Celia was no stranger to disrespect—being a priestess of 'The Weakest God' will do that to you. Not only that, but she was also working as a maid. Though the princess treated her well, the others? Not so much. She was often ostracized as a failed priestess, now forced to serve as a maid.

Celia never let the insults get to her. To her, the Goddess' will was more important than anything else. Earthly matters were *beneath* her.

However, the current situation was dire. Her master, the saintess, was unconscious, and the holy sanctuary, made with the Goddess' power, was under siege.

Celia was by no means weak—often titled the Battle Priestess by her sisters. Inside the sanctuary, her strength was tripled. However, the person—or monster—residing below was still no match for her. 'How can one singular entity exude power comparable to several saints at once?' She thought, keeping her doubts to herself. *'Never show weakness.'*

In an attempt to avoid direct confrontation, and with a faint hope that this test would pass as quickly as it came, Celia spiraled downstairs, still keeping her distance.

"I am Celia, the priestess of the Sky Temple, serving the Sky Goddess, Selene! State your business, intruder!" Celia threw the weight of the Goddess' name behind her words. Not that it ever stopped anyone.

The Monkey King raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he'd heard any god's name. The name sounded very foreign to him. "Selene? What a horrendous name for a god," he said with supercilious disdain.

Celia squinted. She had always thought the name was the most beautiful in the world.

Suddenly, the Monkey King stretched his arms, placing his right hand over his puffed-out chest.

Alerted by the sudden movement, Celia pulled her twin daggers from the pockets of her dress and raised them in front of her face. * 'Fast!'*

The Monkey King smirked. "This great one is called Wukong, the Monkey King!" The air shifted as he announced his name for the first time in this world.

'Wukong, the Monkey King?' Celia jogged her memories. Her sisters had drilled the names of the most important figures into her ever since they had taken her in. Yet no matter how many laps she ran her mind, that name never came up. "You came from the rock, I presume?" she asked, arriving at the only conclusion she could.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"The rock?" Wukong scratched his head. "Ah! Sure, the rock. Truly a horrible name. More importantly, can't you hear the commotion outside? Are you deaf?" he ridiculed.

Indeed, no sound could come in or out of the mansion. Every corner had been soundproofed as a side effect of the Goddess' power. Celia knew this but wasn’t about to reveal it to the Monkey King, who seemed unaware. "State your business, king of the monkeys," Celia demanded.

"My business?" The Monkey King leaned against the wall, letting his golden-white fur brush against the pure white surface. His arms crossed. "Simple—a king needs a castle. Although this place isn’t big enough, for something temporary, it will do," he stated.

The maid readied her daggers. "This place does not belong to you, beast!" Celia had initially wanted to avoid confrontation, but her Goddess' words were crystal clear: 'Protect the saintess.' And the saintess was inside the sanctuary, unmoving. A fight seemed inevitable.

"Heh, another mortal who doesn't value their life!" The Monkey King entered a stance with his staff.

Just as the battle was about to commence, a feminine voice from the balcony called out, "Halt!"

The maid immediately stopped and rushed to her master's side when she saw her struggling to stand, supported only by the railing.

Meanwhile, the Monkey King felt a sense of déjà vu and frustration. "No mortal stops me twice and survives!"

The initial bang had awoken Ixia. She had heard faint voices outside her room and was alarmed when her usually composed maid sounded distressed. On the other side of the conversation, she recognized a familiar voice she had heard briefly but would never forget.

Adrenaline surged through her, and she stumbled out of her room. However, her injured body could only do so much, forcing her to rely on the railing for support.

Now supported by Celia, Ixia proposed, "If property is what you're after, you could get something better at the capital!" *Fingers crossed.*

The frustration within the Monkey King died down as he took his time pondering his choices. "Will it be bigger?" he asked.

Ixia smiled. "Yes! And it will be more beautiful too."

Wukong, chin resting on his hand, pondered once again. Indeed, this mansion is in the middle of nowhere, and besides the Goddess' power, there was nothing of interest. "Fine," he agreed.

Ixia breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. We will set out—"

"When the princess' health improves," Celia interrupted.

"But—"

"This is final," Celia used her cold, stern gaze on Ixia.

It was super effective!

The Monkey King ignored their antics and headed outside, leaving them alone. It didn't matter to him when they would set out; he still wanted to explore the area. His curiosity had not yet been sated.

At the door, the Monkey King encountered Houston and another figure rushing past. "See? Nothing happened!"

Houston scowled before going past the king, the healer following, his hair standing slightly on end.