[Third Person Pov]
"You may rise now, Beatrice," Lucian commanded, his voice carrying that calm, unshakable authority that always seemed to settle over any room he occupied.
"Thank you, my liege," Beatrice replied softly, her tone filled with genuine reverence as she gracefully rose to her feet.
Lucian gave a small nod, though inwardly he found the formal gratitude unnecessary. Still, he understood it was simply part of who Beatrice was as one of his soldiers.
Meanwhile, Thalia had already wandered away from the group. Her steps echoed lightly across the polished stone floor as she made her way toward the imposing statue positioned directly behind the grand podium. She stopped a few feet away, tilting her head as she examined it with intense curiosity. Leaning closer, she reached out with careful fingers, gently tracing the cold, smooth surface of the carved stone while studying every intricate detail—the flowing robes, the serene expression, the subtle lines that gave the figure an almost living presence.
"Honestly… I can see why people would want to worship this," Thalia admitted after a long moment, her voice carrying a mix of awe and appreciation. She began slowly circling the statue, her eyes never leaving it as she continued her thorough inspection. "It has a certain… how do I even describe it? It possesses this undeniable aura. It's hard to put into words, but there's something magnetic about it. Almost hypnotic."
"I believe that effect is largely thanks to the thousands upon thousands of devoted prayers and worship that have been poured into it over time," Beatrice explained as she and Lucian approached from behind. Her voice was calm and knowledgeable, like a scholar sharing ancient secrets. "The collective faith of so many has imbued the statue with unique properties. The more people believe and focus their devotion here, the stronger and more compelling that divine presence becomes. It creates a kind of spiritual resonance that makes belief feel… easier. More natural."
Thalia turned around sharply, her eyes wide with genuine surprise. "Seriously? It actually works like that?"
"Thousands?" Lucian repeated, stopping in his tracks and staring at Beatrice with open astonishment. His usual composed demeanor cracked for a moment, revealing how caught off guard he truly was.
Beatrice offered them both a knowing, slightly wry smile before continuing. "You would be surprised by what the concentrated power of even a single thousand sincere prayers can accomplish when they are all directed toward one focal point. And yes… thousands." Her expression grew more serious as she looked directly at Lucian. "Remember the report I gave you last time? When I said things were starting to get out of hand? I wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. The people of this era… they're desperately lacking something meaningful to believe in. When something that feels truly divine appears before them—something that might actually be real—they latch onto it with everything they have. It's like a deep, aching need for a higher power. A hunger for meaning beyond the mundane. It's quite sad, if I'm being honest."
Beatrice's words hung in the air for a moment, carrying a weight that made both Lucian and Thalia pause.
"Beatrice," Lucian said carefully, his brow furrowing as a new concern began to settle in. He was starting to wonder whether he should have taken a far more hands-on approach with the development of this church from the very beginning. "When you say thousands… exactly how many believers are we talking about here?"
"Mmmh, let's see…" Beatrice murmured thoughtfully, her fingers lightly tapping against her chin as she calculated. "If we're including all the branches across the different regions, the total number of active believers would be somewhere close to seven or eight thousand in total."
"That's it?" Thalia asked, tilting her head to the side in visible confusion, her expression genuinely puzzled.
"That much?!" Lucian exclaimed at almost the exact same time, his voice filled with awe and disbelief.
The two of them immediately turned to look at each other, both raising an eyebrow in perfect sync. The contrast in their reactions was almost comical.
"You seriously think that seven to eight thousand people is a small number?" Lucian asked, staring at Thalia with an incredulous look.
"I mean… yeah?" Thalia replied with a casual shrug. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discredit Beatrice or anything. I'm sure it must have been incredibly difficult and time-consuming to build it up to this point. But seven or eight thousand just feels… modest to me. I was honestly expecting something closer to twenty thousand or even more."
"Thalia," Lucian scoffed, shaking his head, "if I stabbed you eight thousand times, would you still consider that a small amount?"
"..."
Thalia paused, blinking once, then twice, before she suddenly snickered, unable to hold back her laughter. "Alright, fair point. I see what you mean. But also, think about it like this—if you gathered eight thousand grains of sand in your hand, the most you'd end up with is a tiny little hill in your palm. Barely noticeable."
"Also fair…" Lucian admitted after a moment, conceding that her perspective had some merit as well.
Thalia's smirk grew as she added another comparison. "And another way to look at it—if someone offered you eight thousand dollars, would you consider that a lot of money?"
"Chump change," Lucian answered without even a second of hesitation, looking at her as if she had just mildly insulted his pockets.
Thalia quickly turned toward Beatrice, her tone becoming more earnest and apologetic. "Again, I'm really not trying to look down on your hard work. I'm sure it must have been incredibly challenging to get the church to where it is today. You've clearly poured a lot of effort into this."
"No offense taken at all," Beatrice replied calmly, though she let out a soft, almost wistful sigh afterward. "Truthfully… I myself wish the numbers were higher. Much higher."
"By the way," Lucian interjected, not wanting to let an important detail slip by unnoticed, "we're not just going to gloss over the fact that you mentioned branches. Exactly how many branches are there?"
"Let's see…" Beatrice began counting on her fingers with quiet focus. "There's one established in Miami, Florida… another in North Carolina… a third one up in Maine… and a fourth in San Francisco. So, if we include our main headquarters here, that brings the total to five churches altogether."
"Why Maine of all places?" Lucian asked with a faint chuckle, shaking his head in amusement. "That feels so incredibly random."
Beatrice gave a light, elegant shrug, her lips curving into a small smile. "Edna and I honestly didn't know where else to open the next one. So we simply pulled out an old map, threw a dart at it, and left the decision entirely up to fate."
"Of course you did," Lucian scoffed, though there was clear fondness in his voice. Beside him, Thalia burst into bright laughter at the absurd mental image.
"Speaking of Edna," Lucian continued, "where has she been lately? I feel like I haven't heard anything from her in quite a while."
"She is currently in South Asia," Beatrice answered smoothly, "working diligently on Lady Thalia's church."
Thalia froze mid-step, her entire body going rigid. "Eh? My what now?" She began blinking rapidly, as if her brain was struggling to process the information.
The teasing smile on Lucian's face immediately widened into a full, mischievous grin. "Aha! And here you were teasing me earlier, weren't you? Oh, how the turns have table."
He began slowly circling Thalia with deliberate steps, his expression playful and triumphant. "Well, well, well… just imagine it. A large group of devoted people gathered together in a grand hall like this one, all sitting peacefully and worshipping to the high heavens… in your name."
A strange, uncomfortable shiver traveled down Thalia's spine. Her face twisted into a visible grimace of distaste. "Ugh… I think I finally understand exactly how you were feeling earlier. A small part of me just died inside. I feel so weird now."
Lucian nodded in deep satisfaction, clearly pleased with her reaction. "Thank you. That is all I wanted to hear—that you finally understand."
After a moment, he turned back toward Beatrice with renewed focus. "Alright then. I think we can officially begin the proper tour of this place now."
"Certainly, my liege," Beatrice responded with graceful deference. She waved her hand in a fluid motion, and her magic activated instantly. The shadowy, ethereal form she had been using began to recede like melting darkness, smoothly transforming her back into her elegant humanoid appearance. She now stood before them in her striking high priestess attire—an outfit that beautifully hugged her generous hips and tastefully accentuated every alluring curve of her figure.
"..."
Lucian noticed Thalia staring at Beatrice more intently than usual.
"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Thalia let out a small scoff, her gaze still lingering with a hint of envy. "I'm under the strong suspicion that quite a lot of the people who joined this church were simply seduced by her. They probably joined hoping for even the smallest chance to get close to someone who looks like that."
Beatrice smiled softly, not bothering to deny the accusation. She was clearly well aware of the effect her beauty and presence had on others—and she knew precisely how to use it to her advantage. To her, seducing men was often as effortless and natural as casting a simple spell.
"They can dream and wish all they like," Beatrice said with quiet confidence as she stepped forward and pulled Lucian into a warm, deliberate embrace. She gently sandwiched his face between the soft, ample pillows of her breasts. "However, my body and soul belong only to my Lord and no one else."
Thalia's brow twitched visibly at the shameless display. Instead of showing even a trace of embarrassment or modesty, Lucian immediately began rubbing his face against her with unrestrained delight, letting out a series of perverted little giggles.
"Hehehe~ Booba," he murmured happily while Beatrice puffed her chest out even more proudly, wearing a deeply satisfied grin.
"You absolute bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Thalia growled, quickly yanking him back by the collar before delivering a firm whack to the back of his head. "Your girlfriend is standing right here!"
"Achk!" Lucian yelped, rubbing the sore spot with one hand while still looking unrepentant. "I'm sorry, but can you really blame me? Just look at those perfect pillows!"
Beatrice glanced down at her now-empty arms and let out a soft sigh laced with reluctant acceptance. "Oh well… shall we get started on the tour then?"
As the three of them began walking deeper into the grand hall, Thalia kept a firm grip on Lucian's ear, dragging him along while he continued to apologize repeatedly between half-hearted complaints.
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