Episode 116
Another way to break the brainwashing?!
Elonia, her eyes wide with surprise, rushed towards Lucius.
“Really? How? What were you doing?!”
She grabbed his arms, her excitement evident as she peppered him with questions, even standing on her tiptoes to meet his gaze. Lucius, unusually flustered, stammered,
“W-well… you’re a bit too close.”
“Ah.”
Elonia realized he was trembling. Well, she had almost killed him several times. It was natural for him to be afraid of her.
Lucius took a few steps back as soon as she released him.
‘He must have been terrified…’
Elonia made a mental note to keep her distance next time. Lucius finally spoke,
“Your Highness, are you familiar with the Calamity God’s holy relic?”
Elonia’s eyes widened.
Of course she was. She had been searching for it under Vermon’s orders in her past life.
“It is said that the Calamity God bestowed a holy relic upon his first apostle. It’s believed to contain a significant portion of his power.”
She knew that too.
The combination of Chelon’s power and the Calamity God’s holy relic would have been formidable.
That was why Vermon had been so desperate to find it.
But no apostle, other than the first, had ever possessed the relic. And just like any other mythical object, it had never been found.
Revealing her knowledge would expose her as Chelon. Elonia hesitated, her hand clenching into a fist.
But she couldn’t waste any more time.
“Lucius, that’s actually—”
“But there’s no record of its appearance, and no one, other than the first apostle, has ever possessed it.”
Lucius, as if he hadn’t heard her, interrupted her.
Elonia, surprised, looked up at him.
Lucius, instead of questioning her, simply smiled and nodded.
Elonia was speechless.
He had known she was Chelon all along and had deliberately interrupted her to prevent her from revealing her identity.
What had changed his mind? Elonia looked at him, her expression filled with a mix of confusion and gratitude, and Lucius, smiling gently, continued,
“So this is our alternative. We can’t use the holy relic, so I’ll use my apostle’s power. I’ll turn this place into an unofficial sanctuary. It won’t completely break the brainwashing, unlike the relic, but it will prevent it.”
An apostle’s power was divine power.
It might not be as powerful as a holy relic, but it was still divine power.
It might not be enough to break the brainwashing, but it could neutralize Tristan’s prayer altars, which were mass-produced and contained only a small amount of Holy Power. And Tristan wasn’t as powerful as the Calamity God yet.
But there was a problem.
Even if he turned this place into a sanctuary, it wouldn’t last long, perhaps a month at most.
A sanctuary was like a pristine land, its purity diminishing with every person who entered. That was why there were no sanctuaries in Heilan, a nation obsessed with religion.
So what Lucius was trying to say was,
“You want me to bind your apostle’s power to the academy?”
“Yes. The academy festival is our opportunity. A large-scale spell wouldn’t be suspicious.”
Elonia hesitated.
Tristan would notice.
Even if he was in Heilan, his essence was still connected to the Calamity God. He would sense the change.
Lucius, as if anticipating her concern, added,
“My status as a hostage will protect me. I can’t return to Heilan until my term is over, and they can’t come here without a valid reason.”
“…”
Elonia’s mouth went dry.
But if this was their only option, she couldn’t afford to hesitate.
She nodded.
“I’ll do it.”
Lucius’s eyes crinkled into a smile. It was nice to see him smiling, but it was also strangely unsettling.
Elonia, wanting to change the subject, asked,
“But are you sure you’re okay? You’re not well.”
“Not well? What do you mean?”
Lucius, as if he had no idea what she was talking about, asked. Elonia, exasperated, replied,
“You said you were seeing things. Are you sure you can use your apostle’s power in your condition? You might die.”
She had asked to change the subject, but she was also genuinely concerned.
But Lucius’s reaction was lukewarm, almost cheerful. His eyes widened slightly.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Of course I am!”
Lucius, stunned by her immediate and unwavering response, blushed and smiled. Elonia was taken aback.
“You’re smiling?”
He had a reckless disregard for his own life. She suddenly understood how Artius felt.
“My apologies, I’m just happy. But I’m fine. The voice isn’t harmful.”
“Not harmful?”
“Do you still remember what the voice said when you were younger? How it introduced itself?”
Suddenly?
Lucius seemed to be changing the subject now, but Elonia easily recalled the voice’s words.
“It said it was the one who made me unhappy, that it wanted to see me again…”
Elonia, her eyes widening, asked,
“It wasn’t a hallucination? And it’s attached to you now? Is it a ghost? Or is it alive?”
She had dismissed the possibility of it being the same voice during the prayer meeting. But Lucius bringing it up now made her reconsider.
Lucius had been tormented by the voice countless times. And yet, he wasn’t showing any signs of distress. In fact, he was trying to reassure her.
“If I had to choose, I would say it’s alive. So don’t worry. It seems like it wants to protect you.”
“Tell it to get lost! I don’t want to be saved at the cost of your life! Who is that thing, anyway?!”
Elonia’s outburst made Lucius chuckle. His amusement only fueled her anger.
“You think this is funny?!”
“It’s fine. And don’t be too angry. The voice told me about the holy relic.”
“…How does it even know about the holy relic?”
“I wonder.”
Lucius, leaving her with a cryptic riddle, excused himself, saying he had to go.
Elonia, frozen in place, pondered his words.
“Someone who made me unhappy, who wanted to see me again… And someone who knows about the Calamity God’s holy relic.”
Only one person came to mind.
But that was impossible.
That person was dead. And Elonia had never considered herself unhappy because of them.
Elonia, pushing aside the unsettling thoughts, returned to her classroom. She had more pressing matters to attend to.
The Academic Festival was an annual event showcasing the students’ achievements. The highlight was the Academic Presentation, held on the last day.
One representative from each department would present their work.
The Academic Department would present research papers, the Swordsmanship Department would hold sparring matches, the Magic Department would demonstrate new spells, and the Theology Department would offer blessings using Holy Power.
As Lucius had said, it was the perfect opportunity to cast a large-scale spell without arousing suspicion.
But first, Elonia had to become the Magic Department representative.
It was a prestigious position, awarded to the most outstanding student, regardless of their status.
It was a difficult position to obtain.
Or so it should have been…
“Elonia! You’re just in time!”
“Garnethia?”
Elonia, opening the classroom door, was greeted by Garnethia, her pink eyes sparkling with excitement.
“You’ve been chosen as the Magic Department representative for the Academic Presentation!”
Elonia dropped her textbook. A loud thud echoed through the classroom.
All eyes turned towards her, but Elonia, ignoring their stares, asked, her voice low,
“Wait, what? The competition hasn’t even started yet.”
The representative was chosen from the entire department, not just from each year.
The professors would nominate students, or students could apply and receive the professors’ approval. Then, the chosen candidates would compete for the position. It was a fair and transparent process.
The selection process for the Magic Department was simple.
The absolute amount of mana was a prerequisite. And they also valued creativity, the ability to create unique and innovative spells.
The professors would then choose the representative based on the spells demonstrated by the candidates.
But as far as Elonia knew, the candidates hadn’t even been chosen yet.
Had she been chosen just because she was the princess?
Garnethia, as if she had asked the most obvious question, replied, her expression slightly baffled,
“W-well… no one wants to compete with someone who can destroy buildings…”
“…”
“They don’t want to end up like that storage shed…”
Magic Department students, despite their curiosity, lacked competitiveness.
And they were pragmatic. They knew the risks outweighed the rewards, so they had simply withdrawn.
Elonia, though slightly annoyed at the reason for her selection, sat down, still puzzled.
Well, she had gotten the position. That was all that mattered.
Just then, Garnethia whispered to her,
“And Professor Caroline will be offering private tutoring sessions to the representative. She wants you to stay after class…”
Elonia closed her eyes, a sense of dread washing over her.
She was going to be seeing a lot of Caroline’s face this semester as well.