***The Saint's Tree, Cherwoods…***
What is the meaning of this?" the Lord Gerard, still disguised as Kuro of Arles, threw the copies of the manga of the Lady Hinwe across the table, intending to hit the Life Guards captain, Sir Eldarv. However, those books went astray, landing on the floor instead of its intended target. "Why is the name of Her Holiness in those books?"
"Sir," the Life Guards captain answered. "It must be someone else impersonating the saint back in Chersea. That person is using her name, maybe so that many would buy that book."
"I don't care about that person's reasons, Sir Eldarv," the disguised elf shouted. "I wanted those books confiscate and burned. All of those! Search every city in this realm for those copies; execute those who would resist. And I want that impostor, whoever she is, eliminated."
"B-But Sir…" Sir Eldarv's face went pale. "Do-Don't you think this is…excessive?"
The Lord Gerard came near the Life Guards captain, caught his collar and brought his face closer to him. "Have you realized the precarious situation we're both in, Sir Eldarv? If we allow these books—full of knowledge from the demons—to go around, soon, we might be facing a full-blown rebellion of your kin. The Grand Canal isn't finished just yet, and all of you…your home, your farms, and your lands…everything will die and vanish. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
The captain, unnerved by the change in behavior of the disguised elf, nodded. Then, the Lord Gerard let go of his collar…
"And how is the search for Her Holiness?"
Sir Eldarv paused for a moment, for he wondered if he should tell the truth. In the end, however, he admitted, "Sire, we lost contact of our agents in Chersea."
The Lord Gerard slammed his hands on the table repeatedly, while screaming, "Damn it! Damn it all! This isn't what is supposed to happen; I'm just a placeholder!"
"Sir Kuro," Sir Eldarv reminded him, "You haven't given your order for us."
"Find Her Holiness, for goodness' sake!" the disguised elf bellowed. "Find her dead, or alive, I don't care! Just find her, and bring her back here!"
The captain of the Life Guards saluted and left. Now alone in his tree palace, the Lord Gerard slumped to his chair as another 'visitor' came to meet him…
"What do you need?" he growled as the dark miasma that oozed from his body coalesced into a figure of a beautiful woman…the Seductress.
"That's good, Gerard. Thank you for feeding me with your anger, and your fear," she told him while caressing his face with her cold miasma.
"I don't intend to," he answered, making clear to her he hated her presence.
"Don't be so hateful," the Seductress chuckled. "Though, hm…the more you hated me, the more you'll feed me. I thrive on negative thoughts and feelings after all…"
The Lord Gerard then picked a glass vase and threw it on her. Of course, it only passed through the Seductress' body, which she found laughable.
"Ah, I love these hateful feeling of yours, and the fear…ooh, yes…feed me more!" the creature from the Void kept on teasing and mocking him, before telling, "I guess I should return the favor for all the food you've been giving me. That is, if you only want to…"
The Lord Gerard glared at the Seductress and asked, "You? A weakened creature dares to offer me something she doesn't have? And what kind of favor you shall return to me, when you're so pathetically weak?"
The sly smile vanished from her face, "You, a cowering coward, hiding behind someone's face because he can't stand his own treachery, dares to tell me I'm weak? Aren't you getting cocky, long ears?"
"You speak too much. What can you offer?"
"You're seriously asking me that?" Then, without warning, the scenery changed; from the homely atmosphere of the tree palace, everything became dark, and empty. The Lord Gerard, shocked and overwhelmed at the suddenness of the changes, remained paralyzed on his seat.
"…" However, the Seductress wasn't finished just yet.
"!!!"
From the dark confines of that empty dimension, the scene changed into that of a jolly, noisy, and festive event. Crowds from various races were walking around, and many of them danced and shouted to the tune of the music. The elf was silent; he couldn't understand what going on, until the background changed into another, still. This time, it's as if they only moved a few paces away from the center of the party, and into a grassy spot on the sides, where a few participants were resting.
By that moment, the Lord Gerard was already back to his senses. He stood up from his chair, felt the grass to his feet, though his eyes were focused on the couple before him.
"…"
It was the real Lord Kuro and his fiancée, Meanor, sitting at a bench. She gave the human a bottle of cold juice, then conversed for a while. He couldn't hear them, though he was close, for the sounds of the party behind him were so loud. Nevertheless, he could tell they were talking, for his fiancée and the Lord Kuro's mouths opened and closed.
"Oh…" the elf lord heard the Seductress' voice. "I think I forgot to adjust the volume. Here, let me make it louder for you to hear."
Then, the sounds came in just as Meanor stood up, and did a curtsy before the human. The Lord Gerard was dumbfounded at her gesture, but he was even more horrified to hear her say…
"I have no qualms in serving you as well."
His mind went blank. The Lord Gerard recalled the times when he tried asking Meanor to tie the knot with him, but she refused, often saying, 'I still have to serve Her Holiness!' And yet, for this human to gain his fiancée's heart while he was having difficulty back in Cherwoods was something he couldn't pass!
"Meanoooooor!!!" the elf lord shouted at the top of his lungs that he never heard the rest of the words she said. In his head, only one thing remained. He wanted to kill the Lord Kuro! He would murder him! The Lord Gerard then tried to attack the oblivious human, only to pass through him…much to his anger and frustration.
And then, the vision ended.
----------
"I'm really sorry you have to witness the infidelity of your lover," the Seductress whispered to the Lord Gerard's ears, as her miasma consoled him. "And also, let me give my thanks for feeding me yet again with your jealousy."
"I'll kill that human…" the Lord Gerard muttered.
"What a surprise! I have the same goals as you."
The elf, still raging with jealousy and hate, glared at her. "If you talk that way," he said, "then it must mean you have the ways to do it."
The Seductress grinned. "Of course. I can even cause the downfall of the gods when I'm powerful enough. What can a puny human do to me?"
The elf lord then reached out a hand towards her. The creature from the Void, seeing it as a sign for him to completely possess his body, never gave it a second thought. In a flash, the consciousness of the Lord Gerard disappeared, and turned to that of the Seductress, corrupter and devourer of worlds…
----------
**Hinwe**
"Your Holiness, you look beautiful…" That was the comment of the lady who helped me fix my costume. Of course, I smiled at her and expressed my gratitude. But deep inside, my chest was about to explode.
"…"
I mean, I knew about cosplaying and I love to try it ever since I first read of the hobby from the mangas the Lord Gaius brought me. Still, holing up in my room for too long took a toll on my social skills. Honestly, the mere thought of appearing before a huge crowd was making my stomach churn.
"…"
I can't back down now, can I?
No matter how nervous I was, I still love and was excited on what I was about to do. After all, Her Holiness the Human Saint already spent a lot of her money for this to happen, not to mention, Kuro's own pockets as well. My servant, Meanor, was totally supportive; even going as far as taking my spot in the booth area so I could prepare well.
I believe it's too irresponsible for me not to reciprocate their push, just so I can regain myself…
And so, now that we're here, I didn't want to fail everyone else, especially Kuro, who stubbornly believed in me. He was a fellow otaku, a great friend and…my savior. Back when all see me in disdain—including myself—he and Meanor always disagreed. The least I could do was to show them that I could now stand on my own, that the 'old' Hinwe—though still a work in progress—was slowly coming back to life.
In any case, since my hair was a dark hue of blue, I decided to cosplay the legendary hero, the Lady Cassandra David. Like in Cherwoods, her story of how she came, how she fought against the demons, and the how she saved everyone—including her former enemies, was popular here in Chersea. Actually, I highly-suspect someone out there was already doing a manga about her life among the people here. As for me? From the passages of books telling what she looked like, the common depiction was that, she had a black hair, similar to her teacher, Kuro. Luckily, my hair's length was almost the same as hers, so it could be styled to her looks.
Though, of course, I know these 'likenesses' are just fantasy of their creators. I saw the real Cassandra David when she still walked the five realms.
"…"
Well, I did tell Kuro about it, and he said that cosplay is about the accuracy of the fictional character, not necessarily the real-life counterpart.
"Your Holiness, the stage is set, and you're about to appear soon," the lady told me. "Please get ready."
I took a deep breath, and did some final adjustments to my costume. The other cosplayers had already walked the stage, exciting up the crowd. Kuro—in an effort to increase support for me—arranged that I appear last, and have the grandest entrance of all. It's for that very purpose he asked for the help of Her Holiness, the Lady Madelaine.
"How are you, Lady Hinwe?" she asked upon entering the dressing area.
"I'm pretty much fine," I told her, though I admitted. "Extremely nervous, too, I'd say."
The Human Saint held my hand. "Indeed," she commented, "it's cold. Well, don't worry, you always got our support. Just be yourself, Lady Hinwe, okay?"
I nodded, and took another deep breath. Then, the person in-charge signaled for us to get ready; the show's about to start soon…
----------
**Kuro**
I may had planned everything down to the smallest details, but…damn it…I was still nervous.
"…"
As the 'grand entrance' of the Lady Hinwe approached, I couldn't help but get anxious. I knew that saint; she's a notorious introvert, and every second I don't see her appear on the stage, the more I worry.
Can it be that she backed down?
Nevertheless, I told myself not to worry—repeatedly. My eyes fell inadvertently on her servant, who stood beside me, waiting for her mistress as well. Together with Meanor, we blended with the crowd, to gauge their reactions to what they were witnessing.
As the last cosplayer took a bow and left the stage, the 'grand entrance' we prepared for the Lady Hinwe started to unravel. I couldn't help but utter a silent prayer, hoping for everything to go smoothly as we planned it before. In tune to how the legends and tales narrate Cassandra David's story, we wanted for the Lady Hinwe to 'come in' from the skies.
But, her god-powers are weak…
So, I enlisted the saints Maddie, Ruro and Natasha. The Human Saint would be the one to teleport and 'bring' the Lady Hinwe down from the skies and slowly to the stage. Natasha provided the picture of how it looked like, given that she was Cassandra David. And Ruro…well, her authority over the weather, especially the winds, made her god-powers viable for amplifying the narration and the sound effects for a better audience experience.
Thinking back, all of these just for the elves—at least, the newer generation—will be convinced to join the cause of their saint.
"…"
I'd say, it seemed my plans worked so far. The manga of the Lady Hinwe was not only entertaining, it was also deemed educational. From fabricated 'success stories' our agents spread, there were now 'legitimate' claims going around that reading the Elf Saint's work helped them in farming. After her, a few authors brought out similar publications talking of a wide range of topics, citing her manga as their inspiration.
So, this cosplay is the 'icing on the cake'. If successful, I'm hoping that the Lady Hinwe would have her god-powers back, or at least, some of it. I based my plans on how I understand the god-powers and worship works.
The 'grand entrance' then began. The narrator we hired to read the story of how the Lady Cassandra David came to Chersea did a good job on storytelling. The rowdy, impatient crowd—excited by the previous performances, went completely silent. Everyone's eyes looked towards the stage, where smoke and dancing lights from our magicians were being displayed.
Then, at the prompt of the narrator…
"!!!"
Maddie teleported the Lady Hinwe high above the stage, and slowly brought her down to the floor, much to the quiet awe of all who watched. I mean, even I who planned this was amazed at how good our 'production' came to be. Everyone was just giving their best.
Once the Elf Saint stood before the crowd, Natasha put in her own special effects, since it was her story, after all. Together with the narrator, she recreated a popular scene from her story, complete with the dark miasma and the colorful exploding lights. The audiences swooned and cheered at every movement the Lady Hinwe did.
"…"
Of course, just for precaution, I never gave Her Lazy Holiness any lines to say, for I'm afraid she might twist her tongue and take off immersion from the crowd.
"…"
I guess it's a good call.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the narrator introduced her. "Her Holiness, the Lady Hinwe Tal-Inwir, cosplaying as the Lady Cassandra David!"
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Some of them even began throwing flowers on the stage, and there were people who began chanting, 'Bless the Saint! Bless the Saint!' What started as mute call slowly swelled until the entire crowd was shouting the chant repeatedly.
Honestly, it felt weird to me to watch a 'revered' saint do something like cosplay. Perhaps my own bias was kicking in, but to me, it's as if the Pope dressed up in some edgy anime-character's clothing, and did some sword swings just to please people. But, I guess, since this was another world, it could be forgiven. Maybe it would become a trend in the future; that's something I'd want to see…
"!!!"
The humans, beastmen, demons and, most importantly, the elves, were ecstatic. The beauty of the Lady Hinwe was a sight to behold, but with her cosplay, she also showed to everyone that she's someone similar to them…she's a saint that could be reached by anyone.
"We love you, Lady Hinwe!"
"Protect that smile!"
"I shall be your knight, Your Holiness"
I could only smile in relief as we heard the positive comments from the people. I was sure the Lady Hinwe heard those, too, for she was smiling and waving with utmost enthusiasm. Then, she happened to look towards our spot.
"Lady Meanor," I told her maid, "she's searching for you."
"Milord, I think you're mistaken."
"Hm?" I looked again when the elf maid pointed back to her mistress. The Lady Hinwe was saying something, yet I couldn't hear it because of the noisy crowd. But, I knew—or at least, I got a vague idea—of what it was, perhaps she was saying 'thank you'. So, I flashed a 'two-thumbs up' and a grin; I wanted to tell her, 'good job', but I'd save it for later. Let the lady enjoy her moment with her adoring crowd.
"…"
Much to my surprise, however, the Elf Saint never took her eyes off me, and gave me the sweetest smile I saw ever since I got to know her. I quickly averted my eyes; I could feel my cheeks get warm. For fuck's sake, I knew the Lady Hinwe was beautiful, but this was the first that she was that lovely to me…
I hurried off the cosplay grounds with the feeling of satisfaction in my chest.
----------
***Somewhere in Chersea***
Seirna Stephanie was a saint not used to rowdy crowds. If she could help it, she would stay far, usually in the far corner of the room whenever there's a party. And it was no different this time. Avoiding the 'cosplay festival' the otherworlder proposed, she was fortunate to have her spymaster, Umberto Benicci, asked to meet with her.
At least, she has a convenient alibi to leave…
The Saint of the Flame arrived early at the place they agreed to rendezvous. While she expected for Umberto to appear late, she was surprised to find him already waiting.
"Your Holiness," the spymaster gave his respects.
"What's going on, Umberto?" Seirna asked. "What happened to your spy?"
"Cerdan hasn't given us an update for three weeks now," he explained. "I'm worried that he is compromised after sending this report." He pulled a letter from his breast pocket and handed it to Seirna.
The Saint of the Flame, upon reading its contents was visibly shaken and pale. "Umberto," she told him. "We should head to Cherwoods right not."
"H-Ha?" the spymaster was taken aback. "You mean, right now? I'm not ready, Your Holiness! I did not even bring weapons!"
Seirna uttered a spell and pulled a sword from her hand, then gave it to him. "You think that'll be enough to defend yourself?"
"I could use some guns," Umberto examined his new weapon. "But I can make this work, I guess."
"Then, let's go!"
"Wait, what's happening, Your Holiness?" the spymaster demanded. "As your servant, I'd like to know if there's anything we should expect when we arrive, so I can prepare countermeasures. We also have to inform the otherworlder of the problems."
"Fine. You read the letter?"
"Yes."
"That's no ordinary smoke," Seirna muttered. "It must be the miasma of the Seductress!"
"H-Huh? But I thought the saints sealed—"
"I don't know as well, Umberto!" she snapped. "The otherworlder told the Lady Rubinforth about it last time; that someone warned him in a vision about the Seductress' escape from Cherflammen, and her return!"
"You didn't consider it might be just some weird dream?"
Seirna stared at him, as if he said something ridiculous. "I think you're missing the point, Umberto."
"Missing what, Your Holiness?"
"Ever since the otherworlder was kissed by the Lady Natasha Bellingsen, he is now in possession of the Demon Saint's god-powers. He will never dream of random events anymore! That is this world's—and the other realms—future!"
It took a few moments before Seirna's words sank in Umberto's thoughts. Like his mistress, his face went pale as well, horrified at the thought that the ancient evil the Lord Gaius, Seirna, Cassandra David and even Kuro—at the cost of his life, tried to defeat would make a return once more…
----------
***The Holy Palatial Gardens, after the first day of the Cosplay Festival…***
After the 'grand finale' at the end of the first day of the Cosplay Festival, a lot of people swamped the backstage, all wanted to have a glance or a chat with the Elf Saint. While the Lady Hinwe allowed a few to come near her, the sheer number of individuals prompted the Paladin Guards to deny access to her; not only would it be a security risk, Her Lazy Holiness was already tired from all the activities she attended.
When the crowds dispersed, the Lady Hinwe rested for a few minutes, had her costume—which was bulky—changed, before deciding to search for her servant, Meanor, and Kuro. Before she appeared to everyone, the Elf Saint was told to try her god-powers once they were done, to test if their methods to help her were effective. So, she did what she was instructed to…
'Nice work! Nice work! I'm glad everything happened smoothly,' were the thoughts of the nearby person from her spot. The Lady Hinwe turned to check if the woman was really speaking, but much to her delight, the lady was busy cleaning she had no time to speak.
So, the Elf Saint looked for another person, just to make sure.
'Ah! So much people…I'm tired, I want to rest!' was the sentiment of the paladin guard standing outside the dressing tent. When the soldier saw the saint looking at her, she gave a bow and went back on guard.
The Lady Hinwe had to keep herself from screaming; she was so happy that she had to content herself with raising her hands in the air to celebrate victory.
Now, the next thing she should find out is, up to what extent of her god-powers are restored.
"…"
Summoning her god-powers, the Elf Saint's hands glowed with a blue light. While glad, she knew that it was still weak. Still, that didn't stop her from trying to reassert her authority and order anything liquid to move at her command.
"!!!"
Before, her god-powers was so weakened the Elf Saint could only make water shoot from her hands, similar to a hose. Now, she made the fluids around her move, much to the surprise of the lady cleaning the tent.
"Sorry!" Her Lazy Holiness smiled and bowed, but the lady didn't mind. The latter just smiled back and continued with her work.
Meanwhile, the Lady Hinwe finally confirmed that her powers were coming back. To her excitement, she uttered the teleportation spell, and looked for her friends…
----------
**Kuro, at the end of the first day of the Cosplay Festival…**
The celebratory mood at the success of the first day of the Cosplay Festival was cut short when a paladin came to me. "Milord," she whispered. "Her Holiness the Lady Seirna is asking for your presence. She says it's urgent."
"Hm? Did she say anything else?"
The paladin shook her head. "She only told me to fetch you."
I looked at Meanor, who was also staring at me. "Can you please wait for your mistress?" I asked her. "Something urgent came up."
"Oh? Her Holiness would like to see you after her performance," the elf servant was surprised by my request. Nevertheless, she noticed that the paladin won't leave until I came with her, so the servant nodded, "Okay then. I'll just tell Her Holiness you are needed in something else."
"Thank you!"
"Uhm…" the paladin spoke once again. "I'm sorry, but I think the servant lady needs to come, too."
Meanor's eyes widened, "M-Me?"
We both exchanged puzzled looks. Nevertheless, we head off to where Seirna was.
----------
By the time we came to the place where the Saint of the Flame waited, Maddie, Ruro and Natasha were there, along with Umberto…who stood several distances away from his hated niece. It was Ruro who gave me a letter; it was from Cerdan.
"You said you dreamed of her return, right?" Seirna asked. "The Seductress?"
"Not exactly dreamed. More like, someone in a vision told me she returned," I answered.
"And who's this someone?"
"Someone who wants to hide from you." Well, I had no choice but to keep Seirna from knowing that I now 'possessed' the body once belonged to Gaius, and good thing the former god was doing a great job shielding my thoughts from her prying eyes.
Gaius did warn me about Seirna…for some reason she's too clingy to him.
"…"
"Your Holiness," it was Umberto, calling the Saint of the Flame. "I don't think we should delay any further. We need to know what happened in Cherwoods."
"Alright, otherworlder," Seirna said, sensing the urgency from her spymaster. "I'll be quick; I already told the Human, Demon and Beastman Saints about the situation, anyway. Based from what you said, and from the elf's spy reports," she looked at Meanor this time, "the Seductress might've escaped Cherflammen and is not wreaking havoc here."
I could feel my heart melt when I heard that. I mean, yes, I was already made aware by Gaius' warning, but with Seirna confirming it, I felt like everything I did before was wasted. I still clung to that small hope that the former god may be wrong.
"So, what should we do then?" I asked.
"You already know yourself," the Saint of the Flame answered. "Do you think you can hide it from me, otherworlder? That body you have, it's the Lord Gaius'!"
"Wha—"
"And the fact that you possess his body means that you are chosen to succeed his will."
"Yes, he said that, but—"
"I don't give a damn to your words," Seirna interrupted. "This world—and the others, once the Seductress has returned, we are all in grave danger. The Lord Gaius is already gone, yet you possess his body…the immortal one made for the gods. As such, you are our hope against that monster from the Void."
"I…I don't understand…"
The Saint of the Flame caught me by the collar and said to my face, "I hate to admit it, but you have to get our god-powers. The Lady Madelaine, Lady Ruro and Lady Natasha already trusted you, so you have theirs. The Lady Hinwe is your next target, since she has already trusted you! Get her god-powers as soon as possible; we can't delay—!!!"
"!!!"
At that moment, everyone froze when we realized there's another person who heard Seirna's words. A few distances away from us, and hidden by the pillars, was the Lady Hinwe herself. The horror on her face told us that she grossly misinterpreted the Saint of the Flame's statements.
"Y-You…" the Elf Saint glared at me and Meanor. "You guys tricked me for your gain!"
"Wait—"
However, even before we could reach her, the Lady Hinwe teleported off somewhere.