After their conversation, Su Xuan and Edith returned to the room they had been in.

In the room, Lucia was still sitting quietly. Su Xuan, however, now looked at her with a probing gaze. It wasn’t vigilance, but rather a curiosity toward the unknown.

Edith had told him there was no one named Lucia on the Bright Church Court’s current list of Saintesses, but that didn’t mean there never had been.

’Do Saintesses of the Bright Church Court have to be sacrificed to the God of Light after their tenure? That’s obviously impossible.’

’Therefore, Lucia was very likely... a retired Saintess!’

’So what?’

’Does a Saintess stop being a Saintess just because she’s retired?’

Thoughts churned in Su Xuan’s mind. He sat back down beside Lucia, his gaze drifting to her. Beneath the pure white veil was a face that could topple nations, so beautiful it was suffocating.

"Find me when you come over tomorrow," Edith said, sitting back down on the sofa and crossing her legs. She pulled a Jade Token from within her soft, snowy-white bodice and tossed it to Su Xuan. "This is my Jade Token. Holding it means you can walk freely within my territory. No one will dare stop you."

Su Xuan caught the Jade Token and glanced at it.

A blooming rose was carved into the blood-red Jade Token, adding to its exquisite charm.

[Rose Jade Token: A symbol of noble status. Usable in: Red Maple Territory, Black Rose Ancient City, Star-Calling Castle.]

"Edith has quite a lot of territory..." Su Xuan muttered to himself. He realized that not only Red Maple Territory but also Black Rose Ancient City and Star-Calling Castle belonged to her.

’Wait a minute.’

’Black Rose Ancient City?’

He remembered that Black Rose Ancient City was one of the seven cities in the Star Kingdom protected by the Valkyries.

And among the seven Valkyries, Black Rose was ranked third, behind only Golden Peony and Silver Lotus.

"Why does it smell so good?"

Su Xuan sniffed the Rose Jade Token Edith had given him. It exuded a captivating fragrance.

He suddenly realized it had come from where Edith had tucked it away. That explained everything.

"That’s my most cherished Jade Token. Be sure to keep it safe," Edith reminded him with a serious tone.

"Alright." Su Xuan nodded, then stood up and left Edith’s mansion.

...

A flash of white light, and Su Xuan and Lucia were back at the Guild.

It was now seven in the evening. Ivsha and Alice were in the Guild hall, chatting.

When they saw Su Xuan return, they immediately rushed over to greet him.

"Mr. Su Xuan—Master—you’re back~"

"Mm."

Su Xuan nodded and asked, "What were you two talking about?"

"A... technical discussion," Ivsha replied with a smile.

"A technical discussion?"

Su Xuan looked perplexed.

"It’s getting late, so I’ll be going now," Lucia said softly to Su Xuan.

"Alright. See you tomorrow," Su Xuan replied.

Lucia gave a slight nod and walked gracefully into the Teleportation Array. With a flash of light, her figure vanished.

After Lucia left, Ivsha drew closer to Su Xuan, her voice hesitant. "Mr. Su Xuan, I don’t know if I should say this, but... from what I know, there isn’t a Saintess named Lucia among the current generation of seven."

"Mm, I already know." Su Xuan nodded, showing no surprise.

"But..." Ivsha added in a low voice, "I get a good feeling from Lucia, but I also sense an unapproachable nobility about her, as if she were someone who once stood upon the clouds."

"Yeah!"

Alice nodded in agreement. "She reminds me of how I felt when I first met the Elf Queen. Could she be a Queen, too?" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Everyone has their secrets. We don’t need to guess Lucia’s identity. When she’s ready to share, she will," Su Xuan said, smiling as he ruffled Alice’s hair. His tone was full of understanding and acceptance.

’He didn’t really care about Lucia’s identity. As long as she was truly dedicated to the Guild, that was enough. After all, every member of their Guild had their own unique identity and story.’

’An Undead Knight, a Witch’s Creation, a Succubus Nun, Twin Elves... Nice~’

"I understand, Master!" Alice nodded obediently.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Su Xuan..." Ivsha’s voice cut in. "The prayer room is ready. When would be a convenient time for you to inspect it?"

"Right now!" Su Xuan answered without a moment’s hesitation.

’Since Ivsha said the prayer room was ready, he was naturally eager to check it out himself!’

"Then, please follow me~"

Ivsha gently took Su Xuan’s hand, gracefully leading him toward the Nuns’ prayer room.

As the great doors swung slowly open, the scene within the prayer room unfolded before Su Xuan’s eyes.

The prayer room was filled with various items required for prayer, as well as some... instruments of torture?

"Please, come in~ Mr. Su Xuan~"

Ivsha elegantly invited Su Xuan in. As he stepped into the prayer room, Alice followed close behind, wanting to have a look as well.

But Ivsha politely stopped her. "No children allowed~"

"Huh?"

SLAM!

Before Alice could respond, the prayer room door slammed shut.

Once Su Xuan stepped into the prayer room, his eyes were drawn to the various implements on display.

Red ropes for shibari-style bondage, a neck stock for prisoners, chains suspended in mid-air, and a small room labeled "Confessional"...

’Did Ivsha really prepare all this?’

"Rest assured, Mr. Su Xuan~"

As Ivsha spoke, her Nun’s Habit fluttered to the floor like petals, revealing her enchanting figure. "All the implements here are brand new. They have yet to be used~"

"Uh..." Su Xuan stood frozen to the spot. It seemed there would be no escape for him today.

"Mr. Su Xuan~ Today~"

Ivsha walked over to the instruments of torture, her fingers brushing lightly against the iron chains, which let out a crisp clinking sound.

She purred seductively, "Which of the Nun’s prayer services would you like to experience?"

"What’s that confessional?"

Su Xuan pointed to the confessional in the corner, his face full of curiosity and anticipation.

"Mr. Su Xuan has such a discerning eye~ You’ve chosen the most interesting activity right from the start~ This way, please~"

Ivsha led him to the confessional, but only Su Xuan went inside. From the outside, Ivsha used Magic to place a lock on the door.

"?"

Su Xuan looked around the confessional. The space was narrow and dim. Directly in front of him, several holes of varying shapes had been deliberately cut into a wooden partition.

The scene instantly reminded Su Xuan of certain plots from his manga.

(What follows is a scene of a Nun’s pious confession. One hundred thousand words will be omitted...)

...

「Sun Sect Country. Bright Church Court. Saint Hall of Light.」

A woman sat with regal poise upon a Golden throne, like a noble monarch. Her eyes were closed, but her features exuded an innate, awe-inspiring nobility. The brilliant luster of the gold throne shimmered, complementing her snow-white skin and making her seem all the more dazzling.

Just then, a young woman in a long white dress entered the Holy Hall. She asked the woman on the throne respectfully, "Pope, it is time for the routine audience."

At these words, the woman slowly opened her eyes. A flicker of delight shone in her golden-red pupils as she gave a faint smile. "I know."

The girl in white keenly caught the almost imperceptible smile, and a question formed in her mind: ’The Pope is in a good mood today? It’s been a while.’

The woman rose gracefully from the magnificent gold throne, her left hand lightly grasping the two-meter-long Sun Staff. She walked leisurely toward the young woman and said softly, "Vanessa, prepare some things for me."

"As you command, Pope."

"Some... gifts..."