Chapter 121: Ashes and Prayers
More than this? Well, she had.
Sue recalled the incident last winter. Come to think of it, he must have been surprised back then too.
To ask him to help Raines Noel.
But Acrea had granted her wish without complaint. To repay the various debts he owed her.
And so, maybe that was why she had said those words to him on the academy stairs that night.
‘Yes, I’m worried. Enough to want to ask the Imperial Family and the Grand Temple to look into it.’
Hoping that something would be accomplished if she asked him.
She had failed back then, but in the end, Acrea was now investigating the Holy Demon Religion. The moment she heard his purpose, Sue was so relieved that she almost felt grateful for Reeves’s eccentricity.
Sue, who had been staring at Acrea with a dazed expression, slowly smiled.
“Thank you, Louis.”
Acrea ended up carrying both bundles, and Sue scattered the ashes for both of them.
Normally, they were supposed to line up by class and be assigned partners based on their class, but Acrea and Sue were still beginners who hadn’t been properly baptized, so they were allowed to partner up as observers.
‘Well, that’s just for show. He probably agreed because a Second, close to First, wanted to be his partner.’
Sue smirked inwardly, remembering the high priest’s eager face as he had greeted Acrea at the start of the minor pilgrimage procession.
Acrea’s pettiness had been helpful, as Sue’s reason for returning here was to be his partner.
The minor pilgrimage procession continued for a long time. Sue, relieved of the burden of carrying the bundle, scattered the white ashes from the basket, enjoying the surrounding scenery.
Her legs were starting to ache when Acrea finally spoke,
“Marie.”
“What?”
Sue, now Marie, answered informally. Acrea tilted his head slightly.
“Are you still worried about Lady Vava?”
Sue hesitated for a moment, then answered after a long silence, scattering ashes into the river,
“I am.”
“I see.”
The white ashes, scattered by the wind, slowly settled on the surface of the river and sank.
“Yes, so I’m glad you’re here, Louis. It’s a big help. Really.”
She wondered if it was okay for Marie to say that. But she wouldn’t have been able to say it if she wasn’t Marie. At least not sincerely.
The sun began to set, and the ashes in the basket were finally gone. The followers, reaching their destination, followed the high priest’s instructions and placed their bundles in their empty baskets, then set them adrift on the river. The minor pilgrimage was over.
The followers, who had been walking for hours under the scorching sun, carrying heavy bundles, were exhausted.
Sue, like the others, collapsed on the ground and pounded her tired calves with her fists.
She hadn’t moved her body this much in a long time. She would definitely have sore muscles tomorrow.
If she was this tired just from carrying the ash basket, how tired must the others be, who had been carrying bundles? Especially Acrea, who had carried two bundles, a Second and a Fifth.
“Marie, were you waiting?”
Acrea, to Sue’s surprise, was perfectly fine, walking around nearby. He sat down next to her, holding two wooden water bottles, which he had gotten from somewhere.
“Here, drink this. Are you okay?”
He handed her one of the water bottles.
“Thank you, I’m fine.”
It was a disposable wooden water bottle, but the water tasted sweet.
“Your maid gave it to me.”
“R-really…?”
“Yes.”
Acrea smiled, ignoring her stammering.
“Everyone, are you okay?”
What was Ten doing?
As Sue was wondering, a radiant golden girl approached the Fifth section.
“S-Saint!”
The exhausted followers jumped to their feet at Melaine’s appearance. Melaine smiled kindly, basking in their adoring gazes.
“Everyone, please drink some water.”
She was carrying a stack of wooden water bottles, just like the ones Acrea had brought.
“As expected of the Saint! Thank you!”
The followers, who had been drinking water from the river, rushed towards Melaine. It wasn’t just those who were thirsty. The Fifths, who had always been kept at a distance, flocked to her, wanting to see the Saint’s face for even a second.
Sue, seeing Melaine, quickly covered her face with her empty basket, but it was unnecessary. Melaine was already surrounded by the crowd, praising the Saint, and she didn’t even notice Sue.
“Lady Vava looks happy.”
Acrea, observing the theatrical scene, smiled like a doll. Sue mumbled,
“She does.”
Looking at Melaine, her face beaming as she handed out water bottles, Sue felt a strange sense of dissonance, wondering if this was really the Melaine Vava she knew.
She looked so happy.
‘It would have been nice if that happiness wasn’t the result of brainwashing.’
Good doctrine, good ritual, good followers.
Sue Byron was the only one here who knew that all this ‘goodness’ was a facade.
Knowing that it would all crumble one day, she couldn’t simply admire the sublime scene, the followers smiling despite the arduous pilgrimage.
“Now, let’s meditate and pray to God on those boats.”
The end of the minor pilgrimage was a return to the starting point. They would board the dozens of boats that had been prepared at the destination and return to the lower reaches of the river. The final ritual, which sounded so grand, was essentially a reward for the followers who had completed the minor pilgrimage.
‘It’s quite well-organized for a cult… How did they become so greedy?’
Sue looked at the white-haired man in the distance, a hint of pity in her eyes.
She was about to board a boat when a female follower suddenly called out to Acrea, who was standing behind her.
“Excuse me, would you like to ride with me?”
The woman’s face was flushed. She had fallen for Acrea.
The bold proposal almost caused a commotion, but Acrea smoothly shut it down.
“I’m sorry, I already have a partner.”
He glanced at Sue, who had already stepped onto the boat. Sue smiled awkwardly and touched her neck.
The woman, disappointed, couldn’t bring herself to press further and returned to her original partner.
Sue chuckled, enjoying the amusing scene.
Even in a place like this, love blooms.
“Sorry, did you wait long?”
The boat wobbled as Acrea stepped on board. Sue swayed and grabbed the railing.
“No, I’m fine.”
Maybe because she was ‘Marie’.
She was more comfortable in front of Acrea. More relaxed.
The boat, without a single oar stroke, slowly drifted downstream with the current.
“There’s magic on the boat. It’s not strange magic.”
Acrea touched the side of the boat and quickly detected the magical formula.
‘It’s not strange magic…’
Sue just nodded, disappointed, and stared blankly at the rippling surface of the river.
The hot wind, colliding with the cold water of the river, turned into a cool breeze.
As she was quietly enjoying the tranquility, she heard singing coming from somewhere. She listened closely and realized it was a hymn. It was a man’s voice, and Sue vaguely guessed it was Mop Beard Rampleld’s.
“Byron, you mentioned brainwashing magic before.”
Acrea suddenly spoke. Sue opened her eyes slowly in the darkness. He was waiting for her answer.
“…You remember that?”
She hadn’t expected him to remember her casual remark. She gulped, wondering what he would say.
“The chapel, the high priest, the followers, the minor pilgrimage. There’s no trace of brainwashing magic anywhere.”
“…What…?”
Sue just stared at him, dumbfounded. He repeated, bringing her back to reality,
“There’s no sign of any illegal magic. Anywhere.”
“Ah… Yes, I see.”
The dull orange sky was heavy. Sue suppressed the urge to bury her face in her knees.
She couldn’t process his words directly, so she repeated them in her mind, forcing herself to understand.
“So you’re saying that they’re not using brainwashing magic in this subordinate religion.”
“Yes, there’s no sign of it. Really.”
Sue covered her mouth, pretending to be calm, and chewed on her lip.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
“It’s not a lie, believe me, Byron.”
Acrea’s voice was almost pleading. Sue didn’t know why, but she decided to reassure him first.
“I believe you, Master Acrea.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Acrea. Who else could she trust, when the Acrea grand duke family was known for their investigative skills? He had no reason to lie to her about this.
‘Even in the novel, it was difficult to find traces of brainwashing magic. Acrea couldn’t find it either? …Is it something only Halo can find?’
She felt even more drained than after the minor pilgrimage. A sense of emptiness washed over her, but she couldn’t show it in front of Acrea.
My god, nothing goes right …