Chapter 101: No Rest For the Wicked
"I hope Milady has not caused you too much trouble," Greg says and opens the door of the cabin.
"Not at all."
I step out of the carriage into the front yard of the convent.
"I bid you farewell, then. May fate bring us together another time," he says.
Quite a statement to come out of a servant's mouth.
"I am sure we will," I say.
Greg nods and climbs back into the coach cabin.
The morning is still young. Forget about lunch. Most people probably haven't had their breakfasts yet.
I walk up to the convent's door. Perhaps it would be a good idea to wander around the town for a bit before I come back to face the girls. Ah, what am I saying? I am not afraid of them. Why would I be?
The doors open a second after I knock on them, and Abigail appears on the other side.
"Kris? Back already?" She asks.
"Yeah."
I hear light footsteps running toward the door, and Astra's head pokes out from behind Abigail.
She glances around me.
"Where's Alice?" The little girl says.
"She, um… It doesn't matter, just let me in. I have more important things to talk about," I say.
"Alright." Abigail steps out from the doorway.
As I walk into the convent, Astra bounces side to side around me and sniffs my clothes.
"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" I ask and grab Astra's shoulder to stop her.
"Just looking for clues of what led to your… premature return."
"How is sniffing me going to help?"
Astra shrugs. "You never know."
"I can help, too," Abigail says as she closes the front door behind me.
"No thanks." I look around the empty convent lobby. Odd, I expected a much noisier welcome, but I shouldn't be the one complaining.
"Where are the others?" I ask.
"They are in the backyard playing with Faye's miracles again," Abigail says.
"Okay."
Good. That way, I don't have to deal with them all at once.
"So what are the important things you wanted to talk about?" Astra asks.
"Is there somewhere we are can be alone?"
…
The spider webs in the corners and the dust floating in the air suggest that the attic is not a place that often sees visits. There is not a single thing up here except for the few rat footprints on the ground.
"Why are we up here?" Abigail asks.
"Maybe Alice has given him a little taste of heavenly pleasure, and now he is hungry for more," Astra says with a grin.
"Ooh."
"No, I am not hungry for anything. Lunch, maybe, ah, never mind. Sister Abigail." I turn to the nun.
"Yes?" She drops the sensuality in her eyes, probably noticing that I am getting serious.
"Do you work for anyone?"
"Do I work for anyone? If you mean my superior, that would be Her Excellency Cecilia, but I don't listen to her orders. Why?"
"Are you in any way related to the Cardinal or anyone in the Grand Cathedral?"
Astra squints her eyes at me.
"His Eminence?" Abigail says, "No? He is more in charge of the finance side of things. As for the Grand Cathedral, all nuns of the Holy Capital are under their high priestesses."
"So you know Tessa?" I ask.
"Tessa? Oh, Her Grace Tessa Thomson? Yeah, she would be the figure of the highest authority below the Pope for nuns like me."
Great. Connor and Tessa are two of the very few people I know I can trust in the upper echelon. The fact that the nuns of the convent work for Tessa will be very helpful.
"Why are you asking this?" Abigail says.
"What do you think of the Cardinal? Be completely honest," I ask again.
Abigail looks a little caught off-guard.
"Um… His Eminence? I-I don't know much about him, but there are many rumors going around about his corrupted morals and greed, but I don't think he has done anything bad yet."
"Okay, good."
"Krissy, where are you going with this?" Astra asks.
It's time to tell them what had happened.
"I met with Tessa and Abigail's brother at Alice's house," I say.
"Oh, Sebastian? And? What happened?" Abigail asks.
"That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that I bought 90% of the Holy Weapons currently in stock from Tessa's husband, who represented the Society of Ecclesiastic Smiths."
Abigail's jaw drops to the ground. "Ninety percent? W-Where did you get that money?"
"Let's just say… I took a little something from the Cardinal."
"A little something? That many Holy Weapons must be worth over a platinum slab!"
I say nothing.
"You… no way. Kris, tell me you didn't take a platinum slab from the Cardinal. That would be an executable offense. More than that, this entire convent might take the fall if someone found out," Abigail says.
Astra slaps her forehead with her palm.
I didn't want to use this card, but I guess I have to now.
"Right, and the Thomsons wouldn't trust me with that much power if I didn't have any credentials. That's where your brother comes in. He gave me a reassessment, and it revealed my blessing of the Goddess's Apostle."
"Th-" Abigail is speechless.
"Krissy! What did I say about keeping it a secret?" Astra says.
"It's all for the greater good."
Astra holds up her palms in confusion.
Abigail recovers from her shock and giggles. "I can't believe I almost got to sleep with the apostle."
That's what she is getting out of this?
"Wait, what?" Astra asks.
"Nothing of the sort. Absolutely nothing," I say.
"Deny it all you want, Mr. Apostle," Abigail says.
"Anyways, going back to the Holy Weapons. I was thinking that completing Crusader missions is not a reliable source of income, so I wanted to establish a business. Seeing that Holy Weapons are key to success in the shrine, and they are locked behind class walls, I think a rental business could be very popular," I say.
"Rental? Like, with carriages?" Abigail asks.
"Exactly, and seeing your brother is the Archbishop superintending the shrine, which I would have appreciated if you told me earlier, your connections can be of help to me."
"Krissy, how are you up to something else so quickly?" Astra says.
"No rest for the wicked."
"I don't think you understand what that means."
"It means that there is always work to do, no?" I ask.
"No, it means that sinners will never rest from eternal punishment."
"That can't be… whatever. What do you say, Abigail?"
The nun walks up close to me with a smile.
"I have already devoted my life to the Goddess, it would only make sense for me to do the same to her apostle."
"Perfect. The Holy Weapons will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Can you arrange a meeting with your brother for me in the morning?" I ask.
"Consider it done, Mr. Apostle."
"Kris is fine."
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