ONTME 30

~ Chapter : 30 ~

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

At the same time, the five Tenia candidates all rose as if on cue and respectfully bowed to the Chancellor.

“Blessings of the Light. Your Highness.”
“Blessings of the Light. Your Highness.”

With the Chancellor at the center, everyone took their seats, and the atmosphere calmly settled.

Since they had been kept informed of the situation outside, there was nothing in the Chancellor’s explanation of the current circumstances that was particularly surprising.

“I can imagine that this incident has caused worry and alarm for all the candidates. However, this too is a trial we must overcome, and after long deliberation, we have decided to carry on Lord Ates’ will.”

A slight stir ran through the meeting room.

But no one asked the Chancellor a question, so Litia finally spoke first.

“Your Highness, may I ask—does this mean that the schedule will proceed as planned?”

Loa Cavendish and Jamil Robert immediately shot Litia a sharp glare, as if to say, How dare you question His Highness?

“Yes, Princess. That is correct. However, due to concerns for everyone’s safety, we have decided to take a more secure approach.”

Originally, the five candidates would divide the Empire into five regions and purify the selected areas together with Temes.

Some would go to Morium in the south, others to Terium in the east.

Raum, the western Weitas, and the northern Ob regions aside, there was the village of Lemin in Teoris—the only Teoris settlement in Raum—which was vast and frequently plagued by beasts, so many candidates were reluctant to go there. Therefore, three of them would divide certain areas among themselves and set out.

The most preferred region was Morium.

Its plains stretched endlessly without a single high mountain, and the route was the easiest to travel. This made it the most desired location for past Tenia candidates.

Since everyone could not go to their preferred region, the locations were usually assigned randomly. But this time, according to the Chancellor, everyone would move together.

“Together, all of us?”

“Yes, that is correct. Not only for safety, but because the contamination across the entire Empire has worsened rapidly, everyone is awaiting our intervention.”

However, this plan had a major drawback.

What would normally take three weeks to a month would now extend to three months because moving together increased the area to be purified.

The Tenia candidates could not hide their shock at the thought of spending three months outside.

Litia, on the other hand, immediately began worrying about how she would eat, sleep, and live while being outdoors for three months straight.

From what she had seen of past pilgrimage candidates, they carried all the necessary supplies in a carriage and only struggled with not being able to change dresses daily. In extreme cases, there were jokes about the carriage from each candidate’s mansion causing traffic jams. But doing that for three months seemed impossible.

Will we have to camp the entire time? Or can we stay in the temples? I thought we wouldn’t be allowed to use the temples since it’s supposed to be a time to prove our own power…

Before Litia could dwell further, Priest Reffe, sitting beside the Chancellor, spoke.

“However, Your Highness has also considered the candidates’ accommodations during this schedule. Therefore, as an exception, all temples in the Empire will be opened to support the three-month pilgrimage as best as possible. But… not all problems have been solved.”

They understood why everyone was worried and hurried.

The oracle had proclaimed that a new Tenia was needed, and simultaneously, one of the three existing Tenia would lose their power.

Although they retained their sacred energy, they only kept the power they originally possessed. Usually, as soon as the oracle is declared, they are relieved of all Tenia responsibilities until the next Tenia is chosen.

Thus, the vacant position needed to be filled quickly. Ideally, candidates would complete the pilgrimage, grow their sacred energy, and receive the god Ates’ selection to inherit the Tenia power—but that wasn’t happening, creating a serious problem.

“Even with such efforts, the ongoing rifts have left us with far fewer knights than needed to move together as originally planned.”

Priest Reffe continued.

Judith timidly raised her hand.

“Then… should we only bring the Temes?”

While large-scale rifts had occurred before, and one Tenia position becomes vacant every ten years, the combination of these two events was unprecedented.

It was easy to see why the temples were unsure how to respond. It seemed they had found an optimal approach…

As worries deepened, Judith’s question prompted everyone to wait for Reffe’s next words.

After a brief hesitation and a soft clearing of his throat, Reffe spoke.

“No. The knights participating in the schedule are currently being prepared. The two Tenia are also doing their best, and we have made all necessary arrangements. However, we judged that a little more preparation is needed… Your Highness should explain this.”

At that moment, the Chancellor nodded and rose.

“We cannot delay any longer. The longer we wait, the more the beasts will dominate the corrupted lands, creating rifts and greater chaos. What we need most now is the ability to detect rifts in advance.”

Detect rifts in advance?

Litia felt a growing unease.

She remembered what Emilia had said—that there was some ability requiring their help.

Moreover, having collected information on how the temples handled such situations in the past, she knew what they were capable of.

“The Empire does not belong solely to us. As in the past, this time everyone must share responsibility.”

Even though they had allied with Ob, they would only meet with knights. Ordinary people were likely unaware of these dealings.

Surely, even with overlapping problems, they would not join them in the schedule. Surely. That kind of unprecedented cooperation seemed impossible.

All four candidates had expressions of doubt similar to Litia’s.

“We have decided, for the Empire’s safety, to enter into a temporary agreement with Ob.”

“Ob?”

Mizella, who had remained the quietest, was suddenly surprised.

The Chancellor nodded cautiously.

“We understand your concerns. However, we had to find the fastest and safest course. Fortunately, Ob agreed to the terms without issue.”

So this was what the continuous meetings between the Royal Court and the Chancellor had been about—they were coordinating with Ob.

Everyone’s faces showed disbelief. Even the priests who had known of the meetings beforehand did not look fully convinced.

“So… how exactly—”

Mizella began, but then turned her gaze toward the door.

Litia, guessing what was about to happen, saw the knights guarding either side of the meeting room door open it as if they had been waiting.

In the next instant, figures appeared, their forms backlit by light.

“…”

The four Tenia candidates all gasped in unison.

So that was why the five seats to the Chancellor’s right—next to where Litia sat—had been empty. She had assumed it was simply because there weren’t enough people.

“It’s really Ob!”
“My god… they’re here.”
“This can’t be…!”

Loa, Judith, and Jamil, sitting side by side, could not hide their shock.

They had been trying to contain themselves in front of the Chancellor, but seeing Ob in person unleashed their astonishment, disgust, and even a hint of fear.

“…”

But Litia could not react. She didn’t even have time to take it in.

The moment she saw familiar faces, she froze stiff. Instinctively, before their eyes met, she quickly turned her head the other way.

Crazy.

Litia’s shock was of a different nature than the others’.

Seeing Ob in person was not the surprising part—it confirmed a suspicion she had had.

The real problem was why Caliph was standing boldly in the center.

He had joked about being part of Ob, but now it was reality—and seeing him take such an active role in this critical matter confirmed just how high his position was.

Of all people…

Ob may be small in number, but not so few as to fit in two hands. Teos had recorded fewer than 500 members, though there could be more or less than that.

Even so, selecting five from those hundreds to occupy two major Empire regions should not have been difficult. Yet somehow, Caliph ended up being one of the five.

“…”

Litia lowered her gaze and swallowed hard.

The sound of the man’s footsteps approaching was like the tolling of an execution bell.