Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil
chapter-1888

While the other practitioners discussed strategies for exploring the Wrathful Red Forest, Jolly focused on analyzing Yona from a distance.

She had contacted him abruptly just before the exploration began, catching him off guard. As such, Jolly was trying to decide what to make of her.

Jolly could discern that Yona didn't want anyone to know she was the incarnation of Goddess Two Lips. If she did, the Darkmoon Fellowship wouldn't treat her as a regular ally. Even Shaai might not have minded her husband being favored by the goddess.

Yet, Yona chose to conceal her identity. This could only mean two things: she aimed to catch her enemies off guard or didn't want her usual allies aware of her intentions.

Jolly doubted Yona feared any ordinary enemy while in Labh Salem. This world was as much a playground for Goddess Two Lips as for Goddess Great Mother. The witch goddess wouldn't feel threatened by someone residing in Labh Salem.

Thus, Jolly assumed the goddess didn't want her allies to know her plans.

'If this place is related to Goddess Two Lips and Asmodeus, then it implies they collaborated on a project here, maybe? Whether they succeeded or not is uncertain, but it appears they left remnants behind,' Jolly concluded, contemplating multiple possibilities simultaneously.

'And then there's this peculiar bloodline energy. There's something distinct about this incarnation,' Jolly thought to himself as he observed Yona.

With access to most of Eren's memories, who had conducted numerous experiments, Jolly discerned a unique bloodline energy enveloping Yona. Even as the incarnation of Goddess Two Lips, she couldn't defy the norms of the mortal plane after acquiring a mortal vessel and choosing to abide by Labh Salem's rules.

This led Jolly to one conclusion: Yona wasn't like the half-bloods. Her condition wasn't merely a fusion of two genetic sequences resulting in a mutation. Not really.

Yona had transcended the laws governing her peculiar bloodline transformation. Despite this, she remained human, at least for the most part.

'This bloodline transformation is really intriguing. I bet my main self would love to do some research on it. Or he'd probably kidnap her or charm his way into her life and convince her to give him her blood samples,' Jolly chuckled involuntarily.

He was certain that his main self, Eren, wouldn't hesitate to imprison the goddess in his underground facility and study her if there were benefits to be gained.

As a pseudo-avatar of Eren himself, Jolly understood how Eren operated.

Even Jolly himself preferred to keep his distance from Eren if possible. Some patron deities were only good if one were to worship them from a distance. One could say that Jolly still retained that much Individuality in him. An Individuality that enabled him to keep his rationality even after being possessed.

'This witch goddess doesn't know who she is messing with. I hope she meets with him soon to get a clearer perspective.'

Jolly sighed inwardly before responding to Yona's previous question. 'First of all, how should I address you, my goddess?' he asked politely.

'Yona would be fine, my dear,' Yona replied with a smile, earning more disdainful glares from Shaai, who stood beside Jolly.

'Alright, Yona, can you tell me anything about this place?' Jolly inquired as he surveyed his surroundings.

By this point, some of the practitioners who had accompanied him had chosen to explore the forest on their own. Since flying was ill-advised, some strolled leisurely into the forest while others plunged into its depths using their movement-type Skills.

'I can, but first, we need to cut down on the extra luggage,' Yona replied, casting a graceful smile in Shaai's direction. 'Naah. Shaai stays with me,' Jolly responded via secret voice communication.

Even though Yona had expressed that their interests were intertwined in this exploration, Jolly didn't fully trust her. Taking the witch goddess' words at face value would be foolish.

Shaai was a genuine S-Ranked Elementalist. With her present, the goddess wouldn't dare act recklessly against Jolly. At least, that's what he believed for the most part.

Eren had granted Jolly complete control over this mission. However, Jolly interpreted it as Eren not sufficiently caring about his well-being during this exploration.

Certainly, Eren had provided all the formal support his pseudo-avatars required. However, Jolly doubted that Eren would go the extra mile to save him, especially now when Eren himself was involved in something significant, focusing all his attention on the task related to invading the sea god's territory.

As such, Jolly needed to prioritize his safety above all else. The simplest way to do that would be to stick close to his wife during this exploration.

Even if Yona were to try every trick in the book to persuade him, including dancing naked in front of him, Jolly still wouldn't leave his wife behind.

That's how much he valued the idea of staying alive, even as Eren's pseudo-avatar. One could say that he had inherited Eren's tenacity after being possessed by him.

'What a letdown. I thought you were a real lady's man. Seems like marriage has really domesticated you,' Yona wrinkled her nose in disappointment upon hearing Jolly's response. Her eyes silently accused him of being no fun.

Jolly wanted to correct Yona, insisting she meet his real self before passing judgment. However, he opted not to engage in casual conversation with the incarnation of the goddess just yet, giving her a blank stare instead.

'Alright, fine, your wife stays with us. But let's ditch the others,' Yona sighed as she added further.

'We don't want to stick with the core members of the Darkmoon Fellowship. Otherwise, they might start to see through my disguise. The more they see of me, the higher the chance they'll link me to the Goddess Two Lips.

That could spell trouble for both of us. So, we'll take a different route from here. Sounds good?" Yona proposed, finally earning a nod of agreement from Jolly.

"My wife, there's this—" Jolly called out to Shaai, gently pressing her hand to express his affection through simple gestures. He then explained his plan to her.