Chapter 269

According to the original plan, Herbert intended to go to the lava hell on the fourth floor after finishing here with Sifanni, chat and have fun with Miss Devil and Miss Demon, and only go to the fifth floor to find the fallen angel at the very end.

After playing around with Luciel, he would finally return to the Endless Labyrinth to see if the two Miss Hungry Dragons had decided a winner.

But the sudden situation at hand made it impossible for Herbert to continue following the original plan.

Herbert's eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of thought flashing through them.

There has been a change on the fifth floor.

What kind of trouble is Luciel causing again!?

Herbert temporarily changed his mind; he would not go to find Flora and the others first, but instead divert his path to the fallen angel to investigate what was happening.

He wanted to see what this restless fallen angel was up to again!

"Lord Herbert, it seems you have other matters to attend to; in that case, it is time for you to leave."

Sifanni was very sharp; upon realizing that Herbert had noticed something, she stopped straddling him and took the initiative to get off him.

Sifanni did not pester Herbert to give her an answer immediately, but instead took the initiative to let him leave.

This is the benefit of communicating with smart people.

Both sides know what they want, what they need, and understand that the other party needs to deliberate and cannot give an answer directly.

Smart people know when to say what, and even more clearly, when not to say anything.

Take a step back, and the sky is vast.

When negotiating, being aggressive is not necessarily the optimal choice.

Being tough might indeed intimidate the other party, but it could also backfire, instead provoking the other party's contrarian psychology.

She was actually quite satisfied and surprised by the attitude Herbert showed this time.

The exchange between the two could be considered to have completely broken the ice; Sifanni "sincerely apologized," and Herbert "let bygones be bygones."

Now, they were "close friends" who could boldly speak the "truth."

Regardless of how much sincerity was contained in this exchange, on the surface, they had at least turned the page on previous unpleasantness.

"Hmm, you're right, I do need to leave."

Herbert rose from the rattan sofa, shook his neck, casually plucked another leaf, and turned to nod at Sifanni: "Regarding the matter of Stilla, I need to think about it some more."

"After all, she is a city lord of the Underdark with powerful strength; this matter needs to be treated with caution."

However, Herbert did not close the door on the matter, instead saying: "But, before I give you an answer, you can prepare a few trial action plans."

"You can organize all the information you know."

Sifanni is a member of the Moore family and holds a high position based on her own strength; she knows plenty about the internal workings of her family.

With her as an inside agent providing information, whether it is implementing a silent decapitation strike or a grand, head-on confrontation, she can provide a lot of help.

"By the time you have those plans ready, I will likely have made my decision, and we can discuss it directly then."

Sifanni nodded slightly upon hearing this and bowed respectfully.

"Understood."

Although Herbert did not explicitly state what kind of decision he would make, Sifanni already knew his thoughts.

He had basically agreed.

Herbert was clearly tempted by the benefits she proposed.

Not responding now was just considering some details and thinking about more pros and cons.

But this would absolutely not change his current thoughts; agreement was only a matter of time.

This was in line with Sifanni's expectations; no one would refuse such vast wealth and power.

In the face of sufficiently large interests, even a paladin would waver.

Not to mention, the young man before her did not seem to be the stereotypical paladin with a rigid personality and lack of flexibility.

He is very smart, very sharp, and very difficult to see through.

Although his behavior could definitely not be considered pure and upright, he still radiated a holy light that made people take notice.

He had not fallen.

Whether a paladin has fallen or not should actually be viewed from both subjective and objective aspects.

Subjectively speaking, as long as a paladin deviates from their inner beliefs and no longer adheres to past oaths, they will lose the protection of their oaths, and in serious cases, may even suffer backlash.

And from an objective level, the occurrence of behaviors such as blasphemy and corruption will indeed cause a paladin to passively move toward falling.

When facing enemies and fighting various dangerous monsters, they will inevitably be influenced by others and suffer from the encroachment of evil forces.

Abilities like corruption and pollution can not only cause real physical harm to a paladin but may also change their bodies.

This change is not just physiological; it may also cause serious damage to their power system, which originally relied on pure belief.

When the body can no longer withstand the warmth brought by holy light, but instead suffers harm, how many paladins can still firmly believe in their convictions?

The accumulation of these negative factors is like shadows in the dark shrouding a lighthouse, eventually causing them to lose their original holy radiance and completely fall.

But sometimes, such influence is not absolute.

Because there are always people who will prove to this world—sometimes, will is above all else.

In the laws of this world, will can truly bring power!

If a paladin's own will is firm enough and they are clear about everything they do... then they will not fall.

Even if this paladin has committed certain acts that are generally viewed as falling, they will not truly fall into the mire of corruption.

Even if covered in filth, forced to transform into a demon, or corrupted by an evil god... they still have not fallen.

Even if their flesh changes, their appearance alters, and they are misunderstood by others... they still will not fall.

As long as there is an unshakable belief deep in their heart, firmly believing that every action and every decision they make follows the principles of justice.

Then, their belief will not waver.

They are like strong grass in a gale; no matter how surging the forces of falling are from the outside, they can hold fast to their original heart.

These paladins have a title representing glory—【The Keepers】.

They are the keepers of will.

Never wavering when facing temptation and the erosion of darkness, their will is like an indestructible high mountain.

They are the keepers of belief.

Belief is the source of their power and the pillar of their soul, allowing them to protect their inner purity even in times of crisis.

They are even more so the keepers of hope.

The Keepers are role models for countless paladins; their very existence is an inspiration.

They let those lost paladins understand that as long as one holds fast to their belief, they will definitely be able to defeat the enemy.

No matter if that enemy comes from the outside or exists within the heart, they can be defeated!

But unfortunately, even in the long history, paladins with such iron-like will are rare existences.

Such firm will is like a rare treasure, extremely scarce among the many paladins.

More paladins will resist when the tide of falling surges, but will eventually collapse and disintegrate, being assimilated by the power of falling, losing their original holiness and purity.

Sifanni looked at Herbert, unable to help but have many thoughts flash through her mind.

Could it be that the young man before her is also a special existence possessing such qualities?

Because Herbert's inner belief is firm enough, he will not fall even if he commits some overstepping acts.

... Is it really like this?

Regarding the reasonable conclusion she reached, Sifanni was still somewhat hesitant and unsure.

The deduction process was fine, and the conclusion reached was applicable.

No matter how you look at it, it is reasonable, logical, and there are no major problems.

But when Sifanni recalled the "taming" act Herbert did to Ilisa earlier, she couldn't help but waver in her heart.

So those seemingly absurd acts also have Herbert's unknown deep meaning behind them, right?

"Hmm... should be like this, right?"

Sifanni was skeptical about this in her heart, but as a rigorous mage, she decided to trust her own deduction.

Hmm.

That is exactly it.

He is a paladin who is a 【Keeper】 with firm belief!

"Alright, since you understand everything, I will be leaving now."

Herbert did not know that he had become such an image in Sifanni's heart.

【Keeper】? Are you talking about me?

But even if he knew, he would not deliberately explain.

Such a misunderstanding is quite good, really quite good.

Some things really don't need to be said too clearly; others will reach their own answers.

For things that exceed their scope of understanding, no matter how outrageous, their hearts will always find a suitable reason, imagining an answer they can accept to convince themselves.

Herbert opened a door in the room and was about to push it open to leave when he suddenly remembered something and turned back to warn:

"By the way, I have partially lifted the restrictions on Ilisa; she can move freely on this floor from now on, so don't bully her."

Ilisa's strength is not weak, but she is generally relatively weak as she can enter a blood-thirsty state at any time, so she should not be a match for this dark elf archmage who is at her peak state.

"Please rest assured, I will not harm her."

Sifanni shook her head, transferred her will to the figurine avatar, and couldn't help but laugh.

Just as the two of them were confronting and testing each other, playing a game of wits, Ilisa was playing a game with the "figurine avatar" on the other side.

Ilisa, who hadn't found a toy for many years, was excitedly making the "Sifanni figurine" constantly change outfits like a dress-up doll.

The entire material of the figurine avatar is composed of flesh and blood, and the clothes it wears are also changed from flesh and blood, which can change shape at will.

Sifanni's mouth curled up slightly, and she whispered: "Hehe, Lord Herbert, I actually like her very much."

"Is that so."

Herbert squinted at Sifanni, nodded slowly, and then suddenly smiled: "Then looking at it this way, the relationship between you two should be quite good, and you could become very good friends."

Sifanni: "Hmm? Friends?"

He looked at the stunned dark elf, shook his head with a smile, said nothing, and turned to push open the portal.

After he walked into the portal, a teasing remark full of mockery came from behind the door.

"Also, don't forget, I really want to be friends with you too! Haven't we already become close friends?"

And...

"So, you don't have to be so... Holy crap! Why are you here!!? Wait!"

Click.

The portal disappeared, and it was unknown what Herbert encountered during the second half of the second sentence.

"Friends, close friends..."

Sifanni pondered these two unfamiliar words, couldn't help but shake her head, lifted the aura blockade of the treehouse, and smiled toward the direction where Ilisa was.

This avatar of hers sat in the position Herbert had just occupied, sniffed gently, greedily inhaled his scent into her lungs, and chuckled to herself: "This is truly a development I never imagined."

Aurora Sanctuary.

Whoosh!

The portal flashed and vanished, and in this gap, Herbert leaped in from behind the door, rolled on the ground in a disheveled manner, and then stood up elegantly.

"Hehe, a mere hungry dragon, nothing more... hiss."

He bared his teeth and rubbed his palms, sighing: "Phew! That was exciting! I was almost caught!"

After pushing open the portal, Herbert happened to run into Valentina, who was patrolling, and was almost detained halfway!

That hungry dragon wanted to beat me to my knees; she must have wanted to catch me and make me a star-slave!

Well, if it weren't for the fact that I had serious business, I might have just complied...

Thinking of serious business, Herbert shifted his attention back to the Aurora Sanctuary, searching for the main person who brought him here.

"Yo, long time no see, Luciel! You are again... hmm?"

But when Herbert looked at Luciel, he blinked uncertainly.

Hmm?

Every time he came to the Aurora Sanctuary on the fifth floor, Herbert could encounter new discoveries.

The first time, Herbert saw a giant eyeball and the pitch-black wings surrounding it.

The second time, he saw the tall four-armed fallen angel and witnessed her new appearance after her transformation.

And this third time...

"Gulp."

Herbert swallowed his saliva, squinting at the existence in the distance.

If what Luciel had shown before was only the gentle side of the fallen angel.

Then at this moment, what Herbert saw was the fighting posture she had when she was still a war angel, facing evil and facing enemies.

The black veil in front of her eyes disappeared, covered by a pitch-black face mask emitting a cold luster, obscuring her face.

And the pitch-black wings behind her were floating gently at this moment, each feather seemingly transformed into a sharp blade, flashing with a chilling metallic luster as they fluttered slightly.

This reminded Herbert of one of her titles—【Fallen Sword Feather】!

Her slender four arms were also covered in battle armor gauntlets, and her fingers were covered by a layer of sharp hand armor flashing with cold light.

As her fingers moved lightly, the space distorted slightly, as if it could tear everything in the world apart.

Behind her, a huge pale halo floated, emitting an eerie light, echoing the strong aura of falling emanating from Luciel's body.

A grand hymn echoed around her, as if it were a dirge for her falling, and also like a reminiscence of the sacred past.

In this atmosphere where falling and holiness intertwined, she was like a contradictory combination, emitting a unique and heart-palpitating aura.

"... Hiss."

Herbert squinted, for a moment not knowing how to speak.

This...

Why did she suddenly become like this?

"Luciel, you are... hmm?"

And just as he opened his mouth, the fallen angel in the distance suddenly vanished into thin air.

Vanished!!?

Before Herbert could think, he suddenly felt a terrifying aura that made his blood tremble coming from behind him.

Teleportation!!!

And just before Herbert could react, he heard a sigh containing complex emotions.

"Sigh."

The next instant...

Herbert's vision went black.

(End of chapter)