Chapter 1079: 66. Each One’s Methods
“The war... is about to begin.”
Liya suddenly rose to her feet. The boredom and laziness from moments ago vanished completely from her beautiful face. Holy radiance blossomed around her as the imposing aura belonging to the Saintess erupted outward.
Leaving Lin—who had still been grinding medicinal herbs beside her while rambling endlessly—completely dumbfounded.
“W-What war?”
Lin immediately grabbed the kitchen cleaver from the table and vigilantly scanned the surroundings.
“Don’t tell me this poisoning incident really was a conspiracy? Who? Evil cultists? Or the Salvation Society?”
“Neither.”
Liya gritted her teeth viciously.
“It’s a certain little wildcat trying to monopolize everything for herself. Damn it, she even prepared that thing already. How hateful! Meanwhile... meanwhile, I hadn’t even thought about preparing something like that yet!”
“???”
Lin became even more confused.
Monopolize?
Little wildcat?
That thing?
...What exactly was “that thing”?
“Lin, I need to leave for a while.”
“Ah? W-Wait, why so suddenly? If you leave now, Your Highness, your safety—”
“Don’t worry. Although this poisoning incident really was a trap aimed at me, there’s actually no danger here.”
Liya clenched her fists.
“The truly dangerous place... is somewhere else!”
She closed her eyes.
In her mind, she could already see weak, helpless, pitiful Muen being threatened by the evil Empress of the Empire, forced to do all sorts of things against his will.
How could she, the great Saintess who always upheld compassion and mercy, possibly tolerate such a thing happening?
Obviously she couldn’t!
She had to stop it!
“No, Your Highness, regardless of whether there’s danger or not, if you leave now—”
“This matter is very important, Lin.”
Liya looked toward Lin, who was still trying to stop her, and smiled freely.
Holy Light illuminated the side of her face, making her resemble those heroes from ancient myths who walked fearlessly toward perilous journeys.
So calm.
So brave.
Without the slightest trace of fear or weakness.
Lin froze in shock.
She had never seen her Saintess display such an expression before.
Could the matter she spoke of truly be that important?
“Your Highness...”
“Lin, don’t worry. I’m only going to steal a wedding. I’ll be back very soon.”
Space gradually distorted. Liya waved casually before disappearing with a smile.
“Oh... so it’s only wedding stealing. You scared me to death. I thought you were about to do something dangerous like storming an evil cultist headquarters or—”
Lin suddenly froze.
Her shrill scream nearly woke the entire town.
“Wedding stealing?!”
But by the time realization hit her, it was already too late.
Liya had vanished completely.
And very cunningly erased all traces of her aura, leaving Lin no way to track her.
“H-Hey...”
Lin stood there blankly, lips trembling.
“Your Highness... when you said ‘steal a wedding,’ that had better not mean the kind of scene I’m imagining...”
...
...
Liya stepped out from the spatial passageway into a dimly lit room.
She wasn’t alone.
Several people had already arrived before her.
Or rather, had been transported there by her spatial power.
“So what you said is true?”
An still held a bundle of fake flowers clearly meant for entertaining children, and several bizarre hairpins remained clipped into her hair, making her appearance oddly comical.
Yet none of that diminished the terrifying killing intent leaking from her crimson eyes.
“That filthy insect is really planning to do this?”
“Hmph. If you don’t believe me, then leave. I don’t have time to explain.”
Ariel sat on the floor, baring her teeth while rubbing her sore arm.
“Tch... damn that stupid iceberg. I used to think she was beautiful and secretly adorable, but who knew she’d turn out this awful?”
Although her clash with Celicia hadn’t caused any substantial injuries, the emotional damage had been immense.
Not only was her beloved Muen about to become someone else’s husband...
It was also the first time in her life she had lost so badly to someone her own age.
Damn it.
Wasn’t she only strong because of the Empire’s authority?
What was there to be proud of?
If she really had the guts, then they should fight barehanded without relying on outside power!
Other than having bigger breasts than her, a higher realm than her, and being stronger than her in bed—
What else did Celicia even have worth bragging about?
Shameless cheater!
“I see. So we were all played.”
Shadows wriggled in the corner of the room before rapidly forming into Anna’s alluring figure.
She had arrived last.
Not because she cared less about this matter, but because regardless of the circumstances, she still had responsibilities to fulfill before coming here.
Unlike these fools, who had all been lured away by fake information due to their own stupidity, the Imperial Empress had clearly treated Anna with the greatest caution.
No suspicious false reports had been sent her way at all.
The evil cultists were real.
The Silent Bureau branch on the verge of collapse while awaiting reinforcements was also real.
The only thing that may have been slightly manipulated was the perceived level of danger.
Just one level higher.
A seemingly insignificant difference.
Yet enough to determine whether the urgent report would ultimately land in Anna’s hands.
And once the report reached her...
Everything else followed naturally.
Combined with the obvious handiwork behind the “ten thousand little porn books” incident...
Even she had been deceived.
Hehe.
Excellent.
“Our dear Empress truly must be desperate beyond endurance.”
Anna caressed her cheek with a radiant smile.
“If we’d realized things just two days later, then there’d have been nothing left for us to do except politely raise a toast at her banquet. After all... once something is already settled beyond doubt, what can we do besides offer our blessings?”
“I absolutely refuse!”
Liya stepped forward first, puffing her cheeks angrily.
“There’s no way I can bless Muen and another person for becoming a happy couple!”
“I certainly can’t either.”
“Hmph. Same here.”
“That filthy insect... I’m going to kill her.”
“......”
The four women looked at each other.
Eyes met.
Thoughts collided.
Normally, these four couldn’t stand each other. Aside from occasionally managing temporary peace, most of the time they focused entirely on sabotaging one another.
Yet at this moment—
They suddenly shared one unanimous conviction powerful enough to temporarily cast aside all prejudice.
They would rescue Muen from the evil Empress of the Empire.
“Ariel escaped successfully, which means that woman is definitely on alert now. The very first thing she’ll do is activate the Grand Barrier of Belrand.”
Anna raised her hand. Shadows gathered and twisted together, quickly forming a perfectly scaled miniature model of Belrand.
Above the city model, a circular barrier completely enveloped the entire capital.
Sky and earth alike.
Without a single flaw.
“This is a problem. It has to be solved first.”
Anna looked around at the others.
She understood Celicia very well. With how cautious she was, activating the barrier was inevitable.
Thus the Grand Barrier—originally built to defend the Empire from invaders and unused against foreign enemies for centuries—became the first obstacle standing before them.
An incredibly difficult obstacle.
“I can handle it.”
Suddenly, Ariel raised her hand.
“You’re certain?”
“Of course. Do you think I’d joke around about something like this?”
Ariel crossed her arms and snorted.
“I can’t completely oppose something like the Grand Barrier, but creating a temporary flaw in it? That’s totally doable for me.”
She paused awkwardly.
“...Though I’ll need to borrow a little outside help.”
“Excellent.”
The first problem was solved.
“But our method of attack is also an issue.”
Liya spoke seriously.
“I’m the Saintess. I can’t openly attack the Empire in public. That would trigger massive chain reactions and could plunge the entire continent into chaos.”
“But based on the information Ariel brought back, that woman’s wedding ceremony is clearly being prepared on a huge scale. There’s no room for a small covert strike.”
“Correct.”
An nodded coldly.
“Launching a direct attack in front of that many people would also affect the ducal household. I don’t want to drag the master and mistress into this.”
“What a pain.”
Ariel snorted.
“I really have it easiest. I can punch whoever I want.”
“No need to worry. That part isn’t difficult.”
Anna took over smoothly.
“If attacking from the front attracts too much attention, then we simply attack from the opposite side instead.”
She extended a slender finger and casually tapped the city model.
Beneath it, vast shadows began rippling outward...
Like a black ocean tide.
“The paths carved open by our predecessors should naturally be put to good use.”
Anna smiled faintly.
The black tidal shadows stirred everyone’s hearts. They could almost already see the moment Muen was successfully rescued—
But Ariel suddenly narrowed her eyes, sensing something important.
“The boundary between the front and the reverse side is still the Imperial Palace. We’ll still need to enter palace territory to rescue Muen.”
Her expression turned serious.
“So what do we do about the palace’s forbidden spell?”
Remembering how she had instantly lost all combat ability earlier still sent chills down her spine.
“That overwhelming suppression is absurd. And that woman’s control over the palace’s forbidden spell is terrifying. If we charge in recklessly, we’ll end up exactly like I did—meat on the chopping block. Forget rescuing Muen, we won’t even be able to protect ourselves.”
“That truly is troublesome...”
Anna frowned.
As one of the Swordbearers, she entered and exited the Imperial Palace often enough to understand exactly how terrifying that creation—built through centuries of effort by the Leopold royal family—really was.
Even Crowned-level individuals suffered severe suppression inside it.
Let alone them.
“Not a problem.”
An spoke coldly.
“I’ll handle the forbidden spell.”
“Huh? You understand that thing?”
Liya looked genuinely shocked.
After spending time around An, she knew perfectly well that this woman was just as hopeless at magic as Muen was.
“I don’t.”
As though sensing Liya insulting her internally, An shot her a vicious glare.
“But there’s a way to temporarily deal with it stored inside my memories.”
“Impressive.”
Anna praised sincerely.
“As expected of his little maid. Truly extraordinary.”
“I don’t need praise from you.”
An scoffed lightly.
“However, the item that can solve the forbidden spell problem is very far away. I’ll need time to retrieve it.”
“How long?”
“Five days.”
“In five days the wedding vegetables will already be cold.”
“That’s already the fastest possible speed! Do you know how far away the location is—”
“Do you have coordinates?”
Liya blinked innocently.
“Yes.”
“Then it’s simple. I can use spatial power to take you there. Forget five days—it won’t even take three seconds!”
Liya’s excited words immediately lightened the tense atmosphere in the room.
Even Ariel—who had just gotten beaten up—finally regained enough mood to joke around.
“Liya, your spatial powers are way too convenient. Don’t tell me you use them for sneaking around and cheating too.”
“......”
“Huh? You don’t, right?”
“......”
“Liya. Look me in the eyes. You—”
“Enough.”
Anna clapped her hands, pulling everyone’s attention back to the current matter.
“Now isn’t the time for internal conflict.”
She smiled gently.
“Yes, we’ve had unpleasantness between us in the past. And there will undoubtedly be even more unpleasantness in the future.”
“But at this moment, none of those meaningless issues matter.”
Anna’s eyes curved beautifully as she extended her hand.
Dangerous light glimmered within her pupils.
“What matters... is how we defeat our common enemy.”
“Do you even need to say that?”
Ariel immediately slapped her hand atop Anna’s.
“Our enemy is merely an entire empire. Fighting a whole nation by myself is exactly the kind of cool thing I’ve always wanted to do.”
“Exactly. It’s only the Empire.”
Liya placed her hand atop theirs as well.
“I think compared to the Church, they’re still a little lacking. The Goddess herself hasn’t even spoken yet—how dare she?”
“Peace is only temporary. One day I’ll purge all of you as well.”
After a brief hesitation, An finally added her hand too.
“But I can still tell the difference between ordinary pests and pests that threaten Young Master’s well-being.”
Justice would ultimately triumph over evil.
Unity would ultimately triumph over tyranny.
And the heroines embarking on a journey to rescue their beloved would ultimately triumph over the evil Empress trying to monopolize him!
This was an unequal war.
But it was also a war they absolutely had to win.
“Bring Muen back to us!”
The four small hands pressed downward simultaneously, crushing the shadow-formed model of Belrand into nothingness.
“Let’s go!”
The women declared together:
“Take up our weapons... and declare war against that shameless villain!”
...
...
Belrand.
Somewhere beyond the outskirts.
A straw hut stood atop a towering cliff, looking so fragile it seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
Yet no matter whether fierce winds, torrential rain, or lightning struck the cliffside, nothing could shake the hut in the slightest.
It seemed to have stood there for ages.
So long that it had practically merged with the cliff itself.
“Sigh!”
A weathered sigh suddenly emerged from inside the hut.
Then an elderly hunched woman slowly walked out while leaning on a cane.
Without even glancing toward Ariel—who was waiting respectfully outside—she turned and gazed toward the silhouette of the great city in the distance.
Complex emotion and melancholy filled her clouded eyes.
“Though this really isn’t proper... considering I owe you a favor, little girl, I’ll help you this once!”
...
...
Anna removed her shoes and socks, bare jade feet stepping gently across rippling ocean waves.
Black waves.
She walked for an unknown length of time until the world in every direction became nothing but sea and sky connected as one line.
Only then did she slowly crouch down and extend her hand into the dark ocean beneath her.
“Come.”
“Come.”
“Come.”
“My good child.”
Her fingers stirred the sea into a whirlpool.
The whirlpool dragged the tides.
The tides expanded outward.
Until finally—
They became a world-engulfing tsunami!
The entire sea began boiling.
Because deep beneath the ocean...
Something enormous was slowly rising upward.
WOOOO—
A mournful cry echoed across the sea like a tragic requiem for the dead.
Summoned by Anna, the colossal creature finally revealed its monstrous form.
It was a whale.
A whale so unimaginably massive that it defied comprehension.
Half of its body was white bone.
The other half remained flesh and blood.
This monstrous being was incomplete. An ancient wound had split it in half. Without the Authority of the Silent Moon sustaining it, it could never have continued existing.
Yet the terrifying pressure it emitted was still enough to make anyone in the world tremble.
A calamity.
The Sea Demon—
Leviathan.
...
...
Space twisted.
A dignified figure dressed in a maid outfit appeared within an ancient ruin.
“So this place still hasn’t changed...”
An’s gaze swept rapidly across her surroundings.
Profound patterns decorated the black stone pillars. Brilliant jewels were embedded atop them.
And upon the pyramid-like altar at the center—
Was not a god.
But instead...
A bracelet.
An stepped onto the altar and picked up the bracelet.
Suddenly, the jewels atop the pillars emitted blinding beams of light that scanned across her body at incredible speed.
Then an emotionless voice echoed directly inside her mind.
[Intruder detected...]
[Beginning identity verification...]
[Physical information mismatch. Beginning soul verification...]
[Verifying soul information...]
[Verification complete.]
The light vanished without warning.
Everything returned to silence.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of An’s lips.
“So after all this time... you still haven’t forgotten me.”
She placed the bracelet around her wrist.
Beep.
As cold metallic armor unfolded and covered every inch of her body, the emotionless voice spoke once more.
[Boot sequence initiated...]
[Performing self-diagnostics...]
[Diagnostics complete. Damage level: sixty-seven percent.]
[Remaining energy reserves: twenty-five percent.]
[Beep. Special Third-Type Anti-Origin Magic Armor is ready for combat.]
[We wish you a pleasant day.]
...
...
“Sigh... why are all those women so ridiculously amazing? Every single one of them has some absurd trump card.”
Through the special connection formed by spatial power, Liya watched the others pulling out increasingly terrifying assets one after another.
She felt genuinely jealous.
She had never experienced grand adventures.
Nor inherited some overwhelmingly powerful legacy.
Nor possessed mysterious ancient memories emerging from nowhere.
At the end of the day...
She was merely a tiny, pitiful, harmless Saintess.
Therefore—
“Lady Goddess...”
Liya clasped her hands before a statue of the Goddess and began praying sincerely.
“Please help your faithful believer...”
BOOM!
The moment the words left her mouth, endless blazing radiance descended from the heavens like divine judgment itself, pouring boundless holy brilliance directly into Liya’s fragile body.