"I... I’m going to start."
"Lady Luo Li, I... I’m a little nervous."
"Don’t be afraid. Everyone has a first time. It’ll be fine once the first bit is over."
The conversation between the girls, sounding both serious and yet somehow not, echoed through the room.
Momoka lay on the bed, her face still flushed with a rosy hue from her bath.
She looked slightly anxious, her eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl’s palm.
That was her hope for rebirth.
Yet, she didn’t dare hold too much hope.
Regrowing limbs was not unheard of in history.
However, it usually required either a sacred medicine left over from prehistoric times or some other steep price.
In short, limb regeneration was never something that happened under normal circumstances.
If it were an ordinary priest, her body would not regenerate.
They would only be able to close the wound and speed up the clotting.
Luo Li knew Momoka was nervous, and in times like this, it was better to handle things swiftly and decisively.
Being too hesitant would only cause a person to break down.
Without saying anything else, Luo Li gently placed her hand on the back of Momoka's.
"Heal."
The healing art was arguably the skill with the lowest cost and highest return in Luo Li’s possession right now.
Its cost-effectiveness crushed every other skill she had!
Holy light flowed from her palm, and energy extended outward, instantly sinking into the back of Momoka’s hand.
In that instant, Luo Li could vaguely sense a faint resistance.
It was Momoka’s own holy elements.
Based on her current understanding, although holy elements generally belonged to the same category, they each had their own unique characteristics.
Momoka’s holy elements carried a faint hint of the power of lightning.
Unlike the sharp and resilient feeling of Lina’s, the holy elements in Momoka’s body felt faster and more turbulent to Luo Li.
Luo Li had learned quite a bit about the Saintesses from various sources.
Among them, Momoka’s information was something she had paid particular attention to.
The Momoka before her possessed the fire element from the four major elements and the lightning element from the special elements, in addition to her holy elements.
Holy and dark elements, along with the four major elements of earth, wind, water, and fire, constituted the mainstream elements.
Most other elements were categorized as special elements.
The lightning element was one of them.
This was reflected in the feedback from Momoka’s holy elements.
Her holy elements seemed swifter because of the lightning element and more turbulent because of the fire element.
Lina, on the other hand, possessed the earth and wind elements within her body, balancing resilience and sharpness.
From the sensation alone, Luo Li knew that the holy elements in her own body were purer compared to these two.
It seemed they had not been tainted by other elements.
Therefore, even the lightning and fire elements in Momoka’s body could only offer a meager resistance.
Then, like a thin membrane, they were unable to withstand the subsequent assault.
Breaking through the restricted area in an instant, Momoka seemed to feel something and couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
"Mm... Lady Luo Li... this feeling is a bit strange."
Momoka’s face flushed slightly.
The pure holy elements began to revitalize her body.
Her mind was calm, but her heart unexpectedly began to race.
A faint warm current wandered through her body, crawling from the back of her hand up to her shoulder, and then toward her lower abdomen.
"Lady Momoka, please bear with it. At first... it might be a little uncomfortable."
Luo Li patiently soothed Momoka’s frantic heart.
Once the holy elements entered the body, she could sense the shifts in Momoka’s emotions.
Regrowing limbs was bound to be uncomfortable, but it was a necessary path.
With that in mind, Luo Li increased her output, accelerating the flow of holy elements.
At the same time, she guided the holy elements that had invaded Momoka’s body to move in different directions.
One part flowed to the severed right shoulder, while another part split in two and moved toward her legs.
The moment the holy elements made contact with the severed ends, Momoka suddenly felt an incredibly intense itch!
"Ah!"
A soft cry escaped her lips, causing Momoka’s face to turn bright red.
She subconsciously looked around.
Fortunately, Luo Li had already dismissed everyone else from the room before the treatment.
This was specifically to prevent Momoka from losing her composure in such a moment.
"La... Lady Luo Li, this... this feeling... it’s so itchy, so hot..."
Momoka’s voice sounded soft and delicate, as if she didn't dare make too much noise.
Luo Li closed her eyes, ignoring Momoka for the time being.
At this moment, the holy elements lingered around the severed wounds.
Luo Li carefully sensed the unique feeling brought by the holy elements.
All the cells seemed to become incredibly active in this instant.
The scars at the severed ends began to dissolve and fade away.
In the blink of an eye, the scars on the wounds completely vanished.
All the skin returned to a normal state.
Then, the regeneration began.
Luo Li could clearly 'see' it!
The cells within Momoka’s body extended outward from the severed ends.
With every extension, a part of that presence remained, transforming into normal tissue.
Luo Li 'watched' the tissue extend in her mind while looking at Momoka on the bed.
The severed ends of her arm and legs continuously writhed, growing new skin and tissue.
At the same time, Luo Li could sense the holy elements within Momoka’s body decreasing.
It seemed they were assisting Luo Li, helping to repair Momoka’s form.
The skin extended bit by bit without any scarring, the entire process flowing like water.
The new skin didn't even have much of a color difference from the original.
Along with the skin that grew first, the tissue beneath it gradually writhed and bulged.
Eventually, it formed the shape of an arm.
At the same time, her feet were also fully repaired.
But the internal repairs didn't seem to be over yet.
After the muscles, bones, and blood vessels rose from the skin step by step, the final connection was a slender, intricate, and constantly branching yellowish-white thread.
Is this the nervous system?
The thought flashed through Luo Li’s mind.
Then, it seemed all parts of the body had been repaired.
Luo Li paused, looking down at her own palm.
To repair these limbs, she had exhausted more than half of the holy elements in her body.
It had also taken a portion of Momoka’s own holy elements along with it.
When she had repaired that child’s legs before, it hadn't consumed nearly this much.
The only explanation was that Momoka’s physical strength was far greater than that child’s.
To repair the body while restoring its original strength required a much higher price.
As expected, whether in this world or the other, the law of conservation of energy still existed.
She withdrew her hand and looked down at Momoka lying on the bed.
Momoka had already sat up, staring in disbelief at her newly grown arm and legs.
A look of joy was written all over her face.
"It was... really that simple?"
In Momoka’s eyes, beyond the ecstatic joy, there was also profound shock.
She had, of course, heard that this Saintess of the Moon could repair damaged limbs.
But she had originally thought that such a god-defying skill would surely come with a heavy price.
She had even prepared herself for the possibility of needing multiple sessions.
Yes.
From the beginning, she hadn't expected it to be fixed all at once.
Even just moments ago, she hadn't dared to think it possible.
However, when a miracle occurred before her eyes, Momoka’s first emotion was wild joy.
But immediately after, a faint trace of unease and fear began to surface.
Suddenly, she snapped out of it and turned to look at the silver-haired girl.
On the silver-haired girl’s face, there didn't seem to be any great surprise at the feat of 'repairing limbs.'
Her expression remained calm, wearing that smile as pleasant as a spring breeze, giving off a peaceful and serene illusion.
But Momoka knew very well that this skill... was already approaching the forbidden zone of life.
For an individual, this was indeed a good thing, but for the Holy Church, it might not be.
"Lady Luo Li."
"Yes?"
Facing Momoka, whose expression had suddenly turned grave and serious, Luo Li was momentarily stunned.
What now?
Wasn't she just full of joy?
What was she trying to do?
Was she about to turn on her?
Oh, for goodness' sake!
Between her past life and this one, she had met countless people, but she had never seen an ungrateful wolf like this before!!
"Lady Momoka, what is the meaning of..."
If this woman dared to burn the bridge after crossing it, Luo Li wasn't going to be polite!
Momoka, naturally, didn't realize the petty thoughts in Luo Li’s head.
Instead, she looked at Luo Li with a solemn expression, her eyes closed.
"Lady Luo Li, regarding your healing art... I think it’s best if you don’t tell anyone about it. In fact, you should... avoid using it as much as possible!"
Huh?
So she really was turning on her. She knew this little bit— wait! What?
The healing art?
Luo Li was stunned by the words, her brow furrowing slightly as she asked.
"Are you saying there’s something wrong with my healing art?"
Momoka shook her head.
"Lady Luo Li’s healing effects are something I have never seen in my life. I have never encountered a healing art with such efficacy."
Then what was she talking about?
If it was good, why was she suddenly so solemn?
"However!"
Momoka continued, her eyes filled with gravity.
"This skill has already approached the forbidden zone of life. Lady Luo Li, as a Saintess, you should know what that means. If things go wrong, you might even be labeled a heretic."
"It... it wouldn't be that serious, would it?"
Hearing her say that, Luo Li couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear in her heart.
Was it really that bad? It was just a healing spell, wasn't it?
"It absolutely is. Moreover, you must remain tight-lipped. No matter who asks you, you must not give a direct answer!"
"I can’t answer?" Luo Li repeated in surprise.
Momoka nodded solemnly.
"Yes! You cannot answer."
"Once your answer is recorded by the Necessary Evil, it will be ironclad evidence."
Hearing those two words, Luo Li froze.
"Necessary... Evil?"
Momoka gave a slight nod.
"Lady Luo Li has only been a Saintess for a year and six months, so it’s normal that you don’t know about the Necessary Evil. It is a dark organization belonging exclusively to the Holy See, specialized in handling things that... the Holy See cannot do openly."
Luo Li’s brow furrowed deeply as she remained silent.
"This includes assassinations, espionage, theft, and kidnappings. There is also a department within it specifically meant to monitor us Saintesses."
"From what you’re saying, it sounds like the Holy See has been wary of us from the start?"
"If not, why would they bother monitoring us?"
Momoka’s answer shocked Luo Li.
However, beyond the shock, she felt that it was somehow reasonable.
The Eight Nations of the Holy Church, such a massive organization, didn't technically need to be governed separately.
Yet now, they clearly were; the Eight Nations of the Holy Church each managed their own affairs.
Aside from the seven nations needing to pay annual tributes to the Holy See, the Holy See had no right to interfere in other nations' internal affairs.
From this perspective, it seemed like an alliance of vassal states.
But according to the information Luo Li currently possessed, given the strength of the Pope a thousand years ago, he wouldn't have needed to divide and rule like this.
Why make things difficult for his descendants?
Wouldn't it have been easier to just unify everything?
But he didn't do that. Instead, after expelling the demons, he mysteriously vanished.
And the Eight Nations of the Holy Church seemed to have been frozen in that state ever since.
A thousand years ago, something must have happened that made the first Pope unable to maintain control, forcing the division.
And regarding the whereabouts of the first Pope, there was no record of him in any unofficial histories outside of the Sacred Canon.
It was as if... the man had vanished into thin air.
After a moment of hesitation, Luo Li looked at Momoka.
She suppressed this doubt deep in her heart.
There seemed to be some massive conspiracy hidden behind this question.
It made her feel a bit uneasy.
Her greatest hope in this life was to live well and grow old peacefully.
Ideally, nothing would happen along the way, allowing her to steadily save up enough for retirement, then find a villa in a place with beautiful scenery and blooming flowers by the sea to spend her final years in comfort.
So... even if she had doubts about certain things, it was best not to look too deeply into them.
Otherwise, forget about a peaceful retirement—she might end up as a plaything.
From beginning to end, she had never forgotten.
The name of this world was The Holy Maiden’s Tragic Ruin.
The 'tragic ruin' wasn't the key part; the 'Holy Maiden' was!
Given that the average human lifespan in this world was sixty, she still had at least forty-odd years to live.
If her level increased later, her lifespan would increase as well.
No matter what, she had to develop the Kingdom of the Moon to resist the demon army.
All for a stable retirement life!!
That was her conviction!
"Lady Momoka, it seems you have recovered. I will call Knight Izumi in to help you dress."
"Thank you."
Momoka was currently only draped in a thin nightgown.
This was so the fabric wouldn't obstruct the regeneration of her limbs.
Seeing her fully restored, Luo Li felt relieved.
She stood up and happened to catch a glimpse of Momoka's... B.
It really was a B-cup; it was only that big. Compared to her own D-cup, it was far behind!
Huh?
Why did a sudden, mysterious surge of confidence wash over her?
Luo Li, oh Luo Li!
You can't get this confident just because of two lumps of fat.
If this keeps up, you’re going to be completely assimilated!
She looked down at herself, and her mood suddenly became complicated.
There was about seventy percent of a victor's pride, but also thirty percent of... a sense of loss, as if she had misplaced something important.
Rate on N.U.
