Myths Reawakened

Forest didn’t care about Heaven or the future of Hell. All he wanted to do was to guard his business in the human world, continuing to be a capitalist who exploited the general public equally.

Everyone had access to cigarettes, and everyone bought lottery tickets every month. How was that not demonic? Who could say that he hadn’t been doing his job? He was even thinking about going into the alcohol and beverage market!

He had recently acquired the patent for carbonated drinks. It seemed like a promising business. He was already planning factories.

“Damn war is stopping me from choosing the right location...” Forest grumbled, extending his middle finger in Prussia’s direction, wishing the mustached chancellor an expedited trip to Hell.

With a cigar in his mouth, he enjoyed the service of his two new secretaries with his eyes narrowed. After a while, he felt an emptiness that troubled him. He couldn’t calm down and enjoy the colorful world.

Frowning, he kept remembering the title ‘the Anointed One’. Though he didn’t care about Heaven nor Hell, he very much cared about Heavenly Father’s child in the human world.

“The Anointed One should be the Heavenly Father’s child. Only His child would enjoy such a sacred title...”

“Why is there an Anointed One? Why haven’t I heard about the prophecy?”

“The Anointed One...”

“Who could it be?”

Because of the Heavenly Father, Forest was particularly interested in the Anointed One, so much so that he couldn’t even enjoy the entertainment he had so loved.

“The Anointed One can’t be a regular man. He has to live up to his name with noble character, unusual intelligence, compassion for all lives, and the willingness to sacrifice himself for others...” Forest thought about it, feeling resigned. “That’s way too unlikely. Not even the Heavenly Father or the Seven Sacred Virtues meet the standards, and I can’t even act like someone like that. No humans in the mortal realm can be that.”

“Wait, if I can put on a good enough act, wouldn’t the Seven Sacred Virtues mistake me as the Anointed One and take me to Heaven?” Forest’s eyes glinted as he imagined going to Heaven. With a cross against his back, he would raise his arms and declare that God loved all, while the Seven Sacred Virtues knelt to him. If he suggested that the Viceroy of Heaven should be reconsidered, Mikhael would latch onto his leg and lick his feet.

If he didn’t let Mikhael maintain the post, Mikhael would break down in tears, which would then prompt him to kick Mikhael to the ground in rage.

He could then sentence Mikhael to Hell as a traitor, waiting for the Śār and the Seven Demon Lords to hiss at each other. That would be fun! He could do it!

As he entertained the plan, though, the light in his eyes slowly faded. “Being the Anointed One isn’t about one’s character,” he lamented. “There is no true saint in the world. No matter how convincing my acting is, the seven of them won’t spare me a look...”

Forest was quite self-aware. Acting wouldn’t help him, yes, but the bigger problem was that he wasn’t capable of a convincing act. If he were to impersonate a scumbag like Wayne, he might be able to do it by reining in his nature a little; he wouldn’t even need a script since he could just be himself. If he were to play the ideal Anointed One, on the other hand, it would surely kill him!

Besides, everyone and their grandmother in Londan knew Forest as a degenerate. How was he going to explain his sudden change? He couldn’t possibly lie that he had died and come back to life, and thus decided to change his ways, could he?

Ha, why would he suddenly die and come back to life? The reincarnated angels would have to be mad to believe it. If he wasn’t careful, he might even expose himself. He had invested too much to get reckless now.

“Since being the Anointed One isn’t about one’s character, there have to be other identifiable traits. Otherwise, the seven of them could spend a lifetime searching in vain, given how big the population of the Chosen Land is...”

“Heaven has always been inefficient. The three Thrones most likely do not know about the Anointed One’s traits. The four Virtues each represent their own interests...”

“I get it now. That’s why four of them have descended, including two Śārim!”

Forest first proudly praised himself for his unrivaled intelligence before he continued with his analysis. “It wouldn’t be viable to try to extract information on how to identify the Anointed One from the four Virtues. Because of my seal, Hesione cannot fight her human self, and the clergywoman does everything Wayne says. Wayne must know who the Anointed One is...”

“If I grab him and take him to Hell, having a few succubi interrogate him with their bodies, that pervert will certainly tell everything about the Anointed One!”

“But that would expose me. Saying goodbye to the human world for the Anointed One isn’t worth it.”

After all the analysis, Forest decided to wait and see. It was fine that he didn’t know what the Anointed One was like; the four Virtues believed that he knew. Worried about Hell vying for the Anointed One, they would certainly look for the Anointed One quicker. He just had to continue enjoying life as a slacker until the Anointed One was revealed.

“Makes sense!”

“I have no choice but to slack off, it seems!”

Forest grinned, but then he realized something.

“Those idiots know that I know and that I’ve been looking for the Anointed One for a long time. Wouldn’t they mistake me staying in Londan as the Anointed One being in Londan?”

“Oh, the misunderstanding. I should’ve explained before I self-detonated...”

“Ah, but the pathological liars do not believe in us honest demons. The more I explain, the more the angels would think I’m hiding the truth.”

“As expected of me, I’ve detonated myself at the right time so that they wouldn’t have time to misunderstand me.”

Forest stopped worrying. Londan was a den of snakes and confirmed bachelors. The Anointed One could be anywhere but Londan. This damn place attracted only demons. The reincarnated angels would leave after wasting some time here.

The plan would work!

“So what is the Anointed One like?”

“I have to wait again? I’m dying of impatience here.”

***

Bam!

“Look at what you’ve done. The demon was going to laugh his head off!”

In the banquet hall of Buckingham Palace, the reincarnated angels gathered. The gentle Vilkul furiously slammed the table, laying into his three incompetent colleagues.

Hesione lowered her head, Auriel looked at the sky, and Gerar struggled to keep his eyes open, seemingly too spent to stay awake.

If it were any other Cherub slamming the table, the Śārim would be slapping the Cherub instead, but Vilkul was one of the Seven Sacred Virtues, entitled to show the Śārim attitudes.

Moreover, Vilkul was right. Because of their absurd actions, Pride had left the human world with a grin. They could still see and hear his laugh. While they had defeated and banished Pride, Pride was the ultimate winner tonight.

Not far from them, Wayne had set up a card game at a table, having the three Thrones play cards with him.

“Śār, are you really not going to attend the meeting?” Hestia was green with jealousy. She didn’t understand what exactly was so nice about the clergywoman that her superior would favor her over Hestia. Whatever the clergywoman could do, Hestia could, too. If Wayne didn’t believe her, he just had to try her.

If I try, you’ll die. Wayne ignored Hestia for her survival.

“That’s the ninth time. I won again!”

“Fred, you’ve lost everything this round. Show me the last of your Golden Law.”

“Olga... you have nothing else to lose. Let’s keep a tab. Once you’re able, you’ll pay me back with interest.”

“Śār, I’ve lost everything, too. I can—”

“Yeah, your punishment is to watch the door tonight.”

Back with the four Virtues, Vilkul had finally calmed down after five full minutes of shouting. He plopped himself down on a chair and said, “Śār Auriel, there is a demon lord in Londan. Do you believe that now?”

Auriel crossed his arms and nodded, as haughty as ever.

“Then are you still going to put the Windsor family back on the throne?” Hesione asked with a sneer.

Auriel had made too many mistakes tonight, every single one of which was a great sin. With a guilty conscience, he wasn’t shameless enough to bring up the Windsor family. He skipped the topic. Then, under Hesione’s insistence, he reluctantly offered a few words of praise for the Lando family.

It proved how well Juno and Edward had judged the situation, and Queen Sophelia’s act of resignation was convincing. Auriel had only been using them. He never prioritized the interests of the Windsor family.

If the widowed mother and her children had foolishly pledged allegiance and led the charge against the Lando family, the consequences would be... interesting, to say the least. Even if Auston didn’t want to, he would have to lock the Queen up in a basement.

When Auriel admitted his mistake with his head lowered, Hesione stopped pressing. Silence took over the meeting.

With the two Śārim falling silent, Vilkul once again resumed his gentle act. Gerar had no choice but to be the bad guy. “Where did Pride acquire the information on the Anointed One? Are you three not going to say anything about that?”

“It’s not me.” x3

The three immediately stated their innocence and emphasized their faith. They were devoted to Heaven and the Heavenly Father, so they would never be traitors.

“How ridiculous of Pride to call me a traitor,” Auriel added. “He’s been sowing discord.”

“If it’s not the three of you, and it’s not me since I still don’t know much about the Anointed One, it can only be... one of those two,” Gerar murmured. The facts were self-evident. Pride knew so much that the angel who had leaked the information had to be someone of high status in Heaven.

Lahr was the prime suspect, and Mikhael was the secondary suspect. Since the demon knew more than Auriel and Hesione did, Lahr was the clear culprit.

“I don’t get it. How does this benefit Lahr?” Vilkul closed his eyes and sighed. He was close to Lahr and didn’t believe that Lahr would betray Heaven.

“What if Lahr isn’t the traitor?” Gerar spoke up for him, too. “Think about it. If he is a traitor, why would the Heavenly Father ask him to keep the prophecy safe?”

“Are you suggesting that Mikhael is a traitor?” Auriel shot back. “When Lahr interpreted the prophecy, Mikhael, Hesione, and I were there. The three of us knew the same information. The fact that Pride had confirmed that the Anointed One was in Londan before we did had to mean that Lahr had kept part of the prophecy secret.”

Hesione nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to believe that Lahr was a traitor, but the Anointed One was in Londan. She couldn’t deny the obvious truth.

If it was a coincidence... Haha, it couldn’t be that much of a coincidence. Pride had only come to the human world for a vacation and ended up lost in the entertainment available? That would be beneath Pride.

Hesione was more inclined to believe that Lahr had hidden part of the prophecy and told Pride about the Anointed One’s location. It was only because of the Anointed One’s unorthodox brand of sanctity that the demon lord failed to find him.

That would explain why the Heavenly Father had picked a traitor to keep the prophecy. He was warning them about Lahr’s betrayal that way.

The theory made perfect logical sense, so Hesione believed it fully. However, thinking of Lahr’s reserved nature and aloof smile that showed no worldly ambition, she found it difficult to label him as a traitor.

“What could’ve happened for Tolerance to make such a great mistake?”

“Tolerance? Aren’t you Purity?” Auriel realized his mistake as soon as he said that. “Don’t take it the wrong way, Hesione. I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that you’ve always been pure.”

Hesione accepted the apology, agreeing with a smile. “Yes, and you’re generous, so generous that you trust the Lord of Pride fully.”

“This isn’t the time to fight, the two of you,” Gerar said in an attempt to mediate.

“...” x4