Chapter 469: Sympathetic Wraths. [Third Draft] (Changes) (Patreon)

Similar to the current Chapter 468, this Chapter is identical to the original 470. This chapter is dedicated to the bonding between Hestia and Vifi and I personally think I executed it well enough. The ending has been changed as the next chapter will be different for the sake of filling some plot holes.

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Vifi went silent. She leaned her body slightly forward, analyzing the rune stones I had in my hands before looking up, staring into my eyes. “Ya serious?”

“So serious.”

“No, I mean, are you actually serious with this proposal? You do understand what you’re saying by this, right?”

I nodded. “That you are officially part of Aurora and that I am responsible for your actions and that our enemies are also yours. If people threaten you then I will consider them enemies, and if somebody insults you personally or your membership then they will insult me. This also means you will become one of my retainers and enjoy the benefits provided by it. I am not an idiot. I am making this decision with a clear mind, so I know exactly what I am getting into.”

“… I mean, I personally wouldn’t say you understand the full extent of it, but I guess telling you off would just be annoying at this point,”—she sighed and looked around the area, letting her anxious eyes wander around before she sighed again and stopped—“Why? I’m not trustworthy. As I said, everything you told me wasn’t wrong, and I meant it. If I was in your hide, I would have kicked myself out of the group the moment I show even an inkling of distrust.”

“‘Innocent until proven guilty.’” I shrugged. “That’s what I learned back in my world. I should have listened to that instead of accusing you for no reason at all. I am not you, I am not your prince, and I am not some general you can fully agree with as I am myself. Maybe it will happen one day, but your leader is ‘Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor.’ A girl with a bleeding heart and an idealistic dream on how this war should end.”

I pushed the rune into her hands, finally handing them over. “And this will seal this promise between us. That dream I sold you back when we nearly killed each other was nearly lost because I lost faith in myself and what I stand for. Sadly for you, I don’t break promises and you are the reminder for that. Saori, Tasianna, Ellaine, and Grimnir all remind me of different things that I must uphold when my dragon side starts taking over my rationality. You will be the one to remind me to help the demonkin. That even with all my enemies, there are people in your country that are good and deserve to receive a helping hand. People who just want to eat some donuts, avoid fish dishes, and just snore like a rattling golem core.”

“Oi!” Vifi snarled.

“What? I snore too after a massive feast. How couldn’t I with a full belly and a soft bed? You aren’t a soldier in my party, you are an adventurer. That’s how I lead my party, and you’ve seen it these past months. We have had stressful moments because we are also a business and have Quests to fulfill, which includes hers.” I pointed up. “This isn’t an ‘Aurena hates your race because of your race, she hates it that her worshippers are dying against yours’ affair.’ I am her blessed, so I know she won’t have any issue with it. If she does, fuck her! This is my life.”

Oooh, I can already ‘feel’ Erithia seething, or any other super loyal Aurena subordinate god.

“Quick to use heresy, I see. Most of the Church of Aurena folks would hate you.”

I waved in dismissal. “Pah! Most already do. That’s what they get for misunderstanding Aurena … I say as if I knew her that well. The point is that I don’t care what others say as long as you want to be here with us. If you do, then I will trust you with my life and the lives of my other friends, because we are one party.”

“What if I made contact with my former nation? This could all be a long ruse to kill you to regain their trust,” she argued.

“First, no, you cannot because you know of my mother’s threat now. Second, if you did betray us, then I would go through all the issues then, including slinging insults at you and destroying you with everything I have. After all, if you were in my hide, you would do the same, as well.”

She shook her head. “If I were, I wouldn’t even attempt any of this. I don’t trust random people, Donut. If you do, then expect to be taken advantage of because that is how most people will act.”

“You told me that your life was hard already. I recently heard some more details about Bole’Taria’s situation; not to say I know everything about you. I told you this already, Vifi, if I want to understand the demonkin, then you are the best candidate. Not Klea. You. Your experience from the bottom rising to the top for survival until you took up the mantle of a sin heir and then your decision to desert.”

“You are actually stupid.”

“Good job repeating yourself, you already told me that there.” I pointed at where our fight probably happened, remembering her saying those exact same words to me when I offered her to join us. “I still mean every word back then. Despite your past, you still held onto a glimmer of honor. You could have left Amelia before the siege happened, but you tried to warn her. Tell her to run all for some free donuts.”

I stretched my hand out, asking for a handshake. Vifi stared at it, her face scowling in discomfort. She grit her teeth, hesitating as she raised and lowered her right hand over and over again. She was without a doubt undergoing some internal conflicts, asking herself if this was the path she had to take or maybe she still distrusted me. I didn’t know. I couldn’t read her mind, so I could only believe.

Eventually, she sighed and her face calmed down. She looked up into my eyes and nodded. She approached me with a raised hand … only for my [Danger Perception] and [Foresight] to activate, warning me of an attack coming from below. Just as I could register this information, my eyes noticed her prosthetic left arm forming a fist, aiming for my head.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, forcing me to rely on my instincts and reflexes. Thankfully, my left hand made it in time and blocked her punch, using [True Draconic Barrier] to fully defend from the damage.

“Vifi …” I frowned. Was I wrong?

“I hate it. I hate the fact you’re making me think of all of this once again. I called you our saving grace for us wrathies because your songs help us calm down, and I still believe it! Yet, I hate having to process everything you just told me, including joining your part for real!”

She twisted her body and landed a kick into my stomach, pushing me far back, giving her enough time to unsheath her rapier and activate her prosthetics, causing red lightning to wrap around it. Although her control wasn’t perfect compared to her pre-Satanael usage, the lightning still formed a visible halberd.

Her posture was hostile, intending to charge at me at the blink of an eye with [Gale Steps]. Her hands … Sadly, I couldn’t read the intention of her dual wield. A rapier and halberd combination didn’t look like they would synergize well due to their different ranges, making me believe a rapier and hammer combo was better. Or any of her staff, crossbow, and fist lightning manifestations.

So, why a halberd?

“Vifi, I will not humor you,” I said.

“‘Humor?’ I think ya should, since if ya won’t, then ya better hope yer friends can get here in time to rescue you before I hand you over.”

Her normal accent, again? Is she stressed or does she really mean to attack me?

“What? Not gonna cast your buffing spells? Actually—USELESS!”

As if she teleported, Vifi disappeared from my sight, leaving only her voltaic lightning behind as a trail. She was dashing around me, far too fast for my eyes to dart towards, forcing me to rely on my intuition and skills to pinpoint her point of attack. As such, I activated [Foresight], expending mana to make the System calculate the “future,” showing me multiple possible options.

Vifi’s silhouette appeared in my mind in three different directions, with two of them attacking me with her halberd while the third was her throwing the spear at me. [Voltaic Red: Thunderspeed Roar]? I guess that could be the reason why she materialized her polearm. It was a spear Ability.

Does she actually want to fight? I contemplated, still unable to understand her motives since [Danger Perception] was activating. She was exuding bloodthirst, making this feel real but I was still on the fence if she was playing this off or if she actually turned on me. What the hell?

Got it!

I snapped my head as I chose one of the options, correctly predicting her manner of attack.

She landed on the ground and dashed forward, halberd aimed at my tail and legs. Instead of reacting, I sent an order to my shadow, summoning both Rajah and Varya and having them launch two synchronized tail slams, followed by shooting their tail spikes.

The projectiles forced Vifi back and into another angle, where I finally ignited my claws and tail. As our eyes met, she swung her weapon while I used my tail, clashing with a loud bang! My scale-dust blew up right in her face, causing a smokescreen and allowing me to twist my body and grab her left arm, only for her to counterattack with her rapier, almost ripping off my left ear. She might have missed, but she capitalized this moment by headbutting me.

I flinched, giving her a chance to turn her lightning polearm into a fist to back slap me. As distance was created between us, my two virgacugas appeared next to me, growing and roaring.

“Hah, at least you brought your two pets with you. At least you’re not a complete idiot,” Vifi scoffed. “But both are mostly fresh rank Bs, no? Still haven’t reached level ten. They are far too weak to fight with you, no? Better keep them in sup—”

“Can you shut up for a moment?” I snarled. “Really? Actual hostility? Really? Don’t fucking think you can trick me into actually kicking you out, you bitch! I know you enough to know you don’t go back on your debts, that you have a sense of pride in yourself, that you—”

“You don’t know anything about me!” she yelled. “You don’t know fish rot about anything! Marsven’s shadow, you’re delusional if the small bits I’ve told you can give you a clear image of things. You heard, you didn’t see!”

[“And you answer that mistake by hurting her?”] Rajah spoke up for me. [“We shared food together. Fire and bed, too! You nearly hit her!”]

“Oh, shut it, cat. You can stay out—”

“No, he’s right,” I interrupted her. “And I’m sorry for that. But what you told me back in the dungeon did give me a good idea of how bad your childhood had been. Then again, I also know I hurt you since I praised you for giving me a perspective that doesn’t villainize your people, but what did I do? I villainized and broke your faith in me. I told you my grand idea of what an idol should be, but instead of smiling, I made you frown. I made you look sullen when we met in the sewer! I failed in being an idol for you and that ‘hope’ you spoke for you wrathies. I failed as a leader.”

Vifi stayed silent, breaking her glare for a moment to squint her eyes and mouth, clearly affected by my words.

I cleared my voice and produced some music, preparing to sing “Burn all the Hatred Away.”

“I must choose, down the road that I wish to walk ♫

That others might condemn me ♫

To not fall flat in hypocrisy ♫

It’ll work itself out for now (The future will judge) ♫

I believe this is the way (don’t try to appease everybody) ♫

Maybe I am in the wrong (sins stain like blood) ♫”

I sighed deeply, feeling guilty for going back on what this song was meant to convey. “For a moment, after seeing all the chaos and death, I lost myself. I blew up at you … You told me the people I had to kill to fulfill my goal and even now, I don’t know if I can walk down this grey road. I was about to, yes … Still, I am sorry. Please, stop lying to yourself, Vifi.”

She stood there, eyes closed as if she was contemplating. She opened them and I suddenly felt the chill of bloodthirst, prompting both my virgacuga to raise their tails, ready to pounce on Vifi. I gulped as I saw the demonkin getting into a stance as she turned her thunder fist into a halberd, again. She was readying herself for a thunderspeed roar.

[“Master, you need to act. This woman intends to kill you!”] Varya urged me to attack.

[“No!”] Yet, I disagreed. [“Don’t do anything. This is my order to you, whatever happens, don’t move a muscle.”]

[“But, Master—”]

[“Rajah, I know how you feel, but don’t. I … I need to take this leap of faith. She won’t kill me.”]

I gulped again as I felt my heart race. Vifi took aim, clearing targeting my head to kill me instantly. Any other place and I could probably recover in time with [Miraculous Grace] with a combination of spells to buy time. However, if I lost my brain, then it would be over. No mind, no way to cast spells.

“You really are the worst.” Vifi scowled. “Killing you here and stopping your journey might be mercy. The more you walk down this path, the more you will suffer. Lose people. Face the reality that your idol dream is nothing but a superficial mask that can only fool the uneducated. You make me want to puke …”

She stiffened her pose.

“… Nothing? No movements? You can’t move out in time if you don’t cast your spells now,”—she took a deep breath—“So be it. It has been fun, Donut. I … really enjoyed my time with you. I’ll make sure to send the others to Ilsaphone with you before joining you. I don’t think your mother would forgive a stranger like me. Goodbye … Voltaic Red: Thunderspeed Roar!”

[Danger Perception] was fooled, but [Foresight] wasn’t. None of the three future-sight options showed the spear hitting me … but the skill had been wrong before. Master fooled it during our first few spars and even told me to stop relying on it. I have been getting better in using it simply to predict attacks, but the System’s “future” wasn’t guaranteed.

I could die here—a direct blow to my head with her stats would penetrate my skills and stats—but I trusted my skills and that Vifi wasn’t a complete asshole … Yet, my body wanted to move. It took mental effort to stop my body from vetoing my decision.

Fortunately, all of this took but a second once the polearm left Vifi’s arm. The halberd shot through the air, electrifying everything around it as it left a powerful sound blast, blowing my hair back and ruining my hairstyle. I looked up, breathing heavily, and touched my head. I felt the heat … but the attack didn’t hit me.

“… But you are and will remain the only hope for us wrathies to live normally. You are the worst person for a soldier like me to follow,” Vifi said, weaving both praise and insult together. “Just tell me to go. Just tell me to go. Why are you even gambling on any of this? It doesn’t make any logical sense …”

The lightning around her prosthetic arm disappeared as she began massaging her temples, looking distraught. Flabbergasted at my actions, she was sighing without any stop, to the point I thought she was hyperventilating.

I turned around and walked where she stood at the beginning and picked up the runes she dropped, handing them back to her. This time, she didn’t try to suckerpunch me.

I shrugged. “Because it’s the first step I need to commit if I want to help you. Real trust.”

Vifi went silent.

“As you said, number two arrived and I had a confrontation with him where he asked me to bring you out. I know what I’m doing is—”

“Is that your order?” she interrupted me, looking at me with pleading eyes.

I knew what she wanted to hear from me, but I shook my head. “You are not a soldier. I will not treat you like one. If you become a member of Aurora, then you are our equal. You can decide to join us in this fight or not, I will not make you choose what to believe in. Right now, Vifi, you have the freedom to choose what you wish to change. Regardless if you want to confront the Warbringer or not, I will not condemn you. I will continue my promise to you.”

Vifi frowned, gritting her teeth. Her face contorted, eyes quivering, barely able to keep her tears back. “I can’t. I don’t want to choose, Donut. I want you to just tell me and order me around like a weapon. Our emotions are harmless, bringing only issues to everything in our society. That is demonkin society and how our blood has just let it crumble away. … Just use me like a weapon. I don’t want to think or remember, just order me, please. Please.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder and helped her unsheath her rapier before giving her a hug. “I won’t. You are not a weapon and the pain is part of being alive. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry, but I can’t tell myself to order you around. That’s not how we can start being friends.”

“Dammit, that’s the point!” She smacked me on my back. “My family, my countrymen … or you guys. Friends? It complicates all of this, don’t you understand. If you make the choices, I can just excuse myself. I can keep doing it instead of possibly besmirching my adoptive father’s ideals. He hated humans. He died against them. If I properly join up, then wouldn’t I betray his death? I can’t get revenge if I do that.”

Forcing her to cooperate during the Event Quest and also Franz threatening to help us despite knowing from Klea that he wouldn’t be able to help her regain her full power; they were all excuses for her. Even the “paying her as a mercenary” was merely an excuse. She would find whatever reason possible so she wouldn’t be the one to choose, while also wishing to distance herself ‘cause she didn’t want to hurt us.

“He worked with the other Warbringers. I trained under them whenever they visited our mansion … The eyes my adoptive brother would make whenever he saw them favoring me over him—the real child and our father’s real heir—and then I replaced Father’s place as the third Warbringer. I took pride in it, I thought it was finally time for me to live properly … I …”

“You couldn’t forget your time in the slums. As an urchin or your time rising through the ranks or even your disastrous encounter that gave you your red lightning.”

“Our home is a desolate wasteland with only a few amenities and beauty … Why us? Why must we demonkin suffer like this for this giant war? I just wanted … I envied the outside world. How easily it was to be infected by the bliss when I took a bite of proper, warm, fresh bread! I knew at that point that Lord Wrath and all the other soldiers were right that Bole’Taria can only grab onto it if we do it by force … But not like this. Not against my own people.”

“I’m sorry.”

She pushed me off her. Not a tear was shed but she looked fatigued as if she had cried. “Stop it. It is a necessary evil … My adoptive father always told me that. My life in the slums was excused with that one phrase. For survival, everything is correct.”

“‘Survival is winning,’” I added my own mantra.

She nodded. “The road I told you is of that same concept. The people who wish for this war to continue until one side is dead must be gone for you to achieve what you dream of, at least, I believe that … Maybe you’ll change my mind, but not now. I wanna believe. Believe that our people can do more than continue this eternal strife between races. Strife between the damn gods. Edjurl or Origin; what does a rat like me care about but a warm meal?”

I smiled, happy to hear her say this. “Saori mentioned this before, but you got affected by Jaldaboath, right? Do you want to talk about it? I remember you being quite stricken.”

She shook her head, so I let it go. She needed her own time to contemplate.

Vifi sighed, looked at the ocean’s horizon before turning around. “Emotion Surge,” she said in the calmest manner I have ever heard her say. As her demonic features appeared with two flaming horns on top of her head, she walked forward and bowed her body slightly.

She placed her right hand over her horns before pounding her chest. She snapped her body up, posture correct. She reached her hand forward, palm wide open.

“This is our salute and our way to show fealty to another demonkin. Our horns represent our pride, so by lowering our body and horns, we show deference to somebody superior. Usually, we would cut our palm with our horns and hold them out, offering our blood to mix with our liege. Demonkin take pride in bloodlines like any other, but this means I would bleed for you even in the most desperate times.”

“You are offering me this?” I tilted my head.

“The only other person I did this with is Lord Pride … Thinking back on it, I think I merely did it because it was expected of me and to make my life better. My loyalty to him is like any other wrath demonkin, so it hurts. It hurts that I am offering my blood to you … but I am ready to take the step, like you committed to trusting me.”

I nodded and placed my palm on hers.

“We demonkin do not have our own tongue, since we grew up with Common. Only historians know how to talk in Edjurl, so … Blood from my ancestors I pledge to your honor. Body and mind, our bonds linked together. May God Marsven watch over me for I dedicate my life in your protection, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor.”

“And I, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor, accept you—Vifi’Yok—as my retainer!”

<1 demonkin followers gained>

<Total follower count updated. Total followers of [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]: 48302>

<[Wrath Demonkin, Vifi’Yok] has received the title [Hestia’s Retainer]>

There you—Arck!

<The world has heard as you reach your hands out for unity! Sing and dance for all, for an idol dedicates her craft for everybody to see and enjoy, bringing the hope to even the most downtrodden. Embrace a performance of a lifetime, for this divine showing shall be your magnum opus!>

<First unlock requirement reached. [Heavenly Performance] will transition into [Heavenly Performance Act 1]>

<A new clause has been added to [Idol]’s spell song creation. “Target Demographic” unlocked. The performer can specify which demographic a song should focus on instead of separating between ally/neutral/enemy/demonic power. Only one clause of this type may be chosen for each song. The more specific the “Target Demographic,” the more powerful a spell’s effect may become>

<[Heavenly Performance Act 1] will also apply when the performer is outside her humanoid form>

… I had to apologize to Aurena. I had thought due to its ambiguity, it would be wiser to focus on other Job skills but I underestimated her. She made [Idol] and this skill for me. I should have just trusted the unknown … but hindsight is 50-50, honestly. Well, at least I could now invest my prestige point—

<Due to reaching the first act out of order, the perfect show has to be correct. [Heavenly Performance Act 1] evolution into [Heavenly Performance Act 2] will cost 10 prestige points to fix>

… Verdammte Scheiße.

Aurena hated me. Without a doubt. This just gave me the largest facepalm in human history.

Yet, even this sadness lasted a second before I couldn’t help but smile as Vifi sighed loudly, clearly nervous when she saw what [Hestia’s Retainer] did. Since she was level 150, she couldn’t benefit from the SP shop as much, but the boosted skill leveling would help her a lot.

[“I knew you didn’t go crazy!”] Rajah pounced on the demonkin, purring like crazy to the latter’s chagrin. His mother, on the other hand, asked me if I knew what I was doing.

I nodded. This felt correct, and I wasn’t saying it due to all the System messages.

As we were about to leave, some Yeosian knights came flying over to inspect the [Voltaic Red: Thunderspeed Roar] Vifi had aimed over my head. The projectile flew through the sky, unnerving the knights and the people.

Vifi had already made a run for it before I could explain the situation, so I could only say that our newest member did it since we were sparring. The knights did wonder who our new, shy member was, as some did question the red lightning. They remembered Vifi during the siege, so I had to tiptoe around that fact.

In any case, once Vifi returned to the subspace with me, I told everybody the good news! Until the majority expressed their disagreement with their faces. I expected this and it would take a bit for everybody to warm up here.

Although, there was one person who didn’t need to.

“Haha, I told you, lass! Just speak up! Lass might have gotten angry, but she isn’t gonna spite you forever!” Grimnir patted Vifi’s pack, wrapping his shoulder around the girl.

She, on the other hand, expressed her annoyance, looking exhausted at everything. Still, she showed a faint smile. “Hope to work well with you.”

Vifi still had to physically run back to Aureolis since her [Room] runes were stuck in Elyonda, but she should arrive by tomorrow. Nevertheless, we still finalized our plans for the raid on this night, allowing all of us to train with this goal in mind. Our scouts kept watch over anything weird, ready to warn us if the demonkin performed a pre-emptive attack.

Meanwhile, two days after getting Vifi to join our party, a predicament came up. Goddess Andira’s catalyst made from the remains of the Light Elemental Emperor wasn’t allowing me to use it.

<The owner of this catalyst has already been set>

You gotta be kidding me.