Volume 1 Chapter 556

Chapter 556: Is a Friend or a Foe, One Must Drink Deeply

Dorothy did not hide in the back room.

Although she usually listened to Lolth, this time she did not want to follow Lolth’s plan.

It was not that she was worried about Teacher Lolth’s safety; Dorothy understood that the best way to help Lolth was to stay hidden.

It was just… she was worried about something else.

Thinking about Teacher Lolth fighting alongside this unfamiliar yet familiar woman made Dorothy a little anxious.

So she hid in the hallway, leaving the door slightly ajar, and quietly watched.

Lolth also did not expect that Dorothy, the most reliable person, had suddenly entered a rebellious phase, so she did not notice that Dorothy’s presence had not faded away.

Moreover, this visiting guest was not someone she had the luxury to be distracted by—otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked Dorothy to leave first.

Furthermore, asking Dorothy to leave held another meaning.

"Come in."

Lolth walked to the door.

After saying that, the old church door slowly opened by itself.

A stunning and mature woman in a dark red dress appeared at the door.

Standing behind her was a maid with purple hair.

Lolth had seen the maid before.

It was the woman with the large sword who had come earlier to assassinate and stop her from entering the Holy Lieto Empire.

The opponent seemed to have held back, which left a deep impression on Lolth.

The mature and voluptuous woman in a deep red dress had enchanting features, with a tear mole under her eye.

Lolth had never seen her before.

However, she could guess the person’s identity.

Because this one’s aura was very similar to Dorothy’s…

About seventy to eighty percent alike.

Considering that Dorothy had only two living relatives, and her mother was still asleep…

The only one who could have come here was the current "Regent Queen" of the Golden Peacock.

Maria Diana.

Dorothy’s aunt.

Lolth looked at her, and she looked back at Lolth.

There was a mix of scorn and mockery in her gaze, as if she did not consider Lolth important.

Lolth looked at her, her expression almost indifferent.

Even though she was Dorothy’s aunt, Lolth, as a teacher, felt no goodwill toward her.

"The prince regent of the Golden Peacock and her loyal followers… barged in without permission and didn’t even inform us they had entered the territory of The Church of Light," Lolth said coldly, looking at her. "What audacity; don’t you fear being surrounded and beaten by the Holy Light Knights and the Privy Bishop?"

Lolth could sense that the "aura" around her had been cut off.

Whether it was magical energy or life energy, both of them seemed to completely not exist.

Lolth and Patricia were able to sense them before because…

The other party did it on purpose.

This was simply a display of skill.

They could evade the Church of Light’s detection and still allow both of them to feel their arrival and know who they were.

However, this demonstrated just how terrifying Maria Diana was.

Lolth couldn’t even see through her true power.

Even the previous Duke Heidegger or the Elven Grand Priestess Froer, she could roughly gauge their ranks.

Only Maria Diana remained a mystery to her.

She only knew that Maria Diana’s rank was much higher than her own.

It felt similar to facing the evil god, the Demon God, and their own Lord of the Demon King.

Upon hearing Lolth’s almost threatening words, Maria Diana did not react strongly; instead, she gently laughed.

"I guess I’m a little less brave than Miss Demon Race Interrogator," she chuckled softly, stepping naturally forward into the church, "As an Abyssal Succubus, stepping into the territory of the Church of Light… If we get caught, who do you think will be in worse trouble?"

Saying this, she looked at Patricia.

"And you… Great Sage Morning Star… While running around is a tradition of your Morning Star clan, at least try to reach demi-god level like your teacher did."

"Well… I’m not here to cause trouble, so let’s just go inside and talk."

As she said this, her voice was charming and full of allure.

Maria Diana walked forward, stepping into the church with her maid following her.

Patricia and Lolth, who had been blocking the door, unconsciously stepped back to give way.

Patricia was slightly surprised, but Lolth already understood what was happening.

"Oh dear—it’s the heir of the hero’s bloodline, but they learned things in a somewhat twisted way…"

In her mind, she heard her older sister’s voice, sounding a bit helpless.

There was no doubt that this was a mental attack that Lolth was least skilled at handling.

This was an extremely clever suggestion; it didn’t even need to make Lolth and Patricia feel "threatened," as their bodies would instinctively react to what Maria Diana wanted.

Lolth rarely encountered this level of suggestion…

In other words, Maria Diana’s skill was quite strong even within the Succubus clan.

However, as long as she understood the principle, Lolth wasn’t worried.

If Maria Diana wanted to take things further with a mental attack, Xiletor’s clone would naturally help her handle it.

This time there was no reaction, merely because Maria Diana’s goal wasn’t "dangerous" enough.

She just wanted Lolth to step aside, not to lose her mind or faint.

So Lolth took a deep breath, looked at Maria Diana, and curled her lips.

"Don’t say silly things. I am the priest of Giloviev Church, a registered bishop of The Church of Light," Lolth said, waving her hand. "I wonder what brings His Royal Highness, the prince regent of the Golden Peacock, to our Holy Lieto Empire?"

She said this calmly.

Maria Diana looked at Lolth, who quickly composed herself, and was taken aback for a moment before starting to laugh.

"That’s really funny, Lolthlinda… Even now, you don’t want to be a little honest with me?"

"It was just a joke; I have a great sense of humor," Lolth said, making a gesture of invitation. "But I really am the bishop of The Church of Light now."

As she said this, Patricia nodded beside her.

"It’s like this, what nonsense Great Sage Morning Star, I am the truly good Bishop Hume Valentina of The Church of Light!"

As Patricia finished speaking, the gazes of three people, including Lolth, landed on Green Sky Star Heaven, who was slightly taller than her.

Very eye-catching.

Patricia noticed the stares and the silence of the three, and she shrank her neck a bit, but then nervously shouted aloud.

"What’s wrong? Is my imitation not good enough? Is my capture not good enough… As a bishop, can’t I kill a faithless wizard from the Wizard Association and take her magic wand?"

"I truly and devoutly believe in the Holy Light! Praise the God of Light!"

As Patricia said this, she drew a circle on her chest, representing the annulus of truth.

Lolth sighed upon hearing this.

"Patricia, my dear treasure, The Church of Light usually doesn’t say praise the God of Light, but rather praises our Lord… And they draw circles in a counterclockwise direction."

Patricia’s hand froze in the air.

"Oh, is that so…"

As she said this, she gently tapped her head.

"Oh dear, that’s just my sense of humor, hee-hee!"

As Patricia said this, even Maria Diana was left speechless.

The mature regent queen’s excellent control over her expressions slipped for a moment, and her mouth twitched slightly.

Of course, Lolth also played a part in this.

She could only walk quietly to the place Lolth had pointed out earlier—in front of the church, near the row of benches by the barbecue grill.

The few of them walked in silence.

Although the atmosphere was awkward, it was not hostile.

No matter which side it was, there was a reason to eliminate the other.

However, before either side revealed this intention, a delicate balance was achieved.

After Maria Diana sat down, Lolth dragged over a small table from the prayer altar and sat down opposite her.

Patricia had also wanted to sit down, but when she saw Maria Diana’s maid standing behind her, she thought for a moment and, feeling strange, respectfully stood behind Lolth instead.

Once she was seated, Maria Diana spoke first.

"Is our Dorothy with you?"

She asked directly.

Upon hearing Maria Diana say this, Lolth immediately replied,

"No, what are you talking about?"

She pretended to be innocent with a look that showed she genuinely didn’t understand, her face full of confusion.

"How strange, I heard that Princess Dorothy of the Golden Peacock went missing in the demon race’s territory, didn’t she?"

As Lolth said this, Patricia behind her immediately chimed in.

"Yes, yes, Bishop Nai, do you think Ms. Maria is slandering us, suggesting that The Church of Light and our Holy Empire are allied with the demon race?"

"I don’t know—but don’t say nonsense, Bishop Hume. Ms. Maria is not that kind of person," Lolth crossed her legs and exaggeratedly covered her mouth with one hand while waving the other, "After all, she is a prince regent. Such an important person would not casually tarnish our reputation… It must be that she is worried about her niece’s safety and got flustered, saying things without thinking!"

As Lolth spoke, Patricia also squeezed her voice to respond.

"Holy Light, I think that’s just it. Ms. Maria is truly kind-hearted. Speaking of which, those rumors about Ms. Maria and her own daughter Princess Dorothy not getting along must also be baseless gossip, right? How could Ms. Maria be someone who would ignore or harm her own flesh and blood?"

Patricia and Lolth played off each other, and even Maria, who always wore a smile, showed a hint of menace beneath her cheerful expression.

She kept smiling, but it seemed she was biting her teeth tightly.

The maid behind her couldn’t help but shout loudly.

"Enough, you two!"

It didn’t matter when she didn’t speak, but once she did, Lolth and Patricia became even more excited.

"Oh, why the rush? No one is taking this personally, right?"

"We were praising your family master, why not let us? Do you have any bad feelings…? Oh dear—may I suggest a close investigation, Mrs. Maria? Don’t blame me for the warning."

As the two said this, the purple-haired maid behind wanted to say something, but Maria stopped her.

"Enough, Garland."

"We are guests, don’t be too rude."

Maria softly spoke, looking at Lolth and Patricia.

Then, she pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and showed a natural, warm smile again.

"I see, it looks like I misunderstood the two of you… I mistook you for the Sage of the Wizard Association and a demon from the demon race. I am very sorry."

"Later, I will personally apologize to The Church of Light… Entering the Holy Empire without permission was also my rudeness—just as you both said, the heir to the Golden Peacock, my niece, is missing. I was too anxious and believed false information, so please do not hold it against me…"

"I will provide proper compensation to the church and the empire, and I am very grateful to the God of Light for the quiet protection and blessings they give to the world."

Maria Diana said this sincerely.

But when she shamelessly set aside her role as the prince regent and started acting gullible, she indeed managed to confuse Lolth and Patricia.

The two of them were now a bit unsure about what Maria Diana really wanted to do.

They were even a little disgusted by Maria, in a way.

Lolth and Patricia exchanged a glance and decided to wait and see what would happen.

If the other person suddenly attacked, they would fight back.

However, Maria Diana seemed to be truly confused.

"Dear bishops, are you cooking?"

She looked at the barbecue grill and asked aloud.

Lolth was even more puzzled about what Maria Diana was thinking and could only nod.

"Yes… I grilled some meat, would you like to share a piece?"

She began to respond instinctively and was polite with Maria Diana.

But Maria Diana did not return Lolth’s politeness.

"Then I must follow your wishes."

The mature and plump woman smiled and gently clapped her hands.

"But since we have come from afar as guests, we cannot come empty-handed… Garland, bring out some drinks."

The maid behind her, who was Garland, looked slightly stunned after hearing this.

Afterward, she nodded.

"Yes, Lady Maria."

As she said this, she pulled out a crystal bottle filled with magic from her pocket, about as long as her forearm.

The crystal bottle was dark and semi-transparent, filled with more than half a liquid.

Then, Garland took out three wine glasses.

Lolth had seen the sister named Garland easily pull out a giant sword that was as large as a door, so she was not surprised when she pulled out a bottle of wine and a whole set of wine tools. Instead, she began to examine the bottle.

"The flower brew from the Golden Peacock… Ms. Maria, you really are generous."

As Lolth said this, Maria started to laugh.

"It’s just a small token of apology."

While saying this, she took the crystal wine glass from Garland’s hand and filled two glasses.

Then, she handed them to Lolth and Patricia.