Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Church (4)
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Helping to overthrow the Church...
It wasn't a difficult request since Rainy was already pushing it aggressively anyway.
But I didn't want to simply grant her wish.
Kidnapping me out of the blue and now asking for help?
I'm not a pushover who would just accept that.
I shook my head firmly.
"No thanks?"
Even bound tightly, my resolute refusal seemed to surprise Kani a little.
Most people would at least verbally agree to cooperate in a situation like this to ensure their safety.
So she was shocked that I rejected her outright even now.
Her face lit up with interest.
"Hmm... Do you even realize your situation, sir? You're imprisoned in our headquarters right now."
The desperate pleading while grabbing my hand had been a mask, as expected. Now she wore a bold expression and openly threatened me.
She didn't doubt for a second that they held the advantage.
"..."
"If you won't cooperate, we'll make you cooperate by force."
Kani closed her eyes and drew up her holy power.
As expected of a saintess, the holy power emanating from her didn't match Marley's but was on par with Rainy's—immensely strong.
A heavy hum filled the underground chamber, and as Kani's eyes snapped open, thousands of thin spiderweb-like strands of holy power surged toward me.
I didn't know the exact mechanism, but it was similar to what Rainy had used on Nania and what I'd used on the construction slaves.
It seemed the saintess planned to gradually build her forces this way.
It was undoubtedly powerful, but unfortunately, there was something the saintess didn't know.
Having learned the technique from Rainy and even succeeded with it myself, I knew it inside and out.
I'd analyzed its principles while using it and theorized that anyone with strong holy power could resist it—hell, even reflect it back.
"Become a true servant of the Goddess and help build a new Church!"
To make the reflection work, I showed no reaction to lower her guard, so Kani muttered confidently.
Unfortunately for her, she was unaware of two key facts.
First, I possessed an immense amount of holy power that wouldn't pale in comparison to anyone's.
Second, someone with abundant holy power and good control could reflect it right back.
The spiderweb-like strands touched my body.
The moment Kani fully let her guard down...
Zzt.
I ambushed the holy power flowing through the threads from Kani, devouring it in reverse.
Then I reflected it back along the threads connecting to me, pouring my own holy power into them instead.
My Heresy Conversion was still on cooldown, but hijacking someone else's technique worked fine.
"Wha—what?!"
Kani, who hadn't doubted for a second that I'd become her slave, panicked and tried to pull away as my holy power reflected back through the threads she'd created.
But no chance.
I instantly bulged every muscle in my body, shattering the restraints binding me.
Then I charged straight at Kani.
She clearly hadn't imagined I'd break these thick bonds and shrieked in horror, desperately calling for her guards.
Her escorts rushed in frantically to protect her, but...
Crash.
I pinned Kani down and slammed her to the ground first.
"Mmph..."
As our bodies made contact, my holy power gained even more strength and crushed her resistance.
Clang.
In the end, Kani couldn't reject me.
My holy power invaded her body.
For demons, you'd make them curse their Demon God and praise the Goddess, but Kani wasn't a demon, so no need for that step.
"Haaah... haaah..."
Kani lay crushed beneath me, breathing raggedly.
A tattoo slowly formed around her cute navel.
I'd had my doubts until now, but seeing the tattoo appear made it real—this technique worked on humans too.
'This is seriously dangerous.'
A technique to bind humans...
I used it myself, but ethically, wasn't there a problem?
Anyway, confirming the tattoo had formed, I got off Kani.
Her guards hurriedly surrounded and protected her, while I plopped leisurely into a chair like a victor.
"Hnngh..."
Kani let out an embarrassed moan, caught her breath, then snarled venomously.
"You! What did you do?!"
She'd been polite just moments ago, but now she was outright using informal speech.
Grinning at her crossed arms, I replied.
"I just reflected the Heresy Conversion you tried to use on me right back at you."
"How in the world... And that holy power too..."
"What, the holy power's just something I was born with, and I learned the technique from Rainy."
Kani froze at the mention of Rainy.
"Saintess Rainy...?"
"Yeah, she's traveling with me right now."
"Saintess Rainy wouldn't associate with someone staying in the top suite of the Crimson Hotel..."
I approached Kani leisurely, intending to rub the victor's superiority in the loser's face.
"Stop!"
"Stay away from the Saintess!"
Her guards blocked me, but...
"Step aside."
"Saintess... but..."
"It's fine."
Under Kani's orders—having accepted her situation—they reluctantly backed off with frustrated looks.
I pressed down firmly on Kani's head as she looked up at me.
"Whatever, believe what you want, but it's true that Rainy's working with me."
"... Are you Baron Daven by any chance?"
She really does like Rainy.
She even knows which territory she was exiled to.
"Yeah, allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Laden Daven, lord of the Baron Daven lands."
"... But how did you end up assigned to the top suite of the Crimson Hotel?"
"Oh, one of the duke's pampered daughters is in our hero party."
Thanks to Laura's halo, I got to lounge in the suite.
If I'd revealed my status, they'd have just sneered at me like I was chewing shit.
Kani furrowed her brows thoughtfully, then nodded.
"Got it, I'll believe you. If you can use that technique only taught to saintesses, you must really be with Saintess Rainy. And with that much holy power, you're no demon."
Only after getting thoroughly beaten did Kani finally acknowledge me.
"I'll have you released from here, so untie these restraints you put on me too."
What?
Does she not know she can't undo them?
"Once this is applied, it's irreversible. You cast it yourself."
Kani's face went pale.
"Wha... what...? No way..."
"Rainy didn't teach you about that?"
"The handover notes left by the Saintess didn't mention anything like that..."
Tch.
Looks like Rainy didn't properly hand things over before her exile.
Makes sense—she'd said no other saintess had been able to use this technique besides her.
She probably figured the next generation wouldn't either and skipped the detailed explanation.
"Is there... really no way to remove it?"
"Nope."
Kani examined her stomach with a despairing expression.
There was a tattoo that clashed with her innocent face.
Not even a succubus, yet carrying something so vulgar.
"This... a saintess with a tattoo like this... I'm done for..."
Realizing she'd be stuck with the tattoo on her stomach forever filled Kani with such despair that she collapsed to the floor, staring blankly into space with empty eyes.
Yeah... serving as a saintess with that tattoo won't be easy.
I felt a tiny bit of human sympathy, but I had no intention of going easy on her.
After all, she struck first.
It's natural for the loser to suffer the consequences.
Kani bawled her eyes out, then wiped her tears and stood up.
"Fine, I used the technique, so... no helping it."
Oh? I thought she'd go dark here, but her mental fortitude lives up to a saintess.
"I'll let you go, so get out."
As she turned to head into the room...
"Hold on a sec."
I stopped her.
Kani tilted her head in confusion.
"You don't know what this technique means, do you?"
"I do? It lets you control the target's life."
"Good, you get it. So, no need to act all stiff like that?"
"...Huh?"
"First, change how you address me. Try it, slave. 'Master.'"
"..."
Kani's jaw dropped in speechless shock.