OHNIR – Chapter 97
Chapter 97: Discovery
“The second key point has appeared.”
Kelusta twirled her quill, underlining a sentence and drawing an arrow that pointed to a previous key word: “spell.”
“The letter must be referring to the time when Talebris and the other dark-faction gods created the demons to protest Clara’s waste of Holy Force,” Kelusta said. “And back then, Clara lacked power and had to send two of her subordinate goddesses to the ocean, ordering them to find a way to quickly gather new divine power.”
The System mused, “I’ve noticed a key point: the Goddess of Light successfully developed a spell that could absorb divine power—what we now call ‘Holy Force.’”
“Yes, and that spell is exactly what I’m looking for.”
The brown-haired girl smiled as if she had anticipated this. “Remember?” she said calmly. “The reward for the fourth stage was the 【Gathering Magic Circle】…”
“You once told me that no reward from headquarters is given without reason. So, I’m guessing the purpose of this magic circle is for me to merge it with this spell. Then, just as the goddesses of Life and Fate once drew magic from the ocean, I can completely extract the Holy Force Source from Seaside Town.”
Kelusta turned the page and, just as she expected, found a complex incantation nearly thirty lines long. The ancient, mysterious characters seemed to leap off the page, resembling the hanging aerial roots of a banyan tree. Just looking at them was dizzying.
“What an exquisite incantation,” the System marveled. “In comparison, the spells you use now are like the useless trails left behind by a crawling caterpillar—”
Kelusta: “…”
She felt offended.
After staring at the incantation for a moment, she tilted her head back, her head aching. “Let’s not even get into how I’m supposed to merge this incantation with the magic circle,” she sighed. “Right now, it feels like it’s about to make my eyeballs and brain merge first.”
“This is indeed a rather complex incantation,” the System, whose knowledge base was far broader than its temporary host’s, commented. “Given your intelligence, I predict that even with a translator, you wouldn’t be able to understand its meaning. At best, you could only copy it stroke by stroke, and with less than sixty percent accuracy.”
“…” Kelusta said. “Be warned, sir. If you continue, I’m going to file a complaint.”
The System stuttered for a moment, then wisely shut up.
After that barrage of insults, Kelusta, despite having gathered two important pieces of information, temporarily lost the will to continue studying the Goddess of Light’s personal letters.
She sighed, rolled her eyes, and placed the journal on her pillow. Looking utterly exhausted, she gave a long, lazy stretch.
“The first clue is still questionable,” the brown-haired girl analyzed. “Judging from Clara’s tone, she was vehemently opposed to the ‘Dark Mark’ curse magic that Talebris practiced and knew almost nothing about it…”
“That’s right. Based on the letter, it seems the Goddess of Deceit was more familiar with this magic,” the System chimed in.
“If the ‘Condensation Spell,’ which can capture divine power, is representative of Clara, then the ‘Dark Mark’ is a classic dark-faction incantation.”
Kelusta lazily smoothed her hair, hopped off the bed, and ambled over to the window.
She drew the curtains, and brilliant sunlight poured in, dusting her hair, cheeks, and eyes like a shower of gold powder. It flooded the spacious bedroom, blanketing everything as if scattering gold across the floor.
“The Nobili Kingdom is dominated by humans led by the light-faction gods. It’s unlikely there’s much information about Talebris here.”
“That being the case, if we’re talking about dark-faction incantations… there’s only one place where one could learn the most about them—”
The brown-haired girl narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing through their honey-sweet depths. Her expression was calm and placid as her gaze pierced through the glass, seemingly unobstructed, fixing on a vast, desolate land in the distance—a habitat for another race.
“That place is…”
Kelusta’s lips curved slightly. “The Continent’s Edge,” she whispered.
The main reason Gloria had to forgo spending time with Kelusta after the ball last night wasn’t actually the Charles family.
They were like grasshoppers in late autumn—not worth much effort. With just a little pressure, their lives could be snuffed out, and they would never recover.
No, the real obstacle forcing her to part from her girl was today’s prayer day.
“…My dear Gloria, if you cannot decide on a suitable candidate to send to the Demon Realm, then I will have to wonder… if you are truly working for me.”
Sighing softly, the Goddess of Deceit issued a veiled threat, delivering an ultimatum to the silver-haired girl. Then, as was customary, she placed a sheet of prayer paper imbued with divine power into her hands.
This was a special prayer ritual the Silentdis family had practiced for centuries. Persedoro required each generation serving her to personally write a prayer on the paper, then piously go to the chapel and recite it aloud. Only then was the day’s task considered complete.
However, just as Gloria tucked the paper away and left the secret room, on her way to the small chapel to pray, the butler appeared from nowhere. He hurried before her and said in a low, urgent voice, “Lady Gloria, Her Highness the Princess has arrived.”
“…Her Highness Starangui?” Gloria paused, frowning slightly. “Did she send a calling card?”
“No calling card,” the butler stated firmly. “Her Highness arrived suddenly and alone. She said she must see you at once, that it is an urgent matter.”
Gloria paused. After a moment’s hesitation, she put the prayer paper away and said calmly to the butler, “Since Her Highness has come to our ducal estate in person, we can hardly keep her waiting. Show her to my private reception room, and do not send anyone to serve us. The princess and I have important matters to discuss.”
After the butler bowed in acknowledgment, the duke’s daughter abandoned her plan to pray. She narrowed her eyes, her expression unreadable, then turned and headed toward her private reception room.
After instructing the maids to prepare black tea, Gloria dismissed them with a wave of her hand. She then settled into a large, plush armchair and waited, her eyes fixed on the door.
Only when the blonde girl entered did she smooth her skirt and rise gracefully to her feet. “Good morning, Your Highness,” she greeted.
But after her greeting, Starangui remained motionless.
The princess looked exceptionally haggard. She had the weariness of someone who hadn’t slept, yet there was also a stirring, pitiful quality to her appearance.
The noble princess took a half-step forward, looking distraught. Her voice trembled as she struggled for composure. “My lady… you’re getting engaged to that Kelusta Breviou, aren’t you?”
Gloria sighed softly. “Your Highness, please, have a seat.”
“Please answer me,” Starangui pressed, as if she hadn’t heard a word. “Is it true?!”
Seeing the hysterical edge to her tone, Gloria finally frowned. “Yes,” she said coldly.
At this terse reply, the light purple in the blonde girl’s eyes instantly faded to a dull gray. She lowered her gaze, dejected, her long golden lashes glistening with moisture. “Why…” she asked, her voice sounding lost. “I can’t accept it. Why did she come so much later than I did, yet still win your favor?”
“…”
Gloria pressed her lips together, forcing herself to remain silent.
Starangui muttered to herself for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head and pleaded again, “Please tell me, my lady. I am a princess of the kingdom, with the prospect of becoming the next queen. I am willing to let you use my status and power as you see fit. If you needed it, I would gladly offer you everything I have—”
“Someone like me…” She gritted her teeth, her expression obstinate, her eyes filled with a bottomless gloom and venom. “How could I possibly be inferior to that country bumpkin who appeared out of nowhere!” she said hatefully.
“…Your Highness, I suggest you watch your words.” Seeing Starangui’s emotional instability, Gloria finally raised her eyes and issued a cool warning. “I recall telling you from the very beginning that aside from our mutually beneficial cooperation, there would never be any other kind of relationship between us, not even friendship. I made that perfectly clear to you, word for word. Have you… forgotten all of that?”
“No… My lady, I just…”
“I hope you will always keep my words in mind, Your Highness.” Before Starangui could stammer out an explanation, Gloria cut her off impassively. “Who my future partner will be is a decision for me and me alone to make,” she said in a level voice. “And Kelusta happens to be the one with whom I am most satisfied. I will love her, respect her, and stand by her for the rest of my life. Nothing will ever shake that commitment.”
“If you insult or harm my wife, you are declaring war on me.”
The silver-haired girl lifted her eyes. Her deep blue pupils were like cold gems soaked in melted snow. Her gaze, fixed on Starangui, held not a trace of warmth, only a bone-chilling frost.
“In that case, I will not show the slightest mercy.” A corner of her mouth lifted in an emotionless smile. “Whatever you inflict upon my wife… I will return it to you a hundredfold,” she said, her tone laden with meaning.
When Gloria finished speaking, the princess fell silent. The hint of madness in her expression vanished, replaced by composure. Her long hair fell forward, obscuring her face.
Just as the air seemed to freeze solid, the duke’s daughter was the first to speak, breaking the dead silence.
She glanced at Starangui, adjusted her tone, and said as calmly as she could, “Since you’ve come all this way, Your Highness, let’s not make it a wasted trip. I have some evidence here concerning the Charles family’s illegal tobacco sales. I need you to present it to His Majesty.”
With that, she turned and walked toward a hidden room within the reception hall, leaving Starangui standing alone, motionless.
“…”
After a long moment, the princess, clad in her magnificent gown, reached up and slowly pushed aside her slightly disheveled hair.
She slowly lifted her face and glanced expressionlessly in the direction Gloria had gone. As her gaze returned, she happened to spot something lying on the armchair.
Starangui frowned. Her heart gave a sudden lurch. She felt as if the object possessed some magical quality, compelling her to examine it…
And so, without much hesitation, she walked over and carefully picked it up from the chair.
“O revered goddess, please hear the prayer of your devout follower: I praise your mercy and magnanimity, I thank you for awakening our souls… I offer my faith, and you grant me your favor… In your name—‘Persedoro’—I pray, may our glory endure.”
It was a sheet of paper made from a peculiar material.
In the upper-left corner was a mark resembling a rose vine. It looked like parchment but felt as thin and brittle as a dried leaf. Though Starangui was certain she had never seen any similar material in the Nobili Kingdom, this oddity failed to capture her attention.
Her attention was fixed on a much greater mystery—the mark of the rose vine.
The white and black swans were the symbols of the Goddesses of Light and Darkness, respectively. The rose vine, however, was the exclusive mark of the second-to-last god to perish during the divine era… the Goddess of Deceit.
In the histories passed down from the divine era, the names of many gods had been lost to time, including even the Goddess of Deceit, one of the six principal deities.
Now, with the clue of the “rose vine,” it wasn’t difficult to deduce to whom the name “Persedoro” belonged.
But…
Why would a prayer from the Silentdis family mention the true name of this long-fallen goddess?
What was the connection between the Goddess of Deceit, the Silentdis family, and Gloria…?
Starangui’s eyes shifted, a dark light flashing within them. She took a deep breath, bent down, and gently placed the paper back where she had found it.
Legend held that if one piously and accurately spoke the name of a god who had not yet fallen, under certain specific conditions, one could initiate a small summoning ritual.
As for whether the gods would actually respond… that had always been a matter of debate, and there was no way to confirm if the summoning method was genuine.
But Starangui wanted to try.
She wanted to know if the so-called goddess who presided over “all the world’s desires and lies” truly existed—
And she wanted to know if this goddess could satisfy… the endless, insatiable desires of her own heart.
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