Chapter 25 sorry for the intrusion
Chapter 25 sorry for the intrusion
Saint Solenne knelt. The heavy scent of burning incense hung thick in the air, casting long, dancing shadows across the polished marble floor. Her hands were pressed tightly together, her knuckles white, as she poured her entire soul into her silent plea.
"Oh, great goddess, please..." she whispered, her voice trembling with a mixture of exhaustion and profound reverence. "Please, answer my prayer. I have done everything you asked of me. I have walked the path of righteousness, guided your flock, and endured the heavy burdens placed upon my shoulders. I beg of you, give me a sign."
Hour after hour bled together in the dim, flickering candlelight. Her knees ached, and her breath grew shallow, but she refused to break her posture. Then, just as the weight of despair began to settle in her chest, the shadows in the room suddenly receded.
A brilliant, ethereal glimpse of divine light manifested right before her eyes. It was a radiant, golden hue that warmed the very air around her, pulsing with a gentle, celestial energy.
Tears of absolute relief welled in Solenne’s eyes. "Yes... yes! Oh, my glorious goddess, you have not abandoned me!"
She reached her hands out toward the light, ready to receive the sacred guidance she had so desperately sought. But just as the divine presence began to take shape, a harsh, violent sound shattered the holy silence.
Knock!Knock! Knock!
And the divine light that wanted to guide her suddenly vanished.
"No, no, no, no... Oh, Goddess, no!"
Then the knocking became even louder. KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Saint Solenne clenched her fist. "What are the guards doing? When I need some peace, ugh!"
Hurrying in her angry mood, Saint Solenne reached the door and grabbed the handle. "Who is knocking at this hour?! Don’t you see I need some peace?!"
She threw the door open and saw Vhal’zhar standing in front of her. Her furious expression instantly vanished, and she put her warm, smiling mask back on. "Ah, Mister Vhal’zhar, can I help you at this... middle of the night? It is quite usual for people to knock on someone's door and leave the guards unconscious. Yeah, very usual."
She clearly used polite sarcasm to make Vhal’zhar realize what he had done, but Vhal’zhar didn’t pick up on it and ignored her. He had something important on his mind, and his face was colder than usual.
"Saint Solenne, did you know about this?" he asked her in a freezing tone.
Saint Solenne realized Vhal’zhar was also in a bad mood based on his voice. She asked him back, "Know what? I’ve actually been in my room the whole time." She tried to make it perfectly clear that she hadn't intervened in whatever Vhal’zhar meant.
Vhal’zhar growled a little, his aura leaking out so intensely that it made Saint Solenne instantly alert and break into a sweat. Vhal’zhar leaned in toward her until the Saint turned almost pale. "Master... Master's room is completely unlivable. And if you are involved in any of this, I swear that you will soon meet your god-"
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed from behind Vhal’zhar. "What happened here, and why is the guard not at his post?"
Vhal’zhar's terrifying expression instantly melted away. He quickly turned around, and seeing Rael, he lunged to hug him. "Master!!!"
But Rael quickly avoided the hug. "So this is your doing, Vhal’zhar?"
Vhal’zhar looked at him and tried to hug him again, but Rael dodged once more. "Master, I missed you!"
Rael then looked at the Saint. "Is this really Vhal’zhar's doing, Saint?"
The Saint nodded slowly. Rael clenched his fist and chopped Vhal'zhar on the head. "You!!! What did you do to this innocent guard who was just standing here doing his duty, you moron?!"
Vhal’zhar rubbed his head and looked at him with puppy eyes. "But Master, I was worried about you."
Rael grabbed Vhal’zhar and made an apologetic gesture to Saint Solenne. "I’m so sorry, Saint. This man has no manners."
Vhal’zhar growled softly. "Master, why do we have to apologize to this weakl-"
Rael kicked his leg. "You really don’t have manners, do you?!"
Vhal’zhar clutched his leg in pain. "I’m sorry, Master! I’m sorry!"
Saint Solenne watched the scene unfold right before her eyes, completely shocked by both of them. Vhal’zhar, who possessed overwhelming, terrifying power, now looked like a child being lectured by his parent. The sweat, goosebumps, and fear of death she had felt moments earlier were entirely swept away by their closeness.
Then, Saint Solenne burst out laughing. "Hahaha!"
Rael and Vhal’zhar looked at the Saint in confusion. "Umm, Saint, are you okay?" Rael asked her.
For the Saint, laughing like that was incredibly rare. She was expected to be perfect in every aspect, and even her smallest gestures had to be flawless. But right now, she forgot all of that. "Ah, yes, I’m okay. Haaah... Somehow, I’m jealous of you both. Your bond is really strong."
Vhal’zhar smiled. "Of course! Master and I are like family."
Hearing the word "family" struck a chord in Rael, and he smiled happily. "Yeah, of course. He's like a child to me, and I’m like a parent who finds it difficult to raise him."
Remembering his old memories, Vhal’zhar used to be nothing more than the weakest monster he had ever caught in the game he played. Now, seeing him as the strongest... Rael never expected to end up inside the game, and seeing it all up close felt surreal.
Then, Vhal’zhar said with a worried face, "Master, that room is really not suitable for you. It looks like a cramped shed! It's highly disrespectful to you, Master. Whoever put you in that room... I will fry the person who dared to do it!"
Rael laughed, but the Saint panicked upon hearing that. She guessed that the mayor was the one who had put Rael there.
Rael then said, "It’s okay, Vhal’zhar, you don’t have to worry about that. Besides, we are in disguise, so I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention. I hope you behave, Vhal’zhar... You aren’t going to fry a living person, right?"
Vhal’zhar grew nervous because Rael had guessed his exact intention to fry the person who put his master in that state. "No, no, Master, of course not! Right, Saint?"
The Saint, who could clearly see that Vhal'zhar was furious and wanted to destroy the city, found it quite alarming, but she was excellent at reading the situation. "Of course not, Mister Rael. He doesn't want to fry a living person... yet."
Rael looked at Vhal’zhar suspiciously. "Yet, huh?"
Vhal’zhar panicked, expecting another smack. "No, Master, I swear to you! Please!"
Rael sighed. "Okay, I believe you." Rael smiled. "You got angry on my behalf, and I’m happy for that, Vhal’zhar. Oh, my best summon."
Vhal’zhar smiled happily. "Of course, Master, I am!"
Rael just smiled. "Okay, now where do I stay? Clearly, I don’t want to stay in that cramped shed. Hmmm, maybe I’ll go for a walk to get some fresh air, or I’ll order another room."
Vhal’zhar got excited. "Master, how about you stay in my room?"
Rael looked at Vhal’zhar. "But aren’t you sharing that room with Vespara?"
Vhal’zhar looked troubled; he really wanted his master in his room. "It's fine! If it gets too cramped with her in there, we can just kick her out."
The Saint smiled and chimed into the conversation. "Yeah, that’s a good idea. Just kick her out, Mister Rael."
Rael sighed in his mind. The Saint's intentions are clear. She really hates demons, huh? "Hahaha, well, I don’t know, maybe."
Vhal’zhar smiled widely. "Great! Then you can come to my room, hehe."
Rael looked at him like an indulgent parent. "Okay, okay." Rael turned back to Solenne. "Ah, I’m sorry again, Solenne."
The Saint just smiled. "It’s okay. Nobody got hurt, I guess."
With that, they left. Solenne then cast a spell to heal the minds of the unconscious guards. I wonder why the Goddess suddenly severed the connection right after Vhal’zhar knocked... Maybe it was just me losing focus.
Soon, Vhal’zhar and Rael stood in front of Vhal’zhar's room. Rael looked at the room, which was just as fancy as Solenne's. "Wow, it's really luxurious."
Vhal’zhar told Rael, "Yeah, the mayor himself recommended it to us." Vhal’zhar was still a little angry. "I thought Master would also have a room like this, so I didn’t think you’d be placed in such an unsuitable room. If I had known earlier, I would have made him regret it."
Rael replied, "It’s okay. It’s kind of funny, though."
Vhal’zhar was confused. "Funny?"
Rael smiled. "Yeah, it’s hard to explain."
Vhal’zhar smiled. "Well, if you say so, then okay."
Vhal’zhar grabbed the handle and opened the door, only to see Vespara stomping on the mayor in what looked like a master-and-slave roleplay.
Vhal’zhar's face instantly turned stone-cold. "What the hell is this?", rael seeing that understand what kind of roleplay is this.