Volume 8, Chapter 53 – The Curtain Falls

Crossing the bustling street, Yisi stepped into an alley just wide enough for two people to pass. Due to the continuous days of rain, the alley was filled with sewage, and the stench of the sludge made Yisi frown. She could only use a few stones in the alley as a path forward.

After reaching a T-junction in the alley, Yisi stopped, her gaze fixed on the end of the alley—the hero Lin and her two companions were leaning against the wall. Although they were wearing clean clothes, they showed no sign of cherishing them. However, the feeling they gave was not one of arrogance, as if they didn’t care if their clothes got dirty, but rather as if they were accustomed to such a filthy environment.

“If I didn’t have the magic to find you, wouldn’t you be wasting your time waiting here?”

“So you really can predict where we are.”

Unlike usual, the current Lin was neither carrying her long scythe nor was her body veiled in black. She was only wearing a fox mask, and her attire was her usual long black dress. Even upon discovering Yisi’s arrival, she showed no intention of fighting. On the contrary, she was very peaceful, as if she wanted to discuss something with her.

Of course, the two girls beside Lin looked as if they were not to be trifled with, especially the red-haired girl who had been blasted into the ruins by Yisi last night. If looks could kill, Yisi’s magic defense would have been triggered multiple times by now.

Lin, with her long black hair, turned to face Yisi.

“This is not a place to talk. Let’s go somewhere else. Of course, if you want to talk here, that’s fine too. We’re used to an environment full of sludge. As for the place you choose, as long as it’s not the trap-filled basement of the church, we’ll accompany you anywhere.”

“Is that so? Then let’s talk here.”

It would be bad if her companions were to look for her and get worried when they couldn’t find her. Besides, Lin’s attitude also made her curious. Given their opposition last night, she had thought that Lin would attack her on sight.

Lin was also surprised that Yisi had agreed so quickly—in her prediction, Yisi should have answered ‘why should I trust you’ or shown a suspicious and distrustful attitude. Such a calm and relaxed expression made Lin have the illusion that things were going too smoothly.

If Yisi Enya wasn’t a fool, then there were only two possibilities. One, her strength was so great that she could handle any unexpected situation. Two, she had already foreseen their purpose. It seemed now that it was the latter. Yisi Enya held the third Gospel. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known that the three of them were waiting for her in the alley.

Originally, according to Purple’s idea, they should have first hired someone to deliver an invitation to Yisi, so that she would know they were looking for her. But in order to test whether Yisi had a Gospel (or a similar ability of foresight), she had deliberately waited in the alley without saying anything.

Since Yisi had appeared here now, it proved that her guess was correct.

As if to pull something out from the depths of her eyes, Lin stared straight into them.

“Didn’t you want to take the Gospel from me? Now we’re giving you such an opportunity.”

“Do we have to fight?”

She didn’t necessarily mean to take it. The reason she had searched for her yesterday was for two purposes. First, to prevent the Divine Religion from following the Gospel’s will and creating a tragedy. Second, to find out what the Gospel really was.

Finally unable to stand Yisi’s ‘arrogant’ words, the red-haired girl frowned, her heavy step splashing dirty water everywhere.

“Hey, you don’t think we’ll lose to you twice, do you? Last night you just picked us off one by one. When the three of us stand together, we can even retreat unscathed from a fallen angel.”

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“Red, don’t cause trouble for Lin.”

“Tsk.”

At the purple-haired girl’s persuasion, the red-haired girl clicked her tongue impatiently and shot a fierce glare at Yisi, her eyes as if to say that if Yisi were to anger her again, she would make her regret it.

However, Yisi did not pay any attention to the red-haired girl. To interact with a hot-tempered and irritable person would only make her lose her own calm.

The hero is really unlucky to have such a teammate.

“We have no intention of fighting you.”

“Then?”

“Although I don’t know the reason for this, the order I received was to invite you to our Divine Religion’s holy land as a guest.”

“An invitation…” If it was just ‘ask,’ it would imply that if she didn’t agree, they would use force to take her back. But with the word ‘invitation,’ the meaning of a request was much greater. “And if I don’t agree?”

“It’s fine if you don’t. You can continue to do your thing, and we will continue to do ours. Inviting you is the Pope’s will. The Gospel did not ask you to be a guest. Only the words of the Gospel are absolute.”

“Lin, stop wasting your breath on her. With this time, we might as well go back and ask the Pope properly why he insists on inviting such an unknown person. If this invitation causes a mistake in the subsequent mission, the Pope can’t afford to take the responsibility.”

Without answering the red-haired girl’s aggressive instigation, Lin just silently waited for Yisi’s answer. Glancing at the long black dress and the bottomless, deep purple eyes, Yisi couldn’t help but remember the face hidden under the mask—a bewitching visage with a few scales. If Lin wasn’t wearing a fox mask, this silent appearance would surely give the impression of a lifeless object, like a house spirit or some other lifeless being that should have appeared in the underworld. Of course, this was used as a compliment here. Putting aside what she had done, Lin herself was a very beautiful girl with a cold and aloof temperament. Just by standing there, she had the magic to quiet her surroundings.

Yisi lowered her head in thought.

If she hadn’t witnessed the Gospel’s scheming, she would have just thought it was something the Divine Religion had made up to deceive its followers. But after seeing its premeditation, she naturally became curious about it, wanting to know what it really was, and why it had miscalculated her in its plan. If the miscalculation was deliberate, and was itself a part of the Gospel’s grand plan, then why had it done so?

Of course, it was fine to say ‘no’ to Lin here and not to learn about the Gospel. But once curiosity was aroused, it would be like the allure of a ball of yarn to a cat. She would always have this curiosity in her heart, and would always feel an itch if she didn’t understand it.

“Why invite me? I am a Cardinal of the Ymir Church, and you are members of the Divine Religion. We should be religious enemies.”

“I don’t know. The one who invited you was not me, but the Pope.”

“Then can I bring my companions with me?”

“…You can.”

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“Lin, the Pope only said to invite her, not that she could bring others!”

“The Pope also didn’t say she couldn’t bring others. I have my own discretion. I want to see what the Pope is really thinking.”

“I’ll say this first, if you don’t allow me to bring my companions, I will change my course without hesitation. Also, I advise you not to have any designs on my companions, otherwise even the Gospel won’t be able to save you—no, I will tear the Gospel apart along with you.”

If possible, she would rather place her companions in the Blood Clan capital. With Charles’s protection, unless a demon lord descended, no one could threaten them. And Andrea also had a group teleportation crystal. Even if a demon lord were to descend, Andrea could bring them to her side.

The reason she didn’t do so was because she considered that her companions would probably not agree to her proposal. Yisi could even imagine Camilla’s or Pepe’s reaction if she were to say “I want to go to the Divine Religion’s main base alone.” Camilla would surely refuse immediately and grab her in worry, while the latter would follow along on the grounds that she couldn’t let her fiancée venture into danger alone. Not to mention Mary, Tiffany, and Laxy.

“We will not do anything unnecessary. If you have made up your mind, then wait for us at the south city gate in a week. We will have a carriage ready.”

If she didn’t have enough strength as a shield, she would never have accepted this invitation, which, no matter how one looked at it, was like a feast at Hongmen ¹ refers to a famous historical banquet that has become a Chinese idiom for a banquet set up as a trap. It represents a situation where an invitation for a friendly meeting has a hidden, malicious intent, often to assassinate or harm the guest. The phrase is used today to describe any treacherous situation disguised as hospitality. .

Yisi smiled.

“I will be ready. Also, we have our own carriage.”

“So be it.”

“Wait.”

Yisi called out to the turning Lin.

“You won’t make a move against Alice again, will you? Cynthia already knows your plan. If you forcibly continue, you will only direct her wrath towards the Divine Religion. Although I don’t know what your ultimate goal is, I don’t think it’s conducive to the future of the Divine Religion.”

“…”

Lin stopped, seeming to want to say something.

A troubled look on her face, the purple-haired girl leaned close to Lin’s ear, her eyes downcast, and whispered a word of caution.

“Lin, we’ve revealed too much. We should wait until she’s in front of the Pope.”

“No, it’s fine to tell her,” Lin shook her head gently. “The plan has already failed. You can rest assured. Also, we will not beg for forgiveness, but all of this is ultimately to allow those who are still living in peace to continue to do so. Red, let’s go.”

Without another word, Lin and her companions walked out of the alley.

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After Yisi had spent a day playing in the capital with Camilla and the others, the exhausted group had just returned to the temple when they each went to the bathhouse to relax. Yisi took this opportunity to return to her room.

Like a puppy waiting for its master to come home, as soon as Yisi pushed open the door, the World Dragon wagged its tail—if it had one—and waddled hurriedly to her, its hoarse male voice filled with excitement.

“My lord, I have completed the mission you gave me!”

“Well done. How is that little demon?”

“Er, although she seemed to want to say something, because you had gagged her, she couldn’t say anything. But I think your plan was very successful. When I was putting the food in my mouth, she was like a deflated pufferfish, completely listless, and even sobbed and cried.”

“Is that so…”

Although she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, just hearing the World Dragon’s description made Yisi feel extremely pitiful, a feeling of her chest tightening. And when she thought of Tina’s eight-year-old appearance, Yisi couldn’t help but think that she was the real demon.

Because she had thought that Tina was a long-lived demon lord—perhaps her mental age was not as young as she looked—she had been a little stricter. But now it seemed that Tina’s mental age might really be the same as her appearance, or at least not far off.

I should let her down and treat her to a good meal.

Although she had no resistance to older sisters, she also had none for very young children. Of course, this was in two different senses.

With this thought, Yisi used a teleportation spell to move to the church roof. At this moment, the sun was about to sink below the horizon, and the distant land, not covered by dark clouds, showed a fiery orange-red color. The long shadow of the cross stretched from the roof to the ground, and the air was filled with the smell of dust.

Unlike the listless state the World Dragon had described, the moment Yisi appeared, Tina glared at her with a fierce gaze, as if she wanted to eat her alive. Her struggling movements made the ropes sway from side to side.

Yisi let out a long sigh.

“Hah, I didn’t mean to torture you. I lost. I’m sorry. I was too hasty.”

Careful not to be discovered by the people below the roof, Yisi approached Tina from a blind spot. The church roof was more than twenty meters from the ground. Although she could walk on it as if it were flat ground, if it were someone with a fear of heights, just standing on it would make their legs go weak, especially with the evening breeze that blew from time to time, giving the illusion of being about to be blown away.

As soon as she had put the towel, which was soaked with Tina’s saliva, into her storage, Tina shouted in a defiant tone.

“I will not submit to you, demon!”

“If you have to say it, you’re the demon, aren’t you, Tina? And a demon lord at that. Alright, don’t move. I’m letting you down now. But although I’ve decided to treat you as a guest, I won’t take off the magic-absorbing item until you’ve lifted Evelyn’s restriction.”

As she spoke, Yisi came to Tina’s side, held her steady, and cut the ropes with a magic blade.

However.

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“You silver-haired bastard! Ah—mph!”

As Yisi held Tina under her arm, Tina did the same thing as Sandra had done before—she bit Yisi’s arm. However, compared to Sandra, who had chipped half a tooth, Tina’s result was not unworthy of the name of a demon lord.

A sharp pain came from her arm.

Tina’s teeth had broken her skin.

Although the sharp pain almost made her drop Tina, the recovered Yisi held on, pretending not to feel any pain. To deal with such a strong-willed girl, a gentle approach was more effective than violence. Besides, this made them even. She had tied Tina to the cross, and Tina had also hurt her.

As for why Tina could hurt her, a level 427, without any magic, Yisi guessed it had something to do with her demon lord constitution. There were often legends of a dragon’s horn being able to pierce any defensive magic. The demon lord’s teeth were probably the same. She wasn’t using defensive magic all the time. To be bitten by a demon lord’s teeth while completely defenseless, it was normal to lose 1 HP. Yisi just remained in the position of being bitten.

After about a minute of biting Yisi’s arm, Tina, who was whimpering like a puppy, gradually grew quiet. She raised her red eyes and carefully looked at Yisi—that look was reminiscent of a child who had done something wrong and was peeking at their parent’s reaction—while slowly reducing the force of her bite.

“…Doesn’t it hurt?”

“A little.”

Actually, it was just 1 HP.

Her eyebrows furrowed at a cute angle. A trace of a feeling like pity flashed in Tina’s red eyes.

She really is just a child.

Tina pretended that she had not bitten Yisi, but of course, her gaze still flickered to Yisi’s bleeding arm from time to time.

“Hmph, didn’t you say you’d treat me as a guest? Hurry up and let me… let us down.”

Feeling helpless at her own mistaken persuasion method, Yisi untied the ropes and supported the somewhat unsteady Tina.

“Yes, yes, Demon Lord.”

Then, her gaze lingered on Tina’s barren body for a second.

She had wanted to complain about this for a long time. This girl clearly had no figure, yet she insisted on wearing this kind of provocative lingerie-like clothing. She should first take her to change her clothes, and then let her have a good meal.

For some reason, Yisi had a premonition that she had gotten another Mary.