Chapter 5: Strange Words

Grace was trying very hard to focus on following Celestia. Really, she was. But, holy crap, the floating words above everyone’s heads were making it impossible! An angel rushed past her-Level 45 in blue letters. Two warrior angels were beating the crap out of each other in the courtyard-Level 60 and 62 in gold. A group of angels that Grace looked at and immediately looked away from when she saw what they were wearing (or NOT wearing)-all level 70s, with pink numbers, giggling.

[Status… status… say ‘status’…]

There was something like a ghostly whisper in her mind. It kept getting more insistent. Like someone trying REALLY hard not to laugh while poking her repeatedly.

[Great. Now I’m hearing VOICES in my head?!]

“St-status?” Grace squeaked.

A see-through screen of some sort popped up right in front of her face.

“What was that?” Celestia asked.

“N-Nothing.”

But the status page was definitely there, floating inches from her nose:

Grace Lightsinger

Attributes:

Bravery: 5/100

Compassion: 10/100

Love: 1/100

—

Traits:

– Saintess System

Can see System information

– Touch of the Saintess

Able to kill demons

—

Skills:

None

—

Equipment:

None

—

Active Quests:

Quest Category: General

Quest: Survive Celestia’s ‘Path Selection Process’!

Reward: Basic Angel Skills

She sighed.

[What even IS all this?]

“Here we are!” Celestia’s voice yanked Grace back to reality. They’d arrived at what looked like a training arena. The floating platforms and weapons made of light told Grace this place was a bit more intense than the chicken coop she used to work in.

Celestia turned around. Grace’s heart stopped dead. The angel’s smile was turning Grace’s knees to jelly.

“Just a few basic tests to check your skills, dear,” Celestia purred, making a wooden sword appear out of nowhere. She handed it to Grace and then casually made a second one for herself. “That’s all.”

Quest Updated: Survive Celestia’s “Path Selection Process”!

Recommendation: Try not to stare at her lips so much, hehe~

Grace’s face burned red hot. She shook her head. She swore someone just giggled in her mind.

“Now then,” Celestia’s wings spread out wide, casting a rainbow shadow over Grace. “Shall we begin?”

Grace swallowed hard.

This was going to be a VERY long day.

“W-What am I supposed to do, exactly?”

“Whatever comes to mind, my dear. Honestly,” Celestia added, stretching with her arms up high. Grace tried really hard not to stare at her breasts pushing outward. “Just, what do you humans say? ‘Go with the flow’?”

[Go with the flow?!] Grace thought desperately. [I’m facing six feet of absolute goddess with hips that could kill a man, and I’m supposed to fight this now!?]

Grace was definitely worried.

The closest thing to fighting she’d ever done—besides desperately stabbing that one demon, one time—was wrestling with her chickens. Somehow she doubted those skills would help her now.

Grace raised her hands in what she hoped was a fighting stance. It probably wasn’t, based on how Celestia’s face changed to something totally predatory. Her tongue darted out to wet her perfect lips in a way that made Grace’s brain stop working.

Suggestion: Keep your eyes up, sweetie~

That confirmed it.

Something—or someone—was definitely using these floating words to mess with her.

Celestia moved first. She did a lazy swing with her wooden sword that Grace barely dodged.

“ACK!”

The angel moved deliberately slowly, like a cat playing with its food. Grace dipped, ducked, dived, and dodged away from the blade swings.

Sure, it was a wooden sword, but still. She had NO intention of dying again.

“… Good reflexes, I suppose,” Celestia commented with an arched brow, her voice smooth as silk. “But you can’t dodge forever.”

[Does she HAVE to move like that?! Is all the hip swaying necessary? Is this part of the test?? It is, isn’t it?! She’s TRYING to distract me!]

Grace scrambled backward. Her bare feet slid on the marble floor and she nearly stumbled. Each step was like an awkward dance that made her whole body move in ways that sent Grace’s heart racing. Besides that, the way Celestia’s rainbow hair fell over one shoulder, the slight bounce of her chest, the curve of her waist leading down to those…

… Those HIPS.

“H-How long do we have to fight for!?”

“I’m trying to get a sense of your talents,” Celestia explained. She casually blocked Grace’s attempt to run past her with a twist that showed off her criminally perfect back muscles. “It will help decide which Path suits you best.”

“W-What’s that?” Grace managed, trying VERY hard not to stare at the way Celestia’s thighs flexed whenever she moved.

“The three Paths of Angelhood, dear.” A swing that made Grace yelp and definitely didn’t make her notice how Celestia’s biceps tensed. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about them soon. For now, just focus on fighting me, my dear.”

[… Every time she calls me “my dear”, my heart does a backflip.]

“Come on,” Celestia continued, clearly starting to enjoy herself, “show me what made Nymera vouch for you.”

Grace’s next dodge was more of a stumble.

Celestia’s laugh was low and rich. Her chest bounced slightly with the sound.

“Oh, darling, you are one amusing creature.”

Grace knew this was going to be a very, VERY long training session. Or showcase. Or whatever it was they were doing. She’d already forgotten.

—

{Mara}

Sister Mara stood before Eternia’s statue, her curvy figure reflected in the polished marble.

Mara adjusted her robes, which were constantly fighting an existential battle with her chest. As the head of the Sisters of Compassion, she was supposed to project an air of dignity. This was unfortunately somewhat undermined by the way her light brown hair refused to stay in its proper bun, or how her robes sometimes made her give off the air of a Love Sister than a Compassion Sister.

She looked up, meeting Eternia’s cold gaze.

“Why did you leave us?” she whispered to the statue, green eyes searching that perfect marble face. “Why can’t we kill the demons like you could? Why…” She sighed, hips swaying as she paced. “Why does talking to statues never actually help?”

Yes, the questions were old friends by now. Why had their goddess abandoned them? Why couldn’t she have given them the power to properly fight back? Why did she have to be so frustratingly cryptic about everything?

Even Celestia had no answers to those questions.

“Mara, darling!”

[Oh, my.] Mara turned at Celestia’s voice, and she had to hold back a gasp.

Celestia wasn’t alone.

Beside her walked the tiniest, most precious little thing Mara had ever seen. The girl had golden eyes and hair like snow. She was wearing a thin dress that she kept pulling down and she kept glancing around like a startled fawn.

… Mara’s maternal instincts went into overdrive. This was the kind of girl you couldn’t help but smile upon seeing. The definition of a soul-healing appearance.

“My, my~” Maria’s eyes remained fixed on that girl as she walked forward. “Who is this adorable creature?” she asked.

“This,” Celestia’s smile was absolutely wicked, “is Grace. Our newest angel.”

“New?” Mara’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

[Nymera,] Mara thought.

“Yes, yes, exactly as you suspect,” Celestia’s hand found Grace’s lower back, making the girl squeak. “I wanted to get a sense of her angelic magic for myself, as always. I don’t believe she has an affinity for Bravery, so I came here. Would you like to help?”

Grace looked up at Mara, and oh no, she had the biggest, most innocent eyes Mara had ever seen. Like a baby deer asking to be cuddled.

[Awwwww!]

“I, uh… I’ll try my best?” Grace managed with a shrug. “Though I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do…”

Mara caught Celestia’s eye over Grace’s head. They shared a look that said volumes:

[She’s precious]

[Absolutely precious]

[We’re keeping her]

[Oh definitely]

All communicated with a few smirks and maybe a cheeky wink.

“Don’t worry, little one,” Mara purred, bending down slightly to meet Grace’s eyes. She didn’t miss how the girl’s gaze dropped to her chest before snapping back up, hoping she hadn’t gotten caught (which she had). “We’ll take very good care of you.”

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