After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 40

Please trust in Lord Yulshi’s abilities.

Yulxi pondered the information Lucian had brought.

Lucian was merely a prisoner brought back by the mage. Beyond knowing the mage’s name and sensing his ill intentions, she couldn’t provide any further details about his spells. However, Yulxi had encountered a mage from the Creationist Society before. Their ultimate tactic seemed to involve summoning the Gray Demon, a loyal servant of an unknown Evil God, from the abyss.

“Let’s wait patiently,” Yulxi said calmly. Her gaze lingered on Lucian for a moment before withdrawing. The mage must have left some mark on her, given her connection to the mithril mine. Yulxi had no intention of removing the mark; she would simply wait for the mage to arrive and eliminate him completely. As for the Green Dragon lurking in the Underdark—as long as it showed no ambition to expand upward, it could be temporarily disregarded as an enemy.

“Yulxi, the pot!” Veranse’s face beamed with carefree joy as she walked through the labyrinthine tunnels. Earlier, while navigating the maze-like passages, she had urged Yulxi to capture two Loth Beasts—underground creatures resembling surface cattle in both appearance and culinary use.

Having regained some strength, Lucian was already picking mushrooms under Veranse’s direction. A water source flowed nearby, and Veranse followed Yulxi with her hands clasped behind her back, watching Yulxi expressionlessly butcher the Loth Beast while Lucian clumsily washed the mushrooms.

“You don’t seem to do this kind of work often,” Veranse remarked, winking at Lucian. “You must spend most of your time adventuring in the wilderness, right?”

Lucian hesitated before replying, “I don’t go out alone.”

Veranse nodded knowingly. “It’s just that your loyal servants have all become dogs under the Third Prince’s command,” she said slowly.

Lucian’s face stiffened with embarrassment. She glanced at Veranse’s face for a fleeting moment, then quickly averted her gaze as if burned. “I was missing for three years,” she murmured. “They had every right to find a new master. Besides—”

“You were originally working for the Third Prince anyway,” Veranse said with a smile. “If you were an Unbeliever, he might value you even more.”

Lucian pressed her lips together.

“Veranse,” Yulxi called out, tossing her a packet of broth base. “Start a fire and bring the soup to a boil.”

“Yes, Lord Yulshi,” Veranse replied obediently.

Lucian’s expression was dazed. Though three years had passed since they last met, she was certain the woman before her was the Holy Maiden of the Holy See. A symbol of nobility and purity, she was the Lord God’s messenger on Earth. The Holy See had always cherished the Holy Maiden—how could they possibly allow her to wander into the Underdark without even a single Holy Knight by her side? And who was this “Lord Yulshi” whom the Holy Maiden addressed? She bore no insignia of the Lord God and seemed untouched by the sun’s radiance.

“How did you come to be here?” Lucian asked Veranse in a low voice after washing the mushrooms.

Veranse blinked, her face betraying no emotion as she lied, “The Holy See banished me.”

Lucian’s brow furrowed, a flicker of anger crossing her face. “You are the Lord God’s Chosen! How dare the bishops do such a thing?!”

“Perhaps it’s because the Lord God is slumbering,” Veranse said, a faint smile playing on her lips as she stirred the soup with a spoon. “The Holy See is the Holy See, and the Holy Light is the Holy Light. Whether I remain the Holy Maiden or not, I will continue to spread the Lord God’s radiance to every corner of the world.”

Lucian’s heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle. Having spent years navigating the Royal Capital and dealing with the Holy See, she knew all too well the true nature of some of its bishops. Coupled with the Third Prince’s relentless criticism of the Holy See, Lucian’s feelings toward the bishops were deeply conflicted. She knew her faith lay in the pure Holy Light, and that the Chosen of God, the Holy Maiden, embodied this purity far more than the Holy See itself. After a moment’s contemplation, she made her decision. She performed a knight’s salute toward Veranse. “Lucian pledges her loyalty to you.”

She could never return to the Royal Capital. Her assets had already been seized by the Third Prince’s forces, and reappearing would mean certain death.

In truth, she had been effectively exiled.

“Your loyalty should be to Lord Yulshi,” Veranse said, her smile unwavering. “She is the one who saved your life.”

Lucian paused, then smoothly continued, “Lord Yulshi is—”

Yulshi answered casually, “The Executive Lord of Red Maple Territory.”

Lucian blinked. “Huh?”

Veranse explained brightly, “Three years is enough for the world to change drastically. The Royal Capital is no longer the place you remember, and Red Maple Territory has transformed beyond recognition as well. In short, Lord Yulshi is leading the territory’s transformation, and I’m assisting her.”

Yulxi lowered her lashes, choosing not to expose Veranse’s lie.

After all, the blame would fall on the Holy See, and what did that have to do with her?

Lucian didn’t doubt Veranse’s words, but she hadn’t sworn allegiance to Yulxi. She said earnestly, “If we can escape the Underdark, I will reveal the location of the mithril mine and serve you for five years.”

Veranse smiled faintly. “Lord Yulshi may not favor followers, but you could stay in Red Maple Territory and return to your old trade.”

Yulxi nodded, acknowledging Veranse’s suggestion.

Lucian’s unique abilities made her ideal for establishing a merchant guild and leading a caravan in Red Maple Territory. With such a venture, financial worries would become a thing of the past.

The hot broth bubbled vigorously, its mushroom aroma filling the cavern.

Before Yulxi could speak, Veranse proactively asked for two sticks of Spirit Incense, handing one to Lucian and lighting them with practiced ease. She clasped her hands in a prayerful pose. “A pre-meal ritual.” Lucian, bewildered but compliant, mimicked Veranse’s actions.

Thinly sliced Loth Beast meat dropped into the boiling pot, cooking almost instantly. Veranse wielded her chopsticks with lightning speed, scooping up the meat as quickly as a whirlwind devours clouds.

Lucian watched Veranse in astonishment. At first, she maintained a semblance of restraint, but after tasting a single bite, her eyes lit up. Even if she had been feasting on the finest meats in the Royal Capital, she would have considered this dish before her now the true delicacy. She should have offered Yulxi praise, but her hands moved faster than her thoughts, and she began eating without a word.

Only after she was full did Lucian offer a sheepish smile. “Praise be to the Great One,” she said.

Yulxi responded with a curt acknowledgment before settling into a meditative posture, cross-legged on the ground.

That mage…

He will undoubtedly send someone to search for Lucian.

The commotion began some time later.

Judging by the surface world, it was likely sunrise.

Yet in the Underdark, darkness still reigned, broken only by the faint, luminous glow of various mushrooms.

The first sign was the piercing shriek of a Screaming Mushroom, followed by a cloud of phosphorescent green spores billowing through the air.

Yulxi’s gaze darkened. As a guest at the edge of the Myconid Kingdom, she couldn’t allow the Myconids to bear the consequences of this conflict. The relationship between the Myconids and Goblins was already strained, and war had erupted by the time Yulxi arrived. The Myconid Warriors were steadily retreating, not because they lacked combat prowess, but because the Dwarf forces had summoned an Earth Elemental—a conjuration of a mage who hadn’t personally appeared.

The nearly three-meter-tall Earth Elemental moved with thunderous booms. Its humanoid body was composed of solid rock, its expressionless face adorned with gemstone-like eyes that flickered with an eerie light. Its slightly parted mouth emitted rumbling roars like the earth shaking during an earthquake, or the grinding and crushing of stone against stone. Though its movements were slow, the destruction it wrought was unparalleled.

Yulxi roughly estimated the Earth Elemental to be Fourth-Tier.

As she studied the Elemental Giant, she felt a pang of regret that the mage hadn’t come himself.

“A Fourth-Tier Earth Elemental,” Lucian, who had rushed up from behind, paled slightly. The sheer power radiating from its rocky arms and legs was palpable. Had she been at her full combat potential, she might have stood a chance against this colossal creature. But in her current state, encountering the Earth Elemental meant only one thing: desperate flight.

As for Veranse—

She was certain he was a priest.

Yulxi, however, didn’t let Veranse help.

When it came to raw strength, even an Elemental Giant couldn’t match a Great Dragon. She raised her sword and struck the Elemental Giant’s arm, shattering the impossibly hard rock into dust.

“Earth Elementals can reform using rock and soil. Ordinary weapons can’t harm them,” Lucian warned gravely.

“But look,” Veranse said with a smile, “its arm hasn’t grown back, has it?”

The Elemental Giant roared in pain, its rocky face contorting into a grimace. Glaring at Yulxi with hatred, it launched another attack, stomping its massive leg down like a stone pillar driving into the earth. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, sending even the Goblins who had followed the Earth Elemental stumbling and struggling to maintain their footing.

Yet Yulxi stood firm, her sword flashing against the Earth Elemental’s body, sending dust and rock flying. Deftly evading the giant’s legs, she reversed her grip on the sword and brushed past the Elemental Giant, sparks erupting as the blade scraped against stone. With a thunderous crash, even a sky-piercing pillar shattered under her blade. Rock fragments rained down, rendering the Earth Elemental utterly helpless, trapped like a caged beast.

“Lord God above!” Lucian gasped, staring at Yulxi’s effortless movements. “What tier Warrior are you?”

Veranse hummed. “She claims to be Third-Tier,” she said, “but she slaughters Fourth-Tier mages like chickens.” To this day, she still didn’t know Yulxi’s true tier. This time, Yulxi had used only pure Warrior techniques, without even tapping into her mysterious magical powers.

The Earth Elemental, reduced to rocky fragments by Yulxi’s blade, crumbled back into the arms of its master. The remaining Goblin Warriors, their faces contorted with terror, watched as Yulxi plunged her sword into the ground. She swiftly chanted an incantation, and jets of acidic liquid erupted around the Goblins, instantly claiming their lives before they could even reach for their strange potions.

“The mage isn’t coming,” Yulxi said calmly, her gaze fixed ahead. “Then we’ll go find him.”

Lucian’s expression turned ashen. “But he’s a high-level mage who can fight Green Dragons!” she blurted out. “He’s just one step away from becoming Legendary!” Now that they had escaped the Goblins, their priority should be returning to the surface. The Creationist Society’s high-level mages were all under surveillance, afraid to show themselves openly on the surface.

Yulxi turned to look at Lucian, her voice flat. “One step forward, and we enter hell.”

Veranse’s voice soared with confidence. “Please trust in Lord Yulshi’s abilities.”