I Sought Out the Tragedy’s Scheming Mastermind

After the day it snowed, Eliana began to learn magic from Verkley.

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Most of the time, he demonstrated, and she imitated the magic herself.

And when she couldn’t control her strength properly, Verkley would stop instead.

Eliana became quite used to the feel of him releasing mana and taking it.

It turned out that Eliana couldn’t use her magic freely because she didn’t know the location of her mana core.

She’d been trying to use magic without knowing its location, so she couldn’t cast spells properly.

It wasn’t intentional, but when she accidentally put strength into her mana core, that’s when her magic worked.

Especially when fleeing the Mussieux Estate, she opened her mana core, and it remained that way for a certain period, so that’s how she used magic without warning.

Now, if she wanted to use magic, she’d have to focus on her mana core, and it would work immediately.

Although she still couldn’t control it and had unruly cast spells, she didn’t cause major accidents, such as natural disasters, like last time.

‘It’d be best if you didn’t cast large amounts of magic as much as possible like you did last time with the snow.’

‘Why?’

’It takes a lot of your mana, and it’ll overwhelm your body.
Come here, Eliana.’

With his words, Verkley reached out and held Eliana in his arms.

It was so he could transfer his mana.

Since she made it snow that day, her fatigue still lingered, and he often transferred his mana.

Taking someone else’s mana was an indescribable feeling.

A sense of relaxation of the body and stabilization of the flow of the body.

After receiving his mana, she felt somehow awkward and couldn’t look his way.

* * * 

Eliana was invited by Rube to leave the palace to go to the temple.

After returning to the capital, Rube had been staying at the Temple of Algiers.

A carriage was already waiting for Eliana in front of the palace.

Eliana hesitated in front of the carriage.

It was because she remembered the last time she rode inside a carriage, she got very sick.

The pain was still vivid, and her heart was already pounding against her chest.

In the meantime, a man in a priest’s uniform opened the carriage door and urged her.

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“Come on, get on quickly.”

Eliana reluctantly took his hand and was about to get into the carriage but then decided better of it and cheerfully said,

“The weather is nice today.
Can I walk?”

“It’s quite a distance for a young lady to walk.”

“But I like walking.
Can’t I? The heels to my shoes are low.” Eliana smiled brightly with a pleading glow.

The priest seemed a bit embarrassed and touched the back of his neck but agreed.

“If the young lady says so, we can.”

The priest sent the carriage back and took Eliana’s side to guide the way.

The distance between the palace and the temple was just right, having to pass through a large street with trees overlooking the path.

Eliana felt sorry for the priest who had to walk because of her, so she asked inquisitive questions.

As the two discussed many topics, they arrived at the temple before she knew it.

The priest pointed to the temple with one hand and explained.

“We’re here.
This is the Temple of Hosios, the first temple of Algiers.”

The temple was bigger than she imagined.

The spire stood tall in the sky, with ornate jewels embedded into several walls.

There were no signs of any thieves, and it was thanks to the Holy Knights that guarded the front of the temple every day.

An hourglass was engraved into the tallest spire instead of a clock, the symbol of Algiers.
It was said to flip every hour to announce the time.

Inside the hourglass, the sand continued to descend.

Under the guidance of the priest, Eliana washed her hands in the washbasin and entered the main hall.

In the main hall, there were often people who came to pray for personal wishes.

It felt as if she were in a cathedral.

The silent atmosphere of the temple made Eliana feel the same.

She followed the priest, more cautious of her footsteps than usual.

The inner walls depicted scenes of the Itdeoni myth from the scriptures of Algiers.

Eliana marveled at the murals.

“Their sizes are magnificent.”

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“It’s the biggest temple in the empire.
This is the starting and end point of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land.”

The temple was as vast as Algiers, the God that the empire worshiped.

The priest explained in detail why the starting and end of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land was the Hosios Temple.

Eliana walked quietly down the hall, following the voice.

Arriving at the rest area where the priests stayed, Eliana sat and glanced at the wall without even thinking of drinking the green tea already prepared by the temple.

There were murals in the rest area, too.

A God with gold hair, similar to Eliana, sat on a throne with a halo, and beneath it were angels and demons upholding the God.

The appearances of the demons and angels varied, but they all had wings.

On the right, an angel punished the sinful, and on the left, a demon also punished the sinful.

Angels and demons from the Itdeoni myth were not the opposites of good and evil.

There was a stark distinction between the role of an angel and the role of a demon.

Those they punished were sinners that went by another name.
“Hanev.”

Fallen divine beings, Hanev.

Originally, they were angels or demons who were supposed to follow God’s will, but then they lost their powers and fell.

Maybe that’s why the figures of the Hanev with spears pierced into their sides looked similar to angels or demons.

But they had only one difference.

No wings.

The faces of the people being punished like Hanev appeared mysterious.

There was a line of them burning, freezing, and being beaten.

While Eliana scanned the unfamiliar scene, Rube, who finished the Mass, entered the rest area.

“Were you waiting for a while?”

Eliana stared at him.
His attire was different from when they met in the palace.

While he wasn’t wearing the same uniform, his overall priest uniform looked elegant.

Wide sleeves flowed alongside him with every shift of his body.

A clerical collar neatly secured his neck.

With ancient words embroidered with gold thread across his stole.

His uniform was as bright as his appearance, gold decorations against the white fabric.

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Rube, dressed in a papal robe made him appear pious.

“It’s my first time inside the temple, so I didn’t have time to get bored.”

Rube smiled softly at Eliana’s words.

Then he took the cold green tea in front of Eliana, placed it in front of him, and then poured her a new cup of warm tea.

“That one’s cold.”

“I know.”

Rube sipped the cold green tea regardless.

Eliana could see the steam wafting from her tea.

‘What the…? Does he like cold tea?’

As Eliana continued to stare at him blankly, Rube added.
“It tastes better when it’s warm.”

“Thank you.”

Only then did Eliana sip the green tea to show her appreciation.

As he said, it tasted better because it was warm.
For some reason, she felt exhausted.

With a brief greeting, they immediately talked about the items needed for the ceremony.

He elaborated on the colors that were to be avoided and must be included in the ceremony, as well as the necessary equipment.

Eliana eagerly wrote down the precautions in the notepad she brought.

She thought there would be nothing much to prepare because, in the novel, the scene was only described in a few lines, but it seems that all of the planning was left out.

“Eliana, a priest will be sent to retrieve your measurements for your dress later on.”

“What? Are you making a new dress for me too?”

“You are the princess’s attendant.
Of course, you must receive a dress.” Rube clarified as if she were asking something new.

It changed again.

In the original novel, Hera did not give Eliana a dress.

Eliana had to wear a very dull outfit so that she wouldn’t stand out more than Mary, the heroine.

The scene floated across her mind, causing her dissatisfaction, and Eliana spoke without realizing it.

“Did the Empress Dowager allow it?”

“Do you need permission?” Rube asked as if he had heard a strange question.

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It was a reaction she could catch, even though she did not know him well.

Embarrassed, Eliana stammered and explained.
“I-I guess not, but…”

“The Empress Dowager has entrusted me with all the proceedings of the ceremony.
Don’t worry about it too much, Eliana.”

“…Do you think I’m being self-conscious?”

Eliana’s question made Rube’s lips lift into a smile. 

“Very much so.”

“Ahaha.”

Eliana had no choice but to awkwardly laugh.

He must have noticed that she was uncomfortable with Hera.

And now, it wasn’t just the dress that changed from the original plot.

“The ceremony will be held at the Summer Palace.”

 “What?” Eliana protested but then snapped her mouth shut.

In the novel, Mary’s ceremony was held at the Spring Palace.

Mary appeared with an armful of lilies, Owen’s symbol, among the lush greenery.
But now, that was no longer an option.

She felt dizzy as the novel further deterred from the original plot.

Eliana watched him closely and softly suggested, “That… Isn’t the Spring Palace better than the Summer Palace?”

“No, we need a lake for the baptism, so the Summer Palace is better suitable.”

“But we have no clue if the princess will gain divine or magical abilities, so is it a good idea to have one?”

Her question was out of concern that Mary would be humiliated.

In the novel, Mary gains divine powers—much to Hera’s wish—but unfortunately, they are taken away by Verkley at that very moment.

The demon’s power had obliterated her divine power.

When Mary, who was already treated as a “mix-blooded child” was not able to reveal her powers, a long-standing tradition of the Owen’s blood, the nobles despised her even more.

Although no one said anything openly because of Hera, many nobles made invidious remarks.

And with Mary’s inability to reveal her abilities, Verkley’s revenge begins.

Later, as the head of the nobles, Duke Crombell sided with Verkley, and Hera would quickly become cornered.

Rube tapped his chin for a beat before he softly said…

T/N: The parts mentioning “Hanev” are very confusing.
When I gather more information on him, I’ll correct any mistakes!