Beautiful golden twin ponytails, an adorably rosy little face,

paired with dazzling amber eyes as brilliant and radiant as gemstones,

this little girl might not rival Lady Yumo in beauty, but among everyone Xiao had ever met, she was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding.

At this moment,

the adorable young girl was dressed in a delicate off-the-shoulder dress with slender straps, crafted from elven leaves and soft silk. The wide lace straps gracefully framed her elegant collarbones, while the simple neckline revealed a small patch of fair, flawless skin above her chest. As she walked, the long white skirt swayed gently, offering fleeting glimpses of her dainty feet wrapped in alluring black stockings beneath the flowing hem~

Behind her pale golden hair rested a simple flower wreath, after which her long locks were gathered behind her back, fully exposing the girl's slender neck.

Without a doubt,

the girl was utterly adorable.

However,

such an adorable girl was currently bound tightly by thick vines and lying on the ground! There was even a mysterious ball-like object stuffed into her mouth...

The sight gave Xiao an extremely strange feeling.

More importantly,

if an ordinary girl were tied up in such an uncomfortable position, she would most likely be wearing a pained expression and struggling desperately.

However,

the blonde girl before him not only showed no signs of suffering, but her cheeks were actually flushed red? She even seemed to be secretly enjoying it?!

The moment he realized this,

a rare shadow crossed the face of the ever-composed Xiao,

as he looked helplessly toward the Elf King, Shukaros.

Only now did Xiao finally understand why the Elf King had been so hesitant earlier...

"I never expected your Holy Sword to be a bit of a pervert."

Hearing that, Shukaros lowered his head in utter embarrassment.

However,

before the Elf King could say anything,

the Holy Sword girl, who was bound on the ground and constantly trembling, suddenly shuddered violently! She seemed to realize that she had already been exposed before a crowd!

In an instant,

the blissful expression on the blonde girl's face vanished completely, replaced by a look of grim resolve and burning fury, as she began struggling frantically! A terrifying surge of energy instantly erupted from her body! The overwhelming pressure caused even the surrounding elves with insufficient strength to tremble.

The ground suddenly cracked apart...

Seeing this, Xiao raised an interested eyebrow.

"Not bad. Quite impressive."

A mere sword spirit possessing peak seventh-tier strength...

As expected of a Holy Sword.

She should be able to satisfy Lady Yumo's requirements.

Although...

she didn't seem particularly easy to get along with.

With that in mind, Xiao slowly walked toward the blonde girl before crouching down in front of her.

The moment the unfamiliar man appeared before her, the blonde girl immediately glared at him viciously! She fixed Xiao with a fierce stare, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and bite him!

Seeing this,

Shukaros hurriedly warned,

"D-Duke! B-Be careful! T-That girl is very fierce! S-She bites!"

"Hm? Fierce?"

Xiao chuckled with amusement before giving a slight nod.

"A little. She's adorably fierce~"

After smiling, Xiao slowly reached out, seemingly intending to undo the restraints binding her.

That action immediately made Shukaros panic again.

"D-Duke, don't undo the restraints! T-That girl is extremely hostile! I-It still... still needs some discipline! If you undo the restraints, i-it'll become... very troublesome!"

"Troublesome?"

"Will she attack me?"

"Y-Yes. She... she attacks anyone who's a stranger."

"Oh? That's rather interesting..."

Hearing that, Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"It's fine. She's just a child. Being a little naughty is perfectly normal. She just needs a bit of discipline."

As he spoke,

Xiao slowly raised his hand.

Boundless black demonic power immediately poured continuously into his palm, condensing in an instant into a gigantic hammer of pure energy.

The next moment,

under the slightly horrified gazes of [N O V E L I G H T] the surrounding elves,

Xiao mercilessly swung it straight at the blonde girl's head with an earth-shaking—

CLANG~!

Accompanied by a violent eruption of energy,

the blonde girl, who had been baring her teeth only moments ago, instantly saw stars before collapsing limply onto the ground.

Judging by the look of it,

she wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

Afterward,

at Xiao's signal, a burly Black Knight stepped forward, picked up the unconscious blonde girl from the ground, and hoisted her up in one hand...

"Well then, thank you for your cooperation, my good friend."

Patting the Elf King's shoulder once again, Xiao smiled in complete satisfaction.

"Since there's nothing else to take care of, I'll be leaving now~ Goodbye, my good friend."

After giving a polite wave, Xiao led the members of the Black Rose Family as they leisurely departed from the elves' territory.

Watching that retreating figure disappear into the distance like a living nightmare,

the Elf King, whose nerves had been stretched taut for so long, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

As his mind relaxed, his body could no longer hold on. He collapsed onto the ground, while two streams of tears rolled from his swollen, pig-like eyes...

"Please... don't ever come back... I'm begging you... please... sob... sob... sob..."

—

Inside the Wind Facing City Guest House,

White Yama rushed into the guest house in a panic. The moment she saw Mengxi, she completely forgot about being swindled by that damned dishonest merchant earlier.

Overcome with relief, her legs gave out beneath her, and right in front of several members of the Asumos Church, she dropped to her knees.

"Thank goodness... You're safe. Thank goodness you're really safe."

White Yama spoke from the bottom of her heart.

Seeing this, Mengxi couldn't help sticking out her tongue guiltily.

"Sorry, Sister White. I made you worry."

"It's fine, it's fine. As long as you're safe. For once, those people from the Black Rose Family actually did something good."

"Mm... the Black Rose Family..."

A trace of something strange entered Mengxi's voice.

Hearing the odd tone, White Yama asked curiously,

"What is it?"

"N-Nothing."

Mengxi smiled and waved her hand.

"More importantly, Sister White? What happened to you?"

"Sigh... That's a long story..."

...

...

The two began chatting.

Strictly speaking, Mengxi belonged to the Light of the Sun and could be considered White Yama's subordinate. However, because of her identity as the Child of Destiny, there was never any clear distinction of rank between them. They shared a fairly deep friendship. After all, it had been White Yama who discovered Mengxi in that small town, rescued her, and brought her back to the Church.

However,

just as White Yama was dejectedly complaining to Mengxi about how she had been tricked by a certain crafty fox,

Kabanei, the Earth Apostle with his striking crimson hair, who had been leaning against the doorway, could no longer help frowning.

"Lady White Yama, have you forgotten? His Holiness the Pope has urgently summoned you back."

"..."

The instant those words reached her ears,

the moment she heard the words "the Pope,"

White Yama's voice came to an abrupt halt.

Her body trembled almost imperceptibly, and a fleeting trace of fear flashed through her azure-blue eyes.

After a brief silence,

White Yama solemnly took Mengxi's little hand.

"Mengxi... how about coming back with me?"

"It's okay. Don't worry about me, Sister White. You should head back first."

"But this is the Snow Night Empire. Didn't those people just attack us with a Mana Fission Bomb? I'm worried they might still be planning something..."

White Yama said with a grave expression.

However,

the moment those words left her mouth, Kabanei, who was sitting nearby, immediately spoke up:

"Um, Lady White Yama, the one who bombarded you before wasn't acting on behalf of the Snow Night Empire. That was the Third Prince's doing, and he's already dead. Besides, the Snow Night Empire is currently negotiating with our Archbishop, and the Emperor himself has sworn a Soul Oath, so there's no possibility of them causing any trouble. Also, Miss Mengxi hasn't fully recovered yet. She just took one of our Church's sacred medicines and needs at least two days of rest before she can travel with you. Besides, with me and the Third Brave here protecting Miss Mengxi, what is there to worry about?"

Kabanei's voice was filled with impatience.

He had long been jealous and dissatisfied with White Yama. Despite joining the Church later than he had, she had become a Heavenly Apostle while he remained an Earth Apostle. Naturally, his tone wasn't exactly pleasant.

Besides,

if White Yama kept delaying her return to report in,

he would be the one who got scolded by the Pope as well!!

A trace of displeasure gradually surfaced in Kabanei's eyes.

Looking at the burly red-haired man, White Yama narrowed her azure-blue eyes slightly, her gaze filled with distrust.

"..."

Just as White Yama fell silent,

Mengxi's gentle, sweet voice slowly reached her ears.

"It's alright, Sister White. I happen to have a few things I still want to take care of here."

"Hmm... alright then. But once you've recovered, leave this place as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about Wind Facing City. It doesn't seem very safe."

"I know, Sister White. You should hurry back first. Since it's His Holiness the Pope's Crimson Summons, it's better not to take it lightly..."

"Sigh... I know. Then take good care of yourself."

...

...

Letting out a helpless sigh and saying her goodbye to Mengxi,

White Yama leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of white light that shot out through the window and vanished beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye.

After watching White Yama disappear,

Mengxi frowned slightly, a trace of confusion appearing in her light purple eyes.

Come to think of it...

Yu—

Oh, no...

Where did Xiaomo go?

Why hasn't she come back yet?