Wisteria proved to be diplomatic and resilient against the deluge of requests. It seems she could use overcharged divine spells called “Miracles” using raw Divinity. The first time she did it, I freaked out thinking some deity had teleported straight to the church without warning. It did take a lot out of her so she used it sparingly.

A lot of suspicious people started to roam around the orphanage. Even the back alleys blessed by Zacheia’s protection weren’t free of these lurkers. They didn’t try to invade the orphanage or disturb the baby-delivery routes at night, so I let them be. Not that I could act independently without drawing undue attention.

[Assassin] organizations have an easy way to keep their territory safe from outside action. If I knew that, the Master would never be able to catch Apricot. It was simple. [Assassins] can detect contracts in range. If an independent agent puts a [Death Contract] on a mark, someone will take notice of it, as contracts are a free-for-all. Being the lazy bunch they are, [Assassins] don’t kill people without a contract, at all.

Kazuyran had agents in Rosebush as well as all of Windemere. using a contract was a surefire way to draw their attention. I thought about letting him know I was here but there was a good chance the information would leak and people would want me to solve their political problem. Sorry, Windemere will have to walk out of this one on their own legs.

We got scolded heavily for raiding the pantry. The priests forced us to cancel all our bets, so that bitch Marisol was exempted from eating her panties. But the church was never richer than now, so they cut us some slack after Wisteria told them so.

I still waited for the chance to talk to my estranged priest friend. I liked to believe it was because she didn’t have the time but I was afraid I was forgotten. It would take three months for a chance meeting between Wisteria and me.

I was tasked with cleaning the priests’ chambers that day and had to do it without using magic. I hated it so much I changed my brain to Silverstreak’s so I could think like a silkie and become neutral regarding these chores. Wisteria came from behind and called my name.

“Haru?” There was a lot of doubt and fear in her voice.

I put down the mop and turned around. My enthusiasm at finally talking to her transformed into caution as I spoke, “Yes! Wis… [Saintess]. Good day to you. How may I help you?”

She frowned. “Haru, I’m sorry.”

I felt bad for her. Instinctively, I avoided meeting her eyes. “Is there something I can do for you, [Saintess]?”

A hand fell on my head, caressing my fox ears. “Please, don’t push me away,” she whispered.

My eyes moistened. “Can we talk somewhere private, Wisteria?” I whispered back.

“Come to my quarters,” she held my wrist and pulled me to the head nun’s chambers.

We entered her room and a rudimentary ward triggered. At least it was arcane in nature. I swallowed nothing and licked my lips with a dry tongue.

“Wisteria, I missed you,” I said straight away. “I never tried to push you away.”

She turned around and hugged me. “Thank you for saving me. I thought it was a bad dream but my System notifications didn’t lie.”

I couldn’t help but hug her back. “I beg your pardon? What happened?”

She hiccuped a giggle, “Don’t play dumb. I have a notification that says, ‘You died.’ Then another that someone brought me back to life. I had nightmares about that carriage. At first, I dismissed them as just dreams, but I heard from the guards that it happened. And I remember seeing you talking to the Goddess before I came back to life.”

I laughed and beamed. “Can you keep a secret?”

She read my face and eyes, “By Zacheia’s honeyed breast milk! It was real!”

“Sit down. Have a sip of water. I’m going to explain it to you.”

I talked to her about my past lives and who I really was. I showed her some of my titles, the ones that wouldn’t freak her out like [God Slayer]. There was a painting of Rosewise Honorcoin in the town hall. A very accurate one, commissioned by my parents. She was still skeptical until I showed her Pandora. The [Saintess] immediately recognized the [Wisp of Creation] for what it was.

“Haru, this is… are you a god?” Her jaw unhinged, Wisteria was forgetting to breathe.

“No. I’m a mortal just like you. The only difference is that when I die I don’t get my past life erased before reincarnating. Pandora is… She is almost a deity but not quite one.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

My answer seemed to calm her down. “How can you bring back the dead?”

“One of my past lives was a fairy spiritualist. I picked up several Perks that allowed me to do so. I know why the Gods don’t let their priests raise the dead. The souls depart minutes after death if nothing holds them in this world. Either their own resentment or some external force. The odds of having a priest able to raise the dead close enough are minimal. And the original Perk required twice as much MP as the target had HP. I improved it greatly with more than a dozen Perks but it is still ridiculously expensive. You might be able to do it with that [Saintess Magic] of yours though I don’t recommend trying.”

The room went silent for a while. I knew Wisteria had a lot to think about.

“You’re both the [Matriarch] and Duchess Nagini,” she pointed out implying that both the Kin and the Lamia Knights would follow me. “Can’t you solve this problem? Even if you don’t want to be [Queen] again, you can appoint someone to the throne.”

I stared deeply into those crystalline brown eyes of hers. Wisteria was truly [Saintess] material. “I gave them the tools to choose a successor. Isn’t Windemere strong enough to conquer this challenge on their own? Or are they willing to destroy what they had to feed their own greed? If they are, do they deserve to have it?”

“The Tabard is a terrifying tool. It killed everyone that attempted to wear it.”

I crossed my arms and felt some discomfort. My breasts were starting to grow. “They are keeping it away from those that would wear it proudly on purpose, can’t you see? It is all propaganda to discredit the Tabard. If they let anyone who wanted to wear it, Windemere wouldn’t be without a King or Queen for a single day.”

She lowered her head a bit, “But then it wouldn’t be the King the factions wanted.”

“Exactly. I bet they tried to destroy the Tabard several times.”

Wisteria reached out and held my hand. “Haru, I won’t force you to come out. But please promise me. If war breaks out, you’ll solve it. Letting the people grow on their own I can accept. Letting them be slaughtered by the strong...”

I nodded and hugged her again. “It won’t happen, Wisteria. I promise you. I think it is time to contact an old friend. Can I borrow your desk?”

A minute later, a {Messenger Bird} flew out of the [Saintess] window.

----------------------------------------

Three days later, Wisteria arranged for me to work as her personal maid for a day after rotating another three girls. She said it was an opportunity to learn some skills. It was all a ploy to let me go out of the church for a while. Apricot had a night date with someone in a forested area.

Somewhere in the southern outskirts of Rosebush, I found my contact. “Ackerton loves Gloria,” I said from the trees above that person.

“No way. That bastard only had eyes for his adoptive daughter,” he answered.

I jumped down and laughed. “It is good to see you, old friend. How are you doing?”

The dark elf beamed, showing me his pearly whites. “Better with you back among us. Things are bad, Apricot.”

I grunted. “How bad?”

“The lamias and we are all that keeps the others from attacking each other. Small fights erupt everywhere all the time. Lord Torgo brought a lot of mercenaries disguised as Adventurers to the city. They are harassing the population.”

“I had the displeasure of meeting him. He visited the church I’m currently living in.”

“The one with the [Saintess]?”

“Yes, that one. Kazuyran, what should I do?”

“Everything would be solved if you donned the Tabard. Before you hit me, I know you don’t want to.”

“You’re damn right.”

“Otherwise you’d have already taken it.”

“Obviously.”

“Obviously.”

I leaned against a tree and fought with my emotions. Doubt spread over my mind like the shadow of an eclipse on a midsummer day. Was I doing the right thing?

“Kazuyran, tell me. Is this Torgo fellow as bad as it seemed when I met him?”

The dark elf’s next word was as cold as the arctic midnight. “Yes.” It left no doubt. Torgo was a canker that had to be excised.

“Then he’s mine, you shouldn’t get involved. I’ll kill him and set the Tabard free. That’s all I’ll do for Windemere, though. They better solve this problem on their own.”

He gave me a rueful smile, "You can't though."

I almost choked on my determination. "Damn you, man! I get all psyched up for a little cloak and dagger action, going against my convictions for the greater good, and then you dunk me in a bucket of ice? What the hell!"

"His mercenaries and others are all tied up around him. These ruffians want to cause chaos but are holding back because of Torgo. If you cut the head, the rest of the body will riot."

I groaned and punched a tree. "Do you still take orders from me?"

He cackled just a bit. "Without a Ruler, Windemere is yours as far as I am concerned."

"Do these Torgo guys delve?"

"Yes, they do. The underground Dungeon. The dwarves aren't letting anyone in the Black Dragon."

"Then this is what I want. Get in those caves and PK all of Torgo's grunts. If the dwarves are hogging the Black Dragon Dungeon to themselves, then I have a free pass."

I assumed my normal form. Kazuyran sighed.

"Wait, you're that half-kitsune dwarf baby from ten years ago? Do you have any idea the headache your father caused us?"

Oh, mentioning that motherfucker made my blood boil instantly. "That asshole was not my father. Can't you see my ears and tails? He fucking murdered my mother."

"Whoa there," he raised his hands and jumped away from me. "Peace!"

I huffed and shook my head, "I'm never going to hurt you, Kazuyran. You're my friend and you are too useful to discard. Even if I killed you, rest assured I'd bring you back from the dead."

He tilted his head, "Thank you?" And took another step back.

"I'm joking!"

"The Gods like their jokes a bit too much," He unwittingly misquoted Aristotle.

"I'm not a God. Goodness, you're the second person that asked me the same thing this week!"

"Just for reference, who was the other one?"

I deflated, "Wisteria, the [Saintess]."

"If you allow me a random thought, maybe you should give the words of a [Saintess] more weight."

"Please, stop."

"You should see how the Kin talks about you."

"I know. I don't want to."

"Know how your people worship you?"

"No. Become a deity. Let me tell you, they are all self-serving assholes. It comes with the job. Therefore..."

"If you become a deity you'll be a self-serving asshole."

"Touché," I sheepishly admitted.