บท 520: Chapter 471
Nuwa POV
It had been a long time since I was last in the Heavenly Courts.
Partly because of the bureaucratic nonsense I didn't feel like putting up with, and partly because of the cut-throat political landscape every time the Jade Emperor held court. He did a wonderful job of keeping everything running efficiently without any major problems, but the day-to-day just wasn't for me.
Thankfully, I could sneak in through the back door, so to speak.
Otherwise, I would have had to announce my arrival, attend a Banquet hosted by him, smile gracefully as everyone in court both performed the basic courtesy and greetings while simultaneously trying to 'win my favor' in subtle or not-so-subtle ways.
I knew how to play the games, I just grew tired of playing centuries/millennium ago.
"Senior sister!"
I recognized the voice immediately, even if I pulled my senses back in the courts as an act of courtesy. "Oh Great Queen Mother of the West." I smiled and bowed my head.
"Don't tease me." She pouted.
I couldn't help but smile genuinely and reached out to rub her head. "I can't help but tease my favorite Junior Sister."
"Mou~, I'm your only Junior Sister."
"That makes you the favorite by default." I giggled at her expression.
And a second reason I didn't want to do the normal theatrics, it made it hard to dote on my little Junior sister when the entirety of the Heavenly Courts was watching my every move. I very well can't act like a doting older Sister and herself my Junior Sister due to our positions.
At least in public.
Despite her squeak of protest, I pulled her into a hug, ignoring all courtesy and basic etiquette.
"You're going to mess up my hair!" She protested as I finally released her. She huffed, fixing it slightly and I lent a hand to help. "It's been a long time since you've come to visit."
"I was here not four centuries ago." I responded.
"You missed my Peach Banquet!"
"As delicious as your Peaches are, they do nothing for me anymore. It's best to let the younger kids have their opportunities."
"You're not allowed to make excuses! You're coming to my next Peach Banquet after they ripen in a few thousand years. Otherwise…..otherwise I'm going to be upset!"
"Yes, yes. Whatever you want." I couldn't argue with her when she was like this.
"Hmph." She threw her hair back and her expression turned more serious as she focused back at being the Queen Mother of the Heavenly Courts. "Our Guest has arrived, my Husband the Emperor is waiting."
"Very well, it's been a long time since I've seen my Junior Brother as well." After hearing what happened on the other side of the world, I knew this would be happening soon regardless.
I wasn't surprised to see who was waiting for us considering the topic of our little….talk.
In a private chamber in their personal quarters, the Jade Emperor sat down and across from him was Odin – the All Father of the Norse Pantheon.
"Goddess Nuwa, thank you for coming." Little Tian smiled as I walked into the room.
"Greetings, Jade Emperor." I bowed my head out of respect for his position considering that Odin was in the room.
He nodded politely as to disperse with the common courtesy. "Senior Sister, thank you for coming on short notice."
"It's no matter, this was something we needed to settle." I took a seat as he gestured.
"I don't see what the big deal is." Odin looked uncaring as he sat across from little Tian. "I know for a fact that one of my Valkyries has a sword made from this part of the world, do you want to throw a hissy fit that she killed some Giants with it too?"
"That's hardly of the same Magnitude, All-Father." The Jade Emperor retorted.
"Apologies, can I please be caught up on where we're at?" I knew the general outline, but to understand what has already been spoken would be helpful.
"Bah, the Jade Brat is getting upset about the whole List thing. Demands to see the Brat who did it all." Odin waved his hand flippantly.
Little Tian frowned, but this was far from the first time he dealt with Odin, so he was patient. "I expressed my own stance, and that of the most vocal voices in the Court. And I requested a meeting with the Mortal who facilitated the actions that have been causing commotion within my Court." Despite that, he twitched slightly.
"Please, we both know you don't do requests. Your 'request' is a demand in all but name." Odin snorted.
"Forgive me Odin, but why is the problem? Wilhelm visited me not long ago, I do not foresee him having thoughts about visiting the Heavenly Courts." I questioned, acting immediately as my role as 'mediator' in this particular issue.
"And I told the Jade Brat, if he wants something, he can come to me." Odin was being oddly obstinate about it. "I'm not going to let the Brat get swept up in all the problems that come afterwards. I owe it to him at least this much to clean up everything myself."
"He doesn't even know you're here then?" I questioned.
"Of course not." The All-Father huffed indignantly. "How much should I shame myself to make him have to go through this after all the help he gave? I'll deal with all your crap by myself. Leave the mortal Brat alone."
"One might consider that your intentions aren't pure." The Jade Emperor gave him a skeptical look.
"Yeah, because I want to also do this whole song and dance with the Greeks willingly as well." Odin retorted.
The Jade Emperor's expression changed. "I apologize, I made an assumption."
"Hmph." Odin gruffed.
As it stands, he would most likely have to go to Olympus soon as well to deal with matters pertaining to the Titan King persisting within the Nine Realms.
….that was also an oddly valid argument to dismiss claims of scheming by keeping Wilhelm away.
It is no secret that most of us do not…..enjoy the company of the Olympians.
"…..He's my blood brother too." Odin spoke softly. "So let me handle all the annoying crap in his stead. He did enough already."
"….I apologize for accusing you, All-Father." Little Tian slightly bowed his head metaphorically. "But we still need to talk about how to handle this. We have been on friendly terms with your Pantheon for many years, I would hate for a rift to form between us."
This type of meeting was a reflection of that friendliness in a sense. He was working with the All-Father behind closed doors to sooth over any negative feelings with his own Court rather than being overt and trying to 'demand' an explanation.
"You're welcome to use my name. I have nothing to hide here, I willingly gave the List to Wilhelm during his visit to my home." I offered.
"There have been talks about how we should have held onto the List regardless." Little Tian spoke.
"Hmm, I can see how that would be a particular problem." I tapped my finger on the table. "Someone is stirring up trouble it seems."
"That's right. Someone's fanning the flames in the background." My Junior Sister nodded, making her Husband, the Jade Emperor frown slightly. "This isn't the first sign of this happening recently either."
"Wife…"
"Husband, Odin may not be one of us, but he's far from an 'outsider'." She sternly rebuked him.
The Jade Emperor uncharacteristically sighed, relenting. "If this was in public, we would vehemently deny anything, All-Father."
"Yeah, yeah, I know how this game is played." Odin didn't take it to heart.
The Jade Emperor's expression turned dark and he nodded in understanding. "If it was before, a token effort would have been made. But this is concerning with the flow of events outside our Domain. The Demons have been stirring after hiding away for a very long time. I fear that the reach of this….Khaos Brigade has penetrated into the Heavenly Realm long ago."
"Nothing can be assumed as coincidence any longer." Odin agreed. "With Loki gone, I have no avenues right now to investigate myself. And I have my hands full handling the fallout of our Ragnarök." Odin had a melancholic expression. "Snake girl, don't you have some sway over those 'Demons', you know, considering you're originally a Demon too?"
I shook my head. "While I am still thought of highly among my people, I am not privy to their secrets any longer. I was never forgiven for how I helped Humans advance as they did and push Demons to the shadows."
I still had a handful of confidants around the place, so I would reach out on my end to see if they've heard any whispers.
The Jade Emperor was lost in deep thought for a few moments. "I will dispatch a few trusted men of mine to start looking into things outside of the Heavenly Realm. But the point of contention still exists that needs to be addressed."
"Some uppity brats making a fuss about using your list." Odin rolled his eyes.
"It is a significant part of our History, All-Father." The Jade Emperor replied. "Imagine how yours would feel if they found someone not among your number wielding your son's hammer?"
"Honestly, they'd probably think it was awesome." Odin shrugged. "But I get it, I do. You got a bunch of annoying idiots to wrangle. What's the specific issues being thrown around?"
"There are talks of assigning the Mortal a position among the Court as…..reparation."
"No." Odin didn't even make a joke or light of the situation, he just outright denied it.
"I share the sentiment." The Jade Emperor chuckled lightly. "The other arguments are as you would expect, but they have been getting heated. Many believe we have been slighted."
"There is a simple solution." I offered my input. "Simply acknowledge it to silence the whispers."
"That comes with its own issues." Odin pointed out. "I don't mind if you use it to grandstand at our expense."
"That is generous of you, All-Father."
"Bah, we're far too worried about our own shit to care about your political crap right now. Give your expression of sympathies to us, wish us well to the court. Then have one of your trusted people bring up how we were 'only' to use the List in a limited capacity. Emphasize your own use of it and how much 'better' you were at it, blah blah blah, I don't need to spell it out for you."
"It would make you appear magnanimous and would imply that you were aware of what was happening while also soothing any ruffled feathers, Junior Brother." I added.
"I suppose that is an adequate solution. Very well, I will take your suggestion. Thank you for being understanding, All-Father." He acquiesced.
I did always appreciate how little Tian knew when to advance and when to retreat in matters such as this.
You did not wrangle the Heavenly Courts without knowing when to take your wins even if they were minor.
"I'm happy to see you pulled through, All-Father. The world would have been a strange place without you in it." The Jade Emperor stated.
Odin snorted. "Boring, is what you mean."
"Yes, how could I survive without you coming by every few centuries to harass our maidens." He said dryly.
"Obviously they swoon over a real man, not you fem boys!" Odin puffed up his chest.
Little Tian twitched slightly. "I'm sure the Greeks will appreciate a 'real man' as well."
Odin's expression sank, and he scowled. "Great, I gotta go deal with those dicks now."
I did not envy him.
[***]
Wilhelm POV
It was nice to spend the evening and night with Salem. It helped soothe a lot of the initial tension we had and I would always enjoy a good night's sleep cuddling with her.
That being said, any residual feelings about that seemed to fall to the wayside as soon as I appeared back home.
Because what greeted me was a certain Saintess on her knees, with her nice round butt up in the air wiggling unconsciously it seems.
And she was wearing those booty shorts of hers.
"EH!?" Jeanne made a noise of surprise as she was apparently retrieving something from under the couch as she pulled back quickly with a pen in her hand, looking behind her to see me. "Will?"
"Don't mind me, just admiring the view." I smiled innocently.
"Neh!?" She quickly adjusted herself once she realized what I meant by that. "Y-you meanie!" She stood up with a haste, puffing up cutely with a slight red dusting on her face.
"Not as good as the bikini, but I do love those booty shorts of yours."
"No, stop, stop! You're not allowed to mention that again!" She whined, covering her face. "It's too embarrassing."
"Alright, but I'm going to keep thinking about it."
She made some rather adorable if inaudible sounds, none of which were rejections. Well, she did 'give me permission' to think about it previously.
"Hug?" I offered, holding my arms out.
"Yes." She lowered her hands, smiling warmly as she accepted the physical affection. "I'm glad you're okay. I was worried when I heard what happened."
"Mmm, worried about me?" I chuckled.
"O-of course! You're always getting into trouble." She pouted. "I don't like hearing that you're hurt."
I found myself rubbing her head. "It's alright. It'll take more than that to put me down. Anything else I can heal from."
"Hmph." She crossed her arms, pulling away. "Don't talk about dying so easily!"
Funny, Scáthach said the same thing to me. It made me feel happy to know that they cared so much.
"Alright, I'm sorry." I couldn't help but apologize seeing her 'upset'. "I promise to stop thinking about you in a Bikini for now on as an apology."
"Well…..um….you don't need to go that far…" She quickly shifted gears and flushed deeply again.
"That's good, I didn't know what I would do with all the pictures I took otherwise."
"What!? No, no pictures!" She crossed her arms in an 'X'. "Y-you…..okay, but you're not allowed to show anyone else." She looked away, quietly giving me permission.
Jeez, why was she so cute?
Alright, that's enough teasing for now. "How have you enjoyed your time in Kyoto so far?"
Her eyes lit up brightly. "It's been great! Everyone's so welcoming here! Mordred and I have been going out and doing things almost every day, it's been really fun. And I even made a new friend yesterday!"
"Oh?"
Jeanne nodded happily. "Izzy brought her, you know her too. Orihime was really nice and we spent the day shopping!"
Well, wasn't that a coincidence? But Yeah, I can see it, they'd get along really well.
"Question though."
"Hmm?"
"You've gone shopping and gotten plenty of necessities now, right? Plenty of clothes and all that?" Obviously I would love to spoil her as much as possible, but I don't think Jeanne would be into that sort of thing. She seems more like the minimalist sort.
"Yeah." She smiled happily.
"Yet you chose to wear the booty shorts, huh?"
"Ah?" Her lips quivered slightly and that flush of hers returned. "...you said you liked it." She replied, barely more audible than a whisper.
Cute.
I ended up putting my hand on her head again, much to her continued embarrassment. "So what's got you welcoming me back home with such a wonderful view?"
"D-don't treat my butt like a scenic view!" She squeaked.
"Denied."
"Neh!?"
"Jeanne, there will never be a day that your butt is not a treasure to behold." I said with complete seriousness.
"P-pervert." She whispered bashfully.
"So whatcha doing, hmm?" I peeked over her shoulder to see a bunch of papers on the coffee table.
"No, you're not allowed to look!" She shuffled over to block my view.
"I'm not allowed to look?"
She silently shook her head back and forth, seemingly not wanting to say anything.
"That's a shame, I thought that maybe it was something we could spend time together doing."
"Hnnn" She bit her lip looking conflicted. "….only if you promise not to tease me."
She sounded sincere, so I relented. There was a time and place to tease Jeanne. "I promise."
"….okay." She moved over to the papers. "I was…. practicing."
I moved to her side to see what she meant by that, and the papers were….well, she was practicing writing.
They were her name, mostly.
There seemed to be a reference up top, and she was trying to mimic it.
I patted the couch as I sat down and gestured for her to join. "Why don't I help you?"
Jeanne, who was clearly embarrassed, smiled warmly once more. "I would like that." She quickly took the seat next to me and I adjusted the papers for her to practice some more.
"You've been starting with your name?" I asked.
Jeanne awkwardly nodded. "I still….don't know how to read, but I asked someone to write my name down and I was practicing copying it for the future."
"In French?"
"What's wrong with French?" She immediately caught on to what I was going to say, puffing up again.
"I could make a list, but you wouldn't be able to read it."
"Neh!!" She hit my shoulder a few times.
"Alright, I'm sorry. That's the only teasing I'll do." I gently took her hand and moved it towards the pen. "Here, let me help you. It seems like you're having trouble with the flourish in some of the characters."
It's times like this that I absolutely loved my Devil origins that allowed me to understand basic human languages perfectly in both oral and written form.
I guided her hand as she wrote it. "J" I enunciated the first letter.
"J." She repeated.
We continued through each of the letters of her name, until she both wrote them and pronounced each one, mentally labeling them each as we went through. It was slow going, but it was important to understand the basics when learning to read.
"One more time, but you're doing it on your own." I let go over her head and flipped the paper over, so she didn't have a reference.
"Like this?" She began to write her name again right under where we did before.
"Make sure to spell it out as you go."
Jeanne furrowed her brow. "J...E…..E –"
"A." I corrected. "They can sound similar."
"A." She corrected herself. "J-E-A-N-N-E D-A-R-C" She spoke them allowed, filling her name out nearly perfectly. "Jeanne D'Arc!" She proclaimed with a big smile.
"Perfect."
"I did it!?"
"Yup, that's how you spell your name." I smiled back at her.
She clapped her hands excitedly and had the most genuine and enthusiastic grin on her face. "Thank you, thank you!" She threw her arms around me, like it was some momentous achievement on her part.
I happily accepted the hug of course, letting her enjoy her small success.
A child probably wouldn't be able to pick it up after 'one try' if they were learning for the first time, but Jeanne was far from a child. She was a very intelligent and resourceful woman. Honestly, learning to read and write would probably be easy for her.
But even so, I was happy for her.
I would get some proper things for teaching and helping her 'study'. First off, she was going to need a proper alphabet to go over. Maybe some educational videos to go along with it so she can do things on her own?
Regardless, happy Jeanne was the best Jeanne.
"Did Gabriel's letter make you want to learn faster?"
Jeanne nodded her head. "I wanted to reply to her…."
"I'll gladly help you there, you know?"
Jeanne smiled beautifully once more. "Thank you, Wilhelm!"
"Though…that does bring about a question."
"Hmm?"
"How….would you send a reply?"
"I would mail….." She stopped looking blankly in realization. "Ah?"
"I'm fairly sure that Heaven doesn't have an address to send the letter to." Unless you count the Pope….but that might come off badly if we went through that process.
"I could pray?"
"Can you send letters through prayer?" I mean, she could just reply to Gabriel through prayer, but it was polite to send a letter in return after receiving one like this.
"um…what do I do?"
"Why don't we leave the letter with Father Vasco Strada?" Father Swole seemed to be on good terms with the Angels. "That way it isn't awkward for any Angels to come here to retrieve it, and we don't have to pop up to Heaven to deliver it?"
"That's something we can do?" She perked up.
"Well, it would be a good opportunity to visit the Vatican. You've never been there have you?" And Father Swole did extend an open invitation. With the sort of 'peace' and how the conference went….we might be able to swing that if we go through the proper channels to ask.
Her eyes lit up immediately. "You would go with me together!? Like – like together?" She added on softly.
"It's a date." I smiled, and the noises she made were utterly adorable.
Well, if I was going to go down to Hell to talk to Zekram, visiting the seat of power for the Church felt oddly appropriate as well.
I'm sure nothing bad will happen, it's not like I'm the son of Lucifer or anything.
[***]
A/N
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