Chapter 503 (1): Had a Change of Heart Already?

Deep within the lush, verdant forest, several ancient trees intertwined into a charming, classy two-story treehouse. Green vines draped across its surfaces, existing in harmony with the wooden structure. It was as if nature itself had draped the house with a green cloak of vibrant life.

Sunlight filtered through the canopies, casting dappled patterns below and creating a warm, serene sanctuary. Crystal-clear raindrops clung to the vibrant green leaves, falling whenever a breeze blew to grace the earth and release a faint petrichor. Time seemed to slow here. Anyone passing through would forget the noise and chaos of the mortal realm and embrace the serenity, thanking nature for the generous gift.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Bang!

Three dull thumps were followed by the heavy slam of a door. From the second floor of the treehouse came an indignant roar, “I interrogate high-profile prisoners. Do you understand what that means? Don’t throw any random Joe at me. I have enough on my plate!”

Following the roar, three people came tumbling down from the second floor, racing to reach the ground with their heads. They were Carthus, Ira, and Sotos, Saigner’s demigod subordinates. Wayne had defeated and captured them on the eighth level. Because they were beings of the Spirit Class of the Undead Order, with no physical bodies that could be interrogated in the conventional way, they ended up being thrown out by Wayne.

At the door on the second floor, Ryza looked down at the three additional sprouts sticking out of the ground. “The men have been thrown out, while the woman is kept inside. This is what you call a proper interrogation?”

Sukra sprawled in a vine hammock, shifting her hips. It was lacking in the comfort department. She created a cushion with her thoughts and slumped back down.

It still wasn’t good enough.

She dismissed the hammock and conjured a sofa instead. Now that was life.

Watching her student undignified sprawl on the sofa made Ryza pop a vessel. She delivered a hand chop to the back of Sukra’s head. “Look at yourself, Sukra. What did I teach you? You’re the current Holy Maiden. You must be mindful of your image at all times.”

The chop didn’t hurt, so Sukra didn’t bother playing the pity card. She narrowed her eyes and said lazily, “All you do is pick on me. You should be going inside and telling the Death Knight to watch his image. If you don’t dare, keep your lecture to yourself. It just makes you seem like a bully who only goes for the weak.”

Ryza raged, invoking her authority as her master and laying into Sukra, pinching her ear. She could not fathom how her well-behaved, diligent, honorable student had turned into this lazy couch potato. If it was because of Wayne’s influence, that would be terrible. Why didn’t she learn from Rognes, also a Death Knight, instead?

Ryza ranted until her mouth went dry, but the slacker remained shamelessly unbothered. Her anger fizzled out, and she turned toward the soundproof barrier at the door in exasperation. “Sukra, the current Death Knight is powerful, but he has none of the self-respect that a powerful individual should have. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

Sukra’s eyes lit up. “Oh? Is Master so worried about the Underworld that you plan to go in there and guide Wayne to the bright side?”

It had been a while since they last met, and Master had gotten more preachy. She kept criticizing Sukra, to the point that she was getting annoyed. Her master clearly needed a lesson from Wayne.

Thinking of the bathtub and dry petals that Wayne had ordered to be moved inside, Ryza shook her head decisively. Whatever business was taking place inside, she wanted no part of it.

Sukra took one look and knew that her master’s mind was in the gutter. She lay back on the sofa, propping her chin on one hand. Her head bobbed gently like she would doze off at any moment.

“Master, don’t judge a book by its cover. While Wayne may have little to no integrity, he does have a bottom line. Open the door and take a look if you don’t believe me. I guarantee that nothing is happening inside.”

Sukra had spent a long time at the manor of the Holy Maiden of Darkness, so she understood Wayne quite well. She would happily leech off a free meal plan like him for the rest of her life.

“Ha.” Ryza’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “My dear student, why do you keep urging me to go inside? Care to explain to your master?”

“I’m helping you earn a promotion, Master. Former Holy Maidens aren’t uncommon in the Divine Realm. You enjoy no advantage compared to your predecessors.” Sukra’s expression turned solemn. “Master, choosing the right path is often more important than hard work and competence!”

“Huh?!”

Ryza didn’t really follow, but that sounded profound.

“Think about it. Wayne is the goddess’s knight in the mortal realm, carrying Her thoughts within his body. She trusts him deeply...” Sukra counted on her fingers. “In raw power, he dwarfs even subordinate gods who have gained the Authority of the Underworld. Once he suppresses the rebellion, the goddess will reward him accordingly, making him a new subordinate god.”

“I’ve made my case. Work hard, Master. Your student is counting on your support.”

She shot Ryza an encouraging look.

Go, Master. Wayne likes clever-looking idiots like you!

The eyepatch prevented her gaze from reaching Ryza, but the unspoken message that it had been far too long since the master gave the student a proper punishment came through loud and clear. One reaped what they sowed and all that. Sukra ended up receiving a rapid succession of hand chops.

Putting the master-student drama aside, inside the treehouse, Wayne was baring it all.

A massive bathtub occupied most of the room. Soft, delicate petals of roses, lavenders, lilies, and magnolias floated on the surface of the water like a colorful blanket, the mix of fragrances intoxicating.

A slender, pale leg bone rose from the water and rested lazily on the brim of the tub. Water trailed down, leaving two plump petals stuck to the bone. A bare skull broke the surface, with a rose petal plastered to the forehead. The white light flickering in the eye sockets fixed on the two women on the other side of the tub.

Saigner and Mauve.

It was Wayne’s first time taking a floral bath right in front of women—he was even baring all his bones. He felt a little embarrassed. Worried that his acting wouldn’t be convincing enough, he added a threat for good measure, “Ladies, have you made up your mind? Will you speak voluntarily, or would you like to join me?”

He let out a dark chuckle. “If it’s the latter, don’t forget to scrub my back. These old bones have been a bit stiff lately and could do some loosening up.”

Across from the tub, Saigner and Mauve scowled darkly, each with a small octopus perched atop their heads. Their life essences were under devastating threat.

Though their bodies and thoughts had suffered a serious blow, demigods were undoubtedly difficult to kill. Given enough time to rest, they would recover fully. To avoid getting ambushed while he was taking a bath, Wayne had thoughtfully placed an octopus on each of their heads. The tentacles had inserted into the flesh under their hair and could transform them at any time.

Indeed, it was a threat!

“Speak. You’ve been staying silent while my voice alone fills the room. An onlooker might mistake me for the villain here!” Wayne huffed, stepping out of the bathtub and exposing his naked bones to the air.

It was way too explicit.

When the two still refused to speak, he raised a hand and started going eeny-meeny-miny-moe lazily. His finger stopped at Mauve.

“You’re safe. Saigner, you’re in luck. You’ve won the honor of scrubbing my back.” He crooked a finger at her, urging her to hurry up and get out of her dress.

Outrageous!

Mauve stepped forward and shielded her leader loyally, lifting her hands to take off her black dress.

Saigner put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head, turning to Wayne. “Cut the meaningless threat. What do you want to know? I’ll tell you everything.”

Seriously, Sis? Why would you just spill the beans? Think about your role. Learn from your subordinate’s refusal to submit even if she had to bathe me.

Why don’t you resist for a little longer? Then you’ll be a hero!

When Saigner refused to refuse him and didn’t even attempt to show defiance, Wayne, deeply displeased, sneered, “As expected of a disloyal, unfilial, cruel, hypocritical traitor. I haven’t even started, and you’re already talking. What was the goddess thinking when She chose you as Her subordinate god?”

Mauve stalked up to fight Wayne, her blood boiling.

Saigner stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, fixing Wayne with a cold gaze. “I’ll tell you everything, but if you continue with the attitude...”

“What about my attitude?” Wayne retrieved a bathrobe from his personal storage with a wave, putting it on and sitting on the edge of the bathtub with his legs fully spread. “A captive should act like a captive. I didn’t kill you, nor did I forcefully transform your life essence to make you my slave. That’s two times I showed you mercy. You should be grateful.”

“And you...” He shot Mauve a glare. “If you bare your teeth at me another time out of misguided loyalty, I’ll humiliate Saigner right in front of you. Kekeke, you don’t want to see her suffer, do you?”

“...” x2

On the receiving end of two fierce glares, Wayne shook his head, his neck bones clacking. “That’s more like it. You’re captives, not my guests. Put away your pride since no one will indulge you here.”

Mauve lowered her head and closed her eyes, feeling deeply guilty for the indignity her leader was subjected to. A lord’s humiliation was a retainer’s death, yet she couldn’t even shed blood all over the enemy.

“Given that we’ve had an intimate heart-to-heart earlier, I’ll take a step back and interpret your silence as submission. I forgive your rudeness.” Wayne waved magnanimously, meeting Saigner’s gaze. “Now tell me, what did the goddess tell you? On what grounds did you feel entitled to frame Rognes, and on what grounds did you wage a war within the Underworld?”

Saigner closed her eyes and took a deep breath, tightening her fists. “The goddess told me that She had reached the end of Her path, and that Death led nowhere. She sought to forge a new way by drawing the power of Nature, but the three subordinate gods were no longer enough to sustain the Divine Realm. She wished to cultivate a new God of Death.”

“Among the three subordinate gods, Grau lacks fighting spirit, while Sizorn joined the Underworld for survival and revenge alone, making him untrustworthy due to a lack of loyalty to Death. I alone am worthy of godhood!”

“So that’s your script...” Wayne stroked his chin, connecting the known dots into a full story. “Keep going. Tell me about the goddess’s slumber. What role did you play in the process? Did you lead Nature in?”

“It was me, but not me alone. Grau and Sizorn were also involved.” Saigner’s eyelids twitched. “At the goddess’s instruction, I initiated contact with Nature’s subordinate gods and opened the gateway to the Underworld for them, allowing Nature to ambush the goddess and gain part of the Law of Death...”

Mauve stared at her leader in disbelief, her eyes brimming with confusion and shock.

I’m the villain. I’m a sinner of the Underworld!

That bastard over there is its hero!

Devoted fans like Hestia were few and far between in the Divine Realms. The vast majority of demigods, so long as they weren’t vassal creations, followed the goddesses as the primary subject of their faith. The subordinate gods came second.

Mauve had followed Saigner to death and back, but her ultimate faith belonged to the Goddess of Death. Her loyalty to Saigner was founded on the premise that Saigner was loyal to Death. Learning that her leader was a traitor pulled the rug from under her feet.

The goddess told you to lure Nature in, and you did it? Why would you listen to that?

Mauve trembled with fury and took involuntary steps back, getting closer to Wayne.

“The goddess told you to let Nature in, so you did. The goddess told you to compete for the divine throne of Death, so you did...” Wayne voiced exactly what Mauve was thinking, letting out a scornful laugh. “Forgive my bluntness. That’s not blind loyalty. The goddess had simply seen through your desire and concluded that you weren’t capable of keeping to your station. You’ve long craved the divine throne, and the goddess’s order was merely an excuse for you.”

That hit Saigner like a blade. She opened her eyes with fury, her face flushed. “Do not sully my loyalty to the goddess. She gave me life and holds a special place in my heart. I never intended to rebel. She needed me to replace Her, which was why I did what I did. You don’t know the anguish I’ve felt!”

“Really? I don’t believe you.”

Bastard!