Chapter 144
Isaac twirled his golden hair around his finger.
“I’m a little worried about the mind-controlling black magic, but if we lock her in a solitary cell and severely limit contact with the guards, it should be manageable.”
Roland looked at me and asked,
“Isn’t there any way to completely nullify the witch’s power? If Lucivius knows how to dispel black magic, he might have some insight.”
“Well… I’m still looking into methods myself,” I replied cautiously.
In truth, I had previously asked Luci about a way to strip someone of the goddess’s blessing, but even the divine beast seemed to know nothing about it.
So, I had commissioned a quirky inventor to create an artifact capable of sealing divine power.
He had no prior experience in such a field and couldn’t guarantee success, but he promised to try.
‘For now, all I can do is trust and wait.’
Even if Caïs failed, if Isaac’s plan determined Liena’s fate, there would be little chance for her to use her blessing.
She would spend her life isolated in a solitary cell, with no meaningful communication even with the guards.
Humans are social creatures. How long could anyone endure such harsh conditions with their sanity intact?
If Caïs succeeded in his invention, it might ironically become a true blessing for Liena.
“Anyway, for my plan to work, Lucivius, your role is crucial,” Isaac said, wagging his index finger.
“Right now, if we tried to send Liena to prison, countless followers would rise up. ‘Please forgive our beloved Liena!’ they’d shout.”
I could vividly picture it in my mind.
“Even if you try to admit her to a hospital, the result would be the same. Liena disappears suddenly, and those fanatics won’t stay still,” Isaac chuckled slyly.
“Besides, a hospital? You seem to believe Liena can be reformed, but humans don’t change.”
Roland nodded in agreement.
“A trash once trash is forever trash.”
That seemed applicable to him too, but it was better to stay quiet than provoke the old man further.
Isaac turned to me.
“What do you think, Lucivius?”
“…I believe people can change.”
I answered slowly, watching the sleet falling outside the window.
“But not everyone changes easily.”
The Duke of Cassius offering treatment had been Liena’s last chance.
After clearing Liena’s divine power from Isaac’s body, I parted ways with the two of them.
Isaac himself remained wary of Liena and held some resentment, so the possibility of her influencing him again was minimal.
“Ah, you’re back?”
Lucy, rolling a black orb on my desk with her paw, acknowledged my return to the palace.
“Isn’t that a bit reckless, handling someone else’s property so carelessly?” I scolded lightly.
Lucy snorted.
“Do you think I’d treat an object that smells of a foul demon with caution?”
“Yes, I suppose not.”
Yesterday, I had borrowed the black orb from the Cassius family.
“Master, some force is currently blocking your divine power,” Lucy had informed me from my handbag.
This was while the Duke and Liena were arguing over whether she should go to the hospital.
After Isaac fled with Liena and threw the Cassius household into chaos, I, along with Lucy, investigated the mysterious force.
Until recently, Liena had been desperately trying to sway the three Cassius men’s hearts.
According to the divine beast, a massive flow of divine power had surged from Liena’s body toward the three men, but something had blocked it midway.
Eventually, I traced the source of the power in the Duke’s study.
A palm-sized black orb glimmered in my hand, and the divine beast whispered,
“It smells like a demon.”
“A demon? Like in the legends?”
“You know about them?”
“Not in detail.”
“Long ago, they served an evil god. After the god was defeated by Miela and sealed, they gradually disappeared from this continent.”
“Come to think of it, you seem to know a lot for someone only a few months old.”
“A divine beast is born with knowledge like this already in its mind.”
As we spoke, the Duke of Cassius entered the room.
“Idel, there you are. What’s that…”
His face fell into a puzzled expression when he saw the black orb in my hand.
I asked him about it, and he explained briefly the hidden history of the Cassius family and the orb’s identity.
It had been left as a family heirloom by a former head of the Cassius family, meant to protect the house.
In effect, Liena’s blessing had been obstructed by the orb, fulfilling the ancestor’s will.
If demons once served the evil god, perhaps the orb’s power originated from the same source.
It was unsettling to consider, but maybe it could help suppress Liena’s blessing…
“If it piques your interest, I can lend it to you.”
The Duke offered as I examined the orb intently.
“Really? Is that alright? It’s a family heirloom.”
“It’s fine. Until recently, I didn’t even know it existed. Moreover…”
The Duke’s expression darkened.
“Idel, you deserve even more than this. I’m truly sorry. Our actions toward you, thinking they were for Liena, cannot be justified by any words.”
He apologized solemnly.
“I… understand.”
“It’s too late that we realized,” said Liandro and Rehaim, who had just arrived at the study, joining in the apology.
I left the townhouse after simply telling them I would return the orb later.
Truthfully, I had mixed feelings.
‘I know well that their excessive behavior was due to Liena’s blessing…’
But that didn’t make me the kind of person who could forget the long-standing bitter ties.
Above all, memories of spending two years as a transparent presence in the Cassius household during marriage still lingered.
Suddenly, I recalled what Terence said during dinner last night:
“Follow your heart.”
After listening to me, Terence had smiled kindly and said,
“Honestly, I dislike the Cassius family and Liandro for hurting you, but if forgiving them eases your heart, then you should do so.”
“Do you think so?”
“Of course, if it brings you peace. If it unsettles you, do not forgive.”
“But their behavior is because of Liena’s blessing…”
“Idel, the most important thing is your heart. They do not wish to be forgiven at the expense of making you uncomfortable. If they truly feel remorse, that is.”
I wasn’t sure what choice would give me peace, but with Terence nearby, I felt calm.
For now, my priority was rescuing those under Liena’s blessing.
Other complications could wait.
I approached Lucy and asked,
“So about the orb—could it be used to nullify Liena’s blessing?”
“I’m not well-versed in relics of demons or evil gods,” she admitted.
“Perhaps a human mage would know better. Human magic was originally taught by demons, after all.”
“Good. Then should we subtly show it to Caïs?”
He might plead for the chance to study it, like before.
I gently stroked the divine beast’s fur as it bristled at Caïs’s name.
“What is it? Usually, master only asks me for favors at times like this. Do you want me to act like a little monster in front of a human mage?”
Lucy’s glare was sharp, but her body obediently curled into my hand.
“Look, there are so many of Liena’s followers.”
“That’s true.”
“How can we possibly save them all from the blessing? It will take a long time, and my divine power has limits.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“Like when Liena acted at the banquet—could I release divine power all at once?”
Back then, Lucy had been in my handbag, guiding me through the flow of divine power.
I never realized that the overwhelming presence I felt during the divorce trial was all thanks to divine power.
“Impossible with your divine power alone. You’ll have to pray harder to increase its flow.”
“When on earth will I have time for that?”
“Then what’s the alternative?”
“Couldn’t you channel some of your power to me, like in the mine, to boost it significantly?”
“That dangerous stunt again?”
Lucy leapt in alarm.
“No! You survived back then only because Miela helped!”
“Just a little, enough to be safe.”
“…You speak too lightly.”
“Cute Lucy! I’m asking this of you! I want to free people from her brainwashing as quickly as possible!”
“It’s not just laziness, is it?”
“Partly!”
“You’re being greedy.”
“Please, Lucy!”
Lucy frowned but reluctantly spoke.
“No matter what, my power is too dangerous for humans.”
“But…”
“One must always heed the divine beast. But what if it were human power instead?”
“Human? You mean a priest?”
Only priests who live their whole lives praying in the temple have divine power.
“No need for a priest—there’s one right beside you, master. A family line with power granted by the goddess long ago.”
“Inheritance…”
In the empire, or even the entire continent, only one family fit Lucy’s description: the Astaroth royal family.
