The chamber was quiet except for the faint breaths of two women.
Worn stone formed a wide, low room. The floor was etched with a network of hexagonal lines, each groove cut with care and sealed smooth. The geometry looked ornamental, but every pink line served a role in the success of the ritual.
At the center, a perfect orb floated a little above the floor. It was identical to the orb used to establish the initial connection with the Esperrians during the tutorial. This one would also be used as an external terminal to the system for what was to come.
Thin white filaments ran across the ceiling and down the walls, tracing sigils. Their light was spare, but bright enough to reveal every line.
"Are you really sure you want to go through this…?" The Bishopess, Mary, wrung her hands together, knuckles whitening. "No one has really gone through the ritual at their Fifth Step since the first dozen died as a consequence."
She'd asked worriedly for the nth time, pacing back and forth near the chamber entrance. Ever since the woman beside her became a Saintess candidate, it felt like their stagnant faction had finally been injected with much-needed vitality.
She didn't know what she'd do if her fate ended up as a rampaging Lust beast.
"I'm sure." The nun, Seraphine, nodded resolutely, her hands clasped tightly at her waist. "Besides… our dear Sin Lord already guaranteed that there would be no danger."
She turned to meet Mary's eyes, a small smile on her lips. "So let's trust her."
Sigh~
Mary's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Alright… I wish you luck, and may you come back a true Saintess."
Seraphine smiled brightly, despite the solemn atmosphere, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Thank you!"
Taking a deep breath that made her chest rise and fall slowly, she matched it with slow steps toward the circle under the floating orb.
And as she strode to change her fate, the last meeting that brought her to make this decision flashed past her mind…
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"A month at most." The elusive figure behind the mist uttered at last after looking at Seraphine for less than two seconds.
Seraphine's expression barely changed at the news of the pitiful time she still had among the living. Her fingers curled slightly at her sides, but her face remained calm.
"You will age rapidly during this one month, until you turn into a corpse at last."
Mary, who'd brought her, couldn't keep the same composure, though. Her hand flew to her mouth, stifling a gasp. "Mistress… We can't lose our Saintess candidate. Would you please make a move…?"
"Of course, I wouldn't allow our dear Sera to die just like this." The voice behind the mist softened.
"I can prolong your lifespan to at most three years. During that period, you have to do your best to reach the next step and gain further time for yourself."
"Thank you, your holiness…" Mary instantly bowed low, her spine curving deeply, while nudging the absent-minded Seraphine by her side.
"Oh… Yes! Thank you very much, your lordship, for saving my life!" Seraphine bowed half a second late, her movement jerky.
The Mistress of Lust didn't seem to mind the gaffe. With an amused tone, she continued, "However, I have an alternative."
Seraphine's ears perked up at that, her head rising slightly.
"Before I introduce you to this alternative solution, I have to explain something else. It is a secret of our faction, the Everlasting Covenant, as well as the main reason why we are the foremost healers among every human faction."
The figure shifted behind the mist, one leg crossing over the other.
"In truth… the Lust pathway is more proficient in ensnarement rather than healing… and for women who wield this concept, it exerts the most power when a man is beside her."
A pause. The silence stretched with implication.
"So how do you think that we, as a faction full of women, wielding a concept not meant for healing, are supposedly still the best at it?"
Seraphine looked intently at the mist, as if she wanted to pierce it from curiosity, leaning forward slightly. Meanwhile, Mary's expression kept getting worse with each word as she got an inkling of where this was going.
"The answer is simple. We do not wield Lust, but its opposite—Chastity."
Seraphine's brain lagged for a moment at the answer. Then her eyes drifted down to her shameful outfit, then back to the misty figure, her eyes screaming, 'Really?'
A bell-like laughter rang in response. "Girly, I won't deny that the outfit's design doesn't come partly from my personal preferences, but it is much more than that."
"Ah… no, the design is fine…" Seraphine hurriedly waved her palms in a flustered motion, recognizing that the look might come off as accusatory. Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Ashen seems to like it enough…" She mumbled under her breath at the end.
The amusement in the Sin Lord thickened. As she answered, Seraphine could swear she heard a snicker under her words. "The dress's main function is actually to attract the male gaze. As our faction took the path of chastity, signs of it were bound to appear, so we dressed in such a way—flaunting our bodies proudly and even basking under the lustful gazes."
She gestured gracefully, though hidden by mist. "Nobody would think that we are a gathering of chaste women after that. The word 'chastity' would be the farthest from us… and that was the goal."
What she left out was that, besides that, their real shield was the Sin Lord herself, who'd refused to switch and wielded Lust as a blade to ward off anyone who dared to harm her chaste maidens.
"Besides… Lust and Chastity may be the opposite of each other, but they are interlinked. That is how we can switch in the first place."
"Being constantly lusted after while still holding on to our chastity is proof of our pathway."
Seraphine nodded slowly, processing, her hand rising to touch her collarbone absently. "Then will I also have to switch…?"
The woman sitting on the throne nodded, "Normally, one would have to wait until their understanding of Lust reached a high enough threshold… Fourth Step, at a minimum."
A pause.
"But you… you can do it now."
"Mistress…!" Mary, who'd kept mum until now, couldn't hold back anymore and exclaimed with a pleading look, stepping forward, making Seraphine curiously turn to her.
"Worry not, Bishopess. This one, after all, is a virgin."
"What?!"
Seraphine blushed in shame at being exposed, her hands flying to cover her burning cheeks.
"...A Fifth Step of the Lust pathway… and still a virgin… Oh my Eternal… How is this possible…" Mary's voice trailed off in disbelief.
"Ehm… I was… waiting for the right one…" Seraphine's ears turned pink as she hesitantly explained, her voice small, hands dropping to fidget with the hem of her habit.
"It doesn't matter. No, this is actually a good thing. Truly a Saintess." The Sin Lord's voice warmed with approval. "Now, you will be able to undergo the Aegis of Innocence smoothly."
"The ritual will push you to the next step, granting you a lifespan to live for decades to come."
"It will change your status from a candidate to a true Saintess."
"And… it will give you the capital needed to stand beside that man."
The moment the last words were uttered, Seraphine's expression froze.
She realized that her thoughts were completely seen through by the Sin Lord before her.
Ever since she'd come back, all that was on her mind was how useless she'd been. She could throw up excuses that the enemy was too strong, that she was already doing great compared to countless others…
but she didn't want to do great, nor did she care how strong the adversary was…
Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, trembling slightly.
She only wanted to help him. She wanted to be a pillar he could lean on. She didn't want to be a mere decoration that only knew how to act cute.
Even Alice, who was a step lower than her, did her part, so there wasn't any excuse to talk about. She was just useless.
The woman before her seemed to see through all her insecurities and wishes, hence her amusement.
"Every power comes at a price, however. And this is no different."
Those words seemed to jolt Seraphine out of her frozen state, her head snapping up.
"A woman who follows the path of Chastity can never have sex."
"Ah…" Seraphine had to freeze once more at that, her mouth falling open slightly.
"No vaginal sex. No anal sex either. Nor oral sex."
Each word landed like a hammer blow. Seraphine's face went pale, then flushed, then pale again.
"If you do, the one who will plunder you will not only take away your chastity, but also your mana."
"The concepts holding your body will crumble, and you will be reduced to a mere… mortal."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Seraphine stood perfectly still, hands fallen limp at her sides, staring at nothing.
"..."
"Normally, the women in our faction don't mingle with men, so this is of little consequence. For you, though…" Seraphine could vaguely see the figure shake her head behind the mist.
She continued in a regretful voice, "I would have said that you reap what you sow, but I confess that even I didn't foresee the survival of this gentleman."
"I thought he would die somewhere along the line. That is the usual fate of the men who guard us from the endless horde of monsters…"
"I thought that your choice of man wasn't apt. That he was far beneath you, a Saintess with such beauty and status. I thought you were delusional in clinging to such a man…"
Her voice hardened.
"But you were not."
"In fact, you chose well… a bit too well for your own good. And now… you are the unworthy one."
Seraphine flinched.
"Why are you hesitating…?" The voice turned sharp, "If you want to stand beside a hero of that caliber, you ought to have at least the resolve to grab an opportunity when it comes your way."
"If you plan to support such a man, then you being a candidate isn't sufficient."
The final question came softly, almost gently, but was weighted with immense expectation.
"So. What will you choose? O dear candidate?"
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[Congratulations! You have successfully switched to the Chastity Pathway. All your conceptual information has been safely converted.]
[You are now a Step IV: Warden of Longing]
Seraphine's eyes fluttered open to gaze at the system's message announcing the consequences of her choice.
She slowly stood up from the center of the ritual circle, legs shaky, using the floating orb for balance. The pink mana lines dimmed one by one in response, their glow fading like dying embers.
As she made her way back on unsteady feet, the Bishopess's relieved expression was the first thing she saw.
Mary rushed forward, hands reaching out to steady her.
"I'm glad you're fine, and… congratulations, Saintess."
Seraphine only showed a strained smile in response, her lips trembling at the corners. Neither the successful ascension seemed to brighten her countenance, nor the new title.
Mary's smile also receded in turn, her hands gripping Seraphine's shoulders gently. "Are you still thinking about that man?"
But she didn't have to ask. Just looking at Seraphine's face made it obvious enough.
"You know, there is also platonic love. Perhaps that could work out?" Mary tried, voice hopeful.
The blonde nun simply shook her head in response.
Whatever it was… emotional love, spiritual love, or any other platonic relationship… to her, it was merely half of the equation that was love.
Without satisfying both flesh and mind, a hollow would forever stay present. For him, as well as her.
But she would still make the same choice every time if she had another chance. Standing beside him, no matter how imperfectly, was a thousand times better than staying behind him as a useless piece of flesh that he could only pleasure himself with.
Sigh
She let out a long, shuddering breath, shoulders sagging.
'How am I going to give him babies now…?'
Her hand unconsciously drifted to her stomach, pressing gently.
'...Thankfully, there's also Alice. I'll have to leave it to her.'