â â â â of the Eteâ â â â Aâ â â
Tesilid's shocking statement quickly de-escalated the conflict. They say respect stems from fear, and the old adage proved to be true this time when the holy knights of Elfenheim decided to leave the Duchy upon seeing my halo and Tesilid's aura blades. They made the right choice, since it was wiser to withdraw and save their strength than be crushed in battle.
But, of course, one of them had to make an example out of himself by turning down our offer to save face. A blond holy knight turned livid in anger and started hollering threats at Tesilid.
"Curse you, traitor! You let that witch tempt you into betraying the faith! May God smite you with thunder and split your head open!"
"Oh? Like this, for example?"
"Ahhh!"
He had to be carried away by the other knights after I struck him with Divine Retribution. The holy knights were sure to report what had taken place in Feronsa to the council of cardinals once they were back in the Vatican. After that, Tesilid and I would be declared heathens to be executed. It wasn't hard to guess what was about to unfold.
But we were a force to be reckoned with. Bianca was gathering allies for Voiceism to match the influence of Order and Goodness, and she was sure to deliver on her efforts. Once the holy knights of Elfenheim left the city, the Heathfenrir castle hosted a fancy banquet to celebrate with everyone until the sun set beyond the horizon.
Once the banquet ended, Tesilid and I headed to the newly-built Church of Saint Agnes to spend some time by ourselves. Raindrops fell from the sky and tapped against the stained-glass windows of the church. The sky had been clear during the day, but some rain clouds sneaked in with the veil of the night and covered the entire sky unseen. The sound of the raindrops filled the sacred building with a nocturne that added to its ambiance. Tesilid and I leaned by the window and spoke softly.
"So then... can you communicate with god?" he asked.
"Yeah."
His aquamarine eyes filled with wonder.
I satisfied his curiosity while digging into my inventory. "We can talk whenever. Lord Voice is affectionate, but also stern when they need to be. They certainly live up to their name by telling me inspiring quotes that shape my perception of the world quite often."
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World is pleased with your perfect description of them.â
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls is grossed out by their self-satisfaction.â
"I see," he answered.
"If you have anything you would like to ask Lord Voice, you can tell me about it."
"Hmm..."
His handsome face turned serious. He was so focused on finding a good question to ask that he didn't even realize I put a glass in his hands. Then, he lifted his gaze to the high ceiling, where a heavenly fresco had been painted. He seemed to think god resided somewhere beyond the ceiling.
"Lord Voice," the pious holy knight muttered in reverence. His ocean-colored eyes sparkled with anticipation. "Was it you who sent Allie back to me on the Litennial Plains?"
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World says it couldn't have been anyone but them.â
"They said yes, it was them," I relayed the message.
"Oh... I apologize for the things I said in the heat of the moment. I shouted some horrible things while slamming on the Gate of the Pantheon..."
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World waves their hand and says everything is fine since it wasn't directed at them.â
"Lord Voice says they don't mind since what you said wasn't meant for them," I relayed quickly. It then occurred to me to ask, "What did you say?"
"Something like, 'Goddamn Order and Goodness.'"
It was hardly an insult, in fact I thought it was an apt description of that god, but Tesilid shifted his gaze out of guilt nonetheless.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls thinks he is adorable.â
Unfortunately, I couldn't take it as lightly as Lord Scale did because Tesilid never hurled any insults at anyone due to the Commandment of the Seven Heavenly Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins. The thought that he had been driven to the point of throwing blasphemous insults at his god weighed heavily on my heart. I silently filled his glass with the Top Ceremonial Wine.
Thirsty, Tesilid brought the glass to his lips, but then flinched at the smell.
"Wait. This is wine," he remarked in concern.
"Don't worry. The doctrines of Voiceism don't prohibit imbibing alcohol."
"I see."
I assumed he might turn down the wine anyway, but I was wrong. He clinked his glass with mine and immediately started sipping from it, making his Adam's apple rise and fall several times.
Huh? He's surprisingly a good drinker!
â¬The Advocate of Confidentiality is intrigued by the side of him which was never portrayed in the original story.â
â¬The Eye Overseeing All Chaos disapproves of this behavior, saying he was only being coy with you all this time to win your heart.â
I took a big gulp out of my glass as well.
Marvelous! I could almost feel the vineyards of Eden blossom on my taste buds and was swept away by the wine's immaculate flavor. It was, quite literally, a drink of the gods. The system wasn't kidding when it boasted about the wine's taste.
â¬The Voice that Shapes the World complains the wine is for ceremonies, not casual drinking.â
We're just having a little taste, that's all. But we went on to empty half the bottle because we cherished the opportunity to drink together. As we were finishing our last glass, I remembered something.
"Oh, Tez. I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"What happened on the Litennial Plains? I have no recollection of anything that occurred while I was a Demon Lord."
For some reason, Tesilid's fingers twitched around the stem of his glass.
"By the time I came to, you were injured, and I had a tranquilizing candy in my mouth," I continued. "You did that, didn't you? How did you manage it?" I pressed innocently. Although my tone sounded naive, I was trying to make him talk so I could scold him not to take such a risk again.
I waited for the holy knight to own up to his mistake in his typical, painfully honest manner. But unfortunately, Tesilid seemed unwilling to play his usual role today. Once his aquamarine eyes no longer seemed startled, he turned the question around on me.
"Would you like to find out?"
"Huh? Tez?"
His long fingers brushed through my hair that draped over my shoulder. My hair shifted under his slow movements, tickling my scalp in a way that I couldn't help but find a bit arousing.
I held my breath.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls watches on in rapt silence.â
Given Lord Scale's reaction, I was convinced that I wasn't the only one who thought something was going on. Tesilid gazed at me from a very close distance. There was something alluring about the way his eyes stared at me from between the strands of his silver hair, and how the wine made his lips glisten ever so seductively.
"Well, if you do wish to find out..."
His face drew closer to mine, but just as our lips were about to connect, I had a sudden epiphany thanks to the irresistible seduction of his gaze.
"Oh! Did you provoke me to come in range and then transfer the candy from your mouth to mine?"
Startled, Tesilid froze. Apparently, I was right.
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls is furious and says you should have let him reenact a play-by-play of the event.â
â¬The Critic for Balance comments about your inability to read the room.â
â¬The Architect of the Skyscraper of Suffering is disappointed by the anti-climatic moment.â
"Yeah... That's what I did," Tesilid admitted as he inched back awkwardly.
Perhaps I was supposed to feel sorry about spoiling the mood, but I was more focused on scolding his thoughtless actions.
"I cannot believe you intentionally provoked a Demon Lord all by yourself! Do you realize how dangerous that was? You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"But I didn't..." he muttered, not sounding at all remorseful.
"Are you serious? Aren't you even gonna offer excuses like how you knew you'd survive or something like that?"
"I-I know what it sounds like, but at the time..."
"You'd better not say that was the only option you had."
"Saintess Agnes, please help me here."
Tesilid seemed to have realized that anything he said was only going to make him look worse, so he called for Agnes like a child in a timeout. I put my index finger on my necklace and laughed at his desperate attempt.
"Unfortunately, Agnes isn't available right now. She's at the Shrine of Saints."
"What's she doing there?"
"I asked her to stay there so I could spend some time alone with you."
Tesilid silently repeated the words "time alone" before snapping his mouth shut.
â¬The Eye Overseeing All Chaos isn't too pleased about the glint in Tesilid Argente's eyes.â
â¬The Scale that Judges Souls smiles in anticipation.â
â¬The Critic for Balance clicks their tongue.â
"Promise me something, Tez."
"Yes?"
"Promise me you won't risk yourself just because you think that's the only option you have at a given moment." I continued before waiting for his answer, adding, "And will you please stop jumping off cliffs? Lord Voice doesn't like drama queens."
"'Drama queens?'"
"Exactly. Anyway, do I have your word?"
"Very well. I swear... that I'll try not to do those things."
I didn't like the way he wiggled out of a promise by saying he would try, but I decided to let him off the hook since he sounded sorry enough. Besides, I had another matter to pursue.
"By the way, Tez."
"Yes?"
"There were lots of people on the Litennial Plains, right?"
"Yeah."
"And there were lots of people at the plaza today too."
"Sure... Why do you ask?"
"Are you one of those... exhibitionists?"
"What? N-no! That's not what it was! You got this all wrong..."
His reaction was quite fun to watch, so I suppressed my smile and stared at him with a serious look on my face. Tesilid fumbled for some time until he could finally string some words together.
"I'm sorry. I didn't have much of a choice on the Litennial Plains, but I agree I might've been a bit too... impulsive today."
"Hmm... Impulsive, huh?"