Free Web NovelChapter 28: Gods from past
Lucian also slowly sat down next to the nun, and they both just looked at the statue.
"If I’m not mistaken, this is the statue of the Goddess of Eternal Prayer, isn’t it?" he asked.
She did not answer but just continued to look at the statue with a sad face. Lucian and even others close to her noticed that she, among many, knew and was somehow, let’s say, connected to it.
This was a real historical fact: about 800 years ago, gods ruled here. Primarily, the three most important and powerful were:
The God of Liberation The Goddess of Musical Lust The Goddess of Eternal Prayer
But at one point, something terrible and unforeseen occurred, and all the gods, including these three, were destroyed, and no one knows who or what exactly destroyed them. After that, many divided and began to pray to the gods they recognized, while others were simply considered foreign. This continent, including all the people within it, recognized only the Goddess of Eternal Prayer, while the rest were simply considered hypocrites.
"And what exactly did you find in this goddess, since you pray to her so constantly?" she asked, without looking at Lucian.
"Well, I’m not very well-versed in religion, though I know history very well; and do you think we shouldn’t?"
"She just looks stupid" she said.
"Oh, you certainly don’t lack courage—saying a god is stupid in a place where literally everyone prays..." he said with a soft smile on his face.
"Be that as it may, I don’t care who you pray to."
"Interestingly, at first I thought that you and the Goddess of Eternal Prayer were very similar. Well, I mean that you both pray eternally if the situation allows."
"An interesting observation," she said. Whether it was a compliment or something else, Lucian didn’t understand. Но главное в том, что она редко хвалила кого-то... Нет, он никогда не слышал, чтобы она кого-то хвалила.
"What’s more interesting is that you don’t pray to any of these three gods. You pray to another, let me remember... ah, yes, the god Ophiuchus, isn’t that right?" he asked.
"Yes, you are right," she answered quickly and briefly.
"I heard and read somewhere that the god Ophiuchus was not particularly strong, at least compared to those three gods, but I heard he was one of the smartest gods of that time," he said, recalling information from the books Lucian had read so much.
"He wasn’t just the smartest; he was on another level in terms of intelligence," she said in a serious tone.
’Oh, it seems she admires him very much,’ he thought.
They sat for a while in silence, enjoying nature and the quiet.
One could understand them; they were both always under stress—one mistake and everything collapses. Even if you are a villain in some sense, it doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. Such people are just complete psychopaths and sadists and so on.
You need to calculate every step so that no one finds out your plans. This weighed very heavily.
"That guy you were talking about, with the alien eyes, he died," he began the conversation.
The nun did not answer and instead just took a rag that was inside a cabinet made of "Orul" wood.
Of course, it wasn’t as strong as that same rare "Rominog" oak, but at least it held up well. Such trees are most often used for churches.
She took the rag and began to wipe the statue of the Goddess of Eternal Prayer slowly and carefully, removing the dust from it.
"You can tell the priests to wipe the statue if they pray. If it’s not cared for, it will be considered disrespect to the goddess," she said while continuing to wipe. The sounds of the rag could be heard.
"Fine," he answered shortly, as if waiting for an answer to his previous question.
"I don’t know whether he died or not, but at the very least I don’t feel his aura here," she said.
"Is that because he perished and his body is gone, or because he didn’t perish and fled from here?" Lucian asked with a smile on his face.
"Both versions could be true," she said.
"I see."
She finally finished wiping the statue and immediately went toward the church door. There stood many buckets filled with water. They were used when it rains, to get water for drinking and for other things.
She simply picked up one bucket and began to wash all the dirt off the rag.
After finishing this task, she returned to the place where she had been sitting.
"And what do you think-is he dead or not?" she asked.
"I don’t know for sure, but you said yourself that he is smart, and I somehow doubt that he perished. Moreover, it is very ridiculous and suspicious that some stone flew out of the sky right at him," he said, sharing the thoughts he had analyzed yesterday at his nightstand.
"Well, I agree with your thoughts that it is very suspicious, but other thoughts occur to me, like maybe he had enemies and they killed him," the nun said, suggesting her own version of events.
"That sounds too simple. If he had enemies, there’s a 99% probability I would have found out about them," he replied.
"But it’s not a hundred percent, is it?"
"Yes, you’re right about that. But I will consider it one of the unlikely scenarios. The most probable one is that he is not dead. But no matter, we will check this soon," Lucian said, closing his eyes.
"It seems you have a plan?"
"Yes, I have a plan, and soon you will see it in action," he said; now a smile appeared on his face, as if he had calculated many moves.
"I see. How is our plan for the patriarchy going?" she asked, now switching from the past to the present.
"Good so far. But since the ancient sword has disappeared, soon—meaning tomorrow or the day after-a commotion will start at the academy, and of course, this noise will reach the ears of my sister, the Queen of our continent."
"And what do you intend to do?"
"And that you will see soon. I want to kill two hares with one shot," he said, raising his hand and showing two fingers.
"Whatever happens, you will also keep your promise. You promised to find that person for me. If you don’t keep it, you know what the consequences will be," she said, looking at him with a serious face.
"Of course I know. Don’t worry about it; I love mutual benefits."
’She always asks to find that person, but whenever I ask who he is to her exactly, she remains absolutely silent. Who could it be? A father? A husband? Or perhaps a lover?’
’I simply need to understand who he is at all if I want to use this for my personal benefit in the necessary situations in the future.’
"Lucian, I wonder why, after so many conversations, you still consider me an ordinary nun? Just so you know, you always act hypocritically. You lie to both yourself and others."
"Do I?"
"You are always thinking about how to use the information you’ve gained for your personal benefit. Но проблема даже не в этом, а в том, что ты врешь, говоря, что это всё во благо людей," she said, as if she already knew or at least understood that Lucian intended to use the information about that person against her.
’No, it’s just that if you think about it carefully, this is really being done for the good of the people, so that they can live well.’
"And you think you can deceive me—the one who reads you like a book. You have little experience, kid," she said, giving the impression that she has lived in this world for many years and knows a great deal.
"I never even tried," he said with a smile on his face.
After these words, the nun sighed deeply and began to stare intently downward, but it gave the impression that she was looking not at the floor itself, but through it.
"And what is happening with Princess Lysandra?" she asked, suddenly switching the topic.
"Nothing. She said she has business with someone today," he replied.
"I see."
Academy Residence, Celestia’s Room
