Reyn's composure was excellent; he quickly regained control.
"Alright." He sat on the bed's edge casually: "Sit too, let's talk. Don't worry, I won't eat you."
Viola sat opposite on a chair, a few steps apart. Her gaze wandered; starting seemed hard.
Reyn didn't rush her, waiting patiently.
Only after minutes did she resolve and speak:
"Reyn, I've told you I'm a follower of the Long-Haired Lady."
"Yes, I remember," Reyn nodded.
Pantheism on Ellunes was common. Many worshiped multiple deities, so long as no enmity between gods or churches. Long-Haired Lady Freya, goddess of arts and love, also patronized goodness, beauty, and all lovely things, hugely popular among mortals and on good terms with many deities. Most followers polytheistic, church organization loose, influence far below Empire's three main gods.
Speaking faith, Viola grew solemn.
"Years ago, I was deacon of Longsand Arts Association and officially became priestess of Church of Beauty and Goodness."
Reyn listened silently.
Long-Haired Lady Freya also called Goddess of Beauty and Goodness; followers formed Church of Beauty and Goodness. Worldwide, they missioned via arts associations, built temples, drew adepts. Church priestesses ranked high servants.
But Long-Haired Lady lacked the three imperial gods' mighty divine power, couldn't grant unique supernatural professions to followers, only bestowing divine boons on high servants. Priestesses managed church affairs, held authority and boon rights.
Viola lacked merits and experience. Though priestess, she'd wait years for official prayer ritual, Long-Haired Lady's blessing, and boons.
Divine boons were wholly unlike spells' power system yet compatible, coexisting. All true Ellunes gods granted followers divine boons based on life force control: healing spells, auxiliary arts, protective/expelling charms against evil gods for believer safeguard.
Bestowing boons cost deity's own divine power, its essence; deity might gauged by power level. Granting arts weakened the god. Thus, unless vastly mighty, gods didn't lavish boons. Weaker deities stingier.
Long-Haired Lady's divine power mid-pantheon; generous to faithful. With merits or long faith, post-priestess promotion and service, nearly all gained boons.
Viola sighed:
"I've followed Long-Haired Lady since ten. Nearly twenty years in Church of Beauty and Goodness, priestess three years. Annually I donate ample gold shields to church, but it values arts spread more. Gold shields vital, yet can't directly draw more to Long-Haired Lady. By canons, my donations not hugely significant. Thanks them, just two years till boon—already fast. But I don't want wait; hope prayer ritual sooner."
Reyn's face took on a somewhat strange expression. Viola had accidentally revealed her age.
"Does that mean you're already thirty..." he smirked.
He himself was nineteen, turning twenty in a few months. Had an older woman really seduced him?
Viola shot him a reproachful glance.
"I'm talking about serious things."
Then she hurriedly added:
"I'm a half-elf. Though I can't live five hundred years like pure-blooded elves, I have at least two hundred years ahead of me. I'm a little over thirty now, which by human standards is about ten years. So don't you dare call me old!"
"Ten years!" Reyn couldn't help but think of various things—was this practically a legal loli?
"I wasn't thinking of reproaching you," he quickly pushed away the frivolous thoughts and asked seriously: "Even so, you'll get the divine gift in two years anyway. Why rush?"
"Naturally, for greater power." Viola didn't hide her thirst for might.
"I'm the Mage of All Spirits. If I can use divine gifts, I'll be able to strengthen my summoned beings. Besides, divine gifts aren't just healing and buffs; there are many offensive divine arts that will expand my magical abilities. Combined with spells, my power will increase by at least half! Moreover, receiving a divine gift means you've caught a deity's attention and gain more rights in the mortal world. Anyone who dares harm me risks drawing the wrath of the church and the god itself."
Having finished, Viola looked at Reyn as if about to share something extremely important, and quietly said:
"If you perform the soul transformation ritual within three days of receiving the divine blessing during the prayer ritual, not only will the success rate be higher, but the soul transformation effect will be significantly better too. I'm a sixth-level mage, and my spiritual power has reached its limit. Last year I could have done the third soul transformation ritual, but I held off precisely waiting for the divine blessing."
Reyn was extremely surprised. This must be no small secret. The difficulty and effectiveness of the soul transformation ritual had always been an unsolved problem for superhumans. If Viola's words were true, it explained a lot. Supernatural professions granted by churches—like the Knight of the Sun of the Church of Justice, the Earth Sister of the Church of Earth, the Trickster of the Church of Lohi, or the Knight of the Sun of the Church of the Sun—were created by deities for their followers and surpassed most other professions. Now it was clear that the power of church professions lay not only in the uniqueness of the fused demonic souls but also in the divine blessing that ensured a better soul transformation effect.
Reyn grasped Viola's plan in broad strokes. She wanted to use the church and divine power to boost her strength and influence in the family, to earn more favor from the duchess and perhaps even bypass other competitors by directly claiming the title of Countess of Winter Thunder. Such an outcome would be beneficial in every way.
But one question remained: how would Viola manage to hold the prayer ritual ahead of schedule? And what did it have to do with him?
Viola, noticing Reyn's confusion, spoke up herself:
"The official prayer ritual of the Long-Haired Lady must be held in her temple. Behind the Grand Ode Theater, where the Longsand Arts Association is located, stands the temple of the Long-Haired Lady. Using the temple for a prayer ritual is a major event for the church, requiring the consent of at least half the priestesses, as well as approval from the chairman of the Longsand Arts Association. I'm confident I can get permission from the chairman and the priestesses, but I'm a bit short on merits. I'm afraid that if I hold the ritual, the Long-Haired Lady won't respond and won't grant me divine gifts. There have been many such precedents. Prayer rituals don't always find a response. If this attempt fails, I'd have to wait at least three years for the next one."
A shadow of worry flickered in Viola's eyes. Her gaze lingered on Reyn's face, and she quietly said:
"The Long-Haired Lady's prayer ritual has several different forms. One of them is especially pleasing to Her, and the chance of receiving a blessing is very high."
Reyn noticed her face flushing more and more, and he grew a bit flustered.
He asked automatically:
"Which one?"
"M-m..." The tips of Viola's ears twitched slightly; she bit her lip and finally said: "Involving your beloved in the prayer and presenting Her with a scene of pure, romantic love."
"Love? How do you present that?" Reyn was momentarily stunned but understood almost immediately and couldn't hold back: "Is that the method I think it is?"
"Yes..." Viola lowered her head in embarrassment, not daring to look at Reyn, and whispered softly: "This love must be as deep as possible. If it's the first time for both, the Long-Haired Lady will be even more pleased."
Reyn was dumbfounded. Could it really be done like that?
Viola, blushing deeply, explained that the Long-Haired Lady Freya held the divine domain of "Love" and delighted when her followers found love. Moreover, she viewed love as an art, like music or dance, that could be presented to her. If love was presented during the prayer ritual, the Long-Haired Lady would watch with pleasure. That's why many priestesses of the Church of Beauty and Good often resorted to this prayer method. Before meeting Reyn, Viola had no beloved, so she'd never used it.
Reyn listened, a chill running down his spine. He inwardly unleashed a tirade: this was pure voyeurism!
Viola, having bared her soul, sat beside him, took his hand, and said:
"I started planning the prayer ritual six months ago and wanted a serious relationship, but the right person never came along. Until that day you came to the Violet House..."
"You saw how handsome I am and fell in love at first sight?" Reyn smiled.
He suddenly understood everything. No wonder Viola, after barely meeting him, showed such initiative just two days later. Turns out she was in her "mating season" then and looking for a man to join her in the prayer ritual.
Viola lightly slapped Reyn's hand in mild irritation.
"The Long-Haired Lady also holds the divine domain of 'Beauty,' so she favors attractive followers. You fit that criterion."
"That's for sure."
Reyn, quite smug, was about to boast but suddenly remembered something else and asked:
"Why did you back off afterward? Don't lie to me—I saw you seemed to change your mind then."
"Because you were too pushy," a shadow of annoyance crossed Viola's eyes. "The moment I showed you the slightest sympathy, you started courting me aggressively, studying music with me so diligently, giving me all sorts of attention. In short, you acted like an experienced playboy and scared me off."
Reyn was speechless. Had he really come on that strong? He supposed he had overdone it a bit. But it was because the half-elf was so beautiful, and he couldn't hold back, afraid of missing his chance.
"I was afraid you didn't really love me but just wanted my body. If the Long-Haired Lady discovered the deception during the prayer ritual, I wouldn't just fail to get the divine gift—I might even draw divine punishment," Viola's voice grew softer, and she added excitedly: "Of course, now I know you're a man willing to give his life for me. There's no truer or deeper love than that."
Reyn looked back at her, a warm smile on his face. In truth, he felt a bit guilty. Hand on heart, he really liked her a lot. Of course, he craved her beauty and more, but it wasn't pretense. His feelings just hadn't reached the depth called love yet, and his initial motives weren't entirely pure.
Viola, unaware of Reyn's thoughts, looked him straight in the eyes and said frankly:
"I've told you everything. Whatever you decide to do now, I won't object.