CHAPTER 164: | THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

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  ~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the outskirts of the Kingdom of Loika ~ ? ~

  "Time..." whispered Samantha, her gaze fixed on the reports from her followers.

  ? --- ?

  [7|2|1039. YOUR HOLINESS, THE SPIES AT THE BORDER HAVE UNCOVERED THAT THE LOIKA KNIGHTS HAVE ANNOUNCED THEIR RETREAT AT THE BORDER. P.S. SISTER ALIYA.]

  [20|2|1039. YOUR HOLINESS, THE SITUATION ON THE BORDERS IS DIRE! THE OHAR CLAN HAS NOTICED THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE LOIKA KNIGHTS AND BEGUN THEIR INVASION! YOUR HOLINESS, PLEASE SEND US SISTER MINERVA TO QUELL THE TENSION OF THE HELLION FORT!! P.S. SISTER ALIYA.]

  [...]

  ? --- ?

  Her brows creased into a frown as she stared at Aliya's report and the others that followed with the same concern. She massaged her temple, the silence of the room heavy, before shifting her gaze to Minerva, who had already grown accustomed to life as a sister of the Evernight Cult.

  Samantha tapped her fingers against the paperwork, the rhythmic thrum-thrum echoing softly as she pondered which of her trusted followers she should send to the border.

  She stared at the three women loitering in her office, which were Anastasia, Shuxie, and Fenda. Their appearances were distinct, though they shared the blood-red pupils characteristic of their kind. Anastasia meanwhile possessed a perfectly golden hair with no silver streals could be seen in them; Shuxie on the other hand bore forest-brown locks with eighty percent of silver near her left ear to her right ear; and lastly, Fenda championed a fiery red mane with an eighty percent of silvery streak streak.

  Though they were of the same race a creature of the night, but the purity of their crimson eyes varied. Anastasia was merely a Marchioness in the ranks of noble bloodlines, a result of her conservative personality and refusal to drink the blood of the innocent. Her two sisters on the other hand, who had joined later, had easily evolved into the rank of Duchess.

  This was understandable, for their affinity for blood was higher than Anastasia, and they were practically bloodthirsty, never shying away from the blood essence of the innocent.

  In contrast, Anastasia only killed those she deemed the trash of the earth, drinking their blood so that even in death they would serve the greater good. Samantha couldn't fully understand Minerva's reasoning, but she ignored the logic; she had her own views, and Minerva had hers. Why force her will upon a subordinate who already possessed such conviction?

  "Sister Anastasia, it’s been more than a month since we’ve seen you touch blood. Are you perhaps feasting like you usually did in the Temple from time to time?" said Shuxie, concerned for her sister's health.

  Anastasia merely brushed her off. "Though I have long since forsaken my identity as the Sword of the Supreme God and as a Templar of the Holy See, and now I am affiliated with the Evernight Cult, my belief as a human... no, as a creature of the night, tells me that it is wrong to take the essence of the innocent."

  "I respect your belief, Sister Anastasia, as a former human, but look at us now," Fenda interjected, staring straight into her sister's eyes. "We are now one with the night. We serve the Goddess of the Night to liberate our fellow sisters trapped at the hands of men. How could you limit yourself like this?"

  Her stare didn't breai, but upon seeing the firmness of Anastasia belief, a look that told her she knew exactly what she was doing, Fenda couldn't help but sigh in surrender. "Haaa... stop staring at me like that... I know, I know that you’re clinging to the past where you were once human. So forget it... forget our concerns. There will be a day when you’ll understand our words."

  Anastasia held her gaze firmly, then nodded. "Sister Fenda, though I may be as stubborn as a mule, but as a former human who had lived her life for the greater good of humanity, I still could not abandon my last shred of dignity. Nor could I abandon my beliefs as if they were used trash..."

  Fenda and Shuxie listened to their sister’s words and nodded. How could they force their eldest sister to abandon the beliefs she held onto, even to this point, when both of them had already let go? They couldn't blame Anastasia stubbornness; they could only respect her will to embody it.

  They sighed in unison. "Sister, we are not forcing you to change. But we are telling you that you’re becoming too pale, too skinny, for goodness sake."

  Anastasia chuckled at their concern. She patted them gently, smiling brightly. "That is why you, my sisters, are here to remind me to take care of myself. So, even if I regret my decision in the future, I wouldn't truly regret it, as there is a cause and effect in our decisions. Even when I meet trouble that I cannot handle in the future, aren't you, my good sisters, always watching my back?"

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  Shuxie sighed at her sister's obstinance and slumped onto the sofa, muttering weakly. "Haaa, I can't believe you, sister..."

  Fenda nodded in agreement, adding, "Then at least try to evolve into a Duchess before asking for our aid, sister."

  Samantha, who was listening to their conversation, sighed internally at Anastasia’s stubbornness. Yet, she couldn't do anything about it; there wasn't anything to nitpick regarding Anastasia’s performance. Her strength didn't pale in comparison to any of her sisters, even Aliya, who was the strongest among them. So, she let her be.

  So she pondered, which of these three sisters should she send to the border to help Aliya in the battle against the Ohar Clan. She could ignore Aliya's request for assistance; for she had already knew that Aliya, a Duchess of the Night about to advance to a Queen at any moment, could handle the invasion until her fellow sisters evolved into the rank of Baroness to counterattack. However, doing so would incur some significant damage on their side that Samantha didn't want to sustain. Moreover it was foolish to ignore a battlefield, where they could act so brazenly, where they wouldn't provoke the kingdom, nor any of the neighboring ones, were extremely rare to come by.

  So she contemplated greatly. Shuxie and Fenda were great choices, as they too were on the verge of breaking through to the rank of Queen of the Night. But looking at it from a different perspective, they weren't worth sending to the borders; their presence was greatly needed in the Southern Oasis that bordered Loika and Peta. So that leaves Anastasia, who was free at the moment.

  Samantha smiled at her conclusion. But before she could speak, Alister, who had been napping on her lap, opened his eyes after a week of slumber. "I am interested in which decision you would take on this matter?" he asked.

  "The matter is not so pressing that it warranted me to send reinforcements, since Aliya could hold off their defense until her surviving sisters could evolve," Samantha said in a calculating voice. "But wasting this opportunity to create a Queen of the Night or a Duchess would be dumb of me."

  Alister pressed his palm against her stomach, blowing hot air through the fabric as he whispered softly, "Hmm, it is indeed dumb to not take this opportunity that Kairo gave you to grow your force. So tell me, which of these three sisters would be good to send, and why?"

  Samantha shivered at the warmth spreading across her stomach. Alister didn't stop there; with a subtle tear, he parted her light dress and ran his tongue over her navel, waiting for an answer.

  Samantha didn't wait, whispering softly through the sensation. "Indeed... I am curious which of these sisters should be sent to the Southern Oasis to claim ownership of it from the Ohar Clan and the two kingdoms—Loika and Peta—vying for it like beasts... and which should be sent to the borders to help her evolve."

  Alister stopped teasing her navel and sat up. He wiped his lips, stared at the girls, and shook his head, whispering, "Hmm. Indeed, it is such a shame that only one of them could be sent to the frontlines, while the other two are left in an unknown land to stagnate for months."

  Samantha grabbed Alister by the hair and yanked him back onto her lap. "You can see them without even looking at them, so why do you want to get up from my lap?" she asked gently.

  Alister chuckled, hugging her waist as he whispered into her stomach, "Indeed, I could see them clearly without looking at them. But I wonder? I wonder why am I getting up?"

  Samantha's smile broke. She pinched Alister’s side, then clapped her hands to get the girls' attention. "Anastasia, I have a mission for you a few hours from now," she said softly but firmly. "In the meantime, please prepare a hundred sisters in the rank of Baroness, three Viscountesses to lead them, and a Countess that will help you if you ever face any difficulties in this task. Prepare them in an hour and meet me in the town square."

  Anastasia nodded at her Messiah’s command. She rose from her seat, bidding goodbye to her sisters before she exited the room.

  Fenda and Shuxie were left behind. Though the two of them were familiar with their Messiah, they still felt inferior to her. They couldn't even meet her gaze, unlike their eldest sister Anastasia and second eldest sister Aliya. They lowered their heads, fearing the gaze that stared into their very souls.

  Samantha, staring at the two remaining girls, smiled. "Fenda and Shuxie. Your progress is truly remarkable as Children of the Night and as my sisters of the Evernight Church. But I must apologize first, since you two will be sent to the Southern Oasis to claim its ownership. Unless you have claimed it for ourselves, you are not allowed to return to the Main Church. You are dismissed to prepare yourselves accordingly."

  Fenda and Shuxie were shaken by the command. This meant their progress would stagnate unless a war broke out in the Southern Oasis. Though dissatisfied, they could do nothing but follow the orders of their Messiah.

  They bowed and spoke in unison. "May the Goddess's grace bless us, Children of the Night."

  They left the room, leaving Samantha alone with Alister. Who was already toying with the sensitive peaks beneath her dress.

  She bit her lip, then playfully smacked his head. "Now is not the time for us, Alister. So should I say stop, or should I work you stop!"

  Alister chuckled, but continued pinching the hardened points of her chest, sending an electrifying jolt through Samantha's spines. Before he whispered softly, "Huhuhu... indeed, it is fun to tease you when you are ever serious. So ignore me; since I am someone insignificant, you may go on and continue your work."

  Though she wanted to be taken right then and there, work was work. Samantha calmed her mind, closing her eyes to enter meditation. Within a minute, she had regained her composure. She opened her eyes, staring at Alister, who was still fiddling with her chest. She sighed at his playfulness but ignored him, as she grabbed her quill and began signing the documents so that military funds would be sent.

  "I had already said it, Alister... when it’s time for me to work, even if you act cute, the chances of me ignoring you is a hundred percent. So stop playing with me already and sleep like a child."