A Maiden's Heart

Marianne said insistently, “Celia is both capable and smart. She knows exactly where the problems lie and how to solve them. What’s more, she doesn’t hesitate to sweep away those pedantic pieces of trash to achieve her goals.”

Before Marianne awakened as an Apostle blessed with the Goddess’s divine protection, Celia, who came from the north, had already been leading the purge of the Church and the reform of the social structure as Count Merlin’s confidante.

Celia believed she had met Marianne for the first time during the recent battle at the high wall, but in truth, Marianne had been watching her from afar for a very long time.

Although their goals differed slightly, to Marianne, Celia—a noble of the kingdom—had turned the imaginations and ideals she had harbored in her heart into reality. She was practically like a superhuman to her.

Now that Marianne had obtained immense power from the Goddess and soared to one of the highest positions in the Church, she looked up to Celia even more.

After all, Celia had accomplished all of those things without possessing such power and status.

Marianne’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she made no effort to hide her feelings. “She and I are so compatible. She’s simply my destined one.”

Gilbert looked at her with a hint of suspicion. “...Is that really the only reason?”

Marianne said candidly, “Of course. Her looks are also completely to my liking.”

Hearing this, Gilbert simply shut his mouth.

Although her family had previously tried everything to cover it up and stop her, now that Marianne’s power and status had reached this height, they could only give up.

It was already an open secret that Marianne, the young lady of the Lumiere family, preferred women.

As for Marianne herself, she had absolutely no intention of hiding it.

Ever since word of her eccentric personality spread, no one dared to criticize her or try to make her change her ways.

And the partner Marianne had chosen for herself was none other than Celia.

Gilbert shook his head helplessly as he watched Marianne walk away.

If they were not fellow companions recognized by the Goddess, Gilbert would never have tolerated Marianne’s actions. But since the Goddess had tacitly approved, he could only treat her as a comrade.

After all, this was part of his duty of loyalty to the Goddess.

Marianne arrived at the infirmary and asked, “Is your body alright?”

“I’m fine. I already expected that something like this would happen sooner or later,” Celia replied softly as she lay quietly in the sickbed.

Her face and arms were wrapped in bandages. Fortunately, the priests had been casting holy power on her non-stop, so her burns and stab wounds were already almost fully healed.

“It’s a good thing I arrived in time. It almost left a scar on your face.”

Marianne sat down by the side of the bed and reached out to gently caress Celia’s face.

She had already washed her body and clothes; there was no longer even a hint of the scent of blood on her, only a faint fragrance.

Celia had no way of knowing where Marianne had gone or what she had done before coming here.

“...There are still many who harbor resentment. This is a karma I must bear.”

Celia couldn’t bring herself to push her hand away, so she could only look away.

Moreover, the outfit Marianne was wearing was far too revealing in Celia's eyes.

The divine armor bestowed by the Goddess featured a complete breastplate on the upper half, but the lower half was a high-cut bodysuit that exposed almost her entire pelvis and thighs.

This was absolutely not how a former noble lady should dress, yet Marianne wore it every day without a care, using the excuse that it was a gift from the Goddess.

“Celia, how could this be your fault? Those fools who don't even know what the world has become simply have broken brains. Toss them outside the high wall for a single day, and they'll realize how ridiculous they are.”

“Even if there is a reason, it doesn’t mean everything is justified.”

Hearing Marianne's words of utter incomprehension, Celia shook her head.

To stop the encroaching ant swarm, everything she had done ultimately involved the slaughter and exclusion of her own kind.

Celia believed this was a fact she could never deny.

“Well... although I still don't quite get it, there's nothing I can do if you think that way. But you should know that there will always be a few bad apples that spoil the bunch.”

Marianne sat beside Celia without any hesitation, leaning her head against her shoulder as the corners of her lips curled up slightly.

“I will protect you. As long as you are with me, you can do whatever you want in the Church. Believe it or not, the Goddess also has a very good impression of you.”

Marianne whispered in Celia's ear, no longer hiding her intentions at all.

No matter how dense Celia was, listening to the rumors about Marianne and seeing her attitude toward her, she understood exactly what those words meant.

Celia’s eyes wavered.

Rather than fearing how Marianne would treat her, she cared more about what could be achieved with this power. Her heart gradually leaned toward this choice.

Besides, Celia was indeed somewhat exhausted. With someone trusting her unreservedly, supporting her, and praising her, it was only natural for her heart to waver.

“Lady Celia! Uh...”

Just then, Celia’s butler, Sebas, burst into the room with an excited expression.

But upon meeting Marianne’s terrifying gaze, he instantly fell silent and froze in place.

“What is it, Sebas? You seem to be in quite a hurry. Has something urgent happened?”

“Y-Yes, that's right. A transmission came from the high wall! They say they've successfully captured an enemy alive!”

“Captured alive? Is that true?”

Celia immediately spoke up, urging Sebas to finish.

And the news Sebas brought was indeed worthy of such an excited intrusion, causing Celia’s eyes to widen in shock as she sat up in bed.

Marianne yawned, looking utterly indifferent. “Is capturing a single bug alive really that big of a deal?”

“This is unbelievable news. We always believed it was absolutely impossible to capture those monsters alive through normal means.”

While riding in the carriage toward the high wall, Celia was in her most excited state in recent memory.

“Once these monsters are captured alive and bound, they immediately self-mutilate. Even if we completely tie them up to prevent self-harm, they will suddenly stop breathing at some point. It has been impossible to capture a live specimen for research.”

All the researchers, including Celia, had always wanted to capture live ants for study.

But the ants, connected to the hive mind, would immediately die on the spot once taken prisoner.

Superfluous individuals that could no longer contribute to the swarm simply had no reason to live.

“This is absurd. A truly live specimen... how on earth did you catch it?”

“We don't know what happened either. The brothers who went out on reconnaissance simply tied it up with a rope and brought it back.”

The carriage sped along, and they finally arrived at the city near the high wall. Looking at the small worker ant locked in the cage, everyone was stunned.

The captured worker ant was indeed still alive, its antennae twitching slightly.

The scouting soldiers and the regional commander, who had accidentally achieved this great feat, were still completely dazed.

While Marianne conversed with the others, Celia stared blankly at the worker ant in the cage.

Right at that moment, her panicked blue eyes locked with the red compound eyes in the ant's head.

【Elise has confirmed the enemy's identity.】

Yet, including Celia, no one was aware of a certain fact: even if it was just a tiny worker ant, the hive mind it was connected to was absolutely not to be underestimated.