Inside the office of the Reverend Mother that were filled with religious sculptures, images, and pictures of old orphans throughout the orphanage's years, the old, angry woman stood and looked upon the kneeling Reynald with a frown whilst holding a two-meter ruler. If the people of Asturas see him now, they will surely be utterly shocked. For the Invincible and Infallible Emperor to kneel down to a person of religion is something that they haven't dreamed of him doing ever before. The only person he knelt to once was Genarion at his funeral. "M-Mother Lily..." Reynald broke the tense silence that permeated in the room.
"What are you doing here?" She asked with a neutral yet unsettling voice, "35 years, Reynald. 35. Years. You didn't even try to come home at any point of time within those three and a half decades. Why visit now?"
Breathing in, Reynald sighed before answering, "I might not have the time to come over later on, so I took this short time to visit."
"You..." Hearing that, Mother Lily's expression softened a little, seemingly with a hint of worry. "Why? What will happen to you? Are you dying?"
Immediately, Reynald shook his head before replying, "It's not that. I just wouldn't have a lot of free time later on, so I figured this would be the perfect time to go."
Mother Lily nodded in understanding before walking calmly behind her table, still not placing down her ruler, and sitting on her simple wooden chair. She looked him up and down before saying, "Go and sit here." She pointed at the chair on the other side of the table. Nodding, Reynald stood up from the floor and sat on the chair.
Once again, she looked him up and down before asking, "What have you really been doing these past decades? I know it isn't just office business."
Then Reynald did another thing that would never be seen by his subjects. He was perspiring, deeply nervous. Stammering, he replied, "W-What do you mean? I am a long time… regional manager of a… large enterprise in New Burk in the States. Been there for 35 years, yes, yes."
Nodding, Mother Lily spoke to him, saying, "You did say you were the regional manager of a large enterprise in the Federation before..." Reynald was about to sigh in relief before Mother Lily spoke once again, this time with a snicker, "…only problem is you told me it was in Calipher."
"I— that— when did I s-say that?"Reynald's hairs stood up on their end as the Reverend Mother scrutinized him too hard. "Just seven months ago." She answered with a smile and a raised eyebrow.
Reynald's breathing stopped as sweats dripped profusely on his back. It is so embarrassing for him, a respected monarch, to be tense and fearful of a simple nun. Still, it is a fact that this "simple nun" was the one that guided him into growing up for more than a decade. Even if those 35 years were greater, Mother Lily's wise advice and guidance were his basis of right and wrong throughout those years. He was basically being judged by his moral compass.
After a while of silence, Mother Lily could only sigh. "If you do not want to tell the truth, then don't bother talking lies at all. You know me." she said to him.
Hearing her, Reynald suddenly had an idea. Conjuring his thoughts, he said to himself, "Assess!"
Ping!
Soon after that sound echoed in his mind, a complete panel of details about Mother Lily came up.
[Lily de los Santos – 68 years old]
[Life Job – Reverend Mother of Haven Orphanage]
[STR-12, DEX-14, AGI-13, INT-25, CON-30, WIS-24, CHA-24.]
[Remarkable Traits: Guide-S, Holiness Attribute-S, Title-Divine Priestess]
Reading all these made Reynald's eyes widen, not just in surprise but in utter shock. Her stats are just ridiculously high! He doubts that this strong of a person would even die with such ridiculous points.
His ability [Assess] is something that can be considered his cheat tool in establishing his empire. The ability allows him to see other people's stats, their untapped potential, their traits, and even their titles. The highest that Reynald saw in Telhaven was Aquineas', with a constitution reaching 28. The same person, who was deemed the current era's genius Magi, only possessed 24 and 22 points in Intelligence and Wisdom respectively. Currently, his control over mana and his surroundings is unrivaled on the continent. Even her Remarkable Traits could be considered monstrous, with everything being at S-Rank!
"Mother Lily, do you eat books or brains?" The question slipped through Reynald's mouth, which garnered him a slap by a ruler to the face. "What is God's name are you talking about?!" she snapped.
Realizing what he had said, Reynald chuckled wryly before silencing himself. Analyzing the other contents of her details, he was once again shocked by the multitude of characteristics she has, from her S-class capabilities to her title as Divine Priestess.
If he remembered correctly, Divine Priestesses were recorded in the annals of the continent that he had read back then. According to it, Divine Priests or Priestesses are people chosen by deities to enact their will in the mortal world.
For Mother Lily to possess such a title... Is the deity she has a contract with the one here on Terra?
"System, can you check who the deity she is serving under is?" Reynald asked with a thought in his mind. [Answer: Usually, the system does not have enough authority to view the deity supporting a Divine Priestess. But, since the person you are in contact with does not have one, the system can answer your question.]
"Does not have one?"Reynald's eyes couldn't help but rise. How can a Divine Priestess manifest without a deity or a god to serve under?
[The system cannot answer.]
"What are you staring at, you kid?" Mother Lily suddenly snapped at him, which broke his stupor. "N-Nothing, Mother Lily."
"Are you really sick?"She scrutinized him once more. He was just acting too oddly to be normal. "I told you I am fine!" Reynald whined.
"Okay, okay, no need to be a baby." She waved her hand with irritation. A second later, she asked, "Have you eaten yet?"Reynald shook his head. His last meal back in Asturas was eaten at 7:00, so it technically is correct.