“Wow.”
“It looks like I’ve returned just in time~”
In a space of pure white, Kavia’s voice rang out cheerfully.
There was no ground here.
No sky.
No walls.
Only a clean, almost void-like whiteness.
Within this white expanse, two figures sat before a light screen.
On the screen, Ivelia and Leticia were practically face-to-face.
One had a grim expression, her pressure causing the magic runes in the hallway to tremble.
The other had a cold, clear gaze; even as the Demon King forcibly pulled her away, her eyes didn't stop drifting back toward Lin Ling.
Their gazes collided.
Though neither spoke, it felt as if they had already fought three rounds in the air.
Kavia leaned toward the light screen, the smile on her mask seemingly curving even more.
“Oh my, oh my.”
“What a truly spectacular scene.”
One of the people sitting before the screen ignored her.
She was a woman with long blue hair.
Dressed in Saintess robes, her eyes were tranquil and her aura gentle, yet she did not seem weak.
She continued to watch the screen, her voice calm.
“Kavia.”
“You’ve caused quite a stir this time.”
“When will you ever set aside your twisted sense of humor?”
Kavia leaned against her from behind, wrapping her arms around her shoulders and hanging off her like a boneless snake.
“Which incident are you referring to, dear Marigal?”
Her tone was light.
“Is it letting little Sia be killed twice?”
“Or is it whisking you away from the stage just as you were making contact with the adorable Lin Ling?”
“It’s a pity the little darling only used an apple in the end~”
She tilted her head, then as if suddenly remembering something, her voice took on a hint of deliberate exaggeration.
“Could it be the little secret I shared with Ivelia?”
“No, no, that can't be it.”
“That one sentence was incredibly important.”
Marigal finally glanced slightly to the side.
Kavia only laughed more happily.
“Put away your deceptive whims, Kavia.”
Another voice rang out.
While still hanging onto Marigal, Kavia suddenly felt herself being lifted.
A magic arm made of condensed light grabbed her by the back of her collar.
In the next moment, she was hauled away from Marigal’s back.
The woman sitting on the other side slowly turned around.
Her silhouette remained blurred.
As if she were a mass of gathered light.
Yet when those eyes fell upon Kavia, even the light in the pure white space seemed to go still.
Suspended in mid-air, Kavia swung her feet enthusiastically.
“Oh dear.”
“The Goddess still doesn't know how to appreciate art.”
The woman looked at her.
“Have the performance fees been settled?”
Kavia pressed a hand to her chest and gave an exaggerated bow.
“Of course.”
“When the curtain falls, one must naturally settle the performance fees with the actors.”
“I gave my life's research to that little darling, after all.”
Her tone suddenly became meaningful.
“After all, you’ve been looking forward to this performance since that first glass of wine, haven't you?”
“I know everything.”
The woman addressed as the Goddess simply watched her quietly.
She did not confirm it.
Nor did she deny it.
Kavia, however, seemed to have already received the answer she wanted, and her cheerful laughter echoed through the white space.
“The moment that wine could make the little darling drunk, the stage was already set.”
“Wasn't it? Wasn't it?”
The Goddess spoke flatly.
“You’re being a bit too noisy.”
As she spoke, the arm of light tossed her aside.
Kavia turned into a blurred arc as she was thrown deep into the white space.
Her laughter faded into the distance.
“Hahahaha...”
“It clearly started from that glass of wine.”
“Goddess-chan is really not honest at all~”
Before long, she looped back from the other side of the space.
“So, I’m saying, this performance was truly perfect.”
“Sia saw things she usually wouldn't see.”
“Ivelia saw another side of little Lin Ling.”
“Little Lin Ling received a gift.”
“Even little Niya’s head was very nice to pet.”
She wanted to continue.
But just then, a hand lightly rested on her shoulder.
Kavia’s voice stopped abruptly.
Marigal stood behind her.
Her long blue hair draped over her shoulder, and a gentle smile remained on her face.
Except that gentleness somehow made one’s skin crawl.
“Kavia~”
She said softly.
“When you are an audience member, you should remain quiet~”
Kavia slowly turned her head.
She saw what looked like an invisible anger meter appearing above Marigal’s head.
“Marigal?”
“Wait a second, I think we can handle this in a more elegant way...”
Before she could finish.
Marigal grabbed her arm and twisted her hips.
Thud!
Kavia was slammed onto the floor of the pure white space with a heavy shoulder throw.
Even though there was theoretically no ground here.
She still made a very solid, muffled thud.
Kavia lay on the ground, her white mask perfectly still.
A moment later, she raised a hand, her tone still cheerful.
“Marigal is as strong as ever.”
“Truly worthy of being the First Saintess.”
Marigal looked at her with a smile.
“Would you like to try that again?”
Kavia immediately sat up straight.
“I believe that remaining quiet as an audience member is a virtue.”
The Goddess ignored them.
She simply watched the light screen silently.
On the screen, the atmosphere in the hallway of the Demon King's Castle had reached its breaking point.
...
“Dammit.”
Lin Ling pressed herself against the wall, practically curling into a ball.
“What on earth is happening right now?”
She looked at Ivelia, who had suddenly arrived and forcibly separated her from Leticia, and her mind began to spin wildly.
She had just woken up.
Realized the dream might not have been a dream.
Found the playing card Kavia had left by the bed.
Opened the door.
Saw that the “Sia” from her dream had turned into Leticia, who looked as beautiful as a divine messenger.
And then the other girl had actually reached out to touch her face.
And then, the Demon King had arrived.
Lin Ling felt like the plot developments this morning were even more like a dream than the one she had last night.
Ivelia stood in front of Lin Ling.
She didn't look back at her.
Her gaze was fixed solely on Leticia.
“Saintess of the Holy See.”
Her voice was calm.
But her pressure bore down directly on the other woman.
“I believe you should be in your room at this time.”
Leticia’s magic was still being suppressed by the stones.
By all rights, she shouldn't have been able to withstand the Demon King’s pressure.
Yet her face only paled slightly.
She raised her eyes and looked at Ivelia.
“Hehe.”
“Lord Demon King.”
Her tone carried a hint of arrogance that hadn't been fully worn away yet.
“You ‘invited’ me to the Demon King's Castle.”
“Isn't it only natural for me to admire the beautiful things here?”
As she spoke, her gaze kept shifting past Ivelia toward Lin Ling behind her.
Lin Ling had been hugging the wall, planning to slip away in a very inconspicuous manner.
But as soon as that gaze landed on her, she froze in place.
“Gah!”
“Don't look at me!”
Why did this suddenly become her problem!
Ivelia’s pressure grew even heavier.
She took a half-step to the side, completely blocking Leticia’s line of sight.
“Then I think.”
“It’s time for us to have a talk.”
Leticia looked at Ivelia standing in front of her, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
“Of course.”
She said.
“However...”
She still tried to lean around Ivelia to get one last look at Lin Ling.
“Wait for me, Lin Ling.”
Lin Ling: “Wait for what?!”
Before Leticia could respond, Ivelia reached out and grabbed Leticia’s wrist.
The movement wasn't heavy, yet it left the other woman no room to break free.
A dark red magic circle lit up beneath their feet.
Lin Ling only had time to see Leticia flash an enigmatic smile at her over the Demon King’s shoulder.
In the next instant, Ivelia activated the circle, whisking Leticia away with a short-range teleportation spell.
Rate on N.U.
