Myths Reawakened

Enraged, Darienne stepped forward and grabbed Wayne by the collar. Two seconds later, when no one stopped her, and Anastasia looked as if this was the natural thing to happen, she became even more furious.

Who were they looking down on? She was a gracious loser.

The more she thought about it, the more her anger grew. Suddenly remembering something, she turned to the side and said, “Kristen, Wayne and I had a candlelit dinner at Buckingham Palace last night. He recommended many dishes that you like. Then he took me to the theater at the Ministry of Magic, but don’t get the wrong idea. We did nothing but read books all night.”

If nothing happened, why are you explaining?

Filomina was livid. How could the one and only Moonlight Knight steal the man of the District High Reverend? Did she forget how old she was, this shameless knight?

Damn it! How far has the church fallen?

Heart burning with fury, Filomina silently condemned the shameless act of cradle robbery. Kristen, on the other hand, smiled faintly. “I see, so you only read books all night. Thank you for clarifying, Lady Knight. I’ll admit that I’m prone to jealousy. If you hadn’t explained, I would have suspected Wayne. I’m good now.”

You’re good? You may be satisfied, but I’m not! Filomina wasn’t done, but Kristen’s pointed look gave her pause.

Stop glaring. This one’s innocent.

Are you sure? Aren’t they supposed to be a shameless pair?

They haven’t done anything, at least not yet. She’s deliberately stirring up trouble for entertainment. Don’t let her get what she wants.

Understood, Master.

Filomina was humble enough to acknowledge Kristen’s greater experience and wisdom. Kristen had been on the frontline and led the charge several times. She couldn’t go wrong with trusting the words of a veteran.

“Tsk, that’s it?” Darienne looked at the composed Kristen, then at the now pacified Filomina, raising her voice for emphasis. “We had a candlelit dinner, held hands, and went to the theater, and then read books all night—and I do mean all night.”

...Then? Kristen huffed. Where are the details? Do old women like you become more innocent with age?

Darienne saw mockery in Kristen’s indifference, her chest heaving with fury. She grabbed Wayne by the collar and lowered her head...

Then nothing.

Another game of cards!

Bam!

The card table returned to its rightful place—the ceiling.

Darienne lost every game, and her attempts at riling Wayne’s two women up were deftly resolved. She furiously swore to quit drinking and declared sex and drugs her sworn enemies.

Once Darienne lost her interest in cards, Anastasia left at the first opportunity—she had gotten too close to her faith tonight, and while dealing cards, she had nearly lost control of her flooding passion several times. If she stayed any longer, she wouldn’t be able to hold it in.

Wayne watched the Holy Maiden of the Church of Darkness flee with a frown. Judging by her behavior, the dark elf couldn’t possibly betray him, but just to be safe, he needed to ask her in person.

“Filomina, Kristen, Lady Knight will be staying here tonight. It’ll be inconvenient for you to remain. I’ll drive, so come home with me.” Wayne smiled innocently, showing consideration for Darienne.

“No, I’m going to teach faith magic to the two women who have sacrificed much for the church,” Darienne said. “This is a rare opportunity. They can’t leave.”

With her keeping an eye on Wayne’s women, he could forget about venturing into the hills and valleys. She immediately began to pass down the secret magic of the Church of Moonlight to Filomina and Kristen, giving them no chance to reject her.

Playing cards made people lose their minds. Darienne was the perfect example. The Goddess of Moonlight had told her to keep a close eye on Wayne. For that, she had planned to use the stunning master and student to keep Wayne tied up, but she forgot about that entirely.

Wayne shrugged, giving the two women a look. Under Darienne’s triumphant gaze, he made a dejected exit.

What did I tell you? Kristen stared at Filomina. There’s something wrong with the Holy Maiden of Darkness. She gave him a look before leaving.

So what? The saint must be pure, or her goddess won’t leave her unpunished.

The Holy Maiden can resign!

Then what do we do?

Don’t panic. She’s just an old woman and isn’t our match.

Yes, she’s indeed quite old.

***

The black luxury sedan left the High Reverend’s manor, and moments later, stopped at the entrance of an alleyway, avoiding the dim streetlights ahead and behind the car. A black-robed figure crossed the hazy mist and hurried to the car. After hesitating outside the door, she finally opened it and slowly settled into the passenger seat.

The car started shaking.

Two minutes later, Wayne pulled his hand from Anastasia’s shoulder, allowing the dark elf to return to her human form.

The inspection was complete. Anastasia was Wayne’s shape inside out, and the examination had worsened the condition that had improved slightly before. She couldn’t possibly betray him!

Anastasia panted softly, her black hood concealing her flushed face. A strand of red hair fell loose, rising and falling with her chest.

Wayne felt regretful when he saw her condition. This woman was one of the few paragons of virtue that he truly admired and respected. If he continued, her condition would only worsen. Emotionally, he knew he should stop, but rationally, he knew he had to continue.

The Goddess of Moonlight’s way of handling him was highly suspicious. The three chosen knights in one had already made it to the Goddess of Moonlight’s dining table. Since Darienne could contact the Goddess of Moonlight, Moula and Leo could certainly contact the Goddesses of Nature and the Sun.

All three goddesses of the Life Alliance were watching him.

By the same logic, Anastasia could contact the Goddess of Darkness, too. She didn’t just know the partial truth of Wayne being three chosen knights in one, but the whole truth that he was all five at once. If the Goddess of Darkness learned of it...

Wayne couldn’t bring himself to feel killing intent for Anastasia. He respected the Holy Maiden’s incredible character, but he had to admit that she was a source of great stress for him.

He just examined her memories and found nothing about her contacting the Goddess of Darkness. Her arrival in Londan was indeed driven by a genuine desire to get closer to her faith. But something felt wrong!

The Goddess of Darkness had deployed followers to permanently station in the Frozen Land and sent a messenger of Darkness to accelerate the Darkness Knight’s awakening. Among the goddesses, she was most concerned about the seal in the Frozen Land. It didn’t make sense for her not to even pose a question after the immediate crisis was resolved.

Wayne took a deep breath. “Holy Maiden, after the seal was stabilized, did you contact the Goddess of Darkness?”

Anastasia shook her head, taking several deep breaths to barely control her agitated feelings. The surgery had worked, but it was under the premise of avoiding personal encounters with her faith as much as possible. Once she got closer, her desire would grow, and her condition would deteriorate dramatically, making the previous treatment worthless.

“Don’t panic. I’ve made a promise to you, so have faith in me!”

Wayne opened the car door and led Anastasia into a dark alley. Five minutes later, Pale Nest left through the sewers. The second corrective procedure succeeded.

Through the treatment, Wayne once again examined Anastasia inside and out, leaving no part unchecked. The thorough inspection confirmed that she was on his side and genuinely viewed him as her faith. There really was no chance of her betraying him.

“Am I overthinking?” Wayne frowned deeply, turning to see Anastasia shrinking into the passenger seat like a quail. “Holy Maiden, are you still able to contact the Goddess of Darkness?”

“I can contact Her, but... not as easily as before,” Anastasia said in starts and stops. The Holy Maiden was the goddess’s vessel on Earth, able to receive divine oracles and carry the goddess’s thoughts. While the communication was two-way, though, the choice to initiate it was in the goddess’s hands.

To use a crude analogy, the Holy Maiden was like an employee on call twenty-four seven, ready to get a call from her boss at any time. Conversely, when the employee called her boss, the boss could be busy and unable to pick up.

It hadn’t been easy for Anastasia to contact the Goddess of Darkness to begin with. Not only did it require extensive preparation, but there was a chance of it failing. Now, the failure rate was even higher. Although she had never tried it, she knew that the success rate would continue to drop until she could not contact her goddess at all.

“So the goddess can still contact you now, correct?”

“Yes.”

Wayne felt a brewing headache. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Is there any possibility that you’ve gotten exhausted after serving the church for decades, so you’re planning to resign and live an ordinary life from now on?”

Anastasia smiled wryly. If she resigned now, she would be beyond help. She still wanted to struggle for a little longer.

Of course, if her faith commanded her to resign, she would do it without complaint.

Hearing her thoughts, Wayne felt helpless. He didn’t want to order her and turn her into someone like Senna gradually, but leaving her as she was posed too great a risk. In case the Goddess of Darkness suddenly...

Wait!

Wayne sucked in a deep breath. “Holy Maiden, is it possible that you’ve already contacted the Goddess of Darkness?”

Anastasia shook her head, certain that she hadn’t. She had stayed cooped up in the Frozen Land for so long, and her unsatiated desires drove her to Londan.

“She’s a god after all. If She didn’t want you to know, you wouldn’t know.” Wayne smiled bitterly. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have returned your body to you. Then I wouldn’t have attracted the attention of the Goddess of Darkness.”

Anastasia paled and grabbed his hand urgently. “My faith, please believe me that I’ve never even thought about betraying you.”

Wayne’s order prevented her from calling him master. Normally, she avoided using Wayne’s name, and when it couldn’t be avoided, she would choose another respectful form of address.

“I believe you. It’s just that the goddess... Not even I know what She’s thinking.”

Wayne pondered, extracting his hand. Sensing her guilt and self-loathing, he urged her not to beat herself up too much. He said so many kind words to her that she soon lost herself once more.

He had no choice but to summon Pale Nest back to conduct another surgery. Her emotional swings had accelerated her evolution, which had to be mitigated.

After the operation, Wayne made up his mind.

Rather than suspecting everything and losing sleep over his doubts, it was better to take the initiative and test whether the Goddess of Darkness had descended before. He admitted that it would be a bit of a gamble!

“Holy Maiden, contact the Goddess of Darkness tonight.”

“I want to hear her voice!”