"You should have mentioned earlier that you can induce Holy Rank hallucinations. That would definitely give us an opportunity," Johannes patted Sullivan's shoulder forcefully.

"I may be under the command of the Pope, you are underestimating me too much," Sullivan shrugged.

"Creating illusions is one thing, but being able to make contact with them is another. My hallucination ability has a higher ceiling, and the conditions for casting the spell are more demanding as I must make them come into contact with a medium," he explained.

"Well... that's true," Theurg began to feel distressed again. Even if there was a chance to induce Holy Rank hallucinations, they still hadn't solved the most basic issue.

It was as complicated as putting an elephant into a fridge, requiring several steps. While they could simplify the plan to "enter the castle, tie up the queen, and leave the castle," the first step of getting inside was already a problem.

Not to mention the outer walls that posed a major challenge for Johannes, who could barely be called a healthy Theurg, and even if Sullivan managed to climb over, dealing with the patrolling guards and the inevitable security barriers would be difficult.

If those matters were left to the religious inquisitors accustomed to doing dirty work in the shadows, it might be much easier. Unfortunately, the inquisitors, like the holy knight squadron, were relatively independent organizations. Even though the Grand Knight and the Chief Inquisitor's status was lower than the Pope's, they were currently constrained by the interference of the Eremitic Order, preventing the Pope from directly ordering them.

"How about... you try to sneak in? I'll support you from the outside," Johannes casually suggested, unable to come up with a reliable plan.

"It's worth a try," Sullivan's gaze turned sharp.

Hey, are you serious? I was just kidding!

---

"Aya, it's really good to see you unharmed," a voice of little Angel came from behind the door. Because of the small bathroom, there was some echoing with the sound of running water, making it sound unclear.

"Thanks, my life belongs to the tougher kind, so it's not that easy to die," Aya replied while leaning against the bathroom door. Although she seemed calm on the surface while responding to little Angel like a reliable senior, inside, she was screaming.

After disposing of the bag of French army weapons... I mean baguettes, it was already late. Everyone was tired after strolling in Beacon City, even Miss Tiran, who usually stayed up late practicing cultivation.

"But why did Viavian have little Angel and me share a room..." Aya muttered to herself. When Vivian told them to share a room, she was strongly shaken... No, it wasn't that kind of shaken, there was no way her feelings for Tiran were that easily swayed.

But, how should she put it, the formerly clueless Aya Dragon was no longer completely oblivious to matters of intimacy, especially now that little Angel could be considered a beautiful young lady. Coupled with her naturally naive personality outside of battle, it was easy to fall into temptation.

Little Angel's feelings towards Aya were pure, just a response and gratitude towards kindness. After being defeated by a sword, Aya was the only kind person to her... or perhaps, compared to the Princess and Mimi, Aya was just harmless.

But in this situation, who could say there was no possibility of unexpected events happening?

Recalling the mischievous smile her mother-in-law gave her before leaving, Aya sighed. Was this another test?

"Hey, Aya, don't you lay a finger on Felicia, or even this tolerant lady here will get jealous," Tiran's warning rang out in Aya's consciousness from the imprinted contract mark.

"I won't!" Aya quickly denied, and besides, where were you tolerant?

"Well, that's good." Satisfied with Aya's assurance, Tiran suddenly remembered something, "Oh, if you have the chance, ask Felicia why she's back again."

After being invaded by the Holy Spirit, the Angel's covenant that bound Angel and Tiran together was forcibly erased by the overwhelming soul power, which meant the master-servant relationship no longer existed—basically, it was as confusing as when the Goddess sent Felicia to her.

"Maybe she missed the food of the human world and came back?"

"No, that would be too..." Tiran shook her head repeatedly, but then hesitated thoughtfully.

Given Angel's behavior... it wasn't entirely impossible.

Just then, the bathroom door opened.

Aya, who was leaning against the door, suddenly lost her balance. She had been so engrossed in chatting with Tiran that she didn't pay attention to the movements behind her. In an instant, she fell backward to the ground.

The slightly damp floor, from the condensation of steam, moistened Aya's maid outfit and the strands of hair hanging down, causing a drop of sweat to slide along the edge of her cheek.

"Aya, why are you sitting here?"

Little Angel, hiding her white wings, now appeared as an ordinary girl who had just finished bathing. Clad only in a towel with an entirely defenseless appearance, the damp golden hair draped over her shoulders, as the white towel shielded her from the collarbone down to her thighs.

Oh no!

In that moment, Aya's eyes seemed to be blinded by a divine light.

"I didn't see anything! And you should wear a little more," she said, in an attempt to maintain the dignity of her senior. Aya scrambled to her feet, slapping away the water droplets while turning her back.

"Personally, I don't think Aya needs to worry. Although Aya told me that she shouldn't let others see her body, Aya is a trustworthy person, so it's fine."

Just because you trust someone, it's not an excuse to act like this! And if Tiran were to find you like this, with just a towel wrapped around you, it would be a disaster.

"At least put on some pajamas..."

That's when Aya noticed that little Angel hadn't brought her nightwear into the bathroom. Sighing, she retrieved the set of pajamas Mimi had hand-sewn for Angel during her stay in the castle days ago and handed it to her.

Ding... ding...

"Aya, there's a bell outside."

Aya also heard the penetrating sound of the bell coming in through the window, a signal for patrol teams in the area. Although it was the lowest-level frequency, it fell entirely within the control range of the elite knights on night duty.

"Don't worry, it's not a big issue."

Unbeknownst to Aya, a rather thrilling chase was unfolding inside the castle.