Myths Reawakened

Chapter 444 (1): Darkness Returns

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Olga had kept the memories of her reincarnation, Serceris. Olga was the main personality, while Serceris only added to it. A human’s thirty years' worth of memories were nothing compared to an angel’s long years. Serceris’s memories were washed away, becoming part of Olga. After some trimmings, only memories that informed her common sense were retained.

While Serceris wasn’t erased, not a lot of her remained.

Olga didn’t find the request to see her stigma odd. What bad could Śār Hesione be capable of? He was obviously trying to headhunt her and make her turn away from Mikhael, her superior.

She picked up the hem of her robe with some hesitation, speaking quietly, “Śār Hesione, you may check my stigma, but could you not modify it? I’m loyal to the Śār. If possible, I’d like to serve him forever.”

Huh? Could a stigma be modified?

Wayne’s eyes lit up. Now he had to see her stigma, and not only was he going to inspect it, but he would also love to study it with Hesione.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it.

Kristen patted him on the shoulder with a smile, telling him to control his scumminess better. Then she went to the backyard with Vera in tow.

Valkyrie had become flesh and blood again, no longer an empty set of armor moving like a human. Because her body was created by divine blood, she gained some special abilities.

For example, she was able to decrease Snow’s sentence, letting it transform back into a male lion.

A golden-haired lion made for a greater spectacle than a golden-haired angel.

“A golden-haired lion isn’t anything to write home about,” Wayne grumbled. “A golden carpet is much better!”

“Śār, the stigma of Mikhael’s legion isn’t anything special. You should be looking at the stigma of your own legion.” Hestia stepped up and moved boobily to block Olga.

Wayne glanced at Hestia’s chest. He hadn’t inspected her stigma closely before. It was a grave mistake for a superior to neglect his subordinate.

When he saw the loyal look on Hestia’s face, though, he decided against following up on his inappropriate idea. Her target was Hesione, and he wasn’t Hesione. He could deceive others, but not himself.

“How dull. I suddenly don’t want to look at it.” He waved Olga away, walking around her and Hestia and going up to Hesione.

Hestia shot Olga an irritable look. “It’s your fault. You just have to swear loyalty to Śār Mikhael and spoil Śār Hesione’s mood. He took you under his wing.”

Olga sighed. She had no support. She just wanted to find a sanctuary. Thrones had it hard.

Her silent sigh was a thunderous accusation about a Throne’s sad reality. Hestia softened and sighed in sympathy.

She patted Olga’s shoulder. “You’ve seen what Śār Mikhael did. You’re a disposable pawn whose loyalty means nothing to him. Now, only Śār Hesione is willing to take you in. You should decide for yourself which of them is worth your respect!”

Olga made a bitter face. She had to reiterate how difficult it was to be a Throne.

Wayne plopped himself down on the sofa, watching Hesione pray on her knees. “Hestia told me about the meeting,” he said gleefully. “I remember warning you not to spread rumors. You must be ready to receive punishment for your disobedience.”

“Anointed One, my action wouldn’t be disobedience if you weren’t the Anointed One. If you punish me, you’ll be admitting that you’re the Anointed One.”

Hesione closed her eyes, her hands clasped before her chest in a devout manner, her tone fervent. She had had a eureka moment.

“Oh, speaking to the Anointed One like this? How important do you see yourself, Śār?”

“Do you admit who you are, Anointed One?”

“Even if I do, what would it change? Who would believe it?” Wayne crossed his legs and leaned back into the sofa. “You saw for yourself, Hesione. Auriel and the others didn’t believe I was the Anointed One, they still don’t, and they will never believe it. Stop wasting your time trying to convince them. If you have so much time to waste, you should be looking for the Anointed One so that Pride and Mikhael won’t find them first.”

Olga stood behind Wayne alongside Hestia, acting as a temporary bodyguard. As she was new, she didn’t understand what the Śār and the secretary were doing.

“It’s a roleplay,” Hestia said weakly. “The secretary is acting as the Śār, while the Śār is a pervert. Understood?”

She would like to play the Śār, too, but she would never get the chance even if she got on her knees. Usually, she was relegated to standing guard at the door.

It was absurd that a human was more favored than she was.

Olga shook her head in confusion. Neither her memories in Heaven nor the human world contained knowledge about roleplaying.

“I know you wouldn’t understand. Watch and learn.”

Hearing their conversation, Wayne stroked his chin in exasperation. He and Hesione had stopped pretending, yet Hestia stubbornly refused to believe the truth. She could be faulted for her lack of intelligence, but not her loyalty.

Faith made one steadfast, while religion made one foolish. Hestia, Hesione, and the newly joining Olga had all contracted the disease called ‘Heaven’.

“Hesione, I’m going on a trip in a few days.”

“Did more demons descend?” Hesione opened her eyes. Hestia’s and Olga’s expressions had also turned serious.

“No, it has nothing to do with demons. I met the Goddess of Sun and the Goddess of Moonlight today and had a good chat with them. We struck up a significant deal. I’m leaving to receive my payment.”

“That’s what you said last time, Anointed One, but you end up running into a demon.” Hesione shook her head, breaking into a smile. “Only goddesses are having proper conversations with you now, which is proof that you are the Anointed One. Do you have another excuse?”

“You make so much sense that you almost convinced me into impersonating the Anointed One.” Wayne curled his finger at Hesione. Once she sat down with ease, he branded her face with a loud kiss. “I get it now. Once I become the Anointed One, you’ll be on top of one human and countless angels. Viceroy Mikhael... No, you will be the Viceroy from then on. That’s why you need me to be the Anointed One, right?”

Hesione rested her head on his shoulder and said calmly, “Anointed One, this test is no longer challenging to me. Do you have any other tricks?”

Who are you looking down on?!

“Come on. Follow me to the library. Tonight, I’ll introduce Ana to you.”

***

Library.

As soon as Wayne sat down in his office, a group of vengeful spirits swarmed up to him excitedly and called him ‘husband’ or ‘boyfriend’, just like how they had done during the party at the Lando Estate. They were like a flock of chirping birds.

Since they had all led difficult lives, Wayne always indulged them. He didn’t get angry with the dozen beautiful ladies calling him ‘husband’. Once they had had enough fun, he waved them away.

Hesione looked at them thoughtfully. Resurrecting the dead had to be an ability that the Anointed One acquired after his own rebirth.

Thinking back, the Anointed One had to be omniscient to foresee her descent and find Mona before she awakened. He was also fearless, never backing down no matter if he was dealing with a demon lord or a goddess.

Omniscience and omnipotence were marks of the Heavenly Father. The Anointed One didn’t need anyone’s protection. The moment he came back to life, he had already become a god—a god in the human world!

Hesione sighed, coming to another realization.

Wayne could’ve headed straight to Heaven, but for those sorry excuses of reincarnated angels, he stayed in the human world to guide them to self-salvation.

Angels were too prideful to treat humans with respect. The Anointed One refused to acknowledge his identity so that he could undermine an angel’s pride as a human. Angels fancied themselves pure while hiding their filth deep in their hearts, all the while accusing others of being tainted. Thus, the Anointed One sullied the angels’ purity to make them see their own impurity.

There were many more examples of his thoughtful actions, each showing noble character, extraordinary wisdom, indiscriminate compassion, and willingness to sacrifice himself...

The Anointed One could’ve used his divine power to make the angels repent, but he didn’t. He chose to guide them to self-salvation—even at the price of tainting himself.

Thinking back, Hesione realized that she had been making mistakes nonstop. She was far from the Anointed One’s level. Even now, she still couldn’t understand the true Seven Sacred Virtues; she still couldn’t let go of the Seven Deadly Sins rooted in her heart.

The road to redemption was difficult. Even with him lighting her way, she stumbled and fell... Could she really reach the other side?

She lowered her head and looked at Wayne. Her beacon of light was so very bright, so she didn’t have to dwell on the feeling of being lost. She would find her way out of darkness by following the light. Compared to those who had not found their beacon, she was lucky.

“Babe, you haven’t suffered, have you?”

After kicking the troublemakers out, Wayne kept only Ottilia and Regina around. He pulled Ottilia into his arms and started sweet-talking her like a scumbag.

Hesione, Hestia, and Olga stood behind him. Ottilia and Regina had met Hestia, but not Olga. In only a few days, Wayne had added another top-tier beauty to his harem, which astounded them.

He was way too efficient!

Be honest. You’re the true incubus here, aren’t you? You only have to curl your finger, and a girl will follow you home.

Regina didn’t mind much since she considered herself a corporate slave. Her surprise led to nothing. Ottilia, on the other hand, had to tuck herself further into Wayne’s embrace to stake her claim. When Hestia looked visibly furious, she dialed her catty remarks to eleven. Only once she saw that Hestia wasn’t doing anything but seething did she stop.

She adjusted her posture on Wayne’s lap, asking the question she had been thinking about. “Boss, who is High Reverend Silvia? Tell me, she’s your mother, isn’t she?”

“Why did you ask?”

“I knew it!” Ottilia grumbled. “You nobles mess around too much. All this time, I’d believed the lie that High Reverend Silvia is Veronica’s mother.”

(一`´一)

Ve—ro—ni—ca—

“I heard that you’re High Reverend Silvia and Mr. Auston’s son, and I thought it was a rumor...” Ottilia was resigned. When Wayne was framed by incriminating photos with Ottilia, she had seen Silvia and Veronica together. Veronica looked like a younger version of Silvia. It was clear from their appearance alone that they were mother and daughter.

Because of the scandalous photos of Ottilia and Wayne, Silvia had been harsh to her, clearly seeing Wayne as a son-in-law and Ottilia as the homewrecker who was trying to steal her daughter’s fiancé. Thus, even when rumors spread like wildfire with solid evidence, Ottilia never believed a word.

Rumors stopped spreading once they reached a wise person. Hearing wasn’t believing. Ottilia only believed her eyes and the truth she saw.

Yesterday, she saw the truth!

Wayne’s mother had woven through the group of beautiful ladies, grinning at each of her son’s girlfriends. Her attitude toward Ottilia had gone a complete one-eighty, going from obvious dislike to genuine affection. She took Ottilia’s hands and asked after her, inviting her to visit the estate more for family dinners.

Well... Mother was a real sweet-talker!

Silvia’s attitude toward Veronica had also gone a one-eighty. Getting a hand chop to her head, the blonde girl was interrupted before she could stir up trouble. It was when Ottilia heard Silvia address Veronica that she realized the rumors were true.

Wayne was the real son, while Veronica was a substitute picked up from a dumpster, being made the Lando family’s young lady to cover for Wayne.

Now that the real son had come home, the fake daughter became the true heir’s fiancée. Because she was used to being the young lady and acted like she was still the beloved daughter, her mother-in-law didn’t like her.

How messy!

Ottilia lamented the nobles' outrageous behavior. If the Lando family hadn’t succeeded in rebelling after years of lying low, she would struggle to piece together the truth even with all the clues presented to her.

Now she’d figured everything out!