Chapter 194: Faust.

Chapter 194: Faust.

Uurrgh.

Damn. Shine. Iridescent light shined from my fingers, calming Ellaines twitching left arm. I knew this spell could damage dark elemental monsters, but I did not know it was also a demon pacifier.

Night had come, and it was probably quite late in the night right now, based on looking at the position of the green glowing moon. Under Aurenas directions, I have been flying through the air using my rocket boosters after confirming Ellaine was alive but infected by something demonic. At first, due to the fact the sun was up, I was able to fly at a pretty decent pace, but once the sky darkened, fatigue began to take over.

I cannot stress enough how much scale-dust I was using to maintain my flying. During the afternoon sun, I was able to balance my scale-dust regeneration with my usage using solar energy and eating as much as I could with [Unheilige Engel]s help. However, now that it was night, I had to slow down considerably, otherwise I would probably crash land from an empty stomach. The number of calories I was burning with this, jeez.

Also, I didnt want to call her fat, but carrying her while she had her armor on was pretty tiring. My shoulders felt so stiff. She was still unconscious and the random twitching didnt happen too often, but carrying her around would have been a drag if this wasnt an emergency.

As for the twitching itself, Aurena had informed me the demons mana had infected her rings, staying inside them in a dormant state until it had gathered enough mana to rebuild a consciousness. I wanted to remove the rings, but they wouldnt budge. The demon did not allow it. Outside of cutting Ellaines fingers off, having Aurena fix her up was the only solution.

So far away

Just a bit more, Hestia. Enough complaining.

Haaaaaaaa You know, considering youve been giving me directions this whole time, it really devalued the time you couldnt speak with me. Honestly, this feels like an administrator speaking with a player in an MMO, more like a divine whisper than telepathy, I spoke with Aurena, commenting on how often Ive heard her voice through the system messages lately.

Us able to speak like this is not through telepathy, but through our Divine System. Call it like that if you wish, Hestia, just know most Peolyncians simply call it words from the gods. Usually, only the most faithful should be able to hear me speak this clearly, making you more or less an anomaly

Because these sorts of messages overload peoples souls, right? I remembered you telling me about that in your first message to me.

Correct. Faith is like a link to us gods, making your soul more compatible with us. Those able to hear our words are the most devout, and rarely do people joke around when they speak with us. Technically, this is the most I have personally spoken to a mortal outside an audience to my divine realm. Be honored, Hestia, I am granting you far too many privileges.

Not my fault. You need to get rid of this demon, and I want to get rid of it also. I wish you had just Sorry, I dont want to start this up again. How far are we?

While I was regretting that I almost started complaining again, Aurena overlooked it and focused on my question.

Close enough. You should be able to see the large mountain protruding from the woods by now.

The moment she pointed it out, I actually was able to see something standing out on the horizon. As I didnt want to attract too much attention I was flying low, near to the trees, but now I was ascending closer to the clouds to get a better view.

What I saw was a large, snow-blanketed mountain so steep the peak looked like an eagles talon. The fact it looked like it was kind of unnatural, making me question how this type of mountain formation was created in the first place. It was as large as the Avitor Peaks, but it was definitely weirder looking.

However, while the top seemed strange, what lay below it returned to normalcy. Gone was the small amount of snow on the top, as grass and trees covered the rest of the mountain, up until I saw a majestic looking castle embedded into it. In the serene moonlight, the white palace gleamed a pristine white befitting the opulent lives of the Artorian noble society. Most likely, the whole castle palace was made from fairnite, not only for the looks, but to protect it from magic.

Griffonpeak, the capital city of the Kingdom of Artorias. That has to be the home of the royal family.

Long white towers peering into the sky connected through walled bridges to the main palace. The palace itself was decorated extensively, as if it was like the crowning achievement of the wealth and history of Artorias and its predecessor, Leosfalt. Walls protected the palaces entrance with a gate leading to two additional layers of the whole castle.

On the second layer, a military-looking building, probably a garrison, and an impressive-looking building with a griffon knight statue built before it was located. I could see a large empty field placed in the corner of the layer in addition to a horse stall and a building-like nest? There was also a mansion built in this layer.

On the bottom layer, multiple smaller houses far less decorated than the other layers stood. They werent shabby, but they didnt look too special compared to the former. Common sense told me those belonged to servants and other personnel. I was happy to see the royal family werent treating their servants like trash, at least.

Of course, while the castle was admittedly splendid-looking, the scars of war were still there. At the entrance of the lowest layer, the end of a fairnite bridge could be seen, but the middle of it was completely missing, almost as if it was destroyed. The broken edges were cut off and polished, looking as if it was intentionally left in such a broken condition. I knew the elves during the War for the Faefolk left Griffonpeak in a terrible state, but the reconstruction seemed to have not included the bridge. How were people supposed to visit the palace?

Oh, right, the answer is obvious. Gargoyles, griffons, and hippogryphs.

The Kingdom of Griffons. It would make sense if they used these companions and constructs to land at the castle entrance, especially the royal family who were arvisans. I also heard from Ellaine of how the Lecartiglio Duchy introduced a griffon and hippogryph carriage service to the kingdom. The image of griffons carrying carriages was funny to think about.

The temple is over there. Close to the inner walls.

That said, Griffonpeak was still a city, at the end of the day. While Firwood and Cedaraille had a pretty similar architecture where the home of the lord of the city was placed in the middle surrounded by the noble district, Griffonpeak looked a bit different to me. Aside from a few landmarks, like a giant colosseum, a university-sized area which most likely was the royal academy, a giant gothic-style church, a statue of an arvisian man, and a large, fine building, it was kind of hard to describe the rest of the city.

As I approached the city, I was able to distinguish the noble district and commoner district from appearance alone, but I wasnt able to see the entire city. Regardless, it wasnt important to me. If you asked me, the castle was already mesmerizing enough under the moonlight, so marvelous that it outshined the rest of the city. It was like looking at a masterpiece beside some well-made but mundane art.

I have made the necessary preparations. Immediately enter the temple and move to the altar room, Hestia. You know what to do afterward.

Got it. Last sprint, Ellaine, hold on!

I knew I was kinda breaking the law by bypassing the gate and sneaking into the city, but this was an emergency and Aurena herself told me to do so. Still, the commotion it would cause if somebody saw me. Using my sneaking skills, I flew higher to avoid people seeing me around the outer and inner walls. Once I was close to the temple, I slowed down my scale-dust boosters, landing in an area obscure from any guards or grey-robes sight.

Urgh, haaaaa, haaaa Once I was back on the ground, My legs lost their strength and I dropped to my knees. I was feeling a little bit light-headed and it felt like my muscles didnt want to move at all. Tch, I want to sleep and just rest already. Flying long distances is too much.

I have still not recovered from fighting Astalos. My body was drained, my mind fatigued from worrying for Ellaine, and I could feel my stomach growling. Fortunately, neither [Exhausted] or [Starving] has appeared yet, but I was not in good shape. I was too tired to march right in and act pompous.

Using [Detection Sensor] and [Silence], I might not have been as good as Saori when it came to sneaking around, but it still felt easy to bypass any guards wandering eyes. Only problem was, Aurena was not telling me where to go. The Griffonpeak temple of the Church of Aurena was far larger than the Firwood one, and although it still had a simple interior design, I had no idea where the altar room was. There just wasnt a map.

Hey, Goddess Aurena, whe Huh?! A signal!

A signal suddenly appeared out of nowhere on my [Detection Sensor] from thin air. From my experience sparring with Saori, I knew very well how [Silence] and [Odorless] allowed you to disappear from a detection skills power. A skill would neutralize a rival one if its level was similar or higher. If this signal appeared out of nowhere, a rogue or assassin was trailing me.

But inside a temple!? Urgh, as if, whether they were priests or not, most of the top brass belong to the nobility. Just like Theodore, the High Bishop of Firwood, having spies and similar was normal!

Fuck. Somebody with a high detection skill to detect me and enough high-level stealth ones to trail behind me.

Currently, I was in a corridor and the signal came from a room behind me. Hiding anymore would probably cause me some issues. At the end of the day, the church and I werent enemies yet. Until Aurenas plan fully began, I should probably play nice with them.

With Ellaine in my arms, I calmly walked towards the signal, which was currently standing still. After a few more steps, a womans voice suddenly came from behind the corridors door. Champion Hestia, pardon me.

My eyes widened. The voice had a very distinctive accent, it was definitely not an Artorian from the Greenveil Duchy. Furthermore, it was neither dwarven nor elven as well. When I was wondering who the person was, the door opened up and a figure in a full set of brown and black armor appeared. Two black khopeshes were hanging sheathed on their hips while a spear and bow were being carried on the figures back.

In my opinion, the style of armor and clothing looked a bit similar to a middle eastern medieval warrior, giving me a good idea why the voices accent was so foreign to me. I could see the symbol of Aurena on the figures chest, similar to the emblem Yorshka had. Was this person a knight?

I looked into their eyes before speaking. Their head was covered with a helmet and their mouth was hidden behind a sash, but the window between them allowed me to see their frowning brown eyes and black mascara? At this point, I believed this person was a woman and the owner of the voice, mostly due to her body figure and the small part of her face I could see.

Annoyed that I detected you? Yeah, me, too. She wasnt frowning a lot, but I could see she was a bit baffled that I was able to detect her.This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

She gave me a deep bow before beginning to speak, I apologize for trailing you without introducing myself, Champion Hestia. I am Anivh, a Knight of Aurena. Saintess Eshe was made aware of your arrival, so my lady had sent me to greet you.

I-I see I wanted to comment on how she did a terrible job greeting me, seeing as how I had to sneak into the church, but that could wait for later. After all, I was more shocked to hear about her mistress.

A saintess?! Here?! Also, they know I was a champion!? That was when I remembered Aurena mentioning she made some preparations, but I thought those preparations were about destroying the demon infecting Ellaine.

Uuurgh! Suddenly, Ellaine began to groan again. Her arm wasnt twitching yet, but it was a sign the damn infection was coming back up.

I am not sure what is happening, but seeing as you are a knight, you must be a guard for this Saintess Eshe, correct? The greetings can wait for later. This is an emergency. Please, could you tell me the way to the temples altar room? I need to get there immediately! I raised my voice a bit in a panic, asking desperately for some directions from the lady knight.

She bowed once again. The Goddess has already informed Lady Eshe. Please, follow me. Anivh spread her arms forward, gesturing to me to hand Ellaine over. However, I declined. Im not allowing anybody to hold Ellaine until we have this problem sorted.

Following the lady knight through the candle-lit corridors felt really awkward as neither of us talked, leaving the church completely silent except for our footsteps. We did pass a few church guards on their night shift, who gave me confused stares, but Anivh shut them up with an icy glare. After entering through another door, we finally reached a room filled with the six altars of the Origin Gods.

Furthermore, there were three other people in the room.

High Bishop?! Ignoring the other two, I was firstly focused on an ever sleepy-looking, lilac-haired man in the white robes of a priest of Aurena. This man was none other than the High Bishop of Firwoods temple and the brother of the lord of that town.

It is a pleasure, Lady Hestia. I had thought you would arrive here by the beginning of SpringSun, but you are about two weeks late. There was no warm smile, just a sleep-deprived head nod in acknowledgement.

Why are you still awake? Its in the middle of the night.

I was working on documents. Even after leaving Firwoods temple, he still had to work during these ungodly hours?! However, I did have some company, though. According to decorum, whether under noble or church etiquette rules, it would have been more appropriate for you to speak with this young lady first, Lady Hestia.

Theodore stretched his hand out, directing my eyes to the two other individuals. The first was a large man in the same outfit as Anivh, although he had a single khopesh, a shield on his left arm, a bow, and a two-handed scimitar. The other person was a brown-skinned woman in her late twenties wearing a brilliant white robe with red flower embroidements. Anivh stood behind her.

Is she?

She curtsied. Champion Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, newest champion of the Goddess of Light, Dragon Princess of Kargryx, and otherworlder like the Heroes of Aurena, I am the most recently appointed saintess of Goddess Aurena, Eshe. It is an honor to finally meet you, Lady Hestia.

I-It is my pleasure. Never would I have thought to meet one of Aurenas saints here, as I heard nothing about this from anybody, not even the Goddess herself. This was somebody who embodied Aurenas tenets enough to become a saintess, not a champion, and was trusted enough to learn of the fact I was not only a dragon and a princess, but also an otherworlder.

She then clapped her hands, pointing me towards the brilliant altar made from fairnite in the middle of the room. I have heard the word of our Goddess about your predicament. Please, Goddess Aurena awaits you, we mustn't delay your meeting for a second more. High Bishop Theodore, my knights, and I shall await you outside, Champion. We shall let nobody disrupt this divine meeting.

The room was cleared. Manatech light bulbs were lighting up the whole room as moonlight gushed through the stained windows. While the situation with this saintess was worth thinking about, the first thing I had to deal with was Ellaines situation. The twitching hadnt stopped and I could see her pained expression.

I set her down before Aurenas altar, activated [Shine] once more to calm her arm down, and then clapped my hands together. As my mind envisioned Aurena, praying to her for an audience, I closed my eyes. As my mind drifted away, somebody suddenly tugged on my arm, causing me to open my eyes to a cloudy world of white. This was Aurenas divine realm.

H-Hestia? I turned around, only to be greeted by a translucent figure of a girl with blue hair and face I very much knew. P-Pardon, but are you Hestia?

Ellaine! In the realm of the Gods, only our souls could visit them. As it was the manifestation of ourselves in our physical bodies, certain features were retained, for example, Ellaines face and blue hair.

In my excitement to see her soul not being tarnished by that malevolent evil, I hugged her. As I experienced when I first visited Aurenas realm, there was still a physical sense of touch in this place. S-So, you are Hestia? Im so glad, I thought you were somebody else.

It was to be expected. As I let Ellaine go from my embrace, I looked down at my soul once again. An aura of fire was wrapped around my ghostly figure, forming into draconic scales all around my body. Last time, my soul was filled with holes and lost fragments, the manifestation of my fractured memories, but this time, more holes were filled with scales and my soul even had a tail this time.

Souls adapted to their corporeal vessels, Aurena had told me. Ha, in other words, I was becoming less human and more dragon.

What an anime clich. The power of friendship?

Well, of course, that is the most fitting, right?

I see you two have made a decision. Foolishness, if you were to ask me. Aurena shook her head as I was persuaded by Ellaines determination. Then, allow me to continue to aid you once more, my Champion.

Aurena pulled up her administrator window as she flung the demon away from her like a dirty tissue. After pressing on a few buttons, she turned back to us. Congratulations, KleaHatma, you may live for a bit longer until Elder Plesia gives her opinion on this decision. Hestia. Ellaine.

Yes, Goddess Aurena.

I have sealed the rings from unleashing the demons full power. This should not restrict your ability to learn and make KleaHatmas abilities your own; however, it is there to prevent the pest from breaking out and escaping. To further strengthen the seal, I would ask you to visit the other Origin Gods using an altar strongly dedicated to them. Use this chance to make friends with my elders, Hestia.

Thank you, Goddess Aurena. We will!

Dont be so carefree just yet. Hestia, create that song immediately to aid Ellaine. She then swooped her hand to the side and the demon disappeared completely from her realm. Did she just destroy it?! KleaHatma should not be able to hear anything else. Ellaine, she will learn about this sooner or later by deduction alone, but never accept anything the demon offers, alright? By accepting a deal with it, it will be able to absorb some of your mana directly, strengthening it and allowing it to grow. With enough mana, it will be able to reconstruct its body outside the ring in whatever perverse way she can think of.

We gulped but acknowledged Aurenas advice.

Good. Ellaine, I have cleansed the rings to the point you may remove them. Of course, only you should be able to use them as a catalyst, but under no circumstances should you allow others to equip it. If you do, the demon might try to entice them. Suddenly, light particles began to surround Ellaine, but, before we panicked, Aurena explained. Ellaine, I must ask you to leave for now. There is something important I must finally explain to Hestia.

The reason why I am here. My Divine Quest as a champion will finally be fully revealed.

A note from AbyssRaven

This was a pretty important chapter for Ellaine's character since it involves the first real demon of the story. What will these two experinced, and what is Klea'Hatma planning to do? What powers will Ellaine receive?

Well, I welcome everybody to Griffonpeak. I hope you guys are Lusting for more chapters.

P.S. My story is there to give you guys a smile :)

P.S.S. Ellaine's art is out just in time on my patreon. If you guys want a sneak peak, come over!

If you guys want to support me, Hestia and "A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale" (or just read up to 17 advance chapters + any Patreon-only chapters) please check out my Patreon: Rawr!

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About the author



1 Fictions 7 Posts 1 Threads

Sunday, August 15, 2021 1:38:26 AM Germany [Member of Zard Skwad]

Bio: Hey there, AbyssRaven here. I'm just an avid Light Novel and Fantasy story reader who randomly thought of a story and began writing about it.

I eventually found out that I've been spending a bit too much time with building, planning, and researching for the story, that I've decided to just share it with others.

Writing is mostly a hobby for me, but I would still love any kind of criticism to improve on it.

I'm also german, so please excuse anything that sounds a bit weird...I wouldn't mind you pointing it out though.

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