Myths Reawakened

Walking out of the study, Wayne went through his calendar and, instead of heading to the young lady’s mansion, he went straight to the library.

He had always been fair. He wasn’t going to leave the old car collecting dust in the warehouse after getting a new car.

Once he saw Ottilia, he asked after her, saying that he had just returned, that he had brought gifts, and that he had come to her before informing anyone else, using all the classic lines of a scumbag. It didn’t matter how much of that was lies as long as his tone was earnest.

Wayne had earnestly lied to Ottilia, and she willingly accepted the lies. The couple snuggled and flaunted their intimacy right in Regina’s face.

Regina couldn’t avoid the sight. Wayne took Ottilia shopping and needed a porter for their belongings. Regina took on the role on short notice, forced to witness their PDA as they visited the popular dating spots: a mall, a cinema, and finally a restaurant where they had a candlelit dinner.

She was truly fed up.

At ten, when Kristen would be retiring to bed, a black car returned to the Lando Estate, and a figure sneaked into the young lady’s mansion with the night as his cover.

“Look what you’ve done, Kristen. You have me, but you started your own harem behind my back!”

“You-you stole my harem from me!”

The farce came to a happy end on the bed.

***

June twentieth, six o’clock in the evening.

Banquet hall, Buckingham Palace.

It was the same banquet hall. The mysterious person seemed to share the Lord of Pride’s preferences and specified that they would be there, requesting all of the Tulip Families to be in attendance. If any one of them was absent, they wouldn’t show up.

Auriel had no choice but to allow the vermin to attend.

The representatives of the Tulip Families would like to complain: Allow? You forced us to come. We don’t want to take the risk to be here.

Just like last time, there was only one long table in the banquet hall, but more chairs were added in addition to Auriel’s. Six were for the other reincarnated angels for spiritual support, one was for the mysterious person, and one was for the Lord of Deceit, who was hiding among the vermin.

What about the Queen? She was welcome to stand. She was in no place to sit down like the angels and demons.

Wayne showed up with three reincarnated angels, once again accompanied by Filomina. The High Reverend was stunning and elegant, so she would never embarrass him no matter the occasion.

In comparison, Senna, who was just as stunning, was too aggressive, while Anastasia was too gentle. Neither made for a better plus one.

Under the vermin’s understanding gaze, Wayne sat on the side for the reincarnated angels, once again reaffirming the status of Śār Hesione. He was flanked by Hestia and Olga, with Mona standing behind him and Filomina sitting on him. The most beautiful ladies present were all around him.

(ಠ൧ಠ)

Forest couldn’t believe it. From a close distance, the man seemed less and less likely to be the Anointed One. He would make more sense as a male version of Lust.

Filomina was satisfied with her seat. Snuggling in her lover’s embrace, she chuckled softly and whispered to him, blatantly disregarding the outside attention. Wayne, with his thick skin, cared about the gazes even less. He took Filomina’s hand and murmured sweetly to her.

“Mina, as soon as I returned to Londan, I sought you—I mean, you’re the best plus one.”

Filomina rolled her eyes. With so many people watching, she would let him off the hook for his sake, but tonight, he would get the punishment he deserved!

Serves you right for lying without putting any thought into it. Don’t do that again.

Since the one threatening him was the High Reverend who could never chew as much as she had bitten off, Wayne would most certainly do it again.

Meanwhile, Auriel tried his best to ignore Wayne, but his gaze betrayed his true feelings. There was no hiding the urge to whack someone. He hated Wayne not only because Wayne had tainted Purity with his silver tongue, but also because of two other reasons: If you’re going to impersonate Purity, be pure! Even though your reputation has long hit rock bottom, at least try your best to make it seem like you’ve changed for the better. Yet you’re never seen without a woman. You’ve undermined Heaven’s glory fully!

Last but not least was the most important reason that made Auriel hate Wayne: Hesione kept insisting that Wayne was the Anointed One.

Are you mad? This trash could barely impersonate a Śār, and now you call him the Anointed One?

Among the Seven Sacred Virtues, humility, purity, tolerance, generosity, diligence, temperance, and gentleness, which is even remotely related to him? What? Generosity and diligence? Fine, that’s true. He is generous and diligent when it comes to women.

The fact that Auriel represented generosity grated on him even more. Because his virtue did apply to Wayne, said virtue suddenly seemed corrupted.

To summarize, if Wayne was the Anointed One, he, Śār Auriel, would go to Hell without complaint, even if he would be tasked with guarding the Gate of Hell while watching the Seven Deadly Sins bare their teeth at each other all day!

He took a deep breath and tried not to think about Wayne. There was a more important matter on the agenda. Besides, Wayne was at least a combatant, and he might be of use when the time came.

Who is it? Who is the Lord of Deceit impersonating?

Auriel scanned the group of vermin with golden light overflowing from his eyes and surging holy intent, trying to parse the details for clues, but he had no luck. They were all useless humans.

The idiot standing at the front, especially, shook his head confusedly one moment and broke into a foolish smile with pronounced front teeth the next moment, like a typical buffoon with a disability.

Wait, are you the Lord of Deceit?

Auriel looked closer. Last night, he had lowered his pride as an angel and went through the dossiers on the Tulip Families. He remembered the face from the Juffet family, someone named Bart or Dick... He didn’t remember, but it wasn’t a nice name.

Auriel’s golden gaze revealed the man to be a hundred percent human. He was a Silver-ranked mage, as much of a wimp as Auston was.

It couldn’t be him! He couldn’t be the Lord of Deceit.

After his landslide defeat against the Lord of Deceit, Auriel had come to see the demon lord as a unique one. He believed that while Mikhael’s archenemy in Hell was Pride, his was Deceit. In all of Heaven, he alone could be Deceit’s rival.

He refused to believe that Deceit would disguise himself as a buffoon. It would be unbecoming!

So who could it be?

Auriel looked around and found nothing. It was as if the Lord of Deceit weren’t among the vermin. Anxiety rose in his chest, mutating into killing intent.

He would rather kill the wrong person than let the right one go!

If he cleared this room with sacred flames, wouldn’t the Lord of Deceit be forced to show himself?

“Remember the glory of Heaven, the glory of Heaven. I represent justice. I represent the Seven Sacred Virtues...” Auriel murmured, warning himself not to act on impulse.

It was half past six. The mysterious person arrived on time. From the front door of the banquet hall, a figure in black robe passed through black mist and slowly emerged.

The vermin held their breath, fighting to put their colleagues in front of them. Forest was the first to make a run for it, but the crowd pushed him to the front before he realized it.

Damn vermin, you’re something else. Even the head of the Seven Deadly Sins cannot compare!

Forest staggered back and stepped on a foot. Then a heavy push landed on him. He whirled around furiously and realized that it was Queen Sophelia. He could only swallow his curses.

As soon as the mysterious person entered, Auriel opened his eyes wide, and Gerar and Vilkul followed suit.

Mona cocked her head. After a negotiation with Hesione, she yielded the body to Hesione.

Hesione observed the mysterious person curiously. Hestia and Olga also looked over in confusion. They knew who the Lord of Deceit was, and they believed none of them would leak the information. Who could the snitch be?

Wayne also wanted to know. He patted Filomina’s bottom to tell her to behave. Then he shifted his focus to the newcomer.

Who could’ve gotten the first-hand intelligence?

Soon, Wayne’s brows furrowed.

The mysterious person sat at the long table, standing his ground even when facing the seven reincarnated angels. He extended his hand from the broad sleeve of his robe and held a Book of Hell to his chest.

Wayne’s furrowed brows jumped up. The book looked familiar, almost identical to the one that belonged to the previous mysterious agent in Londan, Frank, but this book contained greater sin.

The evidence pointed to Frank being a servant of the Lord of Pride, and Pride had assumed the identity of Bedfrith in the human world, who was a legendary mage of the Ministry of Magic and a notorious vermin of the Tulip Families.

“Is it really Pride...?”

Wayne tightened his arms around Filomina. Pride knew who he was, but Pride had no reason to expose him. As they were fellow Deadly Sins, they were in the same—oh, right. Demons regularly sold each other out because if they didn’t, someone else would.

This made perfect sense!

Wayne couldn’t believe it. He had thought that Pride was an exception, that he was fundamentally different from other great demon lords like Envy. But that wasn’t the case. Pride still followed the hellish culture of throwing his allies under the bus.

“How deceptive,” Auriel said harshly. “Take off your mask!”

“Śār Auriel, there is no bad blood between us,” the mysterious person said. “In fact, I’m here to expose the Lord of Deceit on behalf of my faith, so my interest is aligned with that of you reincarnated angels, at least for tonight.”

“You carry a Book of Hell and follow demons. You have no right to claim a connection with us.” Auriel’s voice hardened further. “Take off your mask and tell me who your master is. Why are you exposing the Lord of Deceit, a fellow demon?”

“My master is the Lord of Envy, one of the great Seven Deadly Sins.” The mysterious man slowly pulled his hood back to reveal his face. “The reason I’m exposing the Lord of Deceit is simple: my master has an antagonistic relationship with Deceit. He is more than willing to offer the information for free if it means taking out Deceit through your hands.”

Wayne rolled his eyes. Envy? Should an honest demon be subject to endless abuse? Pick someone else! The Lord of Clowns had had it hard.

“Huh, Great Sage?!”

In Wayne’s arms, Filomina spoke up in surprise, naming the mysterious man.

He was Garville, the Great Sage of the Church of Moonlight.

“???”

Wayne turned around. Indeed, he had seen that face in the inner world.

There, Garville’s face had been distorted by negative information, while this Garville looked like he had put on Gothic makeup due to the corruption of Hell’s energy. Only someone acquainted with him would recognize him.

“High Reverend Filomina, your current position has brought the Church of Moonlight shame,” Garville said with a gentle smile.

His gaze moved past Filomina and landed on Wayne’s face.

The Lord of Deceit, hidden in the human world!