3:07 PM
'Alpha, you were talking about the deaths of one of the High Seraphs. What's that about? Do you mean High Seraphs can die?'
[…]
'What's wrong? Is something wrong with the Divine Transmission or the Godly Connection or something like that?'
[There are no such things. Also, I'm not talking because I didn't want to tell you about the thing you were asking.]
'Why?'
[Well, apparently, that is classified information. I was reprimanded, and the information about the previous High-Seraph was never for lower-tier seraphs like me should've known. That being the case, I can't tell you anymore, or we'll get into more trouble.] said Alpha, her voice down and depressed.
Lilith shrugged her shoulder, "Is that so? Well, cheer up; a single mistake does not outweigh all of your accomplishments. It's gonna be all right, don't worry." she audibly responded.
"I see; thank you for your wise words, Apostle Lilith."
"Huh? What was that?"
Lilith was surprised to hear an answer from Mirsha's child, Lucia.
Lucia lowered her head and met eyes with the Apostle, "I said, thank you for giving your opinions. And I think Apostle is correct; mistakes cannot replace all the good we have done. As expected of the Apostle of a Goddess... or is it Priestess… well, anyway, you were talking about my Father's circumstances, correct?"
Lilith forgot that she was not alone in the room. But she immediately tried to recover herself, "Hmm? Of course, I was. What else could I be talking about, right? Anyway, do not worry; your Father will be fine, even if he tried to attack one of my followers. But, of course, if someone does something bad, a punishment of the same degree must be given to appease not only those who were hurt but also the conscience of the one who thinks he did something wrong."
"…will Father go to jail?"
"Unlikely, but I will try my best to get him back to your side."
Lilith's head rested on a soft pillow in some luxurious hotel that was spared from the attack of the Tyrant Apes.
The room was given to Lilith as a sign of appreciation. Lilith accepted their offer for two reasons. First would be because it was a sign of goodwill and refusing would result in more complications than accepting.
Secondly, Lilith wanted good plumping. Drinking potions did a number to her belly. So, she had the others retreat to the Village while she stay in the City.
So, Lilith had been staying in the same room as Lucia who recounted what happened at the airport. The tiny human sought Lilith for consoling words. At some point, Lilith dozed off and started talking to Alpha after getting disinterested in Lucia's confessions and just asked about the dead High-Seraph.
She was lucky her answer was vague enough.
"Grapes, Apostle?" Lucia offered.
"Yes, please."
Lilith enjoyed the service given to her while enjoying the conversation with Alpha. Currently, it was already the afternoon. She was resting after all the troubling matters of the day.
Lilith could no longer move a muscle. She had already depleted her mana, and because she no longer had a mana potion in stock, she was now left stationary.
'I need to leave at least a few bottles in the Inventory in the future. I can't risk losing my mobility.'
Her fatigue was at a constant 75%, and with Lucia, she was now only waiting to fall asleep. She no longer had to do any publicity stunts as thousands had already seen her work by now.
Though she had no live counter of the gullible humans who chose to believe in the existence of the Letza, Lilith reckoned it should already be at the 50,000. In the next three days, more and more would come to know of Letza through the media, and by then, she would receive invitations to meet others, 'Though I have no intention of meeting any of them.'
Lilith was well-versed in manipulating information to pretty up someone's reputation.
To her, Approval Rating was like a company share; it goes up and down depending on the demand.
In the past, she orchestrated something similar with a corrupt politician. Of course, he won, and he stabbed her in the back seven years later, so he had to be killed anyway. It was a waste of time, but at least she gained experience.
"Tiny Human Spawn, do not treat the Boss in such a slovenly manner." A pale woman spoke upon entering the room.
"Ah, Dhampy, did you finish the mission I gave you?"
"Yes, Boss, I had him tied and constantly weakened by Killa."
"Good job." Lilith said as she casually raised her hand, "We'll finish the job after I regain my strength."
"Understood." Dhampy acknowledged her words.
Dhampy had mellowed out ever since she met Lilith. However, her brows twitched as she watched Lucia slovenly serve her Boss.
The petty Undead scoffed, "You are still not well adept in caring for the Boss, little girl."
'The fuck is she talking about?' Lilith had no idea, and she didn't care as well, 'Bah, who cares? Can't be anything dangerous.'
Dhampy had Lucia relinquish her position by the Priestess' side. Dhampy got on the bed and put her thighs together, "Boss, I am now going to lift your head."
"Mm." Lilith was too tired to care and just let Dhampy do her thing.
Carefully, Dhampy lifted Lilith's head, placing it on her thigh.
Lilith felt the cold touch of an undead's soft skin. It was pleasant. It was similar to how a cold blanket felt and pillow. The only difference was that this pillow would never become warm.
"Is it too cold, Boss? I can regulate my blood to increase the tempera—"
"No, no, keep it like this. This… this is perfect, keep it like this." Lilith, though she was in her Apostle form, purred like a satisfied feline....
Dhampy picked a grape, "Boss, open your mouth if you would?"
"Okaaay~"
Dhampy fed Lilith freshly picked grapes. To ensure their freshness and that not a single pestering seed was inside that could endanger the tiny mouth of the Boss, she wrapped it around with mana. It was tiring, but it was inconsequential seeing the satisfied expression of her Boss.
"The form, and position of her neck, all of it must be accounted for. How you feed her must also be taken into account. In our Village, there is a test administered by the leader of our Workers, ensuring only the best quality is given to our Boss." Dhampy explained.
Lucia was in awe.
Lilith was surprised.
'Did we really have such people?'
Lilith wasn't even aware that such a thing existed.
She wanted to talk about it, but ten minutes later. Lilith fell asleep.
10:09 PM
Lilith awakened on Dhampy's lap.
"Good evening, Priestess. Did you have a nice rest?"
Lilith nodded in silence as she yawned and wiped her sleepy eyes, "Dhampy, can you... go and sweep the entire building before we leave?"
"Yes, Boss." Dhampy left without missing a beat.
Her mind is in shambles, experiencing the biggest hangover in both lives. Dhampy and Lucia were nowhere to be seen. Everything was silent, but nothing was still.
Her eyes circled.
Fatigue: 14%
[Mana Drunk — Effect of intaking too many Mana Potion at a single time.]
'That is bullshit; I remember drinking more Mana Potions in the past; how come I didn't experience this before? Admit it, you're making this up as we go along, aren't you?'
[Your previous experience doesn't count. You were in a coma for three months to compensate. Just deal with it, will you?]
'Tsk, that sucks. Inventory—'
[Why are you taking out a cup of the Divine Wine?]
'I learned this when I was still human, that to combat a hangover, I need alcohol. This is caused by mana, but… maybe it'll work—*gulp*—oh shit…it works!'
Lilith's mind was cleared, 'Does this shit have status clearing effect?'
[Don't kid yourself. It's a placebo.]
'Doesn't matter; it works for me, that's enough.' Lilith stood up; she grasped her mind and then her body. Her headache was now cleared, and her goals were clear.
The doors opened, and Dhampy entered, "Boss, are you re ready?"
"Yes, lead the way."
The two left for the rooftop of the building without being seen. The cameras installed were already disabled for Lilith's liking allowing Lilith to sneak out of the hotel.
On the rooftop, Lilith transformed into a Cursed Purgatory Dragon. Lilith's brows raised in peculiarity, 'Hmm, something's different.'
"Boss, did you perhaps grow?" Dhampy raised a question.
"Yes… maybe I did" Lilith's eyes glowed after looking at herself and realizing that her point of view was higher than before, 'I can actually grow! I always thought I was cursed to live with a small body, but I can actually mature! Hell yeah!'
It was a pleasant surprise.
"Congratulations, "Boss!"
Dhampy clapped, and Lilith failed to control her grin.
The two left in a good mood. It was especially the case for Lilith, humming and rowing from side to side as she flew in the dark.
Her unbridled joy was a sight to behold.
Lilith happily flew across the city and into the forest for the next fifteen minutes.
Then, when all was clear as she entered the forest, the sound of thunder reverberated in the air as lightning lacerated through the woods. Lilith and Dhampy moved at an extreme pace, not holding anything back, they reached their destination shortly.
Their pace was at a constant breakneck pace, and though Lilith's Tribulation Leopard was built for speed, Dhampy remained by her side at all times.
'She can actually keep up with me?'
Dhampy wasn't faster than Lilith, but because her movements were so minimal and the path she took was less winding, Dhampy managed to follow Lilith, who had to weave through the trees.
This alone made Lilith reconsider Dhampy's worth.
Lilith's speed dwarfs Dhamy through her strides' sheer power and force, but it was not enough to lose the Undead. She can see how Dhampy could outrun a rampaging beast and threaten Chief's position as the strongest.
But what was more important was that she could now see how a human trained in Martial Arts, Tactics, and Strategies since birth could challenge the daemons in combat.
'It should be obvious but—' she laughed at her own ignorance.
An hour later, two of them reached an ordinary-looking crack on the ground covered with vines and foliage. The two slipped into the gap, and after venturing a hundred paces in, they found themselves in a Cavern.
"Did you find this Cavern, Dhampy?"
"Yes, it was a Dungeon a few hours back."
'That explains the smell of blood.'
"The Shadow Troops, Killa, and the others cleared it with ease—but I didn't do much as I watched the Wendigo, so it was all the others' work."
"Watching over the Wendigo and not allowing him to move is a more important mission. As for the others, did we suffer any casualty?"
"There were minor injuries, but it was only a small Dungeon, so we didn't lose anyone."
"That is good to know."
The two talked as they walked deeper into the Cavern. Eventually, they reached the final room where the first Lilith saw was Mirsha holding a grave expression.
"Apostle…" Mirsha stayed her words, but her eyes exuded anxiety, doubt, and even unease.
Lilith smiled and nodded in her direction, saying nothing.
In the middle of the chamber of rocks was a tied-up Wendigo staring back into Lilith with a chilling pair of eyes.
Lilith's form morph back to her Apostle form.
She grinned as she cracked her knuckles.
"So, how do you want to do this? The easy way? Or the hard way?"
The Wendigo looked straight at Lilith's eyes, smirked, and opened his mouth, "I'm willing to cooperate."
"Haha! Let's get this sta—I'm sorry, did you say you would cooperate?"
"I did indeed."
Torture had never been easy
Thank you for reading everyone!