November 1, 2026

Seven Sins System Chapter 908. Patience's Rage I

I stared at her from the altar, wondering whether the universe had developed a personal grudge against me.

Patience's gaze traveled from my unbuttoned shirt to Puriel, who was still sitting on my hips. Her hair spilled over us. I could practically hear the gears turning inside her head. First, disbelief. Then confusion.

Then… Anger. Real, genuine anger. The air around Patience trembled as her holy aura surged, turning the previously peaceful healing chamber into something resembling the opening scene of a celestial execution.

I raised an eyebrow.

Was that rage I detected? From Patience?

Hahahaha!

What a beautiful irony.

I was the Lord of Wrath, and somehow, I'd managed to make the Virtue of Patience lose her temper without even trying. That was practically a professional achievement. If I weren't currently suffering from the aftermath of holy poisoning, I might have stood up and applauded. Unfortunately, my body still felt like someone had beaten me with a burning temple. So I settled for a tired smirk.

Patience's expression darkened. "WRATH!"

The situation became considerably less entertaining when a sword appeared in her hand. The weapon materialized in a flash of golden light, its blade humming with concentrated holy energy. Patience stepped forward, her eyes fixed on me with an expression that suggested she was seriously considering turning the Lord of Wrath into a decorative corpse.

"YOU BASTARD!"

She lunged.

I instinctively tried to move, but my muscles responded with all the enthusiasm of a corpse being asked to attend a morning meeting. My tentacles stirred behind me. Too slow. My demonic energy was still recovering, and I had absolutely no desire to start another battle inside the room where I'd just spent over an hour saving someone's life.

Fortunately, someone else reacted first.

Puriel.

Her eyes sharpened. A burst of holy light erupted around us. A translucent dome formed over the altar just as Patience's sword descended.

The blade struck the barrier. Golden sparks scattered across the chamber. The impact made the inscriptions beneath us flicker, but the shield held.

I blinked.

She hugged me. Tightly. As though she were protecting a precious treasure from an extremely angry thief. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, and she pressed herself against me, shielding me with her own body.

Patience gritted her teeth. "Puriel! Stop protecting him!"

Puriel's embrace tightened.

Patience pointed her sword toward me. "He molested you!"

I slowly raised one hand. "Hold on."

Patience's murderous gaze shifted toward me.

I gestured helplessly toward the angel currently occupying my lap. "She's the one who climbed on top of me. She's literally sitting on my hips right now."

Puriel's cheeks immediately turned crimson,but she didn't release me. In fact, she hugged me even tighter. I glanced down at her.

Was I being claimed?

Was this what it felt like?

I had to admit, I could get used to it.

Patience looked as though she were about to explode. "WRATH!"

"What? I'm telling the truth!"

"You—!"

"Look, I understand you're upset, but could you please stop pointing that thing at me? I've already had enough holy energy inside my body today to qualify as a religious artifact."

My throat protested halfway through the sentence. I coughed. Pain shot through my chest, forcing me to lean back against the altar.

Puriel immediately turned toward me. "El!"

"I'm fine," I rasped. A blatant lie. But a necessary one.

The last thing I needed was two angels fighting over my medical condition while I lay here looking like the world's least convincing victim.

Patience's expression faltered. She looked at the burns around my lips and the faint trembling in my hands. But her anger hadn't disappeared.

"Puriel," she said, lowering her sword slightly, "you don't have to protect him."

Puriel looked at her. "Patience…"

"He might be your fiancé, but that doesn't mean you have to accept everything he does!"

I tilted my head. Patience's anger wasn't entirely directed at what she'd seen. There was something else beneath it. Concern. Perhaps even a little fear. She looked at Puriel as though she'd discovered her closest friend embracing a monster.

Which, technically, wasn't inaccurate. I was a monster. A very handsome one, admittedly. But still…

Puriel slowly lowered her barrier. The golden dome dissolved into tiny particles of light, and I felt some of the tension leave her body.

Patience stepped closer. "Puriel, I know you're engaged to him, but…" Her voice softened. "It's because you have no choice, isn't it?"

So that was it. She thought our relationship was some kind of political arrangement. A celestial princess forced into the arms of a devil because the Light Realm needed to maintain peace with the Shadow Realm.

Well, I couldn't entirely blame her. From the outside, our relationship probably looked ridiculous. The Goddess of Chastity and the Lord of Wrath. A woman who embodied purity and restraint, engaged to a bastard who had probably violated every celestial rule ever written. We weren't exactly the couple anyone would expect to see exchanging affectionate kisses.

Patience looked between us. "But why would you…?"

Puriel answered before she could finish. "Because I love him."

Patience froze.

I froze too. Not because I'd never heard Puriel say those words before. I had. But there was something different about hearing her say them like this. Without hesitation or embarrassment.

My chest tightened. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the poison.

Patience stared at her. "But…"

Puriel held her gaze. "I really love him."

Patience's lips parted. Nothing came out. Then she looked at me.

I gave her a small wave. "Surprise."

Her eyes narrowed. Probably shouldn't have said that.

"But I thought…" Patience hesitated. "You two are nemeses."

Puriel smiled faintly. "We were."

I chuckled. There had been a time when Puriel would have gladly driven a holy sword through my chest, and I would have responded by piercing all my tentacles through her body. Our relationship hadn't exactly begun with flowers and romantic dinners.