Reincarnated With The Strongest System

"What did you say?!" 

The Pope stood up from her throne as she looked at Audrey in disbelief. 

"The Elite Forces we sent to capture that heretic have been eliminated, Temperance and Justice had been captured, and the Four Demigods had been sealed away?" the Pope asked as she held her scepter in a firm grip. "How can that be possible?!"

Audrey could only smile wryly because in the beginning, she had the same opinion as the Pope. With Virtues, an elite army, and Four Demigods, the Prince of Darkness shouldn't have stood a chance.

Unfortunately, reality was different. Temperance, whose ability could make her enemies move as slow as a snail, was defeated. Justice, whose power became stronger the more she believed that what she was acting for the sake of Justice was also defeated.

Audrey, who held the Virtue of Fortitude that had the power to overcome any difficulty, had been helpless as well. She didn't have the chance to use her Virtue because she knew that it was futile. Since Temperance's ability didn't work, her own power would amount to nothing in front of the black-haired teenager whose devilish smile remained in her memory.

After gnashing her teeth in anger, the Pope once again sat on her throne. She knew that Audrey wouldn't lie to her because she came back alone. Even the Pope's connection with the Demigods had been cut, proving that they were in a place where her powers couldn't reach them.

After a few minutes, the middle-aged woman heaved a deep sigh before glancing at the other Virtues who were present in the throne room. She had gathered them here so that they could hear Audrey's report and be in the know of the fate that had befallen their sisters. 

Celeste frowned when she heard Audrey's report. She wasn't aware that the Pope had sent a decree for his capture. If she was there before the order was given, she would have done everything in her power to stop the Pope from committing a grave mistake.

"Celeste, you were with that heretic for a few days, am I right?" the Pope asked.

Celeste nodded. "Yes."

"Is it true that you are his chosen bride?"

"Yes."

The ladies inside the throne room looked at Celeste with surprise. All of them then subconsciously stared at her abdomen, thinking of the same thing. The beautiful elf had stayed with William for a few days. It was not impossible for William to take her by force, since the Bride of Darkness had no strength to resist her Master. 

"He didn't take my Chastity," Celeste replied. "If he did, I wouldn't have been able to enter this throne room because I would have lost my Divinity to him."

The Pope nodded her head in agreement with her words. The throne room was protected by a special seal. Only the reigning Pope and the Seven Virtues would be able to enter this Domain. No one else, not even the Heir and Prince of Darkness themselves would be able to step foot inside their sacred ground.

"Can you tell me why he wasn't captured?" the Pope asked as she shifted her attention back to Audrey, who was currently in the center of the room. "The forces we sent were enough to destroy an empire. All of you are competent warriors, so how did the mission fail?"

"The Chains of Heaven weren't able to bind the Dark Prince, and Celeste's tainted familiar," Audrey said as she gave Celeste a side-long glance before continuing her report. "He casually broke the chains as if they were made of brittle rice crackers. Also, Temperance's ability didn't work on him."

Audrey then reported everything that happened without omitting anything. She told everyone about the two Demigods that protected William, as well as the Pseudo-God that appeared out of nowhere.

When the Pope heard about the Pseudo-God, her brows furrowed because Byron didn't tell him anything about a being with that power guarding William. If she knew that there was a Pseudo-God guarding the boy, she would have sent one of the Pseudo-Gods of the Holy Order to deal with it.

"Also, the Prince wanted to pass some words to you," Audrey said with a complicated expression on her face.

"Speak," the Pope replied as she narrowed her eyes.

"He said, a wise Shepherd once said 'Eat Sh*t Motherf*cker.'," Audrey stated. "I don't know what  Motherf*cker means, but I'm guessing that it is a derogatory word."

The corner of Celeste's and Claire's lips twitched because they were quite familiar with these words. Chloee once told them about the chamber pot Wiliam carried, and the nightmare that would be set loose once he activated its hidden code. 

The beautiful Elf subconsciously shuddered at the thought of William facing the Pope with that chamberport in his hand and drowning her in night soil. 

"Is that all?" the Pope asked. Killing intent could be seen in her weathered face as she stared at Audrey like a hawk ready to strike.

"That is all." Audrey nodded.

The Pope once again shifted his attention to Celeste and eyed her with a serious expression.

"Do you have a way to contact that Heretic?" the Pope asked.

"Yes," Celeste replied.

"Good. Tell him that we are willing to negotiate the terms for the freedom of Justice and Temperance. We will no longer find trouble for his family, as well as stop our hunt for him. If he has other conditions, I am willing to listen to them."

Celeste nodded. "Understood. I will pass your message at once."

The Pope knew that she couldn't be stubborn at this point in time, so she was willing to compromise. In order to prevail against the forces of Darkness, all Seven Virtues must be present. If even one of them was missing, their forces would significantly weaken. 

William held two Virtues as his hostage, so this was a significant blow to their Holy Order. As long as they could get them back, she would be willing to turn a blind eye to the Half-Elf until she found a fool-proof plan to capture him once and for all. 

The other Virtues sighed in relief because, although they weren't close friends with each other, they still thought that their Sisters should be freed. 

"That despicable Prince of Darkness, just who does he think he is?" a girl with long-silver hair shook her head in disdain. "I should have come with you girls. If I was there, I would have cut him up to pieces."

"Poor Justice and Temperance, both of them might be getting tortured by now," a beauty with shoulder-length blue hair shook her head helplessly. "I'm sure both of them are suffering unimaginable pain. Perhaps, they might even end up dying at this rate."

"You're right, I'm sure that they are being subjected to the worst torture ever, I feel so sorry for them," a beauty with reddish-brown hair sighed. "I just hope that both of them aren't crying right now."

—--

"Close your eyes, I'll wash your hair now."

"... Un."

William used water magic to pour water on Lira's head after he finished scrubbing it with shampoo.

He made sure to rinse it properly as the water droplets streamed down her hair, and to her angelic body that was free from blemishes. 

Ephemera watched this scene as she soaked in the bathtub. A day after their grueling experience, William decided to take them to his Villa in the Thousand Beast Domain, so that they could take a bath and rest properly.

Now that he no longer treated them as enemies, he thought that it would be fine if he allowed them to rest for a day before letting them go back to the Palace of Light where they rightfully belonged.

After Lira's body was cleaned from head to toe, William then led her to the bathtub so that she could soak with Ephemera.

The purple-haired beauty watched as the beautiful lady with long brown hair, and the handsome, black-haired teenager entered the bathtub together.

Lira sighed as she leaned her back against William's body. The Half-Elf's arms were wrapped around her waist, and remained there.

In Ephemera's eyes, her friend as well as the black-haired teenager were like newlyweds who were taking a bath together after their honeymoon. 

"Does it still hurt?" William asked in a cold tone, and yet, the beautiful lady in his arms blushed after hearing the faint trace of concern in his voice. 

"It no longer hurts," Lira replied. "But, for some reason, it still tingles. It is as if you are still… inside me."

The last few words were said in a voice that was almost inaudible, but due to William's excellent senses, he was able to hear it all. 

"Don't worry," William commented. "After one more day, that feeling will go away. What you are feeling is normal, especially since it was your first time."

Instead of feeling relieved, Lira felt somewhat sad after hearing that the feeling of happiness she was experiencing at the moment would disappear when morning came.

William told them that they could return to the Palace of Light after resting for a day in his villa. 

"I see," Lira said softly as she placed her right hand over William's hands that were resting on her navel. 

Ephemera felt her cheeks burning in embarrassment as she looked at her friend whose face was like a maiden in love. The purple-haired beauty couldn't help but remember how she washed herself on her own, as well as soaked alone, while Lira was given William's undivided attention. 

Deep inside her, she wanted to voice out a complaint about the vast difference in the treatment that the two of them were getting.

She knew that if William wished for it, Lira, and perhaps her, would find themselves on their knees to service him. They would not resist and would even gladly allow him to have his way with their youthful bodies that could drive any men crazy.

Ephemera had already prepared herself for this kind of treatment after receiving the pink crest on her lower abdomen. She had resigned herself to being ravaged until she lost consciousness from the pleasure that their captor would give her. 

However, William did nothing!

The only thing he did was take them to the bathroom, and washed her friend's body without any lustful intentions. Ephemera watched William's every move, and his hands didn't linger longer than it should on Lira's curves, as well as the part of her friend's body where the two of them had been joined several hours ago.

Seeing her friend's sad expression and the hand that was holding William's, Ephemera voiced out her thoughts out loud.

"You said that you will let us go, right?" Ephemera asked.

"Yes," William replied without bothering to look at her. His eyes were closed as he allowed Lira to use his hand to gently caress the pink crest that had appeared on her body.

"Why?" Ephemera inquired. "If you don't release us, the Holy Order would think twice before targeting you again. If you return us, you will lose any advantage you have. You didn't even ask for any form of ransom or condition for our release."

Lira listened to her friend, as a blush appeared on her face. For some reason, the pink crest on her lower abdomen started to glow, as he used William's hand to caress it. The tingling feeling that she was feeling earlier deep inside her body intensified a little, as the crest glowed faintly under the water.

"Because, the other me wants it," William replied with an indifferent tone. "Lira, if you continue this, your body will go into heat. Please, calm down a bit."

The blackhaired teenager then moved his hand back and rested it on top of Lira's navel. The crest that was faintly glowing earlier dimmed until it returned to its normal look.

Lira's face became a shade redder after being reprimanded by her first man. 

Ephemera's face also flushed after hearing William's words. 

'Lira… you've changed so much,' Ephemera thought as she looked at her friend, who had turned around and buried her face on William's chest, as if trying to prevent Ephemera from looking at her.

After looking at her friend for half a minute, Ephemera forcefully tore her gaze away and looked at the Half-Elf whose eyes had just opened. She watched with envy as the black-haired teenager planted a kiss on Lira's forehead, as he once again wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace.

'Unfair…,' Ephemera thought. But, as soon as she felt that she was feeling envious, and jealous of her friend, a shudder passed down her spine as she came to a realization. 'N-No. Could it be?'

Ephemera didn't want to entertain such a possibility, but her heart was telling her that she was indeed feeling envious and jealous of her friend, whose head was now being patted by William.

The purple-haired beauty felt an ache in her chest, as she looked at William's hand that was patting her friend's head with longing. 

For a brief moment, she wished that the one he cared for was her, and not her friend, Lira.