The story of the black silk female knight

"Of course, that's no problem."

Zero readily agreed.

"Red Fox Mask is currently being held in the Penitentiary in District 173. If Valensa wants to see her, I can arrange it anytime... Should I have someone send her to the Sanctuary, or would you like to go there yourself?"

"Hmm... I'll go over there, but it's best to keep a low profile."

Valensa placed her finger to her red lips and pondered for a moment before saying:

"If Red Fox Mask really has fellow Revelers lurking in the Divine Continent, or if she is involved with other people with ulterior motives, she is likely being observed in secret. If we go looking for her in a big way or bring her to the Holy Land, we might alert her."

“That makes sense… It seems there’s a reason why you, Valensa, have been able to perform so many extraordinary feats. At least I didn’t think of that right away.”

Zero nodded, smiled, and reached out to rub Valensa's cheek, while gently rubbing Valensa's leg under the table with his succubus tail.

“In that case… Virenkasa and I can’t go with you. After all, we’ve been saintesses on the Divine Continent for hundreds of years and are well-known. It’s hard to hide our identities.”

"Then I'll go by myself."

Valensa didn't resist having her face rubbed; she even deliberately made a docile expression to cooperate. But the hand under the table didn't hold back, grabbing Zero's succubus tail and rubbing it vigorously.

Zero's body trembled slightly, and she couldn't help but let out a nasal sound. When others looked over, she quickly sat up straight and pretended nothing had happened, while giving Valensa a harmless but threatening look.

Valensa pretended not to see, rubbed the tip of the succubus's tail in her hand several more times, then clamped it between her black-stockinged legs. She rested her chin on her hand on the table and looked at Thousand-Leaf Grass and Ilana:

"Cao Cao and Aunt Ilana should stay in the Sanctuary too... I need you to cooperate in putting on an act, to make it seem like I'm still traveling around the Sanctuary. After all, I've had a brief exchange with the mastermind behind Cao Cao's assassination attempt, and he might have already noticed me... What do you think, Sister Zero?"

"Huh? Oh oh oh..."

Zero was still somewhat dazed because the sensitive tip of his tail was being held between the black-stockinged legs, and after a long pause, he hurriedly nodded:

“I think Valensa is right… cough cough. In that case, I can put in a word with the Midara sisters and have them arrange a fake identity for you, Valensa, at the 173rd Penitentiary. That way, you can contact Red Fox Mask without arousing suspicion.”

"And here in the Sanctuary, I can use divine magic to create a projection of Valensa... one that's so realistic it'll be indistinguishable from the real thing, making it seem like you're still here."

"That's perfect."

As Valensa nodded, she rubbed her black-stockinged legs, causing Zero's body to tremble again.

. . . . .

Although Zero, this seemingly righteous succubus saintess, has a penchant for flirting with pretty female subordinates, she is actually quite efficient in getting things done.

After having breakfast at the Badr residence, Zero quickly contacted the Midara sisters and obtained a fake identity for Valensa that could be verified with the church, complete with all necessary documents and information. She also got Valensa a set of work uniforms for a convent nun.

After changing into her brand-new nun's habit, Valensa immediately transformed into a newly ordained nun who had just completed her training and was about to work at the Confessions House in District 173, and boarded the Ark of Light bound for District 173.

This time, the Light Ship they were on was no longer the luxurious private train that the Inner Temple Knights could enjoy, but rather a public transportation similar to the bullet train in Valensa's previous life.

Besides Valencia, there were many ordinary residents of the God-favored Continent in the cabin.

They were all dressed in very gorgeous clothes, eating all kinds of delicious food, sitting together with their relatives and friends, laughing and talking loudly, their faces beaming with happy smiles.

Valensa used her old skills from her adventures as an adventurer to chat and joke around in taverns, and quickly became very friendly with the locals. She even had a few duels with two overly dramatic kids.

After a journey of about four hours on the Ark of Light, Valensa arrived in District 173.

This place is in the opposite direction to the 12th district she came from. It is west of the Sanctuary, and more than 300 kilometers further west is the Sea of ​​Mystery. The other end of the Sea of ​​Mystery is the Eastern Continent.

Of course, "Eastern Continent" is just what the people of Frenoia call it. The people of the Divine Favor Continent prefer to call it Tianxuan Continent (an abbreviation of the Thirteen Provinces of Tianxuan), because Tianxuan Continent is located due west of the Divine Favor Continent, which is the opposite of Frenoia Continent.

District 173 is a very ordinary district among the 2883 districts of the Divine Continent. Its various buildings are all standardized, and the Repentance Courtyard is one of them.

As the name suggests, the penitentiary is similar in nature to the prison in Valensa's previous life, except that it holds prisoners who have committed very minor crimes... the kind who can regain their freedom in a few days or a few months at most.

The truly serious criminals are locked in dungeons, and those people usually don't get out for at least ten or eight years... The most heinous criminals don't need to be imprisoned; they can be thrown directly into the holy flames for judgment.

It's not hard to see from this that, in the eyes of the Church of the Sun, the phantom thief Red Fox Mask's actions were more like a prank and really nothing serious.

After entering the penitential sanctuary in Ward 173, Valensa quickly became familiar with the other nuns working there within two days and successfully integrated into her new identity.

Her specific job was to instill faith, similar to the ideological education instructors in various official departments in her previous life. It was quite normal for her to call people into her office for one-on-one guidance.

To avoid attracting attention, Valensa first randomly called a few other people who had been imprisoned in a penitentiary for committing crimes to have heart-to-heart talks before meeting with the Phantom Thief Sister alone.

If Valensa hadn't remembered the scent of her senior thief's body, she would hardly have believed that the person in front of her was her senior thief.

The hot and alluring bodysuit has been transformed into a nun's outfit with a pure and seductive style, and her whole demeanor has completely lost the spiritedness she had when she was a phantom thief, becoming decadent and depressed.

More importantly, the red fox mask that had almost become a symbol of her identity was gone, and the Phantom Thief Sister finally revealed her true face to Valensa.

That should have been a very beautiful face, but it was covered with cracks, like glass that had been hit by a blunt object. It looked pitiful and heartbreaking.

This is probably one of the main reasons why the Phantom Thief Sister always wears the Red Fox Mask; now that the mask is gone, her confidence seems to have shattered as well.

When the young thief met Valensa alone in the office, she was visibly taken aback, but instead of acknowledging Valensa, she lowered her head again and said listlessly:

"Is there something you need, sir?"

"..."

Seeing this, Valensa didn't speak directly, but instead let out a long sigh.

Then she came out from behind the desk, hugged the phantom thief directly, and didn't say a word.

The phantom thief visibly trembled, then looked away even more nervously, feigning concern as she called out:

"What are you doing, sir? This is against the rules... Waaah!"

Valensa tightened her grip on the phantom thief's arms slightly, completely silencing the girl's soft scream.

Then Valensa sighed:

"Are you still going to pretend you don't recognize me, senior sister? Even though we haven't seen each other for three years, how could I possibly mistake your scent?"

"...Stupid junior sister, your nose is even more sensitive than a dog demon, how annoying."

The phantom thief finally stopped pretending, but then gave a bitter laugh:

"I've long heard of Duchess Sunflower's name, and I know very well that you, junior sister, are now a high-ranking member of the Sun Church... It was precisely to avoid affecting your image that I haven't come to see you. I never expected that our reunion would be like this... Senior sister, my face looks ugly, doesn't it?"

"No, in my heart you have always been a very charming and beautiful woman, and you still are now."

Valensa answered without hesitation, and reached out to gently stroke the face of the phantom thief, her palm gathering a soft holy light as she tried to repair the cracks.

"It's useless, don't waste your divine power."

The phantom thief pressed Valensa's hand down and shook her head:

"My injury is incurable, no matter how powerful the healing spell is... This is the result of the backlash from the laws of the world after I acted recklessly when I was young and ignorant. I will be like this for the rest of my life."

"No, there must be a way... Waaah!"

Valensa didn't want to give up, but the phantom thief simply put her finger to her lips and blocked her mouth.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore... I've been like this for many years, and I don't mind it anymore... As long as you don't think I'm ugly, that's fine."

The phantom thief gently shook her fingers twice more:

"Let's get down to business... Junior sister, you're a high-ranking member of the Church of the Sun, you wouldn't really come to the Repentance Courtyard to do this kind of work... You probably came here specifically to find me, right? To persuade me to properly repent here?"

"Hmm... more or less. Actually, I just wanted to help you, senior sister."

Valensa hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

"I came to the Divine Continent on business, and I just happened to hear about you, Senior Sister... I've already asked the Holy Maidens, and what you did was a minor matter... As long as you return what you took from the Church's treasury and stay here obediently for a few days, you'll regain your freedom in half a month at most. Then you'll still be the legendary thief Red Fox Mask of the Frenoia Continent."

"The legendary Red Fox Mask thief... is no longer around."

The phantom thief shrugged with a complicated expression:

“From the moment I first became a phantom thief, I made a decision—from the moment I was captured, there would be no more Phantom Thief Red Fox Mask in the world.”

"Uh, senior sister, are you planning to quit?"

Valensa couldn't hide her surprise.

This was the first time she had ever heard of revelers willing to quit; all the revelers on record were unrepentant fanatics.

"Yes, I will never be a phantom thief again."

After the conversation was over, the phantom thief seemed quite relaxed, and even joked with Valensa:

"Junior sister, as you know, although I am a famous phantom thief, I have never stolen a single penny for myself, so I don't have any savings... If I stop stealing, I might even have trouble supporting myself... How about you take me in as a sugar daddy? You seem to be quite rich now, don't you?"

"No problem, I'll take care of you... From now on, you can eat, drink, and have fun every day."

Valensa patted her chest cheerfully, then said seriously:

"But all of this has to wait until you regain your freedom, Senior Sister... So could you tell me where you hid the treasure? Otherwise, I won't even be able to ask to plead for you."

"..."

As a result, Miss Phantom Thief fell into a long silence this time.

After a good seven or eight minutes, just as Valensa was starting to get impatient, the phantom thief finally let out a long sigh and said softly:

"If I, your senior sister, said... that treasure in your church wasn't stolen by me, would you, junior sister, believe me?"

"what?"

Valensa was visibly surprised, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"But I asked Her Highness the Saintess in charge of the case, and they told me the details... Senior Sister, didn't you send the letter yourself announcing the theft, and then get caught red-handed after succeeding? I really want to believe you, Senior Sister, but this is just..."

"...That's why I, a genius, am so depressed I want to die."

Miss Thief seemed to have completely broken down. She gritted her teeth in resentment, her eyes reddening, and finally threw herself into Valensa's arms, crying like a wronged little girl.

"Your senior sister... I've been utterly outmaneuvered this time! That damned bastard... I really want to tear him to pieces and grind his bones to ashes!"

"Uh……"

Valensa was a little bewildered by her senior's sudden emotional breakdown.

She paused for a moment, then gently patted her senior's back while softly comforting her:

"Tell me everything, Senior Sister... No matter who bullied you, I will make them pay! I promise! In the name of the Sunflower Duchess!"

"……Um."

With Valensa's reassurance, the phantom thief quickly calmed down.

Valensa quickly poured her another cup of milk tea, sat down next to her on the office sofa, gently held her hand, and waited for her to speak.

“These past three years… umm.”

The phantom thief paused for a moment, seemingly organizing her thoughts:

"I've been involved in several cases on the continent of Frenoia, you should know that, right, junior sister?"

"Of course."

Valensa nodded without changing her expression, but felt a slight unease in her heart.

She's been so busy these past few years that she hasn't really paid much attention to the Revelers... She only found out about them by checking the Sun Church's database before she came.

But just knowing is enough… Valensa pretended to recall for a moment and said:

"If I remember correctly, Senior Sister, you've handled five more cases in the last three years, right?"

"...It is indeed widely believed that I committed five cases, but..."

The phantom thief nodded at first, then began to grit her teeth:

"Actually, I only did 3 things. The other 2 were framed and I was blamed by that bastard... This time is the same, and I was tricked even worse."

"Does Senior Sister mean... someone is impersonating you to commit crimes?"

Valensa immediately understood what the phantom thief meant, frowned slightly, and then quickly touched her senior sister's hand and said softly:

"Which bastard did this? Tell me, junior sister, and I'll teach him a lesson for you!"

"I don't know who he is... I don't know if he's a man or a woman, I can't even tell if he's human."

The phantom thief simply shook her head upon hearing this, her smile growing even more bitter.

"The earliest one was about a year and a half ago, in the Viscount Fransston's territory."

"Yes, I know about that."

Valensa nodded, quickly recalling the information she had seen earlier:

"It seems that a collection item from Viscount Ston's household was taken away by you, Senior Sister, and hidden away. It wasn't until more than a month later that it was found on a farm in the Viscount's territory. And... uh."

Valensa gave her senior sister a rather strange look as she spoke:

"Viscount Ston also accused you, senior sister, of harassing his wife and daughter?"