"You—!?"
Lucia's beautiful eyes flew wide open as she stared unblinkingly at the dazzling holy radiance before her.Her golden-red pupils trembled violently, as though she had suffered an impact unlike anything she had ever known.
She never would have imagined—never even in her dreams—that Ivsha would make her do something like this!
As the Pope of the Church of Light, how could she allow herself to be contaminated by holy radiance like this!?
Impossible.Absolutely impossible.She would never permit such a thing to happen!
Yet just as Lucia was locked in fierce inner struggle, Ivsha acted without the slightest hesitation, guiding the holy light directly before Lucia's body—and then…
"Ivsha!?"
Kurose Akira was left utterly dumbfounded by her actions as well.
In an instant, accompanied by a faint, indescribable fragrance, the holy light flared and shimmered—
—causing Lucia's stomach to churn violently.
"Saintess~"
Ivsha asked softly with a smile, her voice gentle and teasing.
"How does it feel?"
"Cough, cough~"
Lucia coughed twice, her expression complicated as she looked at Ivsha, a trace of resentment seeping into her tone.
"Why would you make me do something like this?"
"Of course it's to help Mr. Kurose Akira separate the god's blood~"
Ivsha replied smoothly, her smile unchanged.
"There's really a method like this?"
Lucia shot Ivsha a sharp glare. If this could really separate the god's blood from Kurose Akira's body, then today she would—
At that moment, however, she saw the holy light suddenly shift in color, turning pink.
Within the glow, a single droplet of blood—belonging to the God of Love—condensed and pulsed with dazzling brilliance.
Which meant—
Ivsha's method actually worked.
"This…!?"
Lucia froze on the spot, utterly stunned.
She could never have imagined that Ivsha's approach would truly be effective.
Never once had it occurred to her that there could be this kind of method for separating divine blood.
And for some reason, she could clearly feel that droplet of blood from the God of Love was thrumming with excitement.
As if it had finally found a place it belonged.
"All right~ Miss Saintess~"
Ivsha gently took Lucia's delicate hand, her voice tender and coaxing.
"Let's work hard together, okay~?"
Lucia: "..."
"Mmnnngh—!"
...
The Royal Capital of the Star Kingdom.
Every day, Princess Vivian would come to the bedside of the gravely ill King of Stars, spending roughly half an hour with her father.
Though the king's condition prevented him from hearing the outside world—let alone responding—
"Father," Vivian said softly to the king lying in bed,"I've carried out all the arrangements according to your instructions. At the Star Ceremony, you will witness the blessings of two stars."
The King of Stars remained silent, lying motionless on the bed, his eyes unfocused.
The sight caused Vivian's gaze to tighten ever so slightly.
From a young age, she had been taught by her father that the weight of the entire Star Kingdom rested upon her shoulders.She was the future king—the kingdom's sole hope.
"Princess Vivian, it's about time."
At that moment, a royal knight entered the room and reminded her quietly.
"I understand."
Vivian nodded softly and turned to leave the king's chamber.
Not long after she departed, the King of Stars—who lay upon the sickbed—shifted his pupils ever so slightly.
A faint, ambiguous smile curled at the corner of his lips.
...
The scene returned to Kurose Akira's guild.
Lucia had collapsed onto the floor, completely drained, her gaze unfocused.Her golden-red eyes flickered faintly, lacking their usual sharpness.
Ivsha, on the other hand, remained utterly composed.
She cast a calm glance toward Lucia, lightly wiping the sheen from the corner of her lips, without showing even the slightest hint of bitterness.
If anything—
She felt thrilled.
In at least one respect, she had decisively defeated the Saintess.
"Hah~ Finally done!"
Kurose Akira let out a long breath of relief, carefully placing the droplet of divine blood into the container Lucia had handed him.
The only thing that troubled him was this—
Why did the God of Love's blood, after being separated from his body, appear even more radiant than before?
By all logic, divine blood should have been contaminated by his mortal blood.
Yet what he was seeing was the exact opposite.
Just as he sank into thought, a system notification flashed before his eyes:
[The trait "God of Love's Blood" has transformed into — "Lustful God of Love's Blood"][
"?"
Seeing the trait change from [God of Love's Blood] to [Lustful God of Love's Blood], Kurose Akira was completely baffled.
What in the world was Lustful God of Love's Blood supposed to be?
Was there really such a deity as a Lust God of Love?
As he pondered this, Lucia finally managed to recover a bit of strength.
"Since the divine blood has been successfully separated," she said to Kurose Akira,"I'll be taking my leave."
"All right. Thank you for your hard work."
Kurose Akira nodded sincerely. This ordeal had truly put her through the wringer.
"…Mm."
Lucia responded coolly, then turned and left the guild.
Ivsha rose gracefully as well.
"Then, Mr. Kurose Akira, I shall also take my leave."
"All right."
Kurose Akira nodded again, watching Ivsha depart.
In the blink of an eye, the bedroom was left with only him—and the statue that Marei Rhine had become.
The silence felt oddly unfamiliar.
He sat on the bed, spacing out for a while, before deciding to get up and find something to do.
But the moment he opened the door—
His gaze was immediately drawn to a figure in the guild hall.
The little succubus Elum was sprawled atop the sofa, her heart-shaped tail swaying back and forth as she read a book spread open before her.
A Bible.
Kurose Akira frowned instinctively, utterly confused.
Since when did Elum get obsessed with the Bible?
Shouldn't succubi be staying as far away from holy things as possible?
Heresy!
"What are you doing?"
He walked over curiously and asked.
Elum looked up at him with her charming pink eyes and replied sweetly,
"I'm studying Sister Ivsha's magic."
"Ivsha's magic?"
Kurose Akira repeated, one eyebrow lifting.
Elum nodded vigorously.
"Mm-hm! Sister Ivsha said this was her private collection—she's only ever let me look at it…"
Hearing that, Kurose Akira's gaze instinctively fell on the book in front of Elum.
His expression instantly turned grave.
This wasn't a Bible at all!
This was clearly—
Cough, cough.
That said, Ivsha's drawings were undeniably impressive.
The details were extremely explicit, the craftsmanship exquisite.
Both he and Ivsha were depicted vividly—
—and it was mounted combat.
Not bad~
No, wait, no, no!
Kurose Akira shook his head sharply, brows knitting together.
How could Ivsha give something like this to Elum?
What if she got corrupted!?
"Cough~ Elum, could you give that Bible to me for a bit?"
He smiled gently, trying to retrieve Ivsha's special edition scripture.
But the answer he received was—
"Can you please not steal Elum's things…? Elum doesn't have anything at all… this is the only thing she has…"