Chapter 80
“It is difficult to understand what you are saying. The Grand Temple has always been a place that praises only the glory of the Goddess.”
The man’s snake-like pupils gleamed in the shadows of the gorge.
“Ah, but appearances can always be deceiving, can they not? Just like how you are not, in truth, the revered priest you appear to be.”
“……”
“The deeper one’s faith, the easier it is to blind them.”
His meaningful gaze lingered briefly on the two soldiers before returning to Mia. His head bowed easily.
“I have a confession, Priest.”
It was quite a swift change of attitude for someone who, only moments ago, had jabbed at her saying, “You are no priest.”
‘So, he must have something to say in private.’
Mia hesitated, weighing her options, then finally nodded. Heron seemed to know more about the current situation than they did. With their small numbers, every scrap of information could prove crucial.
“Very well. I will spare you a little time.”
The old priest, Mia, sat upon a jutting rock. Her movements were still nimble, yet her joints creaked under the weight of years she could not deny.
Heron stood before her, his tall frame casting a long shadow in the fading light. For a while, only the sound of the wind skimming the gorge could be heard.
“Priest. Have you not noticed any changes among the faithful recently?”
Heron spoke in a tone that seemed casual. Mia raised her thick brows. Could he mean to count the enemy soldiers, full of hatred, as believers? If not, then by her knowledge, there had been no strange events.
“Human hearts are ever-changing. You will need to be more specific.”
A faint smile tugged at Heron’s lips.
“True. But I mean something more… tangible. Headaches, weakness, moments of confusion. Or perhaps the feeling of having lost something important…”
Mia’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Are these not simply hard times? Prices soar beyond the sky, and many brethren have even lost their homes. Such mental pressure can manifest in many ways.”
“Ah, yes. Mental pressure… indeed.”
Heron circled her slowly, nodding.
“Then tell me, Priest. Have the measures the Grand Temple has offered been effective against such suffering?”
Mia stiffened. Measures of the Grand Temple… At least, the medicine distributed from Etalon’s Grand Temple did ease the pain. But she could not reveal such things lightly. Her wrinkled face betrayed nothing.
“The Temple’s guidance has always been a comfort to the faithful.”
Heron stopped walking and fixed her with an intense gaze.
“Comfort… One could call it that. But does not every comfort come at a price?”
“……”
“Priest, when people are seized by headaches, confusion, and unease… have you never wondered what the ‘comfort’ of the Temple takes from them in return?”
His words were cryptic. But if what he implied was true—that the Temple’s comfort was taking power…
Indeed, her power had become unstable of late. Unreliable, even in such crucial moments.
‘But is it not too much of a leap to claim the Temple is involved? I haven’t even visited the Grand Temple in months.’
The closest she had come to it was the time she met the priest whose guise she now wore.
‘And there had been no strange signs then…’
Mia slowly shook her head.
“Shamefully, age has dulled my mind. I cannot grasp your meaning, Brother. Would you elaborate?”
Her words carried a smile, yet her intent was clear: If you have something to say, speak plainly.
Heron snorted.
“Elaborate? On this matter, there is little more I can say, Priest. But since you still seem to misunderstand, I’ll give you one more clue.”
“I would be most grateful.”
“Think of it this way: we are trapped in a prison from which there is no escape. Their influence spreads so wide that even in places where you think there is no surveillance, they are watching you…”
“Your words do not sound much different from what you’ve already said.”
“…And those watchers are not human.”
“Are you claiming they use animals? That is absurd.”
“Oh, Priest. You must not dismiss a brother’s voice so lightly. Are there not things in this world more easily employed than animals, and more widespread?”
“……?”
“Things like air, or water…”
“No matter how blessed by the Goddess, no one can bend nature so completely to their will.”
“True. But isn’t there something just as widespread, just as necessary to human life?”
Mia’s heart quickened. Something as familiar as air or water, something people constantly sought out. Something that addicted, that suppressed divine power—an unnamed liquor. And that nameless northern city growing rich off its trade.
Yes, Mia understood exactly what Heron was pointing to.
“You are making a grave accusation.”
Mia spoke cautiously. Heron only lifted his brows.
“Am I? Priest, I have accused no one. I only suggested a simple possibility.”
“……”
“But if you heard an accusatory tone in my question… well. Perhaps you, too, have read something from that possibility I mentioned.”
From within his cloak, he drew out a small glass vial of clear liquid.
“A gift. You may find it necessary, if you wish your mind to be clear again.”
Mia eyed the vial with suspicion. This was the second—no, including the valuable information he had just given, the third—‘gift’ from Heron. Even with a common enemy, such generosity was suspicious.
“And what clarity would this provide?”
“The truest kind,” Heron answered, still as cryptic as ever. His words gave no real answer, and her confusion only seemed to amuse him further.
“Something that burns away the fog and illusions, and returns you to yourself…”
Could it restore her divine power as well? Mia wondered as she stared at the vial.
As though reading her mind, Heron added,
“Have you not felt your inner light dimming? Or your connection to the Goddess weakening? With this, you could recover what you’ve lost. At least, temporarily.”
Her thoughts drifted to the barrier, to her failure to break it, to the power she had tried to ignore as it steadily weakened. The only reason she had rejected his earlier gifts was distrust.
“Brother, there are many in our homeland who need such things more than an old woman like me. This seems an ill-suited gift.”
Heron returned the vial with the same unreadable smile.
“Take it without worry. It will serve me well, too. I… wish this truth to reach as many as possible.”
“……”
“And one more thing. Have you never tested the limits of the power the Goddess gave you?”
“Like all my brethren, I can only perform a few small tricks.”
“I would urge you not to bind yourself to such teachings. Devices used only in Veridian—the tools to keep food from spoiling, or the gifts I gave you—do they not all operate through divine power?”
“……”
“If divine power is properly harnessed, Priest, anything is possible.”
“Heron.”
“The strength within you is not limited to parlor tricks for battle.”
It was the first time she had heard such an idea. She had never even considered it. But once spoken, certain connections began to make sense.
The Temple’s control over daily life. The ‘painkillers’ distributed monthly to noble children under the pretext of preventing fever if they did not attend the Temple. The incense burned whenever an oracle was given. The liquor. The endless teachings of obedience to the Goddess…
‘So divine power can be suppressed artificially?’
If that was true, then the implications, once revealed, would shake the world. It would not be mere corruption—it would touch every aspect of society, the world, and their place within it.
“You have given me much to ponder.”
Mia kept her voice calm, and Heron nodded. His expression remained as inscrutable as ever.
“The sooner you finish pondering, the better. Sadly, time is not on our side.”
Snuffing out his torch, Heron vanished into the shadows as suddenly as he had appeared. Mia was left alone, with only the glass vial and her tangled thoughts.
‘I must investigate this man’s origins.’
That the Temple was plotting something was already beyond doubt. What mattered more now was what Heron intended, reaching out his hand to her.
Mia pressed her brow. This battlefield held far more hidden variables than even she had seen in her previous life.
