Saint Maria.

Can...

Nobody told him that this group of people would be coming too!

By the time Mizuki realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Waaah...

Mizuki squatted in the corner, her face pessimistic.

But at that moment, Ceobe, who had been warming himself by the fireplace, suddenly looked up.

Her eyes were not yet open, but her body sensed something before her brain, and she subconsciously moved in one direction.

At the very moment Maria appeared, Ceobe's head collided with Maria.

Then... she instinctively hugged him.

"Maria ~"

Ceobe mumbled something, as if he were not fully awake and was acting solely on his body's instincts.

Even his words carried a strong sense of confusion.

"Um."

Maria Ceobe's head to soothe him a little, then picked him up and slowly placed him on the sofa where she usually sat.

Meanwhile, the Deep Sea Hunters were already waiting nearby.

No one spoke, except Skadi, who took off her hat and politely greeted Maria. Gladiia, still looked at Maria with wary eyes.

The Specter next to it was even more direct.

She glanced at Ceobe, then, still somewhat dazed, mimicked her gesture and nestled close to Maria.

Because of her height, her head could only fit in Maria's arms, her calm little face slightly raised as she looked at Maria.

"Huh?"

She whispered, her voice somewhat muffled.

"Um?"

Maria responded with a strange syllable.

However, she didn't dwell on the matter here. Instead, she led several Deep Sea Hunters and Seaborn to a round table not far away.

"Please sit down."

Maria spoke.

"Um..."

The obedient Skadi quickly complied.

When she sat down, she made a point of removing her weapons and placing them aside, and also took off her hat, holding them in her hands on her knees, her obedient little face looking at Maria.

Of course, it could also be Laurentina looking at the Specter that was always holding Maria.

"So, what is the purpose of summoning us this time?"

Gladiia was the first to speak, and her words were full of hostility towards Maria.

Even so, her reaction to Maria summoning them was still one of gathering...

Is it... simply a grammar issue?

Or is it...?

Maria lowered her eyes slightly, then paused for a few moments.

That's not the point.

"I invited you here simply because I wanted to learn about a few things."

You may ask any questions you like.

Skadi nodded, obediently following Maria's every word.

His trust in Maria was no less than that in Ceobe.

On the other hand, Gladiia's annoyance and hostility were practically written all over her face.

However, at this moment, she still did not explode, but just silently looked at Maria.

Has she always been like this?

Maria blinked, looking at the Specter clinging to her.

Although Maria wanted to get straight to the point, to be honest, Specter's hug did make her feel a little strange.

From the very first meeting, the other party showed a strange and crazy look. Later, when they arrived in Rhodes Island, their simple and honest look after waking up from their slumber, they looked like this again...

This girl has obvious mental health issues.

Was it because of the reconstructive surgery?

"No... Shark wasn't like this originally."

Skadi heard Maria's words, and a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes.

But after shaking her head, she regained her composure and slowly began to speak.

"In the final battle, Shark was severely injured... When we found her, she looked like this... The third captain thought she might have been corrupted by the Seaborn, so he prepared to execute her. The second and third captains got into a fight, and then we were separated."

Skadi stated her facts in calm words, but much of it remained somewhat vague.

The final battle? Seaborn? Second and third captains?

These unfamiliar terms are enough to leave one completely bewildered.

Fortunately, Maria had learned some things from Kal'tsit beforehand, so she had some basic understanding of the matter.

"Is the treatment useless?"

"... Kal'tsit said that her problem wasn't just physical and mental, but also a defect in her blood, several of which were intertwined and needed to keep her alive, something even Kal'tsit couldn't fix."

Skadi's voice was weak, and her gaze kept shifting to Maria, as if she were expecting something.

Maria did not disappoint Skadi.

After thinking for a while, she silently looked at the Doll beside her.

The Doll then turned and disappeared into the darkness.

In no time at all, she came out carrying a glass.

Inside, there was also some kind of extract, bright red like blood.

Skadi didn't react when she saw it, but Gladiia seemed to have a reaction, her already bright red eyes becoming even more vivid.

Almost instinctively, her body leaned slightly forward uncontrollably toward the extractant.

But...

"..."

Maria simply looked at Gladiia calmly.

This silenced Gladiia, before she forced herself to look away from the blood potion.

Maria still sensed that the other party had some issues in this regard.

Thirst for blood... that's the first sign of Beastification...

Although this issue hasn't been brought up for a long time, it doesn't mean Maria considers the animalistic bodies of the humans in this world to be normal... In fact, Maria still feels that the people in this world are full of problems, they just don't show them as much.

But Gladiia's recent actions made Maria frown.

"Gladiia... is that so?"

Maria stood up and had the Doll beside her remove the Specter from her body, silently gazing at it.

At this moment, Gladiia was too timid to meet Maria's gaze.

She realized that Maria had discovered a problem with her body.

"Come with me."

Maria's tone was like an unquestionable command. Gladiia wanted to resist, but under Maria's gaze, she gradually gritted her teeth and lowered her head.

She dared not resist.

Soon, Gladiia followed Maria up to the second floor.

Skadi was also curious, but in the end she didn't follow.

Instead, it obediently watched the Doll beside it calmly 'feeding medicine' to the Specter.

Upon reaching the second floor, Gladiia also saw the luxurious bathtub and raised an eyebrow slightly.

Of course, Maria didn't bring Gladiia here for any kind of spa treatment.

After closing the door to the first floor, she silently watched the figure in front of her.

Slender, delicate... her aloofness made her seem inhuman.

In every sense, so far, Gladiia is the closest being to Maria.

Of course, this does not include personality.

"Take off your clothes..."

"?!"

"Let me see."

Maria tried to soften her tone as much as possible.

After all, in Maria's view, these Deep Sea Hunters were, in a sense, inextricably linked to her... They might have originally been ordinary people, but after her intervention, they faced the risk of Beastification at any time.

Although Maria still doesn't know the exact situation, she has to take responsibility for these beings who are theoretically her relatives or even her descendants.

Just as she decided to confront Logos.

"Take it off?"

Gladiia frowned sharply, looking somewhat flustered.

If Maria had simply asked her to undress normally, she might not have been so embarrassed. But the problem was, Maria was looking at her so seriously right now...

This made Gladiia feel a strange sense of shame.

It felt like being forcibly stripped naked.

This made her almost subconsciously try to rebel against Maria's authority.

But...

After meeting Maria's slightly grayish eyes, her resistance reached a stalemate...

The bathroom was filled with smoke...

388

Chapter 388 Saint Maria.

He was... he was stripped naked...

Gladiia stretched out her hands, barely managing to protect her body in the misty air. She tried her best to keep her expression from changing much, but an alluring blush still clung to her body.

Like frost suddenly thawing, revealing the beautiful fruit within...

It possesses a unique aesthetic appeal.

The surrounding steam slowly provided warmth to everyone present, but it did little to make Gladiia feel safe... She could only stare helplessly at Maria in front of her, her face flushed with shame and indignation, yet she didn't know what to say.

Have you seen enough?

Gladiia covered her chest with her hand and spoke coldly.

But Maria ignored the warning and walked forward step by step.

"What... do you want to do?"