25-272

EP.272. [Anastasia, Priestess of the Ancient Demon Tribe.] 

“This is an ancient demon temple!!” 

As the cloaking faded, the outline of a large building appeared before Elizabeth’s eyes, leaving her even more astonished. An ancient demon temple having come all the way to the snowy Iskandar Mountains in search of a demon priest, Elizabeth’s instincts were on high alert. Surely, within that place would be a demon priest who knew about the events in Enklema twenty years ago. 

[Enter, stranger.] 

Fwoooooosh...!!!! 

At last, the ancient demon temple took full form, and its doors, engraved with mysterious runes, opened on their own. From within, a dark crimson light shone out. At the same time, a heavy telepathic voice transformed into the dignified voice of a woman, calling Elizabeth inside. 

“Hoo...!” 

Elizabeth took a deep breath. 

‘I’ll go in! For my brother’s sake!’ 

Her opponent was a demon priest one who seemed to possess immense magical power. Even for a genius mage like Elizabeth, there was no guarantee of safety against such a foe. But for her beloved brother Eugene Schneider, this eccentric young woman began to step into the red glow. 

‘Ooooh...!’ 

Stepping inside with determination, Elizabeth’s expression soon changed to one of curiosity. 

‘Isn’t this the style from the demon tribe’s golden age? I thought all traces of it vanished at the end of antiquity, surviving only in pictures and records! Why does something so ancient exist here???’ 

As she entered the temple, she could clearly assess the quality of the space she’d stepped into. In the world of Gaia, the demon tribe is second only to elves in history. Their golden age spanned from the early to mid-ancient times. Naturally, their culture and civilization flourished then. As someone who had studied black magic extensively, Elizabeth was well-versed in such information. 

‘Perhaps the owner of this place is even more formidable than I thought.’ 

Realizing this, Elizabeth’s mind raced. While it’s possible to imitate the exterior of a temple, for the interior to be so faithfully ancient suggested the owner was a person of great learning and depth. 

‘Perhaps someone who has lived for a very long time in an interstitial dimension.’ 

Combined with the extraordinary cloaking magic she’d encountered, the scale of the place became clear. The “interstitial dimension” refers to the buffer zone between the world of gods and spirits and the human world. It’s a subtle dimension that acts as a cushion between completely different realms, and is thought to be the cause of dimensional rifts. Time flows more slowly there, and some special beings live there for long periods. 

‘This is it! The place where the energy that created the massive barrier and controlled the snowmen is coming from!’ 

Elizabeth, thinking hard, traversed the temple, following the source of the magical energy she’d just battled. At the end of that energy, at what seemed to be its origin, she found herself before a simple yet strangely imposing door. 

“Come in.” 

From behind the door came a calm, ordinary voice very different from the commanding tone of the earlier incantations. 

“I-I’ll come in!” 

Creeeeak...! 

The voice was so relaxed that, despite her usual confidence, Elizabeth opened the door with a slightly nervous voice. 

“Oh... Such a beautiful young lady. Beneath that witch’s hat is such a lovely face.” 

Elizabeth entered to find a fireplace with logs burning, and beside it, a middle-aged woman sitting in a rocking chair. Though she was gazing at the fire, she could see Elizabeth’s face and admired her beauty. 

“My name is Anastasia...” 

She turned her head toward Elizabeth. 

“I am the last priestess of the ancient demon empire of Amon.” 

She then revealed her identity. The middle-aged woman was the last priestess of Amon, the demon tribe’s golden-age empire. 

“I’ve checked the status of other regional defense forces through carrier pigeons. Some of my friends are quite close with the imperial noble knight order, so I’ve also heard about the situation Greatsword Eugene mentioned.” 

The next day, Eugene Schneider and Charlotte visited the Bahad Defense Force headquarters as usual. But today, it was not for an operations meeting, but to check on something they’d requested. Commander Memphis greeted them and began the conversation. 

“You’ve figured things out faster than I expected.” 

At Memphis’s words, Eugene Schneider looked pleased and took a seat. 

‘I heard about the outside situation from Vivian and had a weird dream at dawn, so I was getting anxious.’ 

Just a few days ago, Eugene had been busy managing things inside Bahad. But after receiving Elizabeth’s letter, he learned of a troubling situation: Tyrannos was preparing to attack the empire, and the empire was aware and preparing a response. Eugene had asked Memphis to check on developments in other regions, and Memphis said he’d just gotten in touch with some other defense forces. 

He’d planned to wait a few more days, but the impact of his dawn dream was so strong that he came to check for any new information. 

“But according to the letters we’ve received, the situation is a bit different from what you were concerned about, Greatsword Eugene.” Memphis, pouring tea for Eugene and Charlotte, sat at the table with a slightly puzzled look, holding a letter. “Rather, the central forces of the imperial knights, who had been guarding the royal family, have started going out to support the outer regions.” 

If Tyrannos was targeting the royal family or the empire’s core, they should have kept their forces in place. But the imperial knights were readily responding to requests for help from outer regions struggling with monsters. 

‘Is there internal confusion?’ 

Hearing this, Eugene Schneider looked thoughtful. Unlike Memphis, he knew about the internal divisions in the imperial knights between the elite leadership and the field personnel. At times like this, those divisions would be even more pronounced. Victoria, who interacted with field personnel, would have a different perspective from Memphis, who got his information from the noble knights. 

‘Was I overreacting?’ 

After hearing a different story from Memphis, Eugene left the headquarters with Charlotte to look around Bahad again. He wondered if he’d been misled by the intensity of his dream. 

“It was hard to say this in front of Commander Memphis, but you know, Eugene…” 

At that moment, Charlotte, walking beside Eugene, spoke up. 

“If it’s the father I know, I think what we’re seeing now is exactly what he does when he’s preparing something.” 

After Grand Duchess Marianne, Charlotte had the most experience with her father Antoine de Sel Oblaing’s professional side. From her perspective, the current behavior of the imperial knights was suspicious. But because it was a sensitive topic, she didn’t mention it in front of Memphis. 

“What do you mean, sis?” 

Charlotte’s rare, careful tone made Eugene focus intently on her. 

“Father is the type who, when he decides he has to win, will deceive both enemies and allies. He prefers sudden, preemptive strikes. I think, aside from sending forces to the outer regions, he’s definitely preparing something to neutralize Tyrannos.” 

At home, Antoine de Sel Oblaing was strict but fundamentally a kind father. But at work, he was a thorough pragmatist who favored effective methods using them in duels, politics, and leading the knights. 

‘Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember.’ 

Eugene’s eyes showed understanding. 

‘That’s how he took down Vivian’s father Alexis set a trap, lured him in, and finished it with a preemptive strike.’ 

Vivian had told Eugene about another side of his adoptive father Antoine, and Charlotte’s words now made perfect sense. 

“I will complete the mission, Kaiser.” 

The quest team to eliminate Sophist’s core had been assembled. It hadn’t taken long Victoria had already organized her own team, and Antoine had no reason to interfere with her choices. His trust in Victoria was that great. Victoria, in turn, pledged to fulfill the mission with discipline. 

Antoine watched her with a subtle expression. 

“You look truly dignified and beautiful, Victoria.” 

His words of encouragement were just as nuanced. 

“My cousin Adrienne your mother would be very proud to see you like this…” 

He smiled faintly, mentioning Victoria’s mother and his own cousin Adrienne. 

“A priestess of the ancient demon empire of Amon???” 

While the empire’s situation was growing urgent, Elizabeth was still meeting Anastasia for the first time. As she suspected, Anastasia’s temple existed in an interstitial dimension where time flowed slowly. 

Learning Anastasia’s true identity was truly shocking.