Ch.205Chapter 205 – Pet Doll

A few days after Kay’s group left Albheim.

“We pray to our god, Emiris.”

The voice of Saint Cara echoed through the grand cathedral of the Trigiena Holy Kingdom.

It was the Day of Prayer, held before the changing of the year—an important ceremony to express gratitude for safely completing another year.

“We offer our thanks to the god who always watches over us, and we honor His words as the foundation of our lives…”

Cara was praying with her eyes closed in solemn devotion. She wore the saint’s ceremonial robes and carried the staff embedded with the symbol of the saint and the church—items she rarely brought out.

Before her, the cathedral was filled with key figures of the church. All the prominent individuals whose names would be familiar to anyone belonging to the church were praying with bowed heads.

Even the regent of the Holy Kingdom was present, standing behind Cara, praying alongside his followers among the congregation.

Though the regent and his people didn’t seem to be praying as earnestly as the others, Cara continued her prayer undisturbed.

“…and so, we offer this prayer of gratitude as we prepare to welcome the new year.”

Cara paused briefly. It wasn’t because she had forgotten what to say next. She was simply taking a moment to catch her breath before reciting the prayer that traditionally concluded all ceremonies.

“We swear to dedicate our lives according to the will of our Lord Emiris, we swear to offer our souls, we swear to live by the will of the Divine King and never defy Him, we swear to live looking only to Him…”

This was the oath of dedication to the god that concluded all prayers of the Emiris Church. All the faithful were earnestly reciting the prayer, displaying their devotion to the god.

Well, not all of them. The regent and his followers standing right behind her were visibly displeased.

‘But what can they do?’

Cara had noticed this for some time but dismissed it as insignificant.

“…with this, we conclude our prayer. Please guide and care for our souls and hearts.”

As Cara’s prayer ended, the heavy atmosphere in the church lightened slightly. At the same time, Cara sighed as she felt the divine power within her increase, if only slightly.

‘The prayer has been heard.’

This was why the large-scale prayers regularly offered by the church were important. The god grew stronger by receiving the faith of humans.

While Cara was in the grand cathedral, priests of the Emiris Church scattered across the land held similar prayer meetings to offer their faith to the god, who used it as nourishment to grow stronger.

As the god’s power increased, the god bestowed this enhanced power upon the faithful, who could then wield it on the god’s behalf.

Although the potency of divine arts varied according to each believer’s individual capacity, the faithful couldn’t help but concentrate on their prayers during this time when their own divine power and divine arts were being strengthened.

That’s why the church members prayed with all their sincerity during prayer sessions. And that’s why the atmosphere during prayers was inevitably solemn.

‘Now, the next part is…’

“Ahem!”

As if reading Cara’s thoughts, the regent stepped forward. The priest serving as the master of ceremonies spoke slowly.

“The regent will now address us.”

“I extend my gratitude to all the faithful gathered here…”

The regent’s voice echoed around them. However, the atmosphere wasn’t as focused as when Cara had been praying.

Everyone had just finished praying with all their sincerity. It was natural to feel mentally exhausted afterward.

Some wore tired expressions, as if silently pleading for the speech to be brief so they could leave. A few were even nodding off.

Their attitude suggested that the regent before them was of little importance.

‘That’s not surprising.’

Cara silently affirmed this thought. The Holy Kingdom recognized the god Emiris as its king. It wasn’t for nothing that it was called the Divine Kingdom (神王國).

Even though the regent handled the politics of the Holy Kingdom, the king was ultimately the god Emiris.

In extreme terms, if the god became displeased with the regent, all the regent’s authority could be revoked.

“…with this, today’s ceremony is concluded.”

The master of ceremonies announced the end of the event, indicating that the regent’s speech had finished.

‘Now I can escape this uncomfortable place.’

Secretly pleased at this fact, Cara rose from her seat and headed alone toward her room.

+

Having swiftly returned to her room, Cara leaned back in the chair prepared for her and fell into thought.

‘Lately, I’ve felt that the god is somewhat displeased with the regent.’

Sometimes while praying, Cara sensed the god’s dissatisfaction with the regent. The god’s displeasure was significant enough that not only she but several outstanding priests could feel it.

Cara had decided to maintain neutrality as much as possible, not directly condemning the regent, and even preventing those who wanted to take extreme measures from acting rashly. Thanks to this, there had been no direct movement to impeach the regent yet.

‘Well, I can’t stop all the complaints.’

No matter how much she tried to mitigate their dissatisfaction, she couldn’t prevent some priests from expressing their discomfort with the regent.

Of course, the regent was no fool.

‘The regent is gathering his own forces…’

Even as a representative of the god, the regent stood at the pinnacle of the Holy Kingdom’s politics. He wouldn’t fail to respond to such movements, and indeed, he was showing signs of counteraction.

As a result, the political situation in the Holy Kingdom was somewhat complicated.

‘The Regent Faction and the Divine King Faction, is it?’

The Divine King Faction naturally consisted of those who followed the church’s god. They maintained the position that the king of the Holy Kingdom was none other than the god Emiris and directly or indirectly expressed their discomfort with the regent.

The Regent Faction, of course, consisted of those who followed the regent. They were a group of people within the church who were politically entangled with the regent in various ways. While they weren’t the majority faction within the church in terms of numbers, their power was not insignificant when considering the Holy Kingdom as a whole.

‘These days, they’re even receiving support from abroad.’

She had already received reports that high nobles from countries financially or politically tied to the Holy Kingdom, and even kings, were lending their support to the regent. Particularly active were Firenze and the Kingdom.

As a result, though the regent’s position within the church was somewhat unstable, his actual power had grown considerably, making it difficult to challenge him carelessly.

If mishandled, the two factions might end up fighting with the Holy Kingdom as their battleground.

‘I can’t suppress them either.’

In Cara’s eyes, they were a gathering of opportunists, but neither side was in a position where she could forcibly suppress them.

Although they were now trying not to show their animosity during this important church ceremony, in ordinary times, they were busy tearing each other apart.

‘How ugly.’

Cara was inwardly clicking her tongue as she observed the political struggle between the two factions.

“This is why I hate politics.”

Cara quietly uttered these honest words.

“I hope it doesn’t escalate further.”

For now, it seemed unlikely that the political struggle would intensify beyond its current state.

The reason was simple.

It was because neither Somnus nor Dragon Slayer Idea had taken any action.

“It’s fortunate that Somnus is busy.”

If the Regent Faction increased its power, Somnus would certainly be the one to pull some tricks. However, these days, for some reason, Somnus was busy and frequently went out on business.

Cara had heard that a few days ago, he had secretly gone somewhere with Phobia. She also heard that after that, he didn’t return immediately but went somewhere else.

As a result, all his duties were falling on Cara, but she thought that was better.

‘At least things will be quiet while I’m working.’

If Somnus returned, he would certainly gather his supporters and pressure the regent. Cara didn’t even want to imagine how noisy the church would become then.

“And it’s fortunate that Idea is indifferent.”

The Dragon Slayer, for better or worse, was indifferent to his surroundings.

Of course, he wasn’t completely idle, but he mainly focused on research or self-training. At least, he wasn’t the type to get involved in politics.

‘That’s not absolutely good, though.’

If Idea, as a neutral party, tried to calm the two factions, this chaos might subside. Having such thoughts at times, Cara couldn’t view his indifferent attitude as entirely positive.

‘By the way, it should be about time for a report to arrive.’

What Cara was waiting for was a report on the heretic she had personally condemned. She had sent trackers a while ago, but there was still no report.

‘I hope it comes soon.’

She was thinking of using the heretic’s whereabouts as an excuse to go outside once they were confirmed.

Just then, someone opened the door and entered.

“It’s been a while, Saint.”

“…Hakan. Next time, I’d appreciate it if you knocked before entering.”

When Cara snapped at him, Hakan raised his hands with a smile. Then he knocked on the door.

*Knock knock knock*

“It’s been a while, Saint.”

“You, are you mocking me?”

Cara, slightly angered, tried to suppress Hakan with her divine power.

However, she quickly calmed herself. She was a saint.

A saint shouldn’t harm people of her own church. That was something Somnus had taught her directly.

“What? Aren’t you going to do something to me with that precious divine power of yours?”

“Enough. You’re a person of the Holy Kingdom, and of the church. How could I harm you?”

At Cara’s words, Hakan smiled fiercely.

“Well, you’re nothing more than Somnus’s pet doll anyway.”

Cara only glared at him in response to Hakan’s words. Though they were clearly insulting, she took no further action.

Then, suddenly remembering something, she spoke.

“Hakan.”

“What is it?”

“What has the regent been plotting lately?”

Cara took a slight breath before continuing.

“I heard that a few days ago, you personally led your subordinates in transporting large steel cages to Gema Port.”

Cara had received intelligence that large steel cages had suddenly appeared at the church headquarters and were urgently transported away. Of course, it wasn’t intelligence she had gathered herself. Somnus had initiated it, and she had merely received the information on his behalf.

“Is the regent planning to set up some kind of zoo with interesting creatures?”

Cara asked with a smile. Looking at her, Hakan smiled and replied.

“Do you know what’s inside those cages?”

“No, I haven’t heard.”

At Cara’s straightforward answer, Hakan replied with a smile.

“Of course not. Somnus already knows what’s in those cages.”

“He already knows?”

“After all, he helped us in the first place.”

At Hakan’s words, Cara’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

‘Somnus helped Hakan?’

It didn’t make sense. Hakan was the strongest military force in the Regent Faction.

There was no reason for Somnus to help such a person.

“Well, maybe it’s his own gesture of reconciliation. Or maybe he’s telling the regent to do whatever he wants.”

“…Either way, it’s harder to be certain it’s not the case.”

Somnus was someone who sometimes did incomprehensible things. At the very least, he had a different perspective from ordinary people.

‘He wouldn’t tell me anyway.’

What was his intention in doing this? Was he letting the regent do as he pleased to gain something? Or was it just for fun?

He wouldn’t tell her.

“You don’t know.”

Hakan said with a smile.

“To Somnus, you’re just a tool.”

“Somnus is not that kind of person.”

Cara replied immediately. Seeing her, Hakan snickered.

“How pitiful. That’s why you’re treated like a pet doll.”

“Any more of that, and I’ll take it as an insult.”

“I am insulting you, though?”

At Hakan’s words, Cara seriously considered striking him with her staff.

But soon, thinking it meaningless, she gave up.

“That’s right. You can’t attack me.”

Hakan mocked her, but Cara decided to ignore him.

“…Try making your own choices for once.”

“What do you mean?”

“Whether to live as a pet doll or as a human.”

Hakan paused briefly before speaking.

“Somnus or the regent. It would be good to make a proper choice soon.”

Hakan said with a smile.

“The regent has come up with quite an interesting idea.”

“……”

Cara waved her hand as if she wasn’t interested. It was a dismissal.

“Take care.”

Having said what he wanted to say, Hakan left the room with a smile.

The door opened slightly and closed, leaving Cara alone in the room.

“My own choice, huh.”

For some reason, the words stuck with her, and Cara raised her hand.

Then, from behind her, a voice was heard.

“My, you look troubled.”

“Somnus.”

When had he come behind her?

Cara straightened her posture, slightly startled. Then she tilted her head slightly.

“You seem to be in a good mood?”

“Do I?”

Somnus said with a smile.

“Well, something went well. Though I haven’t obtained what I want yet.”

“…That’s good then.”

Cara said this while trying to turn her head away from Somnus.

“And I have good news for you, Saint.”

“What is it?”

Cara immediately looked at Somnus and asked, to which Somnus replied with a smile.

“About that heretic.”

Interest flickered in Cara’s eyes.

“Has their whereabouts been confirmed?”

“Yes. They’re heading to Ferrarius, the country of the dwarves.”

Somnus said with a smile. However, Cara seemed a bit perplexed.

“I heard that special permission is needed to enter there.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of it.”

Somnus smiled and threw something to Cara. She caught it with one hand.

“What’s this?”

It was a small metal plate with intricate patterns. The patterns weren’t just drawings but three-dimensional designs that seemed to have been carved into the metal, making Cara wonder if it was really made by human hands. As she was examining it, Somnus’s voice reached her.

“Consider it an entry permit.”

“I see.”

If Somnus said so, there shouldn’t be a problem. Cara quietly tucked the engraving into her bosom.

‘That’s good.’

Finally, she could capture that heretic and appease the god’s anger. And the thought of being able to get away from this tiresome place for a while made Cara slightly happy.

‘And Ferrarius…’

Though she knew little about the country of the dwarves, there were a few things she did know. One of them was that thanks to the heat from volcanoes, throughout the country there were…

“…I understand your desire for a little vacation, but please restrain yourself.”

“Absolutely not. I never had such thoughts.”

She thought she had hidden her expression well. Cara was slightly flustered, wondering if her brief thought of taking a breather if time allowed had been detected.

In fact, her face had relaxed enough during the conversation that anyone, not just Somnus, could have noticed. Unfortunately, there was usually no one close enough to her to point this out.

“Remember? I asked you to follow my instructions for the arrest operation.”

“O-Of course.”

Cara, feeling guilty for her momentary selfish thoughts earlier, inadvertently let her words trail off. Seeing her like this, Somnus smiled and said.

“Well, when I say instructions, there’s not much…”

With a benevolent smile, Somnus continued.

“With all your might. With all the power of the saint, you just need to kill the heretic.”

Somnus continued with a serene face.

“Erase the heretic and their companions from Emiris’s land forever.”

Somnus quietly continued.

“Show them the glory of the god.”

That was his instruction, Somnus said with a smile.