“Oh,” I said. “That actually makes sense.”

  I recalled what I had heard about Natalya’s son so far. I never knew his name, but Anatoly had called him ‘prolific’, and that most half-elves were his progeny. Half-elves weren’t that uncommon, and I had already met three of them, despite living in almost complete isolation. It made sense that the father of a species would be Lust.

  “How did you know he was Lust though?” I asked. “Hasn’t he been lustful for a really long time? How were you able to tell apart his normal habits from being a Demon King?”

  “He told us,” said Antonio. “Chastity stumbled upon him while investigating a slave trader den, and he proudly proclaimed it to her before teleporting her away.”

  “Oh. Well that’s convenient. But since he’s an elf, I assume he’s very powerful, and very difficult to deal with, which is why he hasn’t been caught yet?”

  “Correct,” said Antonio, nodding. “Unfortunately, we still don’t know too much about his abilities. From Natalya’s testimony, he is not a true archmage, and his only affinity is for spatial magic, but he is still an elf who has lived over a thousand years, so it is likely he has forced his way to the level of an archmage anyway. Additionally, his spatial magic is second to none. Natalya has been in charge of tracking him down for the past two years, but she has been unable to catch him.”

  “What about his Demon King powers?” I asked. “Doesn’t each Demon King have a unique ability?”

  “We aren’t sure. We believe it’s some kind of mental ability, but we haven’t been able to pin down exactly what kind.”

  “I see,” I said.

  Lust’s ability being a mental one was very good for me. Being an elf, he was still probably beyond my ability to handle at the moment, but if I gained a few more levels, he shouldn’t be a problem. Between my stats and my immunity to mental skills, I would overpower him in every area. As long as I could keep him from teleporting away, my victory would be assured.

  “Now, the unknown Demon Kings,” Antonio continued. “We have confirmed Envy’s existence and abilities, but we do not know their identity. As far as we can tell, Envy has the ability to shapeshift, and copy the abilities of those they change into.”

  “They can copy abilities?” I asked. “What if they change into an elf? What if they change into one of the other Demon Kings?”

  “I do not know the answer to them turning into another Demon King, but as far as we can tell, we don’t have too much to worry about with transforming into elves. Envy’s skill levels seem to be capped at Envy’s own user level, and from what we’ve seen, their User level is currently around 50. In the future, they will be dangerous, but for now, Envy is fairly low priority.”

  “That’s good. We need to deal with them before they get too strong though.”

  “Yes, I agree. However, Envy is almost impossible to track down. The shapeshifting seems to be limitless, instantaneous, and as it is a divine ability, it does not use mana, so it is untraceable. They have tried impersonating high profile people before, and though they were eventually discovered, no one knows their original identity. We suspect that Envy is a woman, as they usually impersonate women, but Envy has been known to copy men before as well.”

  “What happens to the people they copy? Does Envy kill them?”

  “Sometimes,” said Antonio, grimly. “When they are going for a full replacement, yes. A year ago, they copied the daughter of Count Fauré. The only reason they were caught is that that a fisherman found the real lady’s body washed ashore a hundred miles downstream. By the corpse, Envy had replaced her for a couple months before being discovered. They somehow caught wind of the body’s discovery and managed to escape at the last minute though. We had the entire city on lockdown for a month and a half until we got news that an adventurer had been copied up near Saëns’ territory.”

  “Damn,” I said.

  Then, I realized what I had said, and looked up at the Saintess, hoping I hadn’t made a mistake. Fortunately, if I had, Evelyn didn’t seem to care. She had procured a book from somewhere and was idly flipping through pages, not paying attention to our conversation in the slightest.

  “What about the other two? Pride and Sloth?” I asked.

  “We have no idea who Sloth might be, but as I mentioned in the carriage, we aren’t too concerned about them. Pride, on the other hand, has been concerningly silent. I am hoping that their arrogance has already gotten them killed.” I winced internally, recalling the incident in the Halls of Abomination. “I wouldn’t bet on it, but the more time passes without them making any kind of move, the more likely it is that that happened. Unlike Sloth, Pride is naturally inclined to making big moves and causing big problems, so the fact that nothing has happened may mean that they are already dead.”

  I winced internally. I knew that I was already a suspect, so if I did anything too suspicious now, I would probably be taken into custody, if not outright killed. I was now too powerful to simply be observed if I was acting suspiciously.

  “We have a list of suspects,” continued Antonio, “but we have nothing concrete. Just a list of prideful and suspicious people. You are on the list, though living with Natalya for five years has almost cleared you of suspicion.”

  “Almost?” I repeated. “What do I need to do to get completely off the list?”

  “Live quietly,” he replied simply. “Though that may be impossible now that you’ve become an archmage and announced your intentions to join the Hunt for the Demon Kings. Actually, both of those things count against you. I personally don’t believe that you are Pride, but my opinion is one of many, so I doubt you will ever be fully off the list.”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  “Quite,” agreed Antonio.

  “What about the Virtues?” I asked after a moment’s silence.

  “All but Charity have been located and assigned to missions so far. Obviously, I am Diligence, and I am here and in charge of organization and correspondence between the Virtues. Temperance and Chastity were both paladins of the church of Order when they were selected and have since been promoted to Orderbound Blades. Temperance is Otto Schuchardt from Johann, and Chastity is Ingrid Eide from Griegland. Humility’s identity is unknown, but Saintess Evelyn received a prophecy telling us to trust her, so we have.

  “Patience was an elementary school teacher in Maradona, which is part of the reason that she was initially assigned to deal with Wrath. Kindness was a doctor from Ravel, but they have no ability or interest in fighting the Demon Kings. Still, he has been helpful. He’s been spending his time in Maradona healing the victims of the constant battles. And Charity has yet to be located. Unfortunately, we believe that they may have already been killed by Greed. Greed has a vast network of underlings and informants, and Charity would likely have been easy to locate, given their nature.”

  “What are their abilities?”

  “I am not at liberty to tell you that.”

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “While I may not believe you to be a Demon King, you are still a suspect. No matter how low the chance, it would be foolish to reveal the abilities of the Virtues to someone who might be a Demon King. When you are assigned to your mission, you will be working with one or more of the Virtues, so they can tell you their abilities themselves. I cannot tell you, though.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Well that’s-” I started to say.

  “If it makes you feel any better, I only know half of their abilities,” interrupted Evelyn without looking up from her book. “And even Tony doesn’t know Humility’s.”

  “I told you to call me Antonio.”

  “Besides,” she said, continuing. “You’ll probably get assigned to the dragon hunt, and Chastity and Temperance will be happy to tell you their abilities. Then you’ll know as much as me.” She flipped a page.

  “Fine,” I said after a short hesitation.

  Antonio nodded. “As Saintess Evelyn said, you will be assigned to the dragon hunt. Greed is the most dangerous of the Sins, both in combat and influence, so taking him out is top priority.”

  I didn’t like the sound of that assignment. Humility, my opposite, was also working on hunting Greed. Though I hadn’t heard anything about the Sins and Virtues being able to sense each other, I didn’t want to take too many chances. However, there wasn’t really much way for me to protest without seeming suspicious.

  “Shouldn’t I be assigned somewhere else though?” I ventured. “We already have three Virtues working on Greed, but none on Wrath, Lust or Envy. I could go help out with Wrath, or get to work finding Envy.”

  “No, you will be most useful against Greed,” said Antonio, shaking his head. “The other sins have much lower threat levels, aside from Wrath, and with Wrath, there are many moral and political issues surrounding it. Barging in recklessly would only make things worse. And locating Envy and Lust is a job for a large group of informants, not a single person, no matter how powerful.”

  “But Natalya is assigned to Lust,” I protested.

  “That is because she can respond to sightings and teleport to his location instantly. You may be skilled at spatial magic, but you are not as good as she is. Additionally, if he has mental abilities relating to his nature as Lust, then we absolutely mustn’t send you. He may have enough scruples not to try anything on his own mother, but he has a history of targeting the most powerful women in the world, of which you are now one.”

  I wanted to argue further, but I couldn’t without revealing that I was Pride. I would have to go on my own to hunt Lust, without the church being aware of it, which would have to wait. It wasn’t a big deal though. I would need more levels before trying to take on an elf. In our sparring sessions, Natalya could still easily defeat me without breaking a sweat, and while Alexander didn’t quite have her talent, he was still probably too much for me to handle.

  “Alright,” I said. “Where will I be going then?”

  “For now, Hengeberg. It’s a trade city on the southern coast of Johann. We’ve located one of Greed’s many lairs there, and Chastity and Temperance are currently planning an assault on it. Greed is not there himself, but his underlings will be, and the more of his lairs we clear out, the less places he will have to hide.”

  I nodded. “When do I leave. Will I be teleporting there?”

  “You will be teleporting there tomorrow evening at sunset. You can be ready by then, yes?”

  “Yes. I’m ready right now.”

  “Good. Do you have any other questions before we part? It is getting late, and I still have some duties to attend to before I retire for the night.”

  “Where should I meet you tomorrow?”

  “Just come to the back entrance of the cathedral about half an hour before sunset. It probably won’t be me, as I am very busy, but someone will brief you, and then you’ll be sent on your way.”

  I nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

  “Oh are you leaving?” said Evelyn, looking up from her book for the first time since she pulled it out.

  “Yes. It looks like ‘Tony’ doesn’t want me here anymore,”

  “Hey, don’t call him that,” she said sternly as she sat up. “His name is Antonio.”

  “I- what?” I said.

  “What?” said Antonio.

  “It was lovely meeting you,” said Evelyn, ignoring us. “It’s unfortunate that our meeting had to end so soon.”

  “Wait-” I started to say before stopping myself when it all clicked into place.

  Evelyn was completely disinterested in our conversation until it was time for me to leave, and despite calling him Tony all night, she got mad when I did it, and now she was saying her farewells before anyone else. It was obvious what was happening. I was a little annoyed, but I had already gotten what I wanted, so I saw no reason to stand between the two of them.

  “Yes, it saddens me as well,” I said standing up. “It’s been fun, but it seems that you two have some work to do, so I’ll get out of your way. Thank you for your time.” I nodded to them and started walking to the door.

  “Huh?” said Antonio. “But-”

  “Come on, Tony,” said Evelyn happily. “Say your farewells.”

  “It’s Antonio,” he said. “Um- farewell Lucille. Thank you for joining our noble cause.”

  “Bye, Antonio,” I said, turning back one last time before I opened the door.

  The moment I opened the door, Gisele moved in front of me.

  “Are you done?” she asked.

  “Ah, Gisele! Perfect!” said Evelyn before I could respond. “Could you please escort Archmage Lucille back outside for me? Tony and I have important things to discuss alone.”

  “My name is Antonio,” said Antonio.

  “But, Saintess!” said Gisele.

  “Hey, Lucy needs an escort, and there’s no one else who could do it. Diligence is busy as always, and look at my dress.” She showed off her now wrinkled side. “And my hair.” she ruffled her hair, messing it up even further. “We can’t have anyone seeing me like this, can we? You’re the only one who can do it.”

  Gisele took a long, deep breath in through her nose, then exhaled in defeat. “As you wish, Saintess.”

  “Oh, and Lucy,” said Evelyn. “The cathedral is the most beautiful building in the city, but in my opinion, the inside is even better than the outside. I’m sure Gisele would be happy to give you a tour.”

  “Saintess!” shouted Gisele.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” I said, smirking. “I’ve never gone into the main area of the cathedral before. Only here and the interrogation rooms.”

  “Archmage Lucille!” said Gisele, looking at me pleadingly.

  “Gisele, would you be so kind as to show me around?” I asked.

  Gisele made puppy eyes at me, and seemed about to cry, but after a few seconds, she relented.

  “Follow me,” she mumbled, and started trudging down the hallway.

  I enjoyed my cathedral tour to its fullest, leisurely wandering around with Gisele, looking inside every room I was allowed to. It was late at night, so there were few people around, and when we did come across anyone, they would do nothing but give us curious glances and move on. While highly unenthusiastic, Gisele was actually very knowledgeable about the cathedral, and was able to satisfactorily answer almost every question I asked.

  It took about two hours to see everything, and by the end, I agreed with Evelyn’s opinion. The inside was better than the outside. The whole structure, inside and out was made of white stone, and while the outside was only decorated with carvings, the inside was accented by blue and gold carpets, tapestries, paintings, weapons and crystal chandeliers. In the main sanctuary, intricate arches rose high above my head, and artistically carved stone beams made a web in the air.

  When I finally decided to leave, Gisele suddenly regained her energy, gave me the shortest farewell she possibly could, and sped off back to Diligence’s office. I went back out the way I had come in and after a few minutes of indecision, I decided to head back towards the major streets to enjoy the late-night festivities. It was still before midnight, so the street festival would be lively still, and I had a lot of time to kill before I left.

  Before I made it there, however, I got an uneasy feeling, as if I were being watched. With my [Perception] so high, I knew better than to mistrust my senses, so I immediately stopped, and started focusing on my surroundings. Immediately, I noticed a trail of mana a few feet away leading off to the east somewhere. It went far enough that my senses didn’t reach.

  Obviously, someone was trying to get my attention, though I couldn’t tell who. It wasn’t Natalya. She wouldn’t use such indirect tactics. It wasn’t Anatoly either, and since those were the only two people I knew who would be able to manipulate mana at this distance, that meant it was someone else.

  My thoughts immediately jumped to Beatrice, Duke Lyon’s pet land whale. She might be capable of something like this, but if was her, it was a mystery as to why. I had annoyed her a little bit at the party, but I didn’t publicly humiliate her that much. No one else could see through her illusion, so she was the only one who would have understood the true meaning of my words.

  It could be another archmage that I wasn’t familiar with who wanted to meet for some reason. Whoever it was, staying still wouldn’t help me solve it. Whoever it was, if they had ill intentions, I was strong enough that even if I couldn’t beat them, I could run away, and Natalya was still in the city somewhere, so I’d like to think if I made a big enough commotion, she’d come to investigate.

  I followed the suspicious trail of mana as it continued to lead me eastward, all the way to the outskirts of the city, and then kept going beyond that. When I had gotten about half a mile from the last house, I finally sensed the person at the end of the trail. As I had guessed, it was Beatrice.