Rise of the Eromancer

Chapter 275 Hero of Prophecy

"I really hope I only just knocked you out."

Rhys controlled his strength — but he might have used a little more force than necessary since he needed to end the situation as fast as possible. The reports about the nymphs' strength were not an exaggeration at all, and Rhys felt her getting stronger by the second; if he did not end it the moment he did, the nymph would have probably killed him soon.

"Did… did you kill her?" Miquella was the first to react as the rampaging roots and vines finally stopped destroying everything around it. She quickly slithered toward Rhys, her wiggle slightly careful as she stared at the nymph in his hand,

"The… Hero of Prophecy starts his journey… by killing a sacred nymph? Well, I suppose… you did save us."

"She's not… dead," Rhys very gently placed the nymph on the ground; his words slightly hesitant, "And I'm not the Hero of Prophecy."

"You're not, or you do not want to be?" Miquella looked Rhys in the eyes before focusing on the nymph; tapping it with her finger to check if she was alive, "I… think she's dead."

"She is not," Malenia was the one who seemed sure, however, as she slithered toward them while brushing her palm on the trees that the nymph summoned, "The sacred nymphs are the heart of their creation — they die, and all the life they create withers with them. Hero, may I?"

"I'm not…" Rhys didn't really bother finishing his words as he just let out a long and deep sigh before making way for Malenia, who very gently picked up the nymph and cradled her on her bosom.

"Should… you really be doing that?" Miquella grabbed her hand fan and once again started poking the nymph.

"I will not tolerate you disrespecting the sacred nymph any further," Malenia quickly slapped Miquella's hand away, "I know you are of indecent nature, but at least leave it in your pleasure house."

"Oh, I am indecent — and the Hero knows it quite well," Miquella smirked.

"You've tainted the Hero," Malenia's eyes twitched.

"Quite the opposite…" Miquella moved closer to Rhys and embraced him from behind, "...I'm the one that's tainted with him; my insides were oozing."

"I do not want to hear it, it is not the time or place for it and it never will!" Malenia clicked her tongue as she carried the nymph back to her rest, gently placing her on the pedestal before moving back,

"And now we wait again for her to wake. But if in turn she is still of feral nature, then the only choice is stone — may She forgive us for doing so."

"I am quite sure Medusa would want us to put the nymph down," Miquella shrugged, "Look at what she did to her shrine… and can't you just talk normally? Why are you pretending to be all prim and proper with the Hero?"

"I am not pretending! You should be the one to stop pretending that you and I still know each other, Sister."

"You—"

"Are… the two of you able to turn her into stone?" Fortunately, Rhys was used to interrupting arguments due to Lina and Vicky's endless quarrel — well, their quarrel somewhat halted when they were in bed together.

"Yes," Malenia quickly answered, "Even my useless whore of a sister could."

"I don't think I appreciate your tone, Sister," Miquella opened up her hand fan before glancing at Rhys, "And yes, that is the ability granted to us as priestesses — or rather, we were chosen as priestesses because we were born of Medusa's powers."

"Our abilities, however, come with a price…" Malenia closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest, "...We lose parts of ourselves momentarily whenever we use it — be it memories, strength, scales… and even our emotions. We are trained to harness our abilities, as it is the symbol that we are closer to Medusa… but of course, my sister chose not to be closer to Her."

"The secluded life of chastity is not for me, and perhaps it was meant by the Fates to be so. After all…

…I am the one who brought you to the Shrine of Medusa, and not my sister."

"You—"

"She's waking up."

And before the two could start arguing again, Rhys felt a tingle crawling across his spine, and he instantly knew that the nymph was waking up. Malenia and Miquella did not question Rhys at all even though the nymph was not even showing any signs of being awake; the sisters' braids now both dancing in the air and their eyes glowing — ready to turn the nymph into stone if they needed to.

As for Rhys, he just calmly hopped and limped closer to the nymph, causing the two sisters to blink a couple of times in confusion. They wanted to stop him, but they could not really release their focus on the nymph.

"I apologize for hurting you, Ma'am," the tone of Rhys's voice did not contain hints of fear or anxiousness at all; instead, it was calm… warm, even, "But I need you to understand that I did that because you are… hurting the plants. They are supposed to be your children that you nurture, not weapons to inflict pain on another being. The violence you are showing…

…does not equate with the beauty that you hold."

The nymph did not have any Hearts floating above her head, not at all — but it doesn't mean that Rhys could not get through it with flowery, and meaningful words that seem like it comes very deep from his heart. Perhaps he should thank Miquella for that, as during their half a day's worth of intercourse, he learned how to also weave his words.

"We are not going to hurt you, no one is here to hurt you," Rhys whispered very gently as he stood right in front of the pedestal.

"Hero, please move a little!" Malenia raised her voice, "We can't see her!"

"It's okay…" Rhys did not move at all and even gently placed his hand on the pedestal right beside the nymph, "...I am not—"

"Grr!" And before Rhys could finish his words, the nymph suddenly bit his finger — but of course, it did no damage at all, especially since the nymphs did not have any teeth at all.

"My name is Rhys Wilder," Rhys then introduced himself as he just let the nymph do what she wants, "I would be more than honored if you also tell me yours, Ma'am."

"...I," the nymph blinked a couple of times as she finally let go of Rhys's finger; she then clasped her head, slightly wincing from the pain she was feeling.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Rhys calmly said as he even crouched down so that the nymph would have a slightly higher eye level than him, showing his submissiveness — but of course, that was not entirely the case. If the nymph even shows a single sign of aggressiveness again…

…Rhys would bite her down into pieces.

"I am…" The nymph slightly whimpered; tears trailing down her cheeks as it seemed to truly be in pain. Soon, after, she looked at Rhys, "...I am Aengela, 4th daughter of the Nymph of Evening."

"Hm…" Rhys nodded; not really saying anything as he just waited for the nymph to speak first. Aengela, however, stood up from the pedestal; growing a pair of wings before just flying in the air.

"No…" Aengela''s words whispered throughout the entire shrine; she covered her mouth, in disbelief at the destruction she caused, "...The chaos here is not something I intended. My mind is withering, unsure."

"This isn't your fault, Ma'am," Rhys limped and followed Aengela.

"The fault is mine, that is no question," Aengela whispered before flying toward Rhys, and Rhys just instinctively raised his arm for her to land on it.

Of course, Rhys wanted to quickly lower his arm as it might offend the nymph, thinking she was being treated like a bird — but Aengela did not seem to mind at all and even sat on Rhys's forearm, "You are Rhys Wilder, the hero written to be the salvation of those near."

"...You know the story too?" Rhys could really only sigh at Aengela's words.

"I was there when the words were carved into letters," Aengela's wings returned to her back as she looked Rhys in the eyes, "I was there when the Goddess of Wisdom turned beauty into violence. I was there when your kind stood side by side with the gods, long before this polis placed its very first brick."

"You're… thousands of years old?"

"To count it is meaningless. We only exist when we are needed, our eyes closed when we are not," Aengela shook her head, "Even now, you have walked far longer than I have in this world, destined Hero."

"That's… not me," Rhys shook his head.

"But it is. I am Aengela, and you are Rhys Wilder — the Sister of Fates have weaved it so," Aengela shook her head, "You can not escape your destiny…

…Descendant of the Fallen, Eros the Betrayed. He who—"

"Stop it…" Rhys gritted his teeth,

"...I don't want to hear it."