Chapter 112:
Sue shook her head. Looking at Melaine’s glazed eyes, she seemed to have already fallen victim to the brainwashing magic.
The high priest’s brainwashing magic was not only difficult to break, but it also left lasting side effects as time went on.
Melaine’s Holy Demon Religion talk, which had begun so naturally, became more and more frequent as the days passed.
One day, Enzhe, Melaine, and Sue were having lunch together, and Enzhe, unable to bear Melaine’s incessant talk about the Holy Demon Religion, threatened her through gritted teeth.
“Melaine, if you mention that Holy Demon Religion one more time, I’ll throw you in the dungeon.”
The fact that she said this so openly in the crowded dining hall showed how obsessed Melaine had become.
Melaine was sulky all day after being scolded by Enzhe. Sue, seeing an opportunity, cautiously brought up the Holy Demon Religion when she was alone with Melaine.
“Lady Melaine, what kind of person is the high priest of the Holy Demon Religion?”
“Sue? Are you interested in the Holy Demon Religion?”
Melaine was clearly delighted by her question.
“The high priest gives bread to the poor and reminds the rich of their place. He always tells us to be grateful to God and to ourselves… He’s a very inspiring person.”
Melaine continued to ramble on about the high priest, holding up her raven pendant.
Sue gradually regretted her foolish question, feeling like her ears were bleeding.
Anyway, based on Melaine’s words, it seemed like the high priest was still focusing on good deeds to attract followers, rather than brainwashing or extortion. So it was relatively safe for now. But on the other hand, it meant that there wasn’t much evidence of wrongdoing yet, and their influence hadn’t grown enough to report them to the Imperial Family.
She had been keeping an eye on Acrea, just in case, but he hadn’t paid any attention to Melaine since the engagement was officially broken off.
Was it because their relationship was over? She felt a pang of bitterness.
Currently, Sue was the only one who knew the truth about the Holy Demon Religion. Judging from the way things were going, Melaine was definitely going to be ruined. Just because of a broken engagement.
But thinking back, there was no reason why Sue should save her.
She was faced with a troublesome dilemma.
“…This is what happened. What do you think?”
Sue went to the workshop as soon as the weekend arrived and told Jean about the situation, including the Holy Demon Religion.
“It’s just an ordinary subordinate religion. What are you worried about?”
Jean, who had been listening intently, replied in a disinterested tone. Sue, expecting that reaction, added calmly,
“Ordinary subordinate religions don’t use brainwashing magic.”
“Brainwashing?”
He finally reacted with interest. Sue nodded.
“Yes, the high priest of the Holy Demon Religion is using brainwashing magic to recruit followers.”
“How do you know that?”
Jean casually placed his cup on the table, amidst the scattered coffee cups. Sue chewed on her lip and replied vaguely,
“I had someone look into it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
She swallowed, ignoring Jean’s suspicious gaze. She could have just told him about her transmigration, but she knew he would demand a confidentiality fee.
Jean had countless questions. He wanted to dig deeper, but seeing her avoiding his gaze, he quickly changed the subject.
“Hmm, well, Dande is nearby. Subordinate religions are regularly inspected by the Grand Temple. Wouldn’t they have been caught already if they were using brainwashing?”
“I don’t know, they haven’t been caught. They’re still small, so even if I reported them to the Imperial Family, they would probably be ignored…”
Sue was also surprised that a cult born in Dande hadn’t been detected in the capital. Jean tilted his head, watching her struggle.
“But you know…”
“What?”
“Let’s say that Holy Demon Religion is a cult. What do you want to do about it?”
“What?”
Jean just shrugged, without explaining further. He knew she wasn’t asking because she didn’t understand.
Sue had been passionately expressing her concern about the Holy Demon Religion since she had arrived, but Jean hadn’t heard what she wanted to do.
He asked again, looking at the dumbfounded Sue,
“Are you worried about Melaine Vava? Or are you worried about yourself? Or do you want to destroy the Holy Demon Religion yourself?”
Sue pressed her lips together. She couldn’t think of a good answer.
She was just concerned because she knew the future of the Holy Demon Religion, because she was the only one who knew.
Sue slumped her shoulders and glanced at Jean.
“I don’t have the power to destroy the Holy Demon Religion… Jean, can you do it if I request it?”
Jean shook his head, his response lighter than she had expected.
“Hmm, I don’t think so.”
“…Why?”
He’s a genius mage, isn’t he?
That wasn’t the answer she had expected. Sue, forgetting her manners, tilted her head.
“Oh, so you were going to request it from me.”
Tsk, tsk.
Jean shook his head, looking at the dumbfounded Sue.
“I told you before, I can’t use magic above E-rank outside the barrier.”
“…When?”
“You weren’t listening?”
Sue lowered her head at his sharp gaze.
Come to think of it, he had explained the terms of their contract on the day they had signed it. And she had ignored half of it. Could he be talking about that?
“Hmm…”
Sue groaned, then suddenly raised her head.
“Why can’t you use it?”
A deep sigh, like a groan from the earth, filled the air.
“I told you that too. Don’t pry into my personal affairs.”
“….”
She had nothing to say to that. Sue reluctantly nodded. But Jean, dissatisfied with her lukewarm response, ran his fingers through his hair.
“Argh!”
“Oh my god, what’s wrong?”
Sue flinched.
“…To put it simply, even a genius like me isn’t perfect.”
“What? I thought you weren’t going to explain?”
“Just listen.”
Jean had surrendered. He chose his words carefully and explained,
“A long time ago, I made a certain contract with someone. It’s a contract where I can live hidden within this barrier, but in exchange, my ability to use magic outside is greatly reduced… That’s all I’ll say for now. Don’t ask any more questions.”
“Then… what about that fortune teller’s place?”
Sue, ignoring his warning, immediately asked the question that came to mind.
Sue Byron’s future is filled with darkness.
…She had received that fortune on Founding Day last year. She hadn’t shown it, but it had bothered her for a while.
Jean, reading her mind, chuckled.
“Fortune-telling is just bullshit. That tent was something I made a while ago.”
“…Sigh.”
“It’s a combination of low-rank illusion magic and a few other spells…”
“Then what about the magical power detection?”
“Ah, that wasn’t magic. I just did it. You didn’t know that?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Sue shrugged nonchalantly, and Jean, feeling awkward, rubbed the back of his head.
“Well, that’s true. It’s something only an unparalleled genius like me can do.”
Sue sighed, a hint of mockery in her voice, at his pointless boasting.
“About the Holy Demon Religion, if you’re really worried about it, I can make you some poison. Just feed it to the high priest.”
Jean brought the conversation back to the original topic.
Feed poison to the high priest.
It wasn’t a bad suggestion. But if she could have poisoned the high priest, the Holy Demon Religion would have been gone a long time ago. He was a man who could use layered brainwashing magic. She doubted he would die from a simple poison.
And she didn’t want to kill anyone, even if they were a criminal.
Sue, having reached a conclusion, prepared to leave.
“If I can’t request it from you, then I have no choice but to leave it alone. As you said, it might just be an ordinary subordinate religion… It’s none of my business anyway.”
“Hmm, really?”
“Yes, it’s none of my business. Ultimately.”
Sue repeated her last words.
Right, it was none of her business.
There was nothing to be gained from worrying about Melaine Vava. She just had to get rid of the snake curse on her body.