My interracial harem of beautiful queens

Chapter 120 Prayer

The city's residents were enthralled by the arrival of the hero and celebrated with gusto. Joyful exclamations echoed everywhere, bars overflowed with laughter and happiness, and the festive atmosphere hung in the air, enchanting everyone with its magic.

At that moment, Adam, standing in the square, felt the warmth and admiration emanating from the crowd. There was a smile on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Interesting. Very interesting," Adam thought, his gaze becoming more focused. He slowly assessed his feelings. "Perhaps I was wrong about her? She seems to harbor some hatred for the entity living within me..."

Adam couldn't help but narrow his eyes even more. All of this suddenly seemed much more complex than just a celebration and admiration. The whole story with gods and demons smelled of suspicion, and Adam began to contemplate how to unravel this mystery.

***

The throne room was adorned with beautiful decorations borrowed from the church. White gold and countless diamonds made up today's scepter of the queen, Elizabeth. The reason for such a change? Tradition.

Heroes, as before, faced a difficult moral dilemma: Were they willing to sacrifice themselves to make the world better and rid it of "filth"? But if you thought that "filth" was limited only to demons, you were greatly mistaken.

Adam hesitated, wondering whether to call it prejudice or something else, but the fact remained: the people of Avalonia had always regarded other races with dissatisfaction. Especially the elves, whom they considered the creations of the devil - which seemed strange considering the peaceful nature of the elves.

"However," Adam thought, "I've always believed that elves are a gift from God." He cracked his neck, narrowing his eyes in tense scrutiny of Leonid. There was a self-satisfied smile on Leonid's face as officials escorted him straight to the audience chamber. "Some, like him... can be more dangerous than demons in certain places."

With these thoughts, a broad smile appeared on Adam's face, bordering on a bloodthirsty grin. He looked at the hero and, recalling all the complexities associated with him, began to plot something. "Heh."

***

Her Majesty, Elizabeth, yawned while sitting in the throne room on her beautiful throne. There was a barely noticeable boredom on her face, which she concealed well from her subordinates, who, upon seeing her, thought that the queen was contemplating something, explaining her distracted gaze.

"As expected of Her Majesty! She is very wise!" Thought the officials.

Although the truth was much simpler than they thought... The queen was bored.

Traditions were the most powerful force in Avalonia. The history of this kingdom, which bordered on an empire in power, spanned over ten thousand years. This was one of the oldest countries, except for the Chaos Empire, which was the oldest of all existing.

Their observance was even enshrined in law, which could not be violated even by the royal family. This explains why others had to go through many obstacles just to see the queen. She was as strict with others as she was with herself.

But...

"For millennia, this has become tiresome... I wish I could get back to work instead of dealing with this boy," she thought and secretly yawned, feeling laziness overcoming her.

However, she didn't have to wait long. There was a quiet creak, which was surprisingly loud since no one was speaking.

The Herald assumed a solemn expression and straightened his posture but in a more modest manner. He cleared his throat falsely and then, opening his mouth, began to make an announcement.

"Goddess of Light, guiding through the darkness with divine might, empowering warriors, the sacred heroes," he began his speech, uttering these words with a barely audible zeal, dedicating himself entirely, pouring his soul into words that resembled a prayer: "Hear, O people! Today is a holy day, for the Goddess of Light illuminates the path of darkness, bestowing her light and power upon Avalonia. In ancient times, when the forces of darkness defiled the sacred land, the Goddess spoke..."

The Herald staggered, feeling his body becoming lighter, which was unusual and the reason why he suddenly lost concentration. However, there were also wondrous consequences - his body was bathed in light, as if the Goddess of Light herself had heard his prayers, encouraging the man to continue.

Inspired by this, the man closed his eyes, feeling a gentle sensation in his chest, and his mind filled with calmness and relaxation. All negative emotions, fear, anger, sadness, and depression... all these negative emotions disappeared as if they feared the presence of the Goddess of Light.

Not only the Herald but also the church choir joined in as if awaiting this moment.

"Goddess of Light, in your presence we bask, dispelling shadows from our path."

"With your divine flame, our souls you ignite, guiding us through day and night."

"In your luminous embrace, we find our way as you bless us with each new day."

Each of them felt their hearts filling with joy, and the burdens deep within their hearts vanished as soon as they were touched by the sacred light. This only increased the atmosphere of happiness and joy.

"Our hearts you inspire, granting us courage, setting our spirits on fire."

"From your celestial realm, you shine bright, banishing darkness with your holy light."

"We offer our prayers, our devotion sincere, to the Goddess of Light, forever near."

Even officials joined in, closing their eyes and reciting the prayer. Some spoke very quietly, while others did so loudly. But no one blamed them, as each of them felt this holiness, the joy of being under protection, and the sensation that all their sins had been washed away.

"In your brilliance, we find hope and grace as you bless us with your radiant embrace."

"Thy glow, a beacon, in the depths of despair, guiding us with love and tenderness."

"Goddess of Light, our protector and guide, forever in your bright presence, we confide."

There was a brief pause, just for a second, but each of them felt as if a century had passed. They took a deep breath, and then, as one, they recited the final line:

"With unwavering faith, we stand in your glow, Goddess of Light, our eternal, guiding flow."

***

Silence fell. Everyone, except Adam, Amarantha, and Elizabeth, seemed to be in a strange state, as if asleep. However, Adam could hear their rapid heartbeats and accelerated breathing, indicating that they were awake.

Looking around, he was surprised to find that the bodies of those who had fervently prayed were radiating bright light, while their faces bore a peaceful, serene smile as if all the burdens of the world had disappeared.

"Interesting... what do you think of this, Ama?" Adam asked his wife, smiling as he observed the transformed throne room.

Amarantha, upon hearing his words, seemed to awaken from a dream and frowned, sensing a strange feeling of lightness.

"Weird. Very weird. Suddenly, I feel so calm. It's the same feeling I get when I hug you," she replied with a serious expression, looking at the group of heroes and adding, "But it affects them even more... although Leonid barely prayed. Is this the power of the goddess?"

"...," Adam fell silent, unsure of how to respond to the compliment in the first part of her statement, but he sighed and answered her question, "Yes, that's right. I can feel my skin tingling as if it's burning, even though she isn't using her full power... It's irritating."

Taking off his gloves, Adam discovered that his hand had first-degree burns, and in some places, second-degree burns. The pain was minimal for him, someone who had experienced much worse for hours, but it was still unpleasant. He clicked his tongue and took a salve from his inventory, created according to Amarantha's recipe.

The salve was in a standard tube. Squeezing the tube in the middle, he applied a five-centimeter line to the back of his hand and then put the salve back in his inventory. The effect came a little later – five minutes.

"Ah, bliss. I hate holy energy..." Adam grumbled, feeling the pleasant sensation of coolness on his palms as he put his gloves back on. "Why do I have such low resistance to light elements?"

"No, that's not it," Amarantha interrupted him, frowning. "This energy has a different nature. It resembles light, but... It's different. That's why you get burns, even though your resistance to regular light energy should be 40% higher than that of ordinary demons."

Adam cracked his neck and smiled, recalling his training. "Yes, you're right. Aurora helped increase my resistance to light energy several times, but I'm useless against the power of the Goddess. Although, what can you expect from the Goddess of Light?"

Amarantha nodded, still in a serious state, preparing for a battle. From Adam's story, she had learned that he had some clashes with the Goddess of Light, or more precisely, with the entity inside him. Therefore, she was cautious and ready for a fight, even if it would be a losing one.

Seeing his wife's anxiety, Adam sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, causing a faint squeak. His heart filled with determination.

"Do you want power?" Suddenly, a whisper was heard.

"?!" Adam quickly turned his head but couldn't find the source of the voice. However, as he returned his head to its original position, he was horrified to see that everything around him had turned dark, and Amarantha and the others had disappeared. He frowned and snorted, "Using the same tricks as me, huh? This is amusing..."

Although he wanted to continue his speech, he suddenly fell silent, his eyes wide open. Seeing the person in front of him, Adam felt shocked.

"You're... "

To be continued...