Chapter 91: Not The Same

The Hermits of Fate meeting didn't last much longer.

Without the artifact to ensure that the deals were being followed fairly and to supervise everything, the meeting quickly ended after about 15 minutes.

Flora again refused to take a seat and, for the time being, continued to use one of her family's tables.

And so it was that after a while, the two of them were now in their room.

With the golden dust of his soldiers returning to his forearm and his appearance returning to that of Harvey Wayne, after sacrificing everything he had gained from the meeting and verifying that they had not been followed or were being spied by using Mirror Divination, Adryan could only sigh slightly.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he did not yet undo the wall of spirituality but looked calmly at his partner.

"If you have any questions, you can ask them now."

Flora nodded almost imperceptibly. After considering it for a moment, she asked the question that had bothered her the most since their conversation.

"What is the Red Priest?"

"Being that you are part of one of the families that support the Blood Emperor, I'm surprised you don't know," Adryan admitted honestly.

"There's a lot of information that got lost, remember? Besides, it's not like I spent much time reading about the Blood Emperor in my family's library. I was more focused on the Jacobs themselves." Flora didn't even try to defend her lack of knowledge on the subject.

This was one of her biggest mistakes in that area, and now it was finally showing its ugly face.

"It's okay. It's not too late to learn." With a slight sigh, Adryan said, "What do you know about the Sequence 0?"

The woman's mouth tightened a little, and after a few seconds, she nodded, "So they're real. Uh... I always thought they were a myth."

"They are real. All the current Orthodox Gods are the Sequence 0 of their paths." Adryan explained calmly.

"Red Priest is the name of the Sequence 0 of the Hunter Pathway.

"My Lord is now competing for that throne."

"So He is not yet a God but an Angel trying to ascend..." Flora murmured with a deep look.

"Not exactly," Adryan said calmly.

"My Lord is a calamity forgotten by time. He had once taken the throne but fell from grace and has been in a deep sleep ever since.

"It is only in recent times that He has risen..."

"What you told your team when you introduced the gay guy, yes, I remember," Flora sighed a little and looked at the man with a complicated expression.

"Is it possible for Him to participate in this operation?"

Adryan frowned slightly.

Right now? Completely impossible, he was only a Sequence 6. Even if he were to draw on the power of the City of Calamities, he might raise his level a little, but nothing beyond Sequence 5 without the abilities.

Perhaps once he was a demigod with a grade 0 artifact, he could draw similar power to an Angel, but he was still far from that.

With that in mind, he spoke.

"Depending on when it is. It is possible that my Lord can participate. At the moment it is impossible, but maybe the situation will be different in a few months."

If she was satisfied with that information, Flora did not show it; she just gave a subtle nod.

"This is my last question. If it is beyond what you can say, do not answer..."

Pausing for a few seconds to take a breath, she asked;

"How are the Scarlet Monarch and the Blood Emperor related?"

The dark-haired man was neither surprised nor concerned by this question, as it was one he knew would come sooner rather than later.

After all, Monarch and Emperor are quite similar in specific ways.

However, for someone with knowledge of mysticism, they would know that the Scarlet Monarch is different to the Blood Emperor and that They are completely different entities.

With that in mind, he smiled at his companion and shook his head with amusement, as if he had heard a good joke.

"My Lord and that Mad God only shared the throne. Nothing more.

"The Scarlet Monarch is a Calamity much older than the Blood Emperor. Much bigger and more terrifying, one that makes the heavens themselves tremble.

"He is the Stranger who comes from the Unknown. A kingdom that not even the 7 Deities comprehend or understand.

"He is against all that is depraved. All that entails, He burns it with righteous fire until they are erased from existence.

"A madman who jumped paths, who lost his mind to madness and let his desires dictate his life could never compare to the divinity of my Lord."

Adryan ended by faithfully closing his eyes, with a gentle smile and an aura of a saint around him.

Not being used to seeing such a disturbing side of her princess, Flora tried to change the subject slightly.

"Changing pathways?"

"The Blood Emperor's real name was Alista Tudor, who was once part of the Lawyer Pathway as Sequence 1. With the imminent resurrection of the Black Emperor, he was forced to jump to a non-adjacent path, which is how he went mad and ascended to Red Priest." Adryan explained calmly.

"That's the short version, remind me to explain it in more depth one of these days."

"The sequence name 0 of the Lawyer Pathway is Black Emperor..." Flora murmured before nodding energetically, her eyes shining a little.

"I will remember your words." The cryptolayer inside her was burning and she could barely contain the fire.

What the man said made sense. From the few mentions of the Blood Emperor in the family's journals, the Duke always spoke of Him with fear.

The words He always used to describe or refer to 'Him' were lunatic, lustful and disturbed. Sometimes she was confused that the Duke referred to the Blood Emperor in this way, but in later entries is explained that the God was always in a state of reproduction, having sons and daughters left and right.

Of course, the latter was easily explained by the fact that He was trying to get rid of his excessive characteristics, but that process would take hundreds of years to complete.

The most significant difference between the Scarlet Monarch and the Blood Emperor lay therein.

Regarding depravity, one was ultimately against it to the point of having how He 'burned' it in His honorific name, the other embraced it and propagated it. Like the blood and madness He spilled with his every step.

It was impossible for the Scarlet Monarch to be the resurrected Blood Emperor.

'That's why Mr. Andre said he didn't think that was the case... His knowledge of mysticism was always superior to mine, so recognizing the difference between the two was just a matter of seeing it...' Sighing soundlessly, Flora placed her hand on her chest and bowed slightly.

"Thank you so much for explaining. I won't make the mistake of comparing Them again."

She often forgot it because of his attitude and personality, but the man in front of her was the blessed of a God. In these kinds of things, a little respect was necessary.

Adryan smiled simply, "Don't worry. It's normal for there to be confusion, just don't let it happen again."

Flora let her hand on her chest for a few more seconds before straightening up, giving the man a slight nod.

"Well, it's your turn. What do you want to know?"

Always after these cases where he revealed a lot of information, he asked for something in return.

"You know me so well~" Singing a little, the dark-haired man raised the corners of his lips slightly.

"What's this about you being the last of the direct line?"

"Just as it sounds. Since my father died, I'm the last one left." Flora said calmly.

"That's why I was able to get my Parasite potion even though there was another, more skilled competitor. The rest of the family expected that because I was so similar to Duke Jacob, I would climb the sequences faster than anyone else."

Extending her arms to herself, she continued, "Unfortunately for everyone, the only thing I share with my Ancestor is appearance; our personalities couldn't be more different.

"He was always described as elegant, of few words, and who enjoyed spending his evenings watching the clouds. Many notes from later members joked a little that this is why our hair looks the way it does." Flora grabbed a white lock and looked at it briefly before sighing.

"The plan was doomed to fail, and Fiorella struggled to give him the potion, with the other family members not wanting that. Her excuse was that someone else deserved it."

"That would be Galbert, wouldn't it?" Adryan asked curiously.

Flora nodded, "A more distant member of the Jacobs than Fiorella, one who supported her much more than me.

"Of course, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to ascend a Demigod, so I stole the ingredients and completed the ritual secretly as soon as the opportunity arose.

"By the time they realized what I had done, it was too late. I was already a Parasite.

"Hehe. Since then Fiorella can't stand to see my face and takes every opportunity to humiliate me." Laughing a little, the woman covered her mouth but the occasional giggle escaped her.

"And... hahaha... and... Hahahaha! I've never seen her lose her temper as much as today! It was magnificent!" Trembling with laughter, her eyes became a little moist.

"That alone made it worth all the crazy things you made me go through with your stupidities!"

"Really?" Adryan asked amused with an eyebrow raised.

Flora smiled broadly, "Nope. You still have to do that 1000 times more!"

"I'll gladly do it if I can see that beautiful smile again." Mischievously, Adryan winked and the woman tensed for a second.

Hiding the red tips of her ears, Flora snorted complacently, but her eyes shone a little, "Grow up."

Then, she sighed a little wearily, "That's how I ascended to Sequence 4. Pathetic, isn't it?"

"What do you mean? That was the best thing you could have done!" Adryan clapped his hands a little.

"You represented your pathway as it should be done! Why should a Marauder have limits to whom they steal from? Whether it's family or loved ones, they're all opportunities to get excitement!

"It's not like you can't give it back after you've had fun, right? If Galbert wanted to wait and respect the decision that was made, then that tells me everything I need to know about him."

Having 'seen' what the cream of the crop of the Marauder Pathway should look like, Adryan could say without a doubt that what Flora had done was the best thing.

The woman blinked, surprised, before looking away, somewhat embarrassed. Quickly recovering, she turned her attention back to her companion.

"That's a first..." She murmured, pleased, "Anything else?"

Adryan gently shook his head, "No, that will be all."

Putting his hand in his pocket and taking out Hangover Time, he checked the time and could only sigh.

"Do you mind if we sleep now? Tomorrow we'll go out and enjoy a local breakfast and then we'll go back to our home."

Flora nodded and removed her bandana, letting her hair fall free, "Just let me change…"

After going to the bathroom and changing into her comfortable white dress that she usually wore to sleep, the curious duo of colors lay down on the bed.

Already accustomed to this, Adryan wrapped his arms around his beloved worm and fell asleep shortly after, Flora just muttered a minor complaint and followed him shortly after...

Above the City of Calamities.

Holding his forehead as he sat in his favorite beach chair on the city's outskirts, Adryan could only grunt a little.

"Why did that old man have to say those words about families?" The redhead grunted wearily as he lamented a little.

Right now he would prefer to be in bed next to his worm, sleeping comfortably, so he could get up tomorrow, but he still couldn't. He had to think a little about what had happened today.

Finally, he had kept his word to warn the family, but he had also obtained unexpected benefits from it.

"It turns out that the Tamara family has been trying to make contact but haven't been getting any answers... Well, that's partly my fault."

With so many prayers coming in and arriving, it was normal for some strange ones to get lost...

Controlling some of the power of the City, Adryan reappeared in front of the thousands of floating flames that were the prayers addressed to him.

Calling to the soldier in charge of taking down the prayers, Adryan grabbed the notebook and flipped through the pages.

The rapid turning of the pages filled his ears and all the prayers blurred, but he didn't need to read what they contained to find what he was looking for.

Given his control over the City of Calamities, they would appear in it if he had any idea who wanted this notebook.

Finally, after a few moments, the turning of the pages stopped.

A large number of sentences in his name filled the pages.

"The Scarlet Monarch who burns depravity... your faithful servant Dabrio Tamara begs for your attention.

"The Scarlet Monarch... Your faithful servant Dabrio Tamara prays for your attention...

"... Your faithful servant Dabrio Tamara..."

'That's what I get for not wanting to separate these strange names...' Sighing a little, Adryan invoked a little of the power of the sefirot and the flame that represented this prayer shot towards him.

It was not at all different from the rest, it was a simple orange flame that burned calmly.

Adryan then invoked a mirror and the Hanged Man's card of Blasphemy.

Merging the card with his spirit and with the loincloth and chains. He pointed the mirror at this flame and let it reflect.

Considering that he had everything ready, he extended his spirituality to this flame, making a weak connection...

The flame expanded and through the tongues of fire, a scene slowly manifested itself...

A room that was not very remarkable. With a thin bed, a desk, and a window with closed curtains. It looked like any ordinary motel room, nothing stood out.

In front of a somewhat elegant altar, which stood out in the simple room, a man was kneeling with his hands together.

He appeared to be between thirty and forty. He looked quite good, his face was not very wrinkled and his dark blond hair had no white streaks.

He was wearing a simple white shirt with black pants, some straps held up his pants, and a short and somewhat small brown leather vest.

"The Scarlet Monarch who burns depravity; The Calamity forgotten by time; The Stranger who comes from the Unknown;

"I pray for your attention;

"I pray that you will look upon me with mercy;

"Your faithful servant Dabrio Tamara prays for your attention....

"I am part of the last righteous branch of the family that has not yet fallen under the deceptions of evil gods, but this will not last long. The fallen branches are hunting us down one by one...

"We are desperate for help to face them. Please I beg you to help us and I swear our loyalty and faith for the rest of our lives..."

Looking at what was happening in front of him, the almost naked Adryan could only growl tiredly.

"I just wanted to sleep for a while..."