Chapter 27: Surprise cult.

Isht Odresa, the Count of Isht, was a seasoned lord who had stably ruled Isht for nearly half a century.

She was also a powerful magician who had been bestowed the title of “The Witch of the Embers,”

and true to her title, magic related to flames was her specialty.

She had hair that burned like fire, befitting a flame magician, but,

excluding the color, her hair was dry, and her skin, which contrasted with her hair color, was almost as pale as a patient’s.

And there were dark circles under her languid, half-closed eyes.

Perhaps because she had awakened late as a magician, her appearance remained in her mid-thirties,

and because of the above-mentioned complex factors, she always looked like someone who had been up all night for several days.

“I am showing you an embarrassing sight.”

The Count had entered the drawing room a little late.

Signa and Karat stood behind Yukomis, who was sitting at the table waiting.

Karat, who was seeing her for the first time, wondered if the Count was a patient with a serious illness, but Yukomis knew that the Count was an extremely healthy person, just with that appearance.

“I don’t know if my son Galar explained it well.”

Even the Count’s voice sounded languid.

“I heard roughly, but I don’t understand anything.”

For someone of Isht’s rank, even if it was Yukomis’s status, it was basic to treat each other with mutual respect.

However, as soon as Yukomis finished the formal greeting, she sharply raised her eyes,

and did not hide her uncomfortable expression at all.

‘Hmm…’

This was a really difficult situation to explain even for Count Odresa, who had experienced all sorts of hardships on the battlefield and in the political arena.

“What do you mean that the people here worship my sister?”

“It’s not that all citizens do. It means that there are citizens who do.”

“I don’t need such clichéd words. Tell me in detail.”

“The forces have increased rapidly recently. The first discovery was in the Bildur region, and it seems to have quickly crossed over to Isht.”

“Bildur?”

For Yukomis, it was the destination of this trip from the beginning.

“Yes. Moreover, the speed of expansion of the church is… explosive.”

“But why do you need my help for this? This is something Isht should solve on its own.”

“It’s worshiping Lady Thermis. Doesn’t Lady Yukomis mind?”

Yukomis’s mind was, for a moment, located somewhere ambiguous between “There are people who recognize how great my sister is, not bad” and…

“How much do those fools know about my sister?”

“What kind of person my sister is and being the subject of religious worship are completely different issues. And you know very well what position I should take.”

“I fully understand that position of yours.”

The Empire officially believed in and worshiped only the ‘Providence of Magic’.

However, although the object of belief was singular, the interpretations of that object differed slightly.

The oldest Imperial National Church mainly dealt with ancient magic whose activation process had not been explained at all,

and thought that the ‘Providence of Magic’ was close to a personal god with emotions and thoughts as a transcendent being.

What branched out from there was the Imperial Magic Society.

The Magic Society saw the ‘Providence of Magic’ as closer to a pantheistic being that merely existed under the cosmic order. Therefore, they argued that exploration and constant contemplation were more important than worship in order to reach Providence itself.

It wasn’t that there was no war of nerves between the two,

but the Magic Society still respected the older church, so there was no major friction.

From the style of spell composition, rituals and ceremonies, to the title attached to the name, the religious color was also heavily maintained following the church.

Above all, the approaches of both were proven to be useful during the Great War.

Yukomis was currently the Great Magician, the head of the Magic Society.

She was not someone who could say to leave the heretical religion alone, whatever it was.

“And it’s obvious that these underlings will only produce distorted information in the end. In just ten more years, they’ll be worshiping someone who has nothing in common with my sister, only the same name.”

Yukomis bit her lower lip slightly as if she was angry.

“They’re sure to commit ugly things by selling my sister’s name soon.”

Soiling her sister’s honor was something Yukomis could never tolerate.

“Usually, your insights would be correct, but… it seems that it’s not that simple this time.”

Count Odresa finally let out a big sigh.

“What else is there?”

“If it was just believed by the citizens of my territory, it would still be possible to control it. But there are fairies involved here.”

“Fairies? You mean elves?”

“Yes. You could say that the Northern Elves are involved in this religion. No, in fact, they’re close to being key figures.”

Only then did Yukomis realize why Galar and Count Odresa had continued to emphasize that this was a ‘difficult problem’.

“From the fact that the object of worship is Lady Thermis, it was really difficult for us to deal with it. There was a possibility that it could turn into a family feud with Solenas.”

Count Odresa paced around the drawing room anxiously.

“But… if we don’t take any action, Lady Yukomis herself is also the Great Magician.”

Then she approached the fireplace in the drawing room and began to look at the fire.

“So when I tried to take some preventative action again… I found out that the key figures of the cult were also Northern Elves. If it was Southern Elves, it would be one thing, but the Northern Elves were honorable allies who fought against the Demon King. If Isht were to take some action alone, it would become a diplomatic problem.”

“Why are those elves worshiping my sister?”

Yukomis felt a headache for the first time since entering the room.

It was what Odresa had been experiencing for several nights.

“I can’t know exactly, but there are various reasons. For example… when Lady Thermis slaughtered the ancient fire dragon during the Great War, the place was in the airspace of the Great Forest, which is the elves’ territory. Lady Yukomis, you were there too, right?”

“…I was.”

There was no way Yukomis wouldn’t know.

It was because she had been doing aerial combat for a long time in that cold place, and her sister’s Wyvern, Monad, had almost frozen to death.

At that time, the other members of the Wyvern Knights were fighting on the ground with the elven warriors.

“Most nobles don’t know, but she was also the one who mediated the border friction with the elves.”

That was also true.

Not long after killing the fire dragon, the Border Count, who bordered the Northern Elves’ territory, declared that part of the Great Forest that the fire dragon had burned down was his territory.

Using the ridiculous reason that ‘Elves live in the forest, but as you can see, this is no longer a forest’.

The elves took the Border Count’s declaration as a betrayal of their alliance,

and Thermis had to fly back to the Great Forest area on the dying Monad to mediate between the two.

“In addition, she suspended the forest development plan, suggested a ban on hunting certain animals and plants… In many ways, she did a lot of things that would please the elves.”

She requested that animals that elves considered sacred, such as guardian species, be designated as “endangered species,”

and that forest conservation was a “preemptive measure for carbon neutrality”…

She boasted that they would be grateful to her hundreds of years later, but no one understood what she was talking about.

It was just because the elves liked it. Since they were allies, it was necessary to win them over to some extent.

That was why Thermis’s proposal was accepted.

“So it’s not surprising that the elves like Lady Thermis.”

“But you didn’t know they would like her this much.”

“That’s right. Who knew they would even worship her like this. Personally, I think there must have been some trigger.”

It was Odresa’s turn to bring up another difficult problem.

“As you know, His Majesty doesn’t want to highlight Lady Thermis’s achievements as much as possible. Most of the achievements were divided up and returned to others.”

That was the most infuriating and disturbing thing for Yukomis.

The fact that a non-magician, a ‘dropout’ from the ducal family, had achieved mythological achievements.

Everyone knew what the consequences would be if that fact were publicly proclaimed.

Nobles were nobles because they could produce magicians,

and commoners were commoners because they could not produce magicians.

It was not what the imperial family, nor any family head, wanted for some figure who broke the boundary between them to become an idol for the commoners.

That was why Yukomis was annoyed whenever the honor that had been passed on to her was mentioned.

That was what Her Majesty the Emperor wanted, what her mother wanted, and what every other noble family head wanted.

You say Thermis was a good person? I understand that.

My daughter and I have also met her.

But the family always comes first, rather than personal feelings.

It was only mentioned that her sister had formal command of the Wyvern Knights as the eldest daughter of the ducal family and the eldest,

and in the end, she was demoted to a role of protecting the magicians, who were the core force.

Within this closed order…

Her sister should never be more than a supporting role in history.

“But the elves don’t care about our human society’s pretense.”

Odresa spat out a little bitterly.

“That’s right.”

Odresa had also talked to Thermis during her lifetime.

She knew her personality.

Odresa looked like she was in her thirties, but she was already close to a hundred years old.

With the eyes unique to the elderly, she knew that Thermis was a good and trustworthy person.

‘Born a non-magician, worked hard enough to die, became the captain of the Knights who commanded magicians from prestigious families… A person who killed the Demon King alone and became a martyr…’

Odresa let out a hollow laugh inside.

Even just summarizing it was a very exemplary heroic epic.

The most dangerous part was that, unlike ordinary cults, there was no fabrication in it.

“…And the elves are a long-lived race. They are walking history books and encyclopedias.”

“If it’s a religion created by such elves, you think it will have enough permanence, right?”

“That’s right, Lady.”

“Ha…”

Yukomis brought her index finger to her forehead and almost collapsed on the table.

Recently… Since visiting Irendel.

Ever since meeting Signo there. She felt like she was constantly facing her sister’s shadow.

For the three years after her sister’s death. She had lived trying not to even bring up her topic.

Suddenly, traces of her sister that she could not avoid were pouring down on her mercilessly like a downpour.

Yukomis turned her head and looked at Signo, who was standing like a stone statue behind her…

No, Signa.

At her instruction, Signa was still just wearing her hood.

Because of that, even Yukomis couldn’t figure out what Signa was thinking right now.

‘Even so, she’s usually more mentally disturbed than this. She’s strangely quiet.’

Count Odresa, as if conscious of Yukomis’s gaze, asked about Signa again.

“Lady. That girl… you only said she was a companion, but who is she really? You won’t even let us know her name…”

“Sorry, Count. It’s not that I don’t trust you, but this kid is likely to make the situation more complicated.”

Thinking about it calmly, this was not a safe situation for Signa either.

Yukomis didn’t think Odresa would recognize the twelve-year-old Thermis,

but there was always a possibility.

“When you think about it, her very existence could be a huge disaster for Isht.”

Odresa, of course, couldn’t understand what she meant, but…

She knew that Yukomis was a smart person who put public affairs first.

If she said so, Odresa was ready to believe her.

“Anyway, I think I’ve heard enough about what’s going on. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you, but I think I should just say it now.”

Yukomis added a brief explanation there.

“She’s someone who can help with this too.”

“The Isht Count is always ready to help Yukomis Pranon Solenas.”

Odresa bowed her head politely.

“There’s someone I want you to find with your power. I don’t know her exact whereabouts, but she’s probably wandering around near Isht.”

“Who is it?”

“Silissa.”

Yukomis spoke the name of her old comrade.

Somehow, there was a small crashing sound behind Yukomis.

“Ah, you have to be careful…”

And Karat whispered softly.

Yukomis ignored it and continued what she was saying.

“Find Silissa.”

“……Excuse me, Yukomis. Are you talking about Silissa, the only elven member of the Wyvern Knights?”

Somehow, Odresa looked even more tired than she had until now as soon as Silissa’s name came out.

It was as if the inner age of nearly a hundred years was cast on her skin in an instant.

“Yes. Is there another Silissa?”

“That… I don’t think so.”

Odresa sighed heavily again.

“Yukomis, I don’t think you need to find Silissa.”

“Why?”

Odresa anxiously avoided her gaze.

Yukomis, who had become anxious as well, asked the question again.

“Why?”

“She’s in the dungeon right now.”

Suddenly, silence fell.

Yukomis’s mouth opened blankly.

“She’s involved in that problematic religion.”

This time, something completely collapsed behind Yukomis.