Luna guides me through the city towards the lord's manor. While walking there I look around and take in the city around me. The buildings have a Tudor style to them they are all timber-framed painted black with the area between them painted white they are all
two or three stories high. The streets in this part of the city are wide and lined with stalls of various kinds from food to clothes to weapons and unfortunately even slaves. It seems that slavery is normal in this country as everyone is acting as if it is normal.

As we walk through the streets I can see slaves of every type and race. Humans, beastkin, elves, dwarves it looks like no matter the race they can become a slave and none of them is being treated well. They all wear a collar and cuffs as I do. People won't think I am a slave, will they? They all wear basic low-quality clothing and are all doing manual work most people wouldn’t want to do. Some major changes will need to be made around here.

Eventually, we leave the main city centre and come up to what I assume to be where the nobles live. It is surrounded by a stone wall with large iron gates. As we approach the gates the guards recognise Luna and let her through however I am stopped.

“Unfortunately Luna your slave cannot enter through this gate she will have to use the other gate.”(Guard)

“Sir knight she is not a slave. She is a goddess.”(Luna)

“She is wearing the clothing of a servant and the collar of a slave what else could she be?”(Guard)

“I am the goddess of maids and slaves. I wear what I wear to represent both groups.”(Iona)

I then raise my hand to him and show him my emblem. Upon seeing it he like the others immediately falls to his knees along with the other guard both of them looking at the ground.

“I deeply apologies goddess I did not recognise you and I had not yet been informed of your arrival.”(Guard)

“Do not worry I will let it slid this once but don’t let it happen again.”(Iona)

““Of course my lady.””(Both guards)

With that, I walk through the gates behind Luna. This area that I assume is where the nobles live is quite a bit different to the previous area. There are fewer buildings but they are bigger and have a Victorian style to them. The majority of the buildings look to be manor houses with the occasional shop. I assume the further in you get the higher ranked the noble the bigger and more elaborate the house.

Luna guides me through the streets for about twenty minutes until she stops outside the largest house in the centre. This must be where the count lives. Like before the guards open the gates and allow us through this time I was not stopped. Maybe the guards from before informed them. We walk down the path to the house towards the solid wood door.

Luna knocks on the door which is quickly opened by another maid who steps back so that we can enter. We enter into a large open room with large stairs on both sides going up to a single door with another door below it on the ground floor. The floor and the stairs are made of marble, the ceiling is decorated with plaster and the walls are painted red.

“The lord is waiting for you in his office.”(Maid)

“We will go there straight away.”(Luna)

Luna guides me up the stairs and through the many corridors to the count's office. The entire mansion is wood panelled with plaster decorated ceilings and wooden doors. As we alk through the mansion there is constantly maids and footman going about their work but I haven’t seen the butler yet. Once we reach the count's office Luna knocks on the door and almost immediately a person who I assume is the count replies in a tired voice.

“Enter”(??)

Luna pushes open the door with a creak and steps in with me following behind. Luna stops a few feet in front of the desk I stop next to her. Behind the desk is a man who looks to be in his sixties with grey hair and blue eyes wearing Victorian-style formal clothing. Next to him is a man who is wearing a butlers uniform. So he's the butler I don’t know his name but I can guess that it is something like Sebastian or Alfred.

“Luna How was your work in the village?”(Count)

“It went without any problems my lord.”(Luna)

“That’s good, now who is your friend here.”(Count)

“I am the goddess of maids and slaves Iona.”(Iona)

Before he can ask I show him my emblem. When he sees it his eyes widen and he rushes to the ground bowing to me the butler follows. Why does everyone do this? Is this country extremely religious or something?

“Stand up there is no need to bow.”(Iona)

“but you are a goddess and I am but a lowly mortal.”(Count)

“Why does being mortal or god make such a difference? We have the same humanoid bodies we both have intelligence; we both can use magic and we both have our own lives that we live. Why does being a god mean that mortals have to bow down to me? By bowing down to someone you are showing your respect for them, but I haven’t done anything to earn your respect maybe other gods have but I have yet to. Once again why do you bow to me?”(Iona)

The count looks up at me with a shocked and confused face. He hesitates before answering.

(Count’s POV)

What is she talking about the church has always told us that the gods demand respect for creating the world and guiding us? The gods help us with their divine powers and in return, we pray to them to provide some of that power. We are also told that the gods are perfect and that all mortals should strive to be like the gods as we are imperfect copies of them. We bow to show that we accept that they are greater than we are and to show our thanks and respect for guiding and helping us.

However, this goddess is saying that we are the same and the only difference between us is that she is god and that I am not. This is something that is unheard of. Is what the church has been telling us wrong? If so was it on purpose or not? How do I answer? I have heard stories of people being punished severely by gods by answers that they don’t like and as she is the goddess of slaves she could give me one of the worst punishments. This could be a test I have to be careful of here.

(Iona POV)
“The gods are perfect while us mortals are imperfect copies of the divine beings. We do not deserve to even be in your presence.”(Count)

That’s not the answer I was expecting.

“The gods are not perfect one of the first things that I did upon becoming a goddess is spend twenty years cleaning the creator goddesses office. She also gets many things wrong and I end up having to clean up after. I also get many things wrong myself. No one is perfect not even the gods at least that I know about. So stand up and look me in the eyes I may be a god and be powerful but that does not make me better than you or any other of the mortals in this city. You have slaves in this city, don’t you? Why are they enslaved what did they do? Some I understand maybe criminals or in debt but what about the innocent people who are slaves why are they different from everyone else why do they deserve to have their freedom taken from them? Because they are lesser? Because they are impure? They are normal humans, dwarves, elves and beastkin like any other but you look down on them because they are slaves and for no other reason. I do not see the world like that to me everyone but the worst criminals are equal everyone should be free to do what they want and speak what they want. Now stand all of you, you have no reason to kneel so stand.”(Iona)

The count and the butler just look at me still kneeling they look like I just shattered their entire perception of the world. Did I break them? Count and butler.exe has stopped. I’m sure they are fine now on to the important matters.

]

Kraken1

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