The Sword and The Shadow

Divine Assurance

"What did you say?!" Leguna's gaze sharpened in an instant. If Pyro wasn't the one who gave Eirinn those powers, then who was?!

Getting power from an unknown source was nothing short of dangerous. While he was relieved she could defend herself with that power, if the power was begotten from a trade or transaction, he would rather him having to keep her safe himself.

"What is going on?! Where did the power come from?!" he yelled. At the very least, if Pyro was the one who gave it, he could negotiate with him now. But it would get truly troublesome if the power came from an unnamed deity.

Fortunately, it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought. Pyro glanced at Eirinn and said, "The power is indeed mine. However, I didn't grant it."

Leguna seemed flabbergasted. "What do you mean?"

"She took the power from me," Pyro helplessly said.

"She took… it from you…" His sweat began to form upon hearing it.

She had taken power from a deity! While the power was only a small part, that still meant that Eirinn was a threat to him! Pyro wouldn't…

"You wouldn't dare…"

"So what if I kill her?" Pyro challenged.

"If you really do so, I swear that I'll give whatever it takes to make a deal with the strongest devils in the abyss for power. With it, I'll obliterate every fragment of your being!"

"Whatever it takes? Hahaha… Does that include Annelotte and Innilis? Would you sacrifice them to demons to avenge Eirinn?"

Leguna didn't respond and merely glared at him.

Pyro seemed rather satisfied with the response. The glow in his eyes intensified some more. Just like One, he was using his power to deduce Leguna's future. Given his reaction, he was even more certain that things were developing in the direction he wanted.

If you want to play, I'll gladly oblige till the end. I wonder if you are confident you can bear his rage in the end, Hades, Pyro thought when he saw the future fragments flash across his eyes.

Looking at the main character he set up, in other words, Leguna, who was anxious to no end about Eirinn's death, he laughed heartily once more.

"What are you laughing at?!" He shielded his anxiety by yelling.

"There's no need for you to be so nervous. She can take my power because her actions are in line with what I symbolize as a deity."

"I don't understand."

"I'm a deity that symbolizes light and kindness. This girl hasn't harmed a single person in her entire life. She's so kind even I find it hard to believe. To reward her for her actions, the planar laws have given her a divine word of power. The word allows her to obtain a minor portion of my power and it's something that can only be used once. So, there's no need to worry that she'll come to any harm."

Leguna didn't respond, but his eyes were filled with doubt.

"Don't think too highly of immortals, Leguna," he said sternly, "In the endless rivers of time, there have been many deities who have fallen from grace due to mortals. Many mortals also managed to ignite the divine flare to become a deity. However, if you live long enough, you'll come to see that such a person won't show up in millennia. As Eirinn is now, she's far from capable of being a threat to me. Instead, you can see her as my most pious devotee. As her object of faith and protector, I will shake the core foundations of my faithful if I do anything to hurt her."

"Eirinn believes in true peace and kindness, not you. And the one who can protect her is me, not you," he snapped, but he didn't deny what Pyro said either.

It was true that while deities were aligned with either good or evil, they shared one common trait for them to be able to ignite the divine flare: they were no fools.

And Eirinn…

The thought of her caused him to shake his head. Eirinn was so ditzily cute to the point she would be willing to count money for others and feel happy about it. Instead of saying that she isn't capable of threatening Pyro, it would be more accurate to say that she wouldn't have the will or intelligence to even consider it. Leguna couldn't imagine how Eirinn would act after she became a goddess, so there was even less of a need for someone of Pyro's standing to be wary of her.

Fearing Eirinn? If a deity like him really felt that way, he would no doubt be a laughing stock among the deities.

However, Leguna didn't relax his guard just in case. "Can I negotiate a deal with you?"

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"I will control the growth of her power. I only hope that you won't harm her at any cost," he sincerely offered.

"You only need my assurance?"

"That's right. If I can't even trust a deity to keep his word, I don't know who else's word I can trust." Destructive power wasn't something Eirinn needed. While the abilities of a high-order priestess weren't enough for her to dominate the world, at the very least, she should be able to defend herself.

So, he didn't intend to let her grow stronger. It would be troublesome if she ended up powerful enough to be a cause for concern for Pyro, after all. Instead of letting it come to that, it would be better to curb it while he could and cause Pyro to pay less attention to her and himself. If he could ensure Eirinn's safety, he believed it would be a good deal.

Well, I'm sure you'll come to understand that a deity's words is the least trustworthy of all in time, Pyro thought, but he nodded. "It's a reasonable request. If you only want my assurance, I can give it to you no problem. Eirinn is my devotee. I would never harm her."

"Good." Leguna breathed a sigh of relief. "Tha… thank you…"

The golden light of Pyro began to fade. It seemed that was all the time he had given Leguna. He left without even saying goodbye.

Well, Pyro was no fool. Since he couldn't comment on certain things, no amount of pestering would get him to reveal it. He remembered every word the deity said for future reference and research.

"Big Brother…" Eirinn opened her eyes gradually. It seemed that Pyro wasn't lying. While she had taken part of his power, it wasn't something that he felt threatened by enough to harm her for.

"You're awake?" He gave her a light kiss on the forehead.

"Yes…" She looked at him and seemed to recall something.

During the conversation, she wasn't truly asleep. Instead, her consciousness was drawn into the ethereal dreamscape like before. There, Pyro told her other things.

She touched the little pocket on her robe. Within it was a translucent, egg-sized gem. That was the gift Pyro had given her on their first meeting.

Now, she finally knew what it was for. However, if that was really the case… wouldn't it mean…

The thought of that caused her to pray that the time for its use would never come.

……

Leguna didn't go to his office in the bureau as he was figuring out the source of Eirinn's power. Instead, Xeno was in it dealing with the various matters that popped up.

"Sir Xeno, Agent Wendy here reporting for duty," the petite girl said after she knocked and entered.

"Are your injuries healed?"

"Yes. Thanks to Miss Eirinn, my wounds healed quickly."

"Then, I believe you know why I called you here," he said apologetically.

"Yes. Don't worry, Sir Xeno. I shall head to the court to request punishment myself. I won't drag Sir Leguna down."

"It's fine that you understand--" He stood up and bowed. "--I'm really sorry it has to come to this."

"I shall take my leave." She didn't say anything else and left after the confirmation. However, she didn't seem the slightest bit dissatisfied.

After all, Leguna wasn't informed about this. At the very least, she could take comfort in the fact that somebody had been willing to go against the will of the emperor for her sake. Since that's the case, she felt brave enough to accept the fate of a slave for his sake. The only thing she felt was a shame was she would never be able to see him ever again.