Mess 143
by Cristae143.
“I knew this would happen.”
Seraphie responded indifferently. She had already expected as much.
“I’ve looked into the child’s distinguishing features. They say her hair is a very deep navy blue.”
“And you thought you could claim she was Validus’s blood relative just because of that?”
Loony frowned.
The temple’s actions had long since departed from common decency; now, they were outright rude and vicious. Just what gave them the confidence to make such transparent lies with such brazen assurance?
Orchis provided the answer.
“They’re going to tamper with the reagent that verifies parentage.”
In a week’s time, the temple planned to hold a so-called event to directly confirm the blood relation between Seraphie and the bastard child.
“Well, that is the only thing the temple can rely on…”
“That potion for verifying kinship can only be made within the temple.”
“They can’t make it at the Magic Tower?”
Seraphie seemed to doubt the reagent itself.
“How could something like a potion confirm blood ties? Is the formula even known? What’s the margin of error? Couldn’t it react even to someone who isn’t actually related?”
“The moment you start questioning such things, you’re immediately labeled a heretic…”
Creeeak.
Loony drew her thumb across her own neck in a cutting gesture.
“…The child’s parents?”
Seraphie pursed her lips and shifted the topic.
“The father’s whereabouts are unknown…”
Orchis’s voice trailed off as she continued, “As for the mother…” She seemed reluctant to elaborate.
“Could it be…”
In that moment, something sparked in Seraphie’s mind.
‘Just look at that new temple building they’re putting up on the outskirts!’
‘Every last man and woman working there is in debt.’
That was what her biological father had told her in prison.
“…The city outskirts?”
Orchis let out a deep sigh.
“The mother was at the construction site of the new temple building on the city outskirts.”
The bastard child’s mother had been caught and forced to work there.
“Those who were unable to repay illegal high-interest loans are made to work there.”
The legally mandated work hours, of course, went completely ignored; in fact, all food and shelter for the laborers were provided on-site.
They were people who had lost everything to debt. The temple blocked every avenue of escape, exploiting them ruthlessly.
“……”
Seraphie could not conceal her shock. Neither could Orchis, who relayed this, nor Loony, who listened beside her, hide their disgust.
The temple’s materialistic side was rumored enough, but this was the first time they faced its naked cruelty so directly.
Seraphie sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.
‘A poor law is desperately needed.’
Up until now, the proclamation of that law had been delayed by the temple’s opposition—perhaps this incident would finally present an opportunity.
But even aside from that—
“No, seriously, this—no…”
Seraphie was so aghast that she kept repeating, “No.”
It was only after voicing her fifth “No” that she managed to form a proper sentence.
“Is this not punishable by law?”
“They’re in debt, after all,”
Loony said bitterly.
The temple got away with their heinous crimes not merely by virtue of being a sacred place devoted to the gods.
“Most people working there are those who owe money to the temple and can’t pay it back.”
“……”
“And they’re commoners.”
Those people didn’t even dare consider suing the temple, nor did they have the means to do so.
Even if they tried, they knew full well they could never win.
“Seraphie, you know this well enough, don’t you?”
At Loony’s words, Seraphie nodded with effort.
She herself had once lived with barely enough money to eat, tormented by loan sharks.
She had even repaid her damned father’s debts with her own hands; Seraphie understood the cruelty of usury more than anyone.
‘That’s why all the lending targets commoners…’
If a noble like her had suffered so badly, there was nothing more to say for commoners.
The temple deliberately targeted those least likely to rebel: those powerless to resist.
“It’s revolting…”
Seraphie rubbed her arms. Once again, she realized that human greed could be colder and harsher than any winter chill.
“Seraphie.”
Orchis spoke.
“You must be careful.”
“You’re not telling me to back down?”
A lover in danger was usually held back, not urged on.
Seraphie tilted her head, puzzled.
“I know you better than anyone; I’ve watched you from up close.”
Without her noticing, Orchis had moved right beside her and brushed a kiss against her temple. Seraphie, suddenly ticklish, stifled a laugh.
A large hand gently cupped her face.
“If I tried to stop you, you’d only push further.”
Trust filled the violet eyes that met hers.
“It’s more reasonable for me to support and worry for you, since you’ll win anyway.”
Orchis neither tried to dissuade her from fighting the temple nor displayed the arrogance of offering to handle it himself. He believed Seraphie would emerge victorious in the battles ahead.
All he could do was remain at her side, helping and watching over her.
“When you win, I’ll have a kiss of victory ready for you.”
“Oh, you’ve become such a smooth talker!”
With his shameless whisper, Seraphie burst out laughing.
“Sometimes you’re even worse than the Duke!”
“And you would throw insults at such sweetness?”
“Hahaha!”
Seraphie doubled over, laughing until she clutched her belly. She looked so delighted that even the scowling Orchis finally joined in with a laugh.
“…Excuse me, I am still here?”
And amid it all, Loony sat alone in loneliness.
It was a moment when she missed her darling more desperately than ever.
A few days later, Seraphie paid a visit to the imperial palace to have an audience with the Emperor.
She meant to explain her upcoming plans, and to confirm a few things she had learned the day before while visiting her biological father.
And, as expected—
“Of course I knew.”
The Emperor was aware of the temple’s crimes.
“Countess, your face is unseemly.”
He lightly reproached Seraphie for her glare.
“…Forgive me.”
“And what will become of it if you admit it so honestly?”
He shows lenience and you become impudent.
Despite the stern words, the Emperor understood her well. He himself found the temple’s revolting acts intolerable. By now, their arrogance had risen to the point of ignoring imperial authority.
“They dare, in my presence, to disregard the nation’s laws and exploit my people?”
The Emperor quietly clenched his fist.
“Nothing short of grinding them into dust would be enough…!”
“So then why…”
“Why do I let them be, you mean?”
Seraphie nodded, her face full of distaste.
“Countess, do you know how our nation became powerful?”
“We expanded by invading and pillaging surrounding countries, gradually growing stronger.”
“Do you not know the meaning of the word ‘euphemism’?”
The Emperor was slightly dumbfounded at her bluntness.
“But you are correct.”
He continued:
“That’s how we grew. In the early days of the empire, people called us a nation of blood, of barbarians. We heard every slanderous name there was.”
“Glacée was hardly in a position to call anyone barbarians.”
“It’s always the mad dog who barks the loudest.”
At first, they had ignored such accusations as the whimpering of the vanquished, but once the machinery of state began to take shape, those slurs became problematic.
“At that point, the temple helped us.”
“The god who loves flowers and plants…”
Seraphie gave a faint nod.
‘They used the religion.’
The empire chose faith as a way to conceal the traces of its own brutality.
By declaring as their state religion a god of love and peace—one who cherished flowers and plants—and by promoting such values, they reshaped social trends.
The Ortus Empire came to equate strength with beauty and developed a curious obsession with formal, stylized aesthetics.
‘That’s where all the artistic trends come from…’
The most famous example was last year’s artistic vogue: standardized forms and works centered on sacred scripture.
‘All thanks to the temple’s influence.’
The temple was therefore a co-architect of the empire’s rise.
“The coat of arms of every noble family bearing flowers or plants is for this reason, isn’t it?”
“The imperial family has the World Tree, the founding Pelikia and Iris houses bear the orchid…”
“Validus bears the flameflower…”
That alone showed just how deep the temple’s influence ran in the empire.
“And there’s one more thing.”
The Emperor’s lips twisted in a sly smile.
“A woman appeared, beloved by the gods.”
And that woman stood before everyone and cried out:
“‘I have found the land that the gods have abandoned.’”
“……”
“Do you grasp the meaning?”
The Emperor asked Seraphie.
“…It seems I have, however unintentionally, given power to the temple.”
The Emperor nodded as if to say she had hit the mark.
The land the god had forsaken appeared in the world after centuries, and the Countess of Validus, who held it, rose to the ranks of the great nobility within a year.
The world called her “the one beloved by the gods,” and through Seraphie, the people felt the presence of the gods more vividly than ever before.
“Still, because of that…”
The Emperor’s eyes arched with sly delight.
“Your plan will work well.”
The moment Validus, God’s Beloved, opposed the temple, its brazen arrogance would be sharply checked.
He awaited Seraphie’s move against the temple more than anyone.
“I can only hope so.”
“Excessive humility is rude, you know.”
“Caution is all.”
“Caution…”
The Emperor tapped his finger on the armrest as he repeated the word.
There were two dossiers placed on the table between them.
One was permission for the plan to rein in current misdeeds.
The other concerned the “real prey,” the method for capturing Baglosa.
‘So that’s it.’
The Emperor realized Seraphie’s next steps.
‘I’ll overlook almost any legal gray area. If you’re caught, I’m even willing to cover for you.’
Yet Seraphie had never once resorted to illicit or questionable means.
“I have already spoken.”
And so there was but one thing the Emperor could offer.
“Do as you will.”
For the loyal vassal fighting in his stead, the Emperor would watch over her to the end.
‘At least the hair color is somewhat similar.’
Seven-year-old Carolla had been locked up in the temple for over a week now, all because of such a ridiculous reason.
“Mama…”
Her nose was red and runny from crying.
Carolla’s life had always been cold and hungry. But so long as she had her loving mother nearby, she could bear it. Besides, she had far more patience than other children her age.
“Mama—!”
But for a young child, to be all alone in a narrow room built of dark stone walls was a terrible ordeal.