The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Garden)

"Hey Rachel," Sophie called out as she waved to her friend. The hybrid girl walked over to the wooden bench and sat down next to the saintess.

"Are you feeling better today?"

"A little bit… I mean the headache is mostly gone and I only feel exhausted like I'm about to fall asleep again," Rachel replied in an easy-going tone.

"Thanks again for using your ability yesterday," Sophie whispered solemnly as she reached into her pocket and took out the vial that her father had given her.

"Nah you had it… I must say your instincts… phew… really scary. I wouldn't want to face you in a fight," Rachel chuckled as she touched a nearby flower and played with its golden petals.

Sophie smiled at her friend's teasing words and tapped her on her shoulder playfully. She handed over the vial and gestured for Rachel to take a look.

What was this?

Rachel had a puzzled expression on her face as she took a vial from her friend's hand that was filled with a purplish-grey liquid that bubbled slightly.

Honestly its contents looked rather suspicious…

The saintess turned the vial over and saw that markings had been engraved on the other side of the glass vial.

She glanced at the markings and her fingers trembled slightly. A grade A plus healing serum was currently being held in her palm.

"Wait… this is too precious," Rachel hesitantly spoke as she pushed the vial back in Sophie's direction to return it.

"No… you deserve it. Trust me… my family has money so we can afford it. Besides I owe you a massive debt for saving my life when I was trapped in the frontier region," Sophie firmly replied.

"You saved the life of the heir of a high noble family. I know you did it because you're my friend by that doesn't change that fact that I will repay that debt."

Sophie's following words cut off the response that Rachel had in mind. The saintess let out a light sigh and thanked her friend before unscrewing the top of the vial.

She tossed its contents in her mouth and felt a warmth slowly travel around her body. The effects of the high-class healing serum could be felt immediately.

The faint headache that she had was beginning to disappear along with the feelings of general exhaustion and weakness across different parts of her body.

Rachel closed her eyes and allowed the serum to do its work. Her thoughts wandered over to what Sophie had just said.

She vaguely knew that certain noble families followed an ancient honour code, but she didn't know that House Peterlor was one of them.

Well to be fair it's not like she was exposed to the upper class of society during her childhood and teenage years at the orphanage.

Hell on certain days her biggest concern was where her next meal would come from rather than worrying about the differences in culture between the noble families.

Rachel opened her eyes and stretched out her hands. It was funny how life changed so quickly…

If it weren't for her cultivation talent maybe she would still be on that shithole planet.

Desperately trying to survive day by day.

Unpleasant memories briefly surfaced in the saintess' mind, but she shook her head and tried to forget about them.

"Did it work?" Sophie asked curiously as she turned to look at her friend.

"Yeah… it was fantastic. Was the serum modified to work on Quafes physiology or do high class healing serums work regardless of race or biology?" Rachel replied with a question of her own.

"You know that's a great question… I'm actually not sure of the answer. Let me check the virtual net and see what it says," Sophie responded with a light smile.

She powered on her wrist communicator and did a quick search on the Virtual Net for the answer to the question.

She found a trustworthy university website and screenshotted a few articles. Sophie sent them over to Rachel and then turned off her device.

Apparently high-class healing serums were so strong that they were able to work on multiple species.

This was because of the specialised qi strands and rare materials that were present in the final product.

Rachel glanced at her communicator and checked her messages before closing it as well.

The saintess leaned back against the wooden bench and enjoyed the cool breeze that brushed against her face.

Being exposed to all this wealth did not make her feel uncomfortable or envious but it did fuel her desire to own a little piece of paradise for herself someday in the future.

Maybe one day she would be able to afford a large private underground city filled with androids and pretty servants.

Ohh… cute maids and handsome butlers…

Rachel blushed as a certain fantasy flashed across her mind. It wasn't exactly a holy thought, but it was definitely a fun one!

"So, Rachel… what are your plans for the rest of the vacation after the end of the month?" Sophie asked casually.

Rachel opened her mouth and tried to sound cheerful, but one could hear a faint trace of irritation in her voice,

"Probably going to have to return to the church and occasionally check in on the new recruits who recently joined."

"I am sure that the other saintesses and saints will be thrilled to see me again…"

"Ahh… I see… that bad huh?" Sophie gently replied as her friend stared off into the distance with furrowed brows.

"Well, it's not like… real bullying… no one has dared to try to beat me up but it's definitely a pain in the ass," Rachel confessed truthfully.

"I don't know why every single time we get some new recruits it turns into a mini civil war between the angelic and the demonic factions."

"Of course, I don't bother to participate so I get branded as a faction traitor… it's honestly pretty tiring because every 'war' always ends the same way."

"One of the archbishops will show up and scold everyone and then the whole feud temporarily disappears."

"Until the following year…"

"Damn… do you regret joining the church then? I hope that I'm not offending you with that question," Sophie hesitantly spoke.

"No. I don't regret it. There may be some annoying things about being a saintess but compared to how my life was before I won't trade it for anything," Rachel firmly replied.

There was a conviction and belief in the saintess' voice that made her reply utterly compelling.

Rachel rarely resembled an ideal saintess but in that moment Sophie completely understood why an archangel had chosen her as its vessel.

She genuinely believed in the teachings of the Nephilim Church and was grateful that she was a member.