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Chapter 525:

"I\'m doing better." She smiled.

"To be able to overpower the protective light of Father innate to us and attempt possession, what wickedness did we discover?" Metatron spoke, loudly as usual, but that just so happened to be a quirk of his. It was a serious enough discussion that he was not keeping up the persona of the \'ninja\' play he liked to do.

"I think I would have fared better if I knew what to expect." Gabriel admitted, not out of hurt pride or any such derivative. A statement of fact as she merely explained her circumstances. "I felt as though Father\'s Light was both its antithesis but also its prey as it tried to invade my core."

"A strange contradiction." Uriel grunted.

Yes….very strange.

Even sitting upon Father\'s Chair, I couldn\'t help but feel lost about how to proceed. I had a few ideas of what to look into but I was hesitant to voice them. If even Father did not speak of this…..evil to us, then I felt as though I should investigate quietly just to be sure.

I truly hoped my guess was wrong, otherwise I feared for the safety of mankind.

However, it felt as if too many things have been moving according to someone\'s hands recently.

As if we\'re only hearing the music from a distance while the conductor was completely unknown.

The only solace I had right now was one of the final fail-safes that Father left within the system that I\'m able to access. If all else failed and Heaven was unable to protect humanity, then we would all willingly sacrifice what little we had left.

I only hoped I didn\'t have to resort to our last means.

"The hate too." Gabriel shivered. "It was almost overwhelming. Pure hatred and Malice. It almost drowned me. All of us need to be careful from now on and be on guard."

"I have begun to lead a prayer around the Basilica to remove any lingering presence. I have yet to notice anything abnormal on the surface, but I believe it pertinent to be careful." Raphael spoke.

"Thank you, Raphael. I\'m sure it also helps alleviate the concerns of our followers." I smiled towards my brother.

Just his presence alone lifted the spirits of our believers, it was a good judgment on his part.

"Father Strada is doing well to stem the tide of anger. Rightful anger, I might add." Uriel noted. "I acknowledge that the Devil spawn did not have intentional goals of chaos, but the consequences of his presence cannot be ignored."

"Uriel." Gabriel frowned.

"Do not look at me like that, sister. I have taken many steps back at your request, I am speaking the truth in this moment and nothing more."

Yes, Uriel was being much less headstrong than normal at Gabriel\'s ushering. I could understand both their standpoints so it was difficult to make a judgment.

"I have yet to meet this young Devil." Metatron\'s voice boomed despite the casual way he rubbed his chin in contemplation. "But even from your words, Uriel, I feel as though the blame does not rest on his shoulders."

"He should never have been allowed inside." Uriel pointed out.

"Yet he went through the proper channels and did everything requested of him." Metatron countered. "Is that not all we can ask for? Is that not what Father would have wanted? Contemplating it, my brother, a Half-Devil willingly wished to tour the Vatican. We have the human\'s \'security footage\' that shows how happily they admired the sights. How are we to find fault with their actions when they clearly came without ill intentions and were invited?"

"…..I had one of the children ask me if I laid eggs." Uriel growled.

Admittedly, Metatron looked away because he had to stifle a laugh and even Gabriel held a hand up over her face.

Yes, Father Strada was…. precise in his report of everything that happened from the moment the Young Half-Devil arrived.

I wonder how Father would feel if he saw the Devils of today? Not the soul stealing, pillaging and raping monsters that killed and tortured for fun. Now, they convince children that Angels lay eggs and put fake facial hair on his depictions.

I wonder if he saw this himself which was why he never removed them when our fallen brother first introduced their existence to the world.

"It helps that he has a living Saintess at his side." Raphael noted. "I am saddened that I was unable to meet her myself. Both times now I have missed the opportunity. If Father wills it, I hope I will not miss a third."

Yes, the Living Saintess, of which we were still unable to answer the question of her existence. But her presence, her light are utterly undeniable.

"They\'re cute together." Gabriel held her cheeks.

Did you also see this, Father? The son of \'Lucifer\' and one of your Saintesses…..together?

"Despite her existence, our followers are not happy." Uriel continued. "There are conflicting stories and stances. But a not insignificant number of the Church\'s hierarchy are calling for a response."

What a headache. "We need to be aggressive with calming any dissidents."

"Surprisingly, we may not need to step in." Metatron hummed, looking far off into the distance.

The Voice of God was able to perceive things that even I, who sat upon Father\'s chair, was unable to.

"Do you have something to add, brother?" Uriel asked.

"There were enough witnesses that things seem to be spoken favorably among the rumors." Metatron explained. "The Children present were speaking highly of the young Half-Devil even without any guidance from Father Strada."

A welcome surprise then.

"Remind me, what was the Half-Devil doing in the Vatican and why was he speaking to budding Exorcists under Father Strada\'s watch?" Raphael asked.

I don\'t blame him for his confusion, it would not be strange for the exact opposite to be occurring per Uriel\'s arguments.

It was no secret that the majority of Exorcists are…..trained a certain way. Hardened hearts that require certain tough decisions to be taken for the greater good of humanity.

We cannot safeguard humanity by locking them in a cage. They must be able to stand on their own feet, both shouldering the good and bad that come with that. Thus, we did not overly interfere with their in house….teachings.

"It took far too much effort to receive the….letter from the Youkai leader regarding their intent." I made a verbal note and I did not need to elaborate further there for them to understand my current annoyance with how the procedure was handled. While we don\'t police them every waking moment – for good reason – we should have been informed if such a high-profile individual intended to appear within the Vatican.

Even Father Strada was under the assumption we were aware when things reached the point where he was allowed entry.

A fair assumption and I did not fault him there.

It seemed we needed to talk with the Pope and Cardinals about proper management in the future for certain situations.

I only hoped it was incompetence and not maliciousness that set these chains of events.

"The intent from what Father Strada verified and we did so as well, was for the two of them to relay a message proper from the one Gabriel had given at the meeting. I suppose they also had the intent on…..sightseeing."

"I gave her a letter at the meeting and I was waiting for a response. I guess I forgot about how she would respond…." Gabriel looked down.

Uriel grunted, crossing his arms. "At the very least, it is…..acceptable the that they used the proper channels."

Well, even Uriel cannot fault them for the actions they took. They did everything proper and \'by the books\'.

And even if we did, our hands were tied. Ignoring how the Youkai had seemingly risen in recent months to a place at a minimum on our level, Asgard now stood at their side. And it would be foolish to believe Asgard was \'weak\' even after suffering through their Ragnarök.

"That was the most recent class of Exorcists in training before we signed the peace agreement, if I\'m not mistaken." Raphel spoke. "That the Half-Devil spoke in front of at Father Strada\'s request?"

"Yes." Uriel affirmed.

"Ah, I believe I understand his intent." Raphael nodded. "Father Strada continues to show his wisdom. It\'s good that the children aren\'t forged into unthinking weapons that only know how to hate their enemies. To show them an object of \'hatred\' that they can sympathize and communicate with should have given them the opportunity to question their own motivations."

Yes, it is obvious what Father Strada hoped to achieve.

"Thankfully they were able to witness the \'Devil\' praying to save our Sister in front of their eyes." He said humorously. "I wonder what our Fallen brother would say to this."

It was an amusing thought to see the look on Lucifer\'s face as one of his \'spawn\' saved our Sister through prayer of all things.

 There has been a noticeable shift in prayers I heard over the past few months and I\'ve even heard many that reference our living Saintess. Was this the signal of the times changing?

"What prayer did he use? I wasn\'t able to get a good explanation." Raphael asked.

Gabriel tilted her head. "Actually, I don\'t know. I recognized the first line but…"

"Baptism Rite." I answered unconsciously.

I blinked myself, because it came out without any prompt on my part. Before I could ask myself where that knowledge came from, I felt it fill my mind. Sitting on Father\'s chair, I had a connection to the entire System even if I had very constrained access, and it was just there.

I could see it, every aspect of it, how it worked, what its purpose was, how it got stronger the more faithful that believed in it.

A Holy Spell for lack of a better term that was able to be taught to anyone and everyone without reservation. No need to keep it guarded, no need to pick out only particular Exorcists to learn secrets that we didn\'t want our enemies to uncover.

Something….open for anyone who was willing.

It was perhaps one of the most practical and accessible teachings I\'d ever come across. Purification, an elevation of sending wayward souls through the teachings of Father to their \'throne\'.

"…..Baptism Rite." I whispered.

"Michael, are you alright?" Gabriel looked at me in concern.

"I was just…surprised." I forced a smile because I didn\'t want to concern her.

Why was there a new \'prayer\' suddenly lodged in the System that was most certainly not there before?

And why did it come from a Half-Devil of all places!?

[***] 

Wilhelm POV

Returning home felt great. Despite how shitty I felt having gotten us kicked out and our little trip cut short, it was always nice to be home.

The first thing I did, however, was grab Jeanne and wrap her up in a big hug. She was surprised for a moment, but she accepted it all the same.

"I\'m sorry." I apologized again.

"Will." She said softly. "You have nothing to apologize for. Any time we spend together is something I cherish." She smiled beautifully. "Besides, I was able to do what we set out to do in the first place!"

"You gave Gabriel your letter."

Jeanne nodded happily. "So don\'t worry, please."

"You know, people say to \'not worry\' when you should in fact worry." I said so more with tongue in cheek than anything else.

Jeanne puffed up and grabbed my arm. "No more beating yourself up."

"Fine, fine." I held my hands up in surrender.

"I can tell when you\'re lying." She pouted.

"Look, it\'s not something I can just turn off." I sighed, relenting to her pressure. "Despite you saying so, I\'m the one at fault, I ruined our time together. I ruined our…." I decided not to day the \'D Word\'.

"Close your eyes." She demanded, grabbing my arms.

I was about to ask her why, but the seriousness she had on her face, well, I acquiesced to her request.

I felt her hands still grabbing my arms.

"You\'re not allowed to peek!" She had a slight tone to her voice that really made me want to know what she was doing. "...please don\'t peek." She added on very quietly.

She pulled my hands down and through her guidance I felt something very soft between my fingers.

It didn\'t take a genius to know where she put my hands, and it wasn\'t the first time I felt up her butt.

Though I was genuinely surprised and kinda speechless.

"Y-you like doing something like this right?" I was picturing her very red right now. "S-so be happy, please? I promise I\'m not upset, so I don\'t want to see you upset."

"Well, it\'s hard to be upset when I\'m holding a piece of heaven in my hands." I squeezed very thoroughly.

She made a cute noise. "Don\'t say it like that!"

"How should I voice my excitement about having your nice round butt in my hands, mmm?"

"No! You\'re not allowed to say it out loud!" She whined.

While I was enjoying her very pronounced rear, I did feel something interesting as my fingers brushed passed.

I grabbed hold of it and pulled without the slightest hesitation.

"Eeeeeh!?" She let out a high-pitched squeak as I pulled on the thong, she was apparently wearing that peeked out above her shorts. "You bully!" She started hitting my shoulders as I opened my eyes.

She was the brightest shade of red I\'ve seen since the Bikini incident.

Worth it.

I pulled on it again.

"Neh!?" Her eyes widened as another noise escaped her lips in surprise.

Before she could lay another barrage on my poor shoulders, I leaned down and kissed her forehead like I did earlier today. That calmed her down, though her tomato impression was getting practice it seems.

I also did, very reluctantly, let go.

"Ah….um…" She looked down. "M-mom said that when a boy….when we come back I\'m supposed to do something."

I didn\'t even have time to question what she was talking about as she very quickly stood up on her tip toes and put her own kiss on my cheek.

"IhadfunIt\'slatesoI\'mgoingtobed!" She quickly escaped from my arms and ran upstairs.

….It\'s still mid afternoon.

[***]

Artoria Pendragon POV

I peeked my head out of the kitchen, not wanting to interrupt the moment Jeanne and Wilhelm were having.

Wilhelm noticed me immediately and before I knew it, I was holding him in my arms with his face buried in my chest.

He was hurt, the severity of which I could not guess based on first impressions, however the torn clothes of his spoke well enough to give me an idea. By his actions, it was safe to assume he was not in overt danger or harm.

My first instinct was to seek answers but…..this attitude of his was not normal.

I used Avalon to immediately start healing him as I ran a hand through his hair.

Wilhelm, even when he was at his worst usually showed a confident side of him. It was rare to see him so….tired and dispirited. Especially so when molesting the Saintess was not enough to raise his spirits, nor was he moving to do the same to me.

In another situation, I may have laughed at the thought of measuring his mental well being based on the presumptuousness of his wandering hands, however, I was concerned.

"You have had a difficult time." I said softly.

"I\'m tired, Artoria." What he said was simple but it truly conveyed his feelings.

Yes, he felt tired.

"Then let us rest. I will accompany you for as long you require."

"Can\'t, still have something I gotta do." He muttered somewhat audible with his face still pushed into my bosom without the usual enthusiasm. "The Box, there was an issue while we were –"

"Hush." I cut him off. "We will speak later when you are feeling well. If it is not a pressing matter, then leave it for now."

There was very clearly a story to accompany his state, but it would wait. I will not have my man dwell in such a state without myself attending to his well being.

He let out a small noise of acknowledgement.

"Tell me what you require, I will assist."

"I need to go see Momma Pandora."

Ah, his \'adoptive mother\'. I did not ask why, nor argue with him. "Very well, I will accompany you. Let us proceed."

"Yeah, let\'s quickly deal with this. I don\'t want to push it off and have something else happen that fucks everything up." He grumbled.

I quickly took out my device and sent a message to Yasaka for her and the others to talk to Jeanne and ask her about the situation. If a situation arose where they had visited, it was perhaps important that Yasaka be the first to deal with it.

Wilhelm was quick to use his Magic and connect us to where we needed to go as he uncharacteristically was very flippant with his use of it.

He really did wear his heart on his sleeve, didn\'t he?

I followed him as he stepped through and the world changed.

"Eh!?" A feminine voice sounded out along with a loud \'thump\' as I saw a body fall off a couch and hit the ground. "My son!"

Wilhelm became enveloped in a hug from a petite woman, even shorter than myself, with long violet hair and a white dress.

"Hi mom." Wilhelm seemed to force a smile.

"Kyah, you called me mom!" She exclaimed, hugging him tighter.

Wilhelm spoke a few words about this woman, but seeing her in person, her actions and enthusiasm were genuine so I felt relieved as Wilhelm relaxed in her embrace.

"Not going to flash me this time?"

"Bad, bad!" She started slapping his arm. "Don\'t bring that up in front of guests! They\'re going to think the worse of me."

Her words cemented the acknowledgement of how much information she has obtained from Wilhelm thus far.

If she knew Wilhelm\'s full story, she would most certainly know that such a thing had become commonplace for him.

"You need not worry, I am well aware of Wilhelm\'s sense of humor." I offered her an out.

She smiled brightly, straightening her dress as she faced me. "I\'m Pandora, the All Giving Mother." She held her arms open to express herself.

"I am Artoria Pendragon, Wilhelm\'s girlfriend. Though, perhaps you would know me better if I introduce myself as Arthur Pendragon?" I offered.

She choked, nearly stumbling over. "W-what?"

I looked at Wilhelm who was all but giggling to himself and shared a smile with him.

I very much preferred his smile over his earlier self.

"You already know about Raikou, is this so weird?" He asked.

A valid point.

"Well, I suppose…." She muttered. "Now that I think about it, the Heretic God running around as \'Lancelot\' is also a woman…."

….that was a strange sequence of words to hear.

And apparently Wilhelm also believed so if the blank expression he had was any indication.

"Wait!" The Small goddess shouted. "You\'re not a God!"

"Yes, that is an astute observation." I quipped.

"No, but my rabbit is." Wilhelm retrieved his familiar from where he kept it, holding up the mighty animal for her to see.

"Why is your Rabbit a God!?" Pandora squawked.

"Oh well, things happened. He got crowned the King of Asgard…"

The Goddess fell over, looking dizzy.

"I believe you should perhaps tell her the truth at this point." Even if he was enjoying it, and I did not wish to ruin the fun he was having while his mood seemed to improve a smidge. However, I was beginning to feel sorry for his adoptive mother.

"Your mother can\'t handle this!" Pandora grabbed onto Wilhelm\'s shirt. "Next you\'re going to tell me that you have a God in your pocket!"

"….Wilhelm." I looked at him.

His lips quivered and it seems the intrusive thoughts won over as the Holy Spear of his was deposited onto the ground.

"Nope, I\'m going to rebel!" She threw her arms up, running towards what I assume was the metaphysical door of this strange room that existed not within the normal world.

"Mom, alright I\'ll explain properly!" He grabbed his adoptive mother before she could get too far. "I\'m from a different world, we –"

"Oh, that makes sense." She stopped in her tracks. "I don\'t know why I didn\'t think of that earlier."

"….what?" Wilhelm blinked.

I shared a similar sentiment.

Pandora laughed. "Did you think I would be surprised by that? Oh my sweet child, you\'re not the only one of my children that travels to Parallel worlds. Though that troublesome child of mine rips a hole through the multiverse every time she uses that Authority of hers." Pandora sighed in exasperation. "Wait, I haven\'t heard of that happening lately." She looked at Wilhelm. "….you wouldn\'t have an Authority like that either."

It appears that Wilhelm was unaware of this just as I was. An interesting reflection of what normally occured when he revealed his origins.

"Uh, it\'s complicated." Wilhelm scratched his head. "I use Magic."

"There is no Magic powerful enough for that. It would have to be a Godly Authority." Pandora argued.

"Capita \'M\' Magic." Wilhelm punctuated.

"…I don\'t believe we\'re speaking of the same thing."

"Like I said, It\'s complicated."

"I apologize for interjecting, but Wilhelm came here with a purpose that seemed pressing." I gently guided him back on topic. It was no secret that he could be distracted quite easily.

"Right, yeah." Wilhelm\'s expression changed. "I found your box."

"My what –"

Wilhelm merely took it out and I felt a strange and uncomfortable feeling. A strange box with many different inlays and designs about it and it was wrapped in a powerful holy light in the form of chains.

"….where did you get that." Pandora\'s expression changed drastically. "That shouldn\'t exist."

It appeared she recognized it immediately.

"Not from around here." Wilhelm reiterated. "And I was in a conflict with….Loki, and he was using it to try and poison the World Tree back home. I had it with me when I visited the Vatican and while I was touring, apparently it triggered something that caused a big commotion. I was wondering if you could look into it, see if there\'s anything you could find? Because I don\'t want a repeat of that incident."

Oh Wilhelm was that what happened? I could see why you\'re in a sour mood if this was what caused your date to be ruined.

An unfortunate turn of events that realistically, you had no hope of anticipating yet at the same time fault would default to your hand due to the circumstances.

"This is not what I expected when you popped in again." Pandora stared at the box unmoving.

"What did you expect?" Wilhelm asked.

"I thought you were dropping in to stop the fight between your brothers." She sighed. "Godou was going to fight your eldest soon as he arrived in Japan recently looking for a fight."

Wilhelm closed his eyes, sighing. "I guess I\'m already here, I may as well go deal with that."

"No." I interjected.

"No?" Wilhelm blinked.

"No." I said firmly. "It is not something that requires your immediate concern. You will rest after finishing up here."

"But –"

"No." I said sternly. "You are more than capable of returning after a few days of rest." I would not budge on this, your welfare takes priority. "If need be, one of us can remedy this situation, but you will be resting. Are we clear?"

It had only been a handful of days since the incident in Asgard!

I gave him a very stern look to know that I was not wavering.

"…fine."

"Good." I gave him a smile.

I love you far too much to see you suffer.

As much as I loved him for his willingness to help those around him to the fullest extent of his ability, he also seemed to prioritize everyone else over himself at times as well. I knew if I did not stop him he would run over there and engage in a fight while being tired like he was.

I would message the others after we leave. Wilhelm has done so much for all of us, I believe it was appropriate that we reciprocate. I believed he mentioned wanting to play around at the beach? That was something that could be arranged for tomorrow.

"I\'m glad my son has someone to keep him in check." Pandora smiled brightly. "If only my other children had someone to keep them in line. Such troublemakers." She sighed in exasperation. "Let me see the box. I cannot guarantee anything, but I feel a…..connection to it."

Wilhelm wordlessly handed it over to her and she hesitantly accepted it. The light chains around it snapped at her discretion as she held the vile object within her grasp.

"Let\'s see what mysteries hide within the memories of the void." I could feel her Divine Power begin to seep out and her eyes glowed brightly. The room around us shook and the box began to vibrate, and I felt as though I could hear the faint cry of several different animals overlapping. It was a cry of anger and rage if I were to hazard a guess based on the tone. "A Lion, no a Leopard, no…it\'s both, Also a Bear, a Dragon, A Goat, a Snake, and an Eagle? That didn\'t make sense, there are too many contradictory characteristics. A snake and an Eagle are opposites in nearly every myth. Not to mention a Dragon and a Snake? A Dragon and a Snake cannot coexist. One is above the other and the other envies the former…"

"What did you see, mom?" Wilhelm asked.

"I saw a beast with 7 Heads, but it was too faint and distorted. The Memories held within the void couldn\'t take hold of anything substantial to give me a proper vision." She looked pensive. "Give me a few days, I have a handful of tricks I can use. If you\'re going to return to see your younger brother, then that should be enough time for me to figure things out."

"Alright, I\'ll be back in a few days." Wilhelm relented.

Pandora nodded, setting the box down then threw herself at Wilhelm. "My son is going to visit again~!" She said excitedly.

"Mom…" Wilhelm sighed.

"Thank you for your assistance, Goddess Pandora." I expressed my thanks as well.

"You can call me mom too!" She released him and I found myself having a smaller Goddess hugging me. "I\'ve never been able to meet one of my son\'s lovers before! This is the best day ever!"

She was certainly excitable. I could see why Wilhelm accepted her into his life in such a manner.

I grabbed Wilhelm\'s arm after being released by the Goddess. "Come, let us return home. I will have you rest your head upon my lap."

Seeing him smile was all the satisfaction I required.

And it would give me plenty of time to coordinate with the others to surprise him tomorrow.

@***@

A/N

To calm things down, we got beach episode for a couple chapters. Then we\'re back into the thick of things.

If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone

I also have boosty if you can\'t use the above under the same name.