Eostia.
- "So this is the city where the reborn goddess lives, huh?" I whistled as I walked along the white stone streets and looked around.
The city was called Geofu, and as befitted the capital of a kingdom and the residence of someone like Celestine, it had high stone walls, paved roads, lots of statues and greenery, as well as decorations for every taste and color.
Children played and laughed, smiling people strolled about, and the older generation looked on nostalgically. One might have concluded that the city, like the kingdom, had never known hardship and that life there was wonderful for everyone. There was just one small 'but'.
- "Yes, Romani," Olga nodded.
- "Too clean and perfect to be real. As soon as we leave the main street, you'll see everything they want to hide from her eyes."
- "That's obvious, considering Celestine's attitude," I smiled. "However, I'll draw my own conclusions when I see her in person."
- "That's your prerogative," Olga agreed.
- "Um... My queen, Mr. God, are you sure we won't be discovered?" Chloe asked suddenly. "The dark elves have always been hostile. If they spot us, we'll be..."
- "They won't. Calm down. Only Celestine can break through my closed field, and even then only if she tries really hard," I rolled my eyes, and Chloe nodded briefly, though she was still a little worried.
I decided to extend my deal with Olga. She would be my guide to this world, as she had a realistic view of it, and in return, I would help her once. Of course, the last point could have been omitted, given that I could have simply ordered her to do something, but Olga seemed interesting to me, so that was the decision I made.
Her assistant, Chloe, softened considerably after Olga revealed that I was a god. Whereas before she had looked at me with hatred and contempt, which was to be expected from someone like her, now it was a slight fear mixed with cautious respect. The latter part was due to Olga, who insisted on it, but still.
In the end, I found some company for my stay in this world. And considering that, as the genre suggested, there were very few sane people here, I would call that a good sign. Besides, this world already had a huge pile of quirks that frankly annoyed me, but more on that later.
When I reached the gates of the inner castle, which was Celestine's residence, I stopped and looked at the guards.
- "The castle is closed to visitors," one of the guards said politely. "If you have an appointment, you should have been notified that it has been rescheduled."
- "Oh? May I ask why?" I asked.
- "The goddess has called an urgent meeting, and all Seven Shields have arrived in Geofu," the second guard explained.
- "That's strange," Olga said quietly. "The news of my defeat wouldn't have reached her yet, and there's no one to deliver it. Why would Celestine act so abruptly?"
- "Heh, you'll understand," I smiled at Olga, and she raised an eyebrow, then turned to the guard. "Can you relay my words to the goddess?"
- "Only if it's vital information," he nodded.
- "It is."
- "What should I tell her?"
- "Ten rings," I smiled. "Don't worry, she'll understand what those words mean."
- "All right," the guard nodded and left, and I waited with the group for a response.
And then, after only a few minutes, the guard returned, but he wasn't alone.
Three women were with him, and when I saw what they all called 'armor', my eye twitched with extreme irritation. Yeah, bikini armor that didn't protect a damn thing, didn't keep them warm, didn't help a damn thing, and a whole lot of other damn things.
How else could you call a set of two or three steel plates and a string bikini 'armor'? Even in Nasuverse, where the outfits of female Servants were anything but modest, there was more sense in the design of the armor than here.
- "My name is Claudia Valentine, commander-in-chief of the Alliance forces," introduced the woman in 'armor' with long brown hair tied back in a bun and dark blue eyes. "The goddess wishes to see you. Please follow me."
-0-
Claudia led us into a round, bright, and spacious hall with a large table of the appropriate shape, behind which sat all the princess-knights, or Shields, as well as Celestine herself, who was recognizable by her long ears and distinctive aura. Using magic, I moved their chairs slightly, then created three more, after which I sat down on one of them and glanced around at those present, stopping at the fair-haired goddess with emerald eyes, whose attire consisted of a single white curtain and nothing else.
Of course, my actions caused indignation among the Shields, but not among Celestine, who looked at me with anticipation and a hint of joy.
Silence reigned in the hall. The Shields, seeing the goddess's mood, did not dare to start the conversation first, even if they had certain questions for me related to my insolence and everything in that vein, and the closed field still hid the true appearance of Olga and Chloe. And so I made the first move.
- "It's not nice to peek, Celestine," I smiled, and in that same second, it all began.
- "How dare you speak to a goddess like that?!" the blonde with blue eyes, dressed in 'armor', flared up, putting her hand on her sword.
- "Watch your language, you are a guest here," added Claudia.
- "Disrespecting a goddess is punishable by punishment," said a girl in a highly questionable Japanese priestess outfit with shoulder-length black hair and orange eyes.
- "You're brave, I like that," chimed in another girl with red hair as long as the previous one's and brown eyes, dressed in a practically transparent bodysuit.
- "That was rude..." whispered a teenage girl with long pink hair and blue eyes in a fetishistic white dress.
- "I don't know if you're stupid or crazy," smiled an eight-year-old girl whose clothes consisted of a damn cape and a thong.
- "Wow, that's intense. Fanatics and their goddess. If you're like that, I don't even want to imagine what the rest of the population is like," I rolled my eyes, and their anger slowly grew, as did their indignation. "I think you deserve what's coming to you, don't you, Olga?"
As soon as I canceled the closed field, and Olga and Chloe revealed themselves, all seven, or rather six, Shields raised their weapons and aimed them at us.
- "What is the dark queen doing here?!" the blonde screamed again.
- "Where's Vult?! What did you do to him and the Black Dogs?!" demanded the clearly agitated redhead.
- "Have you come to kill Lady Celestine?" added the Japanese priestess, preparing her staff.
Seeing this, I smiled, because I saw no threat. They were absolutely powerless against me. Celestine and Olga looked straight into each other's eyes, as if the rest of the world did not exist. Indifferent gold and surprised emerald.
- "Olga..." the goddess almost whispered.
- "Long time no see, Celestine."
- "Why are you here?"
- "Vult and his men captured my castle and raped me and Chloe. And now his goal is to create a country of sex, where every woman will be a common prostitute," Olga replied calmly. "Fortunately, I was helped and escaped a fate worse than death."
- "You're lying!" the redhead raised her voice. "He's a hero of Eos and wouldn't do such a thing!"
- "Maya is right," Claudia nodded in agreement. "You just want to sow the seeds of discord between us."
- "I don't care whether you believe me or not," Olga said indifferently. "I'm only here because I made a deal with this man. And he wanted to talk to Celestine."
- "Lady Celestine, we mustn't let her corrupt our minds!" the blonde woman cried. "We must..."
- "For God's sake, shut up already. I'm in a bad mood as it is, and your screaming is making it worse," I said, immobilizing the Shields and paralyzing them, then looking at Celestine with a sneer and a hint of menace. "Now that your chickens are finally out of the way, let's get back to the matter at hand. I could have forgiven you for just watching me, but to get me right there?"
- "I..." Celestine stammered and looked down, fidgeting with her fingers.
- "Keep in mind that a lot will depend on your next words, and you know perfectly well what I mean," I interrupted her and, making a cup of coffee, waited for her answer.
I can forgive a lot. It's hard to get me so angry that I would want to kill someone or completely reject them as a person, but to penetrate my Mirror of Souls? That was unthinkable. Only those who have earned my approval or people who are special to me can get there, but everyone else? Huh.
Well, let's see what her answer is...
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