Elise dared not speak more than necessary in front of the Father. Sophia had warned her that he did not tolerate anyone but humans, something that terrified her, but at the same time, something she had accepted.
Sophia was the kindest girl she had ever met, someone who made her heart flutter every time she interacted with her; Elise could not afford to misbehave in front of Sophia's Father.
"Rise," Cedric ordered, his gaze snapped to Sophia. "I see I was right for giving you a chance."
Sophia nodded, "I must thank you once again for putting your trust in me. Elise is no demon; she was merely misguided, much like the Infidels of humanity."
Cedric brought his hand to his chin, "Perhaps. How many were you able to bring to Truth?"
"Father, most of the town is under the control of Christianity. I and Elise were hard at work."
Cedric's eyes widened in surprise. "You were able to convert so many demons? Was there any meaningful resistance?"
He had expected her to say that she had to cull most of the demons, but what she said surprised him to the very core.
"Only some, most demons... no angels that were led astray accepted your teachings. I think it was because this town was not treated well by the Empire. Elise should be able to say more." Sophia took a step back.
Elise looked up, "This town is called Rize. It used to be one of the poorest towns in this region of the Empire. However, with the help of Sophia and her siblings, the situation was rapidly improved and is still getting better with each passing moment."
She bowed her head.
"I can't believe the demi-humans aren't all blood thirsty!" Aurelia spoke excitedly.
She rushed to Elise and grabbed her hands. "Are you Lady Sophia's wife?"
However, she quickly caught herself and jumped back and bowed, "Forgive me for the outburst, I am Aurelia the First Star. The Queen of Valar and Cedric's future wife."
Sophia smiled warmly, she placed her hand onto her chest and bowed, "My name is Sophia, The Virtue."
Elise followed shortly after, "I am Elise! Lady Sophia's student, and if I am lucky, she will marry me someday! It's an honor to meet someone as exalted as Sophia's mother!" Elise blurted out once more.
Aurelia almost fainted at the words, "Not mother... I still was not blessed by Cedric! But one day!" She felt that Elise understood her.
Elise cracked a smile, "Forgive me for assuming so suddenly. But it truly is an honor to meet you. Sophia has told me a lot about Cedric and mentioned you!"
"I'm glad."
"Seems not all demons have to be purged. Sophia, I will allow you to lead an operation to push the willing towards the Light of God once the purge of the unclean starts. Remember, most cannot be saved. Aurelia, you can stay here for a while. I have something to discuss with Ariel." Cedric stated before he turned and left.
The doors slammed shut, which left 3 girls together.
"So, Sophia, I heard a bit about you. But I didn't realise you would be into girls." She grinned as she turned to Elise.
Without a moment of wait, Elise chimmed in, "Gender does not matter when someone is as kind and cool as Lady Sophia!"
Aurelia giggled, "I get how you feel."
"Elise had confessed very quickly... but she must wait to learn more of me before understanding if I am what she truly wishes for. Romance cannot be rushed despite her being really cute." Sophia shook her head, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.
Aurelia stared at Sophia's eyes, her gaze piercing her. 'She is similar to Cedric, no wonder she considers him Father, it's like I am looking at his daughter.'
"You called me cute! See, you are very much in love with me too!" Elise squirmed before shuffling closer to Sophia.
An audible sigh escaped Aurelia's lips, 'They are adorable...'
"Elise, I know you like me a lot. But it's not wise to trust me yet. What if I lead you into death?"
Elise's expression became serious. "Then I shall accept that fate with open arms! I owe my life to you. Without you, I would have been some criminal's breeding sow!"
"Debt isn't..." Sophia sighed, "We can chat about this in private, don't behave like this in front of the First Star."
Aurelia's hands covered her mouth as she let out a hearty laugh, "You... I can't... I love you both!" She almost collapsed from the sheer laughter before she finally calmed down.
"I will leave now. I know how it feels when someone intrudes on personal time. I'm glad to have met you both. Let's chat soon!"
While she couldn't go to Cedric as he needed to deal with Ariel, she instead decided to [Teleport] inside the Palace and finish her duties.
The skill her beloved granted her was wonderful; it allowed her to practically be in multiple places at the same time.
While she mostly wished to use it to get to Cedric no matter the distance, it still had its uses.
'I should really visit Grahm soon.' She smiled. The elderly general would surely be ecstatic at her current position. Yet she knew he would have a hard time believing everything that happened to her.
[Teleport], In an instant, her vision changed; she found herself in front of the gates of Vitpacar.
The gates that Cedric had shattered before were fully repaired and manned by human Guards.
The town now truly was the bastion against the demihuman empire. Most of the Angels were already gone; they had to prepare to invade Chrunus.
She approached the gates, "I should have teleported inside..." With a sigh, she crouched down and launched herself over the wall.
With the grace befitting the First Star, she landed on the other side, despite the shock of the remaining human guards.
She ignored them as she headed to the location Grahm was supposed to reside at.