“Looks like I arrived at just the right time.”

Liya lifted the carriage curtain, revealing half of a pretty, playful little face. Bathed in the glow of Holy Light, she was far more moving than the morning sun about to rise beyond the end of the mist.

She casually waved a hand, and the surging Holy Light suddenly roared into motion. It looked calm as a river, but to those heretics launching sneak attacks from the shadows, it was an overwhelming tidal wave they had no power to resist.

Several more bodies turned to ash within the Holy Light. Liya quietly patted her chest, which rose and fell like waves.

So scary, so scary. Even now, she still had not quite gotten used to this kind of scene.

As she was thinking that, the Holy Light had already condensed into a Spear of Judgment and, in an instant, shot across a thousand meters, skewering a fleeing heretic straight through the heart.

The heretic’s face twisted in terror. Before the last curse could even leave his mouth, he was drowned in the sea of purification and burned away completely.

“Are you all right?”

Only {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} after confirming that both the heretics and the pollution had been completely wiped out did Liya turn to look at the members of the Silent Bureau.

Holy Light was also flowing into their bodies, but unlike the cold, merciless judgment and punishment it had shown the heretics, the Holy Light entering them was incomparably gentle. In an instant, it healed more than half their injuries, and its effect far surpassed that of most healing magic in this world.

“We’re fine.”

The captain hurried to his feet and led the remaining team members in bowing to Liya.

“Many thanks for your aid, Your Holiness.”

“No need to thank me. I’m an old acquaintance of your Swordbearer too, so this much is nothing.”

Liya smiled.

Her smile was as warm as Holy Light itself, enough to make anyone feel as though they were standing in a spring breeze.

But for some reason, the captain suddenly shivered. It was as though some terrifying deeper meaning were hidden inside that smile.

“By the way, your Swordbearer hasn’t been in Belrand lately, right?” Liya suddenly asked.

“Ah... y-yes, that’s right. Lady Anna should have gone to the front lines with Her Majesty the Empress.”

Ordinarily, revealing their boss’s whereabouts was a major taboo, but considering the other party’s identity, the captain figured there was probably no point in hiding it.

“Is that so...”

As the carriage rolled forward, Liya lowered her head and murmured, “That’s wonderful, then. With both annoying people gone, I can have him all to myself...”

“Hm?”

The captain looked baffled. Weren’t they supposed to be old acquaintances? Then why did Her Holiness look so happy to hear that Lady Anna was not around?

...

“Finally finished. I’m exhausted.”

Pink Bear pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from his hands.

Although the final resistance from Love God’s avatar had exceeded his expectations, in the end it still had not managed to stir up much trouble. After scheming for so long and paying such a heavy price, this matter had finally come to a successful close.

Yes, very good, very good. Whether it was the fish, the bait, or the people doing the fishing, everyone had gotten a satisfactory ending. Everyone had a bright future ahead.

Pink Bear did not act often, but once he did... it was perfection.

“Hm?”

He had just been thinking that while a certain tigress was still busy, he ought to hurry and pull out his treasured old cigars to reward himself, when he spotted a carriage outside Belrand’s city gate. It seemed to be waiting to enter.

“Lord Pink Bear, it’s been a long time.”

“Ah...”

A sweet, gentle voice sounded from inside the carriage, and Pink Bear instinctively shivered.

Oh no.

“W-why, isn’t this Your Holiness? What brings you back to Belrand again?”

Pink Bear hurried over with a smile plastered all over his face.

“Weren’t you in the middle of your journey across the continent?”

“Yes, I was on a journey.”

Liya spoke as though it were only natural.

“And a journey only counts as one trip if there’s both an outward leg and a return leg. The last time I passed through Belrand, I was leaving the Holy City. This time I’m passing through Belrand on my way back to the Holy City. Is there any problem with that?”

“...N-no.”

Pink Bear cursed under his breath.

On the surface, it sounded perfectly reasonable, but even for a round trip, passing through the same place both times was still suspicious, wasn’t it?

The continent was huge. What was Belrand supposed to be, some unavoidable route running north to south?

And the timing was this precise too. Talking about a return trip sounded nice enough, but she clearly just wanted to see her little lover!

“Oh, right, Lord Pink Bear.”

Just as Pink Bear was thinking about how to send this troublesome person away, Liya poked her little head out and looked into the distance.

“I’ve been wondering since just now—when did such a beautiful building appear outside Belrand?”

“Huh? What building?”

Blankly, Pink Bear followed the direction Liya was pointing. One moment he was still wondering what beautiful building near Belrand even he did not know about, and the next he was already breaking out in a cold sweat.

There, amid a stretch of lush green forest, the crystal dome of that palace was dazzlingly conspicuous. Especially now that the sun had just risen, with sunlight refracting through the crystal, the multicolored radiance shining from it was even lovelier and more brilliant than a rainbow after the rain.

It was not just Liya. Quite a few people passing by the city gate had already stopped in their tracks, asking their companions when such a beautiful building had suddenly risen from the edge of Belrand.

“My, it’s so beautiful...”

Even though she had become a Saintess who had to be mindful of her image at all times, Liya still had a young girl’s heart.

“If I could go on a date with Muen in a place that beautiful, that would be wonderful.”

“Don’t go!”

Pink Bear blurted it out almost instantly.

The moment the words left his mouth, though, he regretted it, because reacting so strongly only made it seem as though he had something to hide.

“Don’t go?”

Sure enough, Liya arched a delicate brow and looked even more curious.

“Why?”

“B-because...”

Pink Bear stammered,

“because it’s dangerous... that’s right, it’s dangerous! That place may look beautiful, but in reality it was built as a trap specifically to lure in heretics. It’s extremely dangerous, especially for a Saintess like you.”

“Is that so?”

Liya thought for a moment.

“But I just came from that little town, and wasn’t that the place where the heretics were being exterminated? Besides, this place is so conspicuous. Would heretics really be drawn there?”

“...” Pink Bear’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Lord Pink Bear, you seem to be hiding something from me.”

Liya’s little face turned stern. At that moment, she truly did carry some of a Saintess’s authority.

“Please tell me the truth. Why can’t I go? Is there... some reason I’m not allowed there?”

...

...

“Mmh... mmh...”

Inside the crystal palace, that activity of drawing and sheathing, of answering move with countermove, had already entered its second stage. Ariel, who just moments ago had still been loftily determined to conquer that damned blond in this regard, had now fallen behind once again.

Her whole body had been turned over. Her little face was pressed tightly into the soft blanket, and her slender waist was bent into an astonishing curve.

Holding her by the waist from behind, Muen lightly bit her ear and asked, “So? Who won?”

“Mmh... mmh... I haven’t lost...”

Ariel gritted her silver-white teeth, doing her best not to let any humiliating sounds escape, while secretly gathering strength and trying to seize the initiative again.

She had not lost, and she was not weaker than this damned blond bastard.

She was only a little less experienced. This guy had simply found her weak points too easily, then broken through her defenses by accident, which was how the balance of offense and defense had reversed.

She was still the one with the upper hand!

But that was fine. She was Ariel Bugaard, after all. Ariel Bugaard, who never gave up.

A momentary disadvantage did not mean she would stay at a disadvantage forever. Being below him for now did not mean she would stay below forever.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. As long as she kept thinking hard, built up experience, worked tirelessly, and found the right opening, she would definitely be able to—

“Ah... no, no more... I can’t think at all... I’m going to break...”

Sadly, before she could build up enough experience, the damned blond bastard had strengthened his assault yet again. The ferocity of his attack left her completely unable to defend herself, and before long her consciousness was drifting up into the clouds for who knew how many times today...

Her delicate body trembled. Her legs kicked helplessly.

Of course, Muen was not about to let go of such a rare chance to “bully” Ariel. He immediately turned her over, drew her long legs together, changed positions, and kept going.

And so the winding song continued, all the way until dawn.

...

...

Morning light was faintly spreading. Not long after the great battle ended and the two of them left together in each other’s arms, another lovely figure suddenly descended upon this place.

“Sniff... sniff sniff...”

Liya twitched her nose, looking everywhere for traces.

Not long after, she picked up a strip of pure white cloth from a corner, shamelessly edged with pink lace, and her little face turned completely grave.

“As I thought, there’s the scent of a sneaky little cat here.”