Chapter 368 [Bonus chapter] Turning Cogs
Arad stood up, staring at Gojo and Vars, "Call me when the time comes. I will help as much as I can."
Gojo smiled, "Same for you. Call me anytime if you need help. I'm strong enough to make people question their lives. I'm sure you would find me helpful."
Arad turned around, leaving, "I'm counting on you, big brother."
***
Arad returned to the clothes shop, hearing Aella and Eris talking inside. He knocked on the door, "I'm back. Did you finish?"
The door quickly opened, and the shopkeeper stared at him. "They are waiting for you."
Arad smiled, "You can be nice,"
"And you can stand outside," She smiled back, "Wait a moment," She walked back inside and called the girls.
Aella, Mira, and Eris walked out with smiles, staring at Arad, "Did we make you wait?"
"No, what did you get?" He asked.
"A lot of things. It's best to see them at home," Mira stared at him and walked to his side, "How about you? Did you find anything while you waited?"
Arad scratched his chin, "Do you remember Gojo?"
Eris stared at Aella, "Who?"
"An adventurer from Alina, white hair and blue eyes and ice master." She replied.
"Yeah. Apparently, he is my older brother. Gojo Orion," Arad said, and the girls froze.
"Wait? You have a brother?" Mira gasped.
"Even I only knew," Arad replied, "It's both a long and a short story," He explained what happened to them, leaving Gojo's mission out.
The girls stared at him, "This...needs some time to sink in," Aella said, "To think you have a brother,"
"It's all good, isn't it?" Mira smiled, "It's nice to have relatives," She looked at Arad, "As long as they don't cause you trouble."
"Come on," Eris patted Arad's shoulder, "Let's find something to eat. I ordered a veil and a robe. It would be ready after an hour."
As Eris's palm touched Arad's shoulder, he could feel a shiver run down his spine. Doma smiled inside him, ^[She found a nice toy]^
A smile covered Eris's face as she showed her nails to Arad, "How do they look?"
Arad looked at her hand, "Filled with magic, what did you do to them?"
"Witches nail polish," She smiled.
"Witches? Since when you were one?" Arad sighed.
"A witch is a woman who holds an arcane magic in her body. I fit it being a vampire spawn, and having draconic blood. " She showed her other hand to Arad.
^[Witches use their blood and hair as catalysts, and the nail polish acts as a conduit for magic. They also allow her to cast magic without the need for an arcane focus like a staff, or a weapon. Her nails are enough. Or should I see vampire claws?]^
Arad patted her head, "Congratulations if you find more, you can buy it."
Eris blinked twice, "O-okay?" Confused at his answer.
Arad turned around, "I can smell something nice at the end of the street, grilled chicken. We can eat there,"
Aella pinched her nose, "You sure it isn't stench?"
Arad scratched his chin, "So, how about we buy what we need and find a quiet place to eat?" He smiled.
Everyone nodded, and they headed to buy their lunch.
****
CLACK! CLACK! Lydia and Jack walked out of the main church. She stretched her arms, "This place is even more amazing than I thought," She smiled.
Jack looked around, "You sure? To me, it looked like a fancy barn,"
Lydia stared at him, "Well, the main goddess here is Mother Earth, followed by the blazing sun and the god of rebirth and renewal."
CLACK! As they walked, a large man cut their way, staring at Jack, "I heard someone with the stench of hell was in the church. Care to explain yourself?"
"Huh?" Lydia glared at the man, holy magic dripping from her eyes, "What did you just say?"
The man stared at her, "A fierce lioness, I can sense your dense holy magic from here."
Jack stared at the man, "I do reek of the hells? Probably should have expected that. A devil dragged me there while we fought,"
The man stared at Jack, "A mere...rogue?" He stared at Jack's clothes, "You can't have a chance against a devil,"
"That's none of your business," Lydia growled, "He didn't get burned walking into the church, so the gods accepted him,"
"That can't be for sure. There are a lot of spells that can protect him," The man smiled, "A trial by combat. If he survived a smite, then he's good to go," He grabbed the hilt of his sword.
CLACK! Lydia grabbed the hilt of her sword, "You might as well say you want to kill him," The holy magic seeping from the two clashed, shaking the whole church.
Thud! Jack touched Lydia's shoulder, "Calm down, I can handle this idiot on my own,"
The man smiled, "The arrogance of a devil," He pulled his sword, "I will send you back to the hells,"
"Are you sure?" Lydia growled, staring at Jack.
Jack smiled and walked forward, "Don't worry, don't worry," He smiled, "This man, after all, is weak,"
The man's face twisted, veins bulging on his head, "You dare insult me?"
Jack stared at the man with a passive face, "Of course, Buffon," Even though he looked calm, Jack needed to do his best to enrage the man.
Rage clouds the mind, and since Jack's main fighting style relies on tricks and traps, it's best if his target is piss-off mad.
The man growled, lunging forward, swinging his sword.
Jack smiled, weaving his hands and two thick wires emerged between them. CLANG! The wire caught the sword and kicked the man in the guts pushing him away.
The man fell on his back, "You bastard," He growled, seeing Jack smile.
Jack pulled a small pouch from his pocket and threw the red dust from it on the man, causing him to scream, eyes red and tearing.
"You got too angry you didn't even notice your smite failing. What an idiot," Jack laughed, "This is the main church, as she said. I wouldn't be standing here if the gods thought I should die,"
Lydia stared at the man, "A paladin smite comes from their god and oath. It's a borrowed power. And the gods won't lend it to you for your personal gains." She pulled her sword, burning with holy magic, "In the name of god we lift our blades, and in his name we fight and die,"
Jack stared at the man, "You thought killing me would rank you up. What a failure. Go fight a real devil, will you," The two walked past the growling man, ignoring his screams.
Jack looked at Lydia, "See? I told you there are a lot of idiots like him in the church,"
Lydia sighed, "I know," She looked at Jack, "Even though the holy order is supposed to be a force of good that helps people. People like him are giving us a bad face,"
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