Free Web NovelChapter 386 (2): The Weather Is Dry. Beware of Fire.
March twenty-sixth.
Ostarrichi, Wien.
The delegation of the Church of Darkness arrived at the headquarters of the Church of Nature, led by Envoy Anastasia, the Holy Maiden. The Church of Nature arranged a high-level reception, sending its Holy Maiden, Desiree.
The fact that the Church of Darkness had sent its Holy Maiden stirred quite the discussion at the Church of Nature’s headquarters. With Senna’s nudging, the credits went to Wayne fully.
Though Nature and Darkness weren’t mortal enemies, due to Nature’s alliance with Sun and Moonlight, the Church of Nature had never forged a close connection with Darkness. They were at best acquaintances, and never would they in a billion years become friends. Similarly, the Church of Darkness had been keeping its distance from the Church of Nature. The two churches had been staying out of each other’s way.
The fact that Wayne had managed to break the ice and convince the Holy Maiden of Darkness to visit the Church of Nature had to mean that he had suffered much abuse and bullying. Anyone with a brain would feel sorry for him.
Oracle High Reverend Wayne had sacrificed too much for the church.
That night, after the reception, Acting Pope Senna received the Holy Maiden of Darkness at the Pope Basilica to discuss important strategic matters. Since three heads were better than two, she summoned Wayne, too.
Vichy guarded the door after setting up a soundproof barrier, fixing her fierce gaze on the three young women to stop them from barging in or listening in on the secret exchanges between the two churches.
∑(Ő‸(Őд(Ő_Ő;)
The three young women wearing the white robes of the clerks were Ottilia, Regina, and Nilsson. They cowered immediately after the cold-looking older woman with an impassive face glared at them.
“What do we do? Should we go in?” Nilsson asked worriedly.
“Let’s not. If looks could kill, we would be dead...”
“But we’re clerks. It’s our job to record meetings.”
Well, maybe there’s nothing worth recording happening in the room. Whatever records we make will become prohibited publications. Ever consider that? X2
Ottilia and Regina stayed silent. Nilsson was too new to know the relationship between the Nature Knight and the Holy Maiden of Darkness, believing all the rumors she heard. Nilsson thought that Pope Senna and Holy Maiden Anastasia might have gotten into a physical altercation due to their hostile relationship.
They were getting physical, but not in the way Nilsson imagined.
Ottilia and Regina lamented their loss of innocence and said nothing, unwilling to tell Nilsson the truth and allowing her morals to be corrupted by ‘politics’. Ottilia glanced at Vichy. The older woman was beautiful. Her fierce aura and unreachable aloofness, especially, fit Wayne’s criteria for his harem.
A sweet fool like Regina wouldn’t do. Even if she was in his bed, he would just leave her there.
According to the list provided by the delegation, Vichy was the Holy Maiden’s personal bodyguard, in charge of Anastasia’s basic needs and safety. Ottilia knew that her suspicion was inappropriate, but she still believed that Vichy had been following Wayne too closely.
She didn’t understand. Her boss boyfriend looked unremarkable. Why was he so popular with women?
Inside, Wayne sat on the chair behind the desk with Senna in his lap. She put her arms around his neck, sharing her lipstick with him before turning to her ‘best friend’.
“Lady Holy Maiden, do you remember what I said to you back in the Frozen Land?”
“Your Holiness, you’re damaging the reputation of the Church of Nature as its leader!”
“Compared to the Holy Maiden of a certain church, I’d say I’m acting quite appropriately. I’m under no obligation to remain pure.”
Senna’s frame shook as she chuckled. Wayne had lifted all his restrictions on her, so she was free to mock anyone she wanted, even Wayne’s mother and white moonlight.
Of course, being free to do something did not mean being free of responsibility. She still had to pay for what she said.
Anastasia didn’t rise to the bait. Calmly, she said with a smile, “Thank you for introducing me to a perfect faith. Let me guess, you must regret it because you’re no longer his one and only.”
This woman is as annoying as ever!
The two women glared at each other with figurative sparks sputtering between them. At some point, Wayne had been relegated to the sideline as a spectator.
He had long wanted to put these two together, but never had the chance. Finally getting his wish fulfilled today, he couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
Fight, fight!
He knew that they wouldn’t get into a fight, but that didn’t stop him from fantasizing about it. Because he was close to one of them, the friendly fire soon spread to him, and Senna got a hold of his weakness.
The Pope never hid her desire for her faith. The presence of her biggest rival drove her to work harder.
Anastasia cursed her out silently. When Wayne waved at her, she stiffly went up to join them.
Hard Times: Part II.
***
After they finished their ‘business’, it was time for business.
“I’ve made the arrangements for the Church of Darkness’s side. Ana is here on behalf of the church, and you’re the Pope of the Church of Nature. Both of you hold a significant position in your respective churches. After today’s meeting, the decision can be announced tomorrow.”
Wayne held the two women in each arm, smiling like he had won in life.
In his embrace, the two women glared icily at each other. Being comrades in Wayne’s arms wasn’t enough to resolve their bad blood—it wasn’t because of anything in particular, but simple rivalry. Both being excellent mages in their own right, they were often compared. Though they had started out appreciating and respecting each other, their inability to express their true feelings led them to openly or discreetly target each other.
Usually, Senna was the openly hostile one, while Anastasia was the discreet one.
Wayne grinned. Senna ruled over the Church of Nature with absolute violence and authority, while Anastasia had won the support of the Church of Darkness with her integrity. Their styles might differ, but they were both influential in their churches. As their faith, Wayne had essentially become the mastermind behind the Church of Nature and Church of Darkness.
As they said, those on the right path would attract like-minded friends, while those on the wrong path would be left all alone!
After some discussion, they decided on a framework for the non-aggression treaty. There wasn’t much of a negotiation since both Senna and Anastasia represented Wayne’s interests. He wanted the situation to settle down as soon as it could, so they would sign the treaty as soon as they could.
Tomorrow, they would sign it at the general meeting with members of the church and the delegation as witnesses, after which they would make the announcement, telling the world that the two churches had formed a tight partnership.
“It’ll be too soon tomorrow,” Wayne interrupted. “Leak the news first and see how everyone reacts.”
Senna frowned. “Do you mean that there are still potential risks in the Church of Nature, and we should take this chance to root them out?”
“No, you’re resourceful enough to keep the troublemakers at bay.” Wayne panted softly. “Ludwig and Prussia were too close. He almost sold the entire church out for his future. I suspect that the Prussian branch is already out of the headquarters’ control, and the Pope’s orders will not reach it.”
“You mean the church has become divided?”
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Wayne narrowed his eyes. “Though I’m not the Pope and dislike politics, my family does have a tradition of rebelling. That allows me to learn a thing or two about it. Prussia won’t openly oppose the Church of Nature, but they will support and suppress certain sectors of it. It’s easy to make friends when you have demon vessels.”
“I understand.” Senna smiled coldly. She looked forward to how things would proceed.
“What did the Church of Heavenly Father say?” Wayne asked. “How did the conversation go?”
“The church treats the issue seriously,” Senna responded. “You really do have a way in. The Pope has sent an envoy to meet you in private. They will arrive soon.”
“What did they say?”
“The church doesn’t want to tell the Church of Nature more than they need to,” Senna huffed. “Even though I’m the Pope, they only want to talk to you.”
“Don’t be mad.” Wayne put an arm around her shoulder. “Once the envoy arrives, I’ll get it back for you.”
“Ah, what about the woman outside the door?”
“She’s the previous Darkness Knight.”
“Huh?! I thought you would bring the Goddess of Sky, but no.” Senna looked down and saw the back of Anastasia’s head.
“Seleucia doesn’t belong in this circle,” Wayne said honestly. “You don’t have to worry about her.”
“Is the goddess hideous?”
“No, she’s beautiful and... incredibly pure.” Wayne spared no praise. Seleucia was so pure that he felt ashamed of himself, and he wanted to keep her pure.
Senna became even more confused. Wasn’t it Wayne’s specialty to corrupt the pure? Why did it not work when it came to the Goddess of Sky?
“As for Darkness Knight Vichy, she is the Goddess of Darkness’s gift to me.” Wayne shook his head. “The goddess wants to make me Her third subordinate god, and she’ll be part of my entourage.”
“The Goddess of Darkness isn’t as smart as I thought!” Senna said mockingly.
“I won’t say that. She has other plans. I can’t tell what exactly it is yet...”
Anastasia had been quiet because her mouth had been occupied. Once Wayne pulled out to get to business, however, Senna pushed her away and said, “Good work. Your job here is done.”
Once again, they started arguing.
***
During Anastasia’s stay at the Church of Nature, Wayne’s life had been monotone. Every day, he either attended a general meeting or a private meeting of three, losing quite a bit of weight by the time of his departure. On the contrary, the Pope of Nature and the Holy Maiden of Darkness had been rejuvenated, looking even more beautiful and captivating.
Aside from his repeated routine, Wayne had been going through documents with his two secretaries—the flammable and volatile paper documents had been taken from the warehouse of the Church of Darkness.
They detailed the church’s research into demons, the Astral Plane, and Heaven. Some were still in the theoretical stage, while others were backed by sufficient data compiled from experiments, pushing Wayne further down his path of evolution.
At his core, Wayne was an Astral life, and the Pale Knight was his strongest form.
The Death Knight and his elven form were merely experiments he did on his way to evolution. The disguises could be used repeatedly, but no matter how many times he put them on, the disguises would never replace his existence.
As he studied further, he got the feeling that he didn’t have to obsess over mastering the Laws. His evolution path was destined to take him back to the Astral Plane. The information on the Laws was nothing but food for growth, just like how innumerable Laws filled the vast universe of the Astral Plane... That was all there was to it!
“Knowledge is meant to be used for evolution rather than battle. It is because encounters with different enemies are inevitable on the way to evolution that the evolving one wields knowledge like a weapon. Obsessing over the power of the weapons is missing the forest for the trees...”
“So that’s how it is. I get it now!”
Inside a library in downtown Wien, Wayne was flipping through a philosophy book, admiring the useless information that he learned today.
He was waiting for the envoy sent by the Papal State.
The Church of Nature was a Philosopher’s Stone. Anastasia was only willing to step into it because she had unconditional trust in Wayne. Those from the Papal State wouldn’t show the same trust even though the Pope firmly believed Wayne to be a reincarnated angel.
By his side were his two secretaries. He hadn’t brought his bodyguard, leaving Vichy with Anastasia instead.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Wayne?”
A handsome man came up to Wayne with a humble smile, holding himself with the grace and ease of a noble. He had the kind of looks that made someone take an instant liking to him.
“Greetings. I am Wayne.” Wayne stood up and extended a hand.
Wearing a white suit and white gloves, the young man took Wayne’s hand and said, “I’m Derrida. It’s an honor to meet you. His Holiness is right. Your outstanding looks and temperament make you instantly recognizable.”
His Horniness is at it again. Always saying the right thing. Should the secret that I’m a handsome reincarnated angel be spread like this? I’ll only let you off the hook this time. Don’t do it again!
While you gaze at the abyss, the abyss is gazing back. While Derrida was observing Wayne, Wayne was observing the blond man, too. He was graceful and perfect in looks, making him the top one percent in all of the male population, almost as attractive as Wayne.
He’s got to be a reincarnated angel. So where’s his assigned clergywoman?
Wayne looked around and didn’t see any genetic thief that the Pope should have assigned to Derrida.
“Mr. Wayne, this isn’t a good place for the conversation. Would you mind following me? I have a companion to introduce to you. She’s a little radical and quite blunt. I hope you won’t take it personally.”
A companion? Another angel? Wayne raised an eyebrow. An angel who’s reincarnated into a woman at that.
