2-76 - How Could the Villainous Young Master Be a Saintess?

### Volume Two, Chapter 76 – Have You Abandoned Your Humanity? How Could a Villainous Young Master Be the Saintess? Fukas spoke in an oddly sinister tone, "Young student, you're still far too inexperienced to deal with adults like me." "Oh?" Aesphyra tilted her head slightly. "If I were you, I wouldn't have chosen to come back alone and confront an adult with a filthy mind and his accomplices. But I suppose you have no one to turn to for help, considering the arrogant faces of the city guards." Fukas' expression suddenly distorted into a malevolent grin. "You wanted to be in the spotlight, little girl, and that's become the spark of your misfortune." "Hmph! You little know-it-all, why bother coming back? You'll pay the price for your meddling!" As he spoke, Fukas subtly gathered a ball of magical energy behind his back. In a flash, a bolt of lightning shot from his palm toward Aesphyra. Aesphyra had anticipated this and conjured a sturdy earth shield without any incantation or casting delay, easily neutralizing Fukas' lightning strike. "Uncle, I see you can use mage-series magic. Even if you haven't absorbed the soul of a Holy Messenger, your magical aptitude is commendable. So why have you abandoned your humanity?" Aesphyra asked, her head tilted in curiosity. "What do you know, little girl?" Fukas snarled as if Aesphyra had hit a nerve. "I had a much brighter future ahead of me!" "Oh, I see," Aesphyra chuckled, covering her mouth. "So you acted on your hidden filthiness, made a grave mistake, and faced punishment, is that it?" "Little girl, if I were you, I'd refrain from provoking your opponent right now," Fukas hissed through gritted teeth. "With my talent, I was never meant to be confined to a mere priest! It's all those bastards' fault. If they're ruthless, I can be too." "They ruined my talent, my everything! Forced me to stay in that suffocating wretched church, bowing to the orders of those smug, talentless fools!" "After enduring such injustice, why should I continue to believe in some useless goddess?!" Fukas growled coldly. "Ah, my apologies. Attempting to communicate with you was my mistake. I should have realized from the start that you, uncle, are a disgusting worm who blames everything else but never yourself," Aesphyra said, shaking her head. "Little girl, at this point, you're still caught up in right and wrong. That shows how immature you truly are." As Fukas spoke, he discreetly maneuvered to block the exit, cutting off Aesphyra's escape. "In the adult world, it's all about interests and gains. Like now, instead of worrying about right and wrong, you should focus on your grim and hopeless predicament." "You had the chance to leave unharmed, but you came back to make a name for yourself, to excel in this demon-related practical exam, expecting accolades from your academy and peers. How naive. It seems the Carreliman Academy and your family have protected you too well, leaving you clueless about the true dangers and the fact that there are always stronger people out there." "I'm going to teach you a lesson today, to show you that once you leave your academy, you privileged elites are nothing!" "Enough of your chatter. Just kill her already and be done with it," a red-haired woman sneered, glaring at Fukas. "No, my esteemed lady, please don't. I have a use for this silver-haired girl. Capture her and leave her disposal to me." Fukas dropped his facade entirely, casting a greedy, lecherous gaze over Aesphyra's form, his demeanor repulsive to the core. Ugh, this disgusting human. The red-haired woman looked on with revulsion at Fukas. Being a succubus, if she couldn't perceive Fukas' lurid intentions towards Aesphyra, her years as a succubus would have been wasted—she might as well have been living as a dog. Moreover, in the eyes of the red-haired woman, Fukas' aura became increasingly repugnant. If it weren't for her plans, who would willingly cooperate with such vile trash? "I'm sorry, but could you, disgusting uncle, not look at me with those eyes?" Aesphyra's smile had vanished, and Fukas' expression and gaze made her profoundly uncomfortable, to the point where she couldn't even muster a polite facade. "Do you not understand your situation, little girl?" Fukas grinned wickedly. "Take a good look around. Does this still seem like your familiar campus?" With that, Fukas unleashed two simultaneous lightning strikes towards Aesphyra with both hands. **Lightning Beam** Even against a Carreliman Academy prodigy, Fukas was unafraid. He believed that his accumulated experience and age would be enough to crush this mere first-year student before she could develop further. To overcome the younger's talent with age—what else could he do, being the despicable adult? "It's useless. Do you still plan to use your earth magic to block, young lady? Soon, you'll see the vast difference between life-or-death combat and the structured lessons taught in your academy!" This time, Aesphyra didn't employ her primarily defensive earth magic. Instead, a fiery red lotus flame bloomed within her palm. As the flame ignited, the room's temperature rose alarmingly. With just a casual snap of her fingers, the flame was in her hand, which she effortlessly flicked towards Fukas like a small fireball. **Lesser Fireball** Lightning clashed with the fiery lotus in mid-air, resulting in an explosion of light. However, Fukas' lightning spell couldn't withstand the fireball, being forcefully overwhelmed. Sensing the scorching heat approaching his forehead, Fukas broke out in a cold sweat, hurriedly abandoning his continued release of lightning magic. He quickly retrieved and unfurled a scroll. This scroll was an expensive, high-level water spell he had bought from the black market for emergencies. As the scroll unfurled, a robust water wall rose, defending Fukas from the advance of Aesphyra's attack. "Boom boom boom!" The fiery lotus contacted the water wall, the water rapidly evaporating, and blasted a large hole. Just as Fukas was about to be engulfed by the explosion's residual flames, the red-haired succubus intervened. Though she found the human man repugnant, wishing to tear him apart, he still had a role in her plan. The red-haired woman summoned a water barrier around Fukas, shielding him from the flames. "My esteemed lady, if you continue to idly watch like before, our pact won't progress further." Fukas clutched his chest, still shaken by the terrifying heat, reluctant to underestimate Aesphyra anymore. Her fire element affinity was unimaginably alarming, easily breaking through his lightning with just a small fireball. Fukas dared not be careless anymore, as this was no joking matter—it was a gamble with his life. Even his water wall scroll barely contained Aesphyra's fireball. Continuing this fight was unwise. Thus, he decided to rely on numbers, using the advantage of many against one. Principles were irrelevant to him anyway. "You fool, can you not see that this silver-haired girl is far stronger than you?" The red-haired woman sneered at Fukas. "Unable to defeat a mere girl, you've wasted all these years." "My esteemed lady, isn't it time to unite against our common foe instead of undermining an ally's morale?" Fukas' face darkened. "An ally? Are you referring to your earlier attempt to sacrifice your ally for the chance to continue existing in human society?" The red-haired woman casually exposed the flimsy surface of their alliance. Fukas stubbornly defended himself, "I was merely testing, trying to lower her guard against me!" However, no one believed such an excuse, which only elicited chuckles. "Hmph! Foolish human, there's no need for you against this silver-haired girl, but if I step in, I can't guarantee the outcome," the red-haired woman retorted. Fukas gritted his teeth—though dissatisfied, he couldn't deny it. Truth be told, he had never seen a girl as beautiful as this, and felt it would be a pity to kill her. "Esteemed lady, I ask you to respect my perspective and consider my words. After all, she is a student of Carreliman Academy." "What? You think that at this point, things can end peacefully? Such naivety! If we don't eliminate the threat entirely, do you believe Carreliman Academy will let you walk away?" the red-haired woman scoffed. Fukas remained silent, tacitly accepting the harsh reality. "Know your place, human. You're just dust that needs our manipulation to move forward." The red-haired woman dismissed him coldly and clapped her hands. Instantly, a fierce wind blew through the room, rattling the doors. Several dark figures entered the chapel. As Aesphyra looked up, she recognized these figures as the village's unusually vacant villagers. "Alright, she's exposed our secret. There's no need for pretense anymore. Wipe away the alchemical concoction you've been wearing," the red-haired woman ordered. Upon hearing this, the expressionless villagers reached up to their faces, gripping and pulling away a layer as if peeling off a curtain. Muscular men with black horns and wings appeared, their disguise shed. "Phew, finally free from that ugly human alchemical skin. What a beautiful little sister we have here; it's been a while since we've seen such a prime catch." They leered at Aesphyra openly. "Little sister, why don't you give up resisting and join us for some fun? Don't worry, you'll enjoy it." "Hahaha!" "Incubi." Aesphyra frowned slightly, naming their species. Incubi, simply put, are male succubi. In this demon race, females are called succubi and males incubi. Unlike most demon races where females are stunning and males grotesque, incubi are among the few male demons who look relatively normal. They're certainly not as extreme as other demon males. "So most of Leike Village's residents have been replaced with your kin?" Aesphyra queried, raising an eyebrow at the red-haired woman. "More or less, though some still remain. But they pose no threat. According to my original plan, Leike Village should've long since become a succubi nest. Your arrival delayed our operations," the red-haired woman sneered. "What about the original villagers? Where did they go?" Though Aesphyra had a hunch, she still asked. The red-haired woman laughed, "Silver-haired girl, you're amusing. Do you think any human survives in the hands of demons? To us, humans are merely higher-grade food. Those with magical potential are premium, whereas the common ones are nothing but single-use morsels. Have you ever seen anyone retrieve a piece of bread once it's eaten?" "Now, with the village in chaos, my subordinates will round up any stragglers, including you," the red-haired woman said with disdain, her gaze settled on Aesphyra. At this moment, chaos reigned in Leike Village. "Big brother, what are you doing?!" "Father, what's wrong with you? Don't you recognize me?!" To the remaining villagers, the eerie undercurrent that had long simmered in the village finally erupted. Their family members, once rescued from the serpent's den, were now frantically attacking them with deadly intent. The villagers were at a loss, unable to fathom what was happening. In the midst of this frenzy, the old village chief, as if he had long expected this turmoil, sighed deeply. "Child, run! Get as far away from this village as possible," the old chief urged the trembling child in his arms. "But..." "Don't stay here. If you linger, no one will escape. This village is done for. Leave now." --- *(2025/06/26/22/08)* *[Bookmark this story for easy access]* *Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter* --- *Search by book title or author*