Village Head's Debauchery

Chapter 1178: Earning The Interest Of The Divine



Zera descended the stairs and stood in a daze on the ground, assimilating the entire conversation that had transpired minutes before. Then, she raised her head and focused on Orion, Aurora, and Aerialia, whose hand gripped the crimson greatsword.

Zera's gaze lingered on Aerialia momentarily before she withdrew her

gaze and showed them a warm smile. She cleared her throat and said, "Follow me. I will lead the way out so we can begin."

Aurora dispelled her barrier, commanding her headless winged spawns to vanish into hers and Orion's shadows under the Priestess' inquisitive gaze.

Aerialia returned the crimson greatsword to Orion, allowing it to hover beside him before she scattered into specks of light, disappearing into Orion after taking one final look at Zera.

In an instant, the entire chamber was devoid of any spawn, and the tension that had filled the atmosphere moments ago abruptly vanished.

Orion unsummoned the morphic puppet and crimson greatsword and stood on his feet without Aurora's support.

Leaning forward to catch his breath, Orion activated his gift. Instantly, a wave of Vylkr energy, suppressed by the Primordial energy, flowed through every fibre of his muscles, rejuvenating his body.

"Are you okay?" Aurora asked, her expression filled with concern.

"I'm fine. I just needed to stabilise myself for a moment. I feel much better now," Orion responded, straightening his back.

Aurora nodded, exhaling in relief. She still felt some palpitation after encountering that dreadful goddess. So, she worried Orion might suffer long-term side effects from the encounter. However, it seemed her worries were for nought.

"Let's go," Orion said, focusing on Zera, who had been quietly observing their interaction from the side.

Zera nodded and gestured for them to follow her as they made their way out of the chamber. Despite the holes Aurora's headless winged spawns had created, they didn't pass through them but instead took the usual route they had entered.

As they stepped through the front door, they were met by countless fur-lined, armoured figures with bulky chest plates, each wielding sophisticated weapons. They filled the compound, some even positioned on the roof. Standing at the forefront of the group was the familiar head maid of Zera's manor - Morriel.

She immediately rushed toward Zera when she saw them emerge from the door.

"Are you okay, Priestess?" Morriel asked, her tone tinged with concern.

"I'm fine, Morriel. If anything happens to me, wouldn't that mean the goddess has failed to fulfil her promise of protecting us all?" Zera responded with a smile, gently pinching Morriel's cheeks.

Seeing her Priestess's jovial response, which indicated she wasn't in danger despite everything that had just transpired, Morriel exhaled in relief, her tense shoulders relaxing. However, her wary eyes continued to glance at Orion and Aurora.

Three individuals stepped forward. Two of them were a fair-skinned man and a light-blue- skinned woman with black hair tied in a ponytail and a slender, whip-like tail extending behind her. Orion and Aurora recognised the woman as the one they had met when they first entered Zera's manor.

This time, the man carried a spear with a navy-blue insignia of a lightning bolt splitting a storm cloud embroidered on the red cloth draped across his armour and right shoulder. The blue-skinned woman had a heavy shield on her back and a longsword hanging at her waist, with a purple cloth bearing a golden insignia of a shield cracking the ground under the bright

sun.

The third individual was a man with skin as white as snow, long ginger hair tied into a ponytail, and a beautiful longsword hanging at his waist. A silver cloth draped across his armour and right shoulder, featuring a crimson insignia of a flaming sword crossed with a burning shield.

All three wore fur-lined armour with bulky chestplates like the others, though subtle differences in their attire set them apart.

Their gazes lingered on Orion and Aurora with slight hostility before refocusing on Zera.

"Priestess, are you okay?" the man with the spear asked.

"It's alright. I'm okay. You don't have to worry about my safety," Zera responded with a solemn nod as she addressed her Arch-knights.

Given the overwhelming presence of Aurora's spawns that had filled the manor earlier, she understood their concern and decided to reassure them.

The Arch-knights nodded, choosing to believe her words.

"We're about to be under attack. We need to ensure your safety and determine how we should guard the sanctuary," the man said with the spear, his expression grave.

Before arriving, they had seen the telltale signs of the number of their attackers, and they were anxious about the severity of the situation.

"You don't need to be afraid. The goddess has already ensured us our victory. She instructs you all to prepare the troops for battle and take our new guest with you," Zera said, gesturing towards Orion. "He will be of great help and will serve as the key to our victory."

Hearing her words, the Arch-knights frowned deeply.

"But Priestess, he only arrived at the sanctuary a few days ago. Even if they defeated the Harbingers, they haven't yet received the goddess's inheritance. Most importantly, their skills are still lacking for a battle of this magnitude. Our opponents aren't just tainted beings but much more terrifying foes," the blue-skinned woman with the slender tail responded, her expression solemn.

After the Priestess released the information regarding Orion and Aurora, who defeated the Harbingers from the outside world, the sanctuary had already been in an uproar for days. There was also an ongoing preparation for them to receive the goddess's inheritances.

This displeased the Arch-knights, who had worked tirelessly to protect the goddess and the sanctuary she built against many terrifying enemies threatening to destroy it.

Their loyalty and the restrictions imposed on them were the only things that kept them from descending to the outside world to kill the Harbingers themselves to claim the inheritance. As such, they didn't take Orion and Aurora's achievements as seriously as the ordinary residents did.

And now, after witnessing the events that transpired in the manor-the terrifying snowy whirlwind surrounding the sanctuary's fortified walls and the sudden attack that coincidentally began on the day of the Priestess's meeting with these two mysterious individuals—they were even more sceptical and on edge.

'If only they knew the truth,' Zera thought, inwardly sighing as she saw their doubtful expressions. Having lived here for a long time due to the goddess's blessing and steadily growing in strength, she understood the source of their arrogance.

However, if they knew the truth-that the mysterious woman behind her was a genuine goddess capable of wielding her energies within this realm—and that the man was the Supreme Leader of 'Paradise,' with a divine inheritance and guided by a powerful goddess- they wouldn't dare display such arrogance anymore.

She couldn't blame them for being sceptical of the divine mysteries stirring up trouble, especially since her goddess had initiated the first strike against them, prompting their retaliation. But she could not tell them what had transpired during the meeting.

Zera focused on the slender-tailed, light blue-skinned woman with a smile and responded, "He's much stronger than he looks, Arch-knight Kasryn. Maybe you can use this opportunity to witness the prowess of one of the two who succeeded in defeating the Harbingers and chosen to acquire the goddess's inheritances."

"Okay. If you say so, Priestess. We will ensure that he is properly taken care of and brought back safely," Kasryn replied, bowing slightly toward Zera with her right hand over her

protruding chest plate.

The other two Arch-knights followed suit.

Observing the exchange, Orion frowned inwardly. He wasn't sure if Zera's words came directly from the goddess, but one thing was clear-the goddess wanted him to reveal all his secrets.

He had been under Aurora's and Aerialia's care throughout their journey, so he didn't mind. He wanted to prove that even the mortals of Paradise had far more potential than those

within the sanctuary.

Orion was itching to demonstrate his strength, especially with the prospect of earning a goddess's attention. He had already noticed the goddess's growing interest in Aurora. He realised she would likely want to engage further, to uncover more of her secrets.

Suppose he didn't do something grand or unique to draw her attention. In that case, he might be sidelined until the deal was complete, risking the loss of the inhabitants they had worked

hard to secure.

Orion couldn't turn down the challenge. Though he wasn't entirely confident about how things would unfold, he couldn't let an opportunity pass without trying it.

He simply hoped he could refill his Vylkr energy with the Vylkr vines in his storage despite the

seal on the realm.

"I will direct one of my men to lead you to the station so you can gear up with your preferred equipment before meeting with us at the designated fortress walls. Is that okay?" the Arch- knight with the longsword strapped to his waist asked.

"I don't need one," Orion shook his head. He summoned the Morphic puppet, wearing it as armour, and allowed the crimson greatsword to hover beside him. "I already have my own,"

he added.