Myths Reawakened

It was raining tonight. A black luxury car pulled up at the entrance to the hotel. Mona held up an umbrella for Wayne, getting into the back seat with him. The driver glanced at the rearview mirror, his eyes glinting silver.

Mona narrowed her eyes, making sacred golden light bloom. They had confirmed each other’s identity.

The driver started the car, heading to the Holy Mother Cathedral. It was built during the Renaissance as an academy rather than a church. The interiors were gloriously magnificent, adorned with expensive alabaster statues and complex, extravagant decorations, employing many curves. The elaborate complexity was typical of the Baroque style.

A few years ago, it was expanded and renovated into a cathedral. With a few added spirals, the architecture became Gothic.

The black car stopped at the cathedral. Mona got out to hold up an umbrella for Wayne, exposing half of her body to the rain to make sure he wouldn’t get even a droplet on him.

“Look at the mess. You got your stockings wet.” Wayne grabbed the umbrella from her and put an arm around her shoulder, shielding them both as they made it to the cathedral.

“Bo-boss, this is the sacred ground of the cathedral. This... this is inappropriate.” Mona’s heart raced. She had to refuse him, no matter how much she liked it. She panickedly said, “There are too many people watching us. Why don’t we do this after we’re at the hotel?”

I want them to see! The pedestrians, too. See the ‘angel’ harassing a clergywoman? Take a stand and question me!

He ignored Mona’s complaint and silenced her with a spank. She immediately stopped struggling, straightening her back and looking around, daring anyone to challenge them.

None did!

The cathedral was empty save for the necessary personnel, and all the clergy members granted entrance remained unmoving like statues, each holding a white candle to their chest with the hood of their white robe obscuring their face.

They all came from the Papal State. None were locals. While they didn’t know who Wayne was, such behavior... was a familiar sight they saw every day.

***

Second floor.

Rain slid down along the rose windows. Chandeliers hung high from the ceiling. Below, bookshelves formed a circle to not only provide privacy, but also to cover up the magic circle on the walls that established a soundproofing barrier.

Holding a black umbrella in one hand while putting the other on Mona’s waist, Wayne moved his agile fingers up and down, caressing her through the fabric. He spotted the mark of this trip, the envoys of the Pope.

The blond, blue-eyed man was incredibly handsome. His long hair ran down like a golden waterfall, shimmering with a dreamlike quality under the light. His facial features were so delicate that he looked like a statue. His bright eyes contained an unquantifiable elegance and gentleness. When he saw Wayne, he stood up and smiled faintly.

Every motion he made was graceful and relaxed, making it seem like he was glowing every moment. His smile, especially, was pure and flawless. Wayne felt inferior in comparison and instinctively pulled his groping hand from Mona.

Wait, I’m being too moral!

He put his hand back.

“Welcome, Mr. Wayne. I’m Archibald, an envoy of the Papal State sent here on behalf of His Holiness the Pope. I would like to express my sincerity to you.” Archibald came up to Wayne and extended a hand with a smile.

“Wayne.”

Wayne shook the man’s hand. Archibald was so good-looking that he didn’t realize until he sat down that there was a robed clergywoman right across from him. Her uniform was similar to Mona’s and accentuated her curves well, and she was a beauty.

Dammit, I was only looking at the man!

Wayne couldn’t believe it. Could it be that he had been staying in Windsor for so long that his preference became influenced? Even so, Archibald was simply so handsome that even a stunning woman would pale in comparison beside him.

“No offense, Archibald. May I ask at what age you started working in the Papal State?”

“Twelve. I started working for His Holiness when I was fifteen.”

“Got it.” Wayne made a cross before his chest and looked up at the cross in the cathedral. “Father in heaven, I heard another story about the Pope and a little boy. Can I still make it to heaven?”

Mona’s jaw dropped, and the clergywoman across from them gaped, too.

“Hahaha, Mr. Wayne. That’s a nice joke, very hellish.” Archibald laughed brightly and didn’t seem offended at all. Instead, he played along. “I’ve heard many jokes like that, but I assure you that the Pope has a mainstream preference.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Archibald pointed at the clergywoman beside him. “His Holiness decided on the design of this uniform Titus is wearing. He said that it’d be easier to move in and thus increase the odds of victory. He immediately promoted it across the Papal State and suppressed the immoral exploitation of boys.”

“That’s not the only reason, is it?”

“It’s not. He just likes how the uniform looks on clergywomen. The old design was too baggy and drowned all the curves.”

∑(Ő‸Ő(Ծ_Ծ;)

Mona and Titus couldn’t believe it. They did benefit from the uniform, which indeed made moving much easier. If possible, they would like to unhear the truth.

Come on, say you were lying!

Archibald and Wayne chatted for half an hour, their conversation centering around the Pope and the clergywomen. By the end of it, Wayne was convinced. His Holiness? His Horniness was more like it, and he was all for that. Unfortunately...

“Were I an angel, I would serve His Holiness in a heartbeat for his exceptional taste,” Wayne said regretfully. “However, it’s all a misunderstanding. The Sacred Tome of Golden Law made a mistake. I’m only a regular man rather than a reincarnated angel.”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Wayne,” Archibald promised. “Your secret is safe with us.”

“It seems that I have to prove it to you...” Wayne beckoned Mona over and pulled her into his arms, arching an eyebrow at Archibald. “Does an angel like this exist? To my knowledge, an angel doesn’t have a sex, nor any desires. I, on the other hand, have a lot of desires, especially sexual ones.”

Mona lowered her head silently, not daring to make a sound. Titus was in the same situation.

Archibald remained unfazed. “It’s exactly because you didn’t have carnal desires that you want to experiment now. It’s only natural.”

Wayne blinked in surprise. That sounded like a eunuch rather than an angel. He supposed the reasoning made sense, though, and it almost convinced him.

Since that excuse didn’t work, he patted Mona to make her stand aside. “The Papal State must have a method to identify an angel. Do it. I won’t take offense. I just want to prove that I’m a regular human.”

“Mr. Wayne, the Sacred Tome of Golden Law is the best proof, and it recognized you.”

“That was an accident. Do it again.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Archibald opened his sacred tome and took a golden pendant out of it. With his palm facing up, the pendant slowly floated to Wayne.

“What is this?”

As soon as Wayne spoke, the pendant radiated golden light that shrouded both him and Mona. He endured the heat and refused to use the holy light of Golden Law to ease the discomfort, while Mona slowly unfolded her white wings, awash in golden radiance. Her eyes turned the same color, and a stigma appeared on the back of her hand.

When the light faded, Archibald said, “This is the Sacred Lance of Heaven, a gift the Pope asked me to deliver to you. Under the witness of the holy light, your servant has proven your identity. Stigmata do not lie.”

“But I don’t have one.”

“Didn’t you suppress it?”

...He was suppressing something else!

“And if I haven’t guessed wrong, you have a discreet mana, which is exceptionally rare.” Archibald listed the reasons logically. “According to the records of the Papal State, that is another trait of a reincarnated angel. If you are unwilling, not even the sacred lance could make your stigma manifest.”

“So there’s nothing I can do but to accept your misunderstanding?” Wayne tipped his head up and sighed. Why is it so difficult to be human?

“You can deny it. Not even His Holiness can twist your will,” Archibald said softly.

Wayne gave up. He had nothing else to say.

“Don’t worry. The Papal State will not disturb you, but if a demon descends to the human world, we hope that you will answer our call for help.” Archibald smiled again. He had seen the report. Wayne had appeared on the frontline against demons numerous times, not even needing the church to notify him before he took on the threats.

“I’m only here to express His Holiness’s goodwill. He cannot leave the Papal State and, regretfully, cannot meet you in person. We hope you’ll understand.”

Archibald glanced at Mona, handing a jewelry box to her through Titus.

“Clergywoman Mona, the Pope has learned of your name and is grateful that you’ve found Mr. Wayne. This is a personal gift from him...”

Archibald paused, giving her a meaningful look. “His Holiness hopes that you’ll keep working hard and make sure that Mr. Wayne has a pleasant stay in the human world.”