The Saintess and the Conspiracy

Dideyasi is located in the cold, desolate northwest. It's not particularly prosperous. Of course, it wasn't always like this... A thousand years ago, Dideyasi was the most powerful nation in the Five-Nation Alliance, possessing vast lands. At that time, they lived a prosperous and peaceful life, relying on the cool, clear snowmelt flowing down from the mountains. Inland lakes and verdant grasslands abounded, and the mountains were covered with evergreen pine forests. But the battle with the Magic Empire changed everything. One of the Arcane Mage, before his death, used all his power to curse this land. From then on, the water flowing down from the mountains was rotten, foul-smelling sewage. The once fertile land gradually became as hard as the dry bark of a pine tree, unbearable to behold. The once soft soil became harder than stone, and even the wind carried an undeniable stench of decay.

"I knew that guy Kadeer wouldn't be so easy to deal with."

Standing on a hillside not far away, Li Lin looked down at the surrounding Black Forest. Although a thousand years had passed, the power of the curse had weakened considerably, but the traces it left behind still clung to the ground like a plague, as if it were an indelible resentment.

"He was such a stubborn guy back then. Even in death, he remained stubborn... How come he hasn't completely dissipated yet? What kind of magic did he use...?"

Li Lin was currently dressed in clothing he never wore before—a strange half-body leather armor that accentuated Li Lin slightly tall physique. As a mage, his build wasn't exactly muscular, but after years of training on Earth, he had finally acquired a certain physique. On his back was a jade-green longbow, which, even without sunlight, shimmered with a natural, emerald light. To his left and right were Mina and Fina.

However, like Li Lin, the two sisters had completely changed their attire. Mina was still dressed as a swordsman, while Fina was somewhat nervous. Because at this moment, she was wearing the gray robes worn by clergy, although this was only for a low-ranking priest, it was still enough to make Fina nervous.

"Relax, Fina."

Li Lin looked around. Not far below him was a trade route with almost no pedestrians. As a nation, Dideyasi had indeed begun to decline.

"Alright, which way do we go from here?"

"Turn right along this road, and after we pass the Black Forest, I'm afraid... they'll be almost there."

Fina composed herself and quickly answered Li Lin's question. It must be said that Suoxiate's teachings had yielded some results. Although Fina was still uncomfortable with her robe, her unusually quick response to Li Lin's inquiry showed that she had learned the maid training taught by Suoxiate; at least as a student, Fina was quite competent.

The reason Li Lin was dressed like this was because of the intelligence Nia had received—Princess Dideyasi was about to depart for the Holy Autonomous Territory to pray for the paladins who had died in the cultist attack. Of course, this might be a signal from Dideyasi to the Five-Nation Alliance, or it might be an attempt to curry favor with the Temple. But whatever the situation, Li Lin wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He planned to infiltrate the princess's side as a guard, and then decide how to deal with her based on the situation. Although, according to the intelligence, the saintess was being protected by an entire squad of paladins on her way to the Holy Autonomous Territory, that didn't mean Li Lin couldn't infiltrate them.

Of course, he also learned about the Holy Princess from Mina and Fina on the way—she was indeed a devout believer and kind-hearted. Previously, when a plague broke out in the territory of Dideyasi, this Holy Princess disregarded her own safety and personally went to the disaster area to comfort the sick and use her divine power to heal their lives. Because of her gentle and kind nature, she was deeply loved by the people. She had been a Holy Princess in the Temple since she was ten years old, and seven years had passed since then. In these seven years, this princess not only spread the teachings of the God of Justice within her own country but also went to other countries to do the same, causing the other four countries to frown deeply, yet they could not take action due to the Holy Princess's special status. The Temple, on the other hand, declared with righteous indignation that this princess was a messenger of the God of Justice, and that if anything happened to her, the Temple would seek revenge at all costs. This also gave them a pretext for military justification.

"Alright, let's rest here."

As Li Lin spoke, he casually found a rock to sit on and focused intently on the forest before him. Mina and Fina stood quietly behind him, their expressions unchanged, but their eyes revealed unease and confusion.

Soon, a squad of fully armed paladins came into Li Lin's view. Riding tall horses, they escorted a magnificent carriage slowly forward. Although judging from their appearance, this kind of escorting was routine for them, it didn't mean they would always encounter the same dangers—such as wandering bandits, wild beasts roaming the Black Forest, and...

"Nia, the target has been spotted."

Li Lin stared intently at the convoy below and said in a low voice.

"Begin the operation."

"Okay, Li Lin."

Nia wasn't with Li Lin. At this moment, the Eternal Library stood deep within the Black Forest, surrounded by death and darkness. An ordinary person would probably have been disturbed by the pitch-black gloom—who knows what kind of monsters might leap out from this dense darkness where even shadows couldn't be seen.

But this was no problem at all for the Eternal Library. She reached out and gently shook her staff. Soon, a faint magical glow emanated from the tip of Nia's staff, enveloping her body. A magnificent magic circle appeared beneath Nia's feet. Surging power began to gather in Nia's hand because of the beautiful syllables. As the world's largest and most comprehensive library of knowledge, Nia could use any spell with ease. And now, she was about to use a powerful summoning spell that she would never normally use. If Li Lin hadn't returned to her side, this spell would have consumed a lot of her power, which would have been bad news for her as she had no way to replenish it.

The magical energy gathered at Nia's fingertips, condensing and transforming like an obedient child following her incantation. The originally dazzling brilliance became barely visible, as if shrouded in complete darkness.

Immediately, a roar erupted.

The paladins, of course, did not ignore the almost deafening sound. They looked up toward the source of the sound and immediately drew their weapons—a perfectly normal choice when facing a huge black shadow soaring from the forest.

A colossal dragon formed from shadow flapped its enormous black wings, its entire body blurred like a thick black fog, except for its transparent, gleaming eyes that shimmered with Magic Power light. The dragon, created by Yali Magic Power to extract shadow, was now soaring above the Black Forest. It fixed its gaze on its target, letting out a deafening roar before eagerly pouncing, determined to make the most of its short life.

Faced with the attack of this colossal creature, the paladins did not panic. They shouted loudly, praising the name of the God of Justice, and then summoned beautiful holy light.

It must be said that this is indeed the best way to deal with shadow creatures. Faced with the dazzling light, the shadow dragon, which was originally pouncing straight down, had to change direction and hover in the air. It angrily exhaled breath that was as black as its own body. Although it was just a product of magic, it would be a disservice to its dragon status if it were helpless in this way.

The Shadow Dragon had been hovering in the sky, raised its head without hesitation. As if preparing for something, it took a deep breath, then opened its mouth wide and spewed thick Black Mist onto the ground.

Faced with this attack, the paladins were helpless—they had no way to directly attack the Shadow Dragon high in the sky. If it were charging directly towards the ground, they might have a chance to fight back with the help of the great power of the God of Justice, but unfortunately, although the God of Justice lent them power, he did not lend them wings.

At that moment, a dense aura of darkness enveloped the entire Paladin Order.

This plunged the paladins into chaos, leaving them with no choice but to fight. While their divine aura and power were genuine, not one of them possessed any experience fighting a dragon. Although the Black Forest, this corrupt land, was rife with legends, including those of dragons and evil beasts, and these paladins had ventured into the Black Forest several times to vanquish the terrifying monsters spawned by evil, those were at most mutated animals. A dragon? This was the first time they had ever seen one, and why was it attacking them?

Considering these questions now is pointless. Under the lead knight's shouts, the panicked paladins futilely tried to dispel the thick, dark fog with their holy light. But to little avail, for the Shadow Dragon had found a more efficient way to fight. It hovered around the Paladin Order, occasionally unleashing a breath attack, then "snatching" away those unfortunate souls who hadn't managed to regroup, tossing them into the air before deciding whether to devour them alive or skin them to pieces.

While its efficiency might be considered low for a dragon, it was a product of condensed Magic Power, so it wasn't a major concern. Moreover, these attacks were indeed quite effective. Each flight and circle of the Shadow Dragon caused losses for the paladins. Although its low-altitude flight attracted arrows from the paladins, these were completely ineffective against a body composed entirely of shadow.

Until a crisp, pleasant sound rang out.

"Evil messenger, get out of here immediately!!"

With this sound, a dazzling light burst forth from the Black Mist, annihilating the thick black fog that had previously enveloped it. Its brilliance even tore through the dragon's shadowy body, forcing it to roar angrily and retreat in panic, flying higher into the sky to avoid being harmed by the dazzling light again.

"Oh?"

Watching all this from afar, Li Lin raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Using his Eagle Eye Spell, he clearly saw the source of the voice—a young girl stepping out of a carriage, holding a pendant aloft. Bright light emanated from the pendant, dispelling the darkness and making the girl appear exceptionally sacred. Her exquisitely beautiful face showed no surprise, joy, sorrow, or anger; only the courage and unwavering determination to face darkness and evil.

Bathed in divine light, the Shadow Dragon could no longer move with impunity. The holy light emanating from the girl had formed a sacred protective barrier, completely dispelling the dragon's shadowy breath before it even reached the ground. If it were a true dragon, it could descend to the ground and fight these tin cans with its powerful physique. Unfortunately, it was merely a fully formed entity created from condensed Magic Power; if it got too close, it might be the one to be annihilated.

The situation suddenly reversed; the eagle, which was supposed to be catching chicks, found itself catching sparrows that had flown up to become phoenixes—it was simply impossible to catch them.

However, this was of course no challenge for Li Lin. He had already learned about the saintess's background from Mina and Fina, and coupled with Nia's previous report, he naturally understood that this saintess was not some weak woman who would only scream in fear when in danger. Therefore, he had already prepared a backup plan.

"Angela."

He stared quietly at the girl radiating a divine light and said softly.

"It's up to you now, is that alright?"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Through the telepathic communication in his mind, Li Lin could easily sense the little guy's high fighting spirit.

"How could such holy light possibly be a match for me?"

Angela was sitting on the other side of the Black Forest, coldly watching the group of paladins and the woman—the light emanating from her was utterly repulsive. To Angela, it was as if the woman was covered in pig and dog excrement and rotten swill.

"Imagining how lowly you will become as a bitch is a very exciting form of entertainment for me."

Angela said with a cold laugh, and at the same time, she snapped open the velvet folding fan in her hand.

"Respond to my summons, appear, eternal vengeful spirits, now is the time for you to step forward."

As Angela summoned her, in a voice like a ghostly whisper, hundreds of women slowly appeared beside her. They were all exceptionally beautiful, but each carried a different kind of sorrow and despair.

The saying "beautiful women often have tragic fates" holds true everywhere. Just like the hair of the 666 beautiful virgins Angela collected to create her fan, though she didn't kill them, their beauty caused them countless hardships and sufferings in their later lives. The beauty that should have brought them happiness became a source of torment. Some were captured and tortured to death by powerful figures. Others committed suicide because of arranged marriages by their parents for profit. Whatever the reason, none of them found perfect happiness. After death, their souls and resentment gathered in Angela's hands, forming the fan that is now filled with the sorrow, resentment, anger, and curses of 666 beautiful girls. Angela will summon them at appropriate times, allowing them to temporarily soothe their eternal suffering by devouring the souls of others.

Now is the time for them to make their move.

The holy light might be effective against evil and darkness, but it had little effect on these wraiths—they were impure yet sacred. Although, as undead, the holy light might make them somewhat uncomfortable, it was not as intense as that of the dragons whose bodies were entirely composed of shadow. More importantly, they were not "native" but "outsiders," so the influence of the world's gods was somewhat diminished on them.

The paladins, of course, had no idea what was happening deep within the Black Forest. All they saw was the terrifying and evil dark dragon suddenly raising its head and roaring (an illusion orchestrated by Nia). Then, dozens of ghosts suddenly burst forth from the surrounding Black Forest and attacked them. What surprised the paladins most was that these ghosts seemed completely unafraid of the holy light!

The situation became chaotic again. Faced with these ghosts unlike any they had seen before, the paladins were completely panicked. Even when struck by their holy-blessed longswords, the ghosts did not scream and vanish as they had expected. Instead, although they would retreat in pain, they would not give up their attack. The holy power that had previously been so effective against undead creatures was now less useful.

Damn it!

With a powerful cleave, the young paladin swiftly retreated, for the ghost did not vanish but reassembled, continuing its shrieking charge. It was then blocked once more by the longsword gleaming with holy light.

"Evil soul, return immediately to where you belong!!"

Shouting righteously, the paladin raised his head, trying to glare at the damned monster before him, but he immediately froze.

It was such a lovely, beautiful face, yet it bore the deepest pain and sorrow. Only then did the paladin realize how sad, how heartbroken, and how much pain this ghost girl was. Her eyes held only grief and pleading. And to the paladin, that sweet face gradually began to feel familiar—like his beloved younger sister, growing ever more familiar...

"Is that you? Is that you...?"

The hand gripping the longsword began to loosen, and then, an ethereal force pushed the sword away—then, the paladin was astonished to find that the once beautiful and lovely face suddenly rotted away, transforming into a greedy venomous snake that lunged at him. He only felt a chill that penetrated deep into his soul pass through his body before he completely lost his will—that tormented soul had become the banshee's most delicious food.

The battle lines began to fall into chaos once again, and the girl had to pour most of her light around the paladins to protect them from the ghosts—although they believed in different religions from different worlds, ghosts were still not quite used to holy light.

However, just as the girl weakened her defenses against the sky, the Shadow Dragon, which had been lingering, finally found its opportunity. It pounced down again, unleashing its already prepared shadowy dragon breath, which enveloped the ground. This time, the dark aura was not quickly extinguished by the light, but lingered for a while before slowly disappearing.

This puts the paladins and the saintess they are protecting in a dilemma: either refocus their holy light on fighting the Shadow Dragon the sky certainly won't sit idly by. And holy light clearly respects the law of conservation of energy; at least so far, it hasn't reached a point where it can simultaneously and continuously banish the forces of both sides.

Finally, the girl made her decision. She channeled the holy power in her hands to drive away the ghosts that were relentlessly attacking the paladins. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Shadow Dragon let out a loud roar and, with another breath of darkness, charged down. This time, it extended its sharp claws, aiming at the girl who was holding up the holy light.

"Your Highness, be careful!!"

The leading paladin captain was horrified by what he saw. He lunged at the girl beside him, tackling her to the ground and narrowly escaping the attack. However, he himself was not spared and was seized by the dragon.

"Herbert!!"

As the loyal paladin was seized by the dragon, the girl screamed. She turned her head away, unable to bear witnessing the pious knight's final fate.

Just then, a bright green light shot out and entered the dragon's right eye.

Severely wounded, the dragon screamed and dropped the paladin it was holding, then flew into the air. It showed no intention of lingering, but quickly flew into the Black Forest and mountains, and soon disappeared from sight.

The ghosts then retreated, disappearing without a trace.

"What exactly is this...?"

The girl stared in astonishment and disbelief at the scene before her, completely at a loss for words. She looked in the direction from which the green light had come and saw a young man in leather armor standing on a hillside not far away, his gleaming longbow lowered.