The Maleficent Matron

"Boss Mars, be careful! What's wrong with you?!" Du Chen stepped forward to support him. Mars waved his hands, pushing Du Chen away, then a fiery battle qi erupted around him, and the pungent aroma of alcohol filled the air. As sweat beaded, all the alcohol in his body evaporated, leaving him completely sober. Mars ceaselessly pounded his forehead, pacing around the shattered wine table, his brows deeply furrowed.

"Damn it all, damn it all! Could it be that they've set their sights on my little niece? This, this is utterly f***ing… damn them all!"

Boss Mars was so flustered he couldn't even swear properly!

He pressed Du Chen's shoulder, his face etched with worry. "Brother, I've seen your daughter. She is indeed adorable, the kind that makes you want to pick her up and kiss her. But, but why does she have to be so charming?"

Is there something wrong with a daughter being adorable!? Is cuteness a sin?!

Du Chen pursed his lips, but from Mars's reaction, he knew the situation was far from simple!

Who is Mars? He is one of the Papal Curia's nine Godfathers. Although his own strength isn't top-tier, he is deeply trusted by the Pontiff and oversees the Enforcement Temple, which is known as the 'Battle God World's Law'! For him to be this agitated, who exactly are these young ladies from That Cloud's banner?!

"Damn it, brother, this time we're in big trouble! You and I both are!" Mars heavily thumped his own head.

Honestly, this Francis is a brother within my Enforcement Temple. If someone tries to snatch his daughter, then as the Old One, I naturally should grab my weapon and stand up for him! But the opponents are those young ladies under That Cloud's banner… Why did I blurt out that I'd stand up for Francis earlier? Damn this mouth of mine!

Francis is someone His Holiness the Pontiff specifically ordered to be given special care.

But those young ladies are people even His Holiness the Pontiff dares not offend lightly! Or rather, dares not offend at all!

Now, both sides have come into conflict…

What should I do? Mars's thoughts were practically plastered across his face. He slumped his shoulders, his head bowed in worry, silent. After a long while, this simpleton came up with a 'solution' that wasn't really a solution. He clutched his forehead with both hands, "Oh, my head is spinning, I must have drunk too much. I'm going to lie down for a bit. All of you, listen to the White-Robed Archbishop!"

He slipped away!

Damn it, not a single decent soul in the Papal Curia! Du Chen cast a cold glance at the departing Boss Mars!

Just then, Andy, carrying Beibei on his back, ran in, escorted by several clerics. Andy's face was a picture of panic, while the little one was giggling, albeit covered in dust and grime – clearly, they had been running in a great hurry! But these weren't the most crucial details. The critical point was that, on Andy's back, with Beibei's help, sat another girl, a year or two younger than Beibei, appearing to be only one or two years old, or perhaps, an infant!

The infant was clad only in a white, sheer veil, with sparse hair on her head. Though she was whimpering, her face was undeniably that of an incredibly cute little creature!

None of the clerics noticed that the shadow behind Du Chen suddenly stirred – Deboning, who guarded Beibei, had also returned. He transmitted his voice directly into Du Chen's ear, relaying the events in the simplest language possible.

…

Just moments ago, Beibei rode Andy directly towards That Cloud banner. The cloud banner didn't seem far at all, located right on the beach near Turco Port. But urged on by Beibei, Andy exerted all his strength, running for over twenty minutes before finally reaching the cloud banner that appeared close but was actually far! The classic deception of distance, where a seemingly near goal was in fact an exhausting trek, enough to wear out even a powerful Snow Wolf!

Deboning, adept at concealment, followed Du Chen's instructions, not showing himself but remaining hidden nearby, careful not to interrupt his young lady's playtime!

From afar, That Cloud banner was magnificent. Upon closer inspection, beneath the banner, white mist swirled, mysterious and dazzling. Beibei immediately clapped her hands and laughed, "Andy, isn't it beautiful?" Before Andy could reply, she instantly furrowed her little brows. "Hmm? There's an Eight-Star Battle God inside! And the flagpole is strange, as if something is hidden… Andy, let's go back. Let's not cause Daddy trouble!"

As the Snow Wolf turned, the white mist beneath the cloud banner suddenly thinned, and a white-robed middle-aged woman emerged from within. Her appearance was dignified and elegant, yet imbued with an air of lofty arrogance! She kept her head still, her gaze lowered, scanning Beibei. Then, a look of delighted surprise blossomed in her eyes. "What an adorable little girl! Truly too cute!"

She walked towards Beibei. Straightening her posture, her eyes reverted to their cold, indifferent state. Estimating Beibei's age to be around three or four, and therefore old enough to understand some things, she asked, "Little girl, what is your name?"

"Big Sister, Beibei is called Belmonde. Just now I was playing, riding the big dog, and came over because the flagpole looked pretty. I'm sorry to bother you, Big Sister, Beibei needs to go home for dinner now!" Beibei replied politely.

Unexpectedly, the white-robed middle-aged woman stepped sideways, blocking Andy, and praised, "Not only beautiful, but also intelligent and sensible; a truly fine specimen! Come, eat inside with me. Big Sister has lots of delicious things here. Don't go home!" Her tone was exceedingly domineering yet alluring, essentially an enticement combined with a command to Beibei!

"I won't bother you, Big Sister, Daddy is waiting for Beibei at home!" The little one urged Andy to hurry.

"Hmph!" The middle-aged woman huffed heavily, then casually swiped a hand before Andy. The Snow Wolf immediately felt a powerful force tugging at his tail, involuntarily backing towards the flagpole. Looking back, a stream of water light was wrapped around his tail! "Come with me; it is a blessing from God! Do not be ungrateful!"

"Stupid wolf, stop!" Beibei cried out in alarm. Seeing the water light, her two dark little eyebrows furrowed together, and she shouted with all her might, "Burn it off!"

Puff, a ball of fire appeared near the water light. Jamis and Old Bovin had tried this move many times, always successfully, but this time, it failed!

"A little girl with an innate Fire Body bestowed by heaven, ha, what an unexpected delight!" The middle-aged woman's eyes brightened even further, and she waved her hand, dispelling the smoke beneath the cloud banner. "Little girl, from today onwards, you shall be called Rimel, and you are a servant of my God!"

"I'm called Belmonde, not Rimel… Oh, stop moving!" Beibei seemed to be yelling at Andy, but in reality, she was commanding Deboning, who was secretly preparing to act!

Because the little one knew that once Deboning acted, a life would be taken!

Then, the little one clearly saw the 'oddity' beneath the cloud banner, and was utterly stunned!

"Wow… Mama!"

"Wuwu, I want Daddy!"

"Hungry, wuwu, hungry!"

"Wah, wah!"

…

They were all young, the oldest looking roughly the same age as Beibei, only three or four years old, and the youngest was still an infant! Six or seven little girls were tied to the white, slender pole of the cloud banner, like dogs on a leash!

These little girls all had white jade collars around their necks, with a fine chain attaching them to the flagpole. In front of each girl, there was also a feeding dish, containing a milky-white liquid, presumably milk! If not for the sheer white garments they wore, one might even wonder if they were some kind of human-dog hybrids kept in pens! But Beibei could see that they were genuine human infant girls!

The middle-aged woman picked up a collar from near the flagpole and walked towards Beibei. "Rimel, from now on, these are all your sisters, and future servants of my God. From today onwards, you are their eldest sister! Because you are the most outstanding!"

Beibei slapped her own face hard, then pointed at the white-robed woman and cursed, "Bad person, you're a bad person!"

"Hmph, an ungrateful little girl, dares to curse me? You seek death!" She raised a hand, but then a thought crossed her mind: a clever and quick-witted little girl with an innate Fire Body bestowed by heaven was exceedingly rare. Forget it, just give her a lesson to make her obedient! The white-robed woman held back some of her strength!

But just then, a shadow of death swept through her heart. Immediately, she heard Beibei shout, "Don't kill anyone, save those little sisters!"

Deboning, who already held the white-robed woman's life in his grasp, let out a cold snort, "Scram!" The white-robed woman paled in terror. Then, Deboning leaped towards the flagpole, his battle qi unfurling, intending to sweep away all the little girls who were being kept like dogs! But an unexpected change occurred: a mist of water suddenly rose from the white jade pole, actually forcing Deboning back!

His battle qi retracted, Deboning suppressed the tremor in his lungs. He looked at his hands and saw that he had only managed to save one child!

Then, the cloud mist on the flagpole unfurled, actually attacking Deboning actively!

"So powerful! Brook, hurry and leave, Beibei can't see through this flagpole! It's almost as strong as Little Brother! So powerful!" Beibei stared at the flagpole in shock. "Hurry, let's go find Daddy! Daddy will have a way!"

Deboning cast a reluctant glance at the flagpole, then let out a heavy hmph. Protecting Beibei, he retreated far from the flagpole, then placed the infant girl he held onto Andy's back. He stared coldly at the terrified white-robed woman and said, "Young lady, you go first, I'll cover the rear!"

"Mm, don't kill indiscriminately now!" Beibei urged Andy to run towards Turco Port.

All this happened in a flash of lightning. The white-robed woman stared at Deboning, only now reacting with a gasp, "You actually managed to rescue a child from beneath the cloud banner!?" She took a few deep breaths, recovering her aloof demeanor. "No matter who you are, you are doomed! Rimel is already an appointed servant of my God!"

"Hmph, if not for the Young Lady's kind heart, you would already be dead!" As his voice faded, Deboning vanished without a trace!

The white-robed woman stared at the spot where Deboning had vanished, grit her teeth, and then looked up to the sky, shouting, "Sisters, stop looking for new divine servants, all return!" She flew to the base of the flagpole and grabbed a collar—it had belonged to the infant rescued by Deboning! "A servant branded by my God cannot escape!" Watching several other white-robed women flying in the sky, she commanded, "Someone has defiled the divine might of my God! Go, take That Cloud Sacred Artifact, and head to the church in the city! We must retrieve Rimel!"

…

The events were complex, but Deboning relayed them very quickly. After listening, Du Chen touched his nose with one hand and cradled the rescued infant in the other. "Beibei, you did well!"

The little one lowered her head. "I still caused Daddy trouble, big trouble, very big trouble…"

"Hehe, this isn't trouble, it's a good deed, a great good deed! As long as it's a good deed, it's not trouble! You did wonderfully, this is my good child!" Du Chen stroked the little one's cheek. Just then, chaotic sounds erupted outside the church.

"Oh dear, esteemed young ladies, we have already informed the bishops. Please wait a moment…"

"Hmph, no one can impede the steps of my God's servants. Move aside, or die!"