"Ugh, I am so bored. Should I head out and do something? But that would be too much trouble. Why is life so contradictory? I don't want to move, but I don't want to feel bored either," Auriel complained as she rolled around in her bed.
It had been three days since Priestess Lilith addressed the people and informed them about what happened to Lady Shelly.
People had mixed reactions to the news of dark magic and the lack of giving Lady Shelly a funeral. Most people felt that it was disrespectful toward the dead, and even someone like Lady Shelly deserved a grave.
Even Auriel had tried to tell Priestess Lilith that it would be fine for those close to Lady Shelly to hold a small public ceremony. But Priestess Lilith had been firm in her stance:
Anyone who was involved with dark magic would not be tolerated, even if they were dead.
Since the debate had started to heat up, Auriel decided to bury herself in her room. And that was how she had spent the last three days holed up in her room, doing nothing.
And now, she was getting bored with nothing to do.
Luckily for her, Carol decided to enter at that exact moment with some exciting news.
"Goddess Auriel, we have a new schedule for you. Lady Sophia, the leader of the mage tower, is here to ask for assistance. Should I ask her to head back because you are busy—"
"No, it's fine. Tell her that I will meet her in a second. Have her wait for me for a bit."
Auriel was quick to deny whatever Carol was about to do and speak these words. Her reply was so fast that even Carol looked suspicious.
And truthfully, this was a foolish decision on Auriel's part to entertain Lady Sophia like this. The master of the mage tower was insane and not someone Auriel should be getting close to.
But because she was bored and out of her mind, even this crazy idea sounded fantastic to her at the moment, and Auriel ended up making the mistake she had been avoiding.
Seeing the goddess flustered and about to lose her mind with boredom, Carol let out a sigh of understanding and decided it was better not to ask questions.
"Understood, Goddess Auriel. Should I prepare myself to head out with you as well? Having… some layer of protection with you would be a good idea."
It was only after Carol said these words that Auriel realized who she was heading out with and how her last encounter with Sophia had gone.
Auriel suddenly jolted awake, and her mind told her it was a foolish idea to head out with Sophia. But by the time she realized this, it was too late, and Carol had already left to attend to Lady Sophia.
"No, wait…. Would it be too much if I decided not to head out at all?"
Auriel asked herself, but even she knew the answer.
She had only met Sophia once, but that woman certainly felt like a hard-willed person incapable of taking 'no' for an answer. The goddess had no doubt that Sophia would break down the door if she had to in order to get closer to Auriel.
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"-Oh my! Is that so? And what about that artifact? Where is it from, and what is it used for?"
Auriel walked into her guest room, and her eyes immediately landed on worried priestess-in-training who looked at each other with distressed faces. None of them wanted to deal with the hyperactive master of the magic tower.
But as a guest, she was not someone they could ignore either. So these priestess-in-training were caught between a rock and a hard place.
Auriel felt bad for the priestess-in-training, but she felt even worse for Carol. The poor young goth had to attend to the master of the magic tower and keep her entertained enough not to bother the staff.
"Miss, that is just a regular vase, not an artifact. Also, would you like a cookie? These are freshly baked."
Carol tried to distract Sophia with food as she presented her with some freshly baked cookies.
It would have worked on someone else, but Sophia was too hard-headed to be distracted by food. She picked up a cookie before asking another question.
"Do these cookies have divine protection as well? Is that what gives them this unique texture? Or is it something else? Is it a secret—"
Even Auriel couldn't take it anymore, and she walked into the room. As soon as she did, the maid keeping an eye out let out a sigh of relief, immediately flushing red when she realized what she had done.
But Auriel gave her a reassuring look, causing the maid to relax.
"G-Goddess Auriel, you are here. I will go and inform our guest—"
No sooner had the maid said this than everyone's attention turned toward Auriel. The first to move was Sophia, who quickly covered the distance between herself and Auriel before casting a small spell to check her identity.
It felt insulting, and Auriel decided not to hold herself back this time.
Her divine magic collided with Sophia's, creating a spark that must have hurt Sophia. But the master of the magic tower only looked delighted, a small blush on her face as she faced Auriel.
"Candidate Sophia, if you are going to be this rude toward me, then it would be better for you not to come to me in the future. I do not appreciate your attempts to get close to me in the way you are trying."
Auriel's words contained a warning for Sophia to stay in her lane and not press her advantage. But the master of the magic tower ignored her completely, stepping into Auriel's comfort zone.
Her face was too close to Auriel's, almost making her take a step back. But she somehow held her ground, her gaze meeting a stubborn yet playful one seconds before a hand closed around her own, pulling her toward a slightly taller body.
"O Divine One, you are finally here. I wanted to meet you for a long time. Please come and help me out. There is so much I want your help with. You will help me out, right?"
Sophia asked in a happy voice, and her tone left no room for anyone to refuse. It was so cheerful that it even made Auriel uncomfortable.
But if there was one person who could burst Lady Sophia's bubble, it would have to be Auriel… or someone who could make her settle down.
Auriel was ready to do this job, but luckily for her, she didn't have to.
Priestess Lilith chose this moment to enter the hallway, and her smile was enough to make Sophia back down and let go of Auriel's hand.
It all happened so fast that Auriel even wondered if what she had just seen was real or not. And she wasn't the only one taken aback by Sophia's odd behavior.
"Lady Sophia, are you here to cause trouble for the Divine One once more? Do you not remember what we discussed before? Or, would you like me to give you a reminder?"
Priestess Lilith asked in an almost tense voice, and Lady Sophia tried to hide how nervous she was. But the shaking of her hands was almost impossible to conceal.
"Ah, Priestess Lilith! It is nice to have you here. As for what I am doing? As you can see, I am here to officially ask the goddess for help with something. As a Candidate for the Empress, it is my duty to make sure that everything is working fine. I am sure you would agree with me as well."
If Auriel wasn't so disoriented right now, she was sure her jaw would be hanging on the ground at how well Lady Sophia managed to act in that moment.
She wasn't the only one surprised. The other priestesses-in-training and even Carol looked uncomfortable with Sophia's sudden change in demeanor.
Priestess Lilith, however, seemed to be the only one who didn't care.
"Ah, I see. In that case, you won't mind me asking what you need our Divine One's help with? If it is something simple, then I can suggest someone else to assist you—"
"No! It has to be Goddess Auriel. It is not something we mortals can handle on our own. Actually, I did not want to bring the problem up while someone else was around, but I guess I no longer have a choice. Would you mind dismissing the other priestesses-in-training? This is not something for their ears to hear."
Sophia sounded serious, so, for the first time in forever, Priestess Lilith decided to take her seriously and asked the younger crowd to disperse. They all left, except Carol, who stubbornly stood her ground.
Once they were gone, the lady of the magic tower took a deep breath before speaking up.
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Give me your Power Stones and I will give more chapters.