"Shh~ Ivsha, your voice is too loud!"
"It's fine~ it's fine~ They're all sleeping really deeply. They won't wake up~"
"Mr. Akira~~"
"..."
These two idiots…
Lucia was utterly speechless.
At this very moment, she was pretending to be unconscious, quietly listening to the exchange between Ivsha and Kurose Akira.
She gently bit her lower lip, her golden-red eyes half-lidded. Through the narrow gap in her vision, she could vaguely glimpse that intense, unrestrained holy battle unfolding before her.
It stirred a storm of complex emotions she could no longer suppress.
As the Pope, when had she ever been reduced to such helplessness?
But when she recalled her own "performance" just moments ago…
A faint blush instantly crept across Lucia's cheeks. A trace of shame welled up within her at the fact that she had actually passed out.
She simply couldn't imagine what Akira must have experienced in the past to end up like this.
As expected… had he already been thoroughly tamed by a succubus into a weapon meant solely for women?
Just as Lucia sank deeper into thought, Ivsha's voice once again interrupted her.
"Mr. Akira, please! Treat me the same way you treated Miss Lucia!"
"Are you sure, Ivsha?"
"Mm-hm~ I won't faint as easily as the Holy Maiden~"
"Then… as you wish!"
"Eek~!"
"Looks like Ivsha really is amazing~"
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Akira~ mwah~"
Damn it!
Hearing their conversation, a surge of uncontrollable anger flared in Lucia's chest.
She had never imagined that she herself would end up becoming part of their play.
Filthy… disgusting man!
But…
Lucia's pupils trembled slightly, her heart pounding with a strange sense of unease.
She had to admit it—Ivsha really did seem… a bit more capable than her?
That unique life ritual… it was something Lucia couldn't even begin to imagine.
At that moment, an unsettling emotion sprouted deep within her heart.
She—a dignified Pope—had actually, in some way, lost to Ivsha, that little nun!?
And just as Lucia was secretly peeking at the ongoing holy battle, Ivsha slightly turned her head, the corner of her lips curling into a mysterious smile.
That smile carried a hint of mockery and provocation, as if telling Lucia:
This is the true holy war.
Lucia's brows knitted faintly.
She couldn't help but recall—when had Ivsha's attitude toward her begun to subtly change?
At first, Ivsha had respectfully addressed her as "Your Holiness."
But now, that reverence had long since vanished, replaced by rivalry and comparison.
When did it start?
Lucia's mind drifted back to that night she had gotten drunk—when she had accidentally tasted holy light…
Could it have been since then?
Heh…
A cold laugh flickered through Lucia's heart.
So that little succubus was actually territorial, huh?
Just as her thoughts continued to churn, Akira suddenly appeared before her—Ivsha in his arms.
This…?
Lucia froze.
Her golden-red eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
Because—
The holy light that Ivsha had sealed away… was now slipping free, descending, and hovering right in front of her!
And then—
Wait!
Lucia: "???"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Mr. Akira~"
Ivsha's lips curved into a playful grin.
"I—it's fi—"
Akira was just about to say it was fine, when Ivsha suddenly leaned in and kissed him deeply.
...
Time passed—how long, no one knew.
Haa…
Completely exhausted, Akira finally relaxed. He collapsed onto the sofa, recovering his utterly depleted life force.
Ivsha lay obediently against his chest, her kisses light as feathers as they brushed against his skin, intoxicated by his scent.
And at that moment—
Lucia slowly rose from within the shimmering holy light, glaring at Akira with a look full of resentment.
"Lu… Lucia, a-are you okay? Feeling any better?"
The instant Akira saw her awake, his entire body stiffened.
His mind was in complete chaos.
The intimacy with Ivsha had made him completely forget Lucia's existence.
What confused him even more was Lucia's current state—
Why was her entire body bathed in holy light?
Huh?
When did that happen?
"Hmph."
Lucia snorted softly, saying nothing more as she turned and quickly walked toward the bathroom.
The door shut.
Moments later, the sound of running water echoed out.
Akira stared nervously at the closed bathroom door, his throat bobbing as he swallowed a mouthful of dry saliva.
This is bad. This is really bad.
Every single time he drank with Lucia… something always happened.
This time, he was seriously done for.
Meanwhile, Ivsha—nestled against him—looked unusually excited, her beautiful eyes glimmering with seductive delight.
She clearly enjoyed flaunting her "capital" in front of other competitors—Lucia included, Holy Maiden or not.
A few minutes later, Lucia emerged, freshly cleaned.
She stepped lightly across the floor, her snow-white feet touching down softly, leaving behind clear droplets of water.
"Lucia…" Akira began.
But before he could say another word, Lucia was already striding toward the teleportation array.
A flash of white light—
And she vanished from the guild hall.
Akira stood there, momentarily stunned, a vague sense of unease swelling in his chest.
Was Lucia… genuinely angry this time?
Honestly, his actions had gone too far.
For someone like Lucia—who had never experienced anything like this—doing that to her so directly…
It really was a bit too cruel.
After all, that kind of thing was a rather niche preference to begin with.
As Akira was lost in thought, Ivsha's voice drifted into his ear.
"Mr. Akira~ can you keep going?"
Her tone was teasing, sultry—clearly testing his limits.
"No!"
"Ah~"
Akira lightly knocked Ivsha on the forehead, urging her to hurry up and go to sleep.
He himself was utterly drained.
Three holy battles in a row, plus being sucked dry by the Demonic Flame Silver Phoenix Butterfly—if he didn't rest now, he really might turn into an undead.
"What a shame~"
Ivsha stuck out her tongue playfully.
Her Mr. Akira had been defeated by her once again~
Soon after, Akira carried Ivsha back to the bedroom—
And then…
One last time.
Ivsha called it "good night"~
After Akira lay down, he didn't fall asleep immediately.
His gaze settled on his status panel, where a new entry glowed:
[Pollinating Bee]
This was a player trait he had obtained earlier today while helping the Purple Snow Ice Emperor Flower Fairy recover from her injuries.
But its effect…
Was honestly a bit strange.
[Pollinating Bee]: Like a diligent bee, you are passionate about collecting "nectar."Each time you collect "nectar," you gain 1 stack.When stacks reach 100, you obtain the status "Queen Bee's Favor"!(Stacks gained from plant-type units are doubled.)
"Queen Bee's Favor?"
Akira studied the trait, confusion flickering through his eyes.
Even though he didn't fully understand what "Queen Bee's Favor" entailed, judging by the fact that multiple holy battles with Ivsha had only accumulated 5 stacks, this status was absolutely going to be something special.
"Time to sleep."
Akira closed his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he drifted into a dream.
And the moment he stepped into that dreamscape—
Two little cuties suddenly appeared before him.
One pair of eyes red, the other blue—both staring straight at him.
Akira froze, a flicker of confusion rising in his heart.
Had he already been discovered by these two little sprites?
Just then, a voice sounded from behind him.
"Come on, children—dinner's ready~"
Akira turned around.
He saw Beayarella standing there, stirring a pot of rich, fragrant soup.
"That's great! We can finally eat!"
"We're coming!"
The twin sisters, Fuli and Flora, immediately ran toward Beayarella.
But after only a few steps—
Thump!
Beaya-Fuli suddenly tripped and fell flat on the ground.
"Ow!"
She clutched her forehead, her face filled with confusion as she looked ahead—yet saw nothing at all.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Flora asked worriedly, equally confused.
"I… I think I ran into something?" Beaya-Fuli said hesitantly.
She was sure she had hit something—yet there was absolutely nothing in front of her.
As the sisters stood there in bewilderment, a subtle gleam flashed through Beayarella's heterochromatic red-and-blue eyes.
Because she knew—
The man she had been longing for…
Had finally arrived~