Succubus cannot be a saint

"Then I hope... the mountain folk can teach my guards archery, okay?"

………………

After Granny and Sharlele entered the Soul Hut, the commotion inside the wall caused by Isadore's home run had not yet subsided.

Everyone present—whether mountain dwellers or people from the kingdom—clearly saw the petite Isadore push the towering Nannide to the ground with a single hand. Honestly, this one incident alone was enough to shatter their worldview.

Isadore was still immersed in joy, because she had received the attention of the "Saint Lady" and was filled with joy at seeing a different side of the "Saint Lady". She was so careless that she was completely unaware of the strange looks of the mountain people, nor did she notice that the mountain people were getting farther and farther away from her.

"She has received the blessing of the pagan gods, Nanned," said a mountaineer in a dull voice, "she is no longer a subject of the Antlered Goddess..."

"She wasn't from the beginning!" another mountaineer snorted coldly.

Nannide had a sullen face and said nothing.

Isadore had saved him, that was an indisputable fact. And he had always considered her a member of the mountain people. But this time...

She accepted the blessing of the pagan god... Staring at the petite figure holding a mace in the distance, Nanned sighed deeply and tried hard to suppress his conflicting emotions.

"She's half Kingdom blood. You should have known that, Nanned," a mountaineer said coldly. "Don't forget what the Kingdom people did to us thirteen years ago."

Yes, yes. Nannide couldn't help but think that he knew all too well what the people of the Kingdom had done to them.

They banned trade, seized their land, and forced them to abide by the ridiculous "laws of the kingdom." It was obvious that they were the first to come to this land, and those people from the kingdom were just belated uninvited guests.

And... that letter... that mysterious letter that was delivered to the high priest a few months ago...

At this moment, two figures emerging from the mountain village caught his attention. Granny and Sharlele approached them. Nannide and the mountain villagers all bowed their heads and said, "High Priest."

"Nanny." Granny's slightly hoarse voice sounded. Nanny looked up at her, and her next words made his eyes widen.

"Find a few hunters who are good at archery. Starting tomorrow, you will teach the guards archery."

Nannide: “…Ah?”

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

Time passed, the sky gradually brightened, and the monster did not appear again.

Isadore, still slumbering like a child, had long since been sent back to the lord's mansion to rest, but Salares insisted on staying beneath the wall until dawn. She watched Durenna, still energetic after a night of hard work, command the guards and arrange the daytime sentry posts before she came to her female knight's side.

"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Durenna." Sharlelei smiled and combed Durenna's hair. The female knight placed her right fist on her chest, performing the ritual unique to followers of the God of War. "For the Saint and Moon Spring Town, this is nothing!"

Seeing that the succubus knight's voice was full of energy and her face was flushed with excitement, Sharlelei suddenly wanted to play a little. She slid her slender fingertips across the woman's forehead and gently stroked her smooth and tender cheeks. Her pair of purple eyes filled with smiles curved into crescents.

"That's very kind of you, my knight."

The girl's gentle voice tickled Durenna's ears like a feather. She was startled and a blush spread across her pretty face.

"Saint, Saint Lady..."

When the female knight mustered the courage to speak again, the soft touch on her face had disappeared. In the midst of the fragrant wind, her Saint Lady had already walked a dozen steps. She turned around with her hands behind her back and smiled pretentiously, "What's the matter?"

"Wha...nothing..."

For a moment, Durenna stared at the girl's figure, her mind drifting slightly away, the burning fire in her heart extinguished slightly. She composed herself before following.

Although the fire in her heart had died down, it felt like a cat scratching her feathers, making her whole body numb and itchy, and she didn't know what to do.

Walking beside Shalelei, Durenna couldn't help but feel a little nervous and excited. During this period, she had been training and fighting day and night, but her spirits were unprecedentedly high. Not only did she not feel tired at all, she even hoped that this kind of life could continue a little longer.

Beside this Saint, she rediscovered her fulfillment and sense of mission as a knight.

Not long ago, she was Derek's bodyguard. Not only did she have to worry about her sister's illness, but she couldn't leave his side for a moment. Looking back, those were stagnant, rotten and gloomy days.

It is different now.

Thanks to the Saint, not only is Sally recovering little by little, but the Saint has also accepted her loyalty as a knight - even though she has been stripped of her knight title, the Saint does not care.

What's more, the Saint promised that in the near future, she could also turn Sally into a succubus, and the two sisters would be her followers together forever...

And she could also train the army for the Saint, fight against monsters, and protect the territory. Isn't this the life she had always dreamed of, the life of a knight? All of this made her heart burn... She felt like she was alive again!

When she killed the monster last night, she even felt that her fighting skills were more handy than before, and there was no previous sluggishness when she drew her sword.

Durenna vaguely felt that if she continued to cultivate in this state for a while longer, she would be able to further improve her combat skills and even be qualified to challenge for the title of intermediate warrior...

How could this not excite her?

"Once you've arranged these things, let's go back." Sharlelei smiled and nodded, turning to look at the town shrouded in the dim morning light, which seemed to be gradually waking up. "It just so happens that I have something to discuss with you. It's about..."

After a moment's thought, she continued, "...about the standing army and the system of granting land based on military merit."

Volume 1: From Crazy Daughter to Saint: Chapter 50: The Succubus's Knife

After finishing all the affairs near the wall, Shalelei and Durenna walked back to the lord's mansion.

The country roads in Yuequan Town were dusty, the weeds on the roadside were covered with dew, and the faint smell of livestock manure and soil hit her face, making Sharlelei, who was accustomed to urban life on Earth, frown slightly.

Although it was early in the morning, there were farmers driving livestock and carrying farm tools, women carrying baskets, and children going to work with their parents. When they saw Sharole from a distance, they cried out softly and pulled at the clothes of their companions and family members.

"Lord Saint!"

"Look, the Saint Lady is here!"

The townspeople stood by the roadside with their heads bowed, and when Sharlele passed by, they saluted respectfully but not in unison, their faces filled with reverent smiles. When Sharlele smiled back, Durenna, who was standing beside her, felt a complex emotion well up in her heart.

When her grandfather was still alive, Durenna had walked this path with him more than once, and the townspeople would always step aside and salute them.

But at that time, she never saw joy or smiles on people's faces, only numbness and fear. And her grandfather never looked directly at his subjects, always looking forward, as if the people who worked on his land were just insignificant dust.

Looking at the smiles on people's faces, Durenna couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

When she first became a succubus, she had truly given up on herself—she had lost her family, her territory, her honor, and was left with only her sister, who depended on her for survival. As long as she could survive with her sister, what difference did it make whether she was human or an evil demon?

But now, a question gradually emerged in her mind.

Is the succubus truly an evil monster? If so, it was the monster that recaptured the town from Derek, freeing the town from heavy taxes and bringing smiles to the townspeople's faces. It was also the monster that persuaded the villagers to heal the guards and even organize a guard corps to resist the monster and protect the town...

Even he himself found the honor he had as a knight in the past.

Have I truly surrendered to the darkness? Is there even a trace of evil in the actions of these "monsters"?

Thinking of this, Durenna couldn't help but turn her head and stare at the profile of the girl beside her.

She walked in the bright morning light, her hair dancing in the wind like silver threads in the sunlight, her smile as gentle as a goddess's image. She raised her hand in a gesture of blessing, and before her spread out were the smiling townspeople and fields bathed in the glory of the sun...

Somehow, this scene was a hundred times more vivid and sacred than any religious painting Durenna had ever seen.

And the "Saint Lady" in front of him seemed more like... an angel than a succubus.

Soon, the two arrived at the gate of Yuequan Town Church. The church door was open as always, and a dozen townspeople could be seen sitting in the hall, praying devoutly. A beam of sunlight cast through the glass windows at the top of the church, falling in front of the statue of the goddess, shrouding a small figure within.

That was Isadore.

Seeing Isadore leading the townspeople in morning prayer, Sharlele suddenly felt a little ashamed. After all, it was she who had forced all the nuns to work as clerical staff, leaving the church unattended and closed for nearly a month.

With all the nuns busy with their official duties, Isadore was the only one who could shoulder the burden of church affairs, and she seemed to be doing a pretty good job.

Bathed in sunlight, the petite figure of the young nun stood before the holy image, her black vestments seemingly gilded with gold. Charlene gazed at her from outside the church, and suddenly, a strange and mysterious feeling welled up within her. It felt peaceful and sacred, as if some being was gently watching over her...

At the same time, the sunlight around the little nun rippled like water. The golden light swirled around her, as if it had life, and lingered on her shoulders...

"Lord Saint?"

But at this moment, Durenna's voice suddenly sounded. Salare was slightly startled. When she looked again, the sunlight around the little nun had returned to its original state, all the strange visions disappeared, and the wonderful spiritual feeling in her heart also disappeared without a trace.

Is this an illusion? How could there be a succubus draped in holy light...

As soon as this thought came to her mind, Shalelei couldn't help laughing. She shook her head and put the matter behind her, then turned to look at Durenna, "What's wrong?"

"You said before that you wanted to discuss the standing army and the issue of land granted for military merit..." Durenna said cautiously. Sharlelei tapped her forehead in sudden realization. "Right, let's talk while we walk."

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

After Sharlele described her envisioned standing army and the system of granting land based on military merit, Durenna fell into deep thought, and a wry smile appeared on her pretty face.

"Expand the scale of the militia recruitment, train them in their free time, and farm them in their busy time... If you had said this to me two weeks ago, I would have definitely advised you that those farmers were merely the vanguard, abandoned pawns, and there was no need to spend too much time on them. But now..."

"Do you still think that forming a formal army recruited entirely from civilians is a pipe dream?" Shalelei said with a smile.

"No... As long as we succubi are here, even a farmer who has spent his entire life working in the fields is no different from a private soldier trained from childhood." Durenna shook her head and said firmly. But soon, a hint of doubt appeared on her face.

"But granting land for military merit... I understand your intention, to reward those who have made military achievements with land as a reward, to encourage the soldiers to fight bravely... But have you considered the opinions of other nobles and knights? And what kind of land do you plan to reward?"

In this era, if not 90 percent, at least 80 percent of land belonged to the nobility, including the knights. In fact, many of the privileges of these nobles were based on land.

What would these land nobles think if peasants could get land by joining the army?

"I've considered everything you said... I plan to use the uncultivated land outside of Moon Spring Town as a reward. Specifically, the land allocated to each recipient will only be enough for building a house and small-scale farming, far less than a knight's territory. This way, the nobles won't have any major objections."

Sharlelei turned and looked at the farmland on either side of the road, gesturing slightly. She was well aware that in this world, she was the daughter of a duke, a descendant of the nobility. At least on the surface, she couldn't betray this huge group of interests...

"And the recipients can only own these lands but cannot govern them. This land still follows the laws I set and is under my management."

Durenna listened attentively, nodding slightly. Finally, Sharlene curled her lips and gave a sly smile, "Besides, even if those nobles or knights are dissatisfied, we can always send out succubi to persuade them..."

——Even if she wanted to betray these nobles, she would use the slow and stabbing method of a knife.

By the time these nobles realized that the succubus's knife was scraping their bones, it was already too late.

Durenna was stunned for a moment before her beautiful blue eyes suddenly lit up. "Yes! Saint, I almost forgot, we are succubi!"

"However, to infiltrate the succubi into the noble forces in the western part of the kingdom and to have them participate in the training of the army... just a few of us are far from enough."

Not to mention fighting against the Dravi family, even if she just dealt with Baron Volo near Greystone Town, she still had a long way to go.

Sharlelei sighed deeply and looked up at the townspeople coming and going on the town streets. Previously, the pink desire number on the heads of those peasant women was generally around 30. Now, it has increased...

Well, just one or two more points.

Sharlelei looked around and saw not a single pink number over 40. "There's still a long way to go..." she muttered, shaking her head.

But the good news is that through observation and experience over this period of time, Sharlelei has a rough idea of ​​what this little pink number that looks like a yellow UI actually means.

Volume 1: From Crazy Daughter to Saint: Chapter 51: The So-called Number of Desire

Judging from all the previous signs, especially the fact that "children have more desires than adults", the number of desires must not be simple lust.

...If that's the case, it would be too crazy.

Fortunately, Isadore's transformation could also prove Salerle's conjecture in a certain sense. Before her transformation, she was a good child who had nothing to do with lust.

However, Ophelin's transformation proves that lust can indeed affect the number of desire. This also means that this number contains lust, but it is not entirely lust.

The example of Durenna proves that under strong external stimulation, the number of desires can rise and fall suddenly.

Combined with the situation of the townspeople, Sharlele speculated that the number of desire is most likely the ability to feel and obtain happiness, in other words, the "ability to generate desire."

This also explains why children have higher desires than adults, because children still retain some innocence and optimism, while adults have long been overwhelmed by heavy labor and taxes.

When people have done everything they can to simply survive, it is impossible for them to have any extra desires. As the saying goes, when you keep warm, you think about sex. This is exactly what it means.

As for the reason why the nuns' desires were higher than those of ordinary people, it was because the church in Yuequan Town had its own land. The nuns would cultivate part of it and rent out part of it to the townspeople, collecting rent. The taxes they had to pay were far lower than those of farmers.

Under such circumstances, the nuns lived a relatively wealthy life, did not have to do heavy labor, and even had no way to vent their desires due to the precepts...but they obviously did not know that desire is like a spring, the harder it is pressed, the higher it bounces, so it is normal for the number to be as high as around 50.

The increase in the number of desires among the townspeople also proves another thing - even without the stimulation of lust, as long as there is hope in life, the number of desires of people can be increased.

A series of actions taken by Sharlene, such as abolishing unreasonable taxes, forgiving debts, and repairing walls, coupled with the "propaganda" of the guards and craftsmen such as Ruth, also made people realize that good days were coming.

But such a slow growth rate was far from enough to meet the assimilation requirements. Either she found a way to quickly increase the number of desires of the townspeople, or she found another group of people whose desires met the requirements to assimilate.

Although she really wanted to go to Greystone Town and turn the church there into a den of succubi, she didn't have the conditions to do so now.

Thinking of this, Sharlelei sighed again.

"Damn it, these days, even before turning people into succubi, you have to give them hope in life first..."

"Lady Saint, what did you say just now?" Durenna's voice sounded again, waking up Sharlele.

"Nothing... By the way, Miss Durenna, about the monster..." Shalelei shook her head and pondered, "Ah, I'm talking about what happened with Isadore last night..."

Hearing this, Durenna suddenly stopped and looked at Sharlele intently. Then, regardless of the fact that they were on a dirt road, she knelt down on one knee without hesitation.

"It was my fault that the monster crossed the wall. Please punish me, Lady Saint!" The female knight lowered her head and said loudly, and the surrounding townspeople also cast their eyes over.

But Durenna didn't wait for Shalelei's punishment. Instead, she received a pair of soft, warm hands cupping her cheeks. Trembling slightly, Durenna raised her head, only to see the girl's calm face, without a trace of anger.

The next moment, she was pulled into a soft embrace. A pair of plump breasts pressed tightly against her chest. Durenna was stunned to experience this embrace until Sharlene's voice rang in her ears.

"Is this better, my knight?"

"Lady Saint..." Durenna murmured in a trembling voice, but Sharlele shook her head and pulled her up from the ground.