Second Genesis

Silence.

Grey looked from one face to another.

The monk’s expression had finally cracked. Rosie stared at him from the back with her lips slightly parted. Even Petri looked like Grey had just announced he was the reincarnation of the Pope.

Grey had to fight the urge to laugh again. He was really damn good at this shit. In fact, he had forgotten to bask in the glory of the fact he had literally made Caldrin spit blood in rage. No, that wasn’t what happened. Caldrin’s entire eye had burst apart.

This damned game wanted to make his life a living hell. If he didn’t put the bastards through the wringer, he’d never be satisfied.

"You..." The monk stopped, not sure what to say. "There is no prince consort."

"Oh? Did she not tell you yet? That’s awkward."

Several heads turned toward one another, trying to see if the one to their side knew what the hell Grey was talking about.

The prince consort matter was one thing, but the heir problem...

There were only two dukedoms in the Holy Empire. If either one had named an heir, especially one who looked like Grey and had appeared out of fucking nowhere, these people would know about it. And a prince consort? There was definitely no hiding something like that.

More importantly, the Church wasn’t supposed to have any authority over the nobility in the first place.

Grey hadn’t spent much time caring about the political structure of this place, but even he knew there was supposed to be a clear separation between them. The Church had its authority and the nobles had theirs.

If Grey really was the heir of a Duke, these people couldn’t just drag him away because they felt like it.

And if he really was attached to an Imperial Princess? Well... that sounded like a whole lot of not-their-fucking-problem.

"Which dukedom?" the monk finally asked.

Grey smiled.

"Wouldn’t you like to know?"

The monk’s jaw tightened.

Grey almost laughed again, but something else caught his attention.

Why the hell were monks and nuns here at all?

His eyes moved across the group again, slower this time. The clergy weren’t supposed to be combatants.

Grey knew they had power. Rosie had proven that much when she helped him before. But fighting wasn’t their role. They were representatives and symbols of the Church.

If the Church wanted him detained, The Relentless’ disciples should have come.

Except that would have been a little difficult considering Grey had beaten the absolute shit out of most of them.

His gaze slid toward Petri. The big bastard stood with his arms folded, face unreadable.

Grey’s grin widened.

’There it is.’

Petri was the muscle. The monks and nuns were here to represent the Church’s authority. Petri was here in case Grey decided that authority could suck his dick.

He had probably been volunteered too. It was hard for Grey to imagine that Petri would come of his own volition after what happened last time. Unless...

Another thought clicked into place. There were too many of them.

If the monks and nuns were only here so the Church could make an official appearance, they didn’t need this many. A handful would have been enough, but there was basically a legion here, easily dozens.

Grey’s amusement grew. He looked past them, toward the walls of the teleportation chamber.

This platform belonged to the Valdi, and there were very few people in this Empire who wanted Grey dead more than they did. Grey and Amunet had made a point of keeping their hands clean on the way out. Well, relatively clean--they atleast hadn’t killed anyone. They had just beaten people... robbed people, maybe a little bit of threatening. They had been generally upstanding citizens if you asked him.

If Grey had left a trail of Valdi corpses behind him, they could have called him a murderer and dealt with him however they wanted, even with this many clergymen here. But he hadn’t, which meant if the Valdi killed him now, they wouldn’t have reason on their side, and they would be stepping on the clear separation of power.

Grey glanced toward Rosie, then another monk, then landed on another cute nun and wondered if he preferred Rosie’s pink eyes or her violet ones. He lingered on that thought a little too long.

’They aren’t here to arrest me, they’re here to make sure no one else gets to me first. Now I wonder why that is.’

This many Church members standing around the teleportation platform drew a very clear line. If the Valdi wanted Grey, they’d have to push through the Church to get him, and that likely wasn’t trouble they wanted to deal with.

Grey felt his grin spreading wider. The church was only using The Relentless as an excuse. When The Boundless originally caught him, there was no reason or probable cause. The conversation Grey had ahd with The Pope had made that pretty obvious. Back then, Grey had made it pretty clear The Pope was probably even more at fault than he could ever be for an Old One appearing in the city.

What was really hilarious, and the reason Grey had been laughing so hard before, was because they didn’t give a damn about The Relentless. The irony was palpable.

Still, the question was... why?

If they truly thought Grey had somehow killed or kidnapped The Relentless, shouldn’t they be hoping the Valdi saved them the trouble? Instead, they were protecting him.

’Oh, you lying motherfuckers.’

Grey almost wanted to applaud. The purest looking people were truly the shadiest. They needed him. Grey didn’t know what for, but honeslty he didn’t give a single solitary damn.

If they needed him badly enough to put themselves between him and the Valdi, then they couldn’t afford to let this situation blow up.

And if they couldn’t afford to let it blow up... Grey could say whatever the fuck he wanted.

He could almost feel Petri’s headache growing already, and he saw behind those eyes the hesitation of a man who most definitely didn’t want round two. Before Grey left, no one who controlled Holy Energy beneath Dominion Class could stand up to him.

Now...

Grey adjusted the collar of his clothes and looked around the room, waiting for a response.

The monk stared at him.

Grey gave him a smile. "So are you lot going to stay in my way, or are you going to let me go and see my lovely wife?"

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