30. Nilu, do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?

The force of the slap was so great that a bright red handprint quickly appeared on Miss Jader’s face, which began to swell and turn red, making one side of her face increasingly “asymmetrical.”

Still not fully aware of what had just happened, Miss Jader instinctively touched her swollen cheek while staring blankly at the lackey who had clearly come over to slap me but had instead slapped her. She was dumbfounded.

Of course, the lackey who was supposed to cause me trouble but had just slapped his own master was even more bewildered. He stared at the hand that had just delivered the slap as if he were trying to confirm whether it truly belonged to his body!

The previously somewhat noisy church branch suddenly quieted down significantly, and all the onlookers’ gazes converged, finally prompting Miss Jader’s other lackeys to react!

“You idiot! Did your head grow on your backside? How dare you hit the young lady!?”

Another lackey shouted angrily as he stepped forward, intending to drag his offending companion away. However, as he spoke, his movements became strange, and he suddenly turned to raise his hand against Miss Jader as well.

【Smack】

Another crisp slap echoed, this time landing on the other side of Miss Jader’s face.

Perfectly symmetrical, equal in size; not only was there a handprint, but even the swelling on both sides of Miss Jader’s face was identical. This was clearly the work of someone who pursued perfection.

Now, the surroundings had fallen completely silent. After all… no one wanted to get involved in this commotion, let alone become the scapegoat at such a moment.

I, of course, understood the bizarre scene unfolding before me.

【The fire fairy, Jias, ‘commanded’ Jader’s lackey.】

The script had appeared; it could only be the work of Jias, the fairy. However, Jias wouldn’t casually engage in such… uh, dark humor, so it could only be carried out in accordance with Nilu’s orders.

【Nilu commanded Jias.】

Lady Nilu, Miss Maid, could you perhaps save your strange quirks and unexpected perfectionism for a more appropriate time…?

In the next moment, Miss Jader finally reacted; after all, with both cheeks stinging from slaps, it would be foolish not to wake up.

“What are you doing!? Have you lost your minds!?”

However, just as she turned around, screaming in a frenzy, another attendant suddenly stepped forward. This time, there was no hesitation; they swung their fist directly at Miss Jader—aiming straight for her abdomen.

With a dull thud, Miss Jader’s body jolted, followed by the unpleasant sound of retching as she slowly knelt on the ground, foul-smelling vomit splattering all over her beautiful dress. The members of the church, finally regaining their composure, rushed to stop this “young lady” from being inexplicably punished by her own subordinates. Yet, just as they stood up, they were frozen in shock by the scene before them!

The attendants who had just reprimanded Jader began to move like robots, twisting their bodies and speaking in a monotone voice.

“This is the goddess’s punishment for you.”

Good grief, no, it should be called a “divine encounter.” The sight sent the other attendants tumbling to the ground in fear. Although I knew this was Nilu manipulating Jias to make those attendants say such things, the effect was unexpectedly powerful.

After a moment of stunned silence, everyone took this scene as the “goddess’s descent,” and without exception, they all knelt down, hearts racing. Nilu seemed to revel in the spectacle, almost bursting into laughter.

I had no choice but to sigh in resignation, lowering my voice, “Stop playing around, Nilu.”

“I’m just giving this disrespectful human a little lesson~”

“Then at least pick a better moment.”

Moreover, Nilu’s method of “teaching” was several levels more dangerous and violent compared to Kephiel’s; I was struggling to cope…

I didn’t voice this, as the matter at hand was urgent.

“Alright, let’s not dwell on this. I don’t really care that much. Hurry up, Nilu, she seems to know something important.”

I exchanged a glance with Miss Jader; she seemed to understand something, but… it was too late.

In the next moment, Jias’s flames swept across the sky, the power of “command” silencing everything around us. Everyone except Jader collapsed to the ground, temporarily losing consciousness.

“Jias, make it clean. Magnus, go cover the entrance.”

““Yes, Master!””

At this point, I had to admit that many issues and troubles were incredibly easy to resolve as long as Nilu was around, and there were no lingering worries. However, I couldn’t rely on her too much, or Kephiel would get jealous.

I shook my head and stopped thinking too much. I approached Miss Jader, watching as she knelt before me like a puppet, following the orders of Jiyas.

The reason I decided to abandon a peaceful approach and resort to this method was because of the arrogant words spoken by Miss Jader just moments ago. I was absolutely sure I hadn’t misheard; she claimed that her father held significant power within a certain “organization” in the church, and right after that came the reminder from the script: this Jader family background was related to the various “factions” within the church.

The “insider information” of the church was something we had always wanted to clarify, and how could I possibly let such an opportunity slip away?

“Miss, you just mentioned that your father seems to hold a high position in the church. Could you tell me what that position is specifically?”

Miss Jader, commanded by Jiyas, showed no hesitation and immediately poured out everything she could say.

“It’s a position related to… gathering information.”

This young lady didn’t know much more about her father’s role, but at this point, it was already enough. After all, with the increase in clues, my script could fill in the remaining gaps.

【Miss Jader’s father is gathering intelligence for the Order of the Church!】

It seemed to be something akin to an “intelligence organization.” I couldn’t help but marvel at how deep the church’s secrets ran, even having an “intelligence department.” But there was no time for me to linger on that thought.

Jiyas’s command was time-limited, and soon the onlookers around us would awaken according to the predetermined “orders.” Not to mention, this place could have outsiders entering at any moment, and the fairy Magnis couldn’t be delayed for long. Since I had obtained the information I wanted, there was no need to continue risking further inquiries.

“Nilou, have Jiyas prepare their memories, then act as if nothing happened. And… fix Miss Jader’s face while you’re at it. Don’t look at me like that; with her swollen face, there’s bound to be suspicion, right?”

It felt great to slap someone, but look at the trouble I had to go through to fix it now. Don’t do this just for my momentary satisfaction.

“Understood…”

Nilou reluctantly agreed.

Now that I had the intelligence, it was time for me to proceed to the “next step.”

“Kefir, Nilou, you two stay here. I… have a few things to take care of, but I’ll be back soon. Kefir, let me borrow Alsas for a bit.”

Important intelligence paired with an important plan; I had to “do something” to ensure everything went smoothly.

——

To everyone who won the fire coupons last month, the fire rolls have been directly credited to your accounts this afternoon, so remember to check. This month’s monthly ticket event is also ongoing, so everyone, let’s put in some effort and cast some monthly tickets, heh heh, ahhh.