Seeing the two pitiful Demonesses, they appeared even more real and wretched than in his dream.
A tightness constricted Silas's chest. After once again confirming there was no one else nearby, he jumped down into the basement, replaced the door plank, and descended the steps. "Hello," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Silas Sotos. I am the apostle of the Lord of Death and Storms in this world."
The blue-haired woman bowed. "Reporting to you, Sir. My name is Helles Batos. I am a loyal servant of the Lord of Death and Storms."
The purple-haired girl said, "My name is Bernice Sagur. I am a loyal servant of the Lord of Death and Storms."
Silas nodded slightly and opened the suitcase he carried. "You are well aware of the current status of Demonesses. My Lord cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals, and I cannot provide you with overly favorable conditions."
The two pitiful girls suppressed their eager desire to see what was inside the suitcase and nodded obediently. "We understand, Lord Apostle."
Silas fully opened the suitcase. As he took out the contents, he said, "These are two warm overcoats from my home. Put them on first."
Helles and Bernice looked at the two thick overcoats and hurriedly said with gratitude, "We thank our Lord for His bounty!"
After receiving the overcoats, they once again prostrated themselves on the ground.
Silas, feeling a pang of sympathy, said, "You two don't need to do that. The great Lord of Death and Storms is different from other deities. He places more emphasis on inner piety and faith, not on these superficial displays. Emm… My Lord once told me that true piety lies in real, effective actions, not in those hypocritical rituals and prayers."
Suddenly, Silas gained a new appreciation for his own ability to spin tales.
Hearing this, the two girls looked utterly incredulous, because such a deity was completely different from any they had seen or heard of.
Silas smiled. "So please, stand up. In the future, after receiving blessings, focus more on worship and reverence. Don't be bound by these tedious and useless rituals like the followers of other faiths."
The two girls nodded vigorously and stood up seriously, their expressions even more devout, almost fanatical.
"Put on the clothes and come eat!" Silas said with a smile.
The two girls snapped back to reality and hastily donned the warm overcoats.
Feeling the substantial thickness of the heavy coats against their bodies, they were instantly enveloped in an indescribable warmth.
Silas continued to take out the other items. "I didn't bring much else. Here are two pounds of grey bread, some tinned fish, and butter. Don't feel burdened; this is the reward for your虔诚 (qiánchéng - pious/devout) faith. Eat!"
The two young women walked over, stunned. Their frostbitten, red hands trembled as they accepted the bread. Looking at the soft grey bread, tears unknowingly welled up in their eyes.
For over three years, they had barely survived by scavenging through trash and eating discarded food.
It had been a very, very long time since they had eaten such decent food.
"Eat up!" Silas handed them the opened tins and the butter.
"We thank our Lord for His bounty, and thank you for your compassion, Lord Apostle," the two girls said, then began to wolf down the food ravenously.
Watching the two eat with such grateful expressions, Silas felt a great sense of joy in his heart.
Helping others within one's means was always a deeply satisfying act.
"Oh, right!"
Silas remembered and took out two cups.
"My Lord mentioned you were lightly dressed. I thought if that was the case, your bodies must be frozen through, so I brought a thermos of hot water. Have a cup first to warm yourselves."
Saying this, Silas poured the steaming hot water into the cups.
The two girls, who had already eaten half their bread, couldn't hold back their emotions upon seeing this. They burst into loud sobs, like children who, having suffered some grievance, finally see their parents and can no longer contain their tears.
If the food and clothes were the blessings of a god, then this very ordinary thermos of hot water was a genuine act of concern from the Lord Apostle himself.
After so many years, they finally felt the warmth of another's care.
Sob, sob, sob…
Clutching the cups, feeling the warmth radiating from the glass, they wept with joyous relief.
Tears streamed down their sallow, grimy cheeks. This sight, this gratitude, this raw display of suffering, deeply pained Silas.
"Thank you, thank you for your kindness and mercy." This was not addressed to the Lord of Death and Storms, but to Silas himself.
Silas smiled. "We are all children of our Lord. It is only right that we help each other. Drink it while it's hot; warm your bodies."
The following moments were filled with the quiet sounds of eating.
The two girls ate and drank the warm water.
After finishing the bread, they even licked the crumbs from the bag and the bottom of the tins, reluctant to waste a single morsel.
Silas, feeling a pang of pity, looked away and changed the subject. "By the way, what are your abilities as Demonesses?"
Each Demoness awakened different abilities. These powers required no profession or cultivation and could be unleashed directly, akin to innate supernatural talents.
Helles looked startled. "Did our Lord tell you my identity?"
Silas blinked. "Ah, what's wrong?"
Bernice clutched her cup with slender hands and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid of us?"
Silas chuckled. "What is there to be afraid of? You are not descendants of demons, nor are you hideous monsters. You are just two pitiful young girls."
Hearing this, both girls' eyes widened in disbelief.
"Don't overthink it. My Lord has seen through to your true nature. He told me: 'They are not blasphemers, merely ordinary people who have undergone a mutation. With proper control, you are no different from normal people.'" Silas couldn't think of anything more poignant to say, so he once again used the "Lord of Death and Storms" as a scapegoat.
In that instant, the two girls' eyes widened further, their expressions filled with joy and a dawning light.
Because their existence had finally been acknowledged and validated.
They felt as if the gloom that had shrouded their inner worlds was instantly pierced by this light. The self-loathing and fear that had oppressed them for years completely dissipated. Their world, once obscured, was now clear, filled with bright sunshine and fresh air.
They felt as if they had entered a brand new world, a beautiful and luminous world.
"We thank our Lord! We thank our Lord!" The two did not kowtow, but bowed deeply, expressing their profound worship and reverence.
With the warm water in their bellies, some color returned to their previously deathly pale, frozen faces.
The two then, one after another, described their abilities.
Helles's abilities were quite strong. Her physical body had been greatly enhanced, and she could even generate dragon-like, hard scales on her skin's surface.
How hard were these scales? They could barely withstand a bullet from a military-grade revolver.
Her codename in the Church's pursuit was "Dragon," also known as the Dragon Demoness.
Bernice's abilities were currently weaker but possessed immense potential. Her power was the control of metal – yes, similar to Magneto's ability.
However, her current strength was relatively low. Her effective control range was ten meters. In terms of force, she could roughly bend a standard military-issue steel sword, but the exertion was immense.
Her codename in the Church was "Steel," also known as the Steel Demoness.
After witnessing the considerable power of the two Demonesses, Silas asked with confusion, "If you are so strong, why have you fallen into such dire straits? You could easily thrive by joining some random cult."
Helles explained first, "On one hand, we're afraid of losing control and turning into monsters, so we try to avoid using our powers as much as possible."
Bernice added, "On the other hand, the Church has specialized diviners who can track mystical powers. Once we use our abilities, it only allows the Church to find us more quickly."