Chapter 42

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 42

Chapter Title: Saintess Eve Seraphia (3)

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The Saintess rescue operation ended in the blink of an eye.

The Giant Eyes' average physical stats were around 19. They had no mana abilities.

Though there were slight variations between individuals, none of them were a match for my women—except maybe Elrine.

Piona, Amy, and Rosa each took on one Giant Eye, overwhelming them in an instant.

Piona severed a Giant Eye's neck after a few clashes, while Amy unleashed a penetration explosion spell, triggering a massive blast from within its body.

Rosa wounded a Giant Eye's eye with her crossbow, then finished it off with two arrows to the throat.

Yuri stood out the most.

She sliced through three Giant Eyes in the blink of an eye, all by herself.

Each swing of her gladius split their bodies in two along the wounds, killing them instantly.

"Hah, huff... W-We survived..."

One of the Saintess's escorts, who had narrowly escaped mortal danger, collapsed onto his rear, gasping for breath.

He had been saved by Yuri at the very last moment.

"Th-Thank you—"

Yuri didn't even glance at the man expressing his gratitude. She sheathed her sword and slipped her hand into her pocket.

She poked at my shrunken body with her finger, as if expecting praise. I extended a thin Basic Tentacle to fiddle with her finger in response.

Twitch twitch—

Yuri's ears perked up inside her hood.

Anyway, that wrapped things up.

The situation had unfolded so suddenly that the Saintess and her escort knights were momentarily stunned, but an elderly knight named Jerpha quickly regained his composure and approached my women.

"Thank you so much for your help! We were in real trouble, but you saved our lives."

He bowed politely with refined words. He seemed like a very courteous man.

Jerpha himself probably hadn't been in much danger, but the others' lives had been at risk—so our intervention had indeed been a great help.

At his greeting, the women exchanged glances. They hadn't decided who would speak yet.

Piona, you say it.

As I sent a telepathic message audible only to my women, Piona flinched slightly and stepped forward.

"No need to thank us. We just... stepped in because it looked dangerous."

Jerpha let out a wry chuckle at Piona's words.

"Haha, 'stepped in'? No one here would think that. Giant Eyes rarely appear in packs like this, but today of all days..."

Jerpha trailed off with a hint of resentment, then snapped back as if remembering something and returned to the original topic.

"Right. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Jerpha, a knight of the Holy Stella Order."

"I'm Piona."

Piona exchanged greetings with Jerpha. He then introduced the apprentice knights behind him and the Saintess.

"These inexperienced youngsters behind me are apprentice knights from the Order. And this is—though you may already know—Her Holiness the Saintess of the Holy Stella Order."

"Hello. I am the Saintess of the Holy Stella Order, Eve Seraphia. Thank you so much for helping us."

Bow—

As soon as Jerpha finished introducing her, the Saintess stepped forward and introduced herself.

With graceful poise, she bowed her head, then extended her hand to Piona for a handshake.

"Ah, yes. Hello."

Piona shook hands with the Saintess, and I took a closer look at Eve.

'As expected.'

Her physical and mana abilities were nothing special, but she had the Holy Power skill.

No matter how average her other stats were, this skill alone made her a Saintess, deemed untouchable by the divine.

I closed her status window and examined her face.

'She's really pretty.'

Eve Seraphia wasn't just blessed with a stunning figure—her face glowed with beauty.

Flawless, pristine skin.

Silver hair framing mature yet fresh features. Her slightly downturned eyes gave her an air of subtle allure.

She glanced at the women behind Piona and asked cautiously.

"By the way, are all of you in Piona's party adventurers?"

"Yes? Oh, yes."

"I see. Are you on a commission right now?"

"Uh, um. No, not really. We were just hunting monsters."

Piona answered. Eve's face brightened slightly.

"Oh...! In that case, may I invite you all to my sanctuary?"

"Pardon?"

"I'd like to treat you to a meal, at least. It would mean a lot if you'd give me a chance to express my gratitude. Of course, if you're busy, feel free to decline."

Piona hesitated over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how to respond, then glanced my way.

More precisely, at Yuri's pocket where I was nestled.

I sent a telepathic message.

-Say yes.

"Yes, we'll come."

Piona replied to Eve the moment I spoke.

"Wonderful! It's just a little further from here."

Eve led the way with Jerpha in front. My women and I followed behind.

A Saintess inviting chance rescuers to her sanctuary for a meal wasn't unusual for a newcomer.

With few visitors, she spent 28 days confined in prayer, unleashing her Holy Power for just one day. Her free time was limited to that single day.

Unpopular or new Saintesses inevitably felt lonely. She hid it well outwardly, but her delight at our company was obvious.

"Wow, so this is the sanctuary..."

"It's so ornate."

"The Holy Stella Order built it, after all. Please, come this way."

The sanctuary stood in the heart of the forest.

An elegant church-like building. There were four structures in total, the largest being the Saintess's sanctuary proper.

Three smaller ones surrounded it in a triangular formation.

Only the Saintess could set foot in the sanctuary itself.

So we settled in one of the outer buildings for the meal.

Steak, salad, fruit, soup—a variety of dishes appeared. Even a newbie Saintess had her perks; there was apparently a cook on staff.

"Please eat as much as you'd like. I specially asked them to make it delicious."

The Saintess said with a bright smile.

It was the kind of smile only a truly kind-hearted person could give.

The women chatted with the Saintess about this and that, savoring the food.

After days of wild game, they looked overjoyed devouring the meal.

I wanted to taste it too, and Yuri discreetly slipped bits from the table into her pocket for me.

"Enjoy, Master... Let me know if there's anything else you want...!"

Yuri whispered to me.

Vowing to ravage her pussy even harder next time, I accepted the food she offered.

It didn't boost EXP or nutrition much, but the flavor of proper cuisine after so long was pure bliss.

I resolved to include a full kitchen when I built my dungeon, relishing the rare treat.

As the meal ended, dusk was falling fast.

Perhaps due to the Saintess's innate kindness and approachability, Piona, Amy, Rosa, and Elrine had grown quite close to her during dinner.

"Ah..."

The Saintess gazed at the sky with a wistful look.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I need to return to the sanctuary now. The meal was wonderful."

She assigned each woman a guest room, telling them to rest as long as they liked before leaving.

She was heading back inside to pray.

Jerpha and the other escorts returned to their posts.

Then Amy snapped to attention and spoke urgently.

"Wait. Lord Tentacle..."

-Yeah? What?

"What do you mean 'what'? Didn't you come here for the Saintess?"

I affirmed her question.

-You're right.

"Then hurry! Once she enters the sanctuary, we won't see her for 28 days."

Amy had a point.

The sanctuary.

An absolute domain no one but the Saintess could enter.

Not just symbolically—it was physically impossible.

The 'sanctuary' only a Saintess could create was a type of barrier.

Unlike ordinary barriers, it couldn't be broken by mana or physical force. Not even an S-Class adventurer could breach it.

The reason was simple.

It wasn't formed by raw power, but by Holy Power.

No S-Class adventurer could pierce a barrier made from the power of Stella, the Goddess who created this world.

But I was certain.

'The Saintess's sanctuary won't work on me.'

From the moment I first saw her today, I'd sensed her aura was remarkably similar to mine.

That hunch solidified into conviction while observing her during the meal.

Why did her aura resemble mine so closely?

I knew the answer right away.

[I'll grant you the body of a tentacle monster right now. As a body I've crafted myself, its performance is guaranteed.]

The tentacle monster body was one shaped directly by the Goddess.

The Saintess borrowed the Goddess's power, however faintly.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Thus, Holy Power was essentially Stella's own aura—and I, bearing the body she personally molded, was a walking embodiment of it.

-It's fine. Don't worry about me. You all rest easy in your rooms.

I reassured the worried Amy and the others, then slithered out toward the sanctuary's barrier.

A massive building.

A circular barrier enveloped it.

No one but the Saintess could cross it. But...

Hummm—

'As expected.'

I passed through the Saintess's sanctuary effortlessly.

My tentacle body met zero resistance.

It was almost disappointingly easy. I scanned the interior, imagining the lewd body of the Saintess, who must be preparing to pray alone by now.

'Yeah, with a prime fuck den like this ready, no need to stir up trouble killing the men.'

Weak or not, they belonged to the Holy Stella Order. If traces of me harming them were found, it could summon a massive subjugation force unlike anything before—enough to hunt me down.

Better to sneak in quietly and ravage the Saintess.

She wouldn't emerge for 28 days anyway—no one would notice.

Plenty of time to fuck and train her thoroughly.

I slithered into the sanctuary building.