The Deposed Saintess

In front of the massive, solemn Dragon God statue, a lithe, sumptuously dressed Dragon Tribe beauty knelt in prayer, her eyes filled with reverence.

Offerings were piled up like a small mountain before the Dragon God statue, and the architecture housing the statue was also exceptionally solemn and dignified. Wisps of incense smoke rose, blurring the view of the Dragon God Radon.

At this moment, the Dragon Tribe beauty also recovered from her fervent prayer, standing up and concluding an important part of her day.

“Madam.”

The Ice Dragon maidservant beside her, seeing the woman finish her prayer, rushed forward to help her drape a valuable shawl over her shoulders.

“Hmph.”

The woman hummed with slight satisfaction, then looked at the maidservant before her.

“Has anyone come looking for me during my prayer?”

The woman spoke, her lingering beautiful voice carrying a hint of lazy nobility.

“Replying, Madam, just now, the Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult came looking for you. I told him you were still burning incense and praying, so he went to the side hall to await you there.”

“Mhm, good. Lead the way.”

The woman hummed softly, habitually raising her hand. The Ice Dragon maidservant, seeing this, quickly supported the noble madam with both hands, carefully helping her towards the side hall.

Upon reaching the side hall, the woman entered alone, and the Ice Dragon maidservant remained outside, thoughtfully closing the door.

As she stepped into the reception room, the white Dragon Tribe woman first noticed an elderly man, dressed in archbishop’s robes, seated upright in a chair.

“I apologize for making Your Grace the Archbishop wait so long. Please forgive me.”

“Hehe, Madam’s heart is devoted to the Dragon God, and she prays with such piety. There is no reason to blame you.”

The white-haired Archbishop, seeing the woman arrive, slowly stood up, a smile on his ancient, wrinkled face that was uglier than a crying chrysanthemum.

“May I ask, Your Grace the Archbishop, what is the purpose of this visit?”

“Hehe, last time Madam visited the Dragon God Cult cathedral looking for this old man, I happened to be away on business. Now that I’ve returned and heard the nuns’ report, I specifically came to inquire.”

“So it was for this matter, troubling Your Grace the Archbishop to make an extra trip. However, since Your Grace has asked, may I inquire when Her Highness the Saintess of the Dragon God Cult will return?”

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman held her teacup in her right hand, a meaningful smile on her face.

“Her Highness the Saintess is still at the Academy of Revelation. We sent secret messages, but it seems Her Highness the Saintess has no intention of returning in the short term.”

The Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult responded with a chuckle, his aged, murky golden eyes, no longer brilliant, seemed to hide many mysteries.

“With the Dragon God Festival approaching, Her Highness the Saintess is so disregardful of the bigger picture, desecrating her sacred office. Such behavior truly disheartens us, the descendants of the Dragon God!”

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman chose that moment to put down her teacup lid, the profound meaning in her voice probably only understood by this immortal old man before her.

“The Dragon God Festival is still four months away. Even if it were two months from now, the Saintess returning two months early would still be more than enough time.”

It was just that the Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult was also a genius at feigning ignorance. As if he hadn’t understood anything she said, he spoke to make excuses for the Saintess.

“Hehe, is Your Grace truly unaware? The date of the Dragon God Festival is no longer the old almanac. The Dragon God Festival occurs once every eight years. The previous Saintess brought it forward by three months, and since the current Saintess has not specified otherwise, it will still follow the previous term’s schedule.”

“Oh~ This old man truly was muddled; that is indeed the case!”

“However, looking at it this way, even if we send a secret order to summon Her Highness the Saintess back now, it would probably be too late. The Dragon God Festival requires Her Highness the Saintess to personally preside over it. What should be done?”

The Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult followed the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s lead.

“Depose the Saintess and select another suitable candidate!”

Finally, the seemingly gentle and benevolent beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman revealed her true fangs, speaking such treasonous words as to depose the Saintess.

Currently, the doctrines of the Dragon God Cult would never allow the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman to entertain the idea of deposing the Saintess.

Yet, the Archbishop of the Dragon God Cult before her showed no excessive reaction to her words.

This white-haired Dragon Tribe elder merely watched her with a chuckle, then slowly spoke.

“The Saintess has committed no fault? So why speak of deposing her?”

It was important to note that the Saintess of the Dragon God Cult was the highest representative of the entire sect. Even he, the most senior Archbishop, had to bow beneath her. Deposing the Saintess was not as simple as it sounded.

“Hehe, does Your Grace the Archbishop want reasons?”

“Naturally. Without proper reasons, unless the Dragon God personally intervenes, no one in this Great Dragon Divine Dynasty would dare speak of deposing the Saintess, not even the Dragon King.”

The Archbishop proudly raised his head, his tone filled with pride for the power of the church.

“First, disrespect for sacred office, lazy and erratic behavior. Second, disrespect for the Dragon God, blasphemy against the divine. Third, impure bloodline, not sacred and chaste! With these three reasons, can the Saintess still not be deposed?”

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman raised her fingers, listing out the charges one by one, her brilliant golden eyes filled with calculations and schemes.

“If these three crimes exist, a Dragon God Trial can be initiated. This old man can vouch for it. However, even with suitable reasons, the current Saintess must personally confess her guilt. Moreover, if she truly is deposed, who will fill the vacant position of Saintess?”

The Archbishop stroked the beard on his chin, speaking unhurriedly.

“Naturally, the most capable person should take it. That wretch Aurelia only became Saintess because of the protection of the previous Saintess. How could a sickly person be capable of becoming Saintess?!”

At this, the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s eyes seemed to spew fire.

“Even if she was a Saintess candidate at the time, the other three candidates should have first entered the Dragon God Sacred Land for testing! Why was she the first to enter? And why should this position of Saintess belong to a bastard?!”

It seemed she had already anticipated Aurelia’s deposition from the Saintess position. At this moment, the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman did not refer to her as ‘Saintess’ but directly called her a ‘bastard’ or ‘wretch.’

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s grip on the teacup tightened. In an instant, the exquisite porcelain shattered into a handful of fragments. Yet, the sharp-edged fragments did not pierce her palm, as white dragon scales promptly appeared on her palm, blocking the trivial cuts.

“Simply because she received a response from the Dragon God.”

The Archbishop said slowly.

“What does it matter if she received a response from the Dragon God? Nowadays, who doesn’t know that Lord Dragon God is constantly in slumber and dreams? Who can say whether that so-called response is truly an awakening or just a snore while sleeping?”

“Moreover, she is not the only one who can receive a response from Lord Dragon God. My daughter can certainly receive a clearer response than her.”

Honestly, a triumphant and proud expression appeared on the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s face.

“My Delphina is never inferior to anyone. She will be the most dazzling sun of the Great Dragon Divine Dynasty. The position of Saintess should have been hers by birthright!”

“And the current Aurelia is merely a bastard who usurped the throne with the help of the previous Saintess! If not for the previous Saintess interceding for her, how could this sacred position possibly be within reach of that wretch?!”

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s voice grew sharper and sharper. Her angry tone suggested she wished to directly strangle Aurelia.

“Cough, cough, Madam, it’s best to speak less. No matter what, Her Highness the Saintess still carries the bloodline of the Liuli family, and her mother is also the sister of the current Dragon King.”

The Archbishop, hearing the beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman’s increasingly outrageous words, finally couldn’t help but cough twice, reminding her.

“Even if she inherits the bloodline of the Liuli family, what of it? She is the disgrace of the entire Liuli family! What if her mother is the Dragon King’s sister? As the eldest princess of a nation, she became pregnant silently, and no one knew until she was about to give birth. Her death was a punishment sent by the Dragon God!”

“A wretch without father or mother, she should not have been born into this world from the very beginning!”

The beautiful white Dragon Tribe woman clenched her fists, her chilling voice filled with endless malice.