Chapter 10: It’s too late to regret.

“Don’t rush me~”
Her angelic face spoke devilish words.

The two little creatures now seriously suspected she was doing it on purpose. No, no need to suspect—she was absolutely doing it on purpose!

The chances of Aphrosia using [Holy Envoy’s Naming] were, well, not exactly zero, but about as likely as an iron tree blooming, pulling feathers from a stingy rooster, or the sun rising in the west.

Damn, that’s basically impossible!

The two little creatures despairingly watched Aphrosia’s busy movements.

“Big Sis, have mercy, just get it over with!”

“What kind of talk is that! Can’t you believe I can actually cast the contract magic?”

Little Red Bird gave her a speechless look and asked, “Are you a mid-level mage yet?”

“Apprentice, so what?”

“…Is it possible that you can’t even cast contract magic…”

Little Blue Bird, after a moment of thought, said slowly, “Actually, it’s not entirely impossible… If I remember correctly, that Explosive Flame spell she just used is a mid-level mage’s wide-range attack magic. And she managed to retract it! She actually retracted it! My sister and I only got minor burns. If she had fully unleashed it, it could’ve wiped out those guys chasing us…”
Though, whether Aphrosia claimed she retracted it because she couldn’t fully cast it was another question.

But Little Blue Bird didn’t dare voice that thought. The consequences of saying it out loud were more than it could bear.

Who knew what this black-hearted, fair-skinned, wicked woman would do to torment it!

“Hmph, see? Your little sister is more reasonable. Contract magic? Watch closely!”

With that, Aphrosia began chanting. Blue light flickered at the tip of her exquisite wand, carved with intricate flowers, and a complex magic circle appeared.

Could it be? Did she actually pull it off? No more suffering?

The two little creatures thought naively.

But reality, as always, was disappointing—just like how Dong’s tariff stick failed to break the Eastern defenses.

In an instant, a surging tide rushed forth, blasting the two little creatures off the table and pinning them against the wall. The relentless water flow held the two birds in place, making them feel like life wasn’t worth living…

After what felt like forever, the “rain” stopped. The two little creatures fell from the wall, caught by a gentle glow that slowly lowered them to the ground.

The two drenched birds couldn’t take it anymore!

“You jerk! We knew it!”

Aphrosia put on an innocent face, laughing awkwardly. “Oops, my bad, my bad. Trust me one last time! I’ve never used this magic before, so cut me some slack, okay?”

“Tch, don’t use such a lame excuse to torture us!”

“Well, you know, Tidal Surge magic and contract magic have similar coding. It’s reasonable to mess up a little, right?”

“Reasonable, my foot! They’re worlds apart!”

The girl lowered her head in disappointment, looking at her wand and murmuring, “I really am useless. I’m so dumb, I can’t even cast magic properly…”

Seeing Aphrosia like this, the two little creatures felt a pang of guilt. Had they gone too far?

As if!

“With such terrible acting, who are you trying to fool?”

While the two little creatures were “roaring,” Aphrosia seized the moment. With a wave of her hand, a golden light flashed between her pale palms, enveloping the two birds.

“Damn! We fell for it! What’s this sneaky trick now?”

Aphrosia didn’t answer them. Instead, she focused, placing her wand before her chest, eyes slightly closed, chanting something.

“In the name of Astraea, I bestow this blessing: Dawn weaves the net, stardust adorns the garb, countless star trails converge into light! In the name of miracles, I grant thee sacred forms, ascending to divine favor!”

[Holy Envoy’s Naming]

The contract magic exclusive to the Saintess clan was activated…

A magic requiring the fourth stage of angelic bloodline awakening was actually activated—by Aphrosia, a weakling who had just gained the Goddess’s power, a complete newbie barely able to use magic… and she succeeded.

After the light faded, the two little creatures instantly felt lighter, their strength surging.

No way, sis, you actually did it!

“She was definitely toying with us on purpose!”

“Don’t accuse me wrongly!”

“No, wait, Sister, how did we become divine envoys? That wasn’t ordinary contract magic! Sister! We’re officially in the ranks now!”

Hearing this, Little Red Bird immediately straightened up, flashing a fawning smile at Aphrosia.

“Hehe, Big Sis, I knew following you was the right choice. From now on, if you say east, we won’t dare go west!”

The holy aura radiating from the girl made her starry eyes twinkle with amusement.

The blonde girl quietly tucked away the single white, sacred-feathered wing that had inexplicably appeared behind her.

Yes, just one wing, not a pair—only enough for brief, low-altitude flight.

She probably understood what was going on.

The Saintess clan, to put it bluntly, wasn’t human at all—they were angels. If there was one trait distinguishing angels from humans, it was their wings. In this world, only three angels existed: the former Saintess Aitelien, the candidate Saintess Sophia, and now Aphrosia…

Speaking of angels, one couldn’t forget the demon race. Unlike the vampires, succubi, or trolls from the novels of her past life, the demons of this world were black-winged angels—or, more accurately, fallen angels.

Since the mythical era, the demon race had been enemies of the angels, specifically the Astraea family.

As representatives of light and darkness, the Demon King and the Saintess were naturally destined to be adversaries.

As for comparing strength? The demons were a full-fledged nation with countless soldiers and citizens, against “the three of us.”

Among the three, Aitelien was missing, and Sophia’s allegiance was unclear.

If the angel clan had to face the demons? Aphrosia figured she might as well surrender now.

“You flip sides pretty fast, little pest,” Aphrosia said, rolling her eyes at Little Red Bird’s sycophantic display.

Though… Little Red Bird was female, to begin with.

“What are you saying? I’m utterly loyal to you, Saintess!”

At those words, Aphrosia froze.

“I’m not a Saintess…”

“Sister, have you forgotten she’s the poor soul exiled after her clan was wiped out? The candidate Saintess is still chilling in the church…” Little Blue Bird whispered to her sister.

“What?! Then hurry up and undo the contract! I take it back!” Little Red Bird glared, fuming.

Are you kidding? Following a fallen nobody like you—what future is there in that?

Little Red Bird, the master of quick turnabouts, changed faces faster than anyone could keep up with.

“Big Sis, that was my sister talking! I’m loyal to you, don’t take it out on me!” Little Blue Bird flapped its wings, its survival instincts in overdrive.

Aphrosia’s face darkened.

“Hmph, too late to regret now!”