113 Emissary Walco (1/2)
When Gray Allister and the company were revealed about this sudden revelation, they sincerely thought how slightly bizarre this situation turned out to be when the emissary is actually revealed to be who is no other than the second son of the Walcot family himself.
Gray's first impression on the nobleman, well, Stephen's hooded long jacket-like outfit to be more precise, is that the noble kind of looked like an assassin of some sort from one of the Assassin's Creed game franchise. To be honest, the elf thought that Stephen looked cool and dope in the said attire.
Of course, Stephen's clothing acted both as a luxury and practicality where one may use during both combat and social interactions. Gray also thought along the lines that there must be some kind of hidden blade underneath that jacket of his, but that's just wishful thinking. Assassin's Creed is also one of his all-time favorite games, after all.
Anyways, Gray decided to snap out of his surprised state and started conversing with Stephen. ”So, you're the emissary of this Dark entity, God, or whatever.”
Stephen chuckled at Gray's wording regarding the matter and corrected it. ”Our lordship is a God. To put it simply, he is not one of the Divines, more like clinging to the darker side.”
”A Demonic God, then?” Isamu intervened with a frown on his face. Everyone knows of the common knowledge that two types of Gods govern each of their own aspects of nature and delivered their will through the actions of the mortals who revere them. There's the Divines, the Gods associated with justice, benevolence, and virtue, and there are the Demonic Gods who are correlated mostly with evil, malevolence, and deception. Although the truth, if a reasonable and logical individual would say, is more complicated than what most of the populace believe in their black and white perception of things.
”Not exactly,” Stephen responded while still retaining his smirk. ”Lord Choros harbors no love for both Divine and Demonic, so you could say that he's merely one of the Neutral Gods. Although I won't blame you if you do think that Lord Choros is affiliated with the Demons, given his dark and chaotic nature. Even if it's true, our lordship expressed his disdain in being affiliated with his demonic brethren and prefers to mind his own business.”
”Choros, huh.” Gray rubbed his chin in pondering. ”What can you tell me about him?”
”Lord Choros has many titles; The Chaotic Reveler, The Blade of Disorder, The Lawless Being, and many more,” Stephen answered with pride in his every tone. ”Our lordship delights in Chaos and Disorder as he grants rewards and fortunes to anyone who revels in it. Although one may argue that he's an Evil God just because of his demonic nature, even Chaos can be a tool for advancing yourself to the path of good. As a matter of fact, my sacred pact with Lord Choros is also one of the reasons why my beloved little sister was saved two nights ago by you.”
”Really now?” Gray was a bit intrigued by Stephen's last statement. ”How so?”
”Every day, I perform an act of chaos as a prayer to our Lord, wishing that my family is constantly safe from any harm and Lord Choros indeed was true to his words when he spoke to you on the night of Stephania's attempted kidnapping,” Stephen replied. ”Every now and then, Lord Choros would give me his subtle whispers, tasking me to whatever his bidding, thus strengthening my covenant and bond with him.”
”So, you're a member of some sort of cult, huh.” Gray made his own conclusions. ”Does your family know about this?”
”No, and I prefer that it will be that way.” Stephen assumed a serious demeanor, in very contrast to the cheerful persona that he displayed earlier. ”My dealings are my own and it would be best if little people knew of my endeavors. Of course, if you plan on ratting me out to the authorities, then you'll see that your efforts are going to be a failure. After all, I'm a noble with many connections in this town, and you would want me as a friend more than an enemy.”
”Hmm, is that a threat?” Gray definitely does not like the current way of Stephen's talking to him.
”Of course not.” Stephen instantly went back to his merry persona, grinning with utmost delight. ”Just simply stating the facts and consequences.”
Gray nevertheless did not let his guard down despite Stephen's remarks that are coupled with his seemingly happy go lucky image. ”If you say so. Anyways, what does your God want with me?”
”Heh, I'll let your disrespect slide, given that my God sees no purpose to amuse himself in such insignificant matters of respectful words.” Stephen nodded in understanding. ”Before we get down to business, tell me, Baron Gray Allister, what do you think of slavery as a whole?”
”Slavery?” Gray uttered the word with slight distaste. ”If good and innocent people are involved, then I abhor such a notion. I find the idea of unpaid and an extremely one-sided service to be a sick concept in my opinion. Workers should always be granted proper payment and incentives for their services. Why do you ask?”