Chapter 224 (1): Divine Art x Auditors

Auston didn’t know exactly what Monica was, only that the black cat was highly suspicious. It refused to leave, couldn’t be disposed of, and even if it was killed, it would return the next night entirely intact.

Otherwise, the black cat didn’t seem unusual in any way. It had a mild temper and welcomed his petting without resisting. Moreover, it was attached to the house. Even when let loose, it wouldn’t leave.

Thus, Auston never fed Monica, leaving Megan to take care of the cat. Everyone, including Veronica, loved Monica. Vera, who often visited Veronica, Kristen, who Veronica invited to have afternoon tea, and Wayne, who later joined the family, all took a liking to Monica.

Even Auston, despite knowing there was something wrong with the black cat, sometimes couldn’t help but stroke it.

Somehow, he had a feeling that the black cat was related to the Goddess of Darkness, that the goddess had been paying attention to him. Or more precisely, She had been keeping an eye on Twilight Despair.

Wayne frowned. “I have an owl—you saw it in the Great Cemetery. The skeletal owl is named Snow, and it’s the Goddess of Sun’s messenger.”

Auston paused. The Goddess of Sun’s messenger, a skeletal owl? Was it a spy?

“Snow became what it is because it made a mistake and was sentenced to a hundred years with no access to its divine power. Veronica once complained to me that Snow and Monica fought whenever they met.”

Wayne glanced at Auston and added, “I’m talking about last year. Because I was dating a certain important man’s daughter, I was forced to leave Londan to lie low. Before I left, I entrusted Snow to Veronica.”

Auston ignored the part about him dating Veronica. “Do you mean that Snow can recognize Monica?”

“I’ll ask when I go home.”

“Wait...” Auston gave him a strange look. “Are you... the Sun Knight, too?”

“Not fully. My knight teacher, Valkyrie, was a member of the Goddess of Sun’s knight order a long, long time ago. She was part of the battle against the dragon and fell to Dragonheart Island along with the dragon’s heart, slipping into a lasting slumber afterwards. She’s the knight armor I picked up on Dragonheart Island.”

“Valkyrie is ancient, with very few thoughts left and almost all of her memories lost. She doesn’t even remember her name. Valkyrie is only what I call her... I speculate that she’s at least a thousand years old.”

“She’s far weaker than she once was. By putting the armor on, I can wield the power of the Sun, but it doesn’t make me the chosen knight like Shadow Nightmare and Twilight Despair.”

Wayne guessed that Valkyrie belonged to a separate knight order, different from the chosen knights roaming the human world, such as the Death Knight and the Darkness Knight. He didn’t know the nature of her organization exactly. Valkyrie didn’t have her memory, the Church of Sun didn’t know, and even Snow, the goddess’s messenger, had no idea.

Auston’s expression lightened substantially. At least the mess didn’t get worse. He warned Wayne, “Your original bloodline is too unusual and will attract too much attention. Don’t use it unless necessary.”

Wayne nodded in resignation. He knew that and would like to avoid transforming, but he had been facing either legendary mages or demons descending to the human world, whom he couldn’t defeat without more power.

“Go to Silvia and ask her to teach you divine arts,” Auston suggested. “Perhaps that’ll make your human form stronger.”

“I don’t know...”

Wayne wasn’t convinced. His faith magics were like a hot pot with all the ingredients thrown in. The complicated formulas were mixed, impossible for him to untangle. He had given up on sorting it out long ago.

“Give it a try. Your original bloodline seems to defy common sense.” Auston glared at Wayne and didn’t force him to reveal his greatest secrets. “Silvia’s dragon blood persists even after she learned faith magic, and she can’t transform into an elf. You’re different. Perhaps you can... Anyway, there’s no harm in trying.”

What if it works?

Wayne nodded. The Anointed One selection was on the horizon, which was a good excuse for him to ask for a lesson from his master. And Filomina could teach him, too. The divine art of the Church of Moonlight also allowed one to turn into an elf, which would be a good reference.

If he succeeded... He would have a normal state, an elven state, a knight state, and a merged state, giving him different phases like a boss monster.

It was worth trying!

Wayne was getting excited. He planned to ask Master for a lesson this evening and visited Filomina at midnight to pick her brain; he would let her have her way with him in return.

***

Meanwhile, in suburban Londan, a black car pulled over, and a woman in a light green dress walked out, heading toward the dense trees on the side. She appeared around twenty-eight with a stunning face and an alluring figure, her long hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall. Each and every silky strand smelled of a faint fragrance.

She wasn’t simply beautiful because of her looks, but also because of her temperament. Her grace seemed to have been polished by time, giving her a unique charm.

In the middle of nowhere, a beautiful woman walked alone into a forest. It seemed obvious what would happen if a thug with vicious looks jumped out of the shrubs—yes, before the thug could reveal his mushroom, the beautiful lady would’ve already planted mushrooms all over his body and buried him as fertilizer.

Because she was Flora Evelina, the retired Holy Maiden of the Church of Nature and Silvia’s good friend in appearance only. She had come to meet an auditor from the headquarters.

“Lady Flora, I hope you don’t take offense that I didn’t welcome you properly.”

A man in a black suit emerged, tall and handsome with perfectly distributed facial features and brilliant blond hair. He looked like a prince walking right out of a fairytale. Judging by his appearance alone, he was born a winner in life.

“Leno, it was I who asked you to meet me here. As the host, I was the one who failed to welcome you properly.” Flora smiled. It was such a radiant, warm, and pleasing smile that Leno felt like the world had gotten brighter.

Suddenly, he remembered their first meeting. It was back in the forest at headquarters, just like the one he was in now. He had sealed his power and started training with a sword to improve his physique, drenched in sweat from the exhaustion.

Flora, the Holy Maiden, passed by and handed him a handkerchief.

At that moment, Leno fell for her, but he didn’t dare to express his love because she was the Holy Maiden. Instead, he burned that smile into his memory and trained with his sword in the forest every day. A chance meeting with Flora would make him happy for more than ten days, even if she had only passed by.

Yes, he was a typical simp.

After all, Flora had been the Holy Maiden. She was good at maintaining her image, and with the church helping with that, there was never a shortage of simps wherever she went.

Wayne believed that Flora would seduce the auditors by revealing her body because he was putting himself in other men’s shoes; it was the kind of seduction he might fall for.

Who was she to appeal to his sentiments? How impractical. She should either give away money or herself. It was the oldest occupation in the world.

Clearly, Wayne had overestimated the auditors sent by the Church of Nature’s headquarters and severely underestimated the army of simps Flora had cultivated over the years. She had such a strong fan base that she didn’t have to do anything but smile.

Silvia had also overestimated the integrity of the auditors. Leno was part of the Order of Nature and one of the two secret auditors. As soon as he got a call from Flora, he ditched his partner and came to the forest.

Facing the dream woman he had pined for over the years, he was so nervous and excited that he could barely breathe, let alone kiss her hand in greeting. He was worried about annoying her by making a mistake.

That was how simps were!

If Wayne were in the same situation, he would’ve kissed her from the fingertips all the way to the face.

I respected you when you were the Holy Maiden, but if I still respect you after you’re retired, wouldn’t you have retired for nothing?

That would be Wayne’s logic.

There were many ways of simping. The typical simps kissed ass, while Wayne did that literally.

“Relax, Leno. I’m no longer the Holy Maiden but a regular District Priestess...” Flora slowly said.

Leno didn’t see anything other than Flora and didn’t hear anything at all. She was his world.

Looking at his dream woman from a short distance alone left him overwhelmed with feelings. The world was wonderful, and the air was fresh. Happiness was as simple as that. He hoped for time to stop moving so that this moment would last forever.

“Leno?!”

“Apologies, Holy Maiden.” Leno quickly apologized. “I was distracted.”

“I’m no longer the Holy Maiden...”

Flora smiled, taking no offense. Her face became slightly flushed.

Leno felt like he had been struck by lightning, pierced straight through the heart. His mouth fell open, but no words came out.

She kept emphasizing that she was no longer the Holy Maiden, and she

blushed

. Was she giving him a hint that he could make a move on her now?

Leno gulped silently.