Chapter 448: Valentina Offers a Bite (6K Subscription Request)

“No!”

Purely an instinctive action, Valentina dropped Flora and leapt forward, standing between the unknown entity and the door.

Ha!

She was like a burly old mage defiantly blocking the demon lord, uttering that classic line.

“You!”

“Don’t come in!”

You-shall-not-pass.jpg

Yet she held no staff or sword—her bare hands offered no intimidation.

Like a panda cub standing up and spreading its arms to appear larger.

“Valentina! Don’t be reckless!”

When Flora realized what Valentina intended, she tried to pull her back—but failed, helplessly watching her charge forward.

Damn it!

Flora didn’t know what Valentina sensed, but she knew whatever made this Epic Dragon so tense couldn’t be ordinary.

And now, she had directly rushed into confrontation with the opponent.

This was bad.

Provoking it could lead to severe consequences.

“Stay calm! Get out of the way!”

Valentina had acted on a momentary surge of adrenaline, instinctively wanting to protect her and Herbert’s temporary nest.

But now that she stood before the invisible entity, she realized how reckless she’d been.

She could clearly feel her own insignificance.

Seeing Valentina frozen in place, Flora cried out anxiously: “Move! Don’t do anything stupid… oh!”

The Devil Lady feared Valentina might make some provocative, irrational move, further provoking the entity and making the situation worse.

She had expected the dragon’s stubborn nature to make Valentina stubbornly hold her ground.

Instead, the proud dragon, after hearing Flora’s call, obediently shrank back, ducking her head and smoothly stepping aside from the door.

She moved aside, forcing a weak smile, nodding toward the front and even raising a hand in a gesture of “please, go ahead.”

“Cough, uh… you may go in…”

The Hungry Dragon was never one to dig in her heels.

Her personality was simple.

When facing enemies she could defeat, she never backed down—she’d fight to the death.

Winning battle—I dodge your sharp edges?

But when the enemy vastly outmatched her, it was time to face reality: when you need to retreat, retreat.

Losing battle—I dodge your sharp edges!

At life-or-death moments, who cares about dragon pride? Who cares about a powerhouse’s dignity?

Stop it.

Your life matters!

Hold back, and the storm calms; step back, and the horizon widens.

Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!

You won’t retreat, huh?

Hesitate.

Then I’ll retreat!

I’m retreating, okay?!

“Phew…”

Seeing Valentina so obedient and sensible, Flora relaxed slightly, exhaling in relief.

She finally understood what Herbert had privately warned her—You don’t need to worry too much about Valentina; she makes the right choices when it matters.

My kid may not be bright, but her instincts are always spot-on.

Instinct was one thing; her mind also held a sage to help judge the situation.

And when Valentina made the right choice, it wasn’t just Flora who exhaled in relief—Creti also quietly released the right hand she’d been hiding behind her back.

The Devil Lady had instinctively prepared to forcibly drag Valentina back.

Honestly, that was dangerous.

One misstep could lead to a one-for-one exchange—herself replacing Valentina to face the unknown entity directly.

Creti didn’t know why she’d thought that, why she’d had this self-sacrificing impulse.

Maybe because Valentina hadn’t abandoned her in danger? Because she’d chosen to face peril alone?

That act moved her, perhaps even sparked a stubborn refusal to give up?

But I’m a devil—why am I thinking like this?!

Creti never thought this was odd before, but after Bishop Evelyn’s reminder, she realized—she’d never been normal.

Looking back, such things hadn’t been rare?

She’d lived her whole life in a way that was profoundly un-devilish, yet never noticed—she’d even thought herself a model among devils.

The abnormal devil didn’t know what this meant, but at least… she didn’t dislike this feeling inside her.

With our retreat, the situation seems to have improved.

The unknown entity didn’t seem intent on direct conflict; during this time, it made no unusual moves—perhaps it would leave once satisfied.

That was Flora’s assumption.

But as she thought this, she noticed Valentina still stiffly standing in place.

Huh?

As Flora puzzled, Valentina turned her head, gazing at her with pleading eyes.

Save me, save me—

“...”

Flora swallowed hard. Though she sensed nothing from the entity, she guessed the situation from Valentina’s reaction.

But the problem was—after Valentina had retreated, the other side hadn’t moved at all.

One side stepped back; the other remained frozen.

The scene froze.

Valentina stood there, unable to move forward or back.

“...Oh no.”

She stood rigidly, occasionally twitching, as if ants crawled over her skin.

What do I do?

What should I do now?

Creti also sensed something was wrong. She thought for a moment, then subtly advised: “Um… you might want to show it your goodwill?”

Simply stepping aside might not be enough—you must demonstrate sincerity.

But what true sincerity meant… was unclear.

Perhaps a bow, or perhaps a price must be paid.

In her view, the unknown entity resembled some kind of unconscious embodiment of a rule.

Flora, after being reminded, agreed with this view.

While the Devil Sage pondered what price to pay, the Dragon Sage had already found the answer.

“Goodwill? Oh!”

After a moment of deep thought, a flash of inspiration struck Valentina’s mind.

Oh~

I’ve got it!

Just do this!

Valentina made her decision without consulting anyone, reached behind her, and pulled out an opened clay jar.

“Hey, that…”

Holding half a jar of Sacred City’s dried yogurt, she tentatively asked the entity: “Want some?”

“It’s pretty good!”

At these words, the entire mansion fell silent.

Pretty good…

Good…

Eat…

…

Flora and Creti stared, eyes wide, dumbfounded at the incomprehensible scene before them.

…Huh?

Wait, sis?

Are you serious?

When facing a terrifying and unknown entity that even you fear, you offer it a yogurt you’ve already eaten half of as a gesture of goodwill?

That’s it?

That’s it!!?

You use this to test your officials?

Which official wouldn’t pass such a test!!?

No!

Besides, at least give them a fresh, unopened one!

What’s the point of half-eaten?

“Hehe…”

At this moment, Valentina’s IQ spiked; she understood the confusion in their eyes and smiled shyly.

She mumbled, a little embarrassed: “Oh come on, there wasn’t any left—this was the only jar remaining.”

None left!

Really none left!

Bishop Evelyn had prepared four portions of local specialties for the four of them, and of those four jars of dry yogurt, she had already eaten three and a half.

The fact that even this half-jar remains is pure luck!

If it had been delayed just a few more minutes, even this jar would’ve been gone~!

Undoubtedly, Valentina was serious.

It wasn’t meant as provocation—she genuinely believed the other would enjoy this snack she recommended.

This sincerity was real, genuine, and unquestionable!

She even thought she’d played a brilliant move~!

Putting herself in the other’s shoes, when someone offered her food like this to win her favor, Valentina would surely calm her anger and choose to get along well.

If someone was willing to share food with her, how could they have ill intentions?

Yet the naive, hungry dragon girl had misunderstood one thing—others didn’t crave food as intensely as she did.

Others weren’t that hungry.

After receiving no response, Valentina instinctively pushed the jar forward slightly, trying to make it clearer.

But that movement triggered something.

For the first time since entering the mansion, the unknown entity reacted.

…Hm?

In a daze, Valentina thought she heard a cold, emotionless murmur.

Just as she thought the entity was finally responding, she suddenly felt a chill run through her entire body.

!!!

At that moment, not only Valentina, but Flora and Crete also felt it.

Cold.

The mansion was instantly filled with endless desolation; the temperature plummeted.

It seemed an unknown, powerful presence had finally turned its icy gaze upon them.

It had noticed them—at least, it had noticed the dry yogurt in Valentina’s hand.

Hm?

Flora’s eyes widened; her worldview felt violently shaken.

Wait, this actually works!!?

The aloof entity, who had ignored everything, was actually drawn in by a jar of dry yogurt?

Is this… correct?

Crete’s reaction was even more intense—she shuddered violently, barely holding back a scream.

This feeling brought her back to her time in Hell, when the Lord of Hell had once swept his gaze over her.

The same indifference, the same casualness… even though it was merely a passing glance, she still felt fear.

Among the three demon girls present, Valentina remained the most natural.

She even felt more at ease.

The hungry dragon girl sensed no malice from the entity; instead, after it noticed her, her fear largely vanished.

Her instinct told her the danger was receding.

Safe!

Since the entity had no intention of harming her, its coldness must have a reason.

The reason was simple—it simply didn’t like the taste!

“Uh, you don’t like this?”

Valentina blinked, reached behind her with her left hand, and pulled out a handful of snacks that looked less than appealing—like magic.

These were all the dried meats specially customized for her by Svan Ni; though unappealing in appearance, their taste was guaranteed.

“I’ve got these too—want to try?” she asked innocently, as if she’d shove them all into his arms if he refused.

Valentina asked casually, but the other two were far from calm.

You—you—you—you… sss!

It felt like she was doing something incredibly dangerous, yet… somehow it seemed plausible?

So both of them bit their lips, stayed silent.

And the fourth “person” present was also silent.

“…”

The Wandering Lady narrowed her eyes, looking at the yogurt in the jar, then at the pile of dried meats on the other side.

?

Honestly, she rarely felt this confused.

Since entering this state, she rarely woke fully, spending most of her time in a daze.

When she did briefly awaken, it was either because someone followed her… or someone knelt before her in prayer…

More often, she was completely ignored—no one saw her.

No one had the right to notice her.

And now, upon waking, seeing someone flaunt snacks in front of her… this was the first time.

She gave Valentina, smiling brightly, a long, deep look, and her brow furrowed slightly.

The dragon’s eyes held no reflection of her.

This dragon hadn’t truly seen her—she had sensed her presence through some instinctive, almost primal ability.

After a moment of sensing, the Wandering Lady detected a faint, ancient, familiar aura from Valentina.

After a moment of thought, she finally remembered the name she had nearly forgotten.

“…Mother of Ten Thousand Dragons?”

An ancient name, signifying an era long vanished in the river of time.

The age of dragons had ended; the age of ancient gods had long passed. Now belonged to the age of faith in the gods.

“…”

After a moment of silence, the Wandering Lady gave Valentina one final, deep look, then turned and walked toward the door.

The mansion’s gates and wards held no meaning before her—her tall figure passed through them as if they were air.

Throughout, she spoke not a word, nor glanced once at Flora or Crete.

Her sudden departure was as abrupt as her sudden arrival.

No one knew why she came, nor why she left so suddenly.

This chaotic farce, which had thrown the three demon girls into panic, ended as mysteriously as it began—after Valentina had pulled out the yogurt and snacks.

“…”

After a long while, noticing Valentina remained silent, just standing there blinking, Crete finally asked timidly: “U-um… did it… leave?”

“Huh? Oh!”

Valentina snapped back to reality, blinked dazedly, then nodded uncertainly: “Seems like it left? Probably?”

She looked down at the snacks in her hand and pouted unhappily: “Looks like it doesn’t like these…”

Valentina sighed mournfully, then stuffed the dried meats into her mouth in a fit of frustration.

“But these are so delicious!”

(Chew chew chew chew chew)

“Hmm, why can’t it understand?”

(Chew chew chew chew chew)

“It… hmm… really doesn’t understand anything!”

(Chew chew chew chew chew)

Valentina had already started eating, but Flora hadn’t lowered her guard.

Once she confirmed the entity had left, she immediately began inspecting and reinforcing all the mansion’s wards.

It hadn’t forced entry—likely entered with Evelyn. Does it follow some special rule?

Flora and the others still worried it might return, but the hungry dragon girl’s mind held no such complexity.

Since the other party has left amicably, the matter is over.

As the saying goes, a villain exhausting his wits is no match for a fool’s sudden insight.

This refers to the unpredictability and destructiveness of a fool’s actions.

Villains often have clear goals and plans, which can be prevented through logic and rules.

Fools, however, act irrationally due to ignorance, impulsiveness, or self-deluded sudden insights, causing catastrophic consequences.

Yet after her sudden insight, Valentina did not trigger catastrophic consequences.

Thus we can conclude—she is not a fool!

If you understand, clap!

After successfully “seeing off” the unknown threat, Valentina was triumphant.

Though she seemed to do nothing and exert no effort, I still worked hard!

Reward myself with another piece!

“...Huh? Why is one piece missing? Did I eat that fast?” She blinked, recalling the amount in her mouth.

Did I not take out that many before?

Did I lose the jerky?

“By the way, where could it have gone?” Flora asked Cléti in a whisper.

After leaving the Lava Hell, their relationship had grown closer—one no longer needed to provoke demons to pass the time, the other no longer needed to whip devils to kill boredom.

Without the main conflict of “boredom,” their glances toward each other had softened considerably.

“Who knows?”

Cléti smirked casually: “This is the Radiant Holy City. Do you think they’d let a ‘undead’ run wild? We don’t need to meddle.”

Throughout the entire farce, only a fleeting moment revealed the presence of the unknown—otherwise, not a single sign was detected. It was as if they’d seen a ghost.

“Don’t even think about leaving to deliver messages. Just wait patiently for Herbert to return.”

Flora pondered a moment, then nodded in agreement, murmuring: “You have a point.”

“This is Solanthis. Nothing will happen here... and even if it does, it’s none of our business.”

“You old bastard is a scoundrel—I don’t believe a word you say!”

Herbert muttered, left “that afternoon,” and returned to the true Radiant Holy City.

He pushed open the door to find Bishop Evelyn had already left.

Huh?

Gone?

“She didn’t even wait outside for me, her guest? What poor manners.”

Herbert snorted, stretched his limbs.

Creak... creak... creak...

His stiff body cracked, making Herbert breathe out wearily.

“Ha... ha... ha!”

Though he appeared relaxed before the Sun Pope, bantering with a Saint was far from easy.

The mental strain was immense.

With Bishop Evelyn gone, he could take a walk around the Radiant Holy City to relax.

Though without a guide, Herbert, as a foreigner, wasn’t worried about getting lost.

With the Sea Witch clan’s blessing, he could never lose his way.

No matter how much he wandered, he always ended up back at his residence.

Moreover, in the Radiant Holy City, he had no need to fear for his safety.

Though this holy land gathered many hot-tempered men, the Sun worshippers here were extremely rule-abiding.

No one would break the precepts under the eyes of the gods.

Moreover, after secretly striking a deal with the Sun Pope, Herbert’s status in the entire Holy City had changed completely.

Even if real danger arose, the Sun Pope would not ignore him.

“It’s good to have someone watching your back~”

Herbert hummed a tune, chose a direction at random, and strode off.

He walked slowly—almost sluggishly.

Languidly, like a vagrant wandering aimlessly.

For he noticed the Radiant Holy City was far quieter than he’d imagined—few voices spoke, only faint chanting echoed from all around.

Most warriors had already marched to the frontlines to fight the followers of the Evil God; those left in the city were mostly convalescing wounded.

They sat in quiet prayer beneath the towering statues scattered throughout the city, resting, seeking answers from the divine.

Herbert, an outsider, drew no attention; all were lost in their own worlds.

Herbert welcomed the peace, disturbed no one, and drifted slowly.

He measured the city’s stones with his feet, memorized the carvings on its buildings, and listened to the believers’ prayers with his ears.

“...Huh.”

Though Herbert did not belong here, he felt relaxed in this unique atmosphere, sighing gently—as if exhaling all his fatigue along with the foul air.

“Is this the god’s earthly kingdom? Then what would the true heavenly kingdom look like... Oh?”

As he mused, Herbert caught a flash of gold in his peripheral vision.

Huh?

He turned his head and saw a tall woman walking slowly around the street corner.

Surprisingly, his “auto-targeting” had failed.

The first thing he noticed was her hair.

Her dazzling golden hair flowed freely, reaching down to her calves, glowing brilliantly in the sunlight.

!!!

Herbert instinctively squinted, involuntarily looking away.

For a moment, he thought he was staring directly at the sun.

Just as he moved to shield his eyes—the golden light followed his gaze.

Huh!!?

What’s your meaning, woman?

Am I really going blind today?

(End of Chapter)