25-264

EP.264. [The Unexpected Side of Grand Duchess Marianne.♥] 

“You have a solution, Mother?” 

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise at Marianne’s claim to have a way to resolve the dimensional rift. Since Charlotte and Marianne shared much of the same information, this development was completely unexpected for Charlotte. 

“Yes, that’s right, Bishop-Nun Charlotte,” Marianne replied, nodding calmly to confirm her words. 

“Mother, have you ever actually seen a dimensional rift before?” Eugene asked cautiously. He had sensed from Marianne’s demeanor during their reunion and afterward that she was not at all unfamiliar with the phenomenon, despite her age and experience. 

“Yes, Eugene. I personally experienced a dimensional rift long ago. It was during a secret mission not recorded in the Holy See’s archives.” 

Eugene’s intuition was correct. Marianne, a former bishop-nun, had indeed witnessed a dimensional rift firsthand. 

“Really, Mother???” Charlotte’s eyes grew even wider. Marianne’s experience was not recorded anywhere in the Holy See’s official history. 

While some things go unrecorded and are passed down only by word of mouth, an event as significant as a dimensional rift and its sealing should not have been omitted from the records. 

“At the Paramis Sky Altar, one of the Radiant Goddess Church’s seven great sacred sites, a demonic dimensional rift opened, Bishop-Nun Charlotte. The Holy See decided it was such a blasphemous event that it should not even be recorded.” 

Marianne explained the background of the Holy See’s decision. The Paramis Sky Altar is said to be the place where the goddess first descended to earth. For a demonic rift to appear there was so unthinkable that the church desperately covered up the incident. 

“That’s unbelievable...!” Charlotte could only react with shock. If anyone else had told her this story, she would have immediately accused them of blasphemy. But because it was her mother, whom she deeply respected, Charlotte responded with a precarious faith. 

“I understand how you feel, Bishop-Nun Charlotte. I was the one who taught you that faith from childhood. But I think after these past months, you’ve come to accept the realities and complexities of the world.” 

“Yes... That’s true... It’s just such a shocking thing to hear...” 

Marianne comforted her daughter, who was nearly in a state of panic. She had never told Charlotte about this before, fearing such a reaction. But after seeing Charlotte’s recent experiences dealing with the flaws in the Holy See’s system, Marianne finally felt she could share it. 

“The Holy See considered it settled since it never happened again. But I thought differently we needed to be prepared. So after retiring as a nun, I traveled the continent and, with the help of many people, achieved various research results.” 

Marianne, who had dealt with the Sky Altar incident herself, believed in preparing for the future. The Holy See’s leadership, however, saw even considering the possibility of a repeat event as a sin. 

“What did you discover, Mother?” Charlotte asked, her curiosity piqued. Though devout, Charlotte’s faith was always about helping others, so she immediately focused on her mother’s concrete preparations. 

“Actually, this...” Instead of answering with words, Marianne led them to her bedroom. There, she showed them something that made Charlotte’s eyes go wide. 

“Yes. Charlotte, you’ve seen this before, haven’t you? Back when I was collecting various items.” 

It was Marianne’s collection. 

“Collection?” Eugene asked, unfamiliar with the topic. 

“It’s probably your first time seeing it, Eugene. I never brought the collection to the main house because the duke disliked it.” 

Marianne explained with a motherly smile. When Charlotte was in her early teens, Marianne resumed her external activities and began collecting antiques. 

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a solution through the early Radiant Goddess Church’s methods. So after much thought, I tried to find possibilities in other cultures.” 

Of course, Marianne’s first attempt was to suppress the rift with holy power, but aside from the secret relic, the Goddess’s Mirror, nothing worked, and her attempts failed. So she turned to what the church considered heresy, gathering artifacts in her private atelier. 

“Among them, I discovered that these stones, called the Heart of the Sun, can weaken dimensional rifts.” 

The Heart of the Sun caught Marianne’s attention among her artifacts. 

‘Heart of the Sun?’ Eugene was intrigued by the name. 

“A knowledgeable artifact master said it’s related to the divine nation Atlantis.” 

The Heart of the Sun was connected to the lost civilization of Atlantis, said to have sunk into the sea by the wrath of the gods. 

‘So it really is Atlantis!’ Eugene recalled that Priscilla had told him Atlantis worshipped the sun god, so the name immediately brought Atlantis to mind. 

“Long ago, there were many Atlantis temples on the continent. Those temples had devices to block and weaken dimensional rifts based on demonic energy these were the Hearts of the Sun.” 

Marianne shared the legend she’d heard from the artifact master. In ancient times, before the continent was unified as Elysium, there were many states, many friendly with Atlantis. These states had Atlantis temples, and the Heart of the Sun was installed to maintain their sanctity. 

“I think I’ve read about these temples in old texts, Mother,” Charlotte said, recalling the story. 

“But for the Heart of the Sun to work, you need to use Atlantis’s unique formation. So I’ve been supporting ancient culture experts and continued research. The formation was just decoded, and I had to retrieve the Heart of the Sun from them, which is why my return to Bahad was delayed.” 

When Marianne returned to Bahad, she brought not only the Gray Bear Mercenaries but also professional porters to transport the Heart of the Sun, having deduced the existence of a rift from the monster outbreak. 

“So we can deploy the Heart of the Sun right away, Mother!” 

“That’s right, Bishop-Nun Charlotte. That’s why I suggested we take more time to prepare at the meeting we need to scout the best location for it.” 

Marianne had prepared thoroughly, and Charlotte, who admired her, expressed her delight and surprise. 

Eugene Schneider silently watched the mother and daughter’s heartfelt conversation. 

‘How much does Mother know about Atlantis...?’ Lately, Eugene had grown more curious about his father, Ulysses Schneider, especially after hearing from Priscilla that Ulysses’s connection to Atlantis might not be mere fantasy. Knowing Marianne had researched Atlantis so deeply, Eugene wondered if she was also considering his own background. 

‘Hmm... this is going to feel really lonely.’ 

Charlotte returned to her room. After cleaning and praying, she looked around with a sense of emptiness. 

‘Now that Eugene moved out, the room feels so empty...’ 

With Bahad retaken, Eugene no longer needed to share a room with Charlotte. She hadn’t felt it while arranging his new place, but now, tidying up her own room, memories of their days together flooded back. 

‘I miss Eugene...’ 

The two of them were practically newlyweds, having spent days passionately deepening their love. But now that their mother had returned, they naturally separated. 

‘That’s right! After such a big battle, Eugene needs care! And I’m the only one who can give it to him right now!’ 

She missed him missed him so much it hurt. To justify visiting, Charlotte racked her brain, recalling Eugene’s explanation of his demonic energy mechanism. 

‘As a nun and as a caring big sister, it’s my duty to help him. Mother will understand.’ 

With her mind made up, Charlotte headed straight for Eugene Schneider’s room. 

‘Hehe! I’ll surprise him! I can’t wait to see how cute he’ll look, all wide-eyed when I show up out of nowhere!’ 

Excited, Charlotte crept up to Eugene’s room, planning to sneak in and surprise him. 

But when she entered, it was she who was shocked. 

“Oh my!!” 

She found Eugene, pants off, calling her name as he masturbated.