Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 66: The holy country of Neveah – Arrival.

For some reason, Chloe has become quite aggressive these days.

Now, I know it's probably because of the joke I made when we played the happy marriage game, but it is a strange feeling regardless. This, in turn, also leads to Nydia becoming more affectionate. So what is the result?

''My, you three are really good friends, huh?''

The middle-aged lady who owns the candy store looks at us with a smile—or, more accurately, our connected hands.

''Thank you.'' I reply.

We exit the store with three sticks of cotton candies. I didn't know there was something like this here. Nevertheless, I still need to eat, and having the two of them feed me in the middle of the street is honestly too much, so the chain has to break.

Wandering around the streets of Neveah, I can't help but admire the city itself.

The majority of the buildings here are painted white, or at least grey, which means they will have to pay special attention to hygiene if they don't want them to turn into a mess. And they are nailing it.

The constructions are all clean; roads, clean. Their technological progress appears to be on par with the empire, which is quite impressive.

''Woah... So sweet.'' Nydia exclaims, then turns to me. ''Aurora, you will need to exercise a lot.''

Stuffing a bunch of cotton candy in my mouth, I tilt my head. ''Mhm?''

''You have been downing literal piles of sweets recently.'' Nydia nags, hands on her hip. ''You don't want to lose your excellent shape, do you?''

Well? This body doesn't get fat anyway. Right, Peln?

You are correct, master.

See.

''Let's go to the gym with me once we get back.'' Nydia smiles, and her wing sneaks around my waist smoothly.

Before I can reply, Chloe chimes in.

''Good idea, Nydia.'' She says. ''Join me, Aurora. I also do gym a few times per week, remember?''

''...Alright, my lady.''

If Chloe is in, then it's fine, I suppose.

''Oh my, how dare we interrupt your training, my lady...?''

''I am the one inviting you two, so there is no problem.''

''No, no, let us train separately—''

''Like I said—''

Ignoring the two bickering people beside me, I turn my gaze toward a splendid building from afar. That place is the main church, where most of the high-ranking and prominent priests live. Among them, the archbishop holds the second-highest rank in the religious hierarchy, just beneath the goddess herself.

Vincent Neveah. Nickname: The Maker of Miracles.

As the fifteenth archbishop of the Neveah Church, he has impeccably resolved numerous cases related to demons over the hundred years or so that he has been in power. From instances of the cult causing problems all the way to some of the deadliest demon appearances—he has experienced them all.

He was also the one who discovered Luxia, brought her to the church, and raised her as a father.

And perhaps most importantly, as unsuspecting as he might seem, this man is the final boss of this arc. 

''...''

If I were to believe in the original story, then as much as I respect this man for what he has done, he needs to be stopped at all costs. For that, we need to plan ahead the fight using all available information thoroughly.

Since we now know pretty much everything we need about the scenario, preventing Vincent's force from gaining our information is a priority as well. It's an information war.

Now, because they are still probably unaware of the fact that we know what they're planning, we have the element of surprise to count on. Even then, the fight is going to be a certain pain.

Vincent himself doesn't have much fighting power, but The Wings—a squad composed of the strongest holy knights directly under Vincent's order—has.

They are pretty much your typical loyal knights-type people. They only follow the archbishop and will do anything for him regardless of the consequences. Blind loyalty, should I say. 

The main problem is they're immensely strong. The squad allegedly has only four members, but two of them have reached level 60, and the other two are in their 50s. Ridiculous.

Nevertheless, now that we have entered the territory of Neveah, meaning the scenario has begun, it is time to finally start the operation.

December 18th, 1834.

After saying goodnight to Nydia, I rehearse the plan with Chloe one last time before putting on my usual disguise and jumping out of the hotel's window. Because my room is on the twelfth floor, I activate my [Flight] to prevent myself from freefalling before gliding in a specific direction.

Now, I genuinely feel like a bird.

Let's see... A two-story building with cherry blossom trees... Oh, there it is.

I soon land on a large branch of the biggest cherry blossom tree, where I can gaze into a lit window. This should be the house of a prominent bishop, who is an 'insider,' one who knows of Vincent's unsavory plan and is trying to oppose him. 

Before anything, we need more manpower, preferably those right inside Neveah, so this person is a good one to start with. I want to use my main body because it is now nighttime, and this body is weaker, but if I teleport into Neveah now, the archbishop will inevitably sense it, and that will be a game over.

I generate a small ice cube and lightly throw it at the window, making a clack. Soon, the window opens, and a middle-aged woman with pink hair peeks out curiously.

''!!''

As soon as she sees me, she attempts to fire magic at me right away.

[Blink].

I blink inside her room, standing behind her. 

''I came here to talk.''

''Who are you?!''

The woman turns around and aims the magic at my throat. After glaring at me for a while, she eventually realizes my identity.

''You... Miss G...?''

''Yes.'' I reply. ''Are we ready to talk?''

Perhaps knowing the feats that I've achieved, she lets down her guard.

''...First off, sit down.''

''Alright.''

At the table, the woman pours each of us a cup of tea.

''So.'' She begins with a serious face. ''What does a heroine such as yourself need from me? Is it to warn Neveah of a soon-to-be-appearing demon?''

''Why do you think so?''

''Well? You have a history of conveniently intercepting those things, after all. It is as if you knew they were going to appear.''

That theory is pretty popular, as far as I'm aware.

''Hm... Think as you want.'' I shrug. ''Regardless, I am here today for another matter, one unrelated to demons but is critical to us, however.''.

''That being...?''

At this moment, I lean forward.

''Bishop Linsey, I am aware of what Vincent Neveah is planning.''

''!!''

As soon as I utter those words, Linsey's face freezes.

''I also think it is unsavory of him, Linsey.'' I continue. ''With that being said, would you like to form an alliance with me?''