After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 11

Veranse grew up within the Holy Church, receiving a traditional religious education.

As the Chosen Saintess, she was initially the God of Light’s most devout follower.

She served the Sun God Iveta with unwavering devotion, never betraying her title as the Divine Favored.

But when she glimpsed the Divine Realm, her faith shattered completely, transforming her into an unbeliever.

What she saw was not the radiant, holy realm of the gods, but a twisted, dark purgatory—no, something far worse than purgatory. The deities who should have occupied their shrines had vanished, replaced by pulsating, bl00d-red tumors that writhed like monstrous eyes.

According to epic tales, after the Second Divine War, the Fei’er Continent could no longer bear the gods’ power. Thus, the deities retreated to the Divine Realm to slumber.

But when the Divine Realm lost its sanctity, to whom should the Holy Maiden chosen by the gods pledge her devotion?

She didn’t know how she had survived her forbidden glimpse. Perhaps the Holy See’s sacred artifacts had protected her. After all, only the Light Pivot and the Chapter of Protection remained intact after her transgression; the rest were mere replicas she had replaced.

The original sacred artifacts had long since been destroyed.

The gods had fallen.

This was the secret Veranse carried in her heart.

The moment Yulxi unleashed her power, Veranse sensed an unfamiliar Divine Power.

Could it be a foreign deity who has already descended? Veranse’s heart jolted with alarm. Her bl00d began to boil, not with fear, but with an intense curiosity and a burning desire to uncover the truth.

She would stop at nothing to reach the other side, even if it meant being shattered into pieces.

Yulxi caught the feverish glint in Veranse’s eyes. Without betraying her composure, she subtly retreated a step, widening the distance between herself and the somewhat unhinged Holy Maiden.

She could indeed continue concealing her true identity. Unless dealing with high-level practitioners or exceptional individuals like Veranse, no one else could see through her disguise. But maintaining this facade might hinder her ability to direct the territory’s development in ways that would ultimately benefit her.

A terrifying power enveloped Klein City. Yulxi was certain that, in the coming days, the Red Maple Territory’s “Black Dragon” would transform into a “Legendary Dragon” through word of mouth. While Great Dragons held considerable value, that applied only to young and adolescent dragons. No one would dare antagonize a “Legendary Dragon.”

“Holy Maiden?” Ilti, stunned into a daze by the string of revelations, turned her gaze to Veranse, blinking in confusion.

Veranse remained enveloped in an aura of radiant holy light, her expression unwavering as she denied the accusation. “Lord Yulshi must be mistaken,” she said. “There are countless people named Veranse. Even tracing my family lineage back several generations, you’ll find many with that name.”

Ilti regarded Veranse with suspicion.

Flah, however, believed Veranse’s words. “What high-ranking official from the Holy Church would ever come to this forsaken place?” she scoffed. “The priests stationed here are all exiles banished to the frontier.” She nudged Ilti and added, “Now that the war is over, Ilti, you must announce this terrible—” Catching Yulxi’s pointed glare, Flah quickly corrected herself, “—this joyous news to the people.”

Ilti’s guards were present, but their combat ranks were low, barely qualifying them as true warriors. For instance, the soldiers who should have been operating the ballistae had fainted in terror at the sight of the Black Dragon. Though the Red Maple Territory hadn’t suffered catastrophic losses, the mess Ilti now had to clean up was still considerable.

“You—” Ilti turned to Yulxi, her face etched with doubt and her expression somewhat lost.

Yulxi nodded curtly and turned to leave.

The Gold and Silver Tavern was eerily deserted.

Though adventurers had once frequented the place, the moment they sensed that terrifying power, they conjured up visions of an impending cataclysm. A Legendary Dragon—a Legendary Dragon! Now that the Red Maple Territory had been marked, staying here would be a death sentence. True, the tavern housed a Legendary Wizard Cat, but even among Legendaries, there were tiers. For instance, a titled Legendary would possess vastly superior combat prowess. And between a Dragon and a Cat of the same level, who would prevail? Even if Kasha were willing to protect them, she might not be able to.

“I feel rather underestimated,” Kasha remarked, emerging from a pile of curled-up cat balls. She licked her paw and asked Yulxi, “What did you manage to salvage?”

Yulxi raised an eyebrow, her smile bright. “Extraordinary,” she replied, referring to the loot seized from the bandits. Upon returning to the Gold and Silver Tavern, she had ventured into the thicket of crossbow bolts. Only a few trembling guards remained, clinging to their Knightly code and faith, refusing to flee. Of course, it was also possible they hadn’t realized Yulxi was the Black Dragon who had terrorized the entire territory.

Yulxi handed the guards the items the bandits had recently plundered from the Red Maple Territory, instructing them to return the goods to their rightful owners. As for the remaining items, whose origins couldn’t be accurately traced, they naturally became part of the Black Dragon’s hoard.

“Was our Miss Ilti absolutely terrified?” Kasha asked with amusement.

Yulxi’s true identity had been revealed so suddenly. After all, a group of poorly united individuals had gathered, vowing to keep the Black Dragon at bay—only to discover the dragon was right among them. Their proactive invitation for Yulxi’s help now seemed almost comical.

Inviting the Dragon into their own den.

It was truly beyond anyone’s imagination.

“What do you plan to do next?” Kasha asked curiously.

Unlike her deceased former master, Kasha had no fondness for wandering adventures, which was why she had stayed in the Red Maple Territory to open a tavern.

But when something interesting came along, curiosity inevitably stirred within her.

Yulxi replied calmly, “The Temple.”

Kasha’s response was delayed. She murmured, “The Church won’t allow it, will they? You’ll be branded a heretic. Though the Church’s influence rarely extends this far.” A small territory like Red Maple would only bring trouble if they tried to interfere, and the High Priests had no interest in such matters. Besides, the Church and the Emperor were at odds, with far greater concerns demanding their attention.

“That’s not necessarily true,” Yulxi said calmly. When she looked up, she saw Veranse’s signature radiant golden hair and smile. Ilti and Flah harbored a deep fear of the Great Dragon, but Veranse was different. The Holy Maiden seemed to treat her simply as “Veranse,” not as the Holy See’s Chosen Saintess.

“A mug of ale, please,” Veranse said to the cat-eared server.

Under the watchful eyes of Yulxi and Kasha, she sat down opposite them, greeting them with a cheerful smile: “Good day, ladies.”

As if nothing had happened between them.

“You should be in the cathedral, not ordering ale in a tavern,” Yulxi said dryly.

“Are you worried about me?” Veranse asked, feigning surprise and delight. “High Priestess Charlotte is busy comforting the lost souls of the territory. I wouldn’t be of any help there.”

“Charlotte? I thought the High Priestess of Red Maple Territory was someone else,” Kasha remarked.

“You mean the previous High Priest?” Veranse asked reverently. “He has already embraced the Light, dedicating himself fully to serving our Lord.”

Yulxi: “……”

Kasha: “Shouldn’t the new High Priest be appointed by the Holy See?”

Yulxi also turned to Veranse, curious about her response. After all, as the Holy Maiden of the Light Church, she had the authority to appoint High Priests herself.

Veranse countered, “This is Lord Yulshi’s territory. I doubt he’d want to trouble the Holy See with such trivial matters, would he? I’ve heard of places where High Priests have died four or five years ago, and no one has even noticed.”

Yulxi lowered her gaze, offering no response.

The “faithless” Veranse remained an enigma to her.

“What’s for dinner?” Kasha, showing little interest in the Holy See, licked her paw and looked expectantly at Yulxi.

Yulxi didn’t visit the Gold and Silver Tavern every day, and on the days she did, Kasha wanted to savor every moment.

“Perhaps we could skip the black bread and bacon,” Veranse suggested, licking her lips. “I’ll pay.”

Yulxi called her bluff. “Half a month ago, I settled your bar tab.”

“Oh, really?” Veranse blinked innocently, producing two bloodstained Magic Crystals. “Please?” she pleaded earnestly.