### Chapter 20: The Deity’s Medium
A plate brimming with crème brûlée sat enticingly on the tea table in front of them, golden and looking deliciously soft. I couldn’t tell if it was made by one of Victoria’s servants or if they had splurged on a special buy.
But once I laid eyes on it, it was as good as mine! I had to eat it all!
Bounding over like a hyperactive bunny, I snatched the biggest chunk and plopped down between the two of them. Kicking off my little red shoes, I draped my pale legs over the sofa and held the crème brûlée in both hands, taking a big bite while indulging in the rich, creamy flavor swirling in my mouth. My heart was bursting with joy.
This wonderful feeling… Pure bliss!
“Greedy guts,” came Victoria’s indifferent voice from beside me, and I shot her a glare.
“Mmm-mm!”
With my mouth stuffed to the brim, I was utterly incapable of human speech, which made Victoria’s brow furrow ever so slightly.
“Save some for later.”
When I wasn’t looking, she snatched the bite I had just taken and plopped it back onto the plate.
“Now, let’s get to business. First, regarding Sister Teresa,” Victoria said, nonchalantly diving into the topic. I stared at her blankly for a good while before pouting, feeling an urge to throw a tantrum. But with her serious demeanor, I realized it was not the time for silly antics, so I mentally took note of my irritation.
“Peilo, you’ve had the most involvement in this whole royal city incident. Tell us everything you know.”
I quickly chewed and swallowed my mouthful, nodding with a pout.
“Oh.”
Now I was thinking about the frozen lawn in her backyard.
As I simmered down a bit, I recounted from when I first discovered the notebook up until I met Victoria again, then stood up and told them, “Wait here.”
I dashed back upstairs, retrieved the charred, incomplete notebook belonging to Teresa, and handed it to Victoria.
“This notebook,” I said as I plopped back down on the sofa, “has many pages burnt to a crisp, but it’s readable. It details that the heretics, ages ago, used human bl**d for experiments.”
My gaze drifted towards the crème brûlée on the table, but my thoughts instead fixated on the children whose heads had been chopped off, their bodies reduced to ashes in the flames.
They probably never tasted anything this delicious.
Suddenly feeling a bit down, my appetite diminished significantly.
But I still wanted more because I was indeed starving, and my empty stomach was protesting.
The two women beside me remained quiet. Victoria flipped through a few pages of the notebook but lost interest quickly. She then handed it to Margaret, who took her time reading it word-for-word with great seriousness.
After a long wait, I was getting impatient.
“Uh, the vertebrae. What’s that about?”
Margaret didn’t even look up as she answered, “That’s Boswell, the divine relic of the royal city.”
Of course…
I had already pondered that possibility earlier, and now hearing it confirmed by Margaret brought up new questions.
“What kind of animal’s vertebrae is it?”
Just one vertebra was already ridiculous in size. I couldn’t imagine what an actual living specimen would look like… The big dragon might seem like a three-year-old child next to it.
Margaret turned the page of the notebook and explained, “That’s the remains of a giant dragon from the Age of Gods. Since the Holy Church was founded over a thousand years ago, although the deity has long hidden away from the world, it still grants numerous blessings to humanity. The divine relic, Boswell, is one of them. The dragon’s body contains immense power, and even in d*ath, it serves as a ‘medium,’ allowing the deity to channel its power through these remains. Thus, even beings as insignificant as we are can gaze upon their greatness. It’s the deity’s way of showing favor to humanity.”
“Hmm…” I pondered for a moment, tilting my head, “huh?”
I was kind of lost.
“To put it simply, the dragon bones are a medium that carries the deity’s power, enabling humanity to unleash greater divine miracles, like Boswell,” Victoria clarified.
“Right.” Margaret nodded gently and closed the notebook, a pretty frown forming on her forehead. “But now, all that’s left of the remains are just shards; the ‘medium’ is gone.”
Taking a breath, she continued, “Miss Silvya, you probably don’t know. When you were unconscious, I visited Cataloma and saw that chasm deep in the ground. I found the burnt fragments of the remains and confirmed that Boswell has been completely destroyed, and the ‘medium’—ah, which is to say the divine favor—has vanished. I suspect Teresa has used some method that even the church is unaware of to usurp it.”
I gazed gravely into Margaret’s face.
“Usurp?”
“Yeah… that’s basically what it means. I couldn’t find a better word to describe it. It’s a situation that has never occurred before,” Margaret said, placing the notebook on the tea table with a heavy countenance. “I’ve scanned through the notes and can deduce some things.”
She lifted her hand and lightly tapped the thick cover.
“I think this is her method of usurping the ‘medium.’ Sister Teresa’s choice to k*ll isn’t for any experiment; it’s more like she’s making some sort of ‘sacrifice’ for a being. The ‘medium’ is the power of the great deity, so only the deity itself can enact changes.”
At this point, she paused, her expression turning complex.
“Or perhaps… there are other evil entities we’re unaware of, like the demons the heretics worship.”
“The power that requires human bl**d to drive it is indeed something only a demon could wield,” Victoria remarked.
“Demons…”
I remembered Carlos had mentioned them to me first. No one knew what the true God of Truth the heretics worshipped was. He was from the Eastern Continent and had spent many years there yet remained clueless about the true face of ‘demons,’ with their existence being mere speculation. However, there was one who claimed to be a demon, who was slain by the Sword Saint—his teacher.
But now it seemed, if what Margaret said is correct, then the God of Truth might just be on the same level as a deity.
The power of bl**d and fire, the immortality of the heretics, and Teresa turning into a monster… to possess such complex and terrifying abilities, what could it possibly be…
As I pondered this seriously, I automatically reached for the plate.
SLAP!
My hand was swatted away, hitting the tea table.
“Ow!”
I exclaimed, startled and angry, rubbing my now-red hand as I pouted at Victoria.
“Why?!”
“Finish talking before you eat.”
She looked at me with that same indifferent gaze.
After a moment, perhaps feeling a bit sorry for my pitiful look, Victoria’s tense expression softened slightly as she oddly explained, “You already talk slowly, and chewing makes it even slower. The Saintess doesn’t have much time, so hang in there. Those are all yours; no one’s trying to take them.”
“… Oh.”
But I was hungry… saying that would just be embarrassing.
“Phew—”
On the other side, Margaret let out a sigh.
“No matter what the heretics plan to do, this time, they’ve succeeded. We’ve lost because our understanding of them was too one-sided.” She stood up. “Regardless, the royal city’s disaster stemmed from our poor oversight; I never anticipated Teresa would…”
She shook her head lightly and solemnly bowed to us.
“Her Majesty the Queen, Miss Silvya. I’d like to thank you both on behalf of the Church. You are both sacred individuals, and your contributions will forever be remembered by the Church.”
Seeing her serious demeanor made me feel embarrassed. I wanted to speak, but Victoria had already gotten to her feet.
“Saintess, that’s too heavy a statement. As the King of Ethanbel, it’s my duty.”
“I’m well aware of the royal city’s situation. Your Majesty, please rest assured,” Margaret shook her head slowly. “The Church will do its utmost to assist with the devastation the royal city has suffered.”
Victoria nodded without hesitation, “Alright.”
Her demeanor was as if she feared Margaret would backtrack.
