Myths Reawakened

Fuming, Auriel turned around and walked away. Olga and Fred bowed to Wayne before they left. It was basic decorum they had to show to a Śār.

After leaving the library, Auriel felt his ire grow the more he thought about the earlier conversation. Hesione had made a great mistake, yet he was the one who had to keep up the lie. How did that make sense?

Still, he was pleased with what he had found out. It might seem like he had suffered losses, but he had earned two benefits: first, he gained control over five reincarnated angels, except for Hesione and Frey. He thus had an absolute advantage in both number and power. Even if Hesione found the Anointed One before he did, he would be able to steal him away. Secondly, he now had leverage against Hesione.

Hesione had lost her purity, making her a sinner in Heaven. When she should be exposed, how, and by whom would have to be considered carefully. Since Hesione had a legion under her command, Auriel didn’t want to be the one to antagonize her. He would tell Mikhael and let the Viceroy prosecute her by the book.

Before that, to ensure that the leverage remained valuable rather than losing its value because Hesione had already become a public laughingstock, he would willingly call Wayne Hesione.

Every day he kept the secret to himself was a day he had leverage over Hesione. She would have to do his bidding, at least in the human world.

He just had to endure the annoyance. It was a great bargain!

“Śār, what just happened?” Fred was still lost.

He had thought he understood everything, but Hesione wasn’t acting like Hesione, and Auriel wasn’t acting like Auriel. The two Śārim had been arguing like riddlers with an undercurrent of tension, leaving Fred thoroughly confused.

Olga turned to Auriel curiously. She had to admit that she hadn’t figured things out, either.

“Nothing happened. Wayne is Hesione. You haven’t misjudged. I was the one who had seen wrong.” Auriel’s lips curled into a smirk. “Good news, there’s another reason Hesione’s personality has changed suddenly. I’ve also learned the reason she was unwilling to return to the Papal State. She hasn’t found the Anointed One, and she never will.”

“Śār, it’s he, not she.”

“...”

Fine, it’s he!

***

“Śār, what just happened?” Hestia was confused.

She had thought that she knew what was going on, but Auriel’s false identification of the wench as Hesione swayed her. He had sounded so certain and serious that it seemed like he was telling the truth.

“What? Did you buy that?” Wayne asked, amused.

“Śār, you misunderstood. I’m not doubting you. It’s just...” Hestia glanced at the secretary, mumbling, “She played you convincingly. Her dignified look doesn’t seem like an act.”

“Mona, Hestia isn’t convinced. Tell her.” Wayne patted her on the backside before closing his fingers around the curve.

Hesione’s eyes twitched. Applying lipstick to herself, she then painted Wayne’s lips thoroughly red.

She had gotten good at it.

You really have fallen. You’ll even humiliate the Anointed One for your reputation. Wayne swallowed his laughter, finding joy in molding her. He pouted and pointed at the lipstick smeared on him. “Any question, Hestia?”

“Yes. May I kill her?” Hestia asked with a stiff expression. She couldn’t tolerate the sight.

“You’re an angel. You shouldn’t threaten murder whenever this happens. I told you that Secretary Mona is important to me. You should respect her as you do me.” Wayne smiled. “She plays Hesione convincingly because of my arrangement. It works quite well. She almost fooled Auriel.”

“What do you mean, Śār?”

“If she couldn’t even fool her own people, how would she fool the cunning demons?” Wayne asked instead of responding directly. Noting the confusion on Hestia’s face, he said with amusement, “Why don’t we have a bet? Even if the demon lords show up, they’ll still believe she’s Hesione.”

“Oh...” Hestia came to a realization. “I get it now. To complete your mission, you’ve put her front and center so that you could avoid the risk. You even sacrificed your purity to give her the Golden Law and the stigma, making her seem like an angel so that she could impersonate you.”

“See? You figured it out!” Wayne nodded approvingly. “I take it back, Hestia. You’re smart. Keep up the good work and don’t get arrogant.”

“Yes, sir!”

Only a fool would buy that! Hesione cursed in her head. If she hadn’t been keeping watch, someone like Hestia would be frolicking with the Anointed One nine times a night.

The thought made Hesione’s heart sink. She hoped that Auriel hadn’t noticed the signs. Then her heart sank further when she looked at the lipstick smeared on Wayne’s lips. She had resolved to guard the Anointed One’s virtues, but she ended up being the one to taint him every time. If things went on, she would be returning to Heaven with the Anointed One and his child.

She couldn’t take that.

Slap!

“What are you waiting for?” Wayne said. “Go back to brief me!”

“I suggest you preserve your energy, Boss,” Hesione said, suggesting that he play his part well. “The Śār has appeared. Given your relationship, you shouldn’t give him more leverage against you.”

A good actor should conduct themselves like one. That was what Wayne had taught Mona.

“Why should I? He knows I’m an imposter,” Wayne said telepathically, curious. “The problem is you. He’s recognized you and seen that you’ve lost your purity, which can’t be kept secret for long. Sooner or later, all of Heaven will learn of the truth. What are you going to do then? Lead your legion in a rebellion and go to Hell?”

“Impossible!” Hesione denied vehemently. Things were different now. She had come up with an excuse. As long as she brought up the Anointed One, no one would dare to accuse her of losing purity. That would be akin to calling the Anointed One the source of the taint, which would be considered slander against the Heavenly Father.

Who would dare to make the accusation? Who had the right? No one. Even Mikhael would have to keep his head low.

She would be fine!

“Hesione, you don’t seem nervous. Tell me, what excuse have you come up with?”

“Nothing,” Hesione insisted. “All I want to do now is to eliminate the demons and complete the mission. Everything else can wait.”

Auriel’s right. You can lie without batting an eye now. You have fallen.

Looking at his masterpiece, Wayne couldn’t be prouder. He grabbed Hesione by the arm. “Everything else can wait? So we should seize the moment, shouldn’t we? Come then. Brief me inside.”

Hesione’s composure crumbled. She planted her feet on the ground, leaving two dragging trails.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to...” Wayne let go in disappointment and said he didn’t like forcing people. He turned to the seething Hestia instead. “Hey, Lust. I’m talking to you. There’s no one else around.”

“Didn’t you want to get better? Brief me inside. I told you to capture one of them alive, but you killed all the succubi. Your defiance of my order delayed my counterattack against Hell. Śār Hesione is going to punish you for that.”

I’m not Lust incarnate! Hestia followed Wayne with a blush, hesitant. Still, she would do it if it was with the Śār.

“Boss, I have an important matter to report to you!” Hesione blocked Hestia with a dark look. The sheer force of her glare terrified Hestia, reminding her of the time Hesione scolded her.

Damn wench, you’re too good at acting!

Quickly recovering, Hestia stepped forward with the resolve to never step back again. She would guard the Śār’s purity!

Hesione’s eyes glinted with fierce light. Lust incarnate was too lewd to be allowed anywhere near the Anointed One.

They glared at each other, showing none of the harmonious relationship that had existed between them back in Heaven. Wayne’s lips quirked up. He would love to see them break into a fight.

“Ahem, this is unbecoming of you. You don’t know how to share. You’re compromising Heaven’s reputation.” Wayne physically separated them. “How about this? Hesione—bah, that angel got me mixed up. Mona’s here first, so she’ll be first tonight. Hestia will wait outside...”

He smiled at Hesione suggestively. “Hestia, you’ll come in after my secretary is done with her briefing.”

(는_는)

Hesione stared at him. Was he really the Anointed One? Wasn’t there a mistake? Could it be that not only did Heaven have an Anointed One, but Hell had one, too? Had she luckily caught Hell’s Anointed One?

“Cum. Follow me in and brief me.”

“...”

Hesione followed Wayne with her head lowered. She realized that whether she openly brought up his identity or kept hiding it, the Anointed One would never become pure again. His impurity had become ingrained in him, so there was no way to change it.

In that case, it was better for her, a Seraph, to keep him company than to let a mere Throne do it. He deserved better, and he would be less corrupted by the process.

Hestia trailed after them while grinding her teeth together, hurling ‘shameless’ and ‘depraved’ at Hesione every now and then, rubbing salt in Hesione’s wounds—she had also rubbed cumin and chilli powder.

That night, Hesione was particularly careful with Wayne like she was dealing with a treasure, worried that he would melt in her mouth or fall from her grip, but also worried that he would chafe if she went too hard.

She wasn’t going to share, of course. She was treating him like glass, so she wasn’t going to let Hestia mess around. Hestia ended up waiting outside the whole night.

She hadn’t even entered the dining room, much less gotten a taste.

***

The next day, Wayne sat at his office desk with renewed spirit. His secretary sat in his lap, her expression full of regret and guilt.

Hesione faced the others’ derisive gazes, unable to defend herself.

Corte and Hestia were the main sources of derision. Wayne’s secretary had been having the cake and eating it, keeping the others away while she feasted. They had never met someone with such double standards. Sukra and Galen were also scoffing at her.

Looking at the room full of idiots, Hesione couldn’t stop her eyes from twitching. She had a feeling that last night wasn’t an isolated incident, that the same thing would continue to happen.

“I’ll make it brief...” Wayne was too shameless to be bothered by the derisive looks, and he wasn’t worried about any of them jumping out of the one-way train to depravity halfway. The doors had been welded shut. It was too late for anyone to get out now.

“Early this morning, I met the reincarnated angels. The conversation went quite well. Our plan remains unchanged. They’ll scout out the places for us first, and we’ll follow to pick off the enemies.”

“Sir Knight, what if the reincarnated angels have the same plan?” Galen asked with a frown. “If neither of us makes a move, wouldn’t the demons benefit?”

The conversation with the reincarnated angels hadn’t gone well. Those three angels didn’t look like fools, so they must have guessed Wayne’s plan. It wouldn’t be easy to make them willingly serve as cannon fodder.

“Good question!” Wayne nodded. “That’s why I decided to expose the reincarnated angels’ location to the demons so that the demons will seek them out. Then they’ll start fighting, won’t they?”

You are the demon! xN

Wayne believed it was a viable plan. Auriel was a Śār, and he hadn’t gone through the failure of integrating his memories like Hesione had. Even if he hadn’t recovered his full power in Heaven, he would still be the most powerful one among the reincarnated angels. Of course Wayne was going to set him up.

If he set up anyone else, they might die!

Wayne didn’t feel any guilt for doing that to Auriel. As a wise man once said, with great power came great responsibility. Auriel was powerful, so he should be the main damage dealer.

Once Wayne convinced himself, he reached out to Juno with his thoughts to compel her to call him. She told him the location of the church where the reincarnated angels were.

Next, he just had to notify the demons!