Ch.599Side Episode – Camilla’s Bizarre Adventure (Complete)

A tragic incident occurred where the buttocks of the British Empire crushed the leader of a theocratic state, but fortunately, the situation did not escalate further.

The priestess’s appropriate handling of the matter had a significant impact on this outcome.

If word got out that she, who rules Ashtistan alongside Menbashi, had contact with an Abas official, it would cause a major uproar.

There was a suggestion to let the matter slide in order to maintain the atmosphere of the four-party talks.

For us, this was quite a welcome proposal.

After all, it wouldn’t be good for the priestess, revered as the matriarch of the magical world, to be known for passing out after being crushed under the buttocks of a young, inexperienced magician.

Especially since those buttocks belonged to none other than Camilla.

“…Are you really alright?”

“Fan me a little harder, my head is unbearably dizzy…”

“I’m so sorry…”

For the honor of Zeinab Eskander, and for Camilla’s dignity.

It was right for this incident to be buried here.

Side Episode – Camilla’s Bizarre Adventure

By the time the priestess regained consciousness, it was already deep into the night.

Camilla, who had accidentally sat on her face, was in a state of half-penitence.

Seeing the young magician repeatedly bowing with an apologetic expression, the seasoned sorceress insisted it was fine and refused to accept any apologies. Instead, she merely asked to borrow her lap and requested some fanning.

“Oh my…”

About twelve minutes had passed.

The cat, who had been lying flat, seemed to regain her vitality as she wobbly raised her head.

“Well, that’s enough. Let’s get you up now.”

I, who had been waiting for the priestess to rise, put down my water cup and bluntly said:

“Are you going to keep lying there? You who were supposedly such a great sorceress back in the day.”

At this not-quite-reproach, Zeinab Eskander’s cat ears shot up fiercely.

“You don’t know how to respect your elders. You rotten little…”

“You’re not just any elder, are you?”

A small mumble escaped her lips.

I couldn’t hear it clearly, but judging by Camilla’s awkward smile, it was likely a string of curses.

These Archmages, I swear.

They’re known for their nasty tempers, if nothing else.

After grumbling lightly to myself, I was about to take out my handkerchief when I spoke up:

“By the way, about what you showed us earlier. Was that a prophecy or divination, something like that?”

“Something similar.”

A question casually tossed.

The priestess responded while raising her stiff body.

“Did you know? Before I awakened to sorcery, I worked briefly as an astrologer.”

“I do know. I learned about it while studying to be a magician at the Academy.”

“Then you probably know what everyone else knows.”

The priestess’s eyes shone with a distant look, as if lost in memories.

Though she’s now widely known as the matriarch of the magical world, there was a time when she wasn’t a sorceress but worked as a fortune-teller.

Of course, I don’t mean the kind who jingles bells or reads tarot cards.

I’m talking about an astrologer.

A genuine magician who, with just an eye for celestial bodies, became one of the three major schools in the magical world.

“…Shaman? For the Horde?”

As Camilla’s raised-hand exclamation quietly echoed, I smacked her back to calm her down and explained with a weary sigh:

“This is about when she hadn’t awakened as a sorceress yet. It’s a story from over 100 years ago.”

“Ah, I see. I was just excited…”

I don’t know exactly why the priestess worked as an astrologer before becoming a sorceress.

However, at that time, astrology was a forbidden discipline even in Al Yabud, along with magic and sorcery.

So it’s said that she traveled around the desert, giving readings while evading pursuit.

It’s ironic, if anything.

That a girl who so believed in and followed the doctrines of Al Yabud would achieve greatness in astrology and sorcery, both prohibited by Al Yabud.

And not only that, she even rose to become the High Priestess, the supreme leader of the jurists.

“What’s the point of distinction? Back then, we were all considered heretics alike.”

The priestess, who had been smiling briefly, pressed her forehead with her paw and muttered as if disgusted:

“Even back then, using astrology alone would give me splitting headaches, and it seems that hasn’t changed even after 100 years… To think I’d get crushed at such a dizzy moment, what a predicament.”

“A-ahem!”

“Ah. I wasn’t blaming you. I was just complaining about the irony.”

Seeing Camilla dripping with cold sweat, the priestess made an “oops” expression before regaining her gentle smile.

“I’ve been through much worse in the past. How could I blame you for this?”

“Really…?”

“Yes, of course. Looking back, there were several times I nearly died at the hands of judges sent by the king… Well, after I awakened to sorcery and fought against the religious order, they completely ignored me.”

“Oh, um, you’ve had quite an eventful life.”

The priestess remained silent for a while, seemingly lost in memories of her wandering days.

After a brief moment, the old astrologer, immersed in nostalgia, suddenly spoke:

“The scene I just showed you is one I used to show others back then.”

She straightened her back and continued speaking while gazing into the void:

“I’m not sure if it can be called a prophecy… My eyes show me many things, but they don’t show me what you saw. That’s a story permitted only to you. I merely convey it.”

“……”

“Does that answer your question?”

It was a mysterious answer. Her voice momentarily led listeners into contemplation. There seemed to be a different kind of power in her voice as she claimed to be a prophet, unlike before.

I parted my firmly closed lips. It was to ask another question.

What was the message she wanted to convey? If she was delivering it on behalf of someone, for whom was it?

Various questions swirled in my mind.

But there was only one question I could voice.

I was cautious, and my choice was swift.

“…I have many questions, but I’ll ask just one.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why us specifically?”

Whether it should be called a prophecy or not.

The story the priestess conveyed was clearly filled with ominous content.

It was a kind of forewarning, and in some ways, it was like an oracle from Greek and Roman mythology.

If oracles and prophecies have something in common, it’s inevitability. An inescapable event that arrives inductively.

Therefore, the priestess’s prophecy could be called fate without exaggeration.

So I seek an answer from the prophet.

“If you think that with power comes responsibility, then I have nothing to say.”

“……”

“The Grand Duke is here, and you’re in good health, so why…”

I don’t believe in fate.

Of course, I’m not underestimating the power of the great sorceress. And I’m certainly not ignoring the prophecy of the old astrologer.

But human affairs are inherently unpredictable.

A girl born as a mere desert nomad who counted stars stood against the injustice of heresy trials and witch hunts, changing the world.

That rebellious spirit and sense of justice became the spark of revolution that swept through Azadi Palace after witnessing a girl starving to death on the street.

The longing for freedom ultimately gave birth to a theocratic state, which was completed by executing the comrades who had led the revolution together.

From a street astrologer to a battlefield sorceress to the priestess of a theocratic state.

Both positively and negatively, Zeinab Eskander brought about change three times. And massive changes at that.

So I wonder.

Perhaps, just maybe,

Is there something wrong with her,

And that’s why she can’t take the lead?

“……”

After being lost in thought for a while, Zeinab Eskander finally spoke:

“Just as I am the priestess of Ashtistan and Al Yabud, Sasha is also the Grand Duke of the Empire. That means there are many, many children who bother us more than you think.”

“You mean like Commander Dariush?”

“…Well.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

“One thing is clear: we’re not as free as we used to be, right? That’s why I came in this cat form.”

She seemed to have finished her business.

With an enigmatic smile, the priestess gently floated into the air.

Her movements were like lightning, and also like the wind.

Just before she vanished, at the slightly opened front door, she turned to us and bid farewell:

“Don’t wait for chance; make a choice. That’s the only advice I can give you today.”

One piece of advice as Zeinab Eskander.

And one more admonition as the priestess.

“Beware the double-headed eagle.”

The priestess of Al Yabud and Ashtistan,

A close companion of Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna,

The greatest sorceress in the world warns:

“The eyes of the Smirnov Imperial Family are watching you.”

*

In the dawn that seemed about to be swallowed by the dark night, we went to bed after our strange encounter.

Looking at my wristwatch, it was 3 AM. Akande’s snoring could be faintly heard, quickly dispelling any drowsiness.

Though I had woken up, there wasn’t much to do.

I had to go to work as soon as it was light, so I wondered if I could fall back asleep.

That was all I could think about.

“…Are you awake?”

On my way to find a water fountain, I turned my head at the familiar voice and met Camilla’s gaze from atop the wall.

“Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

She was sitting on the wall, pathetically taking in the night air.

The wall was only about waist-high, so it was fortunate it was such a modest barrier. Otherwise, I might have mistaken her for a thief and been startled. Frederick approached her with a water bottle, plodding along, and leaned against the wall beside her.

-Swoosh.

The beach under the full moon shone white.

Her crimson hair, like the residual heat held by the desert, flowed gently with the breeze, and the sound of collapsing waves was equally gentle.

“……”

Her blue eyes, resembling the sprawling sandy beach, were intensely bland. Frederick, focusing on the sound of the waves, moistened his dry throat and slowly opened up:

“On my way here, I saw that Lucia and Francesca were also awake. They seemed to be working on something.”

“They said they had something to look into. What about Akande?”

“That one’s traveling in dreamland. He’s such a carefree fellow.”

He was sleeping with his blanket kicked off completely.

I tried to check on him briefly, worried he might catch a cold, but he was kicking even in his dreams, so I was too scared to get close. And his snoring was so severe.

Muttering this, Frederick gently shook the water bottle and asked Camilla, who was occupying the seat next to him:

“Are you worried? I thought you might be unable to sleep because of what the priestess showed us.”

“Hmm, half of it is for that reason?”

“Half, you say.”

Then what’s the other half?

It was a casually thrown question. Camilla smiled briefly, then, as if trying to change the mood, stretched widely.

“Haah- It’s because of the warning.”

“Warning? Ah. The imperial family thing.”

“Yes.”

Nodding her head several times, she made an expression that was hard to tell whether it was a smile or a grimace.

The silence became as clear as the starlight shining over the desert.

Camilla’s expression, looking down at the deep bay, wasn’t very bright; rather, it was full of worry.

It couldn’t be helped. There was a foretold battle, followed by an uncomfortable warning.

It’s a story we’ve been trying to ignore until now. The elephant in the room that none other than the priestess herself had exposed.

Even so,

“It’s okay.”

Frederick answered, casually looking at the night sky.

“Nothing will happen.”

“…Do you think so?”

“Didn’t I tell you before? A plan that’s been exposed almost always fails. What does it matter if they’re watching us?”

Slurp. He took a sip of barley tea and carefully added:

“And it’s not like this is anything new. If I worried about such things every time, I couldn’t have survived in the company.”

“……”

“Don’t worry too much. Nothing will happen for a while.”

Let’s first figure out what the priestess told us.

As he was mumbling calmly, something hard touched his head. Glancing sideways, he confirmed it was red hair and switched the water bottle from his right hand to his left.

The salty sea scent comes with the damp earth smell, carried by the wind.

The endless sea and dark blue sky. The water-colored clouds collide with the coastal rocks, rise up, and pour down again, creating a strange tableau.

Slender, straight fingers covered the back of his hand, and we, facing another adventure, sat on the wall, immersed in the night sea.

It was a bizarre moment.

*

– Awoooooooo!!

The howl of a beast flies over the wall.

Sharp and rough.

Side Episode – Camilla’s Bizarre Adventure – END –