Upon realizing he couldn't see through the barrier, Eros returned to the center of the deck, found a chair, and sat down. Time trickled by. After what felt like roughly five hours, Regexima, now changed into a fresh set of divine robes, appeared before him.
"We have arrived."
Without further ado, he gripped Eros’s shoulder once more and stepped forward. Eros was inwardly stunned. In the physical world, traveling from Hydalam to Intiles by steam train took a full 24 hours. Through the Spirit Realm, it took only five?
His vision blurred and then snapped into focus. Eros found himself standing in a simply decorated office. Hanging candelabras on the ceiling bathed the room in light as bright as day.
While Eros was still finding his bearings, Regexima spoke succinctly: "This is my office at the St. Insel Cathedral. You may leave now."
St. Insel was the largest cathedral of the Church of the Sea in Intiles. He really was back in the capital. Gathering his thoughts, Eros thanked Regexima and took his leave.
After Eros departed, Regexima sank into his desk chair, kicked his feet up onto the mahogany surface, and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The trip through the Spirit Realm today had been... strange. Usually, the "weird" entities wandering the Spirit Realm would flee upon seeing a High-Positioned One, but today was absurd.
He hadn't even gotten close before the entities bolted as if their lives depended on it; some had even seemingly grown extra legs mid-run just to move faster. Furthermore, while they usually peeked from a safe distance, today there wasn't a single voyeur. His spiritual vision had even caught a few multi-eyed entities intentionally poking their own eyes out.
It was bizarre. What was the cause? He didn't suspect Eros; to him, while the boy had noble blood, he was still just a low-sequence warlock. He concluded it must be the residual power of the "Mist" he had recently encountered. That was the only logical explanation.
Guided by the night shift staff of St. Insel, Eros soon stepped out into the cathedral plaza. He stood there, frowning in thought. It was two in the morning. Going back to the manor now would surely wake Estelle and the others.
I'll head back tomorrow morning. Tonight, I'll go squeeze in with Natalia.
With that plan in mind, he followed the spiritual mark he had left in Natalia’s soul. Once he was clear of the cathedral’s perimeter, he enveloped himself in a shroud of shadow. As he leaped through the darkness, he consulted Barbara.
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"Why is Spirit Realm travel so much faster than the steam train?"
Barbara rolled her eyes. "Because in the Spirit Realm, you don't need to follow tracks, you don't need to turn, and you don't have to worry about your power output affecting ordinary people. You can go at full throttle."
Is it really that simple? Eros felt a bit silly for not realizing it sooner.
"You should refuse Spirit Realm travel with Church officials next time," Barbara said, her tone suddenly grave.
Eros sighed helplessly. "I want to, but they don't exactly give me an 'opt-out' button."
Barbara was silent for a few seconds before explaining: "During the transit, although I couldn't see out, my spiritual intuition sensed the behavior of those 'weird' entities. Their abnormal reactions have already made that High Priest suspicious. He might not link it to you immediately, but if you do this a few more times, he will realize something is wrong with you."
Eros rubbed his temples. "Right. One must endure the trouble He brings along with the convenience. I’ll be careful. I’ll refuse next time, even if it means offending them."
Eros reached Natalia's location shortly after. She lived in a house not far from St. Insel—likely a "hiding in plain sight" strategy. After using his Night Perception to confirm she was the only one inside, he slipped through the shadow of the door frame.
He manifested by the bedside, looked at the sleeping Natalia, and slid under the covers. Feeling the sudden presence, Natalia jolted awake, her elbow driving back with lethal force. Eros caught the strike and whispered urgently:
"Mother of my child, it’s me! The father!"
Recognizing the voice, Natalia’s body relaxed slightly, though her brow remained knit. "What are you doing here?"
Eros pulled her into his arms and sighed. "I missed you."
Natalia gave a cold snort of disbelief. Eros didn't mind; his hand familiarized itself with her waist. She winced but didn't stop him, merely repeating: "State your purpose for being here."
"Why does no one believe the truth? Can't I just be here because I missed you?"
Natalia said nothing, biting her red lip as a faint hum escaped her nose. Seeing her silence, Eros relented. "Fine, fine. Don't you want to know how Ayesha is doing?"
"You know?" Her face lit up, and she propped herself up, her voice urgent.
"Of course. I also know that the Sin Realm they were in underwent a mutation. The danger level spiked." Eros smirked, playing his cards.
Natalia’s expression turned to one of deep worry. "Is Ayesha hurt?"
Eros didn't answer directly. Instead, he commented on something entirely unrelated. "Why is yours so large while Ayesha’s is so small? Do you think it’s because your Goddess is flat-chested, so the children she blesses are flat too?"
Natalia glared at him, her eyes practically spitting fire. She hissed through gritted teeth, "You are blaspheming the Great Goddess!"
"So, do you want to know how Ayesha is?" Eros ignored the glare, maintaining his smug grin.
Natalia took several deep breaths, forcing down the urge to strike him. She squeezed out a single word: "Yes!"
"It seems your faith isn't that devout if you can tolerate that." Seeing that she was truly on the verge of attacking, Eros coughed. "She’s safe. The assessment was terminated early."