Chapter 176
But how?
“Since holy power is her greatest weapon… should I investigate the temple more?”
Alice Dearrut was said to be close to High Priest Prion.
As the Empress pressed her throbbing temple and took a deep breath…
Suddenly, a strange sound—”kiririik, kiririik”—broke the silence of the bedroom.
The source of the eerie sound was a red flower on the nightstand right next to the bed.
The red flower, which had been perfectly ordinary until just now, twisted its stem and made the strange noise.
As the Empress opened her eyes and turned toward the flower at the bizarre sound…
The red flower turned its petals backward, revealing a hidden mouth that gaped open.
Sharp teeth were exposed, and then a parchment dropped out from the bizarre flower’s mouth.
After that, the flower concealed its mouth between its petals, returning to the appearance of an ordinary flower, as if it had never shown its chilling teeth.
Though it was a profoundly bizarre sight, Lariella showed not the slightest reaction.
For that grotesque flower was none other than an underground flower she had grown from a seed received from the Great One.
And that flower was the medium through which she received news from outside the palace.
The Empress parted the bed curtains and reached for the parchment spat out by the flower.
She untied the string and unrolled the tightly rolled parchment.
The letter had arrived from the temple.
The sender was Holy Knight Ezeto.
He was a strong candidate for the next Holy Knight Commander and her left hand, one of her closest confidants.
After reading Ezeto’s letter, Lariella’s face hardened.
The contents of the letter were ominous.
Lariella placed the letter on her knee and murmured softly.
“…A hero bestowed by the Chief Deity will soon appear…”
Indeed. The letter described the Chief Deity’s oracle, given after 100 years.
Moreover, not an official oracle, but one secretly given only to High Priest Prion.
If anyone else had claimed to have received an oracle alone, she wouldn’t have believed it.
But High Priest Prion possessed holy power equivalent to—no, stronger than—the Pope’s.
The strength of one’s holy power was evidence of how much the Chief Deity favored that person.
So the fact that High Priest Prion was special was known to everyone.
Everyone considered him the next Pope.
So if High Priest Prion said he had received an oracle, it was likely true.
But why give an oracle only to Prion?
That was concerning, but more serious was the ominous content of the oracle.
That a hero of the Chief Deity would soon appear and eliminate all evil forces.
There was only one group the Chief Deity would call evil forces.
Black magicians.
Those who continued the power left behind by the Dark Specter in primordial times.
The Chief Deity had captured the Dark Specter, which had disturbed his world, and sealed it within an ancient magic circle, but he couldn’t completely purify the dark power that remained on the continent.
No, he couldn’t even seal it properly.
Unknown to the Chief Deity, his closest priest had already been enchanted by the Dark Specter.
Therefore, that priest secretly left an ancient magic circle in the imperial palace without the Chief Deity’s knowledge.
Specifically, beneath this Empress’s Palace.
Indeed. Her master, the ancient magic circle beneath the Empress’s Palace, was none other than the Dark Specter.
The reason the Dark Specter could infiltrate the Pentium Empire, the most powerful nation serving the Chief Deity, was entirely due to the Chief Deity’s complacency.
Because the Chief Deity never realized that his closest priest had been enchanted by the Dark Specter, its strong power had been secretly passed down among those in power.
The dark power bestowed directly by the Dark Specter was incomparable to the scraps of black magic wandering in the slums.
For a long time, the master’s subordinates who had infiltrated the Pentium Empire had offered sacrifices in the basement of the palace, again and again.
And finally, as the time approached when the master could break the seal, she, who had received the strongest power among the master’s subordinates, had taken possession of this Empress’s Palace.
To break the master’s seal more quickly.
But… after that rabbit-like bewitching woman’s interference, now the Chief Deity’s oracle had descended.
Lariella had a bad feeling about this.
In truth, it wasn’t surprising that the Chief Deity would try to completely eliminate the remnants of black magic left on the continent after sealing the Dark Specter.
After all, even until now, Holy Knights and priests were constantly seeking out and killing the remnants of black magic and purifying the land.
But… this time was different from before.
From the oracle that had been cut off for 100 years being given secretly only to Prion, to its content suddenly stating that a hero would appear—everything was exceptional.
Moreover… eliminating all evil forces?
A single hero couldn’t possibly find and eliminate all the scraps scattered across the continent at once.
Unless the intention was to destroy the very source of power…
“Wait.”
As Lariella continued her thoughts, something flashed in her eyes.
“Could it be. Has the Chief Deity… noticed?”
Had the Chief Deity realized that the Dark Specter was here…?
As soon as she thought this, all the incomprehensible parts connected like puzzle pieces falling into place.
Why the oracle was given only to Prion, the true meaning of “eliminating all.”
And she could guess who the Chief Deity’s hero might be.
Because there was only one person in the Pentium Empire now who possessed holy power surpassing High Priest Prion.
‘So you really were chosen by the Chief Deity. You weren’t targeting me… you were targeting my master from the beginning.’
The parchment crumpled unceremoniously in Lariella’s hand.
“I can’t just let this happen.”
Lariella, her eyes flashing dangerously, descended from the bed.
Whoosh—
After burning the parchment, Lariella approached the window with elegant steps.
And she fully opened the blackout curtains covering the window.
The night sky with twinkling stars.
Having found all the answers, her seclusion ended today.
Pentium Imperial Calendar, Year 981, September 17th.
[The Firmly Closed Doors of the Empress’s Palace Reopen.]
[Her Majesty Empress Lariella Pentium, as the mother of the Second Prince, had closed the doors of her palace about a fortnight ago, taking responsibility for the black magic excommunication, despite the dissuasion of numerous nobles. However, upon hearing the news of the First Prince’s miraculous awakening, the Empress has finally reopened her doors. As soon as she opened the doors of the Empress’s Palace, she visited the First Prince to fulfill her duty as the mother of the Empire and personally examined the First Prince’s condition…]
Pentium Imperial Calendar, Year 981, September 18th.
[Empress Personally Petitions for Severe Punishment of the Heinous Person Who Attempted to Poison the First Prince.]
[As soon as the reinvestigation of the First Prince’s poisoning case began, Her Majesty Empress Lariella Pentium visited His Majesty the Emperor to petition for a clear revelation of the truth behind the incident. She also stated that she would fulfill her responsibilities as Empress from now on. She inspected the entire internal palace management system, visited the Third Prince, who is mentioned as a strong candidate for Crown Prince, to offer generous advice, and personally filled in what was lacking in the Prince’s Palace.]
Pentium Imperial Calendar, Year 981, September 19th.
[Has the Chief Deity’s Oracle, Absent for 100 Years, Descended?]
[A strange rumor has begun to spread in the temple, which has been without oracles for 100 years. It is said that Lord Helios, the Chief Deity, has finally given an oracle after 100 years. However, according to a related person’s testimony, it seems to have been given secretly only to High Priest Prion. Moreover, as news spreads that this oracle contains content predicting a tremendous bloodbath in the Empire, the worry and fear of the Empire’s citizens are growing. However, High Priest Prion firmly stated that it was merely a baseless rumor, and the Pope also strongly denied the oracle. Nevertheless, stories about the oracle continue to spread among the Empire’s citizens and even within the temple, focusing attention on the temple…]
Two days after the Empire was stirred up as public interest shifted from the Empress to the temple.
Pentium Imperial Calendar, Year 981, September 21st.
Alice turned her gaze from the newspapers, which were still pouring out articles about the temple’s oracle, to an envelope placed beside the newspaper.
The seal of the imperial family was stamped on the wax seal.
In other words, this letter was sent from the imperial family.
More precisely, it was an invitation from Lariella Pentium, the Empress of the Pentium Empire.
“…Later than I expected.”
Alice picked up the envelope and murmured softly.
In truth, Alice had expected the Empress to send her an invitation within a week.
Given the Empress’s situation, she would have been anxious about the content of the oracle.
But the Empress was more leisurely than expected, and Alice had her doubts.
Was she trying to break the seal by offering sacrifices to the specter without involving Alice?
So Alice had asked Kylus to keep an even closer watch on the Empress’s Palace.
But Kylus had said:
‘Lien, there are no suspicious movements in the Empress’s Palace so far. No suspicious individuals are entering or leaving, and rather, the Empress is refusing visits from noblewomen.’
The Empress had opened the doors of her palace the very day after the oracle spread, but she neither sought out Alice nor showed any suspicious movements.
But just as Alice was becoming anxious, wondering if the Empress might have found the oracle suspicious, the invitation arrived right on time.
The head lady-in-waiting of the Empress’s Palace, a countess, had personally brought the invitation to the duchy yesterday afternoon.
The content of the invitation was as expected—a desire to have tea with her at the Empress’s Palace today.
There was no other particular message.
That was natural.
The Empress’s purpose today wasn’t to drag her to the Dark Specter, but to confirm the content of the oracle.
So Alice had immediately responded to the long-awaited invitation saying she would attend, and had been adorned since early morning, waiting for the time to depart for the Empress’s Palace.
Dong—
And finally, the noon bell, the time for departure to the Empress’s Palace, rang.
