Myths Reawakened

Big fan of potatoes my ass. Are you hearing yourself? I don’t like potatoes. I had no choice!

Wayne swirled the juice in his glass, about to say something when Isabella interrupted.

Nom... crunch...

She suddenly ate much faster, like she was going to fight someone.

Wayne found her an embarrassment. Isabella was wonderful in every way but the way she ate. He would never take her to any other public occasions.

“You’ve changed a lot, Wayne...” Sukra shook her head in resignation at Wayne’s lipstick-covered face. “I’m Sukra, Holy Maiden of Death. This is our second time meeting.”

Holy Maiden of the Church of Death?

Wayne’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise and doubt. It sounded like she knew about his identity as the Death Knight. Moreover, she’d brought up his detective agency...

New version of the story: the Holy Maiden of Death was here first!!!

“We parted ways in a hurry. I couldn’t show myself to you because it would cause you trouble, and there were things I couldn’t tell you, so I stayed away.”

Sukra spoke as if she were old friends with him.

“You said that, but I don’t even know you,” Wayne interrupted. He was certain that the Wayne the Holy Maiden knew wasn’t him, so this would be his first time meeting the woman.

However, her cosmic grey hair reminded him of someone.

“This isn’t a good place for a conversation. Mind if we move this to somewhere private?”

Sukra raised a finger, readying her vitality field for a private conversation with him.

“Before that, let her go first.” Wayne turned to Givenchy.

Sukra readily agreed. She had found Wayne, so there was no point in keeping Givenchy under her control.

With the psychological charm lifted, Givenchy regained her mind like she had woken from a dream. She still remembered what had happened while she was under control. Realizing that she had made a grave mistake, she stood pale and waited for the verdict.

Wayne scanned her memories tonight with his thoughts. She had found no demon during her search around the underground catacombs. Instead, she ran into Sukra and ended up being overpowered as an Astral life.

She had had it hard. In the afternoon, Wayne hit her in the face. At five, Galen beat her up. Then, at ten at night, Sukra was the one to teach her a harsh lesson. In the short span of eight hours, Givenchy had undergone three intense battles.

She didn’t even win once.

Wayne then saw the descent of Andrius the Troll. Sukra had critically injured him with one attack and sealed him up in the Underworld. Between one blink and the next, Andrius had become the latest laughingstock in Hell.

It wasn’t divine art!

The Holy Maiden of Death was so powerful that Wayne did a double-take. He would have to turn into the Pale Knight to defeat her with certainty. Though Sukra was only a legendary mage, she had managed to take out a demigod in mere seconds. Her eyes were someone else...

They seemed to be connected to the Divine Realm of Death!

“You did well,” Wayne turned to Givenchy and said. “Though you failed the mission, I saw your loyalty, as well as your weakness and vanity...”

His harsh criticism made Givenchy get on one knee. Instead of begging for another chance to prove herself, she offered to make up for her crime with her life.

“You passed.”

Wayne didn’t push Givenchy further. She had gone around the catacombs for a long time without finding a demon. The only one, the Troll, had shown himself because of Sukra. If she returned to the catacombs, she would either find nothing or find her death.

He gestured at Givenchy to sit down and eat something. Even a slave didn’t deserve getting beaten up three times a day.

Relieved, Givenchy meekly sat down beside Isabella. Her gaze settled on a plate of delicate pastry. As soon as she raised her hand, she sensed a targeted killing intent.

(◣‸◢)

Isabella ate even more noisily.

“Lady Holy Maiden, we may talk in private, but not at your place.”

Wayne readied his vitality field. Sukra’s eyes were such an unpredictable factor that he felt unsafe chatting at her home. It was better to stay in his turf.

“Legendary mage...” Sukra asked in surprise and confusion, “It’s only been how long? Your talent... What’s going on?”

The fact that he had become an Astral life with incredibly potent corruption already confused Sukra. Learning that he was now also a legendary mage, she became even more puzzled.

She knew that Wayne was talented, but only in Death. He had a high affinity with Shadow Nightmare and was born to become the Death Knight.

In theory, Wayne should be more and more influenced by Shadow Nightmare as he was exposed to it. Just like the other chosen knights, he would skip the regular progress of other mages, jumping straight to demigod and staying there.

That wasn’t what had happened, though. It seemed that Wayne had gradually risen in ranks and become a legendary mage from ground zero—which was absurd. It had only been a couple of years. She had handpicked him to be the successor of the Death Knight. Why did she not know that he was so talented?

Sukra looked at the four women at the dining table. Disregarding the woman wolfing down food and Givenchy, both the bespectacled woman and the lewd woman by Wayne’s side were not to be trifled with.

They smelled of Holy Light, and they were powerful!

Sukra began to have doubts. Just in case, she unfolded her vitality field.

Smiling, Wayne spread his vitality field to connect to Sukra’s. They each stayed on their distinct side. Neither attacked. They chose defense at the same time.

Hesione appeared by Wayne’s side. She was curious why the Holy Maiden of Death had sought Wayne out. With her memories integrated with Mona’s, she knew everything about him aside from his Book of Greed. This time, Wayne didn’t hide anything from her, either. Since she wanted to listen, he offered her the VIP seat.

Of course, Hesione didn’t enjoy the same privilege as Mona. Mona could take the VIP seat without paying any price, while Hesione had to agree to two of his conditions to be allowed to stay.

The Śār had long since resigned to her fate. After her first time, she became increasingly desensitized.

Sukra hadn’t sensed the newcomer. She said bluntly, “Wayne, you shouldn’t be in Palis. Rognes, the previous Death Knight, will sense your presence and take Shadow Nightmare back.”

“Correction, it’s the Headless Knight—no, Headless Footsoldier.”

“???”

Remembering Rognes’s current condition, Sukra said in surprise, “You’ve met him and learned that he’s lost his head?”

“We met once, but I’d heard about him from Julia before that.” Wayne stroked his chin. He never knew the Headless Knight’s real name. Rognes, was it?

The Headless Knight had been around for a long time, longer than any other chosen knights. The old skeleton was so ancient that ‘Death Knight’ had become his name rather than his title. Moula, Leo, and Darienne didn’t know his real name, nor did Julia. According to her, her pitiful master had also forgotten his name, living only by his title.

Rognes hadn’t told Julia his real name. Either he had kept it a secret, or he had actually forgotten.

Who was Julia? She was a happy little mare whom both Wayne and Rognes showered with love. Wayne would bet that if Julia just asked, Rognes would even let her ride him.

There could only be one truth: Rognes had been living with an empty head for so long that he had forgotten his name. Why, then, would the Holy Maiden of Death know...

She must have learned it from the Goddess of Death.

Wonderful!

The Goddess of Death, whom Wayne had imagined as a history teacher with fair skin, elegant beauty, and long black hair who wore black stockings and black heels with red soles, finally made an entrance.

“When did you meet Rognes, Wayne?” Sukra said nervously. “Where?”

“In a ruin left by the God of Storm and Thunder, in Windsor. He’s lost his head and fallen under the demon alliance’s manipulation, forced to work for Hell...”

Wayne talked about what happened that night, giving Hesione a wink. Fate was a funny thing. That was also the night that Mona became convinced of him being a reincarnated angel... and gave herself away.

She was even a buy one get one free package deal.

Hesione didn’t deem that a response except for an eyeroll. If Hestia were here, she would be cursing at her again.

“Rog—the Headless Knight was half mad then,” said Wayne. “One moment, he was loyal to the goddess, and the next, he was a willing slave of Hell. He did something to the Book of Seal. Meeting me, he manifested through his thoughts and gained momentary clarity, enough for him to explain his situation and warn me not to set foot in Palis. Otherwise, only one of us will live to be the chosen knight of Death.”

“If you know that, why did you come to Palis?” Sukra asked.

“Do you think this is a certain defeat for me, Lady Holy Maiden?”

“Yes.” Sukra nodded, but it was an uncertain nod. Wayne had made progress beyond her imagination. Perhaps he could reach a deuce with Rognes.

“Wanna bet?” Wayne raised an eyebrow. “Bet on whether the Headless Knight or I would live.”

Hesione glared. She knew the trick. She was pretty sure that the Holy Maiden would end up doing something the goddess disapproved of.

“No, Death is about serenity and peace. We do not step into a meaningless fight.” Sukra shook her head, speaking in a rueful tone. “Though we’re followers of Death, we do not seek Death. It’s at odds with our faith to bet on lives. I hope you’ll remember that.”

...The Church of Nature looks even worse by comparison.

The other churches had integrity and power, while Nature had nothing. The one competent actor among them, Senna, had become a traitor as well.

“Leave Palis,” Sukra said. “This isn’t the time for you to meet Rognes. You’re talented, but you haven’t had enough time with Shadow Nightmare. You will lose...”

“Once he acquires Shadow Nightmare, there will be no turning back.”

“What do you mean?” Wayne frowned. She seemed to be insinuating something without saying it.

“The demon alliance will become stronger with full control over a complete Death Knight,” Sukra explained. “No one will be able to stop the Gate of Hell from opening then, and there will be no turning the tide.”

Really? I don’t think you’re telling me the real reason.

He stared at Sukra. It was difficult to speak with someone whose eyes were covered, preventing him from seeing into the windows of her soul. He took a deep breath and said genuinely, “Lady Holy Maiden, I’m the next chosen knight, chosen by the goddess. We’re in the same boat here. If there’s any issue, please tell me. I will not betray the goddess.”

“No, you’re not chosen by the goddess,” Sukra corrected him. “I chose you and guided Julia to deliver Shadow Nightmare to you.”

“Um...”

Sukra explained what happened, but like the riddler she was, she didn’t tell the full story. She only told him how she had delivered the divine artifact to him. She had left the energy of Death at Wayne’s Detective Agency so that Julia would find her way there.

No, Julia just found a dog.

Wayne snorted silently, piecing together the clues and figuring out what had gone down before his transmigration.

Sukra had visited the detective agency and, realizing that the other Wayne was a good match with Death, she left a mark, waiting for Julia to clip-clop over in search of her new knight. Later, the Death energy drew followers of the Church of Death to leave their mark, which attracted the trio of magical girls who had been cursed.

William looked in. “Veronica, Kristen, that guy looks suspicious. Let’s start with him.”

Believing Vera’s nonsense, Veronica and Kristen became besties sharing the same blanket with her.

Fate sure worked in mysterious ways!