“Grandfather,” Nati greeted lightly with a bow, showing the one before her that due respect after being pulled to his realm, getting a much warmer response in return.
“My dear, have you been well?” Nare asked, his lava-like features taking on a smile at seeing her.
“Of course, I’ve been making as many amulets as I can and they’re shipping regularly, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Hmm, and as nice as that is, that wasn’t exactly what I was asking, you know?”
“I enjoyed dinner with Xilly and Zallith the other day too,” She gave in, seeing him become just a little brighter with the answer.
Finding the right sense of distance was always a challenge with her grandfather. She may have been his relative but she was a mortal, he was a god. How much distance was there supposed to be in a relationship like that? It left their meetings feeling awkward while she tried to gauge how to act while he kept track of her life.
“I’m glad to hear it, it’s important to keep making time for these sorts of things, isn’t it?”
“I guess. Was there any other reason you brought me up here?”
She expected the answer was no, that she had been pulled from her sleep just to chat a bit as he was prone to do from time to time, but for once she was greeted with a surprise.
“There actually is one thing. I’ve got you a teacher.”
“What? What do you mean teacher? I haven’t needed a teacher since I was twelve,” She stated, letting her polite tone slip in exchange for shock as she was left wondering where that had come from. Had she not been living up to his expectations as the descendant of a crafting god? Was her work not meeting his standards or was he disappointed that she still hadn’t gained any levels to two of her blessed skills?
“No no, nothing like that,” He reassured as he read her thoughts. “It just so happens that the boy I have coming happens to know a few tricks you don’t, along with the fact that he’s high enough in level for the skill you learned from Ooro’s apostle that he’ll be able to help you and Xilly as well. Ah, he'll be teaching her too so make sure you mention it in the morning, would you?”
“Boy? Grandfather, are you having us learn from a child?”
At that, he laughed. “All mortals can come off a bit young when you’re older than nations, but from your perspective, no. He’s about your age, I hope that you can get along with him. Ah, and his partner too since he’ll be bringing her along.”
“...Alright, then who is this mystery teacher?”
----------------------------------------
“Have either of you heard of someone named Ben?” Was the first thing she asked in the morning as she began her enchanting, with one shaking her head while the other looked curious.
“Maybe, the name sounds mildly familiar,” Spoke Zallith, one of the members of her workshop and the high priest of her grandfather. “Why?”
“He’ll be coming to help teach me and Xilly a few things from the sounds of it,” She explained, not liking the looks in either’s eyes as she said it.
“You heard it from our lord I take it?” The priest asked in excitement, showing the faith that got him the role but still managing to put her a little off no matter how often she saw it.
“Yeah, I guess he’ll be with us for a couple of weeks.”
This time it was Xilly who spoke up. “Lame. I know plenty now, am I still not good enough?”
“It’s for both of us and I was told he just knows a few things we don’t that could be worthwhile to practice.”
“Well, I guess if you’re going to be stuck doing it too then fine. So who is this guy?”
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
“I’m told I actually met him before. He was the one who helped me level three of my magics. I was told he’s the apostle of a god named Myriad, along with being one of the summoned.”
When she’d been told who it was, it did help raise her evaluation of who was coming. Of her five blessed skills, three were the physical magics, earth, water, and air, and he’d helped her get a level in each. It was a debt she couldn’t deny, though did find herself taken aback by the horrified look in Zallith’s eyes.
“Oh gods above, not him.”
While she gave a questioning look to the response, Xilly was much more proactive, pulling the priest's head into a lock under her arms.
“Don’t just say that and give the context we’d obviously want.”
“Ah, no I really shouldn’t-”
His words were temporarily cut off as Xilly squeezed tighter, only releasing when his face began to change shades.
“Don’t be an ass. There’s nothing worse than saying mysterious crap and leaving it at that so talk already.”
“Ah, it’s just, he has a bit of a nickname amongst the higher levels of most faiths is all,” He explained, wanting to leave it at that but talking more as he felt Xilly squeeze. “The mad apostle! He’s called the mad apostle, now get off me you brute!”
He tried and failed to pull free, and while usually Nati would try to put an end to their bickering by then, she didn’t now. The statement led to an obvious question, one that the two women could see.
“And why exactly is he called the mad apostle?” Xilly asked, rolling her eyes as she was forced to pull out every little answer from him.
“No, I won’t say! You can’t make me!”
“So you do know then, huh?” She asked, wearing a wide smile. “In that case-”
“Stop,” Nati basically ordered while trying to hold back a sigh. “No using magic on him and let him go already.”
Her mana sense was good enough that she could see what the other girl was about to do, even with it being outside of her own affinities. She was going to use her curse magic, the dark and death affinitied counterpart of blessing magic, to make him talk. Not having been born in the world, she could be the worst combination of lacking common sense and breaking what seemed like obvious taboos, with enough power that even if she did commit a crime, her punishment would be light so long as it was nothing too outrageous.
The other girl couldn’t help but look disappointed to be told off while Zallith looked relieved.
“Thank you so much, Nati. Honestly, why do we even keep her around? She’s an animal.”
“Zallith, tell us why he’s called the mad apostle or you’re fired,” She told him in no uncertain terms, not caring about his complaints when she had that easy way to handle him. As the high priest of her grandfather, being fired by her would be about as shameful as it could get, something she’d learned early on could solve most problems.
“Ah, ahem, well, the thing is…”
“Get on with it already.”
“He spat on a god.”
The shop fell silent as they took that in, neither of the two knowing how to react to that. It was shocking enough for Xilly who wasn’t even from that world, but Nati couldn’t begin to imagine it. Who would dare do such a thing to a god? It was unheard of.
“Well, I mean, if he’s also a summoned then it might just be a part of his culture, who can say?” Xilly told them, trying to be pragmatic about it. “What summoned group was he from? I could maybe see that being a grey, a couple of them don’t seem to think highly of worship.”
“Um, I think grandfather said he was human,” She told them, still in a daze and getting another strong reaction.
“Nope. No. Absolutely not! You are not making me deal with one of those degenerates,” Xilly said, her face taking a look of disgust as it became Zallith’s turn to look at her in question.
“What’s wrong with humans?”
“They’re perverts who go looking for multiple lovers. One of those idiots talked my friend into becoming his wife right after he came to the world when he already had one. They’re disgusting.”
Nati fell silent hearing that, the both of them making her anticipate far more trouble than she had been only moments before. How could someone who’d been on the world for only a few years already have such a poor reputation, let alone anything to teach her? That wasn’t even getting to what Xilly’s words brought to her mind.
“Grandfather did say he hopes that you and I will be able to get along with him and his partner,” She muttered, driving the other girl to her feet.
“If your grandfather thinks I’m going to let myself be dragged into some asses harem fantasy then he has another thing coming!”
“I’m sure Nare wouldn’t do such a thing,” Zallith said calmly, even as his face was covered in doubts that only reinforced Nati’s own.
Wouldn’t he?
Her father had been born in preparation for the coming war like the few other demigods and while he hadn’t lived to see it start, she had inherited enough of her grandfather’s blood that she’d been born with all of her blessed skills in their awakened form already too. Was she so sure that there was no curiosity on his part as to whether the line would be strong for another generation or two? Gods were different from mortals. His thoughts needed to be what was best for his faith and the world, not necessarily what was best for her.
And he was looking at me funny when he helped awaken my skills, wasn’t he? There was way too much excitement in his eyes. If this is what’s happened then I’m not going to just let myself be some man’s prize no matter how talented he may be. I guess I’ll just have to deal with him when he arrives.