Chapter 48: A Brief Stop

On their way back to the lower city, the carriage had fallen quiet. Witnessing all that they had with the queen, none of them knew how to break the silence. The queen acting like a slut, confession about vampires, and a curse, were all bizarre enough, but the fact that Raven had turned her into his servant in one night's time, bothered them all intrinsically.

It wasn't that they were mad, but they felt more flustered than anything. The mage had always been a playboy, but never before he'd made such bold attempts on anyone. So what exactly changed? Having no clue about the charm, they all landed on the only logical answer, his technique in bed along with that monster of a cock.

'I-I shouldn't think like this!' Shaking her head to drive away those thoughts, Erika split the front curtains to talk to the coachman.

"Can you please stop by the church?" She requested, her voice all muffled from her racing heart.

The coachman was well aware that commoners weren't allowed to visit, and so he tried to ignore Erika–but noticing the insulting gesture, Aria got onto her feet and squeezed the coach's shoulder in warning.

"We're going there you fucker..." Speaking in the most monotone of voices, she instead let her seriousness reflect through her grip. Near about enough to crush the castle worker's shoulder, she was ready to disable his arms in her fury.

"F-Fine!" He screeched, his teeth grinding together in hurt.

Feeling the pain shooting through his mind, he felt like he'd fall unconscious any moment, but was barely holding on through sheer will alone. Steering the carriage towards the grand cathedral, the coachman despite his wishes led the group to the holy ground.

'Maybe a visit will help clear my head.' Erika hoped, though even she knew there was no guarantee it would work.

The others felt pretty much the same, although, to them, the visit would be more about finally crossing a line that the king was barring them from. Being the so-called heroes of the land, the least they deserved was a visit to the grand cathedral after all.

"The holy father won't be happy about this," Amedith muttered, thinking back to his bitter encounter with the man.

"A-an angel?" Muttered Erika, her eyes following the edge of the angel's golden sword sticking out of a man in a priest's garb. "Ekk!"

Following her gaze, the other noticed the corpse hidden behind the bench at the very top of the communal row. None but one of them knew who it was, and it baffled him beyond reason.

"That's the holy father..." Amedith informed, his hand shivering with uncertainty about whether or not to reach for his sword.

"Worry not children, the man has only paid for his sins against the holy mother," despite having no mouth of its own, the creature spoke with more clarity than most other people. The only part that bothered everyone as he spoke, however, were the way his numerous eyes sticking out of its flesh and moving in random directions irrespective of each other.

Drawing his blade out of the priest, the angel held it openly in his hands as if offering someone from the group to take its burden off of him.

"A priest who sullies a child, a man that whispers the word of demons through jealousy and pride, deserves divine punishment just as he'd basked in the glory of the divine!" Stretching his hands forward with the sword still lying on top, the angel glanced across the group before his eyes landed back on Raven.

"The mother has learned of what you wish to do, and wishes to grant you a tool to rid that vampire of its head."

Watching the angel kneel with the sword held high in both his hands for the taking, a weird sense of deja vu flashed before everyone's eyes. The blade that the hero carries was given to him by the priest in the same manner in front of the populi--however, to receive one from an angel was a different level of honor entirely.

"I'll get it..." Thinking the blade was for him, Amedith tries to step forward.

"Not you!" The angel screeched, nearly deafening everyone with the resounding waves echoing through the hall. "You've sullied your chance to be a leader! The mother has selected a new chosen!

Raven, the fae child, you may not carry the hero's title for the goddess's mistake is not one that can be undone, however, it would be you who shall purge all evil from this world, just as you'd promised her you would in exchange for the gifts she'd provided you with!"

A shocked gasp escaped through everyone's lips, they all knew Amedith hadn't been the greatest of leaders, but to hear that the goddess had abandoned her trust in him? That was the final straw...whatever credibility he had would be lost eventually, but for now as Raven made his way towards the podium, none of them could believe that this was happening.