Chapter 173 - Cheerful Prayer

“Steward Atticus wouldn’t give me more details about what he thought the Abbott was planning, but given his interest in you, perhaps he could help us.” Medusa finished her thought, “It’s just too bad that he can’t leave the temple to come pray here…”

Steward Atticus… A high level monk that is on our side? Given that the Abbott and Markus Gantt are up to no good, perhaps it would be useful to contact him somehow…

Yuzu committed the name to memory as she spoke once more to Medusa, “Tell me where the shrines and temples are.”

“Yes, Great Maiden. I am at your assistance.”

As Medusa started giving details and descriptions of the various shrines throughout the mountain range, a new prayer bead suddenly caught Yuzu’s attention.

This prayer bead had a distinct Demonic energy to it, one that Yuzu was quite familiar with by now.

“White Maiden, It’s me, Char Char!” A cheerful voice announced through the prayer.

Yuzu felt like she was being assaulted by her friend’s unbridled energy and enthusiasm, who had taken on a tone that was far too familiar and casual to be reasonably directed at a diety.

“Not that I’m actually diety…” Yuzu sighed to herself, “But Char Char, from your perspective the White Maiden should be a powerful, divine being. Why are you addressing Her like you’re meeting a friend for afternoon tea?”

The difference in attitude between Medusa and Char Char was completely jarring. It took Yuzu a moment to adjust her mental state as she listened to Char Char’s prayer.

“I delivered the wine bottle this morning, like you asked me. I actually had trouble finding the import shop… but in the end I dropped it off to a boy called Argus. That was the right person, right? At first I didn’t believe him, but after speaking to him I realized that he’s actually an Exalted! I was so shocked. I didn’t even realize kids could become Exalted until that moment…”

“Anyways, I guess he must be one of your followers, right? I bet he’s handling all sorts of important issues for you… Oh, I shouldn’t pray about that. What was I going to say… Um… There was something he asked me to tell the Maiden-”

Char Char’s prayer trailed off for a moment, becoming somewhat jumbled. Yuzu facepalmed in the white world as Char Char’s inner thoughts were reflected in her prayers. The girl hadn’t stopped praying as she gathered her thoughts, basically filling the prayer string with noise.

Yuzu wanted to strangle Char Char with her own fate string, or send down some divine instructions about how to pray properly. In the end Yuzu held her tongue and until Char Char had regained her train of thought.

The White Maiden’s austere image remained unblemished as Char Char finally nodded seriously and refocused.

“Right. Argus said to warn you that Soryana from the Kismet Order of Fate is looking for you.” Char Char prayed, “Um, I don’t know who Soryana or the Kismet Order are, but I guess you know better, so I’ll leave it to you. Anyways, that’s what he wanted me to tell you.”

The names didn’t mean anything to Yuzu, who could only stroke her chin thoughtfully. Since Argus must know that Yuzu had no clue who these people were, then she could only assume that the warning was simply telling Yuzu to be cautious and vigilant.

Kismet Order of Fate… Yuzu frowned. Is that referring to the Exalted Domain of Fate? Then are there people out there with powers similar to mine?

Yuzu quickly cast her eyes over the plateau, checking the threads carefully for any disruptions. The golden tapestry shimmered quietly, unblemished and undisturbed.

If they really had fate powers, I think I would be able to tell if the tapestry was altered… Then again, that would depend on how subtle the changes were. Yuzu decided to keep a closer eye on the strings around her. In any case, she was fairly confident in her control over the area directly around the shrine, as being in its vicinity bolstered her strength quite a bit.

“Oh, right, Argus also said that he’d be gone for the next few days, and that he was investigating something for you.” Char Char paused, her thoughts transmitting through the prayers once more, “Was that everything I was supposed to tell her? I gave the wine bottle over… Kismet Order… The boy going away on a trip… Yeah, I think that’s everything- Anyways, I hope that’s helpful!”

Char Char nodded to herself with a satisfied expression now that she’d relayed all the important bits to the Maiden.

“White Maiden, I come to you today with a request.” Char Char said, her tone turning somewhat serious, “I have a friend who has gone missing. He is a Cleric of Yuima, and he did a lot to help fight against the Devil eyes. I’m worried that something terrible has happened to him… I pray to you for help.”

Yuzu nodded solemnly. She had been expecting Char Char to come to her, of course. After all, she herself (as Yuzu) had told Char Char to pray to herself (the White Maiden). The sentiment being that going after Hakuya was dangerous and the White Maiden might have the power to find Hakuya and/or protect Char Char from the corrupted monk.

Not that Yuzu actually had the means to do either of those things.

What was I thinking? It must have been a moment of weakness. Yuzu sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“What to do…” She muttered, wondering how to handle this situation.

The first thought that came to Yuzu’s mind was to discourage Char Char from pursuing this path. This would be the safest option, keeping her friend out of danger.

Simply saying ‘It’s too dangerous, don’t go’ had problems though. Yuzu had no doubt that Char Char would foolishly ignore any warnings from the White Maiden and do her own search.

What about a more mysterious, ‘Your path and his are not fated to meet’?

Promising… but still problematic. Yuzu discarded it. It worked with the White Maiden’s image and leaned into Char Char’s attraction to fantastical things, but there was a chance that Char Char would decide to reject being controlled by fate and forge her own path.

‘The time is not right.’

‘He doesn’t want to meet you.’

‘He left town.’

Yuzu groaned. Why was it beginning to sound like she was Char Char’s mom, warding her away from a dangerous boyfriend.

Just do what you want! Yuzu reached out to Char Char’s black string and nearly shouted those words at Char Char in frustration. However, she stopped as she noticed the silver string encircling Char Char’s black thread.

Oh… It’s the Hunter from that night… Yuzu blinked, surprised. As she examined the string she realized that Char Char had contracted the Hunter to help her find Hakuya.

“This is more reasonable…” Yuzu gazed thoughtfully across the plateau, expanding her awareness over to the road at the base of the area. This was still well within her range, and so she easily found Reid who was resting in the shade of a tree while keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings.

The hawk eyed hunter felt a shiver run down his back as he felt an inexplicable sensation that he was being watched. He shifted in his spot, scanning his surroundings, yet couldn’t place the source of the feeling. After a few moments the feeling passed and he frowned subtly before relaxing once again.

~

Back on the plateau Char Char shifted uncomfortably on the thin cushion that barely offered any padding from the rocky ground beneath it. She hadn’t received any response from the maiden, but she wasn’t bothered by it. Seeing all the people praying around Char Char made her happy, but she also understood that this meant the Maiden must also be much busier.

Char Char stood up, stretching her legs with a sigh. As she stood up she became aware of a hooded individual approaching her. A twinge of caution fluttered in her stomach as her Rebel powers alerted her to the daggers sheathed beneath the person’s robes.

She maintained a casual demeanour as she walked away from the prayer area, heading out into the field where the wild grasses grew up to waist height. The robed person followed at a discreet distance.

Braided hair… Leather clothing under the robes… The style is strange… seems southern. I don’t feel any aggression from her. Char Char evaluated the image that had formed in her mind, giving her some deeper insight into the individual without needing to look at her directly. They didn’t let her see the person’s face or any specific details, however.

Well, we are in the presence of the White Maiden… Char Char thought a moment and decided to sit down on a boulder as if she were admiring the scenery. She kept her gaze away from the main shrine, allowing the robed individual to approach at her leisure.

The crunch of sandals on grass approached. Char Char purposefully didn’t turn around to look, and instead closed her eyes and gently inhaled the fresh mountain air.

After a moment a female voice with a heavy foreign accent broke the peace.

“Good afternoon.”

Char Char looked over, to see the woman with long robes standing a respectful distance away. Beneath the hood a calm but alert face. Her olive skin and high cheekbones distinctly placed her as a person from the Fuha Wastelands to the south. Hidden in the depths of the hood Char Char could see her thick, rough braids of hair that resembled vines.

“Are you a blessed of the White Maiden?”