Succubus cannot be a saint

Volume 2: The Silver Lily of the West: Chapter 189: Another Cult

After the poisonous peony fell to the ground, the effect of the "Shadow of the Spring Goddess" gradually disappeared, and the griffins calmed down, their not-so-bright little eyes filled with confusion.

Then he was knocked down with a punch from Isadore.

"What are you still standing there for? Let's go!" It was not until Sharlele's voice sounded that everyone woke up from their dream. One group of people took care of the injured combat nun, while the other group followed Sharlele and went straight to the place where the poisonous peony fell.

Soon, everyone saw the cultist collapsed on the broad street. She seemed to have broken her arms and legs, unable even to crawl. She could only slump on the gravel road, staring desperately and fiercely at the crowd led by the girl in white.

"You can't escape, cultist!" Bereya shouted, and an arrow of light formed on the bowstring, pointing straight at Poison Peony. The nightmare priest sneered and spat a mouthful of blood.

"Yes, I can't escape, and I can't survive. But you can't even think about defending this city..." She said in a hoarse voice. With every word she spoke, a puff of blood foam overflowed from the corner of her mouth, and the half of her face that was burned was distorted in horror.

"Of course we will defend it!" Berea shouted angrily.

Poison Peony spat out a mouthful of blood with a "puff" sound. Her half-destroyed face twisted into a desperate smile, filled with the pleasure of revenge and insane joy. "It's useless... It's useless. 'They' will capture this city at all costs, and then make it the nursery for 'their' gods' offspring... Even if you kill me, you can't defend this city!"

"How tragic, Your Highness the Saint of Moon Spring Town! You have chosen the worst possible outcome. Soon, you will find that falling into our Lord's dreamland is far more blissful than becoming nourishment for that deity..."

"'They'? Who are they?" A sense of foreboding suddenly crossed Shalelei's mind, and she asked sternly.

"Do you really want to know? Well, you'll find out sooner or later anyway..." Poison Peony's face twisted, her intact eye and her gray blind eye staring intently at Sharlelei. "'They' are... the Dark Mother of Fertility Cult!"

After saying this, she let out a long, hoarse, shrill laugh and then fainted.

"The Mother of Dark Fertility... the Cult?"

Everyone murmured the word, and even Isadore's face gradually revealed a solemn and terrified look. The little nun stammered, looking around, "Um, big sisters... this bad guy is from the Nightmare Cult... right?"

In the silent night, no one answered her question. Isadore didn't need an answer either, as her trembling and panicked voice rang out again.

"Then... the 'Dark Mother of Fertility' cult is... another evil cult, right? Are there two evil cults that come here to do evil things?"

With a clang, the sword in the hand of a battle sister fell to the ground. They could hardly believe their ears - this rebellion was jointly launched by two evil cults.

But when did cult organizations start cooperating with each other?

Just when everyone was confused, Sharlele moved. She walked forward quickly, checked Poison Peony's injuries, gave her a simple treatment with healing magic, and then took off her storage ring.

Her mental power probed into the ring, and Sharlene turned her wrist. A branch made of twisted birch branches, flashing with a faint light, appeared in her hand, and then was sent back to the storage ring.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps could be heard. The remaining Battle Sisters and the Knights' reinforcements also arrived, led by the Fertility Priest, Mylin.

The naive middle-aged woman walked over quickly, her skirt lifted. Seeing Du Mudan and her daughter, Sha Lelei, lying unconscious on the ground, she was stunned for a moment before tentatively asking, "Saint Lady, this cultist..."

"She's still alive, she's still useful."

"Then, then what about the lost holy relic of the Church of Plenty..." Mylene stammered. Sallele gave her a sly smile, spread her fingers to reveal the storage ring, and then clenched her fist.

Mylene stared at the ring, then slowly shifted her gaze to Salares's face. The short, plump priest blinked, staring at Salares's half-smile, and suddenly understood something.

Her expression changed several times, as if she was constantly weighing her options. Finally, she took two steps back, lowered her head, and whispered, "The Church of Abundance has been infiltrated by cultists. It was our negligence. As for how she was able to impersonate our pastor, she must have used some evil method. I don't know the specific circumstances..."

The implication is undoubtedly that Sharlene allowed herself to take this sacred object of abundance.

"I understand." Sallelei smiled and nodded. "I will naturally explain the specific situation to Archbishop Raymond. Please don't worry, Ms. Mylene."

After hearing this, Mai Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As the head priest of the Field Church of Plenty, Mailin was inextricably implicated in the infiltration of her church by the Nightmare Cult. Although both members of the Seven True Gods Alliance, the Churches of Plenty and Light were not as harmonious as they appeared.

If she is exposed, she will be attacked by the public for being a traitor. Will she be able to have a good life?

This seemingly honest peasant woman, but actually a shrewd pastor, thought for a few times and weighed the pros and cons.

Compared with one's own safety and interests, the fate of this "holy object lost long ago" is not so important.

..............................

In this way, this "stirring up trouble" operation came to a successful conclusion.

Even though the traitor Du Mudan was caught, no one was happy, including Sha Lelei who stole a treasure.

Because they learned even worse news - this cult rebellion was actually jointly promoted by two cult organizations.

When Bishop Raymond heard the news, his eyes almost fell out.

"Are you serious?!"

He changed his usual elegant appearance, his throat gurgled, and stared at Salelei and Berea in front of him, while the latter subconsciously looked at Salelei.

"That's exactly what Poison Peony said. It's now basically certain that the group leading the army outside the city is the 'Mother of Dark Plenty' sect." Salares nodded.

Judging from the sullen expression on Archbishop Raymond's face, Sallelei vaguely realized that the issue of "collaboration with cult groups" might be more serious than she had imagined.

"Goddess, this is... beyond my imagination." The Archbishop fidgeted uneasily behind his desk, his fingers twisted anxiously together as he forced a wry smile. "Have those paranoid lunatics who believe in this evil god truly changed? Words like 'alliance' and 'cooperation' don't even exist in their vocabulary..."

"The so-called evil god is..." Shalelei frowned slightly. As a traveler from an atheist country, she instinctively kept a respectful distance from the gods, even though the gods of this world did exist and even though she had indeed obtained their power.

The archbishop stared at the saint in bewilderment. Only after he was convinced that Salleh's confusion was genuine did he sigh and say, "You haven't received a systematic theological education, so it's understandable that you have such doubts. Of course, the gods can't be divided into broad, simplistic categories like good and evil, but there is indeed an absolutely precise rule for distinguishing between good and evil gods."

"That is..." He paused, then drew the holy emblem of the Goddess of Light on his chest. "A righteous god would never demand a sacrifice of life, blood, or pain from his followers. Even the God of War, the one in charge of war among the Seven Gods, wouldn't ask his followers to offer the heads of their enemies. And an evil god... is just the opposite."

"Faith is a double-edged sword, a two-way arrow. While it brings glory to the gods and their kingdom, it also influences believers. As faith deepens and perfects, believers of righteous gods will become closer to their benevolent Lord, while followers of evil gods will become increasingly twisted and insane..."

At this point, a rare look of piety and solemnity crossed the archbishop's face. "This has nothing to do with one's will or character. Praying to the evil god is equivalent to accepting the power of evil into one's heart. Every prayer to the evil god, every response from the evil god, brings the believer's heart closer to the abyss of darkness..."

The archbishop spoke solemnly, but the more Salleh listened, the more uncomfortable she felt.

People like you seem to be even further away from the Goddess of Light than I am...

But soon, her heart moved again.

According to the Archbishop, from another perspective, can we understand that... in a sense, God is also assimilating believers?

Volume 2: The Silver Lily of the West: Chapter 190: Kneel Before Me (4k)

The moment she realized this, a strange insight suddenly arose in Sharlene's heart. Before she could grasp this insight, Archbishop Raymond's voice rang out again.

"Therefore, almost all cult members are dark and paranoid lunatics. So it is really hard to imagine that this group of lunatics would have planned to cooperate and start this rebellion. Or maybe..."

At this point, his voice trailed off, his eyes flickering, as if he didn't want to consider this possibility.

"Or maybe... there's an invisible hand that forcibly brought these two cults together..."

After a brief silence, Raymond slammed his hand on the table, his face turning pale. "No, this news is serious. I will order the priests to contact the Pope overnight using the 'Ceremony of Divine Communication'."

"Archbishop, please reconsider!" Bereya couldn't help but say, "This will reduce the combat effectiveness of the priests by at least one third. If the enemy attacks the city again tomorrow..."

Sallelei was stunned. "Wait, you can just make a phone call... uh, I mean, you can directly contact the Pope remotely?"

"Indeed..." Raymond and Berea exchanged a bewildered glance, clearly unsure of what "telephone" meant. "The priests can use divine magic to connect to the Goddess's kingdom, thereby relaying information to the Pope thousands of miles away. However, this divine ritual places a heavy burden on the caster, so it shouldn't be used unless it's a crucial moment..."

It turns out that the goddess was asked to be the operator...Sha Lelei was a little amused.

"Field's ability to repel the enemy and capture the traitor in the city is all thanks to you, Your Highness. I will also take this opportunity to convey this matter to His Holiness the Pope and mention your resolution for canonization."

Archbishop Raymond smiled at Sharlene, this time with a hint of flattery in his smile. "After the Battle of Field is over, I will send someone to escort you to the Holy Flame Castle to be canonized..."

After hearing this, Shailelei could only sneer in her heart.

The archbishop's intentions were clear. He knew he wasn't as easy to manipulate as Berea, so he decided to use the canonization to build momentum for himself and, by the way, get himself out of Field, keeping this "God's Chosen Saint" with such distinguished achievements out of his sphere of influence...

"Archbishop, it's better to wait until we've truly annihilated the cultists before saying such nice things." Salares gave Raymond a cold smile. The latter stiffened, and beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. "Rather than that, I'd like to know the origins of the Dark Mother of Plenty Cult. It sounds like it has some connection to the Church of Plenty."

"Your Highness, the Saint, you must not let the priests of the Church of Plenty hear this, otherwise they will be furious..." Belea's expression became a little embarrassed, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"The Dark Mother of Fertility Cult is a renowned cult on the continent, second only to the Black Ark Cult, which rose during the Demon Rebellion three hundred years ago. They worship an evil deity called the Mother of Monsters, and their sorcery primarily focuses on manipulating flesh and blood and causing physical mutations. Decades ago, they sparked a minor rebellion in the North. It's said that even today, women in some villages give birth to deformed monster babies..."

At this point, Berea shuddered. As a woman, she was even more afraid of this kind of thing than a man. Sharlele's scalp also went numb.

Wait, the Mother of Dark Fertility is good at manipulating the mutation of flesh and blood. That black flesh membrane is not only the source of the birth of magical beasts, but also can mutate people into monsters... Could it be something from the Dark Fertility Cult?

The more Sharlele thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The Nightmare Cult excelled at mind control, but drugs that manipulated flesh and blood didn't seem to be their specialty. If the Dark Fertility Cult was involved, and the two cults were cooperating, then that made sense...

But these black membranes are also present in the Black Forest west of Moon Spring Town. What's going on there? Has the Dark Abundance Cult already extended its reach there? That's not right... If that were the case, Moon Spring Town would have been infiltrated by the cultists long ago...

More and more mysteries popped up in her mind. Sharlene was puzzled and had to suppress these questions for the time being.

....................................

Soon Raymond went to summon the priests to perform the divine ritual, and Berea and Salares returned to the room to rest.

On the balcony of the room, Sharlelei looked at the shadowy city of Field in the dark night. With a flip of her wrist, the "Shadow of the Spring Goddess" in the storage ring appeared in her palm.

After placing the severely injured Du Mudan in the cell, her storage ring naturally fell into the hands of Shalelei. However, besides some magic scrolls, it contained only a few bottles and jars and documents written in cipher script. It was not something that could be thoroughly studied overnight, so she had to give up for the time being.

As for the Shadow of the Spring Goddess, this magical item from the Church of Plenty not only controls wild beasts but also allows the holder to cast some low-level divine spells from the realm of plenty. Therefore, the moment Sharlelei obtained it, she immediately thought of Granny.

Granny could make better use of it than herself. The divine arts of the Fertility faction could play a huge role in the agricultural and animal husbandry development of Moon Spring Town, and the ability to manipulate beasts could be used to tame giant spiders and advance her own stockings plan.

Putting the gleaming harp back into the ring, Sharlene sighed with worry.

Perhaps it is a bit far-fetched to think about this now. The "Mother of Dark Plenty" cult is still entrenched outside the city and will launch an attack at all costs soon.

"After this battle, we must thoroughly interrogate that Poison Peony and see what she knows..."

"That, little, little Salle...about, about the dream before..." Berea's voice suddenly rang out. The female knight, who had changed into casual clothes, twisted her fingers shyly and walked forward timidly.

Shalelei immediately thought of the dream created by the Poison Peony. The cultist was surprised that Bereya surrendered without resistance, but who would have thought that this was actually the result of Her Highness the Saint's training?

"What's wrong, Sister Berea?" Shailelei's eyes turned, revealing her signature mischievous smile, and she skipped to her side.

"Um, you...you...you...saw everything...did you..." Belea's cheeks suddenly felt hot. She lowered her head in embarrassment, her fingertips twisting constantly, and her voice gradually became smaller and smaller, as thin as a mosquito's buzz.

Did little Shalelei...see it all? She wore the collar, looking so weak, her deepest secrets... Deep down, she envied the "Golden Wings," wanting nothing more than to wear the collar, to not have to think, to not have to choose, to just obey someone else's orders.

Her heart was pounding, every petal of her heart contracting and trembling between sweetness and terror. All sounds seemed to have drifted away from her, and two diametrically opposed throbbing emotions collided in her chest—she wished nothing had happened, that her world could return to its original trajectory, yet she also hoped that all the facades she had painstakingly maintained would be ruthlessly shattered by the Saint before her, stripping away all her disguises and lifting the heavy burden from her shoulders...

But after a long moment, there was no sound around. Bereya raised her head tremblingly, only to see a pair of shimmering purple eyes very close to her.

The Saint Lady had come to her side at some point.

Those clear eyes, like a lake, were no longer gentle. Instead, they held a coldness, like a frozen pond, filled with mockery, indifference, and darkness. The moment she saw those eyes, Berea felt her body tremble. A mixture of fear and anticipation swept through her, and her knees shook uncontrollably.

"Xiao...Sha..."

Just as the broken sound came out of her lips, a cold and slender finger pressed against her lips.

"Kneel down."

Bereya couldn't fathom why that sweet, gentle voice could be so icy and unyielding. Yet, her body instinctively reacted to the cold voice. Her abdomen spasmed, and almost without her will, the knight dropped to her knees, her calves twitching with the ecstasy of obedience.

Kneel down to...little Charlene, no, to Her Majesty the Saint.

Only now did Berea realize—her world had been completely shattered. The burden of being a Knight Commander, the honor of a Holy Archer, the glory of being a knight—everything had been shattered by the girl before her.

Her armor, her skin, and her disguise were all ruthlessly stripped off, revealing to this girl only her deepest desires, her most hidden nature, and her incurable cowardice.

“Ha…hahaha…”

The woman panted dazedly, gazing up at the frosty-faced girl before her with a gaze bordering on reverence. Her blood throbbed sweetly with terror and delight. A brand in her mind whispered, urging her to give her all to this girl... no, this lord.

On this day, for the first time in her life, Berea tasted the sweetness of obedience and the joy of giving up everything.

In a trance, Bereya seemed to see the members of the Knights. They surrounded her, their cold, contemptuous gazes etched into her body. They didn't speak, but every knight standing there was like a sword piercing her body.

She knelt on the ground, her spine gradually bent. The scenes of her quarrel with Waldo flashed before her eyes, and countless horrible thoughts came to her mind.

If I had agreed to step down as leader, would this have happened differently? Would Waldo have done a better job in my position? If I hadn't been so competitive, would I have avoided making such a huge mistake?

For a moment she was sweating profusely, and the cold gazes in her imagination were engraved deeper and deeper in her heart, freezing her to the bone marrow.

"I understand, I understand everything...Sister Bereya."

The girl's voice drifted into her ears, and the illusions that seemed to pierce her heart faded slightly. Berea gasped for breath, and the heavy sense of guilt made her unable to get up. She longed for the control of the girl in front of her, just like a sinner longs for the final judgment that determines his fate.

She would rather have a huge rock pressing down on her forever than a sharp blade hanging over her head that could fall at any time.

"You're naive, you're weak, you're competitive... You shouldn't be in this position."

With every word the girl spoke, Berea's body trembled a little.

"That's why you feel overwhelmed, and deep down you crave stability. You want to be dominated, so you don't have to make choices, don't have to bear burdens. Yes, yes, a 'mount' doesn't need to decide the direction to move forward, nor is it responsible for failure. It doesn't even need to think, it only needs to complete orders..."

The girl in a pure white dress walked around her gently, and every step she took seemed to be stepping on her heart, slowly ravaging it.

"Ha ha……"

The girl suddenly chuckled, as if mocking her weakness. Berea stared at the ground with lifeless eyes, her cherry lips slightly parted, and her plump breasts heaving violently.

"Until now, you have been such a coward, only thinking of escaping...but."

A turn that almost suffocated Berea.

Every word uttered in that soft voice stirred her heart and stirred the depths of her brain. Just by listening to that beautiful voice, an indescribable peace and joy would well up from the bottom of her heart, as if she had been poisoned by the little person in front of her.