Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 53

Allenca Viandros's Request

“I refuse.”

“Of course, we’ll…” Babblebrook paused mid-sentence with disbelief on his face. “Pardon me, what did you say?”

“I refuse,” she said promptly.

Connie sat back with her legs crossed. The old priest frowned at the action unbecoming of a proper noble lady. Yet the pressure he felt from the girl and the dark elf was enough to let him know that they were not to be trifled with.

“We…haven’t…told you…whaaat the request is…or hooow much…the reward…is.”

“I don’t need to. I have much to do here,” Connie replied honestly. Indeed. There were many things to take care of. Establishing control over the new underl - disciples Ethel was about to bring, raising Martell’s cultivation, and raising her own.

“8000 gold! That’d be enough, won’t it?! All you need to do is escort us to the Capital! That much would rival an A-rank quest!”

“Sounds really good. You’d have a hard time finding any sane Hunter refusing that kind of money. And all for a two days’ worth of journey?” Connie smirked.

“Then?”

“…But I refuse.”

“You!”

Sensing that negotiations are going badly, the Maiden raised a finger to stop the Babblebrook from speaking anymore. “Might I aaask…why…?” Alenca asked without a trace of anger.

While the exchange was happening, Illumca noticed that Connie had no tea to drink. She speedily but unhurriedly poured tea for her using an unused cup of tea left on the silver trolley put aside to her left.

Connie thanked her as she accepted the cup and proceeded to drink the tea appreciatively. It was lukewarm and Illumca certainly needed to learn the proper way to pour tea, but the tea leaves used were of good quality. Connie’s etiquette when drinking the tea was ingrained into her, exuding a sense of elegance even though her body language was crude and manly.

Babblebrook’s face went red with anger from the lack of answer. And Connie had shown no intention of answering soon as she proceeded to enjoy the tea. Illumca also did not care for the two others as she gazed at her beloved sipping tea. Only after she finished the tea and put the cup down properly did she begin to speak.

She looked straight into Allenca’s eyes. “There is no reason. I simply don’t want to accept it. There is no rule against an appointed Hunter to reject a request.”

“But…there iiis…one…that saaaays…youuu have to…proviiide a reason.”

“Hoh, you have read the rules, have you? Then if you want a reason it would be that…” Connie glanced at the Cardinal Deacon with an arrogant smile. “…I don’t like you...and you.”

“Hooow unfortunate…I do…liiike…you…though,” she said weakly with a languid smile. She put a hand on her heart as if she felt hurt by her answer.

“And that manner of speaking irritates me. Makes me want to hold you by the collar and slap you.”

At this point, the fat Cardinal Deacon could not hold his anger anymore and exploded. “How dare you speak to her in that way! She is the Maiden of Water! The very symbol of our religion! Disrespecting her means disrespecting the whole Faith!!” the priest flared up.

“Is that supposed to impress us?” Illumca asked. She had heard the short version of what happened yesterday. In her eyes, the blue-haired Maiden before her was as common as any girl in the village, save for her bosom. In terms of beauty, the well-endowed young woman could not compare to herself, as she was made to be the most beautiful creature in Connie’s eyes. And in terms of capability, to meddle in a process that bent the law of the world such as resurrection was beyond any alchemist. And Connie did more than that.

Needless to say. Illumca’s impression of Allenca Viandros was rather lukewarm. And her impression of the fat creature behind her was – for lack of better word – disgust. Something about him gave her the heebie-jeebies.

“Utter nonsense! I don’t care about the dark elf, but for a mere scorned noble girl to work as a Hunter and disrespect the symbol of the Junnaveil’s Faith and refusing a holy mission! No wonder the Prince annulled his engagement with you.”

Connie caught Illumca’s wrist as she was about to deck the priest something fierce. Her thumb caressing the side of her wrist to calm her down.

“I’m…fine,” Illumca said, her eyes staring at the fat priest as if she wanted nothing more than stab a knife through his heart and pulled it out for him to see.

The killing intent she exuded due to the passive Level 1 Intimidation Skill she obtained during her solo jaunt made the scalp on Babblebrook’s thinly haired head to prickle and his spine to shiver, forcing him to grip hard on the sofa to keep himself from falling to his knees.

Then Illumca released her clenched fist and walked towards the window. The dark elf folded her arms and gazed out of it to calm herself down. The warm sunlight coming through the expensive window made her feel a bit better.

She was not a very emotional person. Having had her self-esteem and self-worth be trodden on for many years. It developed into dislike towards people in general. But recently she felt as if her emotions had slowly become undone and her mind could not keep up. It was not entirely unpleasant. Yet it was also not entirely pleasant either.

While she was having those thoughts, the three behind her continued their conversation.

“Cardinal Deacon Babblebrook!” the blue-haired Maiden warned. This time there was a trace of displeasure in it. “Silence.”

At this word, suddenly everything became silent for the briefest of moment. Not even a quarter of a second. And yet the Cardinal Descon seemed to shrink because of this.

“Hmm?” Illumca’s ears twitched as she felt a prickle at the back of her ears.

“Ah, so you’ve done a bit of digging then?” Connie rubbed her chin with a trace of smirk, ignoring their odd reactions. “Then do you know what I did about a week ago?”

“You…crippled aaa party…of C-Ranked Huuunters…” the girl gestured as if she was holding something between her fingers, as if the strange atmosphere was not real. “…wiiith a…paper. Theeen you…threatened theeem…with your…family naaame.”

“A pamphlet. Everyone gets that wrong. A regular paper is coarse and thin. A pamphlet is made differently, which result in a thicker and smoother texture. But you get the gist. I am a vindictive, hypocritical person who kills people for looking at me wrong. Additionally, I have no desire to gain honor for my family. I have no attachment to the Steelheart name. It is besmirched enough by how often Joan Carell opens her legs,” she said with a sharp gaze. “Above all, I am no hero material, and sure as hell not a good person who just says yes when a beautiful woman asked for help.”

“You aaare…very different…frooom…how Henrietta…descriiibes you.”

“And yet…you still want to hire such a person?”

“…” the Maiden took her cup and sipped it. The tea had already gone cold, yet she did not react.

The priest, who had recovered from the Intimidation Skill fixed his lapels and growled. “You killed a Named Demon. That is all. There are many on the frontline like you. You are nothing special.”

“Then why ask me?” Connie said, unperturbed by his effort to downplay her skills. “Good. Good. Very good. Yes indeed. Why ask me?” she began to laugh mockingly at the two, as she pieced together the hidden story from their words and actions. “It’s not that you can’t find anyone else, but it is that you cannot afford to get anyone else but me.”

“…!”

Illumca narrowed her eyes and listened to the words Connie were saying. She knew that when Connie said good more than once, she would start to make a move.

“Hmh, you are too proud of your own skills! If you don’t want to do the quest, then forget it! But bear in mind that the whole church - !”

Annoyed by the Cardinal Deacon’s rambling, Illumca once again exerted her Intimidation Skill, causing the man to stumble. Allenca glanced back as she felt her sofa moving from the weight of the man’s body.

“Let's put this out there, shall we? First, your Church Knights are indeed strong. But the Demon that came was much stronger. Their order was to kidnap you. Not kill. That spoke volumes about your importance. So, the obvious thing first then,” Connie showed the tip of her fangs, making the Maiden feel uncomfortable. “…is that they know your path.”

“Second. Of course, being delayed even half a day would delay the festivities in store. After all, you are the Main Event! The Maiden of Water. The symbol – as you said – of the Junnaveil Faith. As the one playing host for your Coming of Age Ceremony, any delay would cause the Calendian Royal Family to lose face. They will send their knights to escort you very soon. And yet you don’t seem to want to wait for them. So… either you don’t want to lose face, or you don’t fully trust…whomever they are sending you.”

“In fact, I wonder why you don’t just ask for one of the other Hunters to help you. Some of them are quite good. Isn’t that right, Illumca?”

“Yes,” she said curtly.

“Those who serve our Goddess must be chaste!!” A hurried answer came from the fat priest.

“The Maiden must be a virgin. So, the entourage…must be without any ability to be a danger to the Maiden’s chastity. Anything that might jeopardize this image is culled from the start. Such is our devotion,” Babblebrook said with a stern voice, apparently regaining his voice after getting used to the Intimidation Skill’s effect. Or was it his ego that helped him endure my Skill? Illumca thought with a bit of surprise.

“With the time constraint, we could not find anyone else. And also, Her Holiness insist that it be you. Why that is I don’t know.”

“Oh? But the Church Knights who guard her are men, aren’t they?” Illumca commented as she glanced at the knights in white and blue standing guard outside through the window.

“Hmph, do you doubt my men?” the Cardinal Deacon harrumphed, clearly offended by her words. “When I said that we are devoted to the service of our Goddess, we mean it in the literal sense.”

Connie and Illumca both narrowed their eyes, uncomprehending.

“The Church Knights and I are all castrated according to the ancient text written by the High Priest, Mateo Alencon the Second.”

After saying that, the man’s expression was not of shame, but that of pride.

“…”

“Humph. To offer our whole life to the Her Service is truly grand. Only those who serve the Goddess could understand the honor it gives, the sense of fulfillment it bestows.”

Connie was so surprised by the pride of the emasculated man that she could not utter a sound. She was not unfamiliar with the exercise of cutting a man’s manhood, but usually they were not a cause for pride. Definitely not, in the case of the eunuchs serving the Emperor in the mundane world during her time as Wang Tian Gu. They were often called The Unmen, The Bed-Keepers, and other derogatory names.

To the side, Illumca winced at the thought. She might have dislike of men in general after her experiences but thinking about someone who would willingly have their manly parts cut off made her feel the pain, and inwardly she winced. Though she did not show this outwardly.

“Cardinal…Deeeacon. Please dooo…not speak aaabout such thiiings…in front of ladies,” The Maiden of Water sighed. “Forgiiive…him. He is…very…deeevout.”

“Well. That means either eunuchs or women,” Illumca commented. “Not a lot of choice there.”

“Aaand…we neeeed them…to be aaable to fight…demons…aaand as yoouuu…can see. This…is very…naaarrow.”

Connie leaned back against the chair and exclaimed. “Makes sense. One demon getting inside the country could mean more demons could still be after you. And there is still one and a half days’ journey to the Capital with good horses. There is no guarantee that a second attack wouldn't happen.”

“That is…,” Illumca said again. “If the humans in the Capital aren't working with the Demons. Especially considering that they are capable of giving…temptations.”

Connie nodded as she understood what she meant. The resident beastfolk was one such result.

“But…It miiight…not beee…humans,” the Maiden offered.

“Hah!” Illumca scoffed. “Because humans are so resistant to temptations?! That’s a good joke. It's obvious that if they know your path, then it would be one of your kind.”

Cardinal Deacon Babblebrook rebutted the dark elf’s mocking. “Then why is it that most of the heroes we have are humans and not one of them are of the impure races?”

"Enough, Illumca," Connie said, "When speaking about demons and humans working together, it might not necessarily be mutual. A hostage situation or a mind control trick might be involved. But that is beside the point and outside of the scope of our current conversation. Conjenctures, that is all it is."

By now the fat man was running on adrenaline and had overcame the Intimidation she exerted through pure righteous indignation “The Seven Gods gave us the ability to summon heroes. To eradicate them from the world. Demons are cunning, evil things that goes against the nature of our world. For them, we are nothing but food.”

“…” Connie twirled her red hair in thought. “Are they, though? Are they really that evil, compared to us? Humans can already betray, kill, destroy, and envy each other even without their whispers. Especially in the world of nobles. Such things are commonplace.”

She remembered the Named Demon she fought. Aside from the scary physical body, it did not seem especially evil. Yes. Humans don’t need temptations. Those things are already within a human’s very nature. The capability to do great kindness…and the capability to do great evil. Connie said to herself.

The expressions of the Cardinal Deacon and the lethargic Maiden turned into one of horror as soon as she said those words, as if she had cursed their parents.

“Y-you!”

The fat man was about to say something, but the Maiden had already started speaking against Connie’s rebuttal.

“Doon’t…say that…iiit is blasphemy…!!” Allenca said in a rare show of anger. Her fingers which had been curled in against each other tightened in a fist. The blue-haired maiden

“The…very faaact…that they eeeat…other races…are already…evil,” she began. Her muscles were clenched tight and her constant smile looked very much forced. There were beads of tears starting to form at the sides of her clear blue eyes. As if she was about to burst. “We…aaare...fighting…fooor…the world.”

Such fire. Such desperation.

She might not like how the young woman in front of her communicate, but she was honest. Brutally so. And Connie did not have anything against honest people.

Hold on. Because of the way she spoke she almost missed something. Something important.

"I'm sorry. They eat what?!"