As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Hmm... this is..."

After a while, accompanied by a blinding flash of light, Leus blinked slightly and felt a warm touch on his body.

When he came to his senses, he looked around and found himself back in the palace, lying in the room the Queen had prepared for him, quietly stretching out on the soft mattress.

"..."

Looking to the side, he saw the gray-haired young woman lying next to him. Irina was lying quietly beside him, breathing softly through her nostrils, seemingly having had a rare good sleep.

Especially after escaping the previous "crisis," Irina's tense emotions relaxed, and she fell into a short sleep.

Lius did not disturb her, but continued to hold the gray-haired young woman in his arms, stroking her soft hair to soothe her as she slept, while turning his head to look at the grandfather clock on the other side of the room, watching the time that had passed since he left the room.

"...Only half an hour? It feels like at least two hours have passed. Does that mean time flows differently there than outside?"

Lius muttered to himself, gradually recalling his earlier conversation with Ershu, a private talk he had with Irina just before they were about to leave...

------

"Could you tell me who that nobleman you're cooperating with is?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, but apart from the bishop, no one else in our church knows the identity of that noble member."

"Hmm? It's so well-hidden? There are no other records?" Leus asked, frowning slightly.

“Indeed, there are no relevant records. After all, this matter was carried out in secret. Even we members of the church are not qualified to know all the secrets of the church. Currently, the secrets of our church are almost entirely in the hands of the bishop. Unless she returns to the church, we will not know anything about them.”

"So heavily guarded..."

"Furthermore, if Your Excellency wishes to inquire about the guards who were transferred, they probably won't be able to give you a definite answer. Every time we conduct an operation, we try our best to conceal our whereabouts. Those guards have likely had their memories erased, so they cannot answer questions about the identity of the noble who gave the order. You don't need to make things difficult for them."

The girl in black robes added, shaking her head slightly, looking somewhat helpless. She seemed troubled by her inability to fulfill the "Leader's" orders. Then, as if to make amends, she patted Lius on the shoulder, gently comforting him:

"However, Your Excellency, you need not worry. As soon as the bishop returns, we will contact you immediately. At that time, the bishop will be able to share those secrets with you. You are the highest authority in our church and have the right to fully grasp the secrets of the church. Just wait patiently."

"Um……"

Lius nodded slightly, gently stroking Ershe's hair and offering her words of comfort. Then, as if remembering something, he continued to ask the girl in black robes before him:

"Speaking of which, you just said that the secrets of the church are all in the hands of the bishop. What if one day your bishop suddenly has an accident and dies outside? How will those secrets of the church be passed down?"

"Your Excellency need not worry about this. Every time the bishop goes out, she sets up a spell on herself. If she really dies in the outside world, the thoughts in her mind will automatically flow back to the church and be stored by the church until the next bishop is selected. Then, that knowledge will automatically flow into her mind to ensure that the knowledge of the church will not be interrupted."

"Well... it's quite meticulous..."

Returning to the present, recalling the girl's words to him back then, Lius frowned with some distress, a series of complex thoughts surging in his mind.

“Bishop… if we could get her under our control, this situation could be improved, but how do we find her…”

"Host, are you troubled? Do you need the system's help?"

At this moment, sensing the turmoil in Lius's mind, Miss System appeared on his shoulder with a yawn. While rubbing her eyes, she rubbed her delicate little feet against Lius's cheek and gently shook her legs on his shoulder, looking exceptionally relaxed yet somewhat tired.

"Oh? Miss System, you're finally up. I was wondering why you hadn't shown up before. Usually, you'd just stand by and watch quietly in these situations, so why are you being unusually absent today?"

"Hmm... I don't know either. Just now, for some reason, as soon as you were teleported away, I felt extremely tired and couldn't even move. I just fell asleep. Phew... I'm still very sleepy..."

"Are you very tired...?"

Looking at the blonde girl on his shoulder who kept rubbing her eyes, Lius frowned slightly. He recalled what the believers in the church had told him about the "Supreme God," and his doubts grew even stronger.

"Sigh... never mind, I'll think about the church later. Right now... let's see if we can stop these people's plans. If they really sacrifice the people of the kingdom, forget about getting rid of them. Given my current status as 'Leader,' I'll probably become the person primarily responsible for this incident, and be infamous for eternity..."

With a deep frown, Lius sighed again, burying his inner turmoil deep inside.

Just then, the system girl, who had been swaying her legs on his shoulder, stopped, turned her head to look at Lius's face, tilted her head slightly, and spoke to her host:

"Hmm... Host, for some reason, you look... quite handsome today..."

"Oh? Very handsome?"

Looking back at the system girl on his shoulder, Lius blinked in surprise, then poked her little cheek with his finger.

"Ha... Miss System, you suddenly said that because you saw I was troubled, so you wanted to cheer me up? Thank you so much, Miss System. How are you feeling? Besides feeling sleepy, is there anything else?"

"Other feelings... I'm not sure, but after a nap, I feel much more energetic than before, and... I also feel like my internal strength has inexplicably increased..."

In response to Lius's words, Miss System licked her lips lightly, then looked up and gave Lius a meaningful smile.

"Also... my desires are starting to rise... I need you, host, to relieve them..."

"Huh? What did you say..."

Faced with the system's words, Leus blinked. Before he could fully react, the blonde girl suddenly leaned in and kissed Leus's lips. Amidst the flowing warmth, they kissed tightly, unable to separate for a moment...

Chapter 185 The Lingering Charm After Falling in Love (Part 3)

"Chirp~"

The exciting sound of water filled their mouths. When they separated, the System Girl still looked like she wanted more, and couldn't help but lick her lips again, drinking down the glistening residue, and sighing with satisfaction:

"Hmm... the host's taste is so tempting no matter how many times I taste it..."

With a satisfied smile on her face, Miss System reopened her eyes, looked at Lius in front of her, then at her outstretched soft hands, and pressed her lips to Lius again, continuing to extract the "deliciousness" she wanted from him.

"Um... Miss System, are you alright... Why are you suddenly like this..." Faced with Miss System's sudden behavior, Lius blinked and asked her with some confusion.

"Ha... It's nothing, it's just... um... I really want the host's scent. I feel my desire for the host has reached its peak and I can't control it at all."

After another passionate kiss, the System Girl and Lius separated, breathing heavily with a sweet scent. She met Lius's eyes with tenderness, their gazes revealing an ambiguous connection.

"Another reason... is that I have a feeling that as long as I can drink the taste from your mouth, my own power... will also be strengthened..."

"Hmm? Increase your strength?"

"Yes, if you don't believe me, I'll demonstrate it for you right now."

As she said this, the system tilted her head slightly, then slowly extended her finger and pointed it toward Lius's palm.

"Let me give you a tool to try out first. Hmm... use this one. It's a new type of magic power generation device. Once it's installed on you, it will temporarily increase your magic power. Come on, try it out and see how it works."

"Oh? Didn't you put this on me during training? Didn't I already understand its effects back then?" Looking at the ring-like device in his hand, Lius tilted his head and asked in return.

"Oh, host, don't say so much. Just give it a try. This system has a feeling that this device will bring you a new experience this time..."

As the system spoke, a serious and focused look appeared in her eyes. Lius pondered for a moment under that gaze, then nodded and put the ring on his hand.

"Okay, I've put it on, and it doesn't feel like anything..."

Before Leus could finish speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and felt the magic power in his body surge into his entire being like a surging tide, which he could not stop.

An inexplicable power surged forth, as if it were to fill every part of his body, exponentially increasing his strength.

Lius also noticed that this surging magic was dozens of times stronger than before. The immense power constantly impacted Lius's heart, causing him to frown and take a deep breath as he lay down on the bedside table next to him, barely managing to absorb this intense energy.

"Ah...this is..." Leus swallowed hard, staring intently at the shimmering ring. "How can the magic inside be so...so intense..."

"As expected, as expected! This system's judgment was indeed correct... This feeling within my body is indeed true! After falling in love with you, host, this system's power has been significantly enhanced!"

Watching the changes occurring within Leus's body, the system, after a brief moment of surprise, clenched her fist with an excited smile, then grinned and leaned closer to Leus's face, explaining to her host:

"Host, although I don't know why, after drinking the solution in your mouth earlier... the power of this system seems to have been enhanced, and I can now use even more powerful abilities..."

"You're a god, and you say your power has been enhanced... Aren't gods supposed to be omniscient and omnipotent? So they can actually grow stronger? Miss System, are you trying to fool me?" Leus frowned and asked with some suspicion.

"Oh, don't worry about the details. In short, the system's power has increased. I'm not lying to you, host. Besides, with the system's improved capabilities, it can help you more effectively, right? Since that's the case, you don't need to worry so much, right?"

As she said this, Miss System flew around Lius once, as if trying to feel the pulsating power within her, which made her feel exceptionally relaxed and happy. Then she returned to Lius's shoulder and stretched leisurely.

"Hehe... This system hasn't experienced this kind of power in a long time. Although I don't know why it has been restored, it's really great..."

"You really are easygoing, aren't you? Don't you care what I, the host, went through before? Don't you want to know what kind of 'humiliating' treatment I suffered in that mysterious church?"

"This system simply doesn't believe that you, host, can suffer any humiliation. It's always been you who makes others feel 'humiliated,' right? Anyway, everyone in this world is a top-notch beauty. Even if they want to 'insult' you, host, you'll probably enjoy it, won't you?"

After shrug, the system raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly unconcerned about Lius's statement. Instead, it "ruthlessly" exposed his thoughts and continued to criticize him:

"Furthermore, thinking about it carefully... given your personality, host, you'd probably just go straight for those girls there, right? Judging from the satisfied expression on your face... that's enough for this system to imagine what you went through..."

"Um...this..."

Faced with the system's merciless revelation, Lius rolled his eyes, coughed awkwardly a few times, and then decided to stop discussing the matter for the time being. Instead, he put Irina down from his arms and let her lie down on the bed to continue resting. He then slowly got off the bed and quietly walked out of the room.

"Right now... let's get down to business. We need to talk to the other two aunts, and we also need to check on Ms. Roy again to see if we can find out who the mole is."

"If you need it, host, this system has truth serum here, you can use it anytime!" The system said with a smile, gently sticking out its moist and soft pink tongue.

"Um... let's consider this for now, and then we'll ask for your advice, System, once the situation really gets really tense..."

With that, Leus patted the blonde girl on his shoulder, then walked out of the room and down the corridor, now filled with guards again, to the rooms of the other two noblewomen to discuss the next steps in their plan...

Chapter 186 The Next Noblewoman (Part 1)

As he strolled down the corridor, Lius glanced at the guards passing by.

They maintained a serious expression on their faces, and their bodies stood as straight as trees, displaying a dignified and unassailable aura.

However, Lius also noticed that although most of the guards' expressions were no different from usual, some of them still had a hint of doubt in their eyes.

Lius knew that this was probably a temporary aftereffect of having their memories erased, causing these people to fall into a brief state of confusion.

Although he knew they would soon return to normal, it also meant that what Ershu had said earlier was true: the infiltration of the kingdom by those cults had reached a level that Lius had never imagined, and there was no way to find any more evidence from these guards.

"Brother, have you finished your business?"

Just then, as they rounded a corner, Leah burst out of the garden beside them, waving and greeting Lius along with several maids.

Lius also noticed that Lia's clothes had changed. She had changed from her original exquisite silver-white dress to a maid's uniform worn by palace servants. Now, wearing a soft, cloud-like black and white long dress, she skipped and hopped in front of Lius, smiling and bowing to him.

"Brother, look, isn't Leah's outfit... nice?"

Unlike the maid outfits at the Floren Manor, the maid outfits at the Royal Palace tend to be simpler, with no unnecessary embellishments. The overall look consists of a black fitted dress paired with a snow-white, fluffy apron, which appears both classic and elegant, perfectly matching the imposing and dignified atmosphere of the imperial city.

At this moment, the clothes were fully draped over the girl's slender body, losing some of their allure and gaining more of Lia's own purity and solemnity, making her look like an adorable doll. Combined with Lia's soft cheeks with a touch of baby fat, it was impossible not to feel an urge to hold her in one's arms and gently rub her cheeks.

"Wow... Not bad, not bad. I thought you looked pretty in a maid outfit before, but you're still very cute in this different style! I can't get enough of looking at you. Come here, let your brother give you a hug."

"hug!"

With a sweet, coquettish voice, Lia suddenly pounced on Leus's chest and snuggled into his arms. Leus, in turn, held the energetic, bouncy girl in his embrace, his initial hesitant expression replaced by his usual smile. He gently nodded to Lia and stroked her head.

"Did you have fun in the palace?"

"Yes, these waitresses have taken good care of me. They told me a lot about the palace, including your experiences, brother. They said that you came to the palace a long time ago and helped the Queen with a very dangerous matter, which earned you the Queen's deep appreciation. Is that true? You're so amazing, brother!"

With sparkling eyes, Lia nestled close to Leus's chest, repeatedly looking up to greet him. Leus continued to affectionately stroke the girl's head, smoothing her hair before nodding slightly.

"It's just a small matter, nothing serious. Honey, Leah, do me a favor and write a letter to the manor to let them know you're safe and sound, and also ask how Aunt Annie and the others are doing. If you get a reply, let me know as soon as possible."

"Okay, Leah, I'll take care of it right away!"

Lia nodded vigorously, reluctantly breaking free from Lius's embrace. She intended to seek help from the other waitresses, but before leaving, Lia seemed to remember something and turned back to look at Lius.

"Speaking of which... did my brother send Lia to deliver the letter? Does he have other things to do? Is there anything Lia can do? After delivering the letter, Lia can continue to help my brother and share his burden."

"This one……"

Faced with this enthusiastic girl, Lius was taken aback and was about to refuse, but after thinking it over carefully, he had a new idea.

"Should Lia come to help...? In the current situation, there's no immediate danger within the palace, and Lia herself has combat experience, so perhaps we could have her join in..."

Thinking this through, Lius looked again at the resolute white-haired girl before him, took a deep breath, and finally gave her a serious expression, slowly instructing her:

"Lia, you saw the other three nobles who were on par with me in the throne room, right? Do you remember anything about them?"

“Yes! I asked the waitresses before and learned about their family background. I remember it very clearly.” Looking at Lius, Lia nodded vigorously.

"Alright, now I have a task for you. In the name of the Commander-in-Chief, as my representative, go and discuss with one of the nobles about how to deal with the cultists and record these plans to report back to me. As for you, Lia... are you confident and capable of doing this?"

"Should we let Leah go alone... to discuss things with those noble ladies...?"

Hearing Lius's words, Lia swallowed hard. After a brief hesitation, she finally came to her senses and nodded vigorously to Lius again.

"Yes, I have confidence in Lia! Lia will be able to find out everything her brother wants to know, as instructed by him, and will do her best to maintain the dignity and honor of the Furen family and negotiate with those noble ladies."

"Can you really do it? This is a very important matter, and there can't be the slightest mistake. Especially those noble ladies, they all have an unapproachable arrogance in their personalities. Leah, you've never experienced anything like this before, aren't you afraid?" Lius asked again.

"Fear……"

Leah swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and nodded vigorously to Leus: