Chapter 394: Hellfire (6)

“I keep feeling like whenever my head gets hot, I blurt out something terrible.”

The Love God’s afterimage died; the flowers withered and fell into ruin. Looking at the wreckage around him, Muen could not help but heave a bitter sigh.

“I wonder if it’s still possible for me to go back and become a salted fish who clings to Senior Annie and Celicia’s skirts.”

After checking the surroundings carefully and confirming that neither Ailag nor the Love God’s projected avatar had any chance of reviving, Muen finally let out a breath.

But the moment his gaze flicked aside, the relief he’d just allowed himself vanished. With a flick of both hands, Elizabeth immediately flew back into his palm; after soothing the two blades’ living spirits, Muen spun swiftly and went to stand beside—

—the girl who was now lying on the ground, powerless.

The girl named Phil lay on ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ the ground calmly; her face was pale, her eyelids drooping as if in a peaceful, deep sleep. The flowers on the ground had long since all withered, but the flowers on her body still bloomed vividly.

“Sorry.”

Muen crouched down slowly, staring at the innocent-looking girl, and said softly, “Because of my negligence, I indirectly harmed you.”

Although he himself had been guided by Ailag’s hint — and strictly speaking it couldn’t be called mere negligence — Muen still felt some guilt.

After all, she had trusted him so completely, yet—

“Rest in peace. I’ll avenge you.”

Muen reached out, intending to pull the flowers that seemed rooted into her flesh out of the girl. Burying her here wouldn’t do, but at least, when this Saintess candidate left—

“Wait!”

Phil suddenly opened her big, dewy eyes. “I feel like I can still be revived!”

“The Love God... actually... hasn’t croaked?” Muen was startled, instantly gripping the pure-white blade and about to chop the evil-god puppet before him.

The Love God was indeed cunning — a rabbit with three burrows. Who would’ve thought even Phil had been completely turned into her—

—better to mince her finely and burn every scrap to be safe...

“No no no, the Love God’s projected avatar is completely dead — I’m Phil! I really am Phil!”

Phil flipped up like a carp, scrambled to her feet, frantically waving at Muen. Seeing the blade in Muen’s hand flashing a cold gleam, she looked like she might kneel down in tears.

“Phil?”

Muen’s face showed doubt. “You were polluted by an evil god and yet didn’t die?”

“They didn’t pollute my soul, so I still have a breath left.”

Seeing Muen lower his blade, Phil drew a long breath; her speech was a little halting.

“I’m a Saintess candidate the Church has trained since I was little, so I naturally have some resistance. Even the Love God couldn’t pollute me so quickly.”

“I see...”

Muen nodded. “To be safe, can I examine you?”

“Examine? I know, I know.”

Phil covered her chest with both hands, making a shy face and batting her eyes at Muen as she tossed a few flirtatious looks his way.

“I didn’t expect Mr. Muen to be so impatient, to do this here... ah — I just noticed Mr. Muen isn’t wearing clothes. So handsome. Go easy, okay? It’s my first time with a man—”

“......”

All right, it was very likely really Phil.

Still, Muen cautiously examined her — of course, he didn’t do anything he shouldn’t.

After confirming there were no remnants of the evil god’s power on this Phil, Muen asked, “What will you do next?”

“I’m leaving immediately.”

Phil disdainfully brushed the flowers on her body aside. “These damned flowers grew into my flesh; only the Church can probably treat this.”

“Not going to compete for the Saintess position?”

“Not competing anymore. Let whoever wants that bird seat have it. I’m going back to be a second-generation demon heiress. The old men dote on me — I won’t endure so much suffering.”

“...Fine. While you’re at it, do a deep check. That old bitch Love God can’t be trusted...”

Muen’s gaze landed on the flowers. “By the way, about these flowers... hmm?”

He was about to ask more when he was interrupted. He turned sharply, and with Phil’s face having shifted, they both looked toward the distance.

“What’s that—?”

As the bulk of flowers dispersed, Muen finally smelled it in the air, a very clear stench.

Rotten stench.

At the far edge of his sight, the flesh plain was being dyed pitch black at a visibly rapid speed; the already nauseating malformed flesh began to rot, becoming even more disgusting.

“This is the mutation Freya mentioned? The evil god’s invasion is beginning to spread?”

Muen muttered under his breath. He had already guessed as soon as the moon had appeared — but he hadn’t expected it... so soon.

Was it because... the Gate had opened?

“Wait, it’s not over!”

Phil suddenly cried out.

On the flesh plain, the twisted ground began to writhe. One by one, hideous creatures crawled out of the earth like infants emerging from a placenta, lifting their heads and shrieking sharply at the moon.

The monsters quickly split into two groups. One lunged at the rotting flesh and began devouring it indiscriminately.

The other group... moved toward this tower.

“Those monsters... aren’t from the ‘Outer Gods’ corruption, but from this world itself?”

Muen frowned instinctively.

The diary had said those twisted monsters were caused by the evil god’s pollution...

“It seems there’s no time for idle talk.”

Phil turned to Muen. “I’m leaving. What about you?”

“I’m going to look for Liya. She’s still waiting for me.”

“Looks like a lot of monsters are heading toward the tower. You’ll be fine?”

“No problem. People are on their way.”

In the distance, several figures were rushing over at high speed; their faces were already becoming visible. Their expressions were anxious, but not fearful.

“Is that so?”

Phil glanced and sighed: “Seems a lot happened while I was asleep.”

“A lot indeed. Right now all I can tell you is that Freya actually was a good person.”

“A good person—”

Phil’s lips parted slightly; she stared at Muen dumbly for a long moment. After confirming he wasn’t joking, she suddenly stamped her foot angrily.

“Damn it. If she was a good person, who’s going to compensate me for my losses? Haven’t I been totally screwed over?”

“......”

That’s what she cared about?

“But actually, this was within my expectations,” Phil said suddenly.

“Within your expectations? Why?”

“Because... she was also a Saintess candidate, selected personally by the Saintess teacher. Betrayal like that — thinking about it, the likelihood is very small.”

The wistful words rippled in the breeze.

Muen suddenly remembered the Saintess candidates who had been summoned that night.

Just as he had felt then, each of those people really was formidable.

...

“Tch, that bastard Freya.”

A few minutes later, when Annie stood on the hilltop and looked down, her usually proud face involuntarily went hard and she cursed angrily:

“To make us do this — she must’ve thought it was too lonely down there and wanted us to keep her company.”

“Hush. How could the road to the Goddess’ embrace be lonely?”

Margarita retorted, then sighed: “But this kind of thing is indeed asking too much.”

At the foot of the hill, a huge number of monsters had already gathered and were gradually climbing toward the giant tower at the hilltop.

If the terrain here weren’t special, with only a single stairway leading upward, those monsters would long since have swarmed and completely submerged the place.

“But this could also be an opportunity.”

Margarita took out a crystal and gazed into the threads of light within it.

“With the natives of this place gone, our only way to become Saintess may be to purify the souls within these monsters.”

Annie’s eyes brightened, her fighting spirit surging.

But she quickly cleared her throat with an affected modesty, crossed her arms, and shot a glance: “Can you do it? You look so frail — why don’t you just forfeit now?”

“Shut up, you disgrace to the Saintess candidacy who’s being controlled!”

“What did you say?”

Annie flew into a rage. “Bastard, when I become Saintess, the first thing I’ll do is make your bra public!”

Margarita sneered. “Heh, same to you!”

They glared at each other; sparks seemed to flash between their looks.

From this moment, they were both comrades and enemies.

“Reta!”

“Paul!”

They almost turned at the same time and, in unison, issued commands to their knights:

“Prepare to meet the enemy!”

“Kill them!”