CH 318

Being a fanatic is inherently strange.

They may seem powerless before the gods, yet they possess something called free will.

Lydia Schmitt tried to kill me. She didn't actually say so, but the circumstances were so clear that there was no need to confirm it verbally.

Lydia Schmitt, who obediently followed me with such intent, eventually discovered that the person she tried to kill was, in fact, the Champion of Tu’an.

Lydia Schmitt, who believed her devotion to the gods to be unrivaled, had no choice but to admit that she had tried to kill the Champion of Tu’an without recognizing him.

Fanatics never doubt the gods.

Typically, they don't doubt themselves either.

They appear to believe in the gods, but ultimately, they believe in their own faith in the gods.

Because of their loyalty to the gods, they believe that they cannot be wrong.

However, the truth unfolded differently from her belief.

The person she tried to kill was actually chosen by the gods.

At the moment Lydia Schmitt acknowledged this, she had to admit that she was wrong.

But fanatics cannot do that. If they could, they would not have fallen into the abyss of fanaticism in the first place.

So.

Lydia Schmitt could not admit that her intended actions were the greatest sin against the gods.

She had to create a logic that she was not wrong without denying or doubting the gods.

"It should belong to Olivia! That… that item shouldn't be in your hands!"

Naturally, Lydia Schmitt labeled me as a thief of the sacred object.

It seemed that she had created a logic that the Tiamata, a sacred object of Tu'an, must belong to Olivia since Olivia had served Tu'an.

"Yes, it belongs to Senior Olivia."

"What?"

"It's a shared possession. I can't show it to you right away, but this Tiamata is mine as well as Senior Olivia's. Our souls are bound together simultaneously, I guess. Oh, you might not like hearing this... but what can I do? To put it simply..."

I grinned and whispered into Lydia Schmitt's ear.

"Olivia and I are, in essence, soul-bound to each other."

"Yo-you! You filthy, despicable worm! How dare you speak such impure words to the representative of Tu'an!"

Representative of Tu'an?

From the Holy Empress of the Millennium Empire to the representative of Tu'an now?

What on earth does this crazy woman think of Olivia?

It seemed that she could not accept the fact that the goddess of purity had formed a soul bond with someone like me.

"You demon! Give back the Tiamata! It's not something for the likes of you to hold! The Tiamata is a sacred object passed down through generations to the priests and holy knights of Tu'an, not for unbelievers like you!"

"Is the soundproofing really effective?"

"Yes, it is."

I found this quite fascinating.

Inwardly, I had thought that if I showed Tiamata, she might prostrate herself and apologize.

I hadn't expected such a reaction, but seeing her hatred for me intensify upon witnessing Tiamata was intriguing in its own way.

Lydia Schmitt was not a faithful servant of the gods.

She was just one of those people who interpreted and accepted the gods in her own way.

And so, wasn't she spouting such nonsense because she didn't want to admit she was wrong?

If I were an unworthy person, why had Tu'an allowed me to become Tiamata's master?

Then she would have to admit Tu'an was imperfect.

Now, Lydia was essentially saying that Tu'an made a mistake because she didn't want to admit she was wrong.

Fanaticism was no different from self-suggestion.

All humans needed logic to protect themselves.

Thus, didn't Lydia Schmitt ultimately acknowledge her own belief in deciding to kill me, rather than the gods?

Fanaticism was not steadfast faith and piety, but merely a crazed belief.

Fanaticism could not be faithful.

I had no intention of discussing with Lydia Schmitt, who was experiencing cognitive dissonance, what faith and gods were.

Lydia Schmitt gave me a chance.

To part ways with Olivia.

Because I refused, Lydia Schmitt tried to kill me.

I also gave her a chance.

I told her that I was Tu'an's champion, the one she was trying to kill. Would she still do it?

Lydia Schmitt insisted that I had used some underhanded trick to snatch Tiamata, didn't even believe that Olivia and I shared ownership, and would go even crazier if she found out.

She believed that my very existence harmed Olivia's purity.

"I don't know what dirty trick you used to steal Tiamata, which should have been Olivia's, but divine retribution awaits you!"

She was now utterly convinced of it. She would continuously create arguments and logic to protect herself.

"I'll make you regret it! I don't know what kind of conspiracy you had with that evil sorcerer..."

-Smack!

"Ouch!"

I struck Lydia Schmitt's chattering head with the flat side of Tiamata's blade.

"Quiet. From now on, just answer the questions."

"…"

"What is this Millennium Empire?"

"…"

"Can't understand a word you're saying. Want a taste of divine power?"

"Don't discuss divine power with your blasphemous mouth!"

"…Communication isn't working."

I looked toward Eleris.

"I'm sorry, Eleris."

"Yes."

There was no need to hide anything in front of someone who was going to die anyway.

"Can't you make her listen better? Or at least, she's got so much energy, but it's too much."

"…"

Eleris silently stared at me, then slowly walked toward me. Without a word, she stood beside me and gently pressed her face against the bound Lydia Schmitt's face.

"Must I reveal everything?"

I know what she's talking about.

"Ah."

Eleris seemed to take a deep breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them again.

"!"

Her eyes revealed crimson irises and slit black pupils. At this overwhelming sight, Lydia Schmitt's lips trembled in shock.

"Vam... Vam... Vamp... Vampire...? H-how... How... How did...?"

Lydia looked back and forth between me and Eleris. It must be hard for her to believe that I, who held Tiamata, was controlling a vampire as my servant.

That's right.

In fact, much of what Lydia Schmitt said was wrong, but much was also right.

No, rather, it was an understatement.

She called me a demon-like creature.

I'm not just a demon, but rather the more powerful Demon King.

I can only be an even more evil existence than whatever Lydia Schmitt imagined or defined.

Lydia had underestimated me.

As things continued to surpass the limits of her imagination, Lydia Schmitt was on the verge of losing her mind.

Eleris, who had revealed her true form, brought her face as close as possible to Lydia Schmitt's, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I am a Lord Vampire. I am called Eleris, the ruler of Tuesday among the seven nights."

"Ahh... Ah... Aahh..."

Lydia Schmitt was already immersed in fear as events surpassed her understanding.

"Even if you say nothing, with just one sip of your blood, I can make you my slave and learn everything. No matter how strong your will, resistance will be futile."

"Ahh... Uh... Uuhh... Uu... U..."

"Do you want to live as a human by revealing the secrets that will eventually be uncovered? Or would you rather spend the rest of your life as a vampire due to the secrets you hide?"

With her eyes wide open, Eleris whispered these words as if forcing them into Lydia Schmitt's eyes.

"Make your choice."

Secrets are meaningless in front of me.

Eleris forces this realization into Lydia Schmitt's mind.

------

"You... You are... What on earth... are you?"

"You were right. I'm not a worm, but something like a demon."

"That's... That's... That's impossible... How can someone like you... be in the temple...?"

"You're funny. You called me a demon, but now that I'm really a demon-like being, you say it's impossible? So, you called me a demon, even though you knew I wasn't one?"

"..."

She might have shouted that I was a demon, but she probably didn't think I would actually be something similar.

Since my mere servant, a Lord Vampire, had so easily subdued her, she must think I am an even more incredible being.

Although my existence is indeed like that, in truth, there was no need to tell her the private fact that Eleris is much stronger than me.

"I'll ask you for the second time, what is this Millennium Empire? If you don't answer, you might end up becoming a vampire."

Upon hearing my words, the color drained from Lydia Schmitt's face, leaving her ashen and pale.

"Do you think you can commit suicide if you become a vampire? Your life and death would be determined by the will of your master. If you want to try something like becoming a vampire cleric, just keep provoking me."

I wasn't sure about the actual process of becoming a thrall or a slave, but I bluffed based on what I thought.

Lydia Schmitt was already overwhelmed by fear, so she would believe whatever I said as truth, regardless of its accuracy.

She had been trying to deceive me just a moment ago, but now she was the one deluded.

She was far stronger than an active holy knight, but she had been subdued so easily, and that was merely the power of a mere servant.

A servant of me.

Possessor of Tiamata, a being of unknown origin who referred to itself as something akin to a demon.

From this point on, it was not deception but delusion.

She would start to think of me as something beyond her wildest imagination.

Keeping a secret was impossible.

Lydia was trembling, perhaps thinking of herself as a vampire.

She may have imagined herself destroying such an existence, but she had never considered becoming one.

There was no point in committing suicide as a vampire. Her thoughts would be dominated anyway.

To fall from a promising future as a holy knight of Ares to a being that fed on human blood and lurked in the shadows of the night.

Could there be a greater insult in her entire life? The mere thought was terrifying and shameful, and Lydia trembled as if she were being whipped.

Sometimes, secrets are incredibly weak.

If you realize that hiding them is ultimately meaningless, you have no choice but to reveal them all too easily.

Even secrets worth dying to protect are not exempt.

"Th-the... Millennium Empire... it's a plan... pursued by... the 'Nameless Monastery'..."

Lydia Schmitt had begun addressing me with extreme reverence.

------

The Nameless Monastery.

Another unknown concept had appeared. Lydia Schmitt's face displayed a mix of misery, wretchedness, and fear as she spoke of it.

"What is this Nameless Monastery?"

"It's a... religious community... composed of members from various sects and organizations within the Five Great Religions..."

"So the purpose of this Nameless Monastery is to unify the power of the Five Great Religions and establish a religious state? And they're planning to appoint Olivia Lanze as the first Holy Empress?"

"If I were to summarize... yes..."

She seemed to have plenty of objections, but fear prevented her from speaking up carelessly.

Both Eleris and I couldn't help but become serious.

"So, in the end, they're no different from the republicans, just with different motives?"

"It seems so..."

The extremist group known as the Nameless Monastery within the Five Great Religions had been seeking to establish an independent state separate from the empire.

Considering the title of "Holy Emperor," it could be assumed that they intended to build a system similar to that of the empire.

"Do you know how big their force is?"

"..."

I clicked my tongue as I watched Lydia, who hesitated to speak and shook her head.

"Don't try to sneak in lies. If I think you're lying, I'll turn you into a vampire and verify it again."

"No, no! I, absolutely! I will not mix in any lies!"

Lydia, who seemed to fear becoming a vampire more than death itself, shook her head vigorously while still bound.

"Their current power is not large, but the scale continues to... grow. Inside, they are soon expected to... have a force comparable to one of the five major religions."

"...Damn it."

"This is serious."

Fortunately, their force seemed small for now, but their expansion speed must be tremendous.

Soon, they would have a force comparable to a single religion.

Moreover, they were not formed within a single religion but within the Holy Knights and the internal factions of the five major religions. The fact that the radicals, excluding the moderates, were gathered together meant they were already a group capable of exerting influence throughout the entire five Holy Religions.

The situation was more serious than I had thought.

Religious forces following the revolutionary forces.

"This is driving me crazy..."

I grabbed my head in frustration, and Eleris let out a deep sigh as if the ground were collapsing.

The empire was in a crisis.

If the revolutionary forces and this matter exploded simultaneously, the empire would be torn apart in chaos.

Lydia seemed to not understand the situation.

For now, she seemed to be sure that Eleris and I were evil beings, but she appeared to be very anxious about the crisis that had befallen the empire.

She would be more surprised if she knew the truth.

The Demon King and his subordinates were rolling around worrying about the collapse of the empire.

But it was true that it felt maddening and crazy.

"By the way, how long has it been since this nameless monastery was created?"

I understood that they were a secret religious organization, but I needed to know whether they had recently expanded their power or if they had been around for a long time like the revolutionary forces. If it was an existing force, why had they grown so explosively recently?

"...It hasn't been long since they were created."

"Really? But why are so many people flocking to them?"

"...Because of religious persecution."

What was this about?

At my question, Lydia Schmitt clenched her teeth and looked down.

"Many believers think that the fall of the former Holy Knights' leader, Riverrier Lanze, was due to the empire starting religious persecution to keep the Holy Knights in check."

"Ah."

Just hearing that, I could roughly picture it.

From the perspective of people in the religious community who didn't know the reality, the fall of the war hero Riverrier Lanze could be seen as such.

No.

"...By any chance, is Riverrier Lanze the one who created the nameless monastery?"

"..."

Lydia Schmitt's silence, as if she couldn't say anything.

"It seems to be true."

That was already an answer.

"It's not that there are many believers who truly think so, it must be because Riverrier Lanze spread such rumors. He must be saying that it happened like this, unrelated to what he actually did, due to political pressure."

"No! The leader was subjected to unjust slander...!"

"Shut up. You're a Temple student, you should know the situation. What slander are you talking about?"

"It's an unavoidable act to awaken Olivia, who is wavering in her faith, to the right path..."

"Ah, dammit. Didn't I tell you to shut up?"

"..."

From the beginning, Riverrier Lanze had believed that everything he did to Olivia was justified. I don't want to discuss this matter with Lydia Schmitt any further.

After his fall from grace, he was doing something somewhere, but he ended up forming a secret society and causing mischief.

That means this event is ultimately due to Olivia Lanche's survival, a turning point in history.

Yes.

In the end, this mess is my mess.

Damn it.

Olivia and Charlotte, both of them.

Do individuals whose very existence corresponds to turning points in history always go through crises like this once more?

If Riverrier Lanze had remained in his position as the head of the Holy Knights, none of this would have happened. That means Riverrier Lanze really did have the ambition to separate the Five Great Holy Religions from the Empire and establish a Holy Empire. But he couldn't have pushed for it too quickly, so it must have been unrelated to the main story.

However, after his fall from power, he chose to form a secret society.

Riverrier Lanze would have claimed his fall was due to the political suppression of religion, and used it to incite resentment among religious figures.

He gathered people with the logic of creating a country solely for the religious, and formed the secret society called the Nameless Monastery.

Riverrier Lanze, who cleverly exploited the victim mentality of being oppressed, is now frighteningly increasing the number of secret society members.

His own achievements as a hero of the Demon War must have backed him up.

At this rate, a massive force equivalent to a single religion of the Five Great Holy Religions will be created, and those bastards will be able to seize and shake the roots of the Five Great Holy Religions.

Riverrier Lanze plans to make Olivia the Holy Empress.

He would want to sit on the throne himself, but that would be laughable.

If he were to create a Holy Empire and claim himself as its first Holy Emperor, his sincerity would be questioned.

However, if he were to create a land for the gods and seat a princess with rare talent, character, and ability on the continent, it would at least create some legitimacy.

Moreover, Riverrier Lanze's only chance for redemption is through Olivia's testimony.

If she says she was not treated unjustly by Riverrier Lanze, all suspicions surrounding him would turn into the Empire's conspiracy, regardless of the truth.

In fact, having seen her abilities firsthand, Olivia's very existence feels like legitimacy itself.

He wants to sit on the throne himself, but he can't reveal his greed, so he aims to make Olivia the Holy Empress.

The reason for Riverrier Lanze's obsession with Olivia must be that she is a being capable of both fulfilling her destiny and winning the lottery of self-confidence.

"Such a damn bastard."

As I spat out those words, Lydia Schmitt looked even more terrified.

This cannot be left alone.

Riverrier Lanze, and of course, the Nameless Monastery are seeds of great chaos.

I have to sweep them all away. If not now, while their influence is not that strong, it will be impossible to deal with them later.

But how? If I falsely accuse them of plotting rebellion and force the royal family to act, actual religious persecution, which never existed, will occur.

In that case, even those who were moderate will undoubtedly turn into extremists.

The involvement of the royal family and government forces in this matter itself will already trigger a massive conflict.

For now, I need to organize my thoughts. I have to think about how and in what way to infiltrate.

"Alright, last question. Was it the Nameless Order who ordered you to try and kill me?"

Lydia Schmitt genuinely wanted to kill me. But she might have wanted to kill me and received orders to do so.

At my words, Lydia Schmitt shook her head violently.

"No, it wasn't... This... This was my own decision..."

"Are you sure? Are you lying because you're afraid I'll mess with those bastards?"

"No! No! It was originally a different plan! It was my own decision!"

How much did Lydia Schmitt hate becoming a vampire?

"Really? Then what was the other plan?"

"..."

Lydia Schmitt hesitated, as if it was difficult to speak.

However, knowing what I might say eventually, she reluctantly opened her mouth.

"They have Adriana... The second-year student from the Temple... The Monastery has taken her..."

"What?"

A completely unexpected name made my head go blank.

Why Adriana?

Why is Adriana being mentioned here?

The image of Adriana flashed through my mind. The last memory of walking together near the Tu'an Monastery swept through my head.

What were they planning to do to Adriana?

No, what have they done?

"Tell me everything."

If I had something like a thread of reason...

It just snapped.

------

Olivia was in her dormitory room.

Though the start time of the Miss Temple Contest was approaching and she should have gone to the venue in advance to prepare, Olivia was waiting in her room, following Reinhardt's brief request to wait.

She didn't know what he intended to do, but he seemed to have a plan.

Still, if it got too late, she would have to leave soon. Olivia didn't know what Reinhardt was up to, but if there was no news within the next 30 minutes, she planned to head to the venue.

Knock knock

Having waited for a while, Olivia jumped up from her seat when she heard a knock on the door.

"Reinhardt, what on earth...?"

"...?"

However, the person knocking on Olivia's door was not Reinhardt but a dormitory maid.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

The maid smiled warmly as she handed something to Olivia.

"I'm not sure who you're waiting for, but this is a letter for you, Miss Olivia."

"Ah... Thank you."

Olivia took the letter from the maid and closed the door.

The letter had no sender's name, only an address. Who could have sent such a letter?

Olivia opened the envelope.

Inside, there were only two lines of text.

[My daughter, do you remember the name Adriana?]

[She is with me now.]

"!"

The only person who would call her 'daughter' was Riverrier Lanze.

She didn't know why, or how it happened, but he had Adriana with him now.

Reinhardt, Adriana, and Evia from Class B of the first grade.

The three of them had played a crucial role in saving her. By now, the rumor had spread, and everyone knew about it.

Soon, it would mean that these three were instrumental in Riverrier Lanze's downfall.

Reinhardt and Evia were students of the Temple. Thus, they were dangerous to meddle with. That's why it was relatively easy for Riverrier Lanze to target Adriana.

Whether it was for revenge or any other reason, Riverrier Lanze had Adriana with him.

The sender's name was not written on the letter, only the address from which it was sent.

It must have been an invitation to come to that location.

Using Adriana as bait, her adoptive father was summoning her.

She didn't know what he wanted to say, or what he intended to do to Adriana.

All she knew was that the child who had saved her was now in danger for that very reason.

As if possessed, Olivia rose from her seat and threw open the door of her dormitory room.

"Why...? Why on earth...?"

What could he possibly want from her?

Why would he go to such lengths?

Grinding her teeth in anger, Olivia raced down the dormitory corridor.

The Miss Temple contest had already been completely erased from her mind.