Chapter 721 The Deal's Ripening
~FSHUUUU…~
As the brilliant light permeating the room dimmed, the two entities in the room came into full view once again. The darkness around was banished completely, and the utterly black surroundings were turned white.
From the ground, to the ceiling, to the walls… they were blank in color.
That was hardly the only change, though.
Rey's eyes widened as he looked at the fair lady in front of him, his eyes reflecting her pristine wonder as he nearly choked on his saliva.
Her white hair flowed immaculately behind her, as her elven ears were perked up perfectly. Her skin seemed so soft and without blemish that he felt drawn to it almost by instinct. She was still naked, and her perfectly proportioned figure made all his suppressed desires slowly surface.
Then, there was the sweet smell.
It was so overpowering that Rey felt he would have been overcome with lust if not for his incredible tolerance, or rather immunity, to such things.
'She resembles Esme… no, The Oracle…' He just looked at her, shell-shocked, feeling an indescribable feeling buried deep within him.
Ciela was definitely prettier than Esme, though not by too large a margin. Neither of them even held a candle to The Oracle, but Rey was still stunned by how it was possible for someone to be so attractive.
While he was having these thoughts, he witnessed Ciela open her eyes, revealing the blue gem-like irises she possessed. He was still drowning in the sight when she parted her moist, lustrous lips, and spoke up.
"H-Hey! What the hell?! A human?! What is a human doing here?! Where am I? Who the hell are you?!"
'A-ah… she's awake!' Rey quickly realized how distracted he had become.
"Why are your hands on my hair, filthy man? Take them off this instant! Do you know who I am?! The Oracle will not forgive this sacrilege! Nature's curses be upon you!" She kept yelling at Rey, though unable to move due to her being stuck to the walls.
'Damn. Looks like she's not much different from the rest of the Elves…' Rey had taken her back a total of 17 years and a day, which was before she ever went to the Human Continent and had Esme. Hence, her attitude was reminiscent of the kind that Elves would have in their society.
'I thought she would be different, since she went to the Western Continent, but I guess she did so selfishly out of adventure and not because she wasn't racist…'
"Hey! I'm talking to you, human! Answer my question now, or else…! Are you the one who brought me here? Why does this look like… no that can't be! Why would I be there, in the first place? Hey, you… urgh!"
Before Ciela could continue even more of her loud ramblings, Rey cast a Sleep spell on her, causing the Elf to fall unconscious instantly.
'Argh… it's good to know she's so unpleasant. I don't have to deal with her or explain anything.' He itched his head while groaning.
Despite thinking this to himself, Rey knew it was only an excuse to have.
'In the end, all of this is because I don't want Esme to be an Oracle Candidate, and I want to pass the burden to someone else. This way, it's easier since I don't get to hear her vehemently refuse the role.' He thought to himself.
Even though he didn't hear it from her lips, Rey already knew she most likely didn't want the position.
If she really did, she wouldn't have gone to the Western Continent.
'But… that really is none of my business.' He knew fully well that his thoughts only validated what Adrien said about him, and as much as it pained him to admit it, the boy was right about him all along.
'To achieve my goal… to save Esme… I guess I am capable of subjecting someone else to this.'
In essence, he was relegating someone to a fate that he considered too tragic for another—even though the latter wanted the role while the former rejected it.
Rey knew the hypocrisy of his actions, and yet… yet… YET…
"I'm so happy… and relieved…" A smile awkwardly formed on his face as he looked at the fresh face of the one he would be exchanging for Esme's freedom.
Now that he had an Oracle Candidate ready, there was nothing holding him back from seeing Esme and bringing her back.
'I'm coming back for you, Esme… just you wait!'
***************
All of the Elders waited outside The Shrine as Rey stepped in while carrying Ciela in his arms, her covered body cradled like a baby.
Rey's steps were measured and precise, filled with caution and also excitement, as he traversed the Shrine's halls until he got to the front of the statue. He cast his gaze on the lifeless thing and inhaled deeply before proceeding.
"I have your Candidate, and I have fulfilled our bargain. Now… fulfill yours!" For a moment, nothing happened.
Rey waited patiently this time, though. There was no way The Oracle was sleeping, and he doubted she couldn't hear him, so he simply waited to be transported to her Domain.
However, even after waiting a while… nothing happened.
'Hold on…' A sudden dark thought began to permeate Rey's mind. 'What if… she was after Esme all along?!'
That would mean that The Oracle had only sent him on a wild goose chase in order to get him off her back, while also saving the Elves in the process.
'No… that can't be! If that's the case, then—!' Rey began to panic, though the instant he did this, all of his emotions were suppressed.
Then came rage! Sheer, unbridled rage began to lurk in his heart as he glared very deeply at the statue.
This also fizzled out, much to his frustration.
And then, just as he was about to give out as a result of this frustration, the statue before him began to move, and its eyes glowed a bright color. The entire room was suddenly filled with a warm sensation and an amazing scent.
Before Rey even realized it, he was no longer in the shrine.
"We meet again, Rey…" A rather familiar voice echoed all around him, causing him to open his eyes and direct his senses towards the maiden before him and not the elaborately beautiful structures around him.
"Welcome back to my Domain."