Chapter 13: Recruiting Process

"My Lady, I believe I have found a suitable recruit."

Inside my chambers underneath the Cathedral were Prylla and myself. I had just woken up not five minutes earlier and was still laying in bed. So, her coming in to inform me of this was a rather unexpected development. After a month of finding absolutely nothing I was beginning to give up hope.

"Mmm… This is rather… sudden." I rolled over to face her.

"I think you'll be very pleased once you meet them. I spent some time ensuring they fit all the criteria."

"Well I'll be the… Ahhh..." I let out a loud yawn. "Judge of that… Mmm..." I rolled back over to go back to sleep.

"Well what are you waiting for? Today's guest will be arriving soon."

"Need morrrre… sleep..." I pulled the blanket over my head.

"Did you stay up all night reading again? A young lady like yourself needs proper bedrest to perform at her best."

"Don't… wanna..."

"Alright time to get up." Prylla pulled the blanket off of me.

"H-Hey!" I yelped.

Prylla grabbed my arms and pulled me into an upright position. I let out another yawn as I rubbed my tired eyes.

"It's not like I wanted to stay up reading. The book just kinda sucked me in..." I scratched the back of my head with a sheepish grin.

"Alright let's get you dressed."

"I can do it myself, you know."

I wasn't a little kid anymore after all. I was fully capable of choosing what I wanted to wear on my own. Prylla, however, wasn't having it at all. I got up from my bed and she rummaged through my drawers before pulling out two different outfits. The first one was a dress befitting Vollachian nobility. The upper portion of the dress was black with a purple flower positioned on the right side of the chest. At the waist the black gradually changed to purple until the bottom of the long skirt. The other choice was a red dress with a black lace overtop. The arms were see through and there was a string that ran up the center tied at the top to tighten the dress if needed.

"Do you seriously expect me to wear one of those?"

"Don't fuss over the details, just pick one."

"Fine. Fine. Um… I chose that one." I pointed to the red dress.

"A fine choice." Prylla nodded in agreement.

She put the purple and black dress back into the dresser, and had me remove my nightgown. My skin shivered as the warmth of the soft silky nightgown left my body. Prylla wasted no time slipping the dress onto my body. The dress felt far warmer than I expected and it clung tightly to my figure. She brought me over to the mirror to fix my hair. She had me sit down in a chair she brought from upstairs a week or two ago. She took out a hairbrush and began to run it through my hair. It felt rough at first as it removed the tangles of my bed head then gradually began to feel much more pleasant.

This was definitely a sensation I could get used to. Maybe letting others pamper you isn't so bad. Well not that I've ever not been pampered as Prylla's been doing it since I was little. I closed my eyes as I let her work through my hair and once she finished she went and fetched a smaller mirror so I could view the back as well. I nodded to her and she put the extra mirror down in the drawer of the nightstand. She then began to work on my makeup which I felt to be excessive. Personally I'd be fine to go without it, but Prylla said she enjoyed doing it as she never had anyone else to put makeup on so I decided to humor her.

It was the right choice as once she finished I took a final glance at myself. My disheveled hair was now flowing beautifully down my shoulders and the makeup accentuated my blue eyes to give an imposing impression.

"Hmm… Not bad… Not bad at all..." I gave my final verdict.

"Oh? Is that all?" She looked disappointed.

"You did a great job." I decided to praise her a little.

She responded with a smile and put my black shoes on for me.

"Have you got the scabbard made for Zeam yet?" I stood up from my seat and turned towards her.

"Yes, it's ready. I also had a belt commissioned alongside it."

"I'd like to see it."

Prylla nodded and left the room, returning only a few moments later with Zeam, the belt, and the scabbard. She fastened the belt around my waist and fitted the scabbard to it. She held out the sword to me which I took and slid it into the scabbard. The sword slid inside effortlessly and the extra weight didn't feel cumbersome at all. I moved around a little to get a feel for it before nodding satisfied with the results. The scabbard was mostly black except for the opening where it complemented the golden handguard quite beautifully.

"Well then. It's time to receive our guest." Prylla said as she glanced at the time stone.

We left my bedroom and ascended the stairs to the main hall. I took my seat at the throne at the end of the hall. This was the first time I've sat in it and I have to say it is much more comfortable than it appears. I felt myself sink into the soft cushion slightly as I placed my elbow on the arm of the chair and rested my head on my hand. Prylla went to the other end of the hall to where the entry doors were and went to fetch the guest.

A few moments passed and I never thought I could feel so incredibly bored in such a small amount of time. Prylla opened the doors and motioned for a woman to enter. Judging by her clothing, accessories and overall demeanor it was easy to tell she was a server in a tavern. She looked young; roughly early twenties at least. She walked in an unrefined manner across the red carpet and shifted her hands nervously as she looked around the hall rubbing her thumbs together. I ensured that I didn't move a single muscle and didn't change my expression in the slightest as she approached me. This seemed to only make her more nervous as she reached the altar. She stopped just before the few steps that led to me and prostrated herself before me.

This was probably what Prylla told her to do. Her wavy black hair was tied into a bun and her sleeves were rolled up showing off her arms. I remained silent to see how long she'd stay there before looking up at me. Ten seconds passed then thirty then forty then a minute. She tilted her head back slightly to peek at me and I decided to finally speak.

"I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult representing Pride, Deneb Arided. State your name."

"I- I'm Ireyne Bennet." The girl's voice stuttered out while placing her forehead against the ground. Her voice had a sultry ring to it as typical of a barmaid.

"Did you just come here to grovel? Stand." At my order the girl got off the ground and stood upright. A slight tinge of fear inside the blue orbs of her eyes. "Are you afraid? Did you not come here of your own will?"

"I- I- I- I'm not a- a- afraid. It's just..."

"What? Surprised by my age?" I returned to my bored posture as I laid my head against my hand again. "While I may be young I have held this seat for four years. It would do you well to keep that in mind."

"I...I...I...I'm s-s-sorry!" She bowed in place.

"Well you came here hoping to join us, correct?"

"I'm h-h-hoping that by joining the Cult I can find some excitement in my boring and unfulfilling life."

"So, you've come seeking the Witch's love?"

"I don't hold any feelings towards your Witch. I'm here because I believe it's important to be adventurous and I don't like Drizen as he's become unfit to be Emperor."

"Hm… I see." I personally didn't expect to find any devout believers anyway. "Come closer." I motioned towards the girl with my finger.

She looked at me with a shocked expression before meekly obliging my request. She stepped closer and stopped a few feet away from me. I stood up from my seat which caused her to visibly flinch before settling down as she adopted a much stiffer posture than before. I took three steps forward; in comparison to me the girl was quite tall if I were to guess about five feet and ten inches. I placed my hand on her stomach and let Future Sight take over as I skimmed through her potential futures just enough to not trigger the pushback. Having gotten what I needed I sat back down in my seat.

"Tell me. What future do you desire?"

"One filled with exciting adventures."

"And you truly believe the Cult is the right path to that goal?"

"I do."

I folded my arms as I plunged into my own thoughts. As far as I can tell there's no real reason not to accept her into my ranks, however, I find her reason rather lacking. In any case it doesn't matter at the moment as we are in dire need of additional hands.

"What is your magic affinity?"

"Earth, but I'm not very skilled with it. I can barely cast more than one or two Dona's."

"Any divine protections?"

"None."

"Hah-" I let out a sigh. "I'll allow you to join as we're currently in need of extra hands. You'll be aiding in the search for my brother. The only information I have about him is that his hair is probably darker shade and he has scary looking eyes. I'm not sure if it will be nearly as exciting as you hope, however, once you receive your own Gospel you'll have a guide towards whatever thrill you're seeking."

The girl's blue eyes went wide before a joyful expression plastered her face. "Thank you very much! I'll do my best!"

We had finally recruited the first new member of the newly established moderate faction of the Witch Cult. I was glad that Prylla seemed to have found the perfect candidate for the position. In terms of combat talent the girl had none whatsoever which is expected of someone who made their living as a tavern wench. In any case she can help Prylla with the various chores around the Cathedral. Now that was done I returned to my room where Prylla came to check in on me some time later.

"My Lady, Ireyne has finished settling into her new living space."

"Alright. I want you to get her up to speed on the current state of the search. Also, get her a Gospel as soon as possible. We wouldn't want her to be killed by another member because she lacks the proof."

"I will see to it at once."

Prylla left the room and I undressed myself, switching into my nightgown. No matter what time of day it is, the nightgown is far more comfortable to laze about in. I went back to reading my book for the rest of the day and eventually took a bath after eating dinner with Prylla and Ireyne. Having another member felt quite odd to me since I was used to only having Prylla around. Especially since the other's weren't exactly the kindest people in the world. In any case, I put my book away for the night and prepared to go to sleep. As I laid there with my eyes closed a familiar feeling in my head began to sprout.

The Gospel had updated.