Myths Reawakened

The surging holy light dissipated, and the Sacred Tome of Golden Law fell to the ground with a thud. Wayne looked at his hands, his eyes flickering with golden light. Then he said to Gunther, Atori, and Mona, “No reaction. I don’t have a stigma. I’m not an angel!”

No reaction? Do you think we’re blind?

While Wayne’s thoughts entered the gates of heaven, the three of them had seen the form his thoughts shaped him into, along with the hazy silhouettes of angels. Though they didn’t hear the conversation, it was clear that one had taken place.

You ARE an angel!

Archbishop Gunther was the most certain. When he made his contract with the Sacred Tome of Golden Law, he had entered the gates of heaven. His thoughts never reshaped him into an inhuman form with wings or a giant eye, but Wayne was different. He turned into his true form on the spot. That was a direct manifestation of his soul, impossible to fake!

Moreover, when Gunther entered heaven, the angels had been indifferent, each busy with their own duties. He didn’t know what they were doing, but they were certainly swamped with work. Only after he disturbed their peace by calling out repeatedly did an angel reluctantly appear, and it took him abandoning his pride to barely manage to establish a partnership.

Wayne, in contrast, had been surrounded by curious angels the moment he entered. The differential treatment clearly proved that he was receiving a warm welcome home.

The evidence was conclusive! Under heaven’s radiance, there was no talking his way out of it!

Gunther was irritated. He had suffered much to find Wayne, pulling many an all-nighter. Now that he had finally found him, the man stubbornly refused to admit his true identity. What kind of melodramatic angel was he? Could he just be candid for once?

While Gunther cursed inwardly, though, his smile never wavered.

“Mr. Wayne, the Sacred Tome of Golden Law didn’t reject you, and you entered heaven without issue. That means that you’re an angel.”

(눈_눈)

“You can’t just force that conclusion on me. You made it clear earlier that I would have a stigma. A stigma!” Wayne raised his voice and spun around. “Look at me. Is there anything like that? You insisted that I was an angel without any proof, and now that I’ve proven myself not to be one, you refuse to take that as an answer. Have I touched the tome for nothing?”

Facing his displeasure, Gunther placated him, “Mr. Wayne, the stigma may be hidden somewhere on your body. If you don’t believe me, I’ll have Mona take you to the room next door and check for you. You’ll find it.”

Mona was eager to oblige.

(눈‸눈)

Why are you so excited? No offense, but this is a cathedral, not a red-light district, alright?

Wayne waved his hand in rejection. “No need to check. I’m certain that I’m no angel, and I don’t have a stigma on my body. Don’t worry. I’ll keep the secret about angels’ reincarnation to myself.”

So don’t hire any contract killers. You’d be better off using that money to buy my silence.

He rose to leave. The cathedral’s food was quite good, and the snack was delicious. In the future, he would be able to add special effects with holy light when he transformed, giving his bare wings feathers.

“Wait!” Gunther blocked his path, looking troubled like he was ready to drop to his knees before Wayne. “Mr. Wayne, if you don’t like it, there’s another simple way to verify if you’re a reincarnated angel.”

Wayne checked his watch in surprise. “It’s past midnight already? How did so much time pass?”

“Ordinary people can’t stay in heaven for so long...” Gunther quietly told him. “The method is simple and won’t take much of your time. I swear on the sacred tome that if it fails, proving you not to be an angel, I absolutely will not bother you again.”

“Fine, but this is the last time.” Since he was here already, Wayne decided to solve the problem once and for all.

Overjoyed, Gunther explained the method.

Angels could sign a contract with a clergy member through the Sacred Tome of Golden Law. The relationship formed was usually cooperative, allowing the clergy member to borrow the angel’s power. However, a cooperative contract wasn’t reliable and imposed a limit on the power the clergy could borrow, and it wouldn’t be possible to tap into the power of stigmata. Such a contract wouldn’t prove whether Wayne was an angel or if he had a stigma.

Therefore, they would have to go with an upgraded contract, changing the cooperative relationship to a master-servant one. Wayne would be the master, while the clergy member would be the servant. Once the contract was established, the clergy member would be able to use the angel’s stigma by borrowing their power. This way, whether Wayne was an angel would be self-evident!

“If this is possible, why didn’t you use it earlier?” Wayne asked. He would’ve made a scene if not for the good food.

Please, I only resort to this because you keep denying the truth!

Gunther didn’t voice his dissatisfaction. Instead, he said enthusiastically, “There’s a clergywoman with the holy spirit constitution at the church. She’s a good candidate for signing a contract. I’ll call her over.”

This move served another purpose besides producing irrefutable evidence: he believed Wayne knew he was an angel but wouldn’t admit it, which showed the melodramatic side of his personality. With angels, well, it was understandable. The one Gunther had contracted with was difficult to deal with, too.

What an unpleasant personality!

Under the circumstances, the Church of Heavenly Father would have trouble making Wayne do their bidding. As an entity with an independent will, Wayne couldn’t be used as an enforcer, and forcing the issue would only make things difficult for both sides.

But leaving an angel unutilized would make the efforts put into finding him a waste, which was detrimental to the church.

Having a clergy member sign a contract with him would make a difference. Clergy members were easy to control. Just tell them that it was for justice, and they would charge forward without needing further convincing.

Wayne didn’t know what Gunther was planning, and even if he did, it wouldn’t matter to him. It was all a waste since he didn’t have any stigmata, truly. He asked, “Can the master-servant contract be terminated? It won’t be in effect permanently, will it?”

“It can be terminated, but the Golden Law is fair and just. A contract it witnesses isn’t trivial, so both parties will have to agree to the termination, and the servant will have to pay a price,” Gunther answered truthfully.

The contract was designed specifically for disobedient angels so that they would hand over their power.

Wayne nodded. As long as he wasn’t the one suffering a loss, it was fine. He pointed at Mona. “Forget the clergywoman with the holy spirit constitution. Let’s make it quick and just try her.”

Mona was temporarily stunned before feeling an overwhelming joy. Her master finally acknowledged her as his servant!

“Mona...” Gunther hesitated. Mona didn’t have the holy spirit constitution and couldn’t accept much angelic power. It would be wasteful for Wayne to sign a contract with her. But seeing Wayne’s impatient expression, he could only say yes through gritted teeth.

Mona was sufficiently talented, absolutely devout, hardworking, and willing to endure suffering. Most importantly, she was easy to control.

“Won’t she work? If not, I’m leaving.”

“She’ll work! Perfectly! Your thoughts remain within her, which will save us a step. She can’t be better for the job.”

Wayne blinked. While that was the case, he denied stiffly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never planted any thoughts in her. If there’s any... it has to be a coincidence.”

Gunther nodded solemnly. “Very much so. What a coincidence.”

Wayne fell silent, speechless. He never expected that his casual experiment would end up biting him in the rear. But no, he hadn’t made a mistake. He had been trying to protect Mona at that time. If anyone was to blame, it would be the Thousand-Eyed Demon.

Mona came up to Wayne, radiating excitement. Following Gunther’s instructions, she got on one knee.

“Mona, are you willing to become—”

“Yes, I do!”

Why are you so eager? Wayne sighed inwardly. The Archbishop hasn’t even finished speaking!

The contract ceremony looked a little like a proposal, but Mona didn’t have an engagement ring, and Wayne only reached out to place his hand on her head.

Gunther released the seal, and the dormant thoughts within Mona immediately became active. At the same time, she once again heard her master’s voice. It was the same voice as the person right in front of her. That proved it: Wayne = Bruce = angel!

He couldn’t blackwash himself!

I can still deny it! Wayne gritted his teeth, telling Gunther to hurry up with the contract ceremony. Facts wouldn’t lie, and justice always prevailed in the end. He would be proven unangelic when no stigma appeared on Mona’s body. And he promised to terminate the contract and restore her freedom.

As Gunther chanted the complex and ancient incantation, the Sacred Tome of Golden Law slowly rose and hovered above Wayne and Mona. The intense holy light drew out her thoughts and created a resonance in Wayne. He was the master and the superior, while she was the servant and the inferior.

The burning sensation returned. Wayne switched mode, and holy power poured out of him. The pure, flawless radiance made Gunther click his tongue in amazement. It was a light that only angels could possess.

The sacred tome caught the energy of the Golden Law, confirming Wayne as the master. It stripped part of Mona’s thoughts to place her under his command. Through this relationship, she could invoke the Golden Law’s divine intent inside Wayne.

Golden halo manifested as a phantom, with its two components locking together tightly. The master-servant contract was officially established.

Mona’s expression was that of a devout follower. The light silver glow in her eyes turned gold, and her aura surged in intensity as a pair of white wings spread from her back. She had broken through the ceiling of the Silver rank and reached Gold in that instant. On the back of her raised hand, a faint stigma emerged and deepened in color until it fully formed.

This shit actually works? Wayne thought with shock. Where did the stigma come from? Borrowed from my body without me knowing it?

This doesn’t make a damn bit of sense!

He stared at her for a long moment, dumbfounded. Then he blurted out a curse.

“Fuck!”