Evadne had leaned in close, whispering insistently into my ear. "Then let's go to the Highest Priestess."
She was pulling me toward Pythia again. My goal was Pylades.
*I need more time to think.*
Fork landed in my hand back again.
"I'm sorry, Evadne, I'm still eating." I said.
My salvaged plate had the last, juice-dribbling piece of steak. I speared and quickly put it in my mouth. Exaggerated chewing had a deliberate slowness.
Her eyebrow arched.
Munch-munch-munch.
Golden eyes studied me suspiciously.
Munch. Munch-munch.
She didn't call me out. She just turned back to the knights, calmly sipping from her cup.
I swallowed the steak, savoring the flavor.
Then I turned to my own penance: the bowl of rice glue.
Quick glance at Evadne, then I dutifully scraped the last lukewarm glob onto my spoon and forced it down. It was absolutely plain. Flavorless except for that faint tang coating my tongue—sour and metallic.
*Strange.*
When I set the empty bowl down with a quiet click, a small smile touched her lips. She nodded with approval, saying: "This will mend your body in no time, despite its taste."
"What exactly is in this?" I asked, looking at the traces of ordinary-looking pulp clinging to the inside of the bowl.
"It was prepared from carefully selected ingredients and imbued with potent potions to help you recover." I nodded in response.
*Makes sense, not that I can verify it anyway.*
I mindlessly rotated the spoon, scraping on the bowl's inside.
*Maybe I should ask Althea?*
"Althea, what do you think about this pulp?" I asked her openly.
"Good for your body, but given the taste..." Althea paused before landing a teasing blow: "I wonder how long you could eat it and remain sane."
Smile touched my lips. Evadne observed, unsure how to react, but I said to her: "She says its good for my body, but she's not sure about my mind due to the taste." She nodded in response, but I couldn't decipher her expression.
I leaned back slightly, with palms resting on the table.
The knights were finishing their meals. Their cheerfulness, though still restrained, made me lower my shoulders and breathe more lightly. My grip on the silverware loosened.
Half of the steak rested with a perfectly seared crust on Hector's plate. Its surface glistened with fat and savory juices. Inside had an inviting rosy-pink hue. I was already full, but had to audibly swallow the saliva that flooded my mouth either way.
He caught my gaze and gestured toward the steak with an unspoken invitation. I shook my head with a smile. "You said the Centurion is training."
Hector nodded slowly.
"I'd like to speak with him. It's only right," I said.
"Leonard, that's a kind thought, but you have unfinished business with the Highest Priestess."
Evadne put her hand gently on my arm. "She was expecting to continue your conversation once you felt better."
Hector's face pictured concern, his eyes jumped between me and Evadne. Finally, he stood up, his chair scraping on the floor, and said: "Yes, he should be at the Armory."
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Ajax stood with him. "Duty calls," he mumbled, giving a curt nod before heading out. Hector exchanged quick glances with the remaining knights.
Sensing the shift and the rising tension between me and the High Priestess, they quickly abandoned their empty plates and silverware on the table, offering hasty thanks and farewells before following Ajax, leaving us in a sudden, awkward silence.
I took that moment to recall how my conversation with Pythia went, and yes. It was ended abruptly.
"We touched the most important topics, and I'll go to her right after I talk briefly with Pylades." Seal gave a few warmer pulses, as if in confirmation at my words.
Evadne weighed my answer, searching for something on my face.
Althea's voice chimed in my mind. "Pylades is the Centurion in direct command of the First Holy Knights." Another warmer pulse. "A personal connection with him could be a formidable asset."
Evadne's golden eyes darted to the exit, then skimmed the hall, only to fix on mine in the end. Finally, she said: "His grief is no trivial matter, but he will be there when you finish the conversation with the Highest Priestess."
"It won't be long," I insisted. "This is my decision, I...", I wasn't sure how to convince her, so I just added: "Please respect this."
Evadne let out a soft sigh, the tension on her face easing as she conceded. "Very well, but please, be brief. Let's go to the Armory, there's a gym there."
"Thank you," I said and she gave me a hesitant smile.
~ ? ? ~
Evadne navigated the temple effortlessly while I tried to map the layout in my head. It was difficult, because every hallway, every pillar and corner looked roughly the same.
Raw grey stone walls, ceiling supported by sparsely placed, massive pillars - some with moon and sun engravings.
Only the doors that we have passed were somewhat distinct from each other. A mix of solid wooden and precisely cut stone doors. The engravings and paintings on them hinted the purpose of the rooms behind them, but some were simply mysterious.
A flask with a serpent.
Kneeling figure in front of the sun and moon.
Three swords, each pointing to the skull in the center from the corners of the triangle that they formed.
Or just a bed. Or a bread, a knife and a crate.
The journey didn't last long though, and we reached the wide, stone door with the sword I passed by just a day ago.
The moon and sun pattern above reminded me of my summoning. They were closed shut, but Evadne placed her hand on the sun and it welcomed her touch with a dim glow.
The door opened, and the air that met us was cool and still. It carried the scents of storm, polishing oil, and cold iron.
The room was a grand chamber, far more a sanctuary than a simple storage space. A lone priest stood at a tall lectern, his back to us, overseeing the sanctum beyond.
From where I stood, I could take a free look into the open chamber in front.
There was an open space with practice dummies lined up at the wall. They looked like heavily armored scarecrows. Beside them was a large crate with the parts of the ones that didn't withstand the beating.
And to the left... there, a wall had a lighter shade, the mortar still fresh. A dizzying flashback stopped me in my tracks—the phantom taste of dust, echoing slams vibrating through bones, the silhouette of a knight stepping through the ruin.
*Was it here?*
*Reminder of the dangers in this world right in front of my eyes.*
Evadne pulled me gently. While we were approaching the priest, I focused on the other room to the right.
There was a hall of titans. A strange mist crawling at the floor. A sword's crossguard was protruding from a recess in the wall. The large mana stone in its pommel shone brightly.
Beside it stood the Sacred Armor, motionless and proud, a silent twin waiting for its master. But my eyes were drawn to the next sentinel.
There, beside him, on a short pedestal, rested an enormous black hammer. Its simple, elegant edges seemed to hum with energy. The long, two-handed black handle completed its imposing posture.
Farther on, I could only make out a partial view of another monstrous suit of armor and the head of a massive axe. Its haft seemingly sunk deep into the stone floor itself.
"Priest of Steel," Evadne said.
The priest turned around with a surprise on his face. "High Priestess, what brings you here?"
She didn't reply but turned slightly to me. I wasn't that dense to miss her intent and said: "Hello, Priest of Steel, I'm Leonard, Otherworlder and I was hoping to find Centurion Pylades here."
"Welcome, Otherworlder, I'm Priest Marcus, it's an honor to meet the Saint."
My eyes widened in surprise, and my mouth slightly opened as I held breath.
A simple question resonated in my mind - *What?* - while he continued: "The Centurion finished his," he grunted into his fist, "training some time ago and was summoned to Legatus' office."
The priest looked at me waiting, and I looked back, confused. A brief moment of awkward silence was interrupted by Evadne: "Otherworlder, perhaps it is for the better. Highest Priestess' room is just around the corner."
*Me? A Saint?*
"Well, yes, maybe," I replied her without much confidence.
*Really? What the hell?*
*Wait, they're looking at me, waiting for clarification.*
"Where's Centurion now, could you tell me?" I added.
"No problem at all, Otherworlder," he replied like nothing happened smiling politely. He pointed toward the exit door and then somewhere along the corridor, "He's in the Legatus' Office with the other Centurions."
Evadne inhaled, readying to speak, but I quickly said, "Thank you Priest Marcus, and may we meet again." I turned to her, lightly pinching sleeve of her robe and pulled her once, moving toward the door. "High Priestess, please, let's talk outside."
She exhaled parting ways with the priest, and we left the keeper of the armory behind the stone door.
When outside, I placed my hand gently on her arm to stop her.
*Saint?* My mind was reeling from the priest's word. *Like some religious figure?*
"High Priestess," I made a long pause while looking her directly in the eyes.
My own hands suddenly were unsteady as I grabbed hers. They were held together in front of her.
"Evadne, what's with the saint thingy!?"
The priest just called Leonard "Saint." What is this new title?
