Chapter 258: A Trap?

Another carriage approached.

Unlike the one Gabrielle and the others rode, this carriage was entirely orange. Complex gearwork formed its structure, yet it moved without making the slightest sound.

It looked like the product of excessive mechanical modification, as if a wind-up toy had been enlarged countless times. The surprising part was that this wind-up carriage actually worked.

The moment Gabrielle saw the prominent emblem on the wheels and the people stepping down from the carriage, she understood everything.

The people of Monasta excelled at using machinery.

From the perspective of magic technology, their nation had taken a completely different path.

That path made their creations especially extravagant. Mechanical parts were left exposed, yet they possessed a kind of absurd beauty.

The one who stepped down was Letitia, followed by the attendant with short ash-gray hair.

Letitia wore a beautiful white formal dress. Her pink hair looked especially vivid under the sunlight. The attendant was dressed in a tailcoat and top hat, the familiar triangular black mask once again concealing her presence and making her identity difficult to discern. Of course, Letitia herself was in exactly the same situation.

Both of them were Heavenly Envoys, and Letitia was the most special of all—she was the one who had awakened the Heavenly Envoys inside the repair pods. In other words, from Hertitz’s introduction, Gabrielle understood that Letitia was supposed to be the “savior” of the Heavenly Envoys.

Gabrielle held no particular grudge against her. It was only that the last time they parted, Letitia had asked her a rather strange question. She had asked Gabrielle what she thought of this city.

When Gabrielle honestly answered that it was fairly nice, Letitia had looked at her with a complicated expression and said the answer was unexpected.

It almost felt as if this city was destined to be destroyed by her. Beyond finding Letitia beautiful, Gabrielle’s impression of her also carried a certain eeriness, as though the girl knew a truth no one else had ever learned.

“Lady Gabrielle, Lady Olivia… and Miss Isabella. And this is…?”

As she spoke, Letitia looked toward the girl standing behind Cress.

This time Hertitz had come along with the group. She had said she might still be of some use.

Since Cress was accompanying them, Gabrielle did not think anything would go wrong and had agreed. She had considered that meeting Letitia might be a little awkward, but she never expected it to happen so soon.

Hertitz showed not the slightest nervousness. She pretended not to recognize Letitia and cooperated with the other in performing a polite curtsy. Under Isabella’s training, her manners were at least passable.

“My name is Hertitz. I am a new member of the Royal Guard. Greetings, Your Majesty.”

“What an obedient maid. Ah, Miss Cress, good morning to you as well.”

Letitia only glanced at Cress indifferently. Cress nodded back. The two of them did not even meet each other’s eyes.

Cress studied Letitia carefully.

“Miss Gabrielle~? It’s been a while. How has your health been lately?”

“Quite well. And you, Miss Letitia?”

Gabrielle returned a polite smile.

The instant Letitia stepped closer to Gabrielle, both Cress and Isabella instinctively moved forward, placing themselves protectively in front of her.

Letitia smiled. “Learning of Her Majesty the Saint King’s invitation, I am deeply grateful. Of course I am also extremely grateful to the Church for giving Monasta this opportunity.”

Gabrielle nodded and smiled. The group then followed the nun toward the magnificent building.

Hertitz walked at the very back.

Although Letitia paid no attention to this defeated little Heavenly Envoy, the attendant at her side kept locking eyes with her.

Hertitz only smiled back, looking completely at ease, as if to say, “I’m fine.”

Olivia also maintained her usual expression, yet Gabrielle noticed her delicate brows occasionally furrow. She was probably thinking about Letitia’s true identity.

Several statues over ten meters tall stood on either side of the plaza road. The nuns performed prayer gestures toward the center of the path, as though this were a ritual rather than a meeting with a foreign princess.

Along the way only the staggered sound of footsteps on the stone path could be heard. In the end it was Letitia’s voice that broke the awkward silence.

“More than a month ago Her Majesty the Saint King already exchanged several letters with me. Miss Simona is truly a good person who fulfills her duty toward humanity.” Letitia gazed up at the sky. “Monasta is also called the ‘Kingdom of Machines.’ I believe that if the power of faith and magic technology were combined, humanity would certainly reach new heights. Perhaps in the near future we might even enter the third stage.”

“The third stage… meaning making every human believe in the gods?”

“Not only that. Every corner of the world would be filled with the gospel of the gods. Even the alleys would become as beautiful and prosperous as the Holy Capital. It would be a world that exists only in beauty.”

“Miss Gabrielle, do you remember what I asked you last time?”

Letitia covered her mouth and laughed softly. “Actually, it was the same as you. You asked me whether I liked this city. I like this city very much as well. I have witnessed the rise and fall of the Holy Capital. It is like a giant tree, its roots deeply piercing into the soul of this world.”

“I don’t understand what Miss Letitia is trying to say.”

“Just a momentary feeling. Pay it no mind.”

Letitia looked toward the sanctuary and said nothing more.

The great doors of the Holy Sanctum stood open. Unlike the bizarre religious architecture of a temple, the interior that greeted them was vast and magnificent.

The space beyond the doors was extremely spacious. Totems and patterns on the orange-yellow floor intertwined with spots of light, painting beautiful scenes amid dreamlike, hazy colors. At the far end of the space the God of Sacred Feathers looked down upon them with eyes full of compassion and pity, as though able to see through everything. On the ceiling a massive golden cross was entwined with gray-brown vines, resembling a rose. Under the light it turned a vivid blood-red.

While everyone was still immersed in this interweaving of theology and aesthetics, Cress suddenly turned around. The corner of her right eye tightened.

“Nun. Where is the Saint King?”

There was neither favoritism nor courtesy in Cress’s voice.

Indeed, unlike the complex structure of a temple, the entire Holy Sanctum was completely exposed to their sight. Yet there was not a single sign of the bishops or the Pope.

Before Cress’s words had fully settled, the unexpected occurred.

The nuns who had been standing in two neat rows suddenly vanished, replaced by an eerie silence.

They disappeared as if they had evaporated from the world, leaving only an empty Holy Sanctum. The half-open doors let in a howling wind, as though mocking everyone present.