Chapter 110: Without Their Power

Satania stared at the sly, obviously ill-intentioned grin on Letia’s face, feeling a bit bewildered.

She couldn’t quite figure out why her benefactor was so happy.

But after all, this person was the one who had saved her life.

If Letia hadn’t stepped in, she’d probably still be squatting in the bathroom right now.

“Thank you so much! If you hadn’t shown up when you did, I… I’d probably still be… uh… stuck in that place, suffering!”

She mumbled past the word “bathroom,” too embarrassed to say it outright.

“As a Battle Priest of the Holy Church, it’s my duty to practice the teachings of mercy and helping others.”

Letia nodded slightly, her posture elegant, as if she were truly a compassionate Holy Maiden.

Only, the smile on her face looked a little too cheerful.

But even so, to Satania, that smile seemed as gentle as an angel’s.

“From the look on your little face, it seems there are still clouds of trouble hidden inside? Would you like to tell your big sister about it? I just happen to need a little entertainment… cough cough!”

“Huh? Letia, what did you just say?”

“Oh, nothing. I mean, I just happen to have time right now, so I can help ease your worries.”

Letia cleared her throat twice, covering up her earlier slip.

But Satania still minded one thing.

“Rather than saying you’re my big sister… I’d say I’m more like your big sister!”

From her looks to her height, Letia seemed much younger than herself.

“But since you just saved my life, Letia, I won’t argue with you about it.”

At this, Satania put her hands on her hips, looking quite proud, but soon she remembered the Mission the Priestess had given her.

That was, to seek out as many allies as possible, as well as like-minded believers.

Thinking about it… building a good relationship with Letia in front of her seemed like a good idea.

But this name, Letia, sounded awfully familiar.

Where had she heard it before?

Forget it… no use dwelling on it.

Satania turned to Letia.

“But you said I had something on my mind… Well, you’re right, there is something. It’s really giving me a headache.”

At these words, Letia immediately grabbed Satania’s hand, looking at her with sincere and kind eyes.

“Please, you absolutely must tell me so I can enjo—cough!—so I can listen.”

Satania had a sneaking suspicion she’d just heard something she shouldn’t have.

“Well… since you’re willing to help, Letia, that’s great!”

She turned aside, making a welcoming gesture.

“Let’s go inside and talk. It’s not convenient to stand out here.”

With Satania’s warm invitation, Letia successfully entered this extremely shabby little hut.

Her gaze swept across the room as precise as a scanner, betraying no emotion.

Peeling walls, worn-out furniture, a bag of pitiful potato flour in the corner… everything silently revealed the owner’s poverty.

Her eyes finally settled back on Satania.

She saw the green-haired girl flustered and clumsy, tidying up the dishes and cutlery on the table, trying her best to appear at least somewhat tidy in front of her.

But her anxious movements only made her seem even more awkwardly cute.

At that moment, Letia’s sharp eyes caught a small patch of… sticky, dark red, unknown liquid at the bottom of one bowl.

Letia’s eyes narrowed, a glint of amusement flashing through them.

She still wore her gentle, harmless smile, but stretched out a slender finger and pointed precisely at the bottom of the bowl, her tone just right—almost pure curiosity.

“Hm? Satania, what’s this?”

Hearing Letia’s words, Satania, still busy tidying up, turned to look.

Upon seeing the bowl Letia was pointing at, she let out a couple of smug “hmph hmph”s.

“If I tell you, I might scare you, Letia… Hmph hmph hmph~ This is absolutely Forbidden Power. If it weren’t for the fact that you saved my life, I wouldn’t tell you at all.”

“Forbidden Power?”

Letia’s voice trembled just right, then she looked at Satania.

“Wait… don’t tell me… you ate all of it?!”

“That’s right! Exactly!”

Getting the shocked reaction she expected, Satania grew even prouder.

She nodded vigorously, as if confirming some great truth, crossing her arms more tightly, and spoke with a tone so resolute there was no doubt.

“Now, I’m invincible!”

She even waved her tiny fist in excitement, as if she could already feel the power surging through her veins.

“Oh?”

Letia’s lips curled into a teasing smile as her gaze swept over that pitiful residue at the bottom of the bowl once more.

Sure enough, she could barely pick up the faintest trace—about to dissipate—of a demon’s evil aura.

But after being boiled at high heat, the pitifully unstable magic structure had long been completely destroyed.

So, even if you ate it, there’d be no original effect left at all.

If anything… maybe it helps with digestion?

“Why are you looking at me with such pity, Letia?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just feeling a little envious,” Letia sighed.

“But according to the Lord’s will, such evil and Forbidden Power can’t be used too much, or… Divine Punishment will surely follow.”

Hearing Letia’s threat, Satania’s face paled a little, but she quickly perked up again.

“No way, no way, I only drank one bottle. How could the gods punish me for that?”

Yet at these words, Letia’s expression grew more serious.

She stretched out her hand, slowly placing it on Satania’s shoulder, and solemnly warned:

“That’s true, you’ve only drunk one bottle. The Lord sees this as your first offense, so He hasn’t sent down Divine Punishment yet. But if…”

“If…?”

Satania looked at Letia’s grave expression and swallowed nervously.

“If I drink another bottle, what will happen?”

“The Lord will show no mercy and strike you with the Sky Thunder Fivefold Strike.”

Letia’s face was so close to Satania’s, their foreheads nearly touching.

The pressure from Letia made Satania back away again and again.

When Satania was drenched in sweat, Letia finally sat back down.

“So, don’t stray down the wrong path. Turn back while you can. Hand over the Potion you have left.”

“Gulp…”

Satania’s panicked heart, trembling hands, and tense face all froze for a moment, not knowing what to do.

Just as she was about to put her hand in her pocket, she suddenly realized something.

“No, I can’t! My Mission from the organization isn’t done yet. This leftover Demon Potion, I have to use it to win over Dawnblade.”

“Tsk…”

Seeing she hadn’t managed to trick her, Letia clicked her tongue quietly.

“But still, thank you for your warning, Letia. I nearly lost my head and wanted to eat another one.”

Letia silently popped a question mark in her heart.

Satania saw how shocked Letia looked, and sighed helplessly.

“This stuff, it does give me diarrhea, but it really tastes good…”

Honestly, such a… such a… what a pitiful—no, fun kid.

Letia suppressed her laughter inside, but her expression remained calm and composed.

“But come to think of it, didn’t you just mention Dawnblade or something?”

“Oh, right,” Satania pulled another Demon Potion out of her pocket and said to Letia, “this is the Forbidden Power I mentioned, the bargaining chip the organization wants to use for an important deal with Dawnblade.”

“Shouldn’t something this important be kept safer?”

“In principle, yes, but… I really want to eat it… I just had some, and not only did it not fill me up, I’m even hungrier now.”

At the end, Satania couldn’t help but sigh.

“Actually, if you want, you could give it to me too.”

“Huh?”

“Actually,” Letia looked Satania straight in the eyes, her face breaking into a bright smile, “I’m one of the Dawnblade members you’re looking for. Priest from the Holy Church—Letia—that’s me.”

Eh?

Eh?

Eh?!

Satania froze for a second, then exploded in shock.

“You… you’re that Dawnblade priest?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Satania sucked in a sharp breath, her body arching backward so violently she nearly bounced out of her chair.

Her voice shot up eight octaves in astonishment.

“You’re that one who can uproot a willow tree, smash people into the ground with a Cross so only their head is left—the super-strong priest?!”

The air froze instantly.

Letia’s perfect “clergy” smile visibly stiffened and cracked, a vein popping out on her forehead.

But quickly, she took a deep breath, forced the vein down, and squeezed out a smile again.

“Ara~ Dearest Satania, you must have been misled by some wild rumors.”

“I’m just an ordinary priest serving the Holy Light, doing a bit of healing in the back for my teammates, that’s all.”

At the end, Letia folded her hands in prayer and smiled.

“A weak priest like me couldn’t possibly have that kind of strength.”

“Really?”

“Of course, it’s true.”

Satania eyed Letia with suspicion, looking her up and down several times, before straightening her back in relief.

“Now that I think about it, you really don’t seem like it. Those skinny arms and legs, even a bit underdeveloped, and shorter than me—you don’t look like some violent brute at all.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Letia nodded in full agreement, and as if suddenly remembering something, Satania’s face turned a bit pale and she clutched her head with both hands.

“But… I have seen a real violent brute before. That Nun Rite from the White Church… I get it, I’ve been mistaken!”

“You get what?”

“The White Church and Holy Church have always been at odds. It must be that White Church Nun slandering you! Saying you’re a priest who only knows how to bash people with a Cross! Truly… unforgivable.”