Volume 1 Chapter 542

Chapter 542: What a Sacred Radiance It Is!

After observing the modest interior of the small room within Giloviev Church for about ten seconds, Lolth arrived at a conclusion.

"The elder priests of The Church of Light truly led a life of simplicity and austerity!"

She exclaimed with a sigh.

Behind her, Dorothy, upon hearing her teacher’s musings, displayed a slightly confused expression.

She had initially suspected that there was something amiss with this room!

But since her teacher had declared it to be in order, it seemed she had been overthinking.

With this thought, Dorothy also remained silent.

Lolth continued her line of reasoning about Giloviev Church.

"The priest here must have been reassigned."

It was quite plausible for the priest of a small church to be sent elsewhere.

Judging by the immaculate state of the living quarters and the apparent absence of inhabitants for a long time, Lolth found this to be reasonable.

The spartan furnishings surely indicated a very upright and unpretentious priest.

That’s why he would meticulously place a seal on the door—though not documented in the scriptures, it was indeed referenced in some "codes of conduct" published by the bishops of The Church of Light.

When departing from the church, one must ensure protective measures are in place.

It’s likely that his personal effects in this room had also been removed.

With these thoughts, Lolth approached the chest.

To her astonishment, the chest was not locked.

Being a succubus and a traveler, Lolth felt…

Since the door was already open, there was no reason not to inspect the chest.

Upon opening it, Lolth discovered…

Neatly folded priestly robes.

There were four in total, ranging from the plain white robe of an ordinary priest to the pale blue robe of a bishop, and even a gray robe and a red robe.

Each robe bore a "Holy Light Emblem" registered with The Church of Light—a sort of identification for priests, with the priest’s name engraved beneath it.

However, most priests did not wear it, as the power of the Holy Light was sufficient to recognize their identity, and there was the "Miracle Light Veil" at the border…

So Lolth even counterfeited this item.

Lolth, in shock, picked up the four emblems and noticed they all bore the same name.

"Nai."

The brevity of the name left Lolth bewildered.

"Strange, does this individual retain all his priestly robes from every era? Normally, upon promotion to bishop, one would return the other robes."

Lolth murmured.

There was even a red robe, which only cardinals and patriarchs were permitted to wear…

Things began to take a strange turn.

While it’s true that a priest from a small church could be exceptionally promoted to the rank of bishop, equivalent to the overseer of a region or town, if they possessed sufficient strength or achievements, it was exceedingly rare for one to ascend to the positions of patriarch or cardinal.

At the very least, one must possess legend level strength to achieve such a feat.

Or perhaps, could this individual be a noble?

Lolth was aware that to win the hearts of the people in the Holy Empire, The Church of Light would bestow the same red robes upon certain nobles, recognizing them as holding the status of a cardinal, though they did not partake in the internal operations of The Church of Light.

One might call them "honorary cardinals."

But regardless, for a cardinal or a noble eligible to become an honorary cardinal to remain in such a modest church, leading such a life…

Lolth couldn’t help but hold him in high esteem.

Then, she swiftly took the set of bishop’s robes from the chest.

Respect is one thing, but such a practical full disguise must be utilized!

The authentic robes from The Church of Light were far superior to the ones she had crafted herself.

In truth, Lolth had already noticed that the Holy Light power imbued in the genuine priest’s robe of The Church of Light was much fainter and more mixed than her own.

This was also a critical flaw, though it had gone unnoticed until now.

As for why it was a bishop…

Through today’s border inspection incident, Lolth suddenly realized something.

If she were a bishop, it seemed she wouldn’t need to undergo that inspection.

Moreover, there were many bishops.

Especially those from small churches, who enjoyed certain privileges without attracting too much attention.

Lolth deemed this a superior disguise.

This way, even if someone saw through a bit of her disguise, she could explain why she was slightly stronger than she appeared.

Upon shaking out the bishop’s robe, Lolth was pleasantly surprised to find a staff inside.

It was a standard short staff from The Church of Light.

Now she finally didn’t have to make do with the Rod of Eden—honestly, Lolth had always been anxious about the risk of exposure, and half of that anxiety stemmed from that troublesome Divine Artifact.

Playing with the wooden long-handled priest’s staff, she caressed the white Holy Light Crystal embedded in the top of the staff, and Lolth smiled with satisfaction.

"This is just so ordinary!"

After stowing the Rod of Eden and the "Abyssal Whip" back into her dimensional space, Lolth even sensed a feeling of "loneliness" emanating from that Divine Artifact and Sacred Tool.

But she had no choice.

After all, those two items were simply too conspicuous!

"Sorry, I’ll play with you two after we return to Hillenbrand Town."

Lolth said this while affectionately touching the unresponsive staff in her hands.

Now that’s more like it!

Then, Lolth prepared the staff and the emblem, and next…

She removed her imitation priest robe.

Just as a mother does not shy away from her daughter, Lolth also felt no need to conceal herself from Dorothy in the room.

Although Dorothy’s earlier act of undressing had caused Lolth to blush, she herself was far less concerned about such matters.

In the succubus territory, everyone undressed freely without a second thought!

Dorothy, who had been curiously examining the spines of various books on the shelf—some familiar, others completely unknown—turned her head at the sound of rustling fabric.

Then, she froze in place.

Teacher Lolth’s skin gradually revealed itself before her eyes.

Pale and delicate, the unparalleled beauty of the Succubus clan struck Dorothy’s eyes, and the image reflected back filled her mind with a grand symphony, leaving only a resounding roar.

It was like taking a big bite of cold, sweet ice cream on a hot summer day; the direct sensation bypassed her brain and struck her soul directly.

A flat stomach, an elegant waistline, and the curves barely visible beneath the black strapless top.

Rounded hips, straight calves, and fluffy short socks covering her toes.

Dorothy nearly let out a scream, but she quickly realized that doing so would rob her of the chance to continue enjoying the scene before her.

So, the little girl made a choice.

She bit down hard on her tongue.

The tip of her tongue almost bled, but the sharp pain helped Dorothy calm down, and she did not cry out.

She silently watched as Lolth cheerfully tossed aside her priest robe and changed into the bishop’s robe.

"Whoosh."

The smooth silk robe instantly covered Lolth’s body again, leaving only her raised hands and bare forearms visible.

But Dorothy had no regrets.

Even if she lost her memory again, she felt she probably wouldn’t forget this moment.

It was already etched deep in her soul.

Dressed in her new attire, Lolth turned around, put on the bishop’s crown, and showed Dorothy her new look hidden beneath the large robe.

"Ta-da! From now on, I am a bishop!"

Lolth said with great curiosity.

"How are you, Dorothy?"

Dorothy heard Lolth’s question and finally came to her senses.

Just a moment ago, Lolth’s figure was still vivid in her mind.

"So white."

Dorothy couldn’t help but say it out loud.

Then, she was startled for a moment, realizing her mistake, and quickly added.

"I mean… this robe is so white!"

Dorothy said, her cheeks turning red.

However, Lolth didn’t seem particularly concerned. She stroked her chin, studying Dorothy thoughtfully.

"Well, now that my new look is sorted… it’s time to fix yours!"

Now that she was a bishop, it didn’t seem fitting for her companion to be just an ordinary commoner.

She glanced at Dorothy, then picked up the priest’s robe she had just removed.

"Here, try this on!"

With that, Lolth handed the robe, still warm from her body, to Dorothy.

Dorothy felt the sudden weight of the fabric in her arms, the faint scent and warmth of Lolth lingering on the garment. Her already fragile composure shattered completely.

"I… I…"

Dorothy’s hands and lips trembled as she unfolded the robe.

Looking at the spread-out robe, imagining how Teacher Lolth looked while wearing it, and feeling its warmth and fragrance…

Dorothy felt as though wearing it would be like being embraced by Teacher Lolth!

No, not just an ordinary embrace, but one where arms and legs wrapped around her tightly!

Thinking of that position made Dorothy recall the fleeting glimpse she had caught earlier.

Her imagination quickly leaped to that moment.

And then…

Dorothy’s brain overloaded.

"Ah—"

Darkness clouded her vision, and she leaned back, clutching the robe.

"Dorothy—"

As Lolth called out, the girl Dorothy, overwhelmed by her imagination…

Fainted from excitement!

Meanwhile, as this little incident unfolded within Giloviev Church…

Deep beneath Eden Palace in the Papal State, ten meters underground in the palace’s depths, an old man dressed in a burlap robe slowly opened his eyes amidst a pile of Holy Light Crystals.

In his gaze, a vague shadow appeared.

"What is it?"

The old man asked softly.

The shadow trembled twice, emitting a voice that was impossible to distinguish.

"One of my bases has been breached."

Hearing this, the old man let his heavy eyelids droop once more.

"Is this significant?"

"The stronghold itself isn’t the issue, but the feedback from the broken magic circle indicates that the intruder possesses immense Holy Light power," the blurry figure continued, "at least at the legend level, with an exceptionally high affinity."

"Are you suggesting that the Cardinal and the Privy Bishop are losing their patience?" the old man murmured, "No need to worry… things won’t spiral out of control here."

The old man paused for a moment before speaking.

"The most pressing matter is still to bring Lily back."

Upon hearing the old man’s words, the figure fell into a brief silence.

Then, he nodded gently.

"Rest assured, since I left at this critical juncture… I will not return without completing the task."

The figure spoke and then, as if recalling something, added,

"However, it’s best to be cautious. The one who broke my seal emits a very unfamiliar aura."

With that, the figure dissipated.

The old man pondered the figure’s words and then sank into deep thought.

"An unfamiliar aura… yet it has a strong affinity with the power of Holy Light, and it’s at the legend level…"

As he processed the information he had just heard, the old man, who had appeared calm moments ago, began to feel uneasy.

If he didn’t know that the other was usually reliable, he would have thought they were deceiving him or that their perception was flawed.

How could it be that someone at the level of the Privy Bishop, or a member of The Church of Light of a similar rank, would be unknown to him and the figure from before?

A faint sense of unease crept into his heart.

"Then, let’s sense it."

The old man gently closed his eyes.

But unlike his earlier rest, after softly closing his eyes, a subtle wave of Holy Light energy emanated from him.

At the pinnacle of Eden Palace, the pigeons that had been resting suddenly lifted their heads, flapped their wings, and soared into the sky, circling around something.

It was as if an invisible eye had opened above Eden Palace, gazing down upon the entire land of the Holy Lieto Empire.

Yet neither the Privy Bishop nor the Cardinal noticed this.

Let alone the nobles, bishops, and ordinary clergy.

They were still conspiring and scheming, deciding who would be the next emperor and who would be crowned in Eden Palace.

However, this gaze did not linger on them for even a moment.

Only in the Giloviev Church, as Lolth walked down the hallway carrying the unconscious Dorothy, did she suddenly look up, feeling an inexplicable palpitation in her heart.

"What the… Could it be that the God of Light has noticed me?"

Lolth muttered, but feeling nothing further, she shook her head and pretended as if nothing had happened.

And in the underground of the Giloviev Church.

The old man, sitting with his eyes tightly closed, had tears streaming down from the corners of his eyes.

He opened his eyes and collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh Lord…"

He murmured, using his hand to support himself on the nearby Holy Light Crystal as he slowly got back up.

"That is… such a divine radiance."

The old man said this with a complex expression on his face.

In that brief moment…

It seemed as though he had witnessed the Divine Kingdom walking upon the earth.