Reincarnated as both God and The Devil

Chapter 222: Control

"Are you the ones always feeding these little runts? These pests don't leave the town because you keep on feeding them!"

Sofia was still a bit flustered with what Viel was saying. It wasn't every day that her thoughts were filled with normal thoughts that the average woman her age should have. But now, it was quickly disrupted with multiple ideas of how to torture the 3 men that were currently approaching them.

The man leading the group had a huge scar plastered on his face. His strides were wide and arrogant as if he owned the streets of Taucher himself. The 2 men following behind him were the same, spitting on the ground as they stared at the children, who were now cowering in fear.

Some of them immediately ran away upon seeing them, while some hid behind Sofia and Viel. Viel was slightly surprised as he felt a small hand suddenly holding his hand, but still, he didn't move in fear that he might hurt whoever the owner of the hand was.

"These little runts keep on shitting and peeing everywhere!" The man with a scar on his face continued his rant as he stood directly in front of Sofia.

"We didn't come back from the shores just to see the town be filled with rats! These little children should be kicked out of the town!"

The men were starting to gather the attention of the citizens. And those who were following Viel and Sofia once again started to whisper with one another. The truth is, with most of the able-bodied men deployed to the borders and the shores, their wives and their children are left to fend off for themselves.

And so, some agreed with the man and started looking at Sofia and the other children with disgust.

"Throw them away, they are just useless and would cause our town to stink!"

Hearing those words, Sofia could not help but adjust her spectacles and let out a deep breath. Since this town was at the gates of war, she couldn't really blame them for being agitated.

But to put their frustration and anger in children, while their attention should be on the enemy themselves, Sofia had heard this man's complaints one too many and she had no more space to hear any more of it.

"Throw these children away? 

These children whose fathers and mothers have died protecting all of you?

These children, who were already abandoned by their own kin because they couldn't feed them and take care of them anymore?

These children, who had no idea why they were left all alone in this world?

Tell me, what exactly are you fighting the war for, if not for the children?"

"Tch. I fought for this country!" The man with a scar on his face roared as he looked at the people that had gathered around them. "This huge scar on my face is proof that! And you want me to be happy that I come home in my city to find it littered with rats!?"

"Your scar?"

"Yes, this scar that I got from--"

"...Is self-inflicted."

"W what are you saying!?"

Hearing Sofia's words, the scarred man could not help but stutter. "Do do you hear this woman, everyone!? She's only new in this town, and she is already speaking for all of us!"

Some of the women could not help but shake their heads as they stared at Sofia. Some of them already disliked her, and now with her speaking to someone who came back from war like that, maybe it was an opportunity to kick her out of the town completely.

Seeing the unnecessary attention that they were gathering, Sofia could not help but sigh once more. She then took one of the bags resting on Viel's lap and gave it to one of the children hiding behind him.

"Distribute this amongst yourselves, okay? We will be leaving now. Stay out of the streets for now until we come back tomorrow." She said before starting to push Viel.

The scarred man and his friends, however, blocked her path and grabbed the arm of Viel's wheelchair.

"We're not done talking here, woman!" The scarred man said. "You think you and your cripple husband can just walk away after demeaning my efforts like that!?"

"Let go of the chair, or I will show you how a scar is really achieved."

"Sofie don't."

Hearing Sofia's words, the man's burst of laughter once again echoed throughout the streets. He quickly let go of the armrest as he looked at the people,

"Did you hear that!?" He bellowed, "Did you hear this ungrateful bitch just threaten me after I fought for all of you!? Let us have her know her words

...will not be tolerated in this city!"

The scarred man then kicked Viel's chair, causing it to fall on its side and for Viel to roll on the murky and cold ground.

"Vi!"

"I I'm alright." Viel lightly chuckled as he tried to get up, making sure that the cape he was wearing wouldn't get any dirtier.

"What is going on here!?"

It was then that the guards came, one of them being Ted who was supposed to be guarding the gates. Since they were currently understaffed, he had no choice but to respond to the situation. But he didn't think that it would be Sofia and her husband that would be involved in the trouble.

However, seeing Viel helpless on the ground, Ted could not help but feel a heavy feeling building up inside him.

"What are you doing!?" He roared as he stared at the scarred men and his group.

"I'm alright, there's no need to fight." Once again, Viel chuckled as he tried to get up. Sofia wanted to support him up, but the scarred man stood on her path.

"Now, say the words you said again to my face, you ungrateful bitch!"

"Move or you would wish you were back protecting the shores."

Ted quickly stood in between the two, trying to disperse the altercation. However, the scarred man was an expert, a cultivator. Ted was unable to even budge him even with the full brunt of his force.

"You really are full of it, woman!"

The man raised his palm, however, before he could do anything with it, he felt a sudden chill crawl on every inch of his skin. No, it wasn't only him. All of the people in town started having chills as the air around them started to tremble.

The mud on the ground started to harden, and the vapor that was coming out of their mouth was now more visible.

And then the first snowflake fell onto the ground.

"S snow? This early?" One of the people commented.

The children who were still present could not help but giggle as they stuck out their tongues to taste the cold snow.

The scarred man, however, was currently frozen solid, not with the cold, but with the stare of the woman in front of him. The fact is, the woman was telling the truth-- his scar really is self-inflicted.

He didn't even get the chance to fight, because when he first saw countless hordes of the Demon God emerging from the shores and climbing on the borders, he instantly quivered in his boots and ran away. Plowing a knife across his face so he would at least have something to show the townspeople.

But this woman in front of him she looked even scarier than the army of death that threatened to lay waste on their lands.

"Move out of the way," Sofia once again repeated, "Or I will make sure you'd also be sitting in a chair after this."

"T that" The scarred man could not help but look around. He was about to retract his hand due to the weird feeling that was starting to surround his body, but when he saw the people whispering to each other while looking at him, his pride took a blow.

And so, gritting his teeth, he moved his hand.

"Okay, I think that's enough."

But before it could even move an inch towards Sofia's face, someone grabbed his hand.

"All of you go home."

It was Ted's superior, Gabriel. The scarred man could not even move his hand, as if it was burrowed to completely to the ground.

"You go check on your husband."

"..." Sofia slightly adjusted her spectacles as she nodded her head towards Gabriel, not even minding the scarred man anymore.

"S Sofi something is wrong?"

But before she could run towards Viel, the ground started to tremble and the clouds of dust on the rooftops of the houses started falling.

"!!!" Sofia quickly halted her steps as she looked at Viel, the coldness on her face was gone, replaced by that of fear.

"Sofi, my body feels hot."

The sound of Viel's breath started to echo throughout the town.

"Sofi What's happening to me?"

Viel tried to sit up, but as soon as his palm touched the ground, the ground beneath him cracked, causing the whole town to once again quake.

"V Vi, calm down." Sofia could not help but gulp as she started gathering her mana. "Listen to the beating of my heart Remember what we practiced?"

Hearing Sofia's words, Viel gently removed his hands from the ground and slowly lied down on the ground.

"T that's right, Vi. Focus on the beating of my heart I am here, okay?"

"...Always?" Viel's heavy and stuttered breaths started to slow down.

"Always."

***

"Father, what's wrong?"

On the other side of the continent, Noah was looking deep into the forest, his eyes fleeting.

"Nothing. I just suddenly remembered

...An old friend."