“Phew.”
Lin Ling stood in the hallway, letting out a long sigh of relief as she watched the teleportation array whisk Ivelia and Leticia away.
“What a terrifying morning.”
She raised a hand to wipe her forehead.
Even though there wasn't actually any sweat there.
Waking up to a beautiful Saintess touching her face, followed by the Demon King’s entrance with overwhelming pressure...
What kind of horror wake-up service was that?
She felt small, helpless, and more than a little hungry for breakfast.
Just then, familiar footsteps echoed from the other end of the hallway.
“Miss Saintess, you’re awake.”
Niya approached, carrying a breakfast tray.
It held soft bread and a bowl of steaming soup.
The moment Lin Ling saw Niya, her eyes lit up.
“Niya~”
Pouncing on her like she’d found a savior, Lin Ling snatched the breakfast tray and pulled Niya into the room with her.
“M-Miss Saintess?”
Niya was a bit flustered by the sudden tug.
Lin Ling closed the door and made a solemn declaration.
“The only thing that should appear at a room door in the morning is an angelic Niya.”
“That is the only correct way to start the day.”
With that, she sat at the table and took a bite of the bread.
The familiar texture.
The familiar breakfast of the Demon King's Castle.
Lin Ling was almost moved to tears.
“As expected.”
“Breakfast is the cornerstone of civilization.”
Standing beside her, Niya watched Lin Ling eat happily, and her shoulders finally began to relax.
She let out a tiny, soft breath.
“Phew...”
“I’m glad Miss Saintess is okay.”
“Hmm?”
With a piece of bread in her mouth, Lin Ling suddenly leaned in close.
“What did you say, Niya?”
Niya jumped.
Lin Ling’s face was suddenly very close.
Close enough that she could see Lin Ling’s eyelashes fluttering slightly.
Niya’s face turned bright red, and she hurriedly reached out to push Lin Ling’s face away.
“I-It’s nothing!”
“Miss Saintess, you can’t just lean in like that!”
Lin Ling was pushed back slightly but didn't retreat immediately.
She narrowed her eyes, staring at Niya for a few seconds.
“Niya.”
“Yes?”
“You have dark circles under your eyes.”
Niya’s body stiffened.
Lin Ling set the bread down, her expression becoming serious.
“Did you not sleep well last night?”
Niya instinctively looked away.
“I-It’s fine.”
“I’ll just rest a bit later.”
She spoke while turning to run out the door.
“I’ll go get back to work now.”
But before she could take a single step, Lin Ling caught her by the wrist.
“Wait.”
Niya looked back.
Lin Ling looked at her, her tone uncharacteristically devoid of jokes.
“You’ve worked so hard, Niya. You should take a good rest today.”
“The others in the Demon King's Castle can handle things, right?”
“I can’t.”
Niya shook her head immediately.
“My task is to take care of Miss Saintess...”
Before she could finish, Lin Ling had already pulled her to the bed.
Before Niya could react, Lin Ling pressed her down by the shoulders onto the mattress.
“I can’t!”
Niya struggled to stand back up.
“In that case, the task Miss Saintess is assigning you is to get some proper rest.”
Lin Ling stated with absolute seriousness.
Niya froze.
“But...”
“No buts.”
Lin Ling pulled the blanket over Niya.
“From this moment on, Niya is entering forced rest mode.”
“This is an order from Miss Saintess.”
Clutching the blanket, Niya’s face was red enough to emit steam.
“M-Miss Saintess, you shouldn't do this...”
Lin Ling, however, had already quickly backed away to the door.
She held onto the doorframe with one hand and gave a thumbs-up with the other.
“Don't worry.”
“I’ll make sure to finish all my breakfast.”
“Just sleep peacefully, Niya.”
After closing the door.
Lin Ling’s eyes sparkled.
It was as if she had suddenly thought of something incredible.
“And now—”
“It’s time for Miss Saintess’s adventure!”
“Eh?”
Inside the room, Niya sat up abruptly upon hearing those words.
“Miss Saintess?!”
But Lin Ling was already expertly clambering onto the window of the Demon King's Castle.
A faint glow of Levitation Magic enveloped her body.
In the next second, she floated directly out of the window.
By the time Niya opened the door, she was completely stunned.
“Miss Saintess!”
In the distance, Baroque’s furious roar soon rang out.
“Hey!”
“Can’t you just use a normal door?!”
Lin Ling’s voice drifted back from outside the window.
“Windows have more of a sense of adventure!”
“Don't add that kind of function to windows!”
Niya sat back on the bed, clutching the blanket, and stared blankly for a long while.
Finally, she looked down at the blanket that still carried Lin Ling’s scent.
“Miss Saintess...”
She murmured softly.
“Honestly.”
But sleepiness finally began to wash over her.
The tension she had held all through the night, now that she was sure Lin Ling was truly safe, finally gave way.
Niya lay down and pulled the blanket up a bit higher.
Soon, the only sound in the room was her soft breathing.
...
In the conference room.
Ivelia and Leticia sat facing each other.
Ivelia sat at the head of the table, her dark red eyes calmly watching the Saintess of the Holy See.
Leticia’s magic was still being suppressed by the stones.
Yet her demeanor was completely different from yesterday.
She sat upright.
Though her gaze looked as if she had just experienced something momentous.
Ivelia spoke.
“So you’re saying.”
“You want to stay in the Demon King's Castle for a while?”
Leticia nodded.
“Yes.”
“Isn't this exactly what you want?”
“If I am not in Camillaya, the Holy See will fall into chaos because of my absence.”
“My mother will be unable to command the Bishops through me.”
“And the First Prince, without the protection of the clergy and the Holy Light, will be unable to forcibly step into demon territory.”
She raised her eyes to look at Ivelia.
“At least for a short while, he will be restricted.”
Ivelia’s finger tapped lightly on the table.
“True.”
“As you say, this benefits the demons.”
Her gaze did not waver.
“But what about you?”
“What do you want?”
Leticia remained silent for a moment.
She seemed to be seriously considering the question.
What did she want?
In the past, she would have had many answers.
But now, those answers felt like they had been burned away by last night’s dream, leaving only ashes too light to grasp.
She slowly raised a hand and touched the corner of her eye.
A faint glimmer still lingered there.
“I want to know what a Saintess is supposed to do.”
She spoke in a low voice.
Ivelia watched her.
Leticia continued.
“Does that count?”
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
Leticia lowered her eyes.
“Do you know?”
“The Original Saintess was different from the one today.”
“The ancient texts say the Original Saintess didn't just stand in the White Tower.”
“She walked this earth.”
“Wherever she went, she left food for the hungry, brought healing to the injured, and questioned the crown on behalf of the voiceless.”
Her voice was soft.
But it no longer trembled with uncertainty.
“She brought divine mercy to every place she visited.”
“Instead of only bestowing light upon nobles, soldiers, and those deemed ‘worthy’ of salvation.”
Leticia looked up.
“I never thought about these things before.”
“Because I thought being a Saintess meant simply standing atop the White Tower.”
“To be knelt before, to be praised, and to bestow Holy Light only when needed.”
She paused.
“But last night...”
She didn't elaborate on the details of the dream.
Her eyes simply darkened slightly.
“I saw many things.”
Ivelia did not interrupt her.
Leticia’s gaze drifted past the conference room window to the outside of the Demon King's Castle.
There, she could faintly see Lin Ling flying by with Levitation Magic, with Baroque chasing after her and shouting.
The light in her eyes seemed a bit brighter than before.
“I want to know.”
“What Lin Ling would do.”
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