Chapter 75

"Why did they build the shrine in such a difficult place?"

The carriage jolted violently. Despite the excellent cushioning, the mountain road was so rugged that my buttocks ached.

"Her Highness the Princess insisted that it had to be here."

On the other hand, the countess seemed accustomed to the road, showing no change in her expression.

'Why did they build the shrine in such a place? Just to avoid people’s eyes?'

I looked out the window. The scenery was neither particularly beautiful nor filled with flowers, just a rocky mountain. The road was not even passable, making the carriage’s ascent and descent treacherous.

'Somewhere... I’ve been before...'

Although it was clearly my first time here, it felt as if I had been here before. As I gazed blankly out the window, a faint voice, like an echo from the summit, reached my ears.

'There’s no meat today. I should dig for some mountain vegetables to make something delicious when Ahim returns.'

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the faint echo. Where would you find mountain vegetables in such a rocky place? The countess, who was sitting opposite me, looked at me with a puzzled expression. But only for a moment. She stiffened and tapped the carriage wall to signal the guard and my escort. It was a signal that we were about to arrive at the shrine and to prepare.

"We’re almost there."

Following her signal, I hastily put on my robe. Soon, the carriage’s jolting stopped. We were at the mountain summit. I followed the countess, pulling my robe tightly over my face so that it wouldn’t be seen. I then signaled to the guard and the escort, who were sitting on the driver’s seat. To prepare for any unforeseen events, I decided to enter the shrine with the countess, while the guard and the escort were to set fire to the mountain and the inside of the shrine as soon as we got out. Our goal was to disband the gathering today, so we also planned to leave an escape route to ensure no one was hurt.

"......!"

It was strange. Although it was my first time here, the moment I saw the shrine, it felt as if something was stuck in my throat, making it hard to breathe. I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, trying to suppress the inexplicable surge of emotion from deep within.

'Ahim.'

An echo sounded. I saw a woman, whose face I couldn’t identify, but it looked exactly like mine, desperately waiting for someone she loved.

"Grand Duchess, or... hmm, excuse me?"

The countess, who was about to walk forward, cleared her throat and called me softly when she noticed I hadn’t moved. However, my gaze was still fixed on the shrine, or rather, on the dilapidated cottage that seemed to overlay it, as if it had been there long ago. I knew this place. My instincts were screaming it. Just as the longing in my eyes was about to turn into tears, the countess gently touched my shoulder.

"Hey."

At the same time, the blurry image of the cottage, the woman’s afterimage, and the echoing voice all disappeared. It felt like waking up from a midsummer night’s dream. I quickly looked around. Countless believers were entering the shrine.

"......Why are you like this? Is there a problem?"

The countess, who had stuck close to me, whispered anxiously, worried that our plan might have gone awry. I shook my head hurriedly.

"No, I’m fine."

What was that just now? I tried to delve into my thoughts but quickly shook my head. No, I’ll worry about it later. If the plan goes wrong, it could be dangerous, so I shouldn’t think about it now. I’ll do it later. Once I regained my composure, the countess naturally blended in with the believers she usually associated with. She was already laying out the story of the rebels in advance.

"How does the offering ceremony proceed?"

I pretended to examine the wall and casually asked the countess beside me. She, too, looked around to ensure no one was listening before answering.

"Her Highness the Princess personally stabs the offering in the chest with a dagger and recites a spell to absorb the life force. The offering rapidly ages and eventually turns to ashes."

The more I heard, the more absurd it sounded. Do all these people really believe this? I curled my lips in a mocking smile.

"If this god is so powerful, why didn’t he grant immortality to the believers long ago?"

"The god had been sealed for a long time and used up too much power to break free, so he became weak. That’s why he needs ‘offerings’ to replenish his strength to fulfill everyone’s wishes."

"......But if the countess dies, the count won’t just stand by, will he?"

"There are many people here who can make such things seem trivial. They’ve all seen such scenes with their own eyes, so they become more devoted and hopeful for immortality."

I looked at the countess with disbelief and shook my head.

"Everyone falls for such deception."

"It’s not deception."

The countess反驳道，声音因恐惧而颤抖。

"It’s not deception. It’s truly the power of the god. Even if I survive this time, I won’t be interested in such things anymore... but that’s the truth."

Actually, I wasn’t saving the countess out of pity. I was just keeping her alive because she fit into my plan.

"If you survive today, you’ll pay for your sins. You aided and abetted the death of the offerings."

My indifferent tone made the countess lower her head and slump her shoulders.

'The power of the god.'

The god they worship is ultimately someone who was once called a witch. In other words, the power of the god is the power of the witch. It’s not a god. It’s just a witch. Those who desired immortality felt like it was a god, and Dodelea merely exploited their psychology to elevate the witch to a god.

'The witch who could cast curses was said to be immortal.'

Just as I was lost in thought, a calm yet majestic voice woke me up.

"The one chosen by the god has arrived."

I stopped thinking and turned my head. A familiar figure appeared. Dodelea, the princess, without her robe, and my stepmother and Reina, only wearing cloaks, followed behind her. The believers, who had been watching her, became frenzied with excitement as Dodelea ascended the altar. When she waved her hand, the hall fell silent as if no one else was there. Not even a breath could be heard.

"Indeed, I look forward to whether we will receive the god’s blessing today."

She was already a god here. Dodelea scanned the believers who were looking at her with admiration and then fixed her gaze on where I stood. Her eyes made me feel as if I was tied up and thrown into the deep sea, unable to move or breathe. Dodelea extended her hand toward me.

"The power of the god that will give us hope today."

No, not me, but the countess standing beside me. Dodelea, without further ado, went straight to the point.

"Congratulations on being chosen as part of the god."

The people standing beside the countess parted like the Red Sea. The countess swallowed hard, secretly gripped my sleeve, then let go and walked forward, pretending to be calm.

"Such a noble choice. To become part of the god’s power."

"It’s an honor."

The countess replied with a voice dampened by tears. It was a nice way to say she was about to die and disappear. The people around me just looked at her with anticipation, hoping they would gain immortality after she was offered.

"I have something to say."

"What is it?"

The countess took a deep breath.

"I’ve received information that the rebels are targeting this shrine."

Perhaps it was because of her trembling, frightened voice or her tearful plea, but the performance was quite convincing.

"If they kidnap Her Highness the Princess at the place where the god’s power is resurrecting, they can use it as a weakness against the royal family."

The crowd murmured in unison at the plausible story. However, Dodelea responded with a confident voice, as if it were no problem.

"It doesn’t matter once the god’s power returns."

Dodelea patted the countess’s shoulder and nodded to my stepmother. My stepmother then stepped forward, sprinkled holy water, and recited a blessing, following the order the countess had told her.

'Now’s the time.'

It was time for the fire to appear. As I thought this, a foul, acrid smell filled my nose. It was the same dark, smoky odor I had smelled before. Looking out the window, I saw flames engulfing us.

'Perfect timing.'

It seemed the so-called god didn’t want the countess to die. I pulled my robe tightly over my head and pointed to the shrine’s window. To avoid being recognized, I scratched my throat and shouted.

"The rebels! The rebels are here!"

The previously silent hall was filled with my cries. The people who had been murmuring about the rebels turned their gaze to the window.

"Fire!"

Then someone screamed in shock. The flames were clearly visible, dancing and swirling.

"The shrine is on fire!"

Another believer shouted in alarm. I had experienced this situation before. When people are in a panic, they can’t think clearly. They just follow their survival instinct and try to escape from danger. And this dangerous place was the shrine.

"The rebels are trying to burn us to death!"

I shouted as loudly as I could and grabbed the door handle. I then exaggerated my movements, pretending to be startled and stomping my feet.

"The handle is hot! The fire is already intense! If you don’t want to burn to death, you need to get out now!"

Of course, the handle wasn’t hot at all, but the people saw me reacting to it. I kicked the door open and pushed the believers standing beside me. They were pushed out and, sensing the heat, screamed and ran.

"Ahhh!"

At the same time, I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve and coughed, pretending to be struggling to breathe due to the smoke.

"Cough! Cough, cough!"

All these elements combined to act as a catalyst. The acrid smell, the flames dancing in the windows, the sight of people running and suffering from the fire, the sound of coughing in pain, and the auditory cues.

"I, I need to get out."

As all the senses perfectly detected the danger, the believers, who had been hesitating, began to murmur. They then ran toward the door simultaneously.

"Move! We need to get out!"

"If we stay here, we’ll all die!"

It was the same situation I had seen in the shop before. In the chaos, I turned my head. The countess was running safely, blending in with the fleeing believers, and Dodelea was looking at me with a frown.

'Now I need to run too.'

I knew the location of the shrine and had saved the countess as a witness. Now, I just needed to expose the princess’s atrocities and drive out the princess, my stepmother, and Reina to succeed. Just as I was about to turn, I met Dodelea’s eyes, which were gleaming sharply. She mouthed clearly.

"You’ve come, Fereshati."

Dodelea was smiling eerily.