The Theocracy preached human supremacy and the persecution of other "lesser" races. Its religion revolved around the Six Gods and their descendants and by consequence, the Theocracy was effectively divided into six different religious sects, each with its own unique culture and practices.

In addition to worshiping the Six Great Gods, the citizens of the Slane Theocracy hold their descendants in veneration. The preservation of their gods' bloodline was of utmost priority, and they made an effort to ensure their legacy carried on to the next generation. To achieve that, the Theocracy practiced polygamy, although a husband could only have two wives at most.

Jack could understand the need to preserve a bloodline.

Nazarick felt similarly regarding their Supreme Beings.

Demiurge, using both the women Jack had graciously gifted him and several prime male demi-humans from the Abelion Hills, started up a little farm to begin breeding tests. The demon was initially focused on procuring ideal skins for inscription use, but both he and the other Guardians hoped it would serve as a basis for when their masters were ready to pass on a bloodline.

He knew Lumière would want a child eventually—he distinctly remembered her talking about it with a few other Supreme Beings.

He was less certain on Momonga's status. Momonga, like Jack, could not procreate in a traditional sense. It was certainly possible that the overlord would never be inclined for it.

But it was the mark of a good servant to always be prepared for their masters' desires.

Just as Jack wanted to ensure his angel could pass on a bloodline, he wished the same for Lord Momonga.

Jack... understood the need for multiple spouses in certain circumstances, but that was moot for Lumière. She would only be able to carry for one at a time anyway. She did not need another spouse. She would never need another spouse.

...

Another central part of the Slane Theocracy's religion were the Miko Princesses.

The information Jack had thus far obtained on the Miko Princesses were varied. What the average citizen knew was different than what the Windflower Scripture knew.

At their core, they were vital religious figures, each one related to the elements of the Six Great Gods. They were living sacrifices—martyrs—for their country. To be chosen as a Miko Princess was considered one of—if not the—highest honor in the Theocracy. They were zealously revered with many citizens literally dropping to their knees in their presence.

Jack would have taken care of them during the first phase of his plan, but he learned something interesting about them.

Something dangerous.

It would appear, according to his sources from the Windflower Scripture, that those Miko Princesses were each gifted powerful and valuable items. Judging from what information Jack had gathered, he concluded they were dangerous enough to give pause.

To err on the side of caution, Jack decided to refrain from going after the princesses until he had more information.

It was not like he was in a rush anyway.

As a Theocracy, the Slane was governed by a Pontifex Maximus with a position similar to that of an Emperor, elected in a conclave by the Six Cardinals.

The Pontifex Maximus was assisted by a board of advisers from the highest executive authorities in the Slane Theocracy: the council. It consisted of the representatives of the Six Great Gods, the Cardinals, and from the government the heads of the Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary, plus the head of the Research Institute in charge of magic affairs, and the Grand Marshal as the highest appointment-holder in the military.

The council sat on a round table within a sacred room where everyone was meant to be considered "equal." There were no superiors or inferiors on the table, everyone was a collaborator and a comrade, including the Pontifex Maximus.

Jack found it... quaint.

They prioritized making a scene to show how "equal" they were amongst each other, but were foaming at the mouth at the very idea of needing to shake hands with anything that wasn't human.

What stupid little gnats.

Such haughty hypocrites deserved special treatment. Not a single one of them would be allowed to ever see his angel and her temple.

Cardinals were the highest appointment holders of the six sects that were devoted to the Six Gods. The position of a Cardinal was higher than that of a representative of governmental affairs; the demerit was that they get no wages so that people aspiring to become Cardinals would not be motivated to rise through the ranks by greed. Hence, there were many individuals who took high office with the intention of serving their nation.

Misplaced loyalty as it would only lead to their demise.

The only one Jack took note of was Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the Cardinal of Earth and commander of the Six Scriptures.

Keeping in tune with their six-obsession the country was divided into six sects of their religion, each with their own Scriptures.

There were truly only two that mattered to Jack.

The Black Scripture, which was known as the strongest, and the Windflower Scripture, which was their intelligence and espionage unit.

It amused Jack to learn that one of the units, the Sunlight Scripture, had been entirely wiped out by Lord Momonga when they attempted to destroy the village the Supreme Beings had bothered saving.

When Jack began his infiltration into the main capital of the Slane Theocracy, only a few members of the Windflower Scripture were present. It was rare for the Scriptures to remain in the Theocracy for any length of time. Especially the Black Scripture.

Jack first targeted the Windflower Scripture. In order to control the Theocracy, he needed to pick and choose what information they could have. He had to carefully steer the government in the direction that best suited his needs.

He summoned banshees, wraiths, and whispers to stalk the members. It would have been convenient to simply kill a member, extract the knowledge from their soul, then resurrect them as a zombie, but Jack did not want to run the risk of getting caught.

Death Stalking Banshees, and Shadow Step Wraiths passively used six-tiered invisibility and could cast up to nine-tiered. While neither could do much damage—although against weak humans they might as well have been powerhouses—they were exceptionally skilled at staying hidden.

Even better, both could use mind-controlling spells.

Mind-controlling spells were mana intensive and only really useful at simple and direct commands. Repeated use on the same target could have damaging consequences, which would draw unwanted attention.

Jack had no intention of ordering his minions to regularly mind-control the humans, but it was a nice assurance.

It wasn't the only thing they could do.

Both could create illusions.

Why mind control the target, when Jack's minions could conjure an illusion of their superior giving them an order? Or have them "accidentally" stumble upon a conversation they shouldn't have heard. Maybe have a lucid dream where an angel would whisper desires to them.

The possibilities were endless.

Like a masterful puppeteer, he made those pathetic humans dance to his whims.

He would set the stage for his lady.

All they had to do was be pulled along until then.

⁽ˇ́˙̫ˇ̀˵⁾

The Hidden Tower's fourth floor became a favored spot for Lumière to meet all visitors. It was where she most often met with Momonga, and where she invited the others to join her. As the first three floors were designed to be Jack and Cheshire's space, she rarely ventured to those floors.

She liked the fourth floor. While the overall tower was designed by her, Blue Planet, and Amanomahitotsu, she and Blue Planet really focused on the fourth and final floor.

The fourth floor was a library that leaned heavily into the light fantasy trope. The ceiling was enchanted to look like a skylight with wooden paneling, there were flowers and vines growing around the edges. The fireplace exclusively burned sweet-smelling cherry wood; all the couches, and seats offered a nice variety between sinking-in-soft or firmly-supportive; there was an exquisite grandfather clock that made excellent ticking white noise; the whole floor smelled like fire, old books, and a subtle hint of something floral.

She adored it.

Lumière laid the map out on one of the tables in the library, humming to herself.

It was one of the many maps Jack had acquired. The one before Lumière was a simplified overview.

Momonga was going to begin exploring the nearest city, E-Rantel. As E-Rantel was situated at the edge of the Re-Estize Kingdom, it was not as heavily scrutinized when foreigners came to visit. Therefore, if Momonga exhibited peculiar habits or did not understand some of the cultural nuances to the Re-Estize Kingdom he could be excused as a foreigner without suspicion.

South of Re-Estize was the Slane Theocracy, and to the west of that was the Roble Holy Kingdom. Squashed between them were fields filled with monsters—according to Jack—were the Abelion Hills.

Lumière knew that Jack planned to use the monsters to invade the Slane Theocracy. She wasn't aware of the details, but she did not ask because the whole situation felt itchy to her.

Although not in a way that she expected it to.

There was no getting around the fact that she needed consecrated grounds for her temple. The Slane Theocracy had those grounds.

In YGGDRASIL she had to fight for land before. Usually it was against other factions and took several raids before she had cleared everything out. Land could not be claimed if another player or faction had control over it.

She was not unused to the concept of needing to conquer.

And she understood that in their new reality they shouldn't rush straight away to a large-scale invasion.

She knew it.

But damn it she wanted her temple.

As she and Momonga had repeatedly tested, it seemed that flavor text took precedence over many things in that world. Their karmic value had little influence on their minds, and what influence their race had was difficult to determine.

Lumière, as a mercy-angel, would (theoretically) be inclined to spare an enemy rather than directly finishing them off. She had not been in any direct combat situations and so was unable to determine how much her race would influence her.

She felt reasonably confident that her flavor text regarding the Silverlight temple had sway over her.

It stunk she couldn't use DPS, but if she really put her mind to it—she had alternatives, right?

Yet, she insisted on prioritizing building a temple. More than that, she craved it. The more days passed by without having a temple, the more uncomfortable she felt. Like a piece of her was missing.

It was not detrimental, but it was unpleasant.

Perhaps it was similar to what a smoker felt when they wanted to smoke but was unable to?

She wouldn't say she was in withdrawal, but she definitely wanted her temple.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't thought about just flying straight to the Theocracy herself to try and claim it directly.

Itchy.

Thinking about it made her mind itch and the impulse to act rashly was annoying to shove down.

Those thoughts led Lumière to believe that her title as High Priestess of Silverlight held more pull in her mind than she'd like.

Flavor text, it seemed, was king.

Momonga and her would continue to monitor things over the next few months. She was still in control over her actions, and while the compulsion was there, it did not overtake her.

Momonga was currently the only one aware of her impulse, and she had faith her friend could talk sense into her if need be.

If the impulse was too much for her, she might need to drop her title. Lumière was at loathe with the idea, but she hated the idea of having her actions dictated by four little words.

She would choose her freedom over power any day.

Five months.

That was how much time Jack had given her.

So for five months, she would do her best to endure and hope for the best.

Aura tapped a spot on the map near Nazarick. "We can set up the pen here."

Lumière peered at the spot Aura had touched. "Why there?"

"It's near enough to the forest a few more trees sprouting won't be noticed," explained Aura.

Mare let out a quiet um. "A-And some of the trees there are already oak."

"You think the white oak won't stand out?" Lumière asked.

Aura pursed her lips. "It'll stand out anywhere, but I think if we create a dip first—"

"Sink the land?" Mare asked in surprise. "Won't th-that draw attention?"

"Not if we put up gradual hills around it," Aura added.

"I see. We've already added several hills around Nazarick. If we make more adjustments to the surrounding lands to look similar, our adjustments will appear more natural," said Lumière. She hmm'd. "That'll be difficult to do without uprooting the trees. Mare, is it doable?"

Mare was quiet as he thought. "Um... I—I think so. If the dryads regrow the grass a-as I work it should be okay."

Lumière brightened. "That's wonderful. Then let's go with this for now. Aura, how are you on faring on the owl hunt?"

"Got a hundred tagged," said Aura with a grin. She held up two fingers, her blue and green eyes sparkling with smug glee. "As soon as the oak is ready, I'll catch them all in an hour!"

Lumière's pale eyes shined. "Oh my! That's amazing, Aura, you're so talented."

"Ehehehe."

The angel used her right hand to cup Aura's cheek, and her left hand to cup Mare's cheek. She smiled adoringly at them. "You're both so amazing. Thank you for your help on this."

The dark elves' cheeks burned. Mare trembled, eyes wide, as he stuttered and stumbled to say something in response but was too flustered. Aura did a better job at remaining composed, but she started to excitedly ramble.

So adorable. Oh Bukubukuchagama I wish you were here to see these two.

The door to the library swung open and Jack stepped in.

The lich's expression was impossible to read behind his mask, yet Lumière could tell that he was surprised.

Especially when the angel decided to run and jump at him.

He caught her, eliciting a delighted giggle from her. Her wings flapped happily. She had always wanted to jump into the arms of a lover.

"Welcome home," said Lumière.

"Thank you," said Jack. "I am surprised you are up."

She could understand that. Jack had tucked her into bed last night with Cheshire. Lumière normally slept fine, however, that evening she had trouble. With Cheshire fast asleep, Lumière snuck out of her bed and decided to go for a walk.

She ran into Aura and Mare and the two accompanied her for the rest of the evening. The conversation started small and evolved into Lumière's eventual goal to establish a spy network using Sentries. They moved to the library so Lumière could use the map in their discussion.

It was still very early—or late, depending on how one looked at it.

"Hi Jack," Mare and Aura greeted.

"Hello," said Jack. "Did you three enjoy yourselves?"

"Y-Yes," said Mare.

Aura folded her arms behind her head and grinned. "Did you?"

"It was productive," said Jack.

"Ah~ I wish I could go," Aura sighed. "I bet there's all sorts of fun stuff in those Abelion Hills, right?"

"Nothing you haven't seen before," Jack assured her.

"No issues?" asked Lumière.

"Nothing outside what I can handle," answered the lich. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No," said the angel with a smile. "Mare, Aura, let's discuss more later, okay?"

"Okay," the dark elves chorused.

⁽ˇ́˙̫ˇ̀˵⁾

Jack did not let Lumière go even after the elves left. The angel felt no desire to correct that. In fact, she was elated to be princess carried around. How charming! How dashing! How romantic!

She nuzzled into Jack's neck, content and utterly at ease as he carried her around the library.

Oh when was the last time someone held her so dearly? When was the last time someone carried her like a precious treasure?

Never?

He did though.

Lumière thought she had happy moments in her past life. She thought she knew comfort in spending time with her friends in YGGDRASIL.

Yet all of that paled in comparison to how utterly... safe she felt.

In the arms of someone who loved her—who truly loved her—and who would do his best to keep her safe. To keep her happy. If drugs made her function throughout the day in her last life, then it was the physical affections of her companions that made her thrive.

She wouldn't trade the life she had in that moment for anything.

A week ago she said she would have been happy to die in the arms of her loved ones. That was how utterly blissful they made her.

But now that was not enough.

She didn't want the moment to end.

She wanted more.

It was wicked of her to crave for more, to be so greedy, yet the angel could not resist. The temptation of love was too strong. Love of companions. Love of friends. Love of romance. She wanted it all.

Did she dare?

What price would she need to pay for it?

Her heart? Her body? Her soul?

Would any of it even be enough?

Her arms around Jack tightened. Her eyes closed as she summoned her courage once more. The familiar anxiety prickled her. Her greed overtook shyness as she whispered, "Jack... I want more."

He paused in his walk around the library.

"More," he repeated quietly. "I see... okay."

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he said. "Tonight?"

She didn't know what he had in mind, but she trusted him.

"... Okay."

⁽ˇ́˙̫ˇ̀˵⁾

As she hadn't gotten much sleep the night prior, the angel took a nap early in the morning. When she woke up, she continued her normal routine. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and Jack did not mention their conversation again.

Until it was time for her evening bath.

The angel entered her bath per normal, but that time the maids weren't already there to greet her.

The angel was curious as she disrobed herself.

And then Jack came in.

Lumière had never been self-conscious of her body during baths.

It was not some ego thing, rather it had been ingrained into her. She needed help cleaning herself in her previous life so two to three times a week she would be sponge-bathed by multiple nurses.

In her new life, she still required assistance which was why she was usually joined in the baths by three other maids. She was unbothered by their touch and gaze. It helped that the maids who attended to her looked at her with adoring warmth and near-constantly praised her.

She actually came to enjoy her baths because of them.

But having Jack in the bathroom with her felt... different.

It made her nervous in a weird way.

Not in a bad way—she didn't want to tell him to leave—but she was hyper aware of his presence.

Jack offered a polite bow to her. "With your permission, my beloved lady, I would like to take over bathing your body. Your maids will assist with your hair and wings afterward."

Lumière's wings fluttered in nervous surprise.

Is this the next step?

She had—obviously—never had a lover prior to Jack. What she knew about romantic relationships came from off-handed comments from her guildmates, or anime. It wasn't like the married members in Nazarick gave play-by-plays for their lovelife. Even the socially-active members gave answers when she inquired.

She had kissed and cuddled—a lot of cuddles—so now it was time to bathe together?

Maybe?

She had no particular desire to say no. It was not what she had expected, but that did not make it a bad thing.

"O-Okay."

Lumière sat at the edge of the large marble pool. Jack had discarded his overcoat and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt but he made no move to undress further than that. Lumière's legs dangled in the steaming water, tingling from the heat.

Jack brought over a tray with soaps. He sat on his knees beside Lumière, and quietly asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes?"

"You must tell me to stop if it's too much," he said in that velvety soft voice of his. "Only you can know your limit, my dearest."

Lumière wordlessly nodded. She unfurled her wings, stretching them out behind the both of them.

With a wave of his left hand, Jack cast some kind of spell. The water from the bath curled into the air like liquid ribbons before wrapping around parts of Lumière's body.

Lumière enjoyed the hot sensation of the water for all of two seconds before Jack's hands were on her.

She jolted, eyes wide as he worked quickly and effectively in lathering her up in something sweet-smelling.

It was... something.

She had been hand bathed before but having Jack do it felt completely unique.

Electrifying.

His smooth hands were cold due to his race. Lumière had a natural cold resistance which kept the chill from hurting her, but the contrast still left goosebumps along her skin. Especially when steaming water followed shortly behind his sudsy hands.

From top to bottom.

His hands were firm as he rubbed the suds into her soft skin. He used his thumbs to gently massage her as he moved from her neck to her shoulders to her arms and then to her breasts.

His thumbs briefly—briefly—flicked over each of her nipples which felt like a jolt of something shoot through her. It both surprised and... warmed her? Lumière had let out a small gasp of surprise when he had done so, unintentionally reacting to it.

She wasn't sure why—no wait maybe she was?

She didn't have time to ponder her reaction because he had moved underneath her breasts. As soon as he lifted them up, cupping them, Lumière involuntarily shuddered. It felt like a chill brushed across her skin in spite of the steamy air.

Jack continued on, moving down her body. When he rubbed her sides she let out another noise which made him do it again and so she did it again.

It wasn't a human noise either, it was a weird avian coo that crawled its way out of her throat from who knew where. Perhaps the angel equivalent of a purr?

"What are you doing?" Lumière whispered, her body burning.

"Memorizing you," he said.

He moved to her abdomen which felt ticklish in a weird way. It didn't make her laugh but it did make her squirm.

Placing his hands on her waist, she thought she felt him pause for the first time since the rubbing began. His thumbs stilled, and his hands lingered as he held her.

The moment lasted long enough to be noticed but was too short for the angel to comment on it.

He moved to her thighs, Lumière reflexively spreading her legs.

And oh that was so much more different.

Having Jack rub in between her thighs ignited a burning rock in her gut. An achy, itchy, yearning sensation throbbed in between her legs in an area Lumière was wholly unused to thinking about. She had to bite her bottom lip to restrain some of her coos but little trills still popped out of her.

Jack slowed his rubbing down, taking nearly twice as long between her legs as he had any other spot. It was deliciously delightful. She wanted to let him know that she was enjoying whatever he was doing but was too afraid of the potential noise to stop biting her lip.

"Would you please lean into me?" Jack whispered, his voice low.

Lumière had a guess to what he was needing to scrub next so she pulled her legs out of the tub and got on her knees.

Jack stopped touching her only long enough for her to lean forward.

She hesitated. "Won't y-you get wet?"

"It's fine." Jack opened his arms, a clear invitation.

Lumière reacted without much thought. She wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him while still on her knees.

The second his hands touched her butt, the ache doubled in intensity. She made a noise between a coo and a whimper into his neck.

She felt his head rest on hers, his hands gentle as he lathered her surprisingly sensitive bum.

And then he was carefully moving her off him and into the water. She plopped onto the bench in the bath, staring vapidly up at Jack as he manipulated the water to rinse her from the neck down.

The bath was steaming hot, yet Lumière couldn't stop shivering.

"Well done my lady," he whispered.

He stood up and Lumière felt that burning ache in between her legs throb painfully. It made her whimper before she even realized what she was doing.

"I don't want to overwhelm you," he said, stepping back. "We can... take it slower after you're used to my touch."

What...?

Her mind felt fuzzy. She wanted to voice an objection to him leaving yet found herself unable to. Her tongue was tied from her flustered state.

Jack left and the maids came in.

And despite the maids giving her a blissful scalp massage that would make any human weep, Lumière couldn't help but feel disappointed.

⁽ˇ́˙̫ˇ̀˵⁾

My first tip-toe into smut;;

I'm trying not to do too much information dump at once. Momonga's journey next chapter.

Answer: Spynetwork

Question: You have to adventure into the New World with one other member of Nazarick instead of Momonga. Who do you choose, what will be your hero name, and would you try to disguise your class / race?

Reviews are love!