Myths Reawakened

The next morning.

The sky was a deep blue ocean with lazily drifting white clouds. The May sunshine was mild. In the back garden, spring was in full bloom. Whenever a breeze passed through, it rustled the trees and spread coolness and the fragrance of flowers. The picture painted was one of thriving vitality.

With a leisurely mindset, one should start the beautiful day with some quality time in bed.

Wayne stood by the bedroom window in nothing but his underpants. Looking down, he saw Valkyrie, his knight teacher, leaning against a tree while waiting for her student, Vera. She held a small yellow flower, savoring the scent of spring.

It was sword-training time, but her student had not appeared, still sleeping in.

Realization dawning on her, she didn’t march up to Wayne’s bedroom to drag Vera out of bed, as she usually would, but instead looked up to meet the gaze she had sensed. She nodded at Wayne.

Wayne saw two parts exasperation, three parts displeasure, and ninety-five parts contempt in that glance.

“Must be my imagination...”

He nodded to himself. His first love from August twentieth wasn’t a cold-hearted woman. She wouldn’t forget him just because she had Vera now, and she certainly wouldn’t blame him for corrupting Vera.

Right. Definitely.

Wayne waved at Valkyrie in greeting. Ignoring him, she turned to look deeper into the garden, where a black cat was.

He extended his thoughts and messaged Valkyrie, telling her that the black cat’s name was Monica, and she would be their new pet going forward. Once a resident at the Lando Estate, she would henceforth live at Wayne’s residence.

Valkyrie nodded, averting her eyes. With the small yellow flower still in her hand, she went up to coax the black cat.

It took no time for her to successfully pet Monica.

“How ironic!” Wayne murmured.

The knight order of the Goddess of Sun had slain a dragon at Her order, undergoing a heart-to-heart exchange with Sizorn in the Draconic Realm. The knight order had suffered devastating losses. Sizorn, staring death in the face, pledged loyalty to Death for survival, thus becoming the Goddess of Death’s subordinate god.

Monica≈Goddess of Death, which meant Valkyrie wasn’t petting a cat, but the supreme leader of her mortal enemy.

To deepen the irony, Wayne sent another message to Valkyrie, telling her that Monica needed a caretaker, so if she didn’t mind, he would like to entrust the cat to her. Valkyrie didn’t mind at all. Between cats and owls, she much preferred cats.

“Fun!” Wayne muttered, his lips curling up. He turned to look at the three blonde girls lying sprawled on his bed. If this was his harem, he would be quite happy. If this was Kristen’s harem...

Somehow, that would be even better!

***

In the dining room, Veryl had readied the breakfast, with one extra portion. Last night, Wayne had slipped in quietly to catch the magical girls red-handed, so Veryl hadn’t known that Master Wayne had crept home in the middle of the night. Taking note of Kristen’s sudden change in sleep schedule, though, he deduced that the master was home.

He was a real professional!

Wayne enjoyed the breakfast his butler had prepared with care, pondering whether he should move the entire residence to the Lando Estate. He’d been living separately because he had too many secrets and hidden harem members. Had Silvia seen the truth, his carefully maintained image of a model student would be shattered.

But his master had become a real mother to him, and a mother wouldn’t care about his secrets and secret lovers.

None of the rules that applied to Auston applied to Wayne. Silvia was beyond lenient to her son. The double standards were serious. If he crossed any lines, she would readily help him cross more.

However, Wayne was quite attached to this residence. He was a sentimental person at heart, so he didn’t want to move when he had gotten used to this life.

But if he didn’t move, what about his promise to Veryl to help him make a comeback?

What a dilemma!

“Master,” Veryl said, “A lady named Juno has been trying to reach you for the past two days. She wasn’t sure where you were, so she called this residence, hoping you’d get back to her as soon as possible. She’s in Londan and has an important matter to discuss with you in person.”

“Juno...” Wayne rubbed his chin. Juno wouldn’t have reached out to him unless there was something serious. She must have made multiple calls because something concerning him had happened.

Later, Wayne headed to his detective agency on Commercial Street. He sat in his office for five minutes before Juno ‘passed by’.

“How lucky. I found you on my first try.”

Juno boasted about her fortune, praising her feminine intuition. She had had a strong feeling that she would find Wayne today, so she decided to check the detective agency. Sure enough, she found him!

With luck this good, she should go straight to buying lottery tickets later.

“Well, aren’t you incredible?” Wayne said, inviting Juno to sit down. Resting his clasped hands on the desk, he said with a smile, “When did you return to Londan? Why were you in a rush to find me?”

“It’s serious business. I came back with those three reincarnated angels.” Juno’s eyes widened. “I know you know, but I still have to let you know. You might not believe it. The leading reincarnated angel is Auriel, one of the four Śārim. Isn’t that quite the headline?”

“It’s hardly news to me. I’ve known for a while.” Wayne frowned, recalling what Hesione had said. He reached out to Mona with his thoughts and urged her to get herself to the detective agency as soon as possible.

Auriel couldn’t have come to Londan with his two subordinates for a team-building activity. He had likely received intelligence about demons.

Wayne knew that a demon had been hiding in Londan, and it was because of the demon’s scheming that Hesione’s awakening failed, costing her her purity.

Before her awakening, Mona was only an ordinary clergywoman. Just because she had been an important angel in Heaven didn’t mean that she, in this life, would be special. However, Hesione had sworn that right before she was going to awaken, a demon had found her and put a hellish seal on her. Not many could do that. The demon had to be one of the Seven Demon Lords.

The Lord of Envy could be ruled out first. The clown clearly wasn’t a suspect. Any of the remaining six demon lords could be the culprit.

According to Hesione, the demon hiding in Londan was extraordinarily powerful and had been around for quite some time. She couldn’t be sure whether the demon was still in Londan, but just in case, she hadn’t returned to the Papal State.

Later, Mona had exposed her, clarifying that the demon was only part of the reason. Hesione refused to go back because she was too embarrassed to face her colleagues.

In any case, a powerful demon lord had been lurking in Londan for a long time, hiding in plain sight. Wayne guessed that Auriel had come to eliminate the demon, which was fine by him. With Juno already acting as an informant, he could hang back and steal the kill.

“I hope you don’t mind my asking, what’s your name in Heaven?” Juno looked at Wayne with unconcealed curiosity. She knew that Wayne was someone important in Heaven, but he’d never told her specifically who he was. She’d asked Auriel, who just gave her a constipated look and said that Wayne was nobody.

These riddlers were infuriating!

Juno was no fool. Based on Auriel’s disgust and Hestia’s deference, she could deduce that Wayne had an extremely high status in Heaven, possibly at the same level as Auriel.

The implications of two Śārim reincarnating into the human world were staggering. Juno suspected that she had stumbled upon the truth, but couldn’t quite wrap her mind around it. She hoped that Wayne would explain so that she could put the idea to rest.

“I have no name in Heaven,” Wayne said honestly. “I’m a pure-blooded human.”

Liar!

Juno rolled her eyes. She had long figured out that Wayne wasn’t human—he wasn’t even close to being human. He was at best humanoid.

“Fine, don’t tell me. As if I wouldn’t be able to figure it out myself.” Juno rolled her eyes at him. Lowering her voice, she continued, “Auriel’s making a move against you. He brought Edward and me back to Londan to help the bloodline of Saint George reclaim the Crown and take Windsor back.”

“Saint George’s blood is Mikhael’s blood. Auriel’s tight with the Viceroy of Heaven, while their relationship with you isn’t great. Watch yourself. Londan is about to undergo another turbulence.”

Wayne sucked in a breath. The reincarnated angels had too much time on their hands. Instead of looking for the Anointed One after their descent, they brought Heaven’s grievances to the mortal realm. That was how vermin would act.

What was so great about Londan that it kept attracting these sorts of people? Oh, vermin attracted each other? That would explain it.

“Your family came from quite the distinguished bloodline.”

“Feeling tempted? Care to reconsider my proposal?” Juno said seriously. “If the two of us come together, Auriel will have no reason to stir up trouble. The crisis will be easily resolved.”

Wayne shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m important in Heaven, while you’re Mikhael’s descendant. I’m way out of your league.”

“I’m not asking you to take responsibility. I just want a child. It’ll be good for the Lando family. You’ll only benefit from the deal.”

Juno stared at him. It wasn’t as if Wayne would be the one getting pregnant. What was he so afraid of?

“That’s not it. From my perspective, a union with you would mean acknowledging Mikhael as an ancestor. That’s absolutely out of the question.”

Wayne shook his head again. Before Juno could argue, he changed the subject and asked, “The Windsor family was backed by Auriel and the Viceroy of Heaven, two Śārim. You could be fighting to reclaim your glory now, yet you came to tell on them instead. That’s remarkably loyal of you.”

“It’s not as simple as that.” Juno sighed. “It would seem like I’m betraying my bloodline and the royal family, even myself, but in truth, I’m protecting my family. Auriel’s support comes with strings attached. Our ancestor in Heaven doesn’t actually care about us. The two angels are so removed from us that you’re more trustworthy in comparison.”

“The Lando family took the country, and the Queen has become my father’s plaything. You and Edward were also banished. Yet you still find me trustworthy?”

“I’m alive, am I not? So is Edward. The Queen is still the Queen, and everyone is allowed to keep their dignity.” Juno shook her head. “As for my mother’s current situation, she’s clearly rekindled an old flame with Auston. The widow and the pervert are a match made in Hell.”

“Hold your tongue. I won’t have you speaking of the Queen like that!” Wayne beamed. All the effort he had put into smearing Auston’s name finally paid off.

“Why are you still laughing? Auriel has already sought out my mother!”

“So?” Wayne shrugged. “His plan is straightforward and crude. He’s just going to find a justification for him to use his raw power. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Auriel was no doubt an opportunist, but he did have a sense of honor and morality. He needed to stand on the moral high ground and do things openly; it was easier to deal with an enemy like him than a demon.

“I knew it,” Juno said. “You don’t fear him at all. You’re... also a Śār, aren’t you?”

“I’m not sure. I have amnesia.”

I don’t believe you!

Juno narrowed her eyes with the expression of someone who had seen through everything. “You’re not Auriel, and you’re definitely not Mikhael. Your personal life is so envy-worthy—bah, so disgraceful that you can’t be Hesione, who represents purity. You must be Śār Lahr!”

Please take me under your wing, Śār!

Juno’s desire to latch onto his thigh was written all over her face, which amused Wayne. “You’re a descendant of Saint George. Why would you come to me? Seek out your ancestor, Mikhael. He’s your support.”

“Please.” Juno scoffed. “The Papal State has never shown the Windsor family the slightest goodwill. If our ancestor cares about his descendants in the mortal realm, why would all this mess have happened?”

Angels were all scumbags who did not take responsibility after spreading their seeds! Not just Mikhael, all of them were like that. The Windsor family, the Bourbon family, the Romanov family, and other royal and imperial families that once occupied the Chosen Land carried Heaven’s blood in their veins. But where did that lead them?

They ended up being put on the guillotine or exiled.

The Windsor family fared better than most, but even they hadn’t escaped the Papal State’s suppression.

The Papal State was supposed to be on their side. If their ancestor had simply said, ‘Do this for my sake,’ the Papal State wouldn’t have dared cause any trouble.