(Illustration: Irina and Xenovia.)
..
After missing out on the angel slots two times in a row, Griselda felt a bit lost and afraid.
Hadn't she already successfully defeated her own duplicate? So why did it seem like Holy Son-sama still thought she hadn't done enough?
Why were there some saints and sisters who hadn't even defeated their own duplicates, yet Holy Son-sama still reincarnated them as angels?
Griselda didn't understand why. She could only bite her red lips, carrying an unprecedented sense of frustration and confusion as she returned to Dog King Town.
After she got back to Dog King Town, Griselda's nightmare still wasn't over.
Because this time, Akuto directly skipped over her, taking dozens of reincarnated-into-angel saints and sisters with him, saying he was going to another world with them to preach.
Just thinking that Holy Son-sama might have some complaint about her, and that she hadn't even noticed it, made Griselda feel completely awful.
Of course she would never doubt the Holy Son or think there was any problem with the Holy Son's decision.
The Holy Son is right. Holy Son-sama is always right.
Since that's the case, then it must be that there's something about her that hasn't satisfied Holy Son-sama.
So, after Akuto left with a whole group of saints and sisters, Griselda just kept sitting on the sofa, lost in thought.
...…
Xenovia noticed Griselda's arrival, and she also noticed that Griselda's mood didn't seem quite right, so she took the initiative to speak to her.
"Sister Griselda, is something troubling you?"
"..."
There was no response. It was as if Griselda hadn't heard Xenovia at all. She calmly continued sitting on the sofa, hands clasped in prayer, deeply absorbed in thought.
"Sister?"
"Sister Griselda?"
"Oi! Griselda!"
After Xenovia called out several times in a row, Griselda finally opened her mouth slowly.
"Where, exactly, have I failed to satisfy Holy Son-sama?"
Even though Griselda spoke, it was obvious she still hadn't heard Xenovia's words; she was just talking to herself.
"In that case, don't blame me for using my finisher!"
Xenovia glanced at Irina, then turned her head toward Griselda, as if she had made up her mind.
The next second, Xenovia slightly parted her red lips.
"Griselda!"
"Mother-sama!"
"Griselda-mama!"
"Mom? What mom?"
Faced with Xenovia's shocking statement, Griselda finally reacted a little.
She turned her head toward Xenovia. When she realized the one calling her "Mama" was Xenovia, Griselda's gaze instantly turned cold.
"Uh..... haha?"
Seeing Griselda react like that, Xenovia's smile immediately became extremely awkward.
All this time, the way she addressed Griselda had always been things like "Sister," "Sister Griselda" and so on. Calling her "Mama," this was actually the first time.
The more she thought about how Griselda was definitely going to scold her harshly, the more Xenovia, who was used to being scolded, started to feel afraid.
And Xenovia wasn't wrong. At first, the look Griselda gave her really was the kind that absolutely meant she was going to give her a very strict lecture.
However, in the next second, Griselda seemed to realize something, and her expression gradually softened.
The reason she reacted that way was because Xenovia had already become a ten-winged angel, and she was one of the very first to reincarnate as an angel.
As for Griselda, who hadn't been reincarnated as an angel and hadn't received Holy Son-sama's recognition, it felt like she had already lost the qualification to discipline Xenovia.
If she had also been reincarnated as an angel, that would be another story. As fellow angels, she could still rely on her status as a senior to instruct Xenovia. But right now… Griselda had already fallen into a spiral of self-doubt, so she didn't dare casually criticize Xenovia, who had already been acknowledged by the Holy Son.
Taking back the words of rebuke that had been on the tip of her tongue, Griselda let out a sigh and asked:
"Xenovia, who told you to address me as Mother-sama?"
"I... I just thought that if I did that, Griselda, you'd be a little happier." Xenovia pouted slightly, looking a bit timid as she spoke.
"And why do you think I'd be happy to have someone call me 'Mama'?"
Griselda found it a little funny and a little exasperating.
As a sister, she had sworn to devote her life to God. There was really only one situation in which she would feel happy being called "Mama," and that was—when a divine descent occurred and her body was borrowed to bring forth a child.
At any other time, she was still a pure maiden who had never been married. How could she possibly feel happy just because someone called her "Mama"?
"Eh? You wouldn't?" Xenovia froze for a moment.
"Griselda, you wouldn't be happy if someone called you 'Mama'? But when I called Akuto-kun 'Papa,' he was obviously really happy, though?"
Irina: "?"
Xenovia: "???!!!"
The moment those words came out, even Asia, who had been busy in the kitchen all this time, poked her head out.
Hearing the conversation going in this direction, Asia felt like she had to do something.
If she didn't intervene, with Xenovia the idiot being the way she is, she would definitely blurt out some earth-shattering secret about Akuto-kun again.
After thinking it over, Asia took off her maid outfit, changed back into her sister's habit, and walked toward Xenovia and the others.
...…
While Asia was changing, the conversation on the other side had already moved on to the next stage.
"Xenovia, what… what did you just say?! You actually dare call Holy Son-sama 'Papa'? How improper! Doing that—do you even have the slightest awareness of what it means to be an angel anymore?!"
Griselda stood up in anger, towering above Xenovia as she scolded her in a stern voice.
Clearly, Griselda had misunderstood and taken this to be something Xenovia had done entirely on her own.
Xenovia felt extremely wronged by that.
"But... it was Akuto-kun who told me to call him that. When I called him 'Papa' in bed, Akuto-kun was super happy."
"Hm? In bed?"
Griselda furrowed her brows, seeming to grasp something.
She gave Xenovia a once-over and had to admit that, although Xenovia was a clumsy idiot, her figure and looks were definitely top-class.
Most importantly, the mere fact that she had been willing to carry out a mission like taking back the Holy Swords—a mission with a terrifyingly high mortality rate—already proved that her faith was extremely firm (lol).
"So that means, Xenovia, you've been chosen to become the Holy Mother who will give birth to the next Holy Son?"
Griselda's expression was full of emotion. She hadn't expected that the girl who always messed everything up, who was practically useless aside from being able to eat and fight, had actually taken on the heavy responsibility of bearing the Holy Son's child.
But perhaps it was precisely because of Xenovia's "pure sanctity," unchanged from the beginning, that Holy Son-sama made such an exception and let her become the Holy Mother.
However, the very next second, Xenovia's answer threw Griselda right back into confusion.
"Holy Mother? No, I don't think I'm any kind of Holy Mother. Because it's not just me—Irina and Asia call him that too."
Griselda: "...."
Griselda realized that, as expected, she really couldn't quite understand what Xenovia was trying to say.
She could understand Akuto sleeping with an angel. The divine one's old stories were right there as precedent. She herself also felt that Akuto needed to quickly establish a successor of his own.
But… what was with three successors?
Could it be that, in order to make sure the next Holy Son would definitely be born, Holy Son-sama had decided to cast a wide net?
But... but the way Holy Son-sama was acting, why did it kind of look a little like… sinking into lust?
[No, impossible. How could that be? There's no way Holy Son-sama would do such a thing. There must be a reason for it.]
Even though she had some doubts, Griselda still quickly managed to persuade herself.
...…
"Ah! Xenovia! Who told you to say something like that out loud!"
Irina clamped a hand over Xenovia's mouth, her face flushed bright red. She suddenly regretted coming with Xenovia to comfort Griselda. If she'd known it would turn out like this, she should've just let Xenovia come by herself!
"So, what Xenovia said is true, then?"
Seeing how Irina's words and Xenovia's statement lined up, Griselda let out another sigh.
Right, she remembered now. Even before he was acknowledged as the Holy Son, Akuto had already had two wives.
With that kind of history, Holy Son-sama being a bit addicted to lust actually... seemed kind of normal?
No! No way! This is Holy Son-sama we're talking about! This is the Holy Son who went off to another world to save lives while they weren't even aware!
There is no way! There is absolutely no way he's the kind of man who just sinks into…
Well… alright, Griselda had to admit, Akuto really might be that sort of man.
...…
At this moment, Asia had finally finished changing and joined the battlefield.
"That's right, Sister Griselda. What Xenovia said is true. We really are both angels serving Akuto-kun and Akuto-kun's partners."
...…
Asia sat down on the sofa opposite Griselda with a gentle smile, legs crossing in white silk stockings. Even though she looked like a holy maiden, she somehow exuded a faint queenly aura.
"So it really is like this?" Griselda's gaze drooped a little.
"Sister Griselda, do you perhaps have an issue with Akuto-kun having many partners?" Asia asked back with a smile.
"No, that's impossible. I believe that, at this point, it really is necessary for Holy Son-sama to bring forth the next Holy Son. Otherwise, if Holy Son-sama were to encounter the same situation as the divine one did, Heaven and the Church would fall into chaos again."
"I see~"
Asia shook her head with a smile. She knew that Griselda had only convinced herself on the surface. Deeper in her heart, there were definitely still some lingering knots.
"In that case, Sister Griselda, how about coming to watch tonight?"
Asia uncrossed her white-silk legs and reached a hand out toward Griselda with a smile.
"Mm?"
Griselda frowned.
What was Asia saying? Watch tonight? She had to admit, she was indeed quite interested in the union between angels and the Holy Son. She really did want to see how Xenovia, after being reincarnated as an angel, managed to avoid falling from grace while she was united with the Holy Son.
The only problem was...…
"Lady Asia, this unworthy body is not trusted by Holy Son-sama. I'm afraid Akuto-sama will not agree to my presence."
"So that's what you're worried about, Griselda?" Asia gave her a warm smile and leisurely took a sip of black tea.
"You don't need to worry, Holy Sister Griselda. Akuto-kun will definitely agree."
"Why?" Griselda pressed.
"Because if Akuto-kun wouldn't agree, he would never have brought you to his home in the first place."
"You, me, Xenovia, and Irina—we're all special existences in Akuto-kun's heart. That's why Akuto-kun brought us here, into his home~" Asia explained with a gentle smile.
"Is that so?....." Griselda nodded, half-understanding.
Seeing that Griselda still looked only half-convinced, Asia directly played her trump card.
"If I tell you that tonight Seraph Gabriel, Angel Milana, Holy Sword wielder Linte, and all the others will be coming to Akuto-kun's home as well, would you finally accept that you are special in Akuto-kun's eyes?"
Griselda: Hm?
What had she just heard?
...…
(End of Chapter)
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