"Who is he?"
William mimicked the unpleasant, arrogant tone of Ares from his memory, his voice low, full of pressure. He deliberately omitted any titles, only using a vague pronoun to avoid revealing his unfamiliarity with the identity of this "guard" before him.
The guard immediately straightened up, loudly reporting, "This person is a recently surrendered servant. He was once under the command of that 'vessel'—"
Vessel?
William only pondered for a moment before understanding who the term "vessel" referred to—Lucius's former master... It seemed Mr. Riddle wasn't doing too well here.
"...Where are you going?"
Even though William knew saying this seemed out of character, he nodded before deciding to speak. He had to find a way to understand the inside story here, and the simplest method was to have a one-on-one chat with this "spy" buried here for almost two months.
However, the guard seemed completely unaware of this point, merely conversing with the "War God" was enough to make him excited. The man's skin, exposed from the bronze helmet, crawled with a suspicious flush, "Reporting, sir! It is Pallas the goddess who wishes to see him—"
Athena?
William nodded. He had been diligently studying Greek mythology during this period, and although most of these stories involved Zeus's escapades across Europe, he remembered quite a bit about the other deities and their appellations, correcting some previous misconceptions—such as, Athena truly had no Saints.
It seemed he might have to create his own Holy Clothes—
"Alright..."
"Now, go about your own business and let this person follow me. It's just... I have some matters with Athena."
William said in a deep voice.
"But, sir..."
The guard attempted to explain, his voice quivering, "The goddess instructed me to 'personally' escort him..." The man's voice was filled with hesitation, evidently unprepared for the War God's request, and being caught between two deities instinctively made him feel uneasy.
"Hmm?"
"Ares" let out a low, oppressive hum from his nose, slightly turning his head. His brilliant golden eyes glowed dimly in the dark corridor. The sense of crisis struck the guard's chest like a heavy hammer.
The guard's body stiffened suddenly, even his breathing halted for a moment.
"Yes, sir, at once, sir!"
The man almost shouted, his voice cracking. He swiftly bowed his head, not daring to look at those golden eyes again. Then, without hesitation, he turned around, walking swiftly away like he was fleeing, disappearing around the corner of the corridor, the slightly panicked footsteps echoing in the empty Divine Hall until they vanished.
Thus, only "Ares" and the still processing Lucius Malfoy remained in this space.
What... just happened?
It seemed even the air turned thick and cold. Lucius stood in front of the man glowing with golden light, his body trembling slightly—not a physical reaction, but a disguise intentionally performed by Malfoy—after a month of infiltration, Malfoy had grasped some of the organization's inner workings.
For instance, how these self-proclaimed deities, the "lunatics," revel in mortals—especially mortals like him—exposing their fears before them.
So, to protect himself, Malfoy naturally chose to appease them, keeping his head low and maintaining a facade of respect.
However, the hand hidden in the robe still trembled slightly—after all, not having read Greek mythology, he was completely uninformed about the temperament of this "War God" before him. Yet even hearing the "name," he felt this deity was probably not easy to deal with... So, what did this person want with him? Could his identity have been exposed?
Malfoy couldn't help but start imagining things.
William didn't speak, only examining the trembling former Death Eater from above, able to clearly see the deep purple clouds shrouding Malfoy's head, representing profound inner fear—who knows what crazy thoughts were running through this guy's mind.
Finally, before Malfoy completely succumbed to mental breakdown, "Ares" moved, slowly raising his arm—his newly attached arm.
Instantly, Lucius's heart leaped to his throat. He didn't know what the other side planned to do, nearly kneeling in pleading.
Yet, the next moment, the warm touch from the wrist stunned Malfoy, making him reflexively raise his head, only to see a blue "flame" ignite on the deity's arm.
"..."
Malfoy's mind seemed to go blank, wait, it had only been a short time? William had already developed into such a... powerful and influential member?
Indeed, Malfoy instinctively believed this War God had been recruited by William—
After all, something like possession, which even listening to was rather discomforting, was entirely an unexplored realm to Malfoy.
"Mr. Malfoy, long time no see, your outfit looks... well, never mind."
Yet the next moment, the voice reaching his ears made Malfoy feel a rush of blood to his head, and he even temporarily blacked out—his mouth opened, but he couldn't make any sound, his throat seemed clogged, "You, you you..."
"Me, me me?"
"Sir... how did you do it?"
Malfoy never imagined that the "reinforcements" William mentioned in his last communication would be himself, and... with such strange methods, Malfoy's fear inexplicably intensified, simultaneously a rush of relief surged within him—
Fortunately, fortunately he wasn't swayed by that guy...
"Who? Who tried to sway you?"
William "saw" the thoughts swirling in Malfoy's mind, turning and starting to walk down the corridor, signaling Malfoy to follow.
"...It's Voldemort, sir."
Malfoy tugged at the corner of his mouth, not objecting to William's unauthorized mental probing, instead promptly explaining.
"Again... Good, manage your voice well, Malfoy. Then, tell me, why was Voldemort referred to as 'vessel' by the guard? What's his situation now? What have you found out during this time?"
William didn't dwindle on the topic, quickly delving into the subject. His purpose here was for information, and Lucius had been infiltrating for two months; now was the time for him to be useful.