In the church kingdom, after days of going through documents, pre-registration, and submitting letters from both sides that Kailith had no ill intentions for coming to the republic nor for the kingdom of church, she was finally eligible to teleport there.
In a Woosh!, she found herself standing in the middle of the holy land of the church kingdom. The air was clean and crisp, filled with the faint scent of incense and marble stone. The ground beneath her feet was smooth, white cobblestone, and in the distance, anyone could see the towering spires of the grand church.
As her vision clears, two people were standing in front of her. One was a mature beauty of someone in her late thirties. Her silver hair had a faint blue tint, and her black-and-white nun's attire tightly hugged her curvy figure, a stark contrast to the modesty it was supposed to represent. Her face was strikingly similar to Calista Seraphine's back at the academy.
She was Ceres, Calista's mother. While the other one was a girl with black hair and blue eyes, a familiar combination that made Kailith's doubt something. It was Lamia.
"Welcome, you are surprisingly on time," Ceres says, bowing lightly, her movements graceful and elegant.
"You must be Miss Ceres. And you... a black hair?" Kailith says, looking down at Lamia, being a little confused that if she was related to Esdeath or what?
Ceres puts her hand on Lamia's shoulder. "She is Lamia, one of the four bishops," she says, her voice a smooth, melodic hum.
"Ohh, okay," Kailith was about to ask if she was related to Esdeath or not, but by Ceres's answer, she already got her answer.
"Let's go to the church, follow me," Ceres says, turning around, her black-and-white habit a stark contrast to the white stone of the city. The grand church wasn't far away, so they could just walk there.
Kailith quietly follows Ceres and Lamia from behind, her eyes taking in the sights and sounds of the city.
But as she walks through the road, although everything seemed quite normal, she noticed that people were closing their shops, their movements hurried and efficient. Other workers were going back home from their work even though it was just early night, around 8:30 PM, a time when most cities were just coming to life.
"Is there some festival today? Why is everyone going back home?" Kailith asks, her curiosity piqued. It was strange, a city that went to sleep so early, like a child with a strict bedtime.
"It's just how it is here. It is mostly compulsory to sleep at 9 PM and wake up at 6 AM as a healthy lifestyle. Maybe 9:30 at best," Lamia replies, her voice a flat, monotone statement of fact, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Healthy lifestyle, huh?" Kailith repeats, a little skeptical. Somehow, she still felt the situation was quite weirdm
At that moment, a small, mischievous smile appears on Ceres's face as she takes a step back without turning away and leans closer to Kailith's ear, her breath warm against her skin.
"Most succubuses are exhibitionist, you know? It's quite easy to fuck around in the open, naked, if people sleep early, isn't it? Those who roam outside become easy prey. We don't even have to care about others seeing us," she whispers like giving some secret knowledge, a forbidden fruit offered in the garden of Eden. Then she takes the lead once again, walking side by side with Lamia, her hips swaying in a way that was both alluring and sensual.
Kailith's cheeks were slightly red, a faint blush that she tried to hide, but she still had her composure. "So Maruti was right after all, most church members are succubuses," she sighs inside her mind.
Few minutes later, they finally arrive at the church. It was her first time coming here, and surprisingly, the whole atmosphere looked way better than she imagined it would be.
At first, she had thought that once she'd be inside, all the succubus would be in their true form, without care, might even indulge in intercourse sessions without any shame. She had braced herself for a scene of pure, unadulterated debauchery.
But no, even inside she saw others wearing nun costumes, their heads bowed in prayer. Some were even praying to goddess Seraphine, their voices a low, melodic hum that filled the sacred space.
"Won't they should pray to the demon king instead? Praying to the enemy seems quite weird," Kailith thinks to herself but didn't say anything, her confusion a silent question in her mind.
She had no idea that goddess Seraphine was actually the demon king's mother, neither Lilith ever told her that. So praying to their king's mother was not really criticized in demon culture.
Kailith climbs floor after floor of the church, her footsteps echoing in the silent halls. She reaches high up, till she reaches the top floor, the heart of the church's power. Many seats were arranged for both bishops at the sides, and one more seat at the front for Pope Igret.
This was the same place where Esdeath and Igret had a meeting last time. Unlike last time when Esdeath had to wait till 11 PM to meet Igret, this time Kailith's arrival was already decided days before, and Igret was sitting on her seat, waiting for Kailith, her presence a silent command.
Ceres was the first one to enter, she bows down to Igret and then takes her seat, her movements graceful and respectful. Lamia also does the same, her expression a mask of indifference.
And then Kailith enters, she looks at Igret, who was wearing a red nightgown, her back resting on the throne-like seat as if she were laying on it, her succubus tail clearly standing out, a long, slender appendage that twitched with life.
"You are not wearing a nun costume?" Kailith says subconsciously, the words slipping out of her mouth on their own, a question born of surprise.
"Why should I? It's my place," Igret yawns, standing up lazily, her body a fluid motion of languid grace.
She casually walks up to Kailith, and starts circling around her, rubbing her chin as if judging Kailith's body, her eyes a predatory gaze that made Kailith's skin crawl.
Kailith was surely weirded out by what Igret was doing, but then, Igret comes from behind, pushing her hands between Kailith's and wrapping around her waist, a gesture that was both intimate and invasive.
"Breeding waist as well," she adds, her voice a low, purring murmur, a compliment that felt more like a threat.
Igret turns to look at Ceres, "What do you think? How do you scale her?" she asks with a smile, a predator sharing its thoughts with its pack.
Ceres chuckles as she adds, "She breaks my scale, Lilith's daughter indeed. Reminds me how once we were fighting, she pinned me against the wall, I still get wet dreams of that," she says with quite a lovable tone.
"Haha... the horniness of yours, no wonder Calista is always upset with you," Igret laughs, her voice a rich, melodious sound that filled the room.
Kailith was clearly feeling quite awkward, she came here to train, not to be scaled on how hot her body is. But before that, something else caught her attention instead, a detail that made her heart skip a beat.
"You all met my mother? When?" Kailith asks them, her voice a little a surprise.
"Two hundred years ago, of course. She was quite dashing," Ceres replies, licking her lower lip on purpose.
"Does my mother know you are here secretly ruling this country?" Kailith questions, her eyes narrowing, a suspicion growing in her mind.
Both Igret and Ceres look at each other and then shake their heads, a synchronized motion that was almost rehearsed.
"Of course not, how will she know about it? It's a top secret," Igret says, clearly lying with a perfect expression.