, and just as her hand was about to touch the other person's, things finally took a turn for the better.

"Your Highness, are you sure you want to leave with her? Why not consider abandoning your evil ways and coming to my side?"

A flippant voice rang out.

The voice was familiar; it was that of the wicked woman Curtis had thought of many times.

"A country bumpkin?!"

She turned around in surprise and looked in the direction of the sound.

"What a country bumpkin! But, seeing how miserable you are, I'll forgive you this time."

Emerging from the grove was Saint Karina, with her smooth white hair. Her blue eyes, as deep as the sea and as vast as the sky, held a sense of helplessness, as well as a hint of the charm unique to a wicked woman.

However, Santa Karina wasn't wearing simple casual clothes for a date today; she was wearing a white robe embroidered with gold thread patterns, a saint's outfit.

Although her clothes had some leaves and dust on them from walking through the woods, they still exuded a high level of purity; perhaps that's what charisma is all about.

"Who are you? Are you a member of the Cult of God, meddling in other people's business?"

The woman's face changed when she saw the saint's robes.

The fact that members of the cult, and clearly high-ranking ones at that, is something beyond the scope of intelligence.

"This isn't meddling in other people's business. Besides, Her Highness the Princess is my woman, isn't she?"

Saint Karina's tone remained ambiguous and flirtatious, but her eyes were electrifying.

Curtis did indeed recall Santa Karina's face more than once during the crisis, and coupled with their indescribable interactions in her dreams, her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

"Furthermore, I advise you not to act rashly, because I am not a person."

Seeing this turn of events with Saint Karina, the woman abandoned her cat-and-mouse game and instead wanted to take Curtis away directly.

However, Saint Karina would never give her that opportunity.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed – it was a golden bolt of lightning that struck straight at her.

This feeling made the woman's hair stand on end, and her heart frantically warned her of danger, as if she were being watched by something very dangerous.

"!"

As she looked in the direction of danger, she immediately saw a mass of energy containing extremely terrifying power hurtling towards her.

She instinctively tried to dodge, but this action only increased the distance between her and Curtis.

She didn't realize how bad it was until she had completely backed out.

"Let me introduce you, this is a priestess I trust."

Philomena also emerged from Saint Karina's company.

She was still wearing the same priest's robes, but her strength was now vastly different. Philomena was now a genuine eighth-tier expert, a powerful figure capable of standing alone in the Black Forest.

“I remember now, Saint Karina Randall… the saintess who has recently gained fame.”

Seeing that things were hopeless, the woman narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she were recalling something.

"The Holy Maiden of Wei, who died and came back to life more than 500 years ago, is an ancient relic... I admit that I am no match for you, but it won't be so easy for you to keep me here."

For the first time in a long time, the woman finally showed a serious look in her eyes; she was getting serious.

If the rumors are true, she is indeed no match for Saint Karina. This saint is far stronger than her.

However, just like a hunter eager to hunt, running away without even trying is not her style.

“My name is Leirella, a survivor of the Silver Ages. Please enlighten me…”

She drew her sword from her waist for the first time. The woman, Lyrella, had shifted her attention from Curtis to Saint Karina.

"Your Excellency, why not have a duel with me? My sword longs to clash with the strong."

As for Philomena, she completely ignored her.

Although the priest's magic seems dangerous, it cannot hone one's swordsmanship.

A cyan elemental flow hummed across the sword, a sound of nature. The key element was activated, and Lyrella was giving it her all for the first time. Her face and eyes were serious and focused, showing no sign of underestimating her opponent.

"Om..."

The cyan phantom was a cyan snake with two pairs of wings.

However, Santa Karina had no intention of fighting her. Why fight one-on-one when you can gang up on someone?

Trying to reason with people from the opposing camp? Please, Saint Karina isn't a good person, nor is she stupid.

"Icefall!"

As she stood, she was surrounded by more than twenty icicles with sharp tips.

This was Philomena's attack on Lyrella. Then, ice pillars from all directions slammed into Lyrella's body like cannon fire.

The crisscrossing icicles stirred up white mist, obscuring her alluring and beautiful figure in the cold storm.

Clearly, the speed of the ice pillar after the magic was used far exceeded the speed at which Lyrella could dodge. It was barely possible to catch up with the naked eye at the moment of impact, and the sharp tip could easily pierce through the human body.

"Bah-"

You can hear the sound of icicles piercing into the body.

"Did you take them down!?"

"Why say those lines at this moment?!"

Santa Karina started complaining about Curtis, who was watching from the sidelines.

This princess was not only completely useless in the battle, but she also couldn't help but give the two bad luck by setting a flag at this time.

"Luckily I had prepared in advance. I originally thought it was too heavy to bring, but it seems that wearing it was the right decision."

As if piercing through white smoke, Lyrella's dancing black hair leaped into view.

She brandished a cyan dagger, shortened from the size of a longsword, yet it didn't feel out of place; rather, it seemed as if it were her natural way of doing things. She moved with the lightness of a swallow, her body showing no signs of injury.

Now, after taking off her black coat, Leirila was only wearing a black bodysuit, and otherwise looked no different from before.

"With such a beautiful figure, a black coat is completely unnecessary!"

"Thank you for the compliment! But the truth is simpler: my coat was sewn up using some kind of technique, which is why I survived."

After politely answering Saint Karina's question, Lyrella lowered her stance and charged forward with her knife at the ready.

The blade was aimed directly at Philomena, who had just finished her attack and was now several steps ahead of Saint Karina without her even realizing it, and was blocking her way.

168. Crazy woman

The scimitar plunged straight towards Philomena's chest; her soft, feminine curves were striking, but—

"You underestimate me, madam. Ice Shield!"

Philomena clasped her hands together in front of her chest, unleashing a multi-layered ice shield that easily blocked Lyrella's scimitar.

Seeing that her attack had been blocked, Leirira immediately did a backflip to dodge.

As the cold front swept by, it seemed to be chasing after Lyrella, causing small icicles to fall one after another into the ground.

"You seem quite used to fighting, even though you're a priest."

Philomena's performance was unlike that of a priestess who usually appears as a support powder; rather, she resembled a skilled mage and paladin from the cult.

"Thank you for the compliment, madam."

Philomena waved her hand, and countless ice blocks appeared one after another, dancing freely in the forest.

Her speech was polite and courteous, but her face was expressionless, and her hands never stopped moving while she was speaking.

However, amidst that icy violence, Lyrella's actions far exceeded the realm of humanity.

Spinning, its body close to the ground as if lying prone, it sometimes defies gravity, running and dodging on tree trunks and branches. If it judges that it cannot dodge even in this way, it uses its curved blade to shatter the ice, and the shattered white crystals dissipate into granular smoke.

Lairella, a Silver Remnant, displayed unparalleled combat skills, overwhelming Philomena's magical attacks with superior technique.

It's fair to say that if it weren't for the absolute advantage of the power-class Philomena, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Even though there were probably hundreds of ice blocks launched, apart from the initial attack, none of them were able to directly hit Lyrella's body.

"Regardless, you are incredibly strong, frighteningly strong, madam."

"I really don't deserve such praise."

Honestly pleased with Philomena's praise, Lyrella's scimitar simultaneously shattered the encircling ice blocks.

"It's about time it came to an end. Aren't you tired of seeing the same old show?"

"Feet—"

Just as she was about to step out, Leirila leaned forward, only to find that she couldn't move.

Looking down, she realized that her right foot was stuck to the frozen floor.