Episode 100
“My father did nothing wrong. He just needed someone to replace his lost daughter. Please, Your Highness, spare him.”
Noah pleaded, tears streaming down her face.
Elonia felt like she was seeing her true face for the first time.
And it was a shock. She hadn’t expected Noah to genuinely care for Count Rossi.
But Elonia herself had two names, two homelands. And she had come to consider this place her true home, so she couldn’t judge Noah too harshly.
‘…But Count Rossi’s brainwashing was broken at some point.’
She had thought it was impossible to break. And yet, he had broken free once, on his own.
“One question, Noah.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you have any idea why Count Rossi’s brainwashing was broken?”
“I don’t know for sure… But…”
Noah hesitated, her lips trembling. Then, remembering the dagger at her throat, she replied, her voice strained,
“…That prayer altar… it implants a strong desire, a hope. And it makes you believe it comes from the Calamity God. So I assumed the brainwashing would break if that hope was gone.”
It was a plausible theory.
False hope was a powerful tool. Someone with hope was easier to manipulate than someone who had lost everything.
‘Just like Felix’s methods.’
It reminded her of the Continental War.
She had been manipulated by him countless times. He had used Olivia, Simon, and even her deceased mother to control her, to convince her that she was Heilan’s eternal slave.
Elonia pressed the dagger closer to Noah’s throat.
“You said you would tell me everything, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Did the apostle create these prayer altars?”
“…”
Noah nodded.
Elonia’s voice turned cold and sharp.
“Tell me who the apostle is.”
Honestly, she wanted to kill Felix right now.
Executing him would be better than sacrificing thousands of lives in another war.
But Heilan didn’t have a suitable successor yet. Olivia and Simon were too young.
And Heilan, despite its expansion, was still a fragile nation, built on conquest, not loyalty.
If Felix died and Olivia or Simon ascended the throne, it would inevitably lead to another war.
So she had to separate the apostle from Felix first.
But Noah shook her head.
“I-I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie. The apostle created these holy tools. And that stone you gave me, the so-called good luck charm, it contained an immense amount of Holy Power, far beyond that of the prayer altars. They must have put extra effort into it. They wouldn’t entrust such an important tool to someone else. You received it directly from the apostle, didn’t you?”
“I-I swear! I don’t know who the apostle is! The clerics bring the prayer altars, and I received the good luck charm from Professor Julietta…!”
“Julietta? But she’s from Ravanta, even if she’s brainwashed.”
Elonia was puzzled.
Julietta, despite her position in the Theology Department, was a Ravanta citizen.
And if Noah was right about the brainwashing being based on hope, then Julietta, a Ravanta citizen, could betray them at any moment.
Why would a Delan citizen like Noah entrust such important information to a Ravanta citizen?
Noah, seeing the dagger inching closer to her throat, rambled,
“P-Professor Julietta’s brainwashing is unbreakable, and she’s the most suitable contact for the apostle, considering their status… I was a Magic Department student, so… I was given a less important role…”
“So you’re saying the apostle is within the Theology Department?”
“…That’s my guess.”
Noah nodded.
Elonia’s mind raced.
She and Ricardo had concluded that the apostle would be close to Felix, a valuable pawn he wouldn’t let go of.
But the apostle was in Ravanta?
And if they were in the Theology Department, the only possible candidate was Lucius.
‘But Lucius can’t create holy tools on this scale.’
Noah, seeing her disbelief, fumbled in her pocket and pulled out something. Elonia frowned.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a token for the regular prayer meeting.”
“A token?”
It didn’t emanate any aura. Elonia took it and examined it closely.
It was a small, square piece of glass with a serpent engraved on it, the symbol of the Calamity God cult.
“I was expelled before the prayer meeting, so I’ve never actually seen the apostle, but they’ll definitely be there.”
Elonia didn’t want to go to a place crawling with Calamity God fanatics. But she had to, to separate the apostle from Felix.
She put the token in her bag and sheathed her dagger.
Noah cautiously asked,
“…Are you going to spare me?”
“I can’t spare Count Rossi. He betrayed Ravanta.”
“T-that’s not fair…!”
Noah protested, but Elonia cut her off.
“I can’t spare him officially. But I can make a deal with you.”
“A deal…?”
Noah hesitated, her eyes filled with apprehension.
Elonia grinned, pointing at the candles on the wall.
“We’ll say you accidentally started the fire. And destroy all these prayer altars.”
“Fire! Fire!”
A servant’s scream turned the Rossi estate into chaos.
Artius, running against the flow of the fleeing crowd, desperately called out Elonia’s name.
“Elonia!”
“Dianne! Noah!”
Count Rossi was with him.
Just as they were frantically searching for their daughters, Elonia and Dianne appeared.
“Elonia!”
Artius, seeing Elonia, felt a wave of relief wash over him. Elonia shouted,
“What are you doing here? We have to get out!”
“I can’t leave without you!”
Artius, checking Elonia for injuries, sighed in relief when he saw that she was unharmed. Elonia chuckled.
“Seriously, you gave me teleportation scrolls, and you’re still worried?”
“You’ll understand when you become a parent.”
Elonia glanced at Count Rossi and Dianne.
Count Rossi, his face still pale, was checking Dianne for injuries.
Elonia tugged on Artius’s sleeve.
“Let’s get out of here. We’ll suffocate if we stay any longer.”
Crash!
A pillar collapsed, blocking their escape route.
“Eek…!”
“Oh God…”
Dianne shrieked, and Count Rossi, clutching his daughter tightly, called out to his god.
They seemed to think they were going to die here.
It was understandable, considering they were on the third floor.
A loud crash echoed through the hallway as Artius shattered a large window.
“Elonia, come here.”
“What about Count Rossi and Dianne?”
Artius could jump from the third floor with Elonia in his arms, but Count Rossi couldn’t.
Artius, his mind focused on Elonia’s safety, hadn’t considered them.
Or perhaps he didn’t want to save them.
Elonia drew her rapier.
“Everyone, gather around.”
“…?”
They hesitantly obeyed.
Elonia hadn’t been idle in this inferno.
She couldn’t use magic in the basement, but she could use it here.
Dianne looked at Elonia with wide eyes, and her suspicions were confirmed.
Elonia slammed her rapier on the floor, and a magic circle appeared beneath their feet. They were transported out of the burning building.
“Gasp…!”
In the blink of an eye, they were in the garden.
The servants, startled by their sudden appearance, gaped at them.
But then, realizing that they had escaped without their master and the royalty, they rushed towards them, their faces pale with panic.
“Your Majesty! Master!”
“Are you alright?!”
“Bring some wet towels!”
‘They’re quick to react.’
Elonia watched them fuss over Artius and Count Rossi, a sarcastic thought crossing her mind.
Artius offered her a glass of cold water.
“Drink this. You might have burned your throat.”
“Thanks.”
Elonia drank the water, then calmly observed the commotion, while Artius, puzzled by her calmness, asked quietly,
“Elonia.”
“Yes?”
“…Did you start the fire?”
“Yes.”
Artius’s mind went blank.
They had agreed to simply search the estate and collect evidence. How had she started a fire?
But Elonia had no choice.
It was the only way to get rid of the body and the prayer altars without raising suspicion. They would simply say the cleric had died in the fire.
“But I achieved my goal. I destroyed the prayer altars and collected the evidence. I’ll tell you everything when we get back.”
“…I have a lot to say, but… fine. Let’s do that.”
As long as Elonia was safe, that was all that mattered.
And he didn’t want to scold her when she seemed so troubled. He reluctantly nodded.
The official cause of the fire was Dianne accidentally dropping a candle on the carpet.
‘Noah handled it well.’
Elonia had been worried that Felix might kill Noah, but it seemed unnecessary.
He needed Noah to use House Rossi, and Noah, as Dianne, had to be unrelated to Heilan.
Back at the Imperial Palace, Elonia and Artius, after washing off the soot and ashes, gathered in the office.
Elonia, sitting upright on the sofa, said,
“I have to go back to the academy.”
“You said you were going to fix the magic tool.”
“Yes. I tested it, and it’s working fine. The rapier didn’t react when I was with Count Rossi and Dianne, so you did break his brainwashing, right?”
“…He admitted it after I told him Noah Anglores was impersonating his daughter.”
Elonia nodded.
Hearing that his daughter was dead would definitely break his brainwashing.
Elonia informed him,
“Anyway, I’m going back to the academy soon. Something else came up.”
“…?”
Artius’s eyes widened in surprise, and Elonia pulled out the token.
“What’s that?”
“A token for the prayer meeting. I’m going to the Calamity God prayer meeting.”
Clink.
Artius dropped his teacup.