The evening arrived.

The sea, the sky, and the land were all washed in a golden glow, so breathtaking it felt almost intoxicating.

Yae-hime waited and waited, yet no matter how long she lingered, the Apostles and their so-called delivery never arrived. “It seems something must have gone wrong,” she murmured softly as she gazed out the window.

“What do you mean something went wrong?” Zerene asked, puzzled, from beside her.

“It’s nothing. Just that the people I was expecting… probably aren’t coming anymore.” Yae-hime turned her head slightly to look at her.

“We’re being too passive like this,” Lili said.

“It can’t be helped. We don’t even know where they’re hiding.” Yae-hime spread her hands helplessly.

“That’s true.” Lili nodded, but in the next instant, her gaze sharpened, and she spun around abruptly to face forward. Just as she was about to speak, a pleasant voice suddenly echoed through the room.

“Only noticing me after I’ve already arrived? Lili, you’ve gotten careless.” The owner of the voice was tall and slender, cloaked in black. She slowly removed her hood, letting her long, silver hair cascade down like a river of stars, revealing a delicate, pale face framed by striking crimson eyes.

Who else could it be but the dark magician, Allie?

“It’s not that I’ve gotten careless, it’s that you’ve almost fully recovered your strength!” Lili shot back.

“Hehe, I almost forgot.” Allie stuck out her tongue playfully. With most of her strength restored, she could now use nearly all the magic she had mastered. Something as simple as stealth was effortless to her.

“Allie.” Yae-hime looked over and greeted her. “Good afternoon. You’re here quite early.”

“While it’s easier to move at night, I couldn’t wait any longer, so I slipped out ahead of time,” Allie said. After all, she usually locked herself inside her laboratory every day, so no one would even notice whether she had left or not.

“Little Hime, who is she?” Zerene asked curiously at that moment.

“One of our companions, Allie.” After introducing her, Yae-hime turned to Zerene. “And this is our new companion, Zerene.”

“Nice to meet you.” Allie smiled faintly. Yet beneath that calm exterior, her thoughts were anything but steady. The moment she infiltrated the room, she had already noticed the black-haired, black-eyed girl dressed in elegant attire.

In truth, it was impossible not to notice her. After all, the girl radiated an overwhelming presence and strength. ‘I don’t recall anyone like this in the Empire… where exactly did this child come from?’

As if reading her thoughts, Yae-hime briefly explained what had happened that night.

“I see. She’s like timely rain itself,” Allie said, finally somewhat reassured. Though Zerene’s origins were still unclear, as long as she posed no threat, that was enough.

“After dinner, we’ll begin.” Yae-hime withdrew her gaze from Zerene and turned to Allie.

“Can’t we start immediately? Sorry, I really can’t wait any longer,” Allie asked, a hint of urgency slipping into her voice.

“No.” Yae-hime shook her head. “Your treatment is at the final stage, and it might cause quite a disturbance. We need to set up a barrier first before we can begin.”

“I see…” Allie looked slightly disappointed, but quickly regained her spirits.

“Mm. We’ll start setting things up right after dinner,” Yae-hime said.

**Knock, knock, knock!**

Before her words had even settled, the sound of knocking rang out from outside the door.

“Who is it?” Lili asked, looking toward the door.

“It’s me, Angelica. Lady Lili, may I ask if Princess is in the room?” came a familiar voice from outside.

“I’m here,” Yae-hime responded.

“Princess, there are three clerics outside the village who say they wish to meet the *Angel*,” Angelica reported.

There was only one Angel here, and that was Yae-hime.

“Clerics from outside want to see me?”

“Yes. They said they were sent by the bishop to find you, Princess,” Angelica replied.

“So they’ve come looking for trouble after all,” Lili said with a faint smile.

“What exactly are they thinking?” Yae-hime rolled her eyes.

Logically speaking, shouldn’t they be in Jade City preparing for the upcoming battle? Why had they come all the way to this rural place just to cause trouble for her… She simply couldn’t make sense of it.

“Princess, if you do not wish to see them, I can have the villagers drive them away,” Angelica said.

“Of course I’ll meet them. Why wouldn’t I? They’ve come all this way to find me, so basic courtesy should still be observed.” As she spoke, Yae-hime turned to Zerene and the others. “You all stay here. I’ll be back shortly.”

“I’m coming too!” Zerene hurriedly said.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Just as she was about to step forward, Lili reached out and grabbed her.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t get in Little Hime’s way,” Lili replied flatly.

“I… I’m not!” Zerene said, her gaze drifting uneasily. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. You two chat for a bit.” Yae-hime gently patted both Lili’s and Zerene’s heads before turning and leaving.

Outside Aoma Village, three men stood waiting, each draped in white robes embroidered with golden threads. Not far away, a luxurious beast carriage had been parked.

“So slow. Don’t tell me that fake ran off?” the man in the lead said. His name was Oscar, twenty-six years old, with short golden hair, a stern face, and a tall, sturdy build.

“Hard to say. If he really ran, we won’t be able to report back properly,” said the cleric on the left.

“Yeah, we absolutely can’t let him escape,” the one on the right added, concern evident in his voice.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. If he doesn’t come out in fifteen minutes, we’ll figure something else out,” Oscar said, arms crossed, his expression full of impatience.

If the other party refused to come out, he had no intention of going in either. After all, who knew whether that impostor had truly cured the plague? If he ended up infected himself, it wouldn’t just be a minor inconvenience.

Hearing this, the two fell silent, and the surroundings grew still.

After waiting for about three minutes, they saw a figure approaching at an unhurried pace. The person stood around 1.75 meters tall, draped in a black robe, with a white mask covering their face, almost identical to the rumored Angel.

“He’s here,” Oscar said with a smile. ‘So he’s not a coward after all. That’s good.’

The soldiers stationed at the entrance turned their heads and immediately saw the revered Lord Angel approaching with light, steady steps.

“Greetings, Lord Angel!” The two of them turned at nearly the same time and dropped to one knee in a single, fluid motion.

“Mm. You’ve done well. Rise.” Yae-hime waved a hand casually, treating it as a simple greeting. She was clearly already accustomed to such displays. After all, no matter what she said, it was useless. Even if she told them not to kneel, they would still do so.

“So you’re the Angel?” Oscar stood straight as a spear, lifting his chin as he spoke. There was an unmistakable arrogance in his posture.

“If there isn’t a second one here, then yes,” Yae-hime replied indifferently.

“The great bishop wishes to see you. Come with us to Jade City immediately.”

Oscar spoke in a commanding tone. As a cleric from the Southern Grand Church, he had no intention of showing any courtesy to some so-called impostor from the countryside.

“And what if I refuse?” Yae-hime said.

“Then don’t blame us for being impolite.” With that, Oscar stepped forward half a pace with his left foot, spreading his arms as the muscles across his body bulged, releasing a terrifying aura.

The other two clerics also shifted into combat stances. Though they hadn’t drawn their weapons, Yae-hime could already tell their class.

Holy Knights.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just come along obediently? Now you’ll inevitably suffer a bit of pain—” Before Oscar could finish his sentence, dozens of black shadows lashed out and surged toward them. They didn’t even have time to see what had struck them before they were violently sent flying.

**Crack!**

The sharp sound of bones snapping echoed through the air. In the next instant, agonized screams burst from all three of them at once.