Chapter 141. Do goddesses have such fashion preferences? (50)
As for Alan’s resurrection, Noah had long anticipated it.
In fact, he had considered whether to resurrect Alan once more, allowing him to taste defeat and the role of the victim again.
As the penultimate boss in the original story, Alan’s resurrection was part of the plot.
However, due to the changes in circumstances, Alan could no longer showcase his astonishing power in the same manner as before, compelling the heroine, Valentina, to submit.
Alan would undoubtedly resort to other means, perhaps conspiring with Delia to eliminate Valentina, whom they both found distasteful.
Thus, Noah decided to wait and see what method Alan would employ for his revenge against Valentina.
It was only five minutes after the successful resurrection ritual that Alan began to regain consciousness.
—
With a casual flick of his wrist, he dispatched the few fervent sorcerers kneeling before him, their lives snuffed out to fuel his own dark power.
Cunning Marlow, however, sensed the shift in the air and slipped away, a testament to the vast chasm that lay between villains, even among their own.
As Noah had surmised, the resurrected Allen burned with fierce determination, intent on delivering a surprise to Valentina, who had once humiliated him.
Yet, his initial aim was to seek out the remnants of his demon kin, rather than rallying the main forces of their kind—a fact that left Noah feeling quite disheartened.
“Tsk, I thought for sure I’d see other demon leaders. Is it that they’re unwilling to admit their defeat to their peers?”
At this moment, Noah had returned to the crumbling temple, keeping a watchful eye on Allen’s movements.
In an effort to disguise himself, Allen altered his appearance, then attempted to reach out to the remnants of his kin.
But soon he discovered that a significant portion of his followers had been eradicated by Valentina, and he erupted in a furious rage, laughing maniacally afterward, exclaiming, “Good, good! Such a woman is worthy of my conquest!”—words that dripped with madness.
“See? I told you, a fool is still a fool. After finally being resurrected, he could have simply washed his hands of it all and joined the heroes. Instead, he insists on digging his own grave.”
Allen’s antics, so reminiscent of a jester, left Noah at a loss for words.
How had this fool become even more embarrassing than in the original tale?
It was merely a loss to a girl he deemed beneath him; what was there to be so distraught about?
Look at this other princess, who also fell to Valentina—though she too was displeased, at least she appeared composed!
Noah shifted his gaze to another monitoring crystal, where the image of the grand princess, Delia, appeared, just returned to the palace, preparing for a bath while others settled in for the night.
Delia, exuding an air of poise, earned Noah a solid eighty points in his estimation.
Thus, as Allen scoured for his kin, Noah decided to observe the unfolding events here for a while.
Unbeknownst to the princess under scrutiny, she was in a foul mood, her body tainted by the stench of the underworld.
A bit of a neat freak, she had been reluctant to linger in the basement, repulsed by the filthy surroundings and the foul odor clinging to the sorcerers and the resurrected Allen.
Believing that such odors would tarnish her noble form, Delia’s first demand upon returning to the palace was to soak away the vile, degrading scents.
This was a perfectly ordinary request, nothing to raise eyebrows.
But then a maid emerged, whispering something that twisted Delia’s expression into one of displeasure, prompting her to veer off to a different destination before her bath.
At first, Noah couldn’t fathom where she was headed.
It wasn’t until she stormed into a room and berated the little princess already nestled in bed that he grasped the situation.
“Veronica! I’ve heard you’ve been bathing with Valentina in a friendly manner! Are you trying to bring shame upon our family?”
Delia was incensed by her sister’s camaraderie with another sibling behind her back.
She unleashed a torrent of fierce reprimands upon Veronica.
“I-I’m sorry…”
The frightened little princess stood on the floor of her room, her bare feet turned inward, her cherubic face etched with anxiety and fear.
“What good is an apology? Veronica, do you think just because I lost to Valentina once, I’m no longer worthy of your respect? I see you’ve become quite the fence-sitter! Just because you’ve grown a bit taller and your chest has filled out, you think you’re something special, don’t you?”
Veronica’s timid demeanor did nothing to soften Delia’s heart; instead, it only fueled her scolding of her own sister.
—
—
The little princess, with no other recourse but to apologize, trembled incessantly, too afraid to retort.
It was no wonder, really; the little princess was inherently shy, her age a dreamlike thirteen, appearing younger than her peers due to the strict confines of her upbringing.
As the youngest of the royal line, she had always been overshadowed by Delia, the eldest, a full decade her senior. For Veronica, Delia’s words were not to be disregarded.
Noah, to be honest, felt a twinge of irritation, but such matters would resolve themselves once Valentina was thoroughly defeated by Valentina, so he merely observed.
“…Ah, it makes me seem like the villain here. Listen well, Veronica, we are sisters bound by blood. That Valentina is nothing but a mongrel. Just wait patiently for your sister to eliminate her; I do this for your own good, you understand? You cannot grow into the noble and exquisite beauty I am if you associate with such a wretch.”
Yet, in the end, Delia did not entirely dismiss Veronica as a sister. After a fierce reprimand, she reluctantly began to comfort the girl, who was on the verge of tears.
Once Veronica nodded in her habitual manner, Delia felt reassured enough to send her to bed before retreating to bathe again.
“…Sisters bound by blood, hm, such fine words, dear princess. Because of that, you cannot escape Valentina. You will have to accept her, no matter what. I can already envision the shame you will have to acknowledge.”
On the other side of the monitor, Noah wore a smirk filled with ambiguous mockery as he gazed at the beautiful silhouette of the princess.
He had long been aware of their relationship, so he was not restless or anxious.
He merely awaited the day when the princess would have to confront reality.
For the next hour and a half, Noah continued his observation.
Ellen, still weak from her recent revival, could not find any companions from the demon clan and had to rest for now.
Delia returned to her room to sleep after enjoying a bath, attended by six maids.
Valentina and Clotilde, the two leading ladies, had also succumbed to slumber.
At this point, Noah decided it was time to find a tavern to rest.
But just as he prepared to shut down all the magical surveillance, Delia suddenly began to engage in strange behavior within her own room.
Specifically, she piled a heap of stockings on the bed and began to clasp her hands in prayer before them, murmuring something about hoping the divine would grant her victory over her sister Valentina.
“???”
Noah could only stare, utterly perplexed.
What? So the goddess enjoys wearing stockings too?
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PS. Four updates today, continuing tomorrow!
(These past two days have seen three more updates, meaning 52-3=49 updates. Very good, starting with a four; this month will surely see completion, thanks to the support of our dear readers! I’ll keep writing!)
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