I opened my eyes. An unfamiliar scene unfolded in my vision. The flapping of the cloths overhead felt so alien to me that it made me realised that this was the first time that I had woken up inside a tent. Peter's henchmen must had established a perimeter around the den for investigation. How many days was I out? Somehow, I feel extremely great right now. Never felt better in my life.
I sat up from what I assumed to be a sleeping bag but turned out to be a mattress. Did Peter instructed his men to carry along mattresses for this reinforcement party? I thought I was the last to regained consciousness until I noticed Rose sleeping in a separate mattress on my right while Lily on my left. I thought I had the worst injuries among them but I guess they might had overexerted their strength from the insane battle we had with Horrus. May he burn in hell.
Ha chiu, HA CHIU!
Never felt better my arse. Here comes the side effects from my blood regeneration potion. I guess the healing spell doesn't stop delayed side effects. But hey, as long as I'm still alive to see my loved ones, nothing else really matters.
I got up and immediately my body started feeling fatigue. Yup, exactly what I remembered from the previous time. I better make full use of today before I end up bedridden for the next few days. I headed out the tent, only to find Mr Wick standing guard. Shouldn't a soldier be doing such a duty instead of him?
"Afternoon, Mister Zen. Surprised to see you're up and about before the ladies. How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I would really like to tell you that I've never felt better but I know I'm going to be down for the count soon. Where's Peter? I'm sure he's waiting for us to answer some questions. Better for me to answer them before I fall badly ill," I sneezed.
"How interesting that you can predict when you're about to fall sick. Peter is right this way, follow me," he gestured me to follow him.
We headed back into the den where hundreds of soldiers were rummaging through the area, Peter was overseeing the procedures as always. He will not settle for less when such an important operation is at hand.
"How long was I out?" I asked as I approached him.
"About two days. You looked worse for wear. I had assumed that the other two would had woken up first before you. Tell me everything. There are clear signs of an intense battle here so it just doesn't make sense that all of you could walk out unscathed," he asked.
And so I did. From the sentient beasts that we spoke with, to the giant four-legged beasts that we fought along with Horrus.
"Vessel of a God? I'm amazed you three made it out alive yet relatively unscathed. But how is that even possible when you said that it was potentially stronger than me? Another breakthrough in your alchemy?" he questioned me.
"Well— let's just say Rose found a miracle," I kept things vague.
"Either you give it to me straight or I'll get it from your wife. Now is not the time to be keeping secrets, Zen," he sounded annoyed.
"Alright alright. But this is for your ears only," I glanced at Mr Wick who took the hint and respectfully walked off after he bowed.
"Rose had successfully figured out a way to use healing magic," I whispered softly.
"W— what? Are you certain?" he whispered excitedly.
"You're looking at three living specimens. How it goes and works; you're gonna have to ask her directly," I shrugged.
"I always knew she was brilliant. But to think that she had exceeded beyond my forbidden spell book. She is certainly something else. Your wife had just discovered real magic, Zen. That is going to change the world," he nodded to himself.
"C'mon, let's not forget that fortification magic had already existed. But indeed it is something else. She had succeeded where I couldn't in Alchemy. I wonder, if she is able to teach others about it though? Last I heard, there are strict requirements to using it," I pondered.
We took a moment of silence as we needed a minute or two to absorb what we had just discussed. Healing magic is actually real now. I had been trying to brew a healing potion all my life ever since I started doing Alchemy but none of the ingredients combination in this world was able to heal your wounds completely. Healing gel is still the best healing item I invented and all it does is seal your wounds. There is also the blood regeneration potion but I had not perfected that yet. If only I can find a way to combine the properties of these two, and the ability to heal internal wounds.
I broke the silence and asked Peter on whether it was possible to thaw the frozen four-legged beast but sadly, it is just not possible. Frozen lightning do not thaw under normal circumstances after they had fully frosted their target. Even if Lily were to defrost it, the target would break apart if it was frosted for more than three hours or so. That was what they had discovered during her training.
Damn it, and here I thought that I can harvest the hides to make myself a replacement cloak. I guess red dragonhide is still the only replacement for me.
"To think the three of you actually fought against such a dangerous foe. If Rose hadn't figured out how to how to use healing magic, the three of you might had already left this world. I've been too sloppy in thinking that it was nothing more than some sentient beast that was behind these attacks," Peter gripped his fists.
"Hey hey, we're still alive, aren't we? No reason to think of possibilities that didn't happened," I tried to calm him.
"Times are changing, Zen. You know better than anyone that everything that is happening around us is because of him. You had beaten two Vessels and emerged victorious. What do you think the Gods are going to do to you? What do you think he will do when he knows you are foiling his plans? The Gods do not take failures kindly and you know full well His resurrection is imminent. And I am certain he serves one of the Gods, probably a very powerful one. Not to mention, we had not heard about Sladar for years now and I would hate it if he had perished alone in the North," he sighed.
"Knowing Sladar, he won't perish so easily. Something must be happening there that I couldn't discover. Until then, I'mma head to get some rest. My potion's side effects are hitting me badly now," I waved at him as I headed back to the tent.
"Wait, what are you gonna do with the sentient beasts? You're not going to kill them, right?" I asked with concern.
"Most of them seems to be intelligent enough to speak the human tongue but there was a couple of feral ones we had to put down. It would seemed as though they have a strong appetite for raw bloody meat, probably due to the fact that they had not eaten cooked meals for a long time. You confirmed that they are weak against fire, yes? They will have difficulties living on their own if that's the case," he explained.
"We still can't abandon them. We can find a way to reverse their bestial form. The answer is in their blood, I am certain of it," I tried to persuade him.
"They'll be monitored by my soldiers but I will not allow them to live in the city. This is for their safety and my people. But rest assured they will be kept someplace safe until we find a cure for them. You, on the other hand, will have to return to the East to ensure that the monster attacks had stopped there. Let us hope that killing the Vessel would put a stop to all future attacks," he glanced at me.
"I'll return when I feel better. Doubt I am in the mood to be sailing when I am seriously ill," I dropped my hand to my side which made contact with something in my pocket. Oh right, there was a foreign necklace that I found at my feet before I lost consciousness.
"Sensei, have you seen this symbol before? It looked familiar but I can't quite put my finger on it," I lifted the necklace to him as I tried to recall the symbol.
"Isn't this from the Church of Imperatrix? There are similarities to their symbol with some minor alterations," he inspected it.
"W— what?! Are you sure?" I clarified firmly.
"About 99%. Maybe you can ask your wife to be sure. I doubt Lily would know much about the church. She rarely takes interest in other religions aside from her own, or you," he smirked.
"Har har, then I'll take my leave then. Come find me if you require any other information, I'll try my best to answer you if I'm down," I waved and headed back to the tent.
***
"You're saying you found this necklace at your feet? You're certain this dropped off of you when you stood up?" asked Rose as she examined the necklace.
"Y— yea. *Ha chiu!" I rubbed my nose. This illness is going to last for about a week innit, if I recall properly? Both Rose and Lily regained consciousness a day after I woke up and they were feeling great. Wished I was that fortunate. I feel like absolute crap like right now with a fever, headache, running nose and constant sneezing. Can't really complain as that potion sort of overhauled my body to produce more blood in an instant. The side effects could had been worse than this.
"Hm, it does share some similarities to the church's symbol but I am uncertain what does this meant. We might have to ask Father about it. But why was it on you though? I never gave you such a necklace before. No way did it just fell from the sky," she scratched her head.
"Ahem. Did the both of you knocked your head and forgot about something crucial? Didn't Horrus gave Zen a lovely hug before he burned to cinders? Perhaps his necklace survived somehow?" Lily adjusted her specs.
Rose and I gasped. She's right. Why didn't we thought of it? I had completely wiped my mind that Horrus gave me a hug of death to burn me along with him.
"W— wait. Does this meant that the church was involved after all? I knew it, I fucking knew it," I slammed my fist on the table.
"Zen, we're eating," Peter warned me with a stern look.
"Right. Sorry I got carried away," I apologised with a bow. I inspected the bottom of the table and Q's family were having a feast. I did promised him a fancy dinner and I intend to honour my word. He did saved my life after all. He waved at me telling me everything is fine and I should enjoy my dinner. Best family pet I ever had.
"Let's not jump the gun just because you found this necklace. I will provide you a letter to gain audience with Father, one that he cannot turn away. You will confront him about the necklace that you found. Do not mention that you found it off a Horrus. We do not want him to be suspicious. Claim that you found it during your journey here or something," he explained.
"Right. No point making turning him into my enemy when I should be keeping him close inside the city. I will send you a letter about my findings after my discussion with him. There is also a person I planned to interrogate upon heading back to the city," I told him.
"Sensei, I would appreciate if you can provide me with a letter as well. With your permission, I wish to start a small gathering to worship the Imperatrix of Mortal. It will be a complete separate entity than the church," asked Rose.
"With you, it will be a crowd rather than a small gathering. Do realised that this will be causing problems with the church as it is a direct conflict with them. You hold much influence, Rose. Any religion you start will have followers and they will follow you over the church. I will suggest you choose something different to worship rather than the Imperatrix herself. How about changing the name or identity for the time being?" warned Peter.
Changing the name? Why not change the gender too? King of humanity? Monarch of shadow? Emperor of Mankind? Talk about the possibilities.
"I appreciate the thought but that would be disrespectful the Imperatrix herself. What I need is your endorsement so that I can start a group of my own. I will handle things from there myself," said Rose.
"Even if it meant waging a religious war against the church?" warned Peter.
"Yes, what's the worst they could do to me? My fame alone supersedes their influence within the city. It would be foolish of them to even try anything," Rose gripped her fist.
"Careful now. Never underestimate the power of the church. If they are truly the mastermind behind these monster attacks then you need to tread lightly. Who knows whether they have direct help from the Gods themselves," he warned her again.
Exactly what I thought but I remained silent as I felt that a stern warning from Peter will be more impactful than hearing it from me. After being married for so long, my words no longer have the influence that it once had.
"Rose, the church might not harm you directly, but what about your followers? I am certain you don't want them to be kidnapped or tortured, right? Maybe you should think about them rather than just yourself," I elaborated.
"Hm— perhaps you're right. I can't protect all of them and people might end up getting hurt just for joining," she put on a thinking face.
"Think of it as a temp. Until we run the church down, maybe keep things subtle until then," I smiled.
"Zen, that's a horrible rationality. We can't keep finding fault with the church if they are truly innocent," she was speechless.
"Oh trust me, they are not. My hunch had never failed me thus far. I swear to dig out every dirty little secret they have even if I have to tear down their walls one by one," I assured her.
"Ahem, getting back on hand, I'll ready the letters for you two. Consider this as payback for you, Rose, since you'll be showing us your magic," said Peter.
"Will you be coming back to the East, Lily? I'm sure Daisy would be delighted," I asked her.
"No, Zen. There are things that I need to do here. Don't worry, there is no reason for me to avoid you anymore. I will hold you to your words. Don't you dare change your mind anymore. I do not want to hear a different answer the next time I see you. Promise me on that," she held out her pinky.
"Yes, I promise," I wrapped her pinky with mine.
"Is there something I missed?" asked Peter curiously.
"Long story short, Zen finally agreed to marry Lily. Yay," cheered Rose.
Peter gave her an astonished face when she acted cheerfully. I completely understand his perspective. This wife of mine is happy that I am getting a second wife. How many females out there would be this enthusiastic about it. Thankfully everyone who actually knows me are aware that this is all Rose's idea. Otherwise my reputation would be flying downhill faster than a crowd with a strike.
***
A month had passed since we returned from the East. Before we returned here, Rose had spent an entire week trying to teach Peter and some of his trusted men on how to use healing magic but none of them succeeded. She mentioned that none of them had gained faith so they couldn't use it. She explained to them how she received her faith from the Imperatrix but neither of them could receive her blessings. Is Rose going to be the sole entity in this world who can use healing magic?
The reason as to why we stayed an additional week was because I was recovering from my potion's side effects. Whole week of cold like symptoms are not fun. Thankfully I was feeling much better after a week and we sailed back to the Western continent, making sure we had done everything we could over there beforehand. Daisy was obviously reluctant to return as she knew full well that it was back to school and additional lessons for her.
The first thing I sorted out when I returned was regarding the beast's attacks. John had gotten me up to speed over a meal. He mentioned that beasts were attacking at full wave about a few weeks ago, which happened to be the same time as when the Chaplain Beast attacked the City of Heliotrope Ixia. But after they had successfully defended the city at a cost, the attacks had ceased ever since. While remained unclear, there were reports about beast monsters fighting with themselves. Perhaps by killing Horrus, the blood pact was shattered and all the mindless beast went even more feral. Thankfully the sentient ones were unaffected thus far.
I had settled down from my trip and will begin my interrogation with the church. And to meet someone who had direct connection with one of the Demon Gods. I look forward to both encounters wondering which will squeal. There's no way I nearly died twice for nothing.