Lucky Prodigy

20: New Ally

'Oh fuck.' I covered my eyes slowly.

<Yeah.> a single word answer conveyed Thoth's annoyance.

I sighed and continued my way towards the Pope's location, erasing my presence once more. The child was easily traceable, considering the veritable Beacon her Aura was, now. I wondered briefly why I'd thought she was male, given her female status.

<Bodies do not always match Souls, James. You smelled her Pheromones, which are indeed Masculine in nature.> Thoth responded after a moment of deliberation, stopping me in my tracks.

'Well... it's good I gave her my blessings, then; she'll need all the help she can get, growing up like that in a place like this.' I shook my head sadly and continued onwards.

I found the group I was looking for in an interior office, sitting around a table with two men I didn't recognize. One was labeled Cardinal Kenneth Rosanna, and the other Pope Giovanni XV.

No one noticed my entry, besides shivering at the draft I brought in with me, and I leaned against a wall, listening in for now.

"Saint Rosanna, I'd like to be clear; you're asking us to dissolve your engagement with the Hero?" The Pope, (an older man with a large belly,) asked Maria curiously.

"Yes, Your Holiness." She nodded.

"This is ridiculous!!! Why would you renege on our Marriage Contract? Is it that Ogre Hero? It is, isn't it?!?" Matthias stood up, slamming his hands against the table angrily.

She frowned at him. "No. The problem is you." She said succinctly.

Her father rubbed his eyebrows slowly. "I am sorry, Your Holiness, she didn't ask me before wasting your time-"

"What waste? I see her point, and it's definitely true that the Hero needs to learn to control his temper; his rude and callous nature is entirely unfitting of a Hero, and I regret having given the Seed to him, but it is too late now, after all." The Pope shrugged, and glared at Matthias when his mouth opened defiantly. "Sit down." He commanded, and the boy sat swiftly, instantly cowed.

'He gave the Seed to Matthias? How?' I frowned.

<When a Hero Dies, the Seed is a physical object that is given to another, usually a child. However, the accompanying boost of power can sometimes lead to superiority issues, such as with young Matthias; you wouldn't guess, he used to be rather kind, before his father was killed by a Demon in a Dungeon... when he received the Seed, though, his first thoughts were revenge.>

'Against anything and everything, I bet...'

"Anyway, I understand your point, yes... to be clear, I hated the idea of using you like some Baby Factory from the beginning, but the solid truth is that your children will be far more powerful than normal humans, and they will be needed in the coming wars. Holy Wars last for Generations, after all." The Pope explained.

She nodded. "I am aware. And I will have children, but not with someone whose seed is more likely to produce a Blank than anything Useful. I also don't want to catch whatever he's caught from all the whores he fucks for free by saying 'I'm the Hero'. He disgusts me, simply put, and I'll have no part of him." She waved a hand dismissively at Matthias.

He growled, standing up and raising a hand to slap her, then froze when an armored hand wrapped his wrist slowly.

"If you strike her, or even attempt to, I will kill you, and find a new hero myself." Benjamin spoke softly, but the entire room felt chills from the sheer finality of his tone. Then he slowly released the 'hero's hand, and returned to his seat in a blurred movement, which the others were too low-level to even sense.