Somewhere within the Ashfell Empire
"Saintess," Emperor Thorne bowed his head slightly as his he took in the sight of the woman's body. "Emperor Thorne," Sasha reciprocated his motion. "May I ask why you have requested my presence this fine evening?" Thorne asked.
The blonde-haired woman studied the old man slightly hunched over in front of her. The Saintess tried her hardest to not show any hints of disgust at the old coot in front of her. She could feel his leering gaze wash over her, almost making her gag on the spot. 'Disgusting pig,' she thought, not letting her true emotions show on her face.
"Our Goddess has spoken to me once more," Sasha replied softly. The Emperor's brows rose slightly, "What has our Goddess communicated to you?" Thorne asked, shifting his focus away from the young woman's voluptuous body to the conversation.
"Another Inheritor was chosen recently," Sasha replied coolly.
"Are they within our Empire?" Thorne asked, a little bit nervous for the answer.
"No," the Saintess stated.
Thorne sighed and his head fell slightly. If an Inheritor from another Kingdom was chosen, then it wasn't good news for them. Perhaps the Inheritor came from the Cresthelm Kingdom to the southwest. Or maybe the Eira Kingdom to the southeast. Or possibly even worse, the vile demon nation to the West. The Emperor truly hoped that it was not them.
"It is on a smaller continent south of our own. It is where the elves, dwarves, and beast folk reside. There is a human nation there that the Inheritor is born from," Sasha conveyed.
Thorne tried to keep himself from spitting onto the holy ground beneath him at the mention of those races. 'Disgusting sub-races,' Thorne scowled internally. Tree loving dagger ears, fat midgets that resided in the mountains, and lowly animals were only a few names Thorne could come up with on the spot. At least some of the demon races looked like humans or were so at one point.
"Is the Inheritor a human?" The Emperor asked impatiently. The Empire had their focus on their own continent with the war on multiple fronts. He felt painfully out of the loop, since he hadn't even realized the presence of a human nation on the south continent.
"Yes," the Saintess replied. Just as relief began to settle in Thorne, she continued, "But he is the Inheritor of Ransein, the Beast God."
Thorne paled slightly, "I thought he was unable to choose an Inheritor. That is what our Goddess Astra has-"
"I know what she said," Sasha interrupted, "But she has relayed to me that it is of utmost importance we deal with this Inheritor before he truly realizes his limits. Our Goddess is sure that due to Ransein's situation, he is likely unable to even communicate with his Inheritor. This should make things significantly easier for us only if we deal with this problem before it grows."
Thorne's jaw was clenched in frustration. 'How dare this woman interrupt me? If not for her position, I'd have her personally warm my bed.' The only woman above him in his eyes was their Goddess.
Sasha could see the anger in the Emperor's eyes, forcing her to hold back a smirk. She was well aware of what kind of man he was, and she took satisfaction in the fact that she held more power over him than he did her. Though she tried not to push too much. She did have orders to follow from Astra, and unfortunately, this man was a part of them, albeit as a pawn.
"I'll convene with my council on the matter," Thorne said in annoyance. "Good, the Goddess wishes this matter to be dealt with swiftly," Sasha said, causing the Emperor's lips to twitch into a frown for only a second.
"Saintess," Thorne tilted his head downward, then spun on his heels and excused himself. Once Sasha heard the doors to her Holy Sanctuary close, she let out a deep sigh. Just being in the vicinity of the Emperor for a short time took a lot out of her. "Why must we keep him around?" Sasha asked aloud.
"Because he has the support of not only the nobles, but the commoners as well. We need him because he is someone whom the people respect, and we are able to control him. Should we allow another to take his place, they may not be so inclined to follow my words," A feminine voice resounded in Sasha's mind, causing the beautiful woman to let out another sigh.
"What are you aiming for with whatever plans you have concocted?" The Saintess asked as she looked at nothing in particular.
"While I have chosen you as my Inheritor, I owe you no explanation. Remember, you are the one indebted to me. If not for me choosing you as a young child sleeping on the streets, you would certainly not have the luxury of a life you do now. I can take what I have given you and remove it. How do you think I chose you? You are replaceable. I would keep that in mind when thinking of asking me about my plans." The voice's tone was cold and threatening.
"Yes Goddess," Sasha bowed. Astra was very particular about what Sasha could and couldn't talk or ask about, and it seemed this was one of those things. The blonde woman was not going to give the Goddess of Life any reason to get rid of her.
The Saintess wasn't going to tempt fate if she could help it and made a mental note to not bring the subject up on her own accord. All Sasha wanted was to live a life of ease, and if she could do so only having to play the messenger and heal some people here or there, then she'd do it.
She personally had no qualms with any of the other races, considering the fact that she was of poor blood as well. But she was not really in a position to do anything about Astra's hate towards the other races.
Feeling the mental link Astra used to talk with Sasha vanish, the blonde woman let out a shaky breath. A small part of her hoped that the Empire would fall. The only thing truly keeping the nation together was the fact that the church was heavily involved throughout.
Since Astra's initial involvement, the once peaceful nation had become one of war, slavery, violence, and discrimination. Sasha knew the chance was slim though. Astra's blessing and how zealous the troops are, Sasha was sure that they would never realize what they were fighting for was wrong.
Still, she hoped one day she would get to see a kinder world.