The Exiled Lord: My Maid is a Battle Goddess

Ashina shot Sylvia a suspicious glance, which immediately made the latter shrink back in fear.

"No, no, that can’t be wrong. My informant personally saw church knights hauling in large chests. There must be a hidden room."

"There has to be a secret chamber here. Everyone, tap the floor—check under the carpets carefully."

Phield glanced at the minimap. Numerous exclamation marks were still displayed, clearly indicating that not all the monsters had been cleared.

"Y-Yes, yes, let’s all search."

Sylvia was the most anxious of all. Eager to prove herself, she immediately dropped to the floor and began searching meticulously.

"Thud, thud~"

Soon enough, inside the abbess’s bedroom, they discovered a loose wooden panel. Once lifted, a dark and eerie passage revealed itself beneath.

"Finally found it." Sylvia smirked smugly at Ashina, then clung to Phield’s arm, rubbing against it. "See? We catfolk never lie."

"Get away from my lord. Go find your own lord to cling to."

Ashina shot Sylvia an annoyed glare, raising her fist and bringing it down on Sylvia’s head.

Bonk~

Even a casual strike from a Divine Chosen carried frightening force.

"Uuu..."

Sylvia rubbed her head, on the verge of tears. "Look at her, Phield—scold her already."

"Speaking of which, doesn’t your lord mind you wandering around outside like this?"

Phield cleared his throat, genuinely curious.

"There’s no helping it. My lord is the pink catfolk princess—she has to work for other races just to afford maintaining a private army. So to ease her burden, I have to work hard too."

"A princess, huh..."

Phield immediately pictured some tragic yet beautiful figure.

"My lord, for small tribes like theirs, ’princess’ just means the chieftain’s daughter. She’s probably not that pretty—definitely not comparable to a Divine Chosen."

"Ashina, can you read minds?" Phield was startled.

"Hehe, just scratch your thigh and I’ll know what you’re thinking."

Ashina covered her mouth, giggling.

Seeing that Sylvia didn’t refute it, Phield silently nodded—seems like she hit the mark.

"Enough chatter. Let’s head to the basement."

They descended the spiral stone staircase. The basement was no different—strewn with corpses, soaked in blood.

But what lay below left Phield completely stunned, his mouth hanging open.

"Holy shit... is this... some kind of church farm?"

The vast underground chamber was filled with specialized equipment meant for dairy cows, powered by magic cores.

A woman—already transformed into a monster—was bound to one of the devices. The magic core emitted a dim purple glow.

Driven by the core, the machines hummed loudly like blow dryers. As for what they were doing... Phield could only say: he didn’t know, didn’t dare to say, and shouldn’t say.

"...What?"

Even the two Divine Chosen were utterly dumbfounded.

"So disgusting. I don’t even watch this kind of thing." Sylvia covered her face, peeking through her fingers.

"Is this something we’re even allowed to see?"

Ashina’s cheeks flushed crimson as she awkwardly averted her gaze, unsure where to look.

"Don’t be shocked, don’t be shocked. This is normal. This world is already rotten to the core."

Muttering to himself, Phield wiped cold sweat from his forehead, forcing himself to calm down.

"So this is how mist-dispelling lamps are made, huh..."

He had thought himself hardened after witnessing the darkness of the Sacred Griffin Empire—but even so, this scene still shook him deeply.

"My lord, what’s that over there?"

Ashina shook her head, regaining composure. "A giant birdcage?"

Following her gaze, they saw it.

At the center of the basement, atop a raised platform, stood an enormous birdcage—so pristine it resembled a piece of sacred art.

Inside it floated a woman, equally pure and ethereal, curled gently in the air. Her eyes were closed, long lashes trembling faintly. Her beauty wasn’t just physical—there was an elegance, a serene and refined grace that could only come from years of prayer and devotion.

Seven or eight ghost nuns frantically slashed at the cage, yet only ripples formed across its surface.

"A Divine Chosen? Already contracted again? My luck really hasn’t been great lately."

Phield frowned in surprise. There had been no indicator on the minimap—another contracted one.

"Some kind of unique defensive technique, perhaps? Look at the footprints around—it’s been under attack for quite a while."

Sylvia’s eyes lit up. "That defense is amazing. If I could do that, I’d never have to worry about getting hurt again."

"Keep dreaming."

Ashina shrugged, then flicked her hand. The massive Drakewolf burst forth, blasting debris aside.

"ROAR!"

Startled by its sudden appearance, the ghost nuns all turned in unison. At the same time, six or seven more monsters tore themselves free from the machines and lunged forward viciously.

"Take them down."

At Phield’s command, he charged straight ahead, locking onto the nearest ghost nun. His longsword hummed as it pierced forward, the sickening sensation of metal sinking into flesh transmitting through his grip.

Without giving the monster time to retaliate, Phield twisted his waist and shoved it aside. Stepping forward, his mana erupted violently as he cleaved down, sending a second monster crashing to the ground. His blade whirled like a storm, flicking the creature’s head clean off.

Just as he moved to strike a third, he realized—

Every remaining monster had already been killed by Ashina.

"My lord, are you alright?" Ashina rushed over, eyes sparkling. "You were so cool. Next time, just leave it to me."

"Ahem, keep it low-key. Honestly, it was thanks to you."

Phield awkwardly brushed his hair back. It had been a while since he’d faced evenly matched enemies—cutting down two of them had been satisfying.

"My lord was sooo cool—next time leave it to me, bleh~"

Sylvia mimicked Ashina’s tone, sticking out her tongue with a teasing, sarcastic grin. "Cunning wolfkin. Phield, don’t get tricked—she’s a bad woman."

Ashina raised her fist high and brought it down mercilessly.

Bonk~

"Uuu... look at her..."

Sylvia clutched her head, pitifully.

"You are not a follower of the Holy Light, human."

At that moment, murky darkness began seeping out from the corpses of the ghost nuns. Flesh and blood crawled together, merging into a massive, grotesque humanoid monster.

"What the hell are you?"

Phield stepped back slowly. Seeing a Tier-3 monster suddenly appear on the minimap left him deeply wary.

"What I am is irrelevant. Hand over the Holy Light artifact you carry, and I may spare your life."

"Oh? A creature specifically meant to counter the Holy Light?"

Phield stroked his chin, intrigued rather than afraid.

"Wait... this is..."

On the minimap, a green marker slowly appeared.