“Do you have a plan, Mother?”
Charlotte's eyes widened as she watched Marianne, who had been listening silently, tell her that she knew the solution to the dimensional crack.
Because Charlotte and Marianne share the same information to some extent, the current development was completely unexpected for Charlotte due to Marianne's words.
“Yes, that’s right, Sister Charlotte Bishop.”
Marianne then nodded slowly, confirming her words.
“Excuse me, Mother, have you ever actually seen a dimensional rift before?”
At that moment, Eugene asked Marianne with a cautious feeling.
"Mother must have seen the dimensional rift when we reunited. But she didn't seem unfamiliar with it at all. Even considering her age, that's still true."
Judging by the timing of Marianne's appearance at the reunion and her subsequent attitude, Eugene Schneider suspected that his mother had already experienced a dimensional rift.
"Yes, Eugene. This mother experienced a dimensional rift firsthand a long time ago. It was during a secret mission not recorded in the Seonghwangcheong."
And Eugene Schneider's analysis was correct.
Former bishop and nun Marianne had witnessed the dimensional rift firsthand.
“Is that true, Mother???”
That made Charlotte's eyes widen even more.
This is because Marianne's actions have never been recorded in the Seonghwangcheong.
Of course, there are some cases that are not recorded in the Seonghwangcheong Records and are only roughly passed down through word of mouth.
But if a dimensional rift occurred and it was sealed, then there is no reason why it would not be recorded.
"A dimensional rift has opened in the Paramis Sky Altar, one of the sacred sites of the Gwangmyeong Goddess Church, Bishop Charlotte. The Holy See has determined that this is an unholy phenomenon that must not even be recorded."
Marianne told the story of how the Holy See came to take such a course of action.
The Paramis Sky Foundation is one of the seven sacred sites of the Goddess of Light, said to be the place where the Goddess first descended to earth.
A dimensional gate was created in such a place, and a dimensional gate with the color of the demon's energy at that, so the Gwangmyeong Goddess Church desperately tried to conceal its history.
“That can’t be…!”
Charlotte could only react with an expression that was almost astonished.
If the person telling the story wasn't Marianne, the first thing that would have come out was a warning not to blaspheme.
But Marianne wasn't her mother. Moreover, she was a senior nun she truly respected, and so Charlotte reacted with such precarious faith.
"I understand your feelings, Sister Charlotte. I was the one who taught you that faith from a young age. However, I believe that Sister Charlotte, after experiencing the events of the past few months, has also come to understand the practical implications of your own interests."
“Yes... that’s right... I’m so surprised to hear such words...”
Marianne comforted her eldest daughter Charlotte, who was almost in a state of panic.
I didn't tell you until now because I was afraid this situation would arise.
However, because Charlotte had recently come into contact with the blind spots between the system and reality of the Seonghwangcheong while running around trying to suppress the epidemic, Marianne was able to confess, albeit belatedly.
"The Holy See concluded that such a thing would never happen again. But I thought differently. I believed we needed to be prepared. So, after retiring as a nun, I traveled the continent, enlisting the help of many people and achieving various research results."
Bishop Marianne, who directly handled the Sky Foundation project, was of the view that follow-up measures should be taken.
However, the leadership of the Holy See at the time had a completely different view. They considered the very idea that something like that could happen again in the Holy Land to be a sin and a discredit.
“What is the result, Mother?”
As expected, Charlotte was Marianne's daughter.
She has a strong faith, but isn't that faith ultimately something she pursues to help people?
Anyway, as soon as I started to see that my mother had come up with a clear plan with a clear background, I started to focus on it.
“No, this is...??”
Rather than answer Charlotte's question verbally, Marianne instead led the two into her bedroom.
Charlotte's eyes widened in response to something Marianne showed her there.
"Yes. You've seen Charlotte before, right? Back when her mother was collecting various items."
It was none other than Marianne's collection.
“Is it a collectible?”
It seemed like Eugene was hearing this for the first time.
"This must be the first time Eugene has seen it. I didn't bring any collections to my parents' house. The Grand Duke didn't like it."
At Eugene's reaction, Marianne smiled like a mother and explained.
When Charlotte was in her early teens, Marianne began to engage in outdoor activities again, and from that point on, Marianne collected various antiques.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't find a suitable solution using the methods associated with the early Gwangmyeong Goddess Association. So, after much deliberation, we decided to explore possibilities within a wider range of cultures."
Naturally, the first route Marianne attempted was to suppress the dimensional rift through divine power.
However, other than the secret relic of the Goddess of Light Society, the Goddess' Mirror, no other method could come to mind, and even my attempts failed.
So, from the perspective of the so-called Apostles and the Goddess of Light Society, they turned their attention to what was being treated as an extramarital affair.
Antoine, who was sensitive to reputation, was uncomfortable with this, and Marianne, who knew his intentions well, created a personal studio and collected antiques there.
“Among them, we discovered that these stones, called the Heart of the Sun, weaken dimensional rifts.”
Among those antiques, an item known as the Heart of the Sun came into Marianne's sight.
‘Heart of the Sun?’
Eugene, who only had a normal reaction when he saw the item,
Hearing the name of the item made his expression even more excited.
“According to the rather knowledgeable Master of the Goltonggum, it is said to be an item related to the new kingdom of Atlantis.”
The Heart of the Sun was associated with Atlantis, a lost civilization that sank to the depths of the sea due to the wrath of the gods.
‘It was Atlantis after all!’
Eugene had already heard from Priscilla that Atlantis served the sun god.
That is why, when I heard the name Heart of the Sun, Atlantis immediately came to mind.
"They say that long ago, there were many Atlantean temples on the continent. And they explained that within those temples, there existed a device that blocked and weakened dimensional rifts based on magic. This device was none other than the heart of the sun."
Soon, Marianne told Eugene and Charlotte the story of the Heart of the Sun that she had heard from the antique master.
It was an ancient story, before the continent of Pedon was unified into Elysium.
Ancient times were a time of warring states, with many countries being friendly to Atlantis.
That is why the temple of Atlantis was located in that country, and the heart of the sun was placed there as a device to maintain the sanctity of the temple.
“I think I’ve seen the story of the temple of the gods in an old book, Mother.”
It seemed like Charlotte was vaguely familiar with the information.
"But for this Heart of the Sun to function, it must use a unique Atlantean formation. That's why we've been supporting experts in ancient cultures and continuing our research. The decipherment of the formation has just been completed, and we need to receive the Heart of the Sun from them again, which is why our return to Bahad has been delayed from our original plan."
When returning to Bahad, Marianne brought with her not only the Grizzly Bear mercenaries but also several professional porters. The reason for this was to bring in the Heart of the Sun.
Marianne immediately deduced the existence of a dimensional rift after observing the unusual rampage of demons.
“Then, Mother, we can deploy this Heart of the Sun right away!”
"That's right, Sister Charlotte. That's why I suggested we take a little more time to prepare during the general meeting. We need to first explore a suitable location for the Heart of the Sun."
It was Archduchess Marianne who had prepared very meticulously.
Charlotte, who wanted to be like her, expressed her surprise and delight.
“.....”
Eugene Schneider watched the mother and daughter's sympathetic conversation in silence.
‘How much does Mother know about Atlantis...?’
Wasn't it Eugene Schneider who has been increasingly curious about his father, Ulysses Schneider, recently?
In particular, he has heard from Priscilla that the relationship between Ulysses and Atlantis may not be entirely far-fetched.
In that situation, I found out that Marianne had been researching and investigating Atlantis for quite some time.
It made me wonder if Marianne was even considering her background.
‘Hmm... This is going to be so disappointing?’
Charlotte returned to her quarters.
After cleaning and praying her prayers of repentance, she looked around with a look of regret on her face.
‘With Eugene gone, the room feels so empty and bare...’
With the recapture of Bahad Village, Eugene no longer needs to share a room with Charlotte.
I didn't really feel it until I found Eugene's place to stay and sent him off, but now that I'm back in my room and tidying up, the memories of the few days I spent with my younger brother are so vivid.
I miss you, Eugene...
Moreover, the two people are practically in a state close to newlyweds.
They were literally in a relationship where they were crazy for several days and their love grew.
But now that my mother has returned, we naturally branch off.
"That's right! After a big battle, Eugene will need care too! I'm the only one who can do that right now!"
I miss you. I miss you so much I'm going crazy.
Charlotte racked her brain to come up with an excuse.
I recalled the magical mechanism I had heard from Eugene.
"I believe this is my duty as a nun and as a caring older sister to my younger brother. I'm sure Mother will understand."
The blind nun, the blind older sister Charlotte, headed straight to Eugene Schneider's quarters.
"Hehehe! I have to surprise our Eugene! How cute would that child be? The way he'd blink at my sudden appearance!"
Charlene, who was enjoying the freshness of the lotus, was in a state of excitement.
I was about to make a noise in front of my younger brother's dorm, but my playful spirit kicked in and I decided to just barge in.
Charlotte, the mischievous older sister, sneaked into her younger sister's room with such an innocent look.
“Oh my god!!”
Instead, she ended up being startled and her eyes widened.
“Sister Charlotte! It’s you!!”
-Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak! Choak!
Because I saw the back of my younger brother holding my daughter while calling her name with his pants off.