Khaos didn’t say a word in response, partly because he inwardly acknowledged the fairy maid’s point was completely indisputable, but also because he wasn’t quite ready to admit he was wrong. Yet these conflicting emotions were written all over Khaos’s face, and this didn’t escape the fairy maid’s notice. She glanced across at another fairy maid and indicated with her eyes that she should bring a certain guest over to chat to Khaos. The other fairy maid approached the guest in question—Quornae—and suggested she should introduce herself to Khaos.
Quornae’s blonde hair was twisted into ostentatious coils and she had come to the banquet in a red and white vestment akin to a cleric’s. The teenage girl walked up to Khaos and introduced herself, completely ignoring the unapproachable vibe he was radiating.
“Greetings and salutations to you, Lord Khaos,” she said in her usual operatically bombastic way. “I am Quornae, and I am a priestess devoted to spreading the good word of Towerism. It’s an honor to finally meet you, my lord.”
“Khaos,” the unrelentingly brusque warrior mage muttered by way of self-introduction. He was still sore at being out-argued by the fairy maid, but his discourteousness also stemmed from the fact that he was familiar with the Towerists and what they stood for.
I’ve heard of these Towerism people, he thought. They’ve invented an entirely new religion, and worship the Wicked Witch as a god, the fairy maids as angels and holy messengers, and someone named Miya as a saint. She probably wants to convert me and Orka to her faith, and as the witch’s deputy, I’d find myself in an awkward position if I refused her attempt.
Khaos’s mind went into overdrive as he searched for a good excuse for rebuffing the proselytizing he was anticipating from Quornae, but in fact, the girl with the pushy-looking, angular eyes went off on a completely different, totally unexpected tangent.
“Do you refer to yourself by any other title, Lord Khaos?” she asked.
Khaos was taken aback by the question. “Another title? What do you mean?”
“Oh, please forgive me for jumping to conclusions,” Quornae said, blushing but not necessarily embarrassed. She softly cleared her throat, then launched into a lengthy oration. “You are the lord who serves the Great Witch of the Tower, earning her confidence as a trusted commander. To the celebrants of our religion, you’re an officially recognized object of worship, but unlike the Great Witch and her fairy maids, I and my fellow believers find it hard to envision who you really are by your formal name alone. That is why I believe you should be known by a second holy title, much like the highly exalted Saint Miya!”
“First of all, I am not an object of worship—” Khaos started, trying to launch into a rebuttal before getting summarily cut off.
“But rest assured, my lord!” Quornae asserted proudly. “For I am quite the connoisseur when it comes to conceiving the perfect title for someone!” She struck a dramatic thinking pose. “Since you serve the Great Witch as her bodyguard, that would make you the ‘Guardian of the Great Witch.’ No, that’s no good. That would imply you’re only the protector of the Great Witch, instead of the protector of all of us. Then, how about the ‘Silver Guardian,’ in homage to your hair color? Or perhaps the ‘White Aegis,’ since your hair is the same color as this tower.”
She suddenly cupped both hands over her left eye as she shuddered with apparent jubilation. “Ooh! My eye is tingling with inspiration!”
Khaos was so unnerved by the teenage girl’s shtick, he took half a step back, droplets of sweat forming on his brow. This confrontation was reminding him of his initial encounter with Annelia, whose sisterly excesses had aroused the same type of dread in him that he was feeling right now—a dread that couldn’t be found on any battlefield. As an ultra-rare Level 8888 warrior, Khaos was unquestionably much more powerful than Quornae, yet this teenage girl had managed to give him goose bumps all the way up his spine. It was at that moment that Orka noticed Quornae appeared to be stumped, so he briefly paused from chatting with the other guests to interact with her.
“Miss Quornae, do you mind if I interrupt?” Orka said. “Not only do I serve the most noble Witch of the Tower as her bodyguard, but I am also a well-known musician. To that end, I wish for my secondary title to be the ‘Great Witch’s Musician.’”
“Oh, is that so?” Quornae replied. “Very well, Lord Orka. You shall henceforth be known as the ‘Great Witch’s Musician.’”
Orka flashed the teenager a quick smile before returning to conversing with the other guests. Khaos was aghast at the sharp wit the Pied Fiddler had just demonstrated, since he had managed to keep his discourse with Quornae comfortably concise by suggesting a rather bland nickname. Khaos glared at his “older brother,” but Orka diplomatically ignored the dirty look he was receiving and continued working the room.
However, this meant Khaos was left alone with Quornae once more, and she seemingly had no plans to part ways. Khaos glanced over at the fairy maids for help, his eyes filled with contrition over his previous ill-mannered attitude. Seeing that Khaos had finally learned his lesson, the fairy maids decided to throw him a lifeline.
“Miss Quornae, perhaps now isn’t the best time to designate a devotional title to Lord Khaos,” one of the fairy maids said. “I suggest you take some time to consider all the options and make your decision at a later date.”
Quornae hummed as she contemplated this. “I think you might be right. Deciding on the perfect title for Lord Khaos shouldn’t be rushed.”
Another fairy maid came over to shepherd her away from Khaos. “Miss Quornae, we have guests over here who wish to know more about Towerism. Would you care to enlighten them?”
“We do?” she said. “But what about—”
“Don’t mind me,” Khaos said briskly. “Go spread the word.”
“Well, if you insist, Lord Khaos,” Quornae replied. “I bid you adieu.”
The teenager bowed and followed the fairy maid to the indicated guest. Khaos watched on as one of the most bizarre people he had ever met walked away.
“Thanks. For helping me,” Khaos said to the fairy maid who was still next to him.
“It’s our duty to support someone like yourself who takes his job seriously in service of the Great Witch,” the fairy maid said with a slight hint of admonishment.
Khaos winced, but he got the implied message: he had to engage with the people of Tower City cordially and in good faith, just like Ellie had ordered. When the fairy maids next brought over guests, Khaos assumed a more formal approach to interact with them, which was a vast improvement over his previous demeanor. He didn’t want to risk another cringeworthy encounter with Quornae, after all.