After an hour of deliberation, it was decided to go to the town of Rize.
A relatively minor settlement, located just at the edge of the area designated for cleansing.
'Fortunate... It took some convincing to make them not go to other cleansed nests...' Sophia sighed.
The Angel Squad, led by Ariel, had made at least 4 major cities disappear from the map, with the main Army obliterating at least 2 more and countless villages.
If Sophia was to give a rough estimate, it would be that they had eradicated about 150,000 demons by now.
'So many are now being properly punished.' She couldn't help but put her hands together, Father truly was the best.
If one were to ask who was worth serving more,
God or Cedric, Sophia would not be able to choose.
To her, both of these entities were one and the same.
When Father had created her, she had gained knowledge of almighty God, heavenly hierarchy, heaven itself, and even hell, but when she thought of such a glorious being, the only image she could conjure in her mind was that of Father.
It truly felt strange, but she did not care.
Father was all that God was. Kind, Forgiving, and Patient.
She let out a soft smile as she focused on the road ahead.
If she flew, Rize would have been a mere dozen seconds away but she couldn't abandon these demons.
"Lady Sophia... can I ask you something?" Elise asked shyly, her eyes darting away from the angel as a small blush took her face.
"Of course. Please speak."
"What do you think of me? ..." Elise's wings fluttered as she asked.
"What brought this question, Elise?" Sophia asked while raising her eyebrow.
"I... Just need to know!" She spoke sheepishly, despite her siren friend looking at her with amusement from the back of the carriage.
"You are... Beautiful young lady." Sophia smiled as she reassured the girl.
Was she insecure about her appearance, or was it something else? Sophia couldn't tell.
Elise's eyes widened for a moment as she blushed.
"Thank you, lady Sophia..." She smiled slightly before averting her gaze.
'Why is she so awkward? Just tell her!' Lara couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
Something Elise caught on, earning her a glare from shy Harpy.
Lara smirked for a moment before leaning over the edge of the carriage towards the driver seat.
"You know Soph..." Before she could finish, Elise placed her hand over Siren's mouth and pushed her back.
Sophia turned to them to which Elise responded in Siren's stead.
"It's ok, Lady Sophia. She just wanted to speak needlessly!" She shouted while blushing, her hand firmly plugging Lara's mouth.
"Mmmm!" Lara protested because she was silenced but let it happen anyway.
"We will need to make a small camp for tonight. The sun is almost down," Sophia spoke, her gaze set at the setting sun.
Her words made Elise and Lara snap back to the current situation.
"But we lack supplies. Are you sure that is wise, Lady Sophia?"
"It beats driving through the night," Lara interjected.
"We should be approaching a secluded forest soon. We can forage for some food and continue to Rize in the morning," Sophia explained, her tone calm and melodic as usual.
The worried murmurs of the other girls reached her ears, while she didn't want them to feel anxious as they were it was inevitable.
The night would be extremely dark, and most of them never left their hometown.
"I will protect you all, You can spread the word with other carriages. I promise that you will be safe." Sofia turned to the girls riding with her, the words of a savior reassuring them.
She wanted to offer a chance of redemption, and she wouldn't allow anything to happen to the girls before they had an opportunity to fulfill such redemption.
Once they entered the forest, the former slaver convoy settled in a small clearing, surrounded by thick woods on 3 sides with only a clearing that was large enough for one carriage to pass through.
While the girls struggled with many necessary skills needed to set up a camp, Sophia had used her power to easily set up basic necessities.
Elise looked with admiration as Sophia carried massive logs over her shoulder like she was a powerful Minotaur warrior.
She had sat on one of the stumps left by Sophia, which allowed her to have an unobstructed view of her savior.
Her eyes sparkled and her face blushed as she enjoyed looking at her savior prepare a source of warmth and shelter for the entire band.
'She is... so damn strong and cool.' Elise smiled in admiration as Sophia brought the final log.
"And that should be enough, We can start a fire that will keep you warm over the night." Sophia rubbed her hands together, removing debris.
Elise gulped as she closed her eyes, this was her chance to speak out her feelings for her savior.
Despite knowing her for less than a day, she wished to show her how much she appreciated her.
Elise stood up, finally gathering her courage.
She approached the Angel who watched over everyone before weakly speaking. "Sophia I..."
However, she was interrupted by one of the Minotaur girls calling for her.
She instinctively reached for the Angel before sighing.
'Why am I like this?...' She couldn't help but ask herself this; she had never acted like this before and ever since Sophia saved her she had nothing else but the woman on her mind.
She placed her hands on her face, not noticing her new Siren friend approaching from behind and smacking her over the head.
"Gahh?! What was that for?!" She suddenly turned around, glaring at Lara.
"Why are you such a coward? Are you sure you don't want me to tell her?" Lara spoke bluntly.
"Don't you dare!" She screeched quietly enough for Sophia not to hear them.
"I will give you a day more, If you do not confess, I will tell Sophia myself. I can't look at my new friend being such lovestruck mess!" Lara smiled warmly before taking a seat on the log where Elise sat before.
"If you do not tell her, I might steal her from you," Lara smirked as she watched Elise glare at her before charging at her and knocking her back.