Myths Reawakened

It was worth pondering where Wayne should get the resources from. He thought of the Goddess of Darkness. After blowing a kiss and beckoning at him, She sauntered into the bedroom and locked the door... but left the window open!

“I can’t seek Her out, can I...?” he muttered. The Goddess of Darkness wasn’t one to be trifled with. Doing business with Her would be no different from trying to haggle for a tiger’s skin. It would be better to go to the Divine Realm of Death and take on the three subordinate gods.

The three subordinate gods, however, were backed by the Goddess of Nature. Compared to Her, the Goddess of Darkness would make a much better ally.

“How troublesome,” Wayne groused, but then his eyes lit up.

Death was stuck in a limbo, Nature was a mystery, and Darkness was cunning. All three goddesses had their own plans. Compared to them, the alliance of Sun and Moonlight was no doubt a better choice.

The two goddesses had a tense relationship with Darkness, and, cornered by Nature, they felt incredibly insecure.

Wayne was self-aware enough to acknowledge that he was too far below godhood, and there were many subordinate gods, demon lords, and Śārim who ranked above him. He was in no place to become an ally of the two goddesses. All he had was talent.

Since he couldn’t be their ally, he would have to make the goddesses his investors. The way to attract foreign investments...

There were two options: first, demonstrate an excellent domestic market, such as the population’s high purchasing power; second, create the illusion of scarcity or create a political landscape that would force an investment.

What a coincidence that Wayne could do both.

“Corte, Galen, there’s something I must tell you now that we’ve come this far!” Wayne looked at them seriously, gesturing at Mona to create a soundproof barrier. He lowered his voice and said, “This is an important matter, so you must keep it to yourself. Do not tell anyone—except for the goddesses, of course.”

His serious attitude made them hold their breath.

“You know that I was chosen by three goddesses. Elemental Mantra, Dawn Doctrine, and White Night Creed have all recognized me. But that’s not all. Some time ago, I visited the Church of Darkness under the Pope’s order. There, I met the Goddess of Darkness.”

“What?!” x2

Shocked, the Holy Maidens urged him to explain.

“You may not believe me,” Wayne said in a marveling tone. “The Goddess of Darkness is gentle and elegant, with great eloquence and self-discipline. She is a goddess with true grace.”

“I don’t believe you!” x2

Corte and Galen shook their heads. Whether he was telling the truth or not, they had always been told that light and darkness stood in opposition, so they could not believe the praises even if they wanted to.

I don’t, either! Wayne thought. He praised the Goddess of Darkness against his conscience. “I don’t know where the goddess received the information from. Perhaps it’s because the Holy Maiden of Darkness was there when I went to the Frozen Land to help with the seal. Knowing that I’d been chosen by Sun, Moonlight, and Nature, the Goddess of Darkness offered me Twilight Despair and invited me to become the Darkness Knight.”

“You said no!” Corte said with certainty.

“You did, didn’t you?” Galen wasn’t so sure.

“I rejected the Goddess of Darkness,” Wayne raised his voice and said, “I, Wayne, am a virtuous, devoted knight. I’d never serve four masters at the same time shamelessly. She will never make me into the Darkness Knight.”

“You didn’t submit to her, did you?” Corte was close to tears.

“You must have submitted to her, haven’t you?” Galen covered her face with her hands.

“It's the Goddess of Darkness we’re talking about,” Wayne lamented the tragedy that had befallen him, his heart aching. “She’s powerful, and I was at the Church of Darkness’s headquarters. I had no choice but to compromise and pretend to offer her my loyalty.”

“That’s not how you were with demons!” x2

“Demons don’t give me gifts. They don’t make as good an offer as the goddess...” Wayne argued. When the two Holy Maidens stared at him with widened eyes, he coughed into his fist and said, “I mean, I was under duress and had no choice but to accept Twilight Despair. It’s only temporary compliance. Darkness may have my body, but not my heart. My faith has always lain in the Goddess of Sun and the Goddess of Moonlight. It’ll never change in my lifetime.”

The moment you said something like that, you’ve already shown your lack of faith! x2

The Holy Maidens shook their heads. This wasn’t a problem they could resolve on their own. They planned to inform the goddesses as soon as possible.

“Don’t be disappointed. I went undercover and infiltrated the enemy’s ranks, achieving great feats in only a few days,” Wayne said proudly. “The Holy Maiden of Darkness... I don’t remember her name. It’s too long. But I know she’s a real beauty. Under the Goddess of Darkness’s order, she visited me at night for a chat. Seizing the chance, I took her purity from her.”

...How’s that anything to be proud of? That only makes things worse! x2

Corte and Galen couldn’t believe him. Judging by his satisfied expression, it was clear that he hadn’t slept with the Holy Maiden of Darkness to humiliate the Church of Darkness, but because he simply wanted to satisfy his selfish desires under the guise of justice.

Bah, how depraved!

Thinking of how the Holy Maiden of Darkness had completed her oracle while they hadn’t made any progress filled Corte and Galen with frustration. It also changed how they perceived the situation. It was no longer about failing to accomplish oracles, but about being denied—about being defeated by Anastasia. Corte turned to Wayne with a vicious glint in her eyes, and Galen’s gaze darkened with the determination to have him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wayne stated. “I insisted on bedding the Holy Maiden of Darkness in order to humiliate the Church of Darkness. I made their Holy Maiden impure.”

“But you’re smiling!”

“Insist? How reluctant you must have been! How difficult it must have been for you!”

“Whatever you say, I have a clear conscience. I’m no pervert, and I didn’t sleep with Ana because I wanted her body,” Wayne said, raising his voice. When the two women didn’t believe him, he huffed, “If I were a pervert, you would’ve lost your purity, too. Before you look down on me, look back at yourselves. These days, demons have been acting in the name of justice and fairness. You two should do better than demons as Holy Maidens.”

“I will inform the goddess!”

“Be my guest. I’ve only resorted to that to humiliate Darkness. The goddesses will only praise me when they hear.” Things were going just as Wayne planned. He added, “I shouldn’t be saying this, but the Goddess of Darkness is generous to me. Not only has She given me the divine artifact and the Holy Maiden, but She also sent Miss Vichy, the previous Darkness Knight, to me. The knight keeps me protected during the day and keeps me warm during the night.”

“What?!” x2

The Holy Maidens’ voices jumped an octave. They never imagined that there could be such a shameless goddess. But it was Darkness they were talking about. This was in line with their impressions for Darkness.

“To further humiliate Darkness, I accepted Vichy’s purity,” Wayne declared. “Sometimes I have them solo, other times I have them as a duo. I’ve knocked Darkness down a peg from Her arrogant pedestal.”

His mind and actions were clear like mirrors. Everything he did, he did it for justice and faith. His sacrifices were nothing.

Learning that their knight had been subject to the humiliation of the Holy Maiden of Darkness and the previous Darkness Knight, Corte and Galen felt so enraged that their chests hurt. The shameless look on Wayne’s face gave them the urge to strangle him with divine arts.

You’d be dead if I could take you down! x2

“Corte, Galen, you’re thinking it the wrong way. It might seem like I’ve fallen for Darkness’s honey trap, but if you look at it from another perspective, you’ll see...” Wayne proudly shared his nonsensical argument. “You’ll see that it’s the Holy Maiden of Darkness and the Darkness Knight who are being humiliated by me. It’s a great feat that the Churches of Moonlight and Sun have never made. You should be happy.”

“Is that why you’ve been smiling whenever beautiful ladies are mentioned?” Galen huffed. The Moonlight Knight had no shame to speak of. She would tell the goddess everything without leaving out any detail. Let the goddess be the judge of the knight who had willingly fallen.

“I’ll say one last time. I’ve given myself away for faith. It’s an act for the greater good rather than an inappropriate frolic. The churches should be making monuments for me.”

How shameless! x2

“Speaking of which, if you’re dissatisfied, I’ll complete the oracles for you right now. We can’t have outsiders getting all the benefits, right?” Wayne rubbed his hands together.

Galen stepped back. When she saw Corte staying still, she pulled Corte to her side and shot her a glare.

“If you don’t want it, fine. I’ll preserve my energy for Ana and Vichy once I’m back in Londan.” Wayne sounded even more full of himself. When Corte and Galen stalked out in a huff, he called out after them, “Remember to seek me out at the Lando Estate in Londan. Just say that you’re looking for the head of the family, Wayne Lando.”

“Have you done it with Knight Vichy, Boss?” Mona asked curiously.

“Of course not. I’ve always given Darkness a wide berth.”

“...”

“Ana’s an exception. She’s one of ours, not a member of the Darkness faction.”

Then he added, “Get ready. We’re heading back to Londan tonight. There are more important matters to take care of there.”

Liberating the Headless Knight resolved one of his worries, but another question arose: was Monica a manifestation of the Goddess of Death? If so, he would like to take a few pictures of the goddess taking care of Her business in the great outdoors. Such blackmail material wouldn’t come by every year. It would surely be of use someday.

“Boss, are you not saying goodbye to Sandrine and Givenchy?”

“No need.”

Wayne wasn’t close to Sandrine and had little goodwill for the snake. If the snake weren’t Senna’s pet snake, and thus he couldn’t take her out without going after Senna, he would’ve killed her off in the name of justice.

He had even less reason to bid Givenchy farewell. It didn’t make sense for a master to show his vassal decorum. He would just notify her through his thoughts.

He did plan to take Isabella back to Londan and have her help Master Silvia, though. He had a good impression of the glutton. It felt like raising a pet when he fed her.

Isabella was the current leader of the surgical strike unit in the Palis district, so her transfer would require some paperwork. Fortunately, as an Oracle High Reverend, Wayne could stamp and sign the paperwork himself. He would still be able to set out for Londan tonight.

Suddenly, he felt something pressing against him. He turned around and saw the impassive look on Mona’s face. He took her hand and rubbed it against his face. “I understand. Let’s head back to Londan tomorrow morning. I’ve been feeding the gluttonous cat the past few days and neglecting you. It’s my mistake.”

“That’s not what I mean, Boss.”

“So, should I forget it?”

“You shouldn’t!”

***

On May fifteenth, Prussia had secured a grand victory on the western front. Groans and cries could be heard from Franc’s command center. The defense line had been breached. There was no turning the tide.

Today, Winston, the Prime Minister of Windsor, arrived in Franc as an ally and criticized the flawed orders made by the leadership. He stated that aside from sending a small number of air forces in support, Windsor couldn’t provide more to Franc.

The defense line that many had high hopes for had not done its job. It wasn’t useless since it wasn’t used at all.

The blitzkrieg was ongoing.

Everyone knew that Palis would fall in a fortnight to a month. Then, Prussia would be marching under the shade of Palis.

Winston had traveled to Franc for another goal: to take the Princess and the Prince back to Windsor. They should not stay stranded in Palis.

***

Meanwhile, in Windsor.

A few passengers arrived at the port on a steamship, all of them beautiful. The leader of the group was Śār Auriel, accompanied by Olga and Fred. They were joined by one man and three women—Juno, her fiancé Alistair, Edward, and his fiancée Carol.

Juno wasn’t optimistic about reinstating the rule of the Windsors. The most ideal development would be for her to marry Wayne and produce an heir to the throne. After Wayne turned her down, she had thrown herself into the rabbit hole of evolution, working hard to ascend to Heaven.

Edward wasn’t any more optimistic. Although Auriel had introduced himself and said that Saint George’s blood was the blood of Mikhael, another Śār, and that the Windsor family had a powerful background in Heaven, so they should stand up for themselves, Edward wasn’t convinced. How were their connections in Heaven going to help? If Saint George’s blood was this useful, why would the Papal State continue to suppress Windsor?

Only connections that applied in this world could be called connections, or they would just be part of the background setting.

Edward wasn’t that much less intelligent than Juno. He could tell that Auriel was only supporting the Windsor family’s return to use them and their widowed mother as pawns for political gain. No matter who ended up winning, the pawns would always be the ones to take the fall.

Unfortunately, Auriel was too powerful for Edward to have any say, so after careful consideration, Edward recommended his Queen mother.

Don’t waste your time talking to me. Seek my mother out. She’s the Queen!

The Princess dove headfirst into evolution, and sometimes into her fiancé, while the Prince only ever went down on his fiancée. Heaven’s bloodline was hopeless in the human world.

Auriel didn’t press them further. He planned to talk to Queen Sophelia instead. She was used to being in power and had to have the desire for control deep in her bones. She wouldn’t give up so easily and settle for being subservient to Auston. She was merely biding her time.

Auriel smiled at the defenseless Londan. He could already see his victory.

“Fred, have you heard anything from the Papal State?”

“Śār, the last two reincarnated angels will arrive soon. Archibald has also awakened.”

“Oh, who is he?”

“Cherub Vilkul.”

“Oh, he’s descended, too?”