027 I Am Ready!

A few hours later,

Aurelius was now standing in front of all the women he had converted: Aria, Elara, Sarah, Lilith, Lily, Griselda, and the rest of the teenage girls.

"Hey, what's going on?" Mira, the short girl, whispered to Aria.

Aria, however, frowned as she herself did not know the answer and shook her head and replied, "I don't know, Mother woke me up when I was asleep and told me that His Holiness wanted to talk."

The atmosphere was filled with a thick mist of tension as the older women all wore solemn looks on their faces.

Elara was biting her lip, holding herself from sobbing again while Sarah tightly clenched her fists.

Aurelius watched over all of them with a calm look on his face. For better or worse, they are now his, and he is their pillar, their everything; therefore, he cannot falter.

'I must make sure that they feel reassured by my return before I even take a step outside the village!'

He clenched his jaw while his deep blue eyes shone with determination. He had thought about what he should generally do and decided on a few key things.

"Since all of us are here, I will start," Aurelius began, grabbing the attention of all his devotees.

"I am leaving this village!"

BOOM

The teenage girls' hearts shattered into a thousand pieces when they heard him. Their bodies trembled due to the heavy news while their lips quivered, unable to even let out a squeak to question why.

But before the girls could derail, Aurelius continued with his speech, "Don't worry, I will return in a year! This I promise!"

His eyes shone while his hands tightly curled into fists with resolve. 'This I will make sure happens!'

"B-Bu–" Lily let out a muffled sound as she stepped forward. Her legs wobbled like spaghetti while her chest felt heavy, like being weighed down by lead.

Aurelius stepped forward as he cupped her face with one of his hands while his other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.

He could feel her pounding against him through his embrace. "I am sorry, Lily…." He continued; he looked up at the rest of the girls, who were biting their lips, stopping themselves from running over to him.

A small smile bloomed on his face as he widened his arms. "Come."

At his words, all the teenage girls rushed at him, hugging him tightly. Mira, the short girl, squeaked between the girls and hugged his waist tightly while sobbing heavily.

The thing to note is that all of his devotees, no matter what their past and background might be, once converted, will think solely of Aurelius.

Sure, they will still have their own interests and desires. But when it comes to him, they will be ready to do whatever is necessary to please him.

He is their lord, their husband, their everything!

The hut echoed through the silent sobs of the girls, while Aurelius closed his eyes; he remained silent the entire time the girls cried and only opened his eyes after the girls stopped sobbing.

He gently wiped the tears of Anna, the tall girl in the group. His gesture made the girl almost break into tears once again.

He stopped back while the girls gave him a pleading look.

"I am sorry, girls, but I really need to go!" Aurelius said once again, making the girls look down in disappointment.

He watched the girls for a moment before he looked over to the older women, namely Elara, Sarah, and Griselda.

Although they too were stumped and saddened, they could not stop themselves from breaking down and listening to what their god had to say.

"Griselda," he called out, making her look at him, ready to take his orders, "you're in charge of their protection! I want you to make sure nothing happens to anyone in the group!"

Griselda's green eyes shone with devotion and determination as she knelt on her knees. "Yes, my God!"

"Sarah, Elara!" Aurelius called out, making the other two women kneel in response. Their eyes burned with determination to not disappoint their god.

"I want you both to replace Lilith's duties and take care of the children until we return. And while doing that, you will try to convert as many new mothers as possible!"

Aurelius instructed that he had already planned to prepare some water in which he would mix some of his bodily fluids, giving his followers a way to convert more women.

"Lily, Aria! You will be responsible for converting girls your age!" Aurelius said to the still-sobbing girls.

Although they didn't kneel like the older women, they still nodded at him, "Yes, *hic* Your Holiness."

Aurelius didn't mind that and let them be for now.

"And the rest of you," he muttered as he looked at the rest of the teenage girls, "you will help Aria and Lily wherever you can!"

"And all you will follow Aria's and Lily's orders until I return!" He then turned toward Griselda and said, "You will overlook them and stop them from making mistakes that we cannot afford!"

Griselda nodded her head as she wiped the tears from her face. The teenage girls, too, stopped their sobbing and digested Aurelius's orders.

But Aurelius noticed something from the corner of his eye. Aria and Lily were fidgeting with their fingers and glancing at him once in a while.

Aria bit her lip, stopping herself from speaking out about her concerns while Lily tightly gripped the end of her gown.

CHUCKLE

Aurelius chuckled at their cute actions and knew what they were hesitating about. He walked over to the two of them and placed his hands on their cheeks.

"Listen, both of you," Aurelius said softly, his voice smooth as a lake as his gaze became tender, like a mother bird looking at its child.

"Don't be afraid of leading the girls. I am assigning this to you because, in the future, you both will take an important role in the religion, and I want both of you to be ready to lead massive amounts of people! This is but a learning ground for both of you, so do not disappoint me, okay?"

He then kissed each of their foreheads, trying to reassure them. The two girls felt their hearts burst with happiness to learn that they had a special place in his heart.

A bright smile quickly bloomed on their faces while their eyes burned with determination as they both simultaneously said, "we won't fail you, my lord. We promise!!"

CHUCKLE

Aurelius chuckled as he nodded his head, "I know you will," he then turned to the rest of the girls, who although weren't jealous, were saddened that they weren't as special as Lily and Aria were to him.

"You all too, everyone here will play an important role in the future, and I have assigned your roles likewise. So do not disappoint me!" Aurelius mumbled with a smile on his face.

'Although they won't fight with each other, it is still more beneficial to say this than to stay silent!' he muttered inwardly as he watched the rest of the girls' faces brighten as they smiled in happiness.

Aurelius decided to spend the rest of the day with the girls and sat in the middle of the hut, patting the ground to his side.

The women's eyes widened as they all rushed toward his side.

WHOOSH

But before the rest of them could even comprehend what happened, Griselda and Lolth, the strongest in the group, quickly stole the places on either side and tightly hugged his arm while giving a knowing glance to each other.

The rest of them stomped their feet in annoyance and had to sit beside the two women.

"Hahaha!"

But what amused and made Aurelius laugh out was the young, short girl Mira; she, unlike the rest, jumped on top of Aurelius and stuck to him like glue. Her arms hugged his neck as she buried her face in his chest, snuggling closer to him.

Like that, Aurelius spent the rest of the day with the girls, getting to know more about them, and before long, the next day arrived.

He and Lilith now stood at the edge of the village, at the entrance of the forest, where they waited for Esper.

It was still dark outside, with the entire village sleeping. Aurelius closed his eyes as he heard the insects creaking in the trees.

Lilith stood beside him, waiting nervously. Her hands gripped the edges of her dress while she bit her lip in frustration.

She wanted to say more about herself to Aurelius and what her background was, but Aurelius interrupted her and said that he would learn it along the way.

She looked up to see the sky; the moon had already set, giving a chance for the stars to show their brilliance.

The duo waited for a while, and before long, Aurelius opened his eyes as he could hear the galloping sounds of the horses running.

With each passing second, the sound became louder, and a few minutes later, Esper appeared from the trees on a horse, with two other horses following her closely.

Aurelius's eyes shone with anger and determination, while he pursed his lips tightly.

Many might wonder, as Aurelius doesn't really love Lilith and it is safe for him to stay in the village and grow safely, why he is risking it all and going to the most dangerous place where he is nothing more than a bug!

Because of pride! Aurelius knew that there were people who were far stronger than he was in this world. But knowing isn't the same as experiencing.

The humiliation he felt, the helplessness of not having the ability to not only protect his women but also himself, left a deep wound in his pride!

Sure, he could escape from this without much consequence, but what about the next? What if the other powerful person he meets in the future doesn't give him options like Esper did? Will he be able to save himself?

'No, I will die worse than a dog!' His heart banged with bitterness and rage as the memories of the encounter with Esper were still fresh in his mind.

'If it weren't for Lilith's interference, I would have become a gigolo plaything for a succubus or die a dog's death!'

'I won't let that happen again!' His mind throbbed as he clenched his fists tightly. He swore to himself right then.

'I will enter their lands and grow like a parasite, sucking the body's nutrients and leaving empty husks behind! I will suck the demons from their women, wealth, and kingdoms and take them for myself!'

While Aurelius was planning how to cuckold the demon race, Esper reached the duo, and with a snicker on her face, she asked, "Ready?"

Aurelius didn't say anything and just nodded his head; under the moonless sky, the trees swayed erratically while his deep blue eyes shone brilliantly, sending chills down Esper's spine.

"We're ready!"

This was the beginning—beginning of the tale of the strongest and the most beloved god in existence!