Chapter 460: Farewell
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 460: Farewell
The morning sun peeked playfully through the gaps in the curtains.
After the wind and snow of the previous night, the entire Holy City looked as if it had been thoroughly scrubbed clean, welcoming a bright and clear day.
The sky had long since brightened, but on that bed still radiating the lingering warmth of their passion, the two individuals—having survived a night of "combat"—finally began to stir.
"Mm... what time is it?"
A girl’s lazy voice broke the silence of the room. A small head with messy, tangled hair rose reluctantly from a sturdy chest, squinting blearily at the wall clock.
"Ah... it’s already that late! There’s Morning Prayer in a bit... hiss."
The girl jolted awake, trying to scramble up in a fluster, but immediately tilted her head with a wince of pain.
She lightly hammered the rogue’s chest, huffing in mock indignation, "Move over a bit, you’re pinning down my hair."
"...Are we getting up already?"
The girl’s weak, powerless pounding failed to push the rogue away; instead, he took the opportunity to seize her small hand and pull her back into his embrace.
"How about sleeping a little longer?"
Muen leaned in close to Liya’s ear, whispering softly.
"Mm... no."
His hot breath made Liya’s ears flush. That familiar warmth was something she deeply yearned for; compared to the lingering chill of early spring outside, she wanted nothing more than to stay tucked under the covers forever.
But Liya shook her head firmly.
"Didn't I tell you? There’s a Morning Prayer ceremony soon. I’m the Saintess; I have to lead it personally."
"Just a little longer."
"...No, Lin should be coming to hurry me up any moment. Before that, I have to... eeya!"
Liya, who had been about to argue back forcefully, let out a startled cry. In her unconscious struggling and squirming, she felt a familiar hardness mischievously rubbing against the soft flesh of her backside.
"You rogue! You lecher! First thing in the morning..."
Her Highness the Saintess scolded him, her face turning beet red.
"You can't blame me."
Muen continued to hold the adorable little beauty tightly in his arms, kissing her cheek as he said, "This is a normal physiological reaction. You should know that quite well by now."
"In that case... let me go."
"I can't. Now that the fire’s been lit, it’ll be miserable if I don't release it a little."
Muen’s wandering hands began to grow restless again as he smirked. "I checked your schedule ahead of time. There’s still about an hour before Morning Prayer. So... Her Highness the Saintess, before you go help the believers with their Morning Prayer, how about helping me with mine first?"
"No... no, there isn't enough time. Lin will be here soon..."
"The 'Morning Prayer' I’m talking about is that kind."
Muen leaned into Liya’s ear, his voice a devilish whisper. "It’ll be quick."
Hearing Muen’s description of this "Morning Prayer," Liya’s face turned crimson in an instant.
"No... no, that’s way too shameful."
"What’s shameful about it? There’s no one else in the room, and it’s the fastest way, isn't it?"
"But..."
Liya wanted to refuse again, but after turning back to gaze at her beloved for a moment, she pouted and fell into thought. Finally, she gave a soft nod.
"Fine. Anyway... this is the last time I’ll serve a rogue like you."
At the words "last time," Muen’s expression, which had been joyful at her agreement, suddenly shifted into one of lingering attachment and reluctance.
"Yeah. While it might not be the absolute end, this counts as the last time for now."
Muen pulled the girl into a tight, infatuated embrace, sharing a deep, soulful kiss.
By the time the kiss ended, the Saintess—who was supposed to lead the believers of the Holy City in a sacred ceremony in an hour—was breathing shallowly, her heart stirred with emotion.
She rose, threw back the covers, and straddled Muen’s lap with her long legs.
Then, recalling how she had seen Senior Sister Anna do it...
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From this moment on, the noble Saintess, who was required to bow to no one, was no longer praying only to the Goddess when she knelt down.
However, true love was never a one-sided taking.
"Come, baby, turn around. I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself too."
"..."
...
...
Half an hour later, when Lin knocked on the door right on schedule, she saw the Saintess already fully dressed, her posture elegant and her aura sacred, without a single flaw to be found.
Lin’s eyebrows twitched slightly. She had expected to be in a frantic rush to hurry her along.
"We’re leaving now."
Liya smiled at Lin. "I’ll leave the rest to you, Lin."
"It is my duty," Lin responded respectfully. Then, the moment she lowered her head, she saw the Saintess’s hand tightly clasped with that scoundrel’s.
Her eyebrows twitched again, but this time, she said nothing.
She simply watched as Liya and Muen, hands entwined, walked down the sun-drenched corridor.
It was a very ordinary day, and a very busy morning.
Nuns and clergy bustled to and fro within the Grand Cathedral, moving with hurried steps.
Thus, the distance Liya and Muen could walk hand-in-hand was destined to be limited to this single corridor outside the Saintess’s quarters, where no one dared to intrude.
Because of this, they walked very slowly.
Because of this, they felt every sensation with exquisite detail.
It was as if they wanted to engrave the other’s warmth, scent, and the very lines of their palms into the deepest recesses of their hearts.
But no matter how long the corridor, it eventually reached its end.
One step before the corner, their hands finally parted with lingering reluctance.
The blond man took a step back, a handsome smile playing on his lips, transforming back into the Knight who made many young nuns blush.
The sacred girl walked ahead, her head held high and her hands folded over her stomach, once again becoming the Saintess revered and worshipped by countless believers.
The two of them proceeded one after the other, passing through the respectful bows and gazes of the crowd until they reached the cathedral entrance.
"Well then... I shall see you off here, Mr. Muen."
"Yes. Thank you for escorting me, Her Highness the Saintess."
Liya gave a calm nod of farewell, and Muen returned the gesture with equal composure.
To any observer, it looked like nothing more than a perfectly normal, professional parting between a Saintess and a Knight.
But the depth of emotion brewing in their eyes was something only they could read.
The melting snow brought a slight chill, but the sunlight following the storm was exceptionally bright.
Liya stroked the bracelet on her wrist, watching Muen disappear at the end of the Pilgrimage Path.
This was the "final" farewell.
Liya turned, preparing to throw her entire heart and soul into the day’s work to soothe the hollow ache of parting.
But she suddenly paused, as the transmission stone at her waist vibrated slightly with an incoming message.
Liya held the stone to her ear, listening intently to the voice on the other side.
"Little babe, you were amazing last night."
Hearing that familiar, wicked tone and the usual teasing, a flush flashed across Liya’s cheeks for a fleeting second. Under her increasingly powerful self-control, the girl appeared completely unchanged by the words.
However, the smile at the corners of her mouth grew significantly softer.
Under the watchful eyes of the public, she couldn't respond. She carefully tucked the transmission stone away.
Yes, the "final" was not the end.
Parting was not a permanent goodbye.
They would meet again; they were always connected.
...
"I really can't understand it."
After watching the Saintess and Muen Campbell disappear, Lin couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Given how convoluted their situation was, could their feelings for each other really be this deep?
Or was she truly just narrow-minded? Was this kind of complex love triangle actually common?
"Well, at least it’s only three people. No matter how messy it gets, it shouldn't be an unsolvable knot."
Lin shook her head. She felt that ever since she met Muen Campbell, her usually cold and composed self had nearly turned into a master of exaggerated facial expressions.
Fortunately, he was leaving.
Though, because of that, the Saintess would likely be heartbroken.
Thinking this, Lin entered the room with a complicated heart, habitually helping Liya tidy up.
The room was messier than she imagined. Intimate garments that had been torn apart in haste were scattered everywhere; one could only imagine how intense the "battle" had been last night.
"Wait, if it was that intense, then this bed..."
Lin’s gaze fell upon the large bed she had recently purchased.
Having learned from her previous experience, she didn't recklessly sit down. Instead, she placed a hand on the bed and gave it a firm shake.
Creeeeeak—
Sure enough, with one final groan of agony, the large bed that had endured a full night of torment finally met its premature end.
Lin’s mouth twitched. She didn't know whether to praise that scoundrel for being so physically robust that he could break two beds in a row, or to marvel at the Saintess’s incredible resilience for being able to go to work as if nothing had happened.
"Well, if it’s broken, it’s broken. That guy is leaving anyway. And besides, this time there shouldn't be anyone under the—huh??"
Before Lin could finish her monologue, her body jolted.
As a bedboard slid out of place, a somewhat numb face with vacant eyes staring into nothingness appeared in her field of vision.
There really was someone under the bed!
And that person was...
"Ariel Bugard?!?!"
Why was she under the Saintess’s bed too?
Lin, who had just received the Saintess’s order to find this person yesterday only to find her under the Saintess’s own bed today, felt her brain fill with question marks. It felt as if her brainstem was about to burn out from the sheer processing load.
What was going on?
In this relationship map that was already as convoluted as a magic matrix, was there actually a fourth person?
"You..."
Lin, her mind completely failing her, looked at Ariel, wanting to ask something. But Ariel merely glanced at Lin with her vacant, wide eyes, said nothing, and stood up from the wreckage of the bed to walk stiffly out the door.
Her face was expressionless, but Lin, who had seen many people in her time, saw a strange sense of world-weariness in those hollow eyes—an emotion she hadn't seen during their last meeting. It was as if the girl had aged many years in a single night.
Lin: "???"