Novel Full Chapter 210: The Thirteen Deities
At William’s question, silence completely took over the cobblestone plaza once again for a few long seconds.
The wind blowing in from the sea brought with it the constant creaking of the branches from the few trees in the area, while the lights of the streetlamps flickered weakly over the stones.
An old conversation he had had with his party members some time ago in the corridors of his own shelter came to Ryan’s mind almost automatically.
Besides the heroes who served directly under the lead hero of the church named Keeper. He recalled every single report and rumor that his allies had gathered regarding the hidden forces in charge of influencing the destiny of the nations.
"I suppose that one of them must be Rafael, is that not right?" Ryan pronounced in a dry manner.
"Wow, it seems you really have done your research." William commented, tilting his head a little with an expression that mixed sheer amazement and seriousness on his face.
He let his arms drop to the sides of his body, allowing the fabric of his coat to flutter slightly with the constant night breeze of the coastal province. He stared intently at the hooded boy before continuing with his explanation regarding the secrets of the temple.
"You are completely right, Rafael is just one member of the thirteen deities; according to what I have investigated, out of those thirteen entities, only five of them have managed to incarnate." He affirmed with a low voice.
William cut his words short to correct himself immediately, furrowing his brow as he remembered the most recent reports he had secretly gathered during his travels.
"No, six. Now that Luciela is SS-rank, and I know perfectly well that she is heavily involved with the church, it would be best to act, fearing that it is another of the deities that took over her body." He added with a somber tone.
Ryan paid close attention to the details William was telling him, processing every single word in a literal and meticulous manner. His mind immediately began to cross-reference the data with the information he already possessed regarding the enemy faction.
’If it weren’t for the fact that Ophelia confirmed Rafael’s meeting with Luciela, this would be far less credible to me, but it makes complete sense. If that is the case, I understand exactly why they are meeting up...’ Ryan deduced right in the middle of the plaza.
He put together the pieces of information he had collected up to this point, understanding the true background behind the mobilization of troops currently taking place in the dark lands of the north. The sheer scale of the looming conflict was far larger than anyone had thought.
’In fact, Ophelia must know that Rafael and Luciela are now bodies possessed by the deity; I finally understand why she was so determined to interfere with the ambush that Amadeus was planning.’ He thought with absolute clarity.
The boy’s internal monologue focused directly on the figure of the monarch of Morrisen, reevaluating her capabilities and her true motives for marching so rapidly toward the border of the elven nation. His view regarding the sovereign’s decisions completely changed course.
’That woman, despite her strange personality, is actually quite astute. Having a good relationship with her will, after all, be far better than I had originally estimated.’ He concluded to himself.
After finishing his analysis in complete silence, Ryan fixed his pupils back on the pair waiting in front of the rustic wooden bench. He took a short step forward over the stones of the plaza, letting his boots produce a light echo.
"Then the true reason you were in this place with the other heroes is because you were planning something against the church?" He asked upfront.
Before William could respond to his questioning about his party’s hidden movements in the fishing town, Ryan immediately added another doubt.
"Exactly how many SS-rank heroes were present here today with you?" Ryan asked in a direct manner, without beating around the bush or leaving any room for doubt.
"Why do you assume that there were more heroes with that rank?" William responded, furrowing his brow and displaying a clear discomfort at the fugitive’s sheer perceptiveness.
The young blonde man turned slightly to the side, as if attempting to hide the alteration on his face at how rapidly his plans were being uncovered right in the middle of the empty street.
"There is absolutely no point in hiding it. After everything you just said, it is obvious you wouldn’t be stupid enough to face the church all by yourself." Ryan replied sharply.
He kept his eyes locked firmly on his, disarming any attempt to maintain the secret regarding the allied forces hiding in the remote province.
"So, assuming that is completely true, I deduce that at least a couple of them must surpass the S-rank and remain hidden." He affirmed with certainty, carefully measuring his interlocutor’s physical reaction.
William did not respond immediately, keeping a long silence while he looked at the flickering light of the streetlamp illuminating the night scene. He let a thick breath of air escape from his lungs before speaking upfront once again.
"I must admit that you are much smarter than I originally thought. It is true, besides me, there were two others, and the remaining three are of S-rank." The hero confessed, fully surrendering to the boy’s logic.
He adjusted the collar of his clean clothes and took a step forward, extending one of his hands with an open palm as a sign of a deal.
"And since you know all of this, you can see that we have a common problem; would you be interested in us mutually supporting each other in this?" He asked, insisting on closing a pact of cooperation on that very same night.
Ryan planted his gaze directly on William’s female companion, completely ignoring the extended hand of the blonde mage seeking his help. He scanned the dark cloak and the intense red hair of the red-haired girl.
"I still cannot trust you; there is a deity named Udriela who shares your exact appearance." Ryan said, locking his pupils onto the young saint’s restless eyes.
"And I do not know what kind of piece you are for the plans of that deity." He added with an icy voice, making his total distrust toward the figure of the human temples perfectly clear.
Then he directed his gaze toward William, encompassing both of them in his final declaration regarding the safety of his own path on this hostile continent.
"Therefore, even right now, there is a fifty percent probability that at least one of you is currently being manipulated." The hooded boy sentenced in a flat manner.
"Because of that, I simply do not see a way in which we could collaborate, at least not for the time being. Do you understand?" Ryan responded directly, cleanly shutting down any possibility of an immediate alliance in that plaza.
"What are you even saying... Udriela, manipulation?" William exclaimed, suddenly losing his patience and lowering his arm with evident frustration at the boy’s refusal.
"You are taking your distrust to extremes that make absolutely no sense. Do you seriously plan to continue all on your own?" He questioned out loud, staring intently at the scarf that hid his rival’s features.
"That is enough, William." Priscilla said, placing one of her hands directly over her own chest to calm the sheer tension in the street’s air.
She took a step forward, smoothly interposing herself between the blonde hero and the hooded fugitive to prevent the words from escalating into something worse in the middle of the night.
"I have not heard that name before... but I highly doubt he is lying, so..." The red-haired girl murmured with a soft and measured tone of voice that effectively broke the heavy atmosphere.
She let her shoulders drop, looking down at the stones on the ground for a brief second before raising her eyes once again toward the boy’s hidden face.
"Let me investigate and properly confirm that when I return to the church. For now, from this man’s point of view, he is completely right to distrust us..." She admitted with total honesty.
The girl extended her gaze toward Ryan, holding the eye contact with immense seriousness beneath the light of the moon dominating the sky.
"But... could you at least consider our proposal?" She asked in a light whisper, leaving the offer wide open on the table while the sea breeze continued fluttering their clothes.