Chapter 85 7: Goddess

85  Chapter 7: Goddess

Lucifer returned to their room close to the early hours of the morning.

However, outside the doors was a group of people from the church, in addition to Irina and Estella was a female wearing a bishop's attire, which seemed more elegant than Estella's and another strange priest looked at him with a disgusted and angry face.

'What's this guy's problem?'

He seemed to be a templar or something with a light chainmail vest beneath his garb; Lucifer didn't care, though, as right now, he just wanted to rest.

"Are you, by chance Lucifer Argentus?" There was a heavenly voice, like a soft female singing a gentle ballad of love.

She had soft white hair curled into small drill-shaped bangs with the rest tied back into her hood; with a gentle smile, her peach lips parted slightly with a glossy glimmer adding more allure to her soft blue eyes.

"My name is Serena, a Bishop of Celestia and the guide assigned to the new hero."

Lucifer looked at the group, slightly shuddering upon hearing those words, before looking at Irina, who gently smiled before looking down.

Despite taking her first time, Toshiro was her childhood friend, even if not as a man. They were still close, and his death must have hit her hard.

'Even if she knew he was already gone, me killing him might temporarily affect her feelings.'

"May I ask why such a lovely lady wishes to see me?"

"Tsk... bastard." The male templar clicked his tongue, seeming angry towards the gentle compliment from Lucifer.

'Be careful, boy, do not make me steal this woman from you, body and heart.'

When he killed Toshiro and gained this new burden, his heart and mind were constantly in battle and overworked.

Lucifer wanted to create a path but wasn't a super genius.

He rushed back to Gwendolyn, hoping to have her input. His wife Alicia was the biggest reason he was promoted quickly with her gentle but effective advice.

'Now this little kid and his overactive hormones are giving me crap when I want to see my wife.'

'As if I have to put up with this!'

Serena gave a gentle bow to Lucifer, her white robe getting slightly dirty as she let it touch the ground, the long cuffs hanging from her arms as her silky skin peeked.

What struck him as amazing was that this woman could show such respect to a vampire. Even Estella wasn't keen on him being a vampire at first and showed discomfort.

'Not that I'm hitting on her or seeing her in this way, but why does she feel like Alicia when I first met her?'

[...]

"Forgive me, Hero Lucifer. I am the bishop assigned to you by the will of Celestia."

The moment she spoke, his eyes began to shine golden with star-shaped pupils that began to swirl in a beautiful movement.

It felt like she could see everything inside him with a single look.

"She has shown me all there is, and we know of your true heart. One worthy of being her champion and Hero."

'.....'

Lucifer's body stopped momentarily as the world froze like ice, with only Serena and himself still moving.

"Fear not... My champion from another world, a gentle soul whose mourning for his wife touched the goddess of fate's heart, allowing them to meet again."

'!?'

[The truth...]

The night became day as the sky inverted; now, when speaking, Serena sounded different, like a heavenly, vibrating voice, but its gentle timbre was like a mother soothing her crying child in the crib.

It was addictive for Lucifer.

"Worry not while you are here; time will not advance or change, nor will Alicia or Gwendolyn be harmed or judged a sinner."

'This voice isn't Serena, is it...'

[It's Celestia]

Hearing what Sylvia said, he felt a sudden pressure, yet the woman herself just smiled like a kind older sister.

"Do not be so stiff, Lucifer. I will not bite you, fufu~ or would you like to bite me?"

The goddess made a joke, tilting her head to reveal the soft tanned skin of Serena with a pleasant smile that contained no falsity or enmity.

"I will try..."

Despite being a vampire now, the fact he was speaking to the voice of a real goddess was confusing and awkward for him.

Unlike the fake Celestina, he could feel his skin tingling, as if small pins were plucking his flesh, sending chills around his body.

"Fufu~ despite killing the fake Hero, you are so cute. I hope you won't get angry about me choosing you for this task..."

"... Or rather, I do not seek for you to defeat the 72 Lords, including you. I want you to stop that false prophet and her imitations that abuse my authority to make the poor and weak suffer."

Celestia using the body of Serena, suddenly bowed deeply once more.

"I implore to thee as my Hero. Please, eliminate the false goddess and clear my name."

She didn't mention huge rewards or grand schemes or titles. It was a simple plea for help, but Lucifer wanted to know why before considering it.

"May I ask why me and why not the many members of your devout church?"

With a slightly melancholy look, Serena looked towards the huge church in the capital, even visible from Rinvale.

"I was tired; after the great war between the gods of darkness and our light side, my power was spent... So with a foolish choice, I permitted a woman to use part of my power and name... A young girl who was purer than a snow white flower."

"The name I gave her was Celestina. Like a daughter to me, meant to increase our connection."

"..."

The tale then followed the cliché many games and novels did. Celestia forgot that the girl was not a goddess by birth but a human. Over many years, the world and church's corruption began distorting her purity.

What started as a slight spec of dirt on her beautiful flower began to build up over the years, and when she reached a strength close to a demi-god, her snow-white appearance was now stained with black tar and oceans of blood.

"I didn't give her the ability to endure the corruption and filth that came from being mortal and caused her to fall into the dark path..."

"She was desperate to improve, and that's when an evil goddess twisted her path and wormed into her heart."

"Yet I do not know her true name and cannot fight or cure Celestina of the effects over her mind and soul."

While listening Lucifer didn't act disrespectfully or speak. He just listened; the truth was he could reject this burden.

He wanted to reject it at first, but he only needed to do this for her and, in doing so, would help the world accept Gwen and lead to their happy future together.

"I am not a Hero."

"I Know."

"I will kill many of your beloved mortals and believers."

"I know."

"We may become enemies in the end."

"I will never stand opposite to you."

[...]

[(Because you know he would devour you whole... Damn crafty lower goddess.)]

The pair seemed to be negotiating in a strange way, their words spoken with little thought or break as they fought a war of words.

"Make Gwen a Saintess; I will keep Irina too."

"Then perform the tasks as my Hero well."

"Will you kill Celestina, leave nothing of her soul? I do not want her even to reincarnate."

20:51

"If I have the method sure."

"Let us marry in your church."

"It will be done."

This was going so well that Lucifer felt complacent as he took a breath this time; it was Celestia's chance to ask a question or make her request.

"Will you kill Celestina, leave nothing of her soul? I do not want her even to reincarnate."

"If I have the method sure."

"Can you promise not to murder the innocent? Those who offend you or target you do not matter."

"Easily done."

"Phew..." Serena sighed before the world seemed to flutter as time seemed to demand to be restored.

"It looks like our time for this meeting is over... I will be assigning Serena and Estella to you. Make sure to keep them safe, fufu~ please try to be gentle with her when you take her first time."

"Serena is delicate and not a pervert like Estella."

Lucifer found that, just like Alicia and Sylvia, the gods were not that different from people, or maybe this was because the true gods were much higher in a place that he couldn't even dream of.

The moment before time resumed, her soft hand grasped his hand. "Please allow me to speak with the exalted existence that looms around your person... I would very much like to know her purpose and title.."

At first, he didn't know what she meant. Until Sylvia left the grimoire for the first time in a while and formed a true figure, pretty red eyes with her pale porcelain skin like a doll and silver twin tails fluttering even without the wind.

"We can speak, junior. Let us go elsewhere." Sylvia spoke with a regal and commanding tone that made Lucifer feel shocked.

The little pervert in his book spoke down to Celestia! A goddess with her world.

Sylvia turned around, her eyes looking at Lucifer.

"I will go with this defective goddess and beat some sense into her. Do not worry; I will not be gone for a long period, about 24 hours."

Her body shuffled towards him, almost like magic, as she gently kissed his forehead.

"Do not worry; I will be back soon. Okay?"

"Mmm." The moment he replied, the world returned to action as Serena looked at him with eyes of worship and respect.

This caused both Lucifer to be confused and the male templar to look jealous.