The Sword and The Shadow

Anger-Filled Conversation

Leguna ignored Pyro, perhaps due to his innate hostility against him. He merely stood up wordlessly and approached Eirinn without so much as a greeting.

After that, he raised her up carefully and put her on the chairs. After making sure she could sleep in a comfortable posture, he looked up.

"Do you know that your actions have offended me?" Pyro asked.

If it had been facing a fanatic believer like Madin, he would've knelt and bashed his head against the ground till it bled to show his regret.

However, Leguna didn't care about the disrespect at all.

"So what? No matter how powerful you are, you're merely an inconsequential passer-by. You aren't even worth bringing up compared to her feelings!"

"Looks like your arrogance hasn't changed," Pyro muttered. He looked at Eirinn, "What if I told you I have the power to control that half-elf's fate?"

"Then you better be prepared to be dethroned!" he roared like an angered dragon. He pointed at the idol violently, "Don't think too highly of yourself, Pyro! I'm not a saint yet, but I know what you gods really are! You used to be mortal yourselves and can't be much stronger than saints or myths! You only lucked out by getting some divine flare and using your tricks to charm others into believing in you. Your godliness is nothing but a sham! I also know you only have control over your divine kingdom and can't touch other planes. So, let me warn you. If you dare do anything to Eirinn, I will uproot your church on this plane entirely. Let us see what happens to a god without any devotees."

Leguna didn't say all that without proof. Instead, this was the results of Gahrona's research into the difference between the saint and divine realms. She was an assassin that dared to say she would've been able to assassinate someone like Marolyt. While she wasn't able to start the divine flare and become a true god, she still had a decent understanding on them.

To be able to have some leverage while negotiating with Pyro, Leguna asked her about many things in advance. He had prepared that line to shock Pyro. Though, they both knew the words of a mere mortal wouldn't necessarily pose to be a threat. Instead, it might be construed as a grave insult.

Pyro didn't respond immediately. He looked down, as if he was looking at Leguna from head to toe.

That was when the difference between fundamentally different lifeforms showed itself. While Pyro didn't act at all, the gaze of a deity was enough to cause a high-order assassin like Leguna to sweat nervously.

His clothes were quickly soaked, but he didn't flinch. He grit his teeth and met the god's gaze, as if it would prove he wasn't afraid of the sun god.

After a full minute of staring, Pyro finally spoke in a teasing voice.

"So you say… You have the courage to challenge my divinity for the sake of this half-elf."

"Yes! So what?"

A deep, rich laughter filled the room. Leguna furrowed his brow from the trumpeting laughter that was enough to make his head ring.

"This kind of spirit is exactly what I want from you!" he said assuringly, not the slightest bit mad, "I know you have many questions. You would not have sought me out otherwise given your nature. Ask away, then. I'll consider it a reward. However, I can't promise I can answer everything."

"Hmph!"

How was answering a few questions any good as a reward? Were all deities as stingy and arrogant as him?

However, Leguna was mistaken on that. Among the many deities who controlled the universe, Pyro was famous for being easygoing. If he could be considered arrogant, the other deities were much worse.

Regardless of how unhappy he was with it, some questions still had to be asked.

So, he began.

"One, or the woman, possibly known as Leybecca… What's your relationship with her?"

"Oh? I didn't think you'd ask that first."

"It's got nothing to do with you!" he snapped.

He was most concerned about Eirinn's sudden strength, but he was equally curious about One's mysterious actions. The question lingered in his mind for a long time and he chose to ask about it first.

"I don't have much to do with Leybecca," Pyro said, not minding the insult at all. "She is deeply related to you."

"How? Why don't I remember her at all?" He wasn't too satisfied with the answer, but he asked away anyway.

"Whether you remember or not is a problem between you and her. How would I know?" Pyro said in a less lofty, but more teasing voice than before.

"You!"

"Watch your words, Leguna! You, in your current state, are just a mortal. Respect those stronger than you, more so when they're a deity! Even a deity like me doesn't know everything. I'm not the all-knowing creator. There are some things even I don't know!"

Leguna grit his teeth. He knew Pyro was merely making an excuse. There was no way he wouldn't know! But if he didn't want to tell, there was nothing he could do to force him. He suppressed his anger and continued the questioning.

"Alright. Then, let me ask you… What is with her saying there's not much time left and all the other crap? Is that all because of you?"

"I'm sorry. I can't speak of this matter," he casually said.

"What?!" Leguna almost jumped.

"This is something to do with the future and fate. You should've seen what kind of punishment Leybecca gets when she so much as attempts to talk about it."

"But--"

"There are no buts!" he interrupted, "You are not wrong that deities are powerful. But we are not omnipotent. We… can't escape the strings of fate and the binding of the laws all the same."

Leguna quieted. It wasn't that he lost the argument. He was simply suppressed by Pyro's divine aura to the point of being unable to speak. Even though he was finally having a conversation with him, all he did was feign ignorance or flat out refuse to give him a clear answer.

He admitted that he was a pretty shameless person himself, but he didn't think a deity could beat him at that department.

"Alright, Leguna--" Pyro found Leguna's reddening and silent face quite humorous. "You should know how Leybecca sees you. You are her everything. So, if you want to know anything, better ask her. If she doesn't tell you, it means it's not something she can say. In other words, there's no amount of asking me you can do to get answers. I have limited time and you're wasting it."

One, I'll f*cking choke you to death, he thought. However, he sighed.

"Then, please tell me what is with Eirinn's power."

"Her power, huh…" Pyro paused in surprise. "I'm actually quite curious about it myself. I wasn't the one who granted it to her."

Previous Chapter Next Chapter