According to the Ice Snow Witch's deductions, the reason the Protos Empire had spent vast sums of money to keep those three demons imprisoned for over a century without executing them was precisely because the empire had always hoped to bring them to heel, turning these great demons into a force for the empire.
The innate magic of any one of them possessed miraculous, singular effects.
For other living beings, mastering such magic was impossible even across a lifetime.
Yet from beginning to end, not a single human or demon half-blood had ever emerged who could win their consent.
Even though the demon race had fallen into decline, the great demons of old would rather die than become slaves to humans. Even a contract slanted as far toward equality as possible remained entirely out of the question.
Based on what the Ice Snow Witch knew of these three great demons, any Protos envoys who had previously entered their cells to propose contracts had likely, without exception, been slaughtered mid-negotiation.
To a great demon, the very offer of dialogue was an unforgivable insult.
The Ice Snow Witch had told Hyperion that if she were the one to meet Antanas of Protection, Antanas would not harm her, whether she agreed to form a contract and leave with her or not.
As for the other two, however, nothing was certain.
After all, Hyperion was not that cruel, ruthless, and terrifyingly powerful Second Demon Princess, Efatia.
She differed far too much from her mother.
Had Lanqi not intended to control the Poet of Great Love's immortal body to converse with the two great demons, Hyperion would never have agreed to let him take the risk.
Regardless, they had to push through the upper tiers swiftly to earn enough duty points to unlock the hidden transactions in the deepest levels.
Hyperion glanced back at the three Domination priests behind her.
The three of them still seemed to be awaiting orders from the Poet of Great Love.
"Follow Milian's commands."
Beneath the mask, the Poet of Great Love delivered the directive in a concise, slightly raspy voice.
"Understood, My Lord."
Keeping a measured distance, all three answered in unison before turning toward Hyperion and offering a respectful bow.
They knew full well that whether that supreme lord appeared before them in male or female form, they were a presence one must never presume to touch. The fact that the lord allowed Miss Milian Milford to touch them was ample proof of Milian's standing within their Domination branch, earning their wholehearted deference.
"..."
Immediately after, the Poet of Great Love returned to standby mode. It seemed that no matter which direction Hyperion led her, she would place absolute, unconditional trust in her.
The primary task of delving into Herrom Prison had already been entrusted to Hyperion; only when help was required would Lanqi divert his focus here again.
"Don't worry. Just focus on your own job,"
Hyperion took hold of the Poet of Great Love's forearm and spoke gently. The two of them had divided the labor and would each carry out their respective duties.
Though Lanqi's true body was not beside her, having him effectively turn into an actual summon gave her an extraordinary sense of reassurance.
Hyperion had never seen such a dazed Lanqi before and found it surprisingly novel.
Perhaps he, who had always been flawless and unreadable, could actually be teased like this.
Still, the mission at hand took precedence, and she could not afford the slightest lapse in vigilance.
Several corridors branched off from this hall, but the most obvious path led straight ahead to the Basement Level 1 Warden's Office.
According to the rules of this floor, they had to report there to take on commissions from the tier warden.
Hyperion began leading the Poet of Great Love along the signs on Basement Level 1 toward their destination.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. With the Domination branch's help, what should have been a scrambled pug group had turned into a reliable, professional carry squad. She felt as though the final step of this rescue mission had dropped straight from super-hell difficulty down to merely advanced.
The only thing that unsettled Hyperion was the absolute subservience displayed by the three teammates behind her.
They truly seemed to treat her like a superior from the Resurrection Church.
Among the rules for Hyperion's clerical assessment in the Church of the Goddess of Fate was a principle of confidentiality—from the moment the task began, one was forbidden from informing anyone that they were undergoing an evaluation.
The instant one hinted at the clerical assessment by any means, the church's sacred token, the Proof of Fate, would automatically self-destruct.
This served as a major trial to test a cleric's reliability.
First, whether the cleric's assistants knew that critical junctions of the mission were being observed had no bearing on the mission's inherent success rate.
Second, prohibiting any disclosure of the assessment prevented deceitful examinees from colluding with enemies and using clandestine cooperation to inflate their odds of infiltration.
It was precisely because of this rule that the Church of the Goddess of Fate had previously caught a mole. Back then, the other Resurrection Church accomplices had no idea their spy was being tested; operating in typical Resurrection Church fashion, they had been caught red-handed almost immediately...
Down the corridor leading from the Teleportation Hall toward the Warden's Office on Basement Level 1, the group led by Hyperion moved at a brisk pace. Their faces appeared faint under the dim yellow lamplight, their silhouettes cast upon the ancient stone walls, swaying gently with every step.
As Hyperion pondered the situation, the three behind her seemed to sense her unease.
"Lady Milian, please trust in our loyalty. Even if we must lay down our lives, we will not hesitate in the slightest. You need only focus on completing your great mission with peace of mind."
The three exchanged glances, and their leader spoke to Hyperion in a low, solemn voice.
They knew very well that they could not reveal their identities as Domination priests within Herrom Prison. For now, they had to maintain their disguises as students, yet they still hoped their leader would have faith in their core nature and devotion.
"..."
Hyperion looked back at the trio's zealot-like expressions. Her face shifted through several reactions in an instant, her trembling lips silently pleading with them: *Stop talking... please, just stop talking...*
She prayed that Lanqi and these three would not do anything bizarre later on. Failing the exam was one thing, but if she ended up branded as a genuine mole during a faith trial, not even jumping into the ocean would wash her clean!
***
Up in the high-dimensional viewing space.
A strange, discordant feeling caused the Chosen Saintess, the High Priest, and the Paladin Commander to furrow their brows.
Where on earth had this young lady taking the clerical exam found three suicidal retainers?
Their Church of the Goddess of Fate rarely went to such lengths.
For high-stakes missions, it wasn't that this degree of attitude and execution was bad.
Rather, the aura these three gave off was deeply alarming.
It was as if three already loyal individuals had been maliciously brainwashed to a point of sheer madness, twisting their original loyalty into something bordering on love, yet utterly chaotic and perverted.
Almis couldn't have naively trusted a high-ranking Resurrection Church figure and handed such a vital mission over to her, could she? If that were the case, Almis would bear full responsibility.
Chapter 392