Succubus cannot be a saint

After a round of pleasantries, Derek, along with Charlene and the two succubi, headed to the guards' barracks. After visiting the guards who had been injured the previous night, they had just returned to the reception room when a servant hurried over and whispered, "Master Steward, a letter has arrived from Greystone Town."

Derek stood up and nodded to Salares: "Sorry, excuse me for a moment." Salares smiled and nodded in response, then he took Durenna away, leaving only three succubi sitting in the living room.

Although Shalelei was somewhat disappointed that Durenna had also left, she quickly changed her focus and decided to look for Sally. After asking the servant where Sally's room was, she left Isadore and Ophelin behind and went to the room alone, knocking gently on the door.

"...Please come in." After a while, a faint voice came from inside the door.

When Charlene pushed the door open, the first thing she saw was a small bed by the window. Sitting on it was a girl. She looked only twelve or thirteen, about the same age as the little nun, but incredibly thin, with a sallow complexion and sparse hair that was also a dull yellow. Her cheeks were deeply sunken, and she was so skinny that her bones were visible. Only her blue eyes shone, appearing particularly large in her thin face.

Floating above her head was a pink “?18”.

Sharlelei was slightly stunned. She had not expected that Durenna's sister Sally would be such a haggard...patient.

"Big sister, who are you?" the little girl sitting on the bed asked softly.

"My name is Shalelei, and I'm your sister's friend." Shalelei said softly as she came to the bedside and observed Sally carefully. She quickly concluded that even if she used the Gift of Blasphemy to strengthen the girl's physique, she could not completely cure her illness.

...Perhaps succubus transformation would work? After all, Isadore's leg injury, Ophelin's myopia, and the various minor ailments of the nuns were all cured by succubus transformation.

This thought popped up in Sharlelei's mind, but she glanced at the "18" above Sally's head and lost her temper.

On the way to the lord's mansion, she observed the desire counts of the townspeople and servants in the mansion. The numbers for the peasant women were generally around 30, while those for the children were higher, but no more than 40.

And so far, this seriously ill girl is the person with the lowest desire she has ever met.

She now has to spend a lot of effort to assimilate people with a desire count of 60 or 70. To assimilate Sally, who has 18 desires, it might not be enough even if she packs up all the succubi and drains them dry.

"Salalei Delavé..." Sally blinked, a smile spreading across her sallow face. "You are lying, big sister. You are not my friend at all."

Although her lie was exposed in front of her, Sharlelei was not panicked at all. She smiled calmly and said, "It doesn't matter. We will be friends in the future."

"Really? But I heard from my sister that you are from the Dravi family. It was you who killed grandpa, dad and mom, and took away our family's territory."

Although Sally's voice was weak, it was very calm. Her bright eyes formed a sharp contrast with her sallow and haggard face, revealing a sense of last gasp.

For a moment, Sharlele even felt that this critically ill little girl was even more mature and calm than her super warrior sister.

Sally stared at Sallelei carefully. Perhaps because she didn't see the slightest expression on her face, she looked a little disappointed. "But... never mind. I'm going to die anyway. Big sis, what can I do for you?"

"I want to help you." Shalelei said seriously, ready to use the Gift of Blasphemy.

"You can't help me, big sister. I know I'm going to die." Sally shook her head and turned to look at the cup on the bedside table. It was filled with dark green medicine with a unique spicy smell. "Even the medicine of the pharmacist in Greystone Town can't cure me."

Another herbalist from Graystone... Sharlelei's heart skipped a beat. She remembered that Derek also took medicine from that herbalist for his asthma. She should visit this herbalist someday; maybe he could help advance medicine in this world...

"But before I die..." Sally continued, then fell silent. She stared at Sharlele for a while before slowly speaking, "Big sister, you are the Duke's daughter, right? Can you ask the Duke to... restore my knighthood? Even if there is no territory... My sister has always wanted to restore the glory of the family..."

Seeing that Sharlelei didn't answer for a long time, Sally smiled calmly and sadly, "Is it really not possible? It's okay, I understand... Thank you, big sister, you don't look like a bad person... But you can't help me, I know, I'm about to die..."

"I won't let you die." Shalelei stepped forward, her magic power condensed in her palm, "I'm sorry, Sally, although I can't immediately ask the Duke to restore your sister's knighthood, but at least I can-"

But just before she was about to use the Gift of Blasphemy on Sally, a sharp shout suddenly rang out!

“—Sally!”

With a clear shout, a young girl rushed into the room like a gust of wind, and quickly pushed away Sallelei's hand that was reaching out to Sally.

That was Durenna.

"What are you going to do to my sister?"

The blonde girl protected her sister like a female eagle protecting her chicks. She stared at Sharlene with hostile eyes without any concealment.

"You misunderstood, I just wanted to help Sally." Sally sighed inwardly and slowly withdrew her hand.

"How can you help Sally?" Durenna's eyes were slightly red. "Sally is now like this... It's all your Dravi family's fault... I know! I know my grandfather was guilty first... But even if he was willing to die to atone for his sins, your Dravi family still wanted to take over Moon Spring Town, and even... even forced my mother to death!"

Gradually, Durenna became more and more excited, her voice even trembling. "My mother... the night my mother passed away, she also poisoned Sally, wanting to take her with her! She's been weak since she was a child... If I hadn't discovered it in time, she would have... But even so, she, she has become like this now! Now my sister and I are living under someone else's roof, and you, the Dravi family, don't think it's enough? What else do you want to do to her?"

After hearing this, Sharlene opened her eyes wide in surprise.

She only knew that the daughter-in-law of Edgar, the old lord of Yuequan Town, committed suicide by taking poison, but she didn't expect that she was forced to death by the Dravi family, and she didn't expect that there was such a reason behind Sally's serious illness.

Although she wanted to say that this matter had nothing to do with her, and that she was even deceived by the Dravi family, but looking at the emotional Durenna, Sharlele knew that no matter what she said now, the female knight would not listen.

"Ms. Durenna, you really misunderstood." Salares took two steps back and raised her hands to indicate that she held no hostility. "I bear no ill will towards you. On the contrary, I am willing to help you."

Durenna said nothing, just stared at her coldly.

"In that case, I'll take my leave." Shalelei shook her head. "But... Miss Durenna, if you need help, please come to the Moon Spring Town Church to find me... I can help you."

As if to imprint these words into Durenna's heart, she stared deeply into the knight's eyes, then glanced at the haggard and calm Sally, then turned and left.

Volume 1: From Crazy Daughter to Saint: Chapter 25: Waiting and Hope

After returning to the reception room, Derek still hadn't appeared, so Isadore came up and chattered, "Saint Lady, Saint Lady, are you okay? Just now, that Durenna came back and asked the servant where you had been, then her face changed drastically and she rushed out like crazy!"

"I'm fine." Salares shook her head. "Let's go back to the church."

Although confused, Isadore and Ophelin stood up. After saying goodbye to Derek's servant, the three of them left the mansion. As they walked along the road, Ophelin asked worriedly, "Saint Lady, are you okay? What happened just now?"

Salarei briefly recounted the incident. Isadore waved her fist in anger, "What? So the Dravi family is so evil!" Then she glanced at Salarei and stuck out her tongue, "Ah... I'm sorry, Saint, I wasn't talking about you..."

"Given the current situation, if we were to forcibly bless Sally, it would likely cause a backlash from Durenna, or even a conflict with her..." Ophelin said cautiously, glancing at Sallelei.

"If that's the case, even if all of us piled together, we still wouldn't be enough for her to beat." Charlotte said expressionlessly.

"But if Sally really dies, wouldn't Miss Durenna have any chance of joining us?" Ophelin said anxiously. "Lady Saint, what should we do?"

"Wait." Sallelei was silent for a while, then slowly uttered a word.

"Wait and hope. Wait for things to turn around, and hope Durenna understands my hint..."

..............................

Late that night, in Salleh's room.

"I already know the names of sulfur and saltpeter in this world. Next, I'll burn some charcoal and then begin the gunpowder experiment... I hope nothing goes wrong."

Sharlelei closed a book, wrote a few words on a piece of paper, and put the book and manuscript paper in order.

At this moment, there was a hurried knock on the door of the room, and then Ophelin pushed the door open and walked in.

"Lady Saint!" She didn't even have time to greet him, and said anxiously: "Miss Durenna... Miss Durenna is here!" But when she said this, her face was not only without any joy, but full of worry.

"It seems that everything is just as I expected..." Sharlelei nodded, "Take me to see her."

Soon, Sallelei met Durenna in the church's reception room. The blonde knight's face was pale, her normally neatly combed hair now tangled and disheveled. Her lips were pale and trembling. The Desire Counter on her head had dropped from 66 to 39, a drop so dramatic that Sallelei was secretly alarmed.

In Durenna's arms, she held the unconscious Sally. At this moment, the light of desire above the girl's head had dimmed, swaying like a candle in the wind, as if it would go out at any moment.

Seeing this scene, Sharlelei couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.

In the past, she had only seen the Number of Desire fade away in one situation: during the assimilation of a succubus. Now, it seemed that there was another situation that could cause it to disappear: death.

This meant that Sally's remaining time was running out. It turned out that her eyes, which seemed exceptionally bright during the day, weren't just an illusion, but a genuine flash of life...

Hearing Sharlene's footsteps, Durenna slowly raised her eyes. Her eyes, which were once as sharp as a female eagle's, were now cloudy and empty, as if they had lost all vitality and were lifeless.

"Sally... Sally..." Durenna spoke incoherently, her voice hoarse, "You said... you could help me... is that true?"

Sally nodded slowly. Durenna seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw. She took a few steps forward, and a little light flashed in her empty and dim eyes. "Please, save her... Please save Sally... I'm willing to do anything! Please, Miss Delaware... Please..."

With a thud, the female knight fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling on Sally's sallow skin.

Sallelei bent down and helped her up, motioning for Ophelin to take Sally and lay her flat on the bench. Durenna reached out a trembling hand, wanting to touch her unconscious sister. Her eyes widened in daze, she whispered her sister's name repeatedly. Her hands, so firm and powerful when holding the sword, now trembled violently like dead leaves in the wind.

Sally and Ophelin exchanged a glance and nodded. The head nun gently embraced the disheveled knight, forcing her to step back. Sally stepped forward, concentrating her magic. A strange, pink-purple light emanated from her palm, instantly enveloping it and gently pressing it against Sally's head.

"…strengthen your physical fitness."

Reciting silently in her heart, Shailelei did not spare her magic power and injected all her strength into the girl in front of her without reservation.

Durenna slowly knelt down, her pale, cracked lips moving as she prayed silently, though at that moment, even she herself didn't know who she was praying to, or who she should be praying to.

——She knew the sins her grandfather had committed. No matter what punishment the Duke imposed on her grandfather, even if he ordered him to commit suicide to atone for his sins, she had no complaints in her heart.

But what she didn't expect was that the Duke would ruthlessly take away everything from her family. Even her mother committed suicide by taking poison in despair and almost killed her sister.

For her, that period was like a nightmare. In just one night, she lost everything—her family, her territory, her honor... everything in her life was wiped out in the blink of an eye.

And after that nightmarish night, the only one who was by his side in this world was his younger sister...a younger sister whose life was like a candle in the wind, which could be extinguished at any time.

Having lost her knighthood and honor, she could only serve as a guard for the arrogant Derek as the offspring of a criminal, and in exchange for medicine to maintain her sister's life.

Anger, sadness, shame, regret… these mixed together, swirling, boiling, tumbling in her heart, with nowhere to vent. But what could she do? Could this change her fate? She felt as if her heart were being squeezed, collapsed, and mercilessly crushed. Only a faint cry seeped out from under the weight of fate.

Sally. Don't go. Don't leave me alone.

Please, whether it's the God of War, the Goddess of Light, or even an unknown evil god, please don't take away the only family I have left. Please don't take Sally away...

Durenna lowered her head deeply, twisted her fingers together tightly, and prayed silently.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard a cough.

“…Sally?”

Durenna raised her head sharply, her voice trembling.

Immediately afterwards, coughing sounds rang out one after another - the girl lying on the bench shook and burst into a violent coughing fit, dark green mucus pouring out of her mouth. The next moment, she opened her eyes, and with strength from nowhere, she sat up!

“—Sally!”

Durenna screamed, scrambling to her feet, her hair loose as she rushed to her sister's side, not caring at all that her clothes were stained by the dark green slime. She trembled, testing Sally's breath, and patted her cheek repeatedly. "Sally... Sally, open your eyes and look at me, Sally... I'm here... Please, Sally, don't go... Don't leave me alone..."

Gradually, Sally's weak breathing became stronger, and in Sharlelei's sight, the Desire Number above her head slowly regained its luster. This little girl, as fragile as a dead leaf, miraculously glowed with a trace of vitality.

Then, she slowly opened her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering, and murmured:

"……elder sister?"

“Sally—!”

Durenna's eyes suddenly opened wide, and she looked at her sister who had regained consciousness with surprise and joy. After a brief eye contact, she hugged her in her arms, buried her cheek in the girl's withered hair, and cried and laughed like crazy, "It's great that you are still alive, Sally... It's great, Sally, ah ah... Sally, don't go, don't leave me..."

Sally struggled with some effort in her sister's arms. At first, her face was filled with confusion, but then she calmed down, revealing a weak smile. She stretched out her bony little hand and gently patted her sister's back, "It's okay, sister... I'm still here... I'm still here..."

Sharlele took a somewhat unsteady step back, and Ophelin helped her sit on a chair just in time. The two succubi looked at the two sisters hugging each other tightly and couldn't help but smile.

"Unfortunately... my blessing can only strengthen her constitution, allowing her to survive this ordeal. It can't completely cure her illness, and the extent of the strengthening is limited..." Shalelei shook her head and sighed softly. Durenna was now immersed in excitement, oblivious to the outside world. She wasn't afraid that they would hear her.

It’s a pity that the Gift of Blasphemy cannot be stacked, otherwise every succubus would come to brush up her physical strength... Salarei added in her heart.

"Sure enough, she still needs to... transform into a succubus? Lady Saint, succubus can cure her illness, right?" Ophelin looked at Sharlelei hopefully, and the latter slowly shook her head.

"I'm not sure, Ophelin... maybe, but with our current abilities, we can't assimilate Sally," Shalelei whispered. She didn't know how to explain the Number of Desires to Ophelin, so she decided to be vague. "Let's keep it this way for now. We'll have a chance later."

At this time, Durenna's crying gradually stopped. She let go of Sally, ruffled the girl's hair lovingly, then stood up and turned to Shalelei.

This time, the female knight with proper manners and eyes as sharp as a female eagle returned. Durenna adjusted her hair and slowly knelt before Sharlele.

Not kneeling on both knees, but kneeling on one knee - the etiquette when a knight swears allegiance to his lord.

Volume 1: From Crazy Daughter to Saint: Chapter 26: Pledge of Allegiance

"Ms. Sallelei..." she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, but still firm and powerful, "Thank you for helping me... helping Sally. I apologize for my previous rudeness to you, I... I..."

Her chest heaved violently, as if she had made up her mind. She touched her chest with her hand, completely ignoring the stains on her clothes. "I... Durenna Ethel, swear allegiance to you, Saint..."

But just after uttering a syllable subconsciously, Durenna stopped in confusion.

What did I just...want to call this girl?

The word swirled in the knight's mind. She subconsciously turned to look at Sally. The girl lay on the bench, her pale skin now a bit more rosy, her blue eyes fixed on her. The moment she realized her sister was still alive, immense joy surged through her chest, and her eyes moistened uncontrollably.

Yes, yes, that was undoubtedly divine magic, a miracle. At this point—was there any reason for him to hesitate?

"I hereby swear allegiance to you... Your Highness the Saint."

Facing the girl in front of her, Durenna lowered her head deeply and spoke in a calm, clear and firm voice.

But the moment she swore the oath, Durenna suddenly realized that her knighthood was gone. In other words, she was no longer qualified to pledge allegiance to the "Saint" before her with her knightly status and etiquette.

As she realized this, humiliation and anger surged in her heart, quickly transforming into deep bitterness and confusion. She trembled slightly, remaining frozen in place on one knee.

How would this Saint Lady respond to his loyalty? Would she reject him, a non-knight?

As a knight, the weight of the oath of allegiance weighs heavily, almost heavier than life itself. And precisely because of this, the humiliation of having that oath rejected is also heavier than life itself. But now that I am no longer a knight, I am not even qualified to endure this humiliation...

But the next moment, a soft hand pressed against her shoulder. Durenna suddenly looked up and saw the gentle, smiling face of the young woman before her. In the candlelight, her beautiful face was radiant, as kind and majestic as a goddess.

At that moment, her heart even stopped for a beat.

"I accept your allegiance, Knight Durenna." The girl's voice entered her ears, like the sound of nature.