Chapter 24 – The Dark God (1)
The Pope was silent for a long time.
As Amelia knelt there, her knees started to chafe as it rubbed against the solid ground, which was also cold as ice. She could feel her knees numbing from exhaustion, struggling to support her crouched form.
Even without seeing the Pope’s face, she knew that he’s probably fuming by now.
Who could blame him though? What the Pope had planned for her was done out of pure intentions. But if she went along with it without crediting those who rightfully deserved it, everyone would surely be angry.
Wanting to see the Pope’s reaction, Amelia lifted her head slowly and glanced at the Pope.
The Pope was looking down at her as their eyes met. Amelia was surprised to see him looking at her with eyes full of kindness and compassion, no hint of anger like she expected.
“Rise.” The Pope said softly as he took her by the elbows and helped her up. “I understand what you’re saying. I didn’t think this through. I’ll arrange it, you don’t have to worry.”
“After that, I will send someone to discuss this matter with you. You should go back first.” He said as turned around and left hurriedly, leaving Amelia alone in the middle of the room.
Amelia was dazed as her eyes followed the Pope’s retreating form. It seemed like he was headed straight to the Cathedral, and she wondered why he was such in a hurry.
She turned and left the room. On her way back, she happened to pass the Cathedral by, and she saw the scepter, which symbolized the ultimate supremacy, was lying on the ground. And beside it was the Pope who was on his knees, hunched over as he faced the tall statue of Light in worship.
He had his eyes screwed shut, and his lips were moving minutely in prayer. The dark elf’s head popped out of Amelia’s coat pocket and peeked at Amelia.
The Pope’s words floated through the air, and both the elf and Amelia listened close.
“…. So pure and oh so flawless, my God. You will surely be satisfied with her.”
The dark elf sneered as if he couldn’t believe his ears. ‘Who is he calling pure? The old man’s eyes are quite dim, so he must be hallucinating.’
Amelia abruptly pushed the elf’s head back inside her pocket. “What are you looking at? Don’t come out, someone might see you.” She whispered.
‘Disgusting lackey!’ He insulted her in his head.
The dark was irritated for having been pushed back forcibly. Before he was swallowed whole by Amelia’s pocket, he caught sight of the statue of Light standing upright on one side.
“Crack!” A sound shattered soundlessly. No one saw it, but the statue cracked in silence.
*
As soon as Amelia reached home, she threw the elf out of her pocket, who wouldn’t stop fidgeting the entire time she was walking home. “Didn’t you know that it’s irritating when you keep on fidgeting inside?” She snapped. “Oh, and there’s something we need to talk about.”
The dark elf stood on the ground, and his miniature body grew back to its original size. He crossed his arms upon getting his form back, his appearance as dominatingly handsome as ever. “You smell so bad. Remember to take a bath when you go out.” He said mockingly.
‘What?’
Amelia scoffed in disbelief. “Me? Smells bad? Just so you know, I use the most expensive perfume there is. How dare you tell me that I smell bad! There must be something wrong with your nose.”
“I had a hard time breathing in there. It doesn’t matter how much perfume you spray on, you still reek.” He sneered towards her.
He, who was dressed in nothing but rags, now wore a spectacular uniform. Amelia sneakily stole the suit from the patrol team’s quarters.
The Knights’ uniform was embroidered with white and gold threads, and it was tailored straight in a respectable fit. The belt was tightly wrapped around the elf’s thin waist, and the row of studs on the front was all buttoned up, save for the first two studs that the elf left unbuttoned. His collarbones were perfectly exposed in the cold air.
Amelia reminded him to close his collar several times, but the elf ignored her advice completely, as if he didn’t hear her at all.
It’s not like she’s the one who’s going to catch a cold, anyway.
“Stop saying that!” Amelia was furious with the elf’s remark. Any woman would have reacted the same way when they’re told they stink repeatedly.
The dark elf leaned his head close to Amelia in taunting. “You. Stink.” He said slowly as if he’s stating a fact, and his expression irked Amelia to the core.
Amelia wanted to wrap her hands around his throat to prevent him from speaking any more. She could feel her anger rising up, and murderous thoughts filled her head.
She took a deep breath and willed herself to calm down. She smiled towards him and stated resolutely, “You’re sleeping on the ground tonight.”
As soon as Amelia voiced out her words, he, who was sitting on the chair without a care in the world, fell to the ground. His hands and feet were immobilized, again.
He tried to raise his head, and glared daggers at Amelia. ‘Come and fight me fairly, you lackey!’
Amelia felt ecstatic.
She gets really happy every time she gets the upper hand in handling the rascal. Tormenting him was what brings her joy the most. She wanted to make him cry, even. But that idea seemed far-fetched, and she doubted that the elf would let her see him in tears.
After the fun she momentarily had, Amelia went to her desk and spread her books out to read. They will practice in class tomorrow, and losing face was not an option.
The room was silent save for the faint sound of turning pages. Amelia was studying her books dutifully before the elf broke the silence.
Still lying face down on the ground, the handsome man in knight uniform forced words out his mouth. “Is the statue your Light God?”
Amelia lifted her head from the pages as she answered. “Yes. What about it? Do you like it?” She asked sardonically, wanting to aggravate the elf even further as she continued, “How wonderful!”
‘Like? I don’t like shit.’
Amelia decided to banter with elf despite her busy schedule. Watching her, his eyebrow scrunched as he sneered. “You are indeed worthy of being a lackey. I just mentioned the Light God and yet here you are, being excited over those two words.”
Amelia was lost for words. She stared at him for a bit before going back to her reading.
After a long while, he asked her a bizarre question. “Do you know the Dark God?”