Chương 68: Children of the Night

"Reaper abuse..." Nerez repeated after hearing his servant's complaints.

"So much reaper this and reaper that, mortals are starting to pick it up. There are already stories about how death's reapers are the ones who keep order in the Underworld and handle those least willing to die and the lost souls."

"Hehe," Cerys laughed, puffing out her chest.

"None of that 'hehe.' Remember, your true title is Soulwarden. Are you actually doing any warden stuff for the souls?"

"I do! A little... It's just so boring... The others are better than me at that kind of trivial stuff... I'm better at fieldwork!"

"That is true, but it doesn't change the fact that you need to stop dumping your work on everyone else. You have responsibilities to fulfill."

"But you do that too!"

"My responsibility is to delegate responsibilities."

"Booo, abuse of power! Reaper abuse!"

"Stop shouting. Even in the middle of this crowd, someone is going to hear you... Not that anyone will know what reaper abuse means, but they will give us weird looks..." Cerys, however, was no longer listening. Her attention had shifted elsewhere.

"Oh! That smells really good! I want some!" Without warning, the redhead went straight for one of the food stalls in the market.

"Well, we don't have a set time with Selene, and Miri insisted we look around the city," Nerez remarked, letting out a sigh.

"I suppose we can make a small detour." By the time Nerez reached the stall, Cerys was already battling the vendor.

"Three copper coins, young lady!"

"I don't have three copper coins!"

"Then I can't help you!"

"Don't be stingy, mortal! Listen, when you end up in the Underworld, we can make a deal. I-" Chop"Ugh..."

"Please excuse my companion, good merchant. She's a little scatterbrained. The smallest coin I have is this bronze one. Will that do?"

"A bronze coin..." the vendor repeated thoughtfully.

"That leaves ninety-seven copper coins in change. I would have to go back to the bank again..."

"Then how about ten of whatever Cerys was trying to buy?"

"Yes, I can work with that! Thank you very much for your purchase!" the vendor exclaimed cheerfully.

"It is my family's specialty! Maldias!"

"Maldias?"

"They are little pastries stuffed with my special meat filling, marinated in vinegar, sugar, and various spices," the vendor explained as he lined up the ten pieces of dough to fill them.

"By the way, is your companion named Cerys? Is her family very religious?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Cerys is the name of the first and most ancient of the death's reapers. They say she was already accompanying Nereziel when the Underworld was founded." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Hehe."

"..."

"That is why you should be careful. Some people might consider it disrespectful for someone to use that name. Not me, of course! All customers are welcome!"

"Thank you, good merchant. We will keep that in mind..."

"Why do you have money?" Cerys complained once they were on their way again to meet Selene.

"Ah! Edrick gave it to you! I want some too..."

"It's part of what Miri always forces me to accept," Nerez replied, putting the change away in his small leather pouch enchanted with spatial magic, which was now finally fulfilling its true function as a coin purse.

"I already have a collection of gold and silver coins with no value in the Underworld... What would you even do with mortal money?"

"Mm... Buy more of this thing?" Cerys swallowed the meat-filled pastry in her hands in a single bite.

"Yes! I want to buy more of this thing!"

"Eat the other nine first..." The two walked for quite some time until they finally reached the steps of another of the city's imposing structures: the temple of the moon, as it was popularly known. To reach it, one had to climb those steps, and once at the top, the temple was divided into two structures: a colossal tower and an enormous crescent-shaped building surrounding it.

"To begin with, why is there a temple of Selene in this place?" Cerys asked, approaching the tower.

"In Eryndea, don't mortals usually have only one temple per city?"

"Mortals? What a curious way to put it. Are you foreigners, by any chance?" a priestess remarked as she approached them.

"It is true that, generally speaking, there is only one temple per city. But there are exceptions in the largest ones, especially in Duskhaven, even more so considering the relationship between Nereziel and Selene."

"The relationship?" Nerez asked, not entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"According to legend, the moon was betrothed to the sun, but she fell hopelessly in love with darkness," the priestess answered, clasping her hands together with an enraptured expression.

"That is how Selene abandoned Helux and chose Nereziel." Nerez and Cerys exchanged a glance.

"Ah, forgive me! I always end up talking too much!" the priestess apologized.

"If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask." The priestess bowed her head in farewell and withdrew through one of the temple doors.

"Who made up that legend?!" Nerez complained, covering his face with both hands.

"This is what I get for staying holed up in my cave all the time. Outside, they do whatever they want..."

"It had to be that vixen. Who else?" Cerys replied.

"She never misses a single chance to expand her influence by taking advantage of yours. A legend like that generates far more faith among the people of the empire than simply saying the two of you are allies and leaving it at that."

"But it is true that the spies blessed by Belkar have been almost as helpful to the empire's stability as Miri's image as an immortal figure (in her own words)," Nerez said, lowering his hands and letting out another sigh.

"I cannot complain too much."

"Were you talking about me, by any chance?" When Nerez turned around, he found himself facing the silver eyes of the goddess of the moon.

"I am not sure I should be the one saying this in the middle of this city, but is it really fine for you to show your face so openly?" Nerez asked.

"You are basically standing right beneath a statue that looks just like you..."

"Pfff, don't worry about those details," Selene replied, making a mocking face at Cerys, who nearly lunged at her before Nerez held her back. It was their way of greeting each other.

"Mortals only believe what they want to believe. Besides, I am not as reclusive as you. I actually speak with my priestesses periodically. In fact, they already have a room reserved for us. Follow me."

Why do pairs of siblings keep appearing out of nowhere every so often just to cause me trouble? In front of Nerez stood two small figures trembling in fear, a boy and a girl. Both had hair as white as snow and deep blue eyes.

"As you know, death is closely tied to the brief and fragile lives of mortals. But there are other powerful realms where other gods are worshiped more prominently." As she spoke, Selene moved behind the siblings and rested her slender hands on their small shoulders.

"And I am not referring to the Blessed Kingdom, also a human nation," Selene continued.

"I mean realms like the sacred forest of the elves, another domain of the goddess of life's faction and one of its main bastions at that. Her apostle resides there, after all, along with the apostle of the goddess of nature."

"And what does any of that have to do with these two little ones you are terrifying?"

"I think they are more terrified of you than of me... But a little fear won't hurt. It might even be a good punishment for the mischief they caused."

"Mischief?" Cerys asked, tilting her head, suddenly a little too interested.

"What I am getting at," Selene went on, ignoring Cerys to the latter's irritation, "is that I think it would not hurt to have an immortal race of our own in our service as well. Unlike the elves and their attachment to life and nature, this race will be blessed by the two of us: beings forgiven by death and stronger beneath the light of the moon." This woman wants to create vampires...