Chapter 151 (1): Angel Reincarnate x Stigma x Descent of Holy Light

“Alright, alright. Stop being sad. The Headless Knight only said those things because he was under control. He didn’t actually want to scold you.”

In the sewer, Wayne comforted a dejected Julia.

“But he said it! Even though he was being controlled, those words still came out of his mouth. Your former master doesn’t love you, Julia. There’s no reason to cry for him.” Do huffed, angry on her friend’s behalf. As an objective outsider, she judged that the Headless Knight was a real bastard!

“It’s not right to talk behind someone’s back, Do. Although I treat Julia well, there’s no denying that the Headless Knight treats her quite decently,” Wayne reprimanded with a long face, stating that he didn’t want Do to say something like that again.

Dejected, Julia lowered her head and perched in a corner, radiating unhappiness.

“You don’t have to be so heartbroken, Julia,” Wayne said, patting her on the back. “Think about it this way: you had a master who used to love you, and now you have a new master who loves you. You haven’t lost anything.”

“I disagree,” Do said. “The Headless Knight only saw Julia as a tool, unlike you, Master. You actually care about her.”

“Hey, why would you say that?” Wayne shot Do a glare.

Well said. That’s my puppy.

“Master is wonderful, I know, but the headless—my former master treated me very well, too.” Julia almost got brainwashed by the man and his dog. She said unhappily, “I’m not sad because he cursed me out. He’s under the control of demons. No matter how harsh he speaks, it’s not out of his own will. It’s just that while I sought out a new master because he had been missing for so long, he was actually suffering alone and avoiding me for my safety. Thinking about that, I can’t help but feel bad.”

She turned to Wayne. “Master, am I a frivolous horse with no sense of loyalty?”

“Of course not!” Wayne shook his head. If Julia were frivolous, what would that make him? A serial adulterer? As an avid supporter of true love, he couldn’t accept that!

“Then what am I?” asked Julia.

“You’re only following your nature, Julia,” Wayne continued with his brainwashing attempt. “Remember what the Headless Knight said? You didn’t betray him. I’m only able to gallop away with you because of his implicit permission. We’re able to be happy because he gave us his blessings.”

Were the Headless Knight here, he would’ve vehemently denied it. He had no blessings to give as an undead.

Wayne smacked his lips. The more he talked, the more he sounded like a man luring a married woman into cheating on her husband. “That’s it. Even if you betray him, it’s part of his plan. You don’t have to feel bad about it. It’s his mission, too.”

Um, sounds even more inappropriate!

Upon reconsideration, that did seem to be the case. However, it still depressed Julia to think about how the Headless Knight was tormented to the point of not being able to maintain his individual will. She would only feel better after Wayne took her on a few rides.

Oh, so that’s what you’re aiming for!

Wayne readily granted her request, transforming into the Death Knight and hopping onto her back to stroll around the sewers. When he noticed her hoof beats getting quieter, he said, “You’re thinking about the Headless Knight, aren’t you, Julia?”

Julia was quiet for a moment. “Do you feel like I’m disloyal to you, Master?”

Of course not. I’m not the spouse being cheated on.

Wayne caressed her cold neck and said with a smile, “I don’t. The fact that you can’t forget about him tells me how loyal you are as a warhorse. I can’t be happier about that.”

“Yeah, this isn’t you cheating on him, but you elevating his status,” Do chimed in. “The Headless Knight should be honored to let Master ride you.”

“Please stop, Do. You’re making it sound weird.” Wayne tried to prevent the conversation from veering into telenovela territory. “Cheer up, Julia. Neither the Headless Knight nor I wish to see you upset. As for his situation... well, it’s only temporary. As the goddess’s chosen knight, he won’t forever be enthralled by demons. After this trial, his faith will become even more unwavering.”

“But a demon alone is powerful enough, let alone when a group of them have banded together. When will he recover his freedom?”

“Soon.”

“?”

“When we first met each other, I was nothing, but I’m a Silver-rank mage now.” Wayne made a promise to Julia. “Give me time. Once I’m powerful enough to defeat the demons, I’ll go to Palis and save the Headless Knight, taking his head back from the demons.”

He didn’t specify if he would return the head to the Headless Knight afterwards; it was just that anyone with a working mind would assume so, so Julia did.

Moved, she nuzzled Wayne’s palm. “You’re the best, Master.”

“I can’t help it since I care about you so much. Seeing you sad breaks my heart.”

“Then... what should I do if he recovers himself and becomes the Death Knight again?” Julia asked in a conflicted tone. Both her masters treated her wonderfully, and she couldn’t give up on either of them. Was it possible that her two masters would be open-minded enough to share her? She would be the Headless Knight’s mount during the day and Wayne’s during nighttime. It would be a win-win-win situation with no losers! Everyone would be happy!

“It’s simple enough. You’ll stay with him, but answer to my call when I need you,” Wayne said easily.

“He’ll be sad to find out...”

“Silly, just sneak out and don’t let him notice.”

“You’re right, Master.”

She would have double the happiness in the future! Thinking about it brightened her mood, and she was once again a joyful and carefree mare. Carrying Wayne on her back, she galloped around the sewers to her heart’s content, her hoof beats quick and frequent, as if she couldn’t express her indescribable ecstasy otherwise.

Horseback Riding↑

Wayne couldn’t help but snort. It would be impossible for Julia to sneak out since he could only summon her through Shadow Nightmare. If the scenario came to be, the Headless Knight wouldn’t be an ignorant victim; she would only be able to ‘sneak out’ because the Headless Knight was turning a blind eye to her unfaithfulness.

“Huh, why am I the homewrecker again?”

***

Wayne’s residence.

After reassuring Julia, Wayne had her hide the

Book of Seals

well before heading home for swordsmanship lessons from Valkyrie.

In the ruined city of giants, he had managed to kill a Gold-ranked mage not only because of the raw power of the Death Knight disguise, but more fundamentally because of his ever-improving swordsmanship. The fact that he had caught Sebastian off guard only accounted for one percent of his success, no more.

Valkyrie was a good knight teacher, answering all of his questions and never holding anything back. If her student had any failings, it would be the fault of the student’s comprehension rather than a lack of commitment on her part.

As Wayne trained with the sword and gained a better understanding of swordsmanship, he realized that there was a difference between the dragonslaying techniques Valkyrie taught him and those taught to Vera.

What she taught Vera was more about finesse and involved many finer movements, while the one taught to Wayne abandoned the finer movements in favor of large, powerful swings that were fiercer and more vicious, aiming to kill the enemies despite the risks to the user. Many moves left the user completely exposed.

When Wayne asked about it, Valkyrie answered simply: she was the armor, in charge of defense and protection. The knight wearing her only had to kill enemies with the sword.

Vera continued to train, while Wayne ended his lesson half an hour early, riding in the car sent to pick up Kristen from school.

Senior Kristen had prepared college-level teaching materials, containing knowledge that corresponded to the void of the Silver Cross. It was a crucial part of Wayne’s training. When the car returned from the women’s academy, it was dinnertime.

“Master, a lady requests to see you. She’s in the living room. She introduced herself as your friend, Mona,” a maid reported to Wayne.

“Why is she here?” Wayne had no idea what the purpose of this visit could be. “It’s dinnertime. Prepare an extra set of utensils for her.”

The maid nodded and left. Trailing after Wayne, Kristen asked curiously, “Who’s Mona? Don’t you have very few friends? When did you make another acquaintance?”

The series of questions made her curiosity clear. Wayne sensed a hint of possessiveness in her tone and silently gave himself a thumbs-up. As expected of him. After his perseverance, he had finally made his senior develop inappropriate feelings for him.

“Mona’s an employee of my detective agency. You should’ve seen her name since you’re our accountant.” He affected a confused tone and asked, “Strange, didn’t you have photographic memory? Why would you forget your colleague’s name?”

Of course Kristen remembered the name Mona. She had even seen the woman’s resume and knew that Mona was a beautiful, mature woman. She only played dumb because she wanted to find out why Mona would visit Wayne’s residence.

When she was about to explain, she noticed Wayne’s amused look and lowered her head, silently looking for ants on the floor. Right, whoever Mona was had nothing to do with her. Veronica and Vera should be the ones worrying over it.

In the living room, Mona sat in an upright posture with a cup of black tea on the table before her. Across from her sat a wary Vera. She glanced at Mona every now and then, taking in her red lips, glasses, voluptuous figure, long legs, and stockings—Wayne’s favorite. The old woman had to be up to no good for visiting at dinnertime. Judging by her whole getup, she had to be here to devour Wayne!

Mona’s eyes crinkled. What an amusing girl. She could read her like a book.

Vera was a clerk at the detective agency, but she skipped work frequently with the privileges granted to her for being Veronica’s classmate. On the other hand, Mona rarely stayed in the office, either. The two of them almost never saw each other.

Vera didn’t know much about Mona other than the fact that this colleague of hers was a skilled detective with a one-hundred percent success rate with commissions, making her the ace of the detective agency.

Mona, on the other hand, knew about Vera. Before joining the detective agency, she had looked into Wayne’s social circle. She grumbled often that she was unable to get close to Wayne because he was surrounded by young women.

They’re all young and beautiful. I hate the heretics!

“Boss.”

“Wayne, you’re back!”

Vera skipped her way to Wayne, grabbing one of his arms while turning around to shoot Mona a glare for showing up uninvited.

You sometimes wreck my home, but you’re not a homewrecker,

Wayne thought.

Be good and show your fellow blonde a friendly face!

Wayne tried to extract his arm, but the friction was too great for him to do so. He thus let Vera hold him. “Detective Mona, why did you come? If it’s the same old matter, forget about it.”

“Boss, may I have a private chat with you?”

“You m—”

Wayne was about to say yes when the grip around his arm tightened. He got pressured into correcting himself, “Let’s have dinner first. I’ve told the maid to prepare an extra set of utensils. We’ll talk afterwards.”