Myths Reawakened

In the living room, Darienne was killing it at the card table.

Because of her identity and terrible sportsmanship, Corte and Galen, not daring to win, kept feeding her good cards and playing the wrong hands, quickly allowing Darienne to kill all the chips in front of her.

(º﹃º)x3

So why? x3

Darienne didn’t understand how that happened. She was facing two people who were on her side. Was she that terrible a card player?

Corte and Galen were confused, too. As new players, they didn’t know any techniques. Resisting their relentless luck, they were determined to lose but kept winning no matter what.

Afterwards, the loser was displeased, and the winners were frustrated.

“I knew it. You two cheated!” Darienne barked, pointing her fingers at the two Holy Maidens like a blade. She was the Moonlight Knight and didn’t really know Corte, so most of her ire was aimed at the Holy Maiden of Moonlight.

“Galen, you’re the church’s Holy Maiden. Why would you cheat in card games? We must not strive to be like Wayne. Be like me in... instead... Huh? Who are you?”

Darienne’s reprimand was interrupted when she realized, to her shock, that Galen suddenly seemed like a different person. Her face remained the same, but her presence was completely different, and her eyes had become fierce.

Are you perhaps my goddess?

Face flushed, Darienne pulled her hand back before she could poke the goddess in the face, quietly returning to her seat. She felt like she was sitting on fire.

“Your knight is quite an energetic one,” Kaleb said with a smile, now assuming Corte’s body. “Are you interested in giving her to me?”

A goddess should be honest. She appreciated Darienne’s personality.

The sarcastic remark from her bestie left Siluk feeling humiliated. She looked over at the Moonlight Knight, affronted by the humiliation brought upon her.

The two goddesses hadn’t descended by accident. It was an intentional incident.

Ines had left a trigger in Anastasia. As soon as she sensed Kaleb or Siluk’s descent, Ines would be warned. Similarly, the two goddesses had created the same triggers in their Holy Maidens in case Ines secretly raised the price, with them none the wiser. They didn’t want to lose sight of the market price.

Demigods differed in strength, so did the gods. Kaleb and Siluk didn’t know that their scheme was an open book to Ines. Ines used the plan for Her own benefit and adapted accordingly.

Only when Ines needed Kaleb and Siluk to descend to the human world would the triggers in their Holy Maidens alert them. When Ines didn’t want them around...

Well, an incident like that had just occurred. Ines had made a creampuff upstairs earlier, yet the two Holy Maidens didn’t sense anything. It was only because Ines had ‘accidentally’ triggered their senses before departure that the two goddesses descended.

Their gap was too obvious for the game to be playable.

Darienne fidgeted like there were thorns in her back. She stammered and couldn’t say anything before the goddesses.

The more Kaleb looked at her, the more She liked her. She asked Siluk for a gift. She wouldn’t mind taking in a secondhand knight.

Siluk ignored the request. She squinted at the prone form on the sofa warily.

Kaleb looked over and paused in surprise.

When the two goddesses descended to Londan last time, they were in Filomina’s manor. While they knew that the Holy Maiden of Death was active in the human world, they didn’t know that Sukra and Wayne were... this close.

Which Holy Maiden wouldn’t even cover up her thighs? Have you received an oracle as well? x2

Also, why do you seem so dispirited? Feeling dejected because you were forced to carry out the oracle? x2

“Kekeke—”

“...”

Kaleb and Siluk exchanged a glance. The former was thoroughly confused, while the latter frowned in deep thought, strongly suspecting that Aztimor had descended through Sukra.

But they all knew about Aztimor’s condition. She was half dead, with resurrection far from Her reach.

Siluk suspected that Aztimor had other plans. She messaged Corte, “Aztimor and Ines are close, and Ines and Wayne are close. It’s natural for Aztimor to show up here. We’ve fallen for Ines’s lies. She’s hiding something else.”

“But Aztimor is in slumber. She may never wake up...” Corte said. “Besides, if Ines is hiding something from us, why would she reveal Aztimor to us?”

When Siluk didn’t say anything, Kaleb took the initiative to think on the bright side, “Is it possible that their relationship isn’t as good as it seems, and Ines intentionally exposed Aztimor when she got the chance?”

Kaleb made a lucky guess.

Since seeing Aztimor in Wayne’s eyes, Ines had been harboring grievances. The fake friend talked about trusting her, but had actually been frolicking with a man; to make things worse, said man was Ines’s boy toy.

She couldn’t tolerate that. In anger, She purposefully exposed Sukra to foil whatever Aztimor was plotting.

The goddesses had brewed up hundreds of plans between them; there were only four of them, but there were more than six chat groups for private conversations between them.

Siluk tamped down Her shock, deciding to investigate back in Her Divine Realm. She frowned at Darienne and said slowly, “How far have you gone, Darienne?”

Don’t you mean how far in he has gone, Goddess? Apologies, he hasn’t even breached the entrance.

Darienne looked up stiffly and forced a smile. “I’ll do my best, Goddess!”

“In card games?”

“Um...” Darienne stiffened with guilt. “Here’s my plan. As long as I win a game from Wayne, I’ll get to do whatever I want with him. Then, when I make a proposition to him, he will have to say yes even if he doesn’t want to.”

“Does he not want to now?”

“Yeah.”

“...” x2

Siluk shook her head. Hearing the footsteps coming from upstairs, She closed Her eyes and extended Her senses. “Look at your fellow knight and reflect on yourself. Darienne, I’m disappointed in you.”

Confused, Darienne turned to the stairs, her gaze passing the refreshed-looking pretty boy and settling on Vichy’s slightly flushed face. Her heart was racing uncontrollably, making it clear that she had just finished an exercise that got the blood pumping.

How dare you! We agreed to stay pure together. How could you go back on your word?!

Darienne glared at Vichy with such justified rage that she looked like she was upholding justice. Meanwhile, Vichy had turned away with a guilty conscience, confirming Darienne’s suspicion.

“I didn’t expect you, Goddesses,” Wayne said with pleasant surprise. “You don’t have to bring gifts with you. It’s too much. Don’t be a stranger next time, or I’m really going to get mad.”

Darienne looked at him in disbelief. His tone showed no shred of respect. It sounded like he considered himself the goddesses’ equal. Yet the goddesses didn’t find that strange. They believed he had the right to keep that attitude.

That confirmed the oracle again. Galen had not lied.

“Yes, the goddess has spoken personally...” Darienne murmured dejectedly, once again feeling lost.

With a snap of his fingers, Wayne had Vichy move Sukra aside. This was far above Sukra’s pay grade, and hearing too much wouldn’t do her any good.

Moreover, Death was also a potential investor. If he failed to become the master of the Underworld, he would have to try his best to attract Death’s investment. That was another reason Sukra couldn’t be allowed to know too much.

Vichy bowed, moving the sofa and the Holy Maiden to the next room.

“Wayne, the Darkness Knight—”

“Where’s the gift?”

“...” x3

As Darienne watched with incredulous eyes, Wayne shook hands with the two goddesses and received moderate packets of information.

He did as much work as he was paid to do with no questions asked. Before Siluk said anything, he offered voluntarily, “She’s Vichy, the former Darkness Knight. The Goddess of Darkness gave her to me. She shows me such respect because I’m her new boss.”

“How bold,” Kaleb said stiffly. “Aren’t you worried about getting assassinated by the Darkness Knight late at night?”

“You’re right. I’ll keep my distance from now on.” Wayne accepted the advice readily.

Siluk knew he was humoring them. She frowned and said, “Did you show her to us to make us put our knights on the table?”

(눈_눈)

Darienne sneakily threw her goddess a pathetic glare. It was a terrible feeling to go from playing cards to becoming the chips on the table. She even felt her faith waver.

Siluk glared back. Why was she acting pitiful right now? Darienne obviously harbored feelings for Wayne, or she wouldn’t have praised him so much when talking to Siluk.

“Please don’t make the wrong assumption, Goddesses. I don’t feel that way about them.” Wayne glanced at Darienne. “I respect my archery master and enjoy my time playing cards with her. I hope that the Goddess of Moonlight will take back the oracle. Please don’t make things difficult for her and me...”

“It’s the same with the two Holy Maidens. Faith prevents them from resisting their oracles, but I know that deep in their hearts, they don’t want—”

“Wait, allow me to interrupt,” Kaleb said. “I checked Corte’s memories. She quite likes you, just like I do.”

That left Wayne speechless. No wonder he favored the Church of Sun as well. It was a reciprocal bond between fire elements.

“Ahem, the Goddess of Sun is right, but I don’t have to give it to her just because she wants it, right?”

“Corte is under great pressure with the oracle on her shoulders. Why don’t you show her some support?”

“It’s inappropriate...”

The two exchanged pleasantries while pushing back at each other amicably.

Siluk found herself isolated. She sighed. “Wayne, you accepted the Goddess of Darkness’s gifts, but rejected ours. Does that mean there is no business to be done between us?”

“Of course not. I very much look forward to working with you two.”

“That’s not what your actions say,” Siluk said. “Your actions win my respect, but business partners should be attuned to each other’s moods. As you go further toward darkness, light will become more distant. It’s a simple truth, isn’t it?”

“Doing business is difficult...” Wayne sighed and nodded. “I’ll try to overcome my conscience. I hope you’ll give me another chance.”

He brought up Kristen and pointed out that he was involved with a divine descendant of Siluk. Considering also his relationship with a High Reverend of Moonlight, he had long tied himself to Siluk. No extra chips were needed.

If Siluk found that inadequate, She was welcome to turn Kristen into a Holy Maiden, and the problem would be solved.

Siluk paused. Then, closing Her eyes, She detected the descendant in Londan, who had already awakened into a moonlight elf.

“Goddess of Moonlight, what do you say?”

“It’s a good thing, but it isn’t enough!”

Siluk shook her head. She had to defeat Ines.