Chapter 427: Contact
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 427: Contact
"What the hell?"
Ariel watched the old man vanish with surprising agility, her face a mask of confusion.
Had her so-called older brother really sent his trusted butler all this way just to find her and make sure she was safe?
That guy—the one she’d beaten so badly last time that he couldn't get out of bed for half a month and lost his position as heir—was capable of such kindness?
"And what was that last part supposed to mean?"
He hopes I maintain a deep friendship with Liya?
Friendship?
Just friendship?
Was he trying to curse her?
"Pah, pah, pah! I knew he wasn't up to any good. Friendship? I’m the woman who’s going to win Liya’s love!"
After reaffirming her grand ambitions, Ariel looked up at the sky through the deep night.
Without the canopy of trees to block her view, the vast expanse of the heavens filled her vision, the stars twinkling with a mesmerizing brilliance.
Liya... is she looking at this same sky right now?
"Sigh, I really want to know how Liya is doing."
Liya had gone to the Holy City, presumably to participate in that important Holy Ceremony.
But Ariel had been stuck in those ruins for an entire month. Without her help, Liya would have to face that cruel ceremony and the trials all on her own...
Ariel bit her lip, feeling a pang of self-reproach.
Liya surely needed comfort right now. She needed someone she could open her heart to, someone who could make her feel warm and give her support.
But...
Even with the fastest carriage, it would take at least three days to reach the Holy City and see her...
Three days wasn't long in the grand scheme of things, but for Liya, who had already waited a month, it would surely feel like an eternity.
She must be so worried...
Wait, hold on.
A lightbulb suddenly went off in Ariel’s head.
While it would take three days to see her in person, she could talk to her, find out how she was doing, tell her she was safe and had become incredibly strong, and give her some warm comfort... right now!
Ariel’s eyes lit up as she immediately pulled out... a transmission stone!
She hadn't been able to use it before because Liya’s stone had been lost during the spatial teleportation, and then Ariel had been trapped in the ruins.
But a month had passed. Liya had surely bought a new transmission stone by now, so they could communicate directly!
"The only thing is, the range of a transmission stone depends on its quality. Liya’s old one couldn't receive signals from this far... I just hope the new one she bought is higher quality."
With a heart full of nervous anticipation, Ariel dialed the familiar frequency.
*
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a tapping at the door.
"Hello, Saintess. Your loyal believer has come for an audience."
"Eh? It’s so late, and I didn't know any believers were coming..."
Liya opened the door in a daze, only to see...
Muen, standing outside with a lowered voice and a mischievous smirk.
"You..."
Liya’s eyes widened in shock. She quickly pulled Muen into the room, glanced warily left and right down the hallway, and then slammed the door shut.
"What are you doing here? This is deep within the cathedral; outsiders aren't allowed! If the Head Nun sees you, she’ll definitely..."
"Relax, I’m not an outsider anymore."
Muen smiled and pulled out a badge, waving it in front of Liya’s eyes.
"I am now an officially registered Honorary Holy Temple Knight of the Church. From now on, we’re family."
"Honorary Holy Temple Knight?"
Liya blinked her large, watery eyes, her gaze scanning the badge. Once she confirmed it indeed bore the mark of the Church, she chirped happily:
"His Holiness the Pope gave this to you? That means..."
"Heh heh, didn't I say? We’re family now."
Muen wrapped an arm around Liya’s slender waist, leaned down, and took a playful bite of her sweet, cherry-red lips.
"Who... who’s family with you..."
Liya blushed and chided him softly, "What happened? Hurry up and confess everything."
Muen then nibbled on Liya’s reddened earlobe and recounted his entire conversation with the Pope.
Of course, he left out his suspicions regarding the Goddess. After all, she was the deity Liya worshipped; casting doubt on the Goddess would only make her unhappy.
"You bad man..."
After hearing Muen’s story, Liya tapped his chest with her delicate hand and pouted.
"Are you happy now? Having a Saintess as your secret lover... that’s unprecedented treatment, isn't it? It’ll make it so much easier for you to go out and provoke other girls."
"How could I?"
Muen gazed tenderly into Liya’s lovely eyes, her cute nose, her lips, and her pretty face, pulling her into a tighter embrace.
"Right now, I want nothing more than to show you off to the whole world. My little Liya, you’re so cute. Can I kiss you again?"
"You’re not allowed... mmm..."
Her words of protest were weak, and her frail struggle melted almost instantly into that hot, domineering kiss.
The warm candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of two figures pressed together, leaning on one another.
"What were you doing? Are you busy?"
After the passionate kiss ended, Muen gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind the girl's ear.
"Hmph, so you do know I’m busy."
Liya gave Muen’s waist a sharp pinch. As he winced in pain, she slipped out of his arms as gracefully as a mermaid and walked over to the desk.
Her pert buttocks swayed under her form-fitting nightgown, an exceptionally alluring sight.
Muen followed her and saw the golden sheets of paper spread across the desk.
"This is..."
"Sacred Words. Text transcribed with Holy Light. On the day of my succession ceremony, they will float into the sky as I recite them so all the believers in the Holy City can see. It’s a way for me, the new Saintess, to channel a miracle."
"I see."
Muen nodded, then wrapped his arms around Liya’s waist again.
"I told you, I have to transcribe these."
Liya glared at Muen, huffing in mock anger.
"Let go, quickly."
"No need. You keep going."
Muen pressed his body against hers and whispered into her ear:
"You transcribe those; I’ll transcribe you."
"?"
Liya tilted her head, a look of adorable confusion on her face.
Muen shook his head and laughed. "Nothing, just some slang from back home. Don't worry about it."
"Hmph~"
Liya turned back, preparing to continue transcribing the Sacred Words.
But as soon as she picked up the pen, her small hand trembled, and she could no longer write.
Because that bad man had already slid his wandering hand under the hem of her nightgown.
"No~"
"What do you mean, 'no'? I won't disturb you."
"Transcribing Sacred Words requires channeling the power of Holy Light. I can't get distracted... mmm."
"Then don't get distracted. Come on, focus."
"...Ngh... how am I supposed to focus like this..."
Unable to help herself as Muen teased her sensitive spots, a sweet sound escaped Liya’s pink lips. Her waist sank and her "peach" rose high, responding to the bad man’s movements.
Gradually, she unconsciously lost herself in it.
The candlelight dimmed and brightened, jumping rhythmically, and the two shadows danced along with it.
Clatter, clatter.
The desk was jumping too, along with the silent golden papers—the ones meant to rise into the sky as a miracle before all the believers, but which might now accidentally be stained by a drop or two of "holy fluid."
"You bad man..."
In the heat of the battle, just as they were about to reach the clouds, Liya struggled to regain a sliver of clarity.
She knew that if they kept going like this, it would be incredibly thrilling, but tonight’s work would be completely wasted.
So, she suddenly turned around and took the initiative, pinning the bad man down onto the bed.
She bit Muen’s firm chest and shoulder, her voice trembling with desire:
"Make... make it quick."
"I can't control that."
Muen blinked, his hand instinctively cupping one of those high, snowy peaks. He smirked.
"That’s up to you."
"Mmm... I... how am I supposed to..."
"You on top?"
"...No."
Liya’s face turned beet red.
That position... how could she do that right in front of Muen...
"Why not? You’ve done it before."
"I... I have not."
"Really? Don't tell me that while I was unconscious, you didn't..."
"Ngh... you really are a bad man."
Seeing that Muen looked ready to torment her all night if she didn't comply, Liya finally gave in. She obediently straddled Muen.
It wasn't her first time, so she was relatively practiced.
After that, as the bedframe shook, Muen witnessed for the first time what it meant for mountains to tower, for great waves to billow, and for the earth to shake.
As they became more synchronized and the intimacy deepened, Muen gradually lost himself in the moment, until...
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
"Hmm? What’s that sound?"
"It... it sounds like my transmission stone."
"Ignore it."
"..."
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.
"Tsk, who is it? So annoying."
"I... I’ll check..."
Under the glow of the candlelight, the two figures—currently joined in a "T" shape—finally paused. A slender hand, drenched in sweat, reached out from the edge of the bed. After fumbling through the scattered clothes for a long time, she finally found the transmission stone.
Liya sensed the signal for a moment, and her face, which had been immersed in pleasure, suddenly cleared.
"Th-this frequency... it’s Ariel!"
"Oh... Ariel. Tell her to wait... wait, Ariel?"
Muen, who had been about to resume his mischief, froze. He and Liya stared at each other for a moment, both of them turning a bit pale.
He looked at himself, then at Liya.
Finally, he looked at the transmission stone in Liya’s hand, and the reality of the situation suddenly hit him.
On the other end of the stone was the protagonist of the original novel, the heaven-chosen child with world-shaking power: Ariel.
On this end was her childhood sweetheart, one of the heroines she was trying to "woo" and turn.
And beneath this childhood sweetheart lay he, the yellow-haired villain destined by the book, stark naked.
This scene... it felt so... NTR.
*
"He... hello? Is that Ariel?"
The familiar voice coming from the transmission stone made Ariel, on the other side, ecstatic.
It went through! It actually went through!
"Liya, it’s me!"
Ariel gripped the stone tight. "It’s Ariel."
"Ah... Ariel... you finally managed to escape the forest... that’s great... mmm..."
"That’s right, I’m out! It’s been a whole month, and so much has happened, I—huh?"
Ariel had endless things to say to her beloved childhood sweetheart, but she temporarily bit them back.
She had suddenly noticed that Liya’s voice sounded a bit... strange.
"Liya? What... what are you doing right now? Your voice sounds weird, and you seem out of breath."
"Ah... I... I’m exercising."
"Exercising?"
Ariel looked up at the sky with a puzzled expression.
"This late?"
"Y-yes. I heard that exercising before bed is more... more effective. I’ve put on some weight lately, so..."
"Honestly, I told you not to eat so many little cakes, but you never listen. You big cow, you must have gotten fat again."
Ariel teased her with a mix of helplessness and amusement. Putting her hands on her hips, she continued to ask:
"So, what kind of exercise are you doing to get this exhausted?"
"I’m... I’m... I’m doing squats..."
On the other end of the transmission stone, Liya’s breathing seemed to quicken even more.
"That’s right... squats..."