"Supposedly he got the idea from an…anime? Am I saying that right?" Xenovia mused, tilting her head to the side in confusion "Regardless of its origins, I cannot fault his design. Having a suitable place to practice one's skill is truly a Godsend-!"
"Xenovia-san?" Shirou blinked, looking over at the former exorcist in concern as she trailed off with a wince, only to frown as she averted her eyes from his own "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes…No…" Xenovia sighed, shaking her head in frustration "I honestly don't know, Emiya-sama. Physically I am fine, and mentally I have resolved myself to put my past behind me…" she placed a hand over her heart "It's just…I fought so hard to uphold my beliefs, sacrificed everything to uphold the doctrines of the Church…" she closed her eyes with a grimace "Despite having learned the truth, a part of me just can't bring myself to cast aside those beliefs I once cherished."
Shirou said nothing, the 3rd-rate magus regarding the former exorcist with concern, understanding all-too-well the dilemma she was facing, as it was one he'd faced himself not too-long ago. While their situations were different, Xenovia having cast aside her ideals after being betrayed, as someone who had cast aside his ideals only to be betrayed, Emiya Shirou was quite possibly the only person the former exorcist could relate to.
"Xenovia-san…do you still believe in God?" he asked, only to mentally kick himself for his bluntness when the girl turned to stare at him "What I meant to say was: Do you still believe in his teachings?" he elaborated "I'm not talking about what you were trained to do as an exorcist, but whether or not you still believe in the teachings passed down by God before he passed away?"
"But of course!" Xenovia exclaimed, as if insulted that he'd even have to ask "Though the Church may have twisted them to suit their own ends, the teachings he passed down are not wrong!"
"Then why should it matter if he's alive or dead?" Shirou pressed, scratching his cheek awkwardly at her look of surprise "I'm probably not the best person to say this, given my stance of Deities in general, but I think your God would be more than content that people still follow his teachings even after he died." He smiled wanly "I'd think he'd find that preferable to being forgotten by everyone after all."
Whether they were Gods or Heroes, history had long since proven that the absolute worst thing that can happen to a person after their death was to be forgotten. It was for that exact reason that even to this day people continued to retell the old stories, glorifying the Heroes whilst vilifying the Villains. Though the Age of Gods had long since passed in his own world, they would never truly be forgotten so long as people continued to remember the roles they'd played in countless legends.
'Even if some Gods would be better off forgotten…' he mused, scowling at the memory of the Black Grail formed by Servant Avenger and cursing the Einzberns for their stupidity for the umpteenth time.
"Emiya-sama…" Xenovia whispered, drawing the Faker's attention back to the exorcist turned battle-maid, only to gape at the tearful smile adorning her features "You are right, of course." She agreed, her smile never changing even as she wiped the tears from her eyes "Though the Lord is gone, his teachings remain with the faithful." She placed a hand over her heart "And so long as people truly adhere to these teachings, he will never truly be lost to us." She beamed at him gratefully "Thank you for reminding me of that…truly, you are wiser than your years."
"I can think of several people who would argue otherwise…" Shirou countered with a weak chuckle, a bead of sweat running down his cheek as he recalled the countless lectures he'd received from the various women in his life "If you really want to thank me, then drop the 'sama', okay? My friends call me Shirou."
"Very well then Shirou-sa…Shirou." Xenovia conceded, smiling gratefully at the redhead "Yes, I must admit it sounds right to do so. But I shall only consent if you call me by my own name."
"Um…sure, I guess?" Shirou stammered, honestly startled by how closely the former exorcist's smile reminded him of Saber's, back when the two had sworn to aid one another "C'mon, let's get cleaned up so I can get started on dinner. Did Azazel say he wanted anything in particular?"
"Not that I can recall, no." Xenovia admitted with a shrug as they strode out the door, holding her chin in thought as she went over her last conversation with the Governor General of the Grigori "In fact, I think he said he'd be busy entertaining a guest."
Azazel's Lovely Suite...
"That was one hell of a Sneeze, Devil-kun. I'd say 'bless you' but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be received very well."
"You'd be right about that." Issei chuckled, wiping his nose on the back of his hand before turning his attention back to the screen.
To say things were looking up for Hyoudo Issei would be an understatement. For the longest time the self-proclaimed 'Harem King' had been forced to accept that the closest he would ever get to actual T&A without having to resort to the literal mountains of porn he kept in his room would typically involve getting the shit beat out of him by angry schoolgirls.
However, following his death and revival as a pawn of Rias Gremory earlier that year, the teen's prospects seemed to be perpetually on the rise, especially after the stellar debut he'd made, crashing her engagement party to rescue her from the grasp of that yakitori-bastard Riser Phenex. Ever since then, and Rias' subsequent decision to move into his home along with Asia, the perverted pawn hadn't so much as looked at a gravure magazine or dirty video.
--------------------
If you want to read ahead by advance chapters from her you can visit my Patre-on.
{P} {A} {T} {R} {E} {O} {N}
https://patreon.com/Playerfanfic
🎁 Patreon Benefits:
📚 Access to 50+ advance chapters
👥 Join a private fan community
📖 Exclusive unreleased novels
🌟 Ad-free reading experience
⏰ Early access to all new chapters
By joining a tier, you're supporting my writing through a creative donation, not a purchase. New patrons are charged the day they subscribe.
---
💡 Important Notice:
⚠️ Avoid joining via the iOS app: Apple delays access for 75 days due to transaction policies. Use a browser or desktop instead.
💡 DISCOUNT
I'm giving back to my amazing supporters! 🎉
For a limited time, you can get 50% OFF on all tiers on my Patreon.
🔑 Use promo code: 9865E
📌 Don't forget to check out my profile here: [