Inside the church warehouse.

Just like yesterday, Yae-hime, Lili, and Zerene soaked their legs in the pool, their fair legs submerged in the gently rippling water. The former steadily released life energy, turning the pool into so-called holy water, while the latter two were quite literally just enjoying a proper foot soak.

Unlike yesterday, however, Lili and Zerene showed not the slightest hint of playfulness. Their expressions were taut, their bodies tense, as though they could spring into battle at any moment.

Layna leaned against the warehouse doors, a faint tightness pressing against her chest, making it hard to breathe.

‘Why did Lady Lili and Zerene suddenly become so serious… Ah, right, it’s to guard against the Apostle’s attack!’ With that realization, she instinctively focused, her senses sharpening.

At that very moment, the mysterious Apostle organization was already on its way toward the Sky Empire. As they traveled, they discussed their next course of action inside a spacious carriage, voices low yet deliberate.

Having suffered a setback at Aoma Village, they had learned their lesson. Experience bred caution, and now they moved with far greater care. From here on, their operations would be conducted in utmost secrecy.

What they did not know was that three terrifying individuals were currently lying in wait at Aoma Village. Had they known, their plans would have undergone several more rounds of revision. Their future movements would only grow even more concealed.

“All done,” Yae-hime said lightly after an hour and a half, ceasing the steady flow of life energy.

“Ahh, soaking my feet feels amazing!” Zerene stretched lazily, a satisfied smile blooming across her face. With Yae-hime’s life energy infused into the water, the soak even restored her body little by little. Though the effect was rather mild, the comfort it brought was undeniable.

“Mmm, it feels nice,” Lili murmured, her eyes half-lidded as her expression softened into quiet ease. In truth, they had already relaxed half an hour ago. After all, whether the enemy would come or not was still uncertain. There was no reason to stay wound up the entire time. That would have been far too exhausting.

“Little Hime, it seems they’ve changed their strategy,” Lili said, glancing over.

“Mm, if they still haven’t come by the second day, then they probably won’t be coming at all.” Yae-hime nodded, a breath of relief easing from her chest, though a trace of disappointment lingered.

“We still shouldn’t relax too much,” Lili said, her expression turning serious once more.

“True, it’s not time to let our guard down yet,” Yae-hime replied as she lifted her slender legs from the water.

“Don’t worry! No matter who comes looking for trouble with Little Hime, I’ll smash them away with everything I’ve got!” Zerene raised her small fist, brimming with confidence.

“Mm, with you here, I feel much more at ease,” Yae-hime said, gently patting her head. She then put on her combat boots and stepped down from above.

Lili and Zerene quickly followed behind her.

“I’ve finished preparing everything for the next few days. After this, we’ll be stopping for a while,” Yae-hime said to Layna the moment she landed.

“Is that day finally approaching?” Layna’s eyes lit up as she asked eagerly.

“Mm,” Yae-hime nodded lightly. “It won’t be long now.”

“That’s truly wonderful,” Layna said with a faint smile.

“What won’t be long?” Zerene tilted her head, her face filled with confusion.

“Turning the heavens and earth upside down,” Yae-hime said, first pointing upward, then downward.

“Turning the heavens and earth upside down… Mm, mm, that sounds like it’ll be fun!” Zerene nodded as if she half understood, her face already bright with excitement. As long as she could stay by Yae-hime’s side, nothing else really mattered. There was no need to think about anything more.

“Lili, how is the situation on Alicia’s side progressing?” At that moment, Yae-hime turned to Lili and asked.

“Everything is going smoothly on her end,” Lili replied calmly. In front of Layna and the others, she still maintained her usual cold and composed demeanor. After all, as a prominent figure of the empire, she could not afford to lose face before others.

“I see. Still, it would be better to have Moonshadow keep a closer watch,” Yae-hime instructed.

After a brief pause, Lili said, “Alright, when the one delivering the intel arrives, I’ll pass the message along.” Even toward her own sister, she couldn’t completely put her mind at ease.

“Also, help me notify Allie and have her come here for treatment,” Yae-hime added.

Considering that the final treatment might cause a significant disturbance, Aoma Village was clearly safer than the Tower of Sages. If they remained in Jade City and accidentally alerted Richard, the consequences would be far worse than mere trouble.

“Mm, I’ll arrange it as soon as possible,” Lili nodded.

Allie’s recovery was of utmost importance. With her and without her were two entirely different levels of difficulty. Now, with Zerene added to their side, Lili’s confidence surged all the more.

After settling the important matters, the group returned to the village chief’s house. After having tea with everyone, Yae-hime headed off alone to find Angelica. Zerene wanted to follow, but Lili stopped her midway.

The two little ones soon started messing around in the room again, their earlier tension completely gone.

At this time, Aoma Village remained as quiet as ever. The villagers obediently continued their home isolation without complaint.

“Are we running out of food?” Inside an open-front grain shop, Angelica asked with a slight furrow of her brows. Standing across from her was a sturdy middle-aged man with slightly tanned skin.

“Yes… with the sea routes cut off and no caravans arriving, we’ve been relying solely on the village’s reserves. We’re almost at our limit,” the man said, his face filled with worry.

Although the plague within the village had already been eradicated, it hadn’t been long enough for its reputation to fade. To outsiders, this place was still a plague-stricken village.

People avoided it like the plague itself, so how could anyone possibly come here to trade?

“At most, how many days can we last?” Angelica asked.

“Three days, at most,” the man answered without hesitation.

“Three days… let me think of something,” Angelica said, biting her lip lightly.

“Should we send someone to the lord and ask to borrow some grain to get through this?” the man suggested.

“No. Even if we borrow grain from the lord, it would take at least three or four days to return, and that’s assuming nothing goes wrong along the way,” Angelica shook her head, rejecting the idea outright.

At a time like this, relying on the lord was clearly unrealistic. But for the moment, where could they possibly find a large supply of grain?

“Angelica, so you’re here.” Just then, a peculiar voice drifted in from outside. The two turned toward the sound and saw a familiar figure in a black robe and mask.

“Lord Angel!” the middle-aged man exclaimed excitedly.

Angelica paused for a moment before speaking, “Lord Angel, what brings you here?”

“I came to see you about something. But judging by your expressions, it seems you’ve run into some trouble,” Yae-hime said.

“Lord Angel, it’s like this…” Angelica briefly explained the grain shortage.

“That’s easy to handle. In a bit, head to the church and have Micha go to Aureole Town to purchase a batch of grain. Just say it’s on my authority,” Yae-hime said, turning to the middle-aged man as she offered a solution.

At present, her reputation within the Aoma Village church was at its peak. A single word from her was enough to resolve such issues effortlessly. As for the funds to buy the grain, they would naturally come from the church. After all, they were making more than enough.

“I—I’ll go right away!” The man could hardly contain his excitement. A problem that had troubled him the entire morning was resolved so easily. As expected of Lord Angel!

Watching him hurry off, Angelica hesitated as if she wanted to say something but held back.

“Don’t worry. Micha holds a high reputation in Aureole Town, he’ll definitely be able to secure the grain,” Yae-hime said, as though she had seen through her concerns.

“Princess, you’re truly remarkable,” Angelica said with a sigh of admiration.

“The remarkable one is the Goddess,” Yae-hime replied with a faint smile. She was merely acting under the name of the Goddess of Light. “Let’s not dwell on that. Angelica, has the merchant guild acquired the goods I requested?”