Chapter 132 – In which doubting sincerity is an occupational disease and can’t be helped (5)
Phlox paced around the room provided her in the General’s mansion.
Stolen remains of the mind.
Inverted symbol of the god she once dedicated herself to.
Clones.
Suspicion of murder of the late General.
“Good gods… What a hellish mess.”
She sighed, pulling her hair.
An urge to breaking something tugged on her heart.
The reasoning Young Lady Saffra provided for why she believed it was a murder was flimsy at best, and fully made-up at worst.
It was full of guts instincts and feelings for her father, which she clearly didn’t have.
But in all this bullshit, Saffra offered Phlox a very important and heavy secret.
— Actually, Quick-witted Priest Phlox must have already noticed. No new Yellow Throne Ruler was chosen yet. That’s because we have two contradictory wills from my father about that.
Phlox really wished to bang her head against the wall in that moment.
Yes, that explained the subtle tension she noticed between the two ruler candidates and their enthusiasm to jump to search for the remains of the mind.
‘There is a small possibility that the remains of the mind will hold the memory about which candidate the late General preferred.’
Was that why it was stolen?
How did they even know beforehand that late General was a being without a soul?
Unless you were a demon, who could glimpse souls with your spiritual vision, it was difficult to check it.
Finding the object which the mind remains inhabited after the death of body necessitated that you had related spiritual arts knowledge.
And the symbol she found on the wall in his room also pointed to deep knowledge about gods, especially that one… why the hell that one from all of the sun gods?
Phlox had one more reason to worry about this strange matter.
‘They tried to assassinate Archmage Crimo with the sun god relic.’
And that relic happened to belong to the old persona of the same god, she now found the symbol of on the wall.
She realized it was her god only after the Saint tasked her with secretly bringing the relic to the Temple of Dead and Forgotten Gods, as he didn’t want to leave it in the Universe Temple.
If General Sulfious was truly murdered….
‘Then the Temple of Sun and Day Gods temple must be involved…’
Why?
Why would they do that?
Old rituals, reverted symbols – it was akin to attempting to kill that god.
It wasn’t even a particularly important god.
A husk of once glorious being.
But Phlox liked them.
Enough that she was willing to do crazy things like drugging herself until she ‘found’ a desert and could talk to them.
It wasn’t very productive conversation – the god kept insisting that if she touches the ground, she will die – but she was still proud of herself.
In those years after she escaped the orphanage and entered the care of the Sun and Day Gods Temple, that small blind sun god was her source of comfort.
They were the part of her family, just like the priests of the Sun and Day Gods Temple were.
So to think they could be tied to something like this…
She bit her lip.
‘There is no use to dwelling on that. I should get some rest. You need all your faculties to face that woman tomorrow, Phlox.’
She told herself as she laid down in bed.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Sleep didn’t allude her for long.
As if it crept up her back and was just waiting for her to let her guard down…
*-*-*
[You have a traitor in your squad, Little Flower ^^]
Said a note she found herself holding when she woke up after that faithful day when she was almost captured in the military warehouse complex.
Commander stared at it for a long time and then threw it on the ground, stomping it hard into the mud.
Her throat burned as she got a heartburn from pure fury.
She couldn’t quite say why.
Sure, she was quite thankful that that woman saved her.
But that aloof attitude, that hypocrisy, that know-it-all…!
You’re saying won’t throw a person to sink to the bottom of the river, but don’t mind smacking them into the head, perhaps cracking their skulls?
And then she left her with that insulting note…!
She stormed out of her tent.
A need for a wisp of fresh air surged in her chest, her heart imprisoned behind ribs asking for a breath of coldness.
‘This hypocrite imoogi…!’
She kicked a pebble out of her way, the stone crushing into a puddle of frosty water.
“Wow! Command Archon, what got you so worked up?”
A lively voice at her side made Commander turn.
The pretty silvery eyes of the woman before her seemed to melt the frost in her heart, like first spring sunlight.
No, she should say moonlight.
“Moon Specter Priestess, I’m happy to see you returned safely from your mission.”
“Command Archon is too kind, procuring basic supplies could not be easier than that. Still, rules are rules, I came to get you and give full report.”
“Let’s us go then. I happen to be free.”
The two woman quickly headed to the command center, where the rest of their squadron ought to have gathered.
On the way, Commander threw some questions:
“I assume then you faced no problems then.”
“No, not really… Well, the Sun Fang Priest’s boy sneaked off for a moment somewhere.”
“Sneaked off?”
“You didn’t hear that from me, Archon, but there is apparently a pretty boy under Sun Wing Priest’s command.”
“Oh my…”
Only the strongest Sidus’ combatants were sent to infiltrate this land and look for opportunity to break down the rule of tyrannical king.
That included two most powerful beasts under the Sun God’s command, the Sun Fang Priest, the head of the wolf shifters, and the Sun Wing Priest, the head of the phoenix shifters.
The two hated each other.
Commander pressed her temples.
“Does Sun Fang Priest knows it?”
“Well…”
Before the Moon Specter could respond, she happened to lift the tent’s curtain.
Slap!
A might slap sound hit their ears.
A young man recoiled, holding a hand to his cheek.
Wax on his wolf mask cracked slightly due to impact.
“Do people's lives matter so little to you?”
The older man looked down on his son, his voice cold like winter wind.
“Of course not.”
“Does your god’s mission inconveniences you?”
“That’s not it…”
“Oh? Then are you perhaps dissatisfied with the life I gave you?”
“…”
The man just hung his head and clenching his fists, said:
“I apologize for my words and insubordination. This will not happen again.”
“Good. Go to your quarters and write those exact words one hundred times.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
He bowed and quickly left.
The Sun Fang sighed, dig into his hair, and then spotting the two newcomers at the entrance, invited them in.
Commander bowed respectfully and the Sun Fang did the same towards her.
Both of them were the high priests of the same god, the etiquette was given.
The Moon Specter was left alone.
“Command Archon, about that mission…”
“Ah, everyone we need is here, that’s great.”
The Sun Fang was about to give his report, when two more figures hastily entered.
“Spirit Archons!”
Commander opened her eyes wide.
In this camp, only those two people had higher authority than her.
“Shh, calm down, we need your full focus right now.”
The white Archon smiled with a gentleness unique for angels.
The demon beside them, explained grimly:
“Sun Wing squad is trapped. We need to rescue them.”
.
.
.
Rescue operations were always more stressful than any terrorisms or guerrilla attacks.
To know that the members of your family were standing on the edge of a cliff and if you’re too late…
She couldn’t be late.
She must not be late.
Those people, all of those people, who came from Sidus to this land with her, were her family.
‘I need to draw them away… a powerful distraction.’
There were so many troops running around, the Sun Wing’s squad couldn’t escape.
So Commander quietly gazed on the most shiny building around.
A banquet was held in a grand hall of gold and silver.
It would be so easy to set this building on fire and trap everyone enjoying themselves inside.
It wouldn't be really a loss to the society, those inside were just blood suckers feeding on this tyranny.
… And yet her hand didn’t move.
“Terrible, right? They have so much food, so much light and warmth here, yet a street away, people give up their own bodies and replace them with wood and clay, because it’s too hard to feed themselves and their children.”
Suddenly a tall woman stood beside her.
The light from the gala basking her in a golden glow, giving her likeness of a pillar shining in the night.
“And yet even those glamorous people are just the same people like those a street away. Afraid of death and pain just like them. Afraid of losing their children. Did you know that many of them came to this land, because they couldn’t give up their terminally ill children? Now those children are running around this hall, laughing… well pass their death date.”
She spoke with a quiet laughter in her voice.
Commander observed her with cold scrutiny.
Then asked:
“So what? You’re just going to let them escape death and pain forever? While others suffer at their cost?”
“… Wouldn’t forcing that death and pain onto them be just another act of tyranny?”
This fence-sitting hypocrite…
Commander clenched her fists.
She continued to ask:
“So what you’re planning to do? What is your way to ‘save the world’?”
“… If I knew, I wouldn’t be standing here, right?”
“So you don’t have another plan.”
“I’m doing my best to figure it out.”
Imoogi smiled.
Commander did not.
Because she had another plan.
An opportunity that presented herself to her.
She could her the heavy march of troops behind her.
The ones chasing her family.
“I made some research into you.”
“Really? I’m flattered.”
“It looks like you and your two compatriots managed to still piss off quite a number of high-ranking officials.”
“We’re quite popular, yes.”
Immogi tilted her head, as if wondering why Commander was talking about it.
Commander finally smiled.
“Well then, I’m sure all of them will be very happy to meet their idol, right?”
With one call of her power, the ground under Imoogi’s feet shook and cave in.
The light beacon fell into the darkness of earth.
But Commander didn’t stop here, calling upon the power of her god, she illuminated the dark sky.
Marking the pray trapped in the hole.
She saw Imoogi at the bottom under the rays of sunlight.
Surprisingly, the woman attempted to get up.
Commander thought that the fall would break her to pieces, but she only ended up with one leg’s knee twisted in opposite direction and one arm hanging limply.
She was pretty sturdy snake.
Commander threw the last good luck wishes to her:
“Have fun entertaining new guests!”
The troops were already so close, she could almost feel them breath down her neck.
Hearing her voice, Imoogi looked up, her dilated pupils staring right into hers.
Not a snake, more like… a praying mantis judging a distance to her pray.
Commander instinctively took a step back… and quickly retreated into the darkness.
Her rescue mission ended in success.
*~*~*
