As if waiting for it, the grilling questions came flying.

“What is the nature of that mysterious power that closed the rift?”

The man asking the question was from  Duke Angellus faction. I calmly replied.

“I don’t know.”

For now, ignorance was my tactic.

“You don’t know? Do you think that can be an acceptable answer, Lady?

“My memory of what happened at the time is hazy and I can’t recall anything.”

“Do you believe you can get away with saying you don’t remember because it can’t be explained? Surely you must be hiding something!”

As if he couldn’t sense Duke Perdia’s menacing gaze, the man kept shouts disguised as questions to me.

As I expected, the faction of Duke Angellus was trying to create a favorable atmosphere for themselves right from the beginning. Another noble man asked.

“Are you saying you closed the rift unconsciously?”

Though he asked in a gentler tone, he was also one of Angellus’s people.

“Yes.”

“Is there a possibility that this power could be a divine gift?”

Upon hearing this, another nobleman chuckled and said.

“Everyone in the Empire knows that the Second child of Perdia never manifested her powers.”

“Who knows? It’s possible that the power manifested late.”

A debate erupted around me, just as I had anticipated. However, my heart still raced.

It wouldn’t be a problem if it became known that I had a power.

Rather, I was afraid that my power would be discovered to be that of Severes and not that of Perdia.

‘I need to prevent power verification at all costs.’

I glanced towards the direction where the Perdia family members were.

Not only the duke, but also Jansi, Carlot, and the Duchess were looking at me.

Carlot was making a face as if he was frustrated that I hadn’t told him I had powers, but he was holding it in. It was then that Duke Angellus, who had been observing the situation with only the help of his entourage, spoke up for the first time.

“Suddenly, I wonder if the closing of the rift was a stunt to boost the lady’s reputation…….”

“Ha! What nonsense-.”

“Carl, shhh.”

Jansi stepped in to calm the agitated Carlot.

I stared directly at the Duke of Angellus and asked.

“What are you trying to say, Your Grace?”

“I am presenting my suspicions that the Lady may be a member of the Cult of Irkala.”

“……!”

Noisy.

A murmur of shock spread through the audience.

The Irkala Sect was a faction that followed the goddess Irkala, striving to plunge the world into chaos.

Merely suggesting this association was a significant disgrace.

The Duke of Perdia, who had been an imposing presence, was the first to speak.

“Watch your tongue, Duke Angellus.”

With a frosty gaze from the Duke of Perdia, Duke Angellus responded with a polite smile.

“Being overly protective won’t help, Duke Perdia.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

His golden eyes burned with intensity.

Of course, it was for the honor of the Perdia family, but the fact that the duke came forward for me made my heart sink. However, the more the Duke of Perdia spoke, the more it could be misunderstood that he was protecting his daughter unconditionally.

I quickly intervened.

“Your Grace, you must know that it was not I but Lady Angellus who presided over the altar. I only stepped in as a substitute when Lady Angellus couldn’t preside. Therefore, Your Grace’s assertion doesn’t hold.”

After taking a deep breath, I added.

“If Your Grace’s claim were true, it would be up to Lady Angellus to prove that she isn’t associated with the Irkala Sect.”

My counterattack implied that if I were considered a supporter of the Irkala Sect, Lady Angellus would be under more suspicion.

However, Duke Angellus casually brushed off this response as if he had expected such a reaction.

“Just a moment ago, Dorothea was healthy, but she suddenly collapsed. What if someone secretly poisoned her?”

As soon as Duke Angellus mentioned poison, all eyes turned to the Duchess of Perdia.

In this context, she was the one most closely associated with poison. There were voices of suspicion in the crowd.

“That’s also possible.”

“If it’s the Duchess of Perdia, it’s entirely feasible.”

“…..Did the Duchess collude with Lady Perdia?”

The situation was taking a dangerous turn. I spoke firmly to Duke Angellus, my face expressionless.

“Don’t make accusations without proof, Duke.”

I hadn’t anticipated him dragging the Duchess into this.

It seemed that Duke Angellus’ purpose was not solely to drag me through the mud.

‘Is Perdia your target?’

Duke Angellus, being who he was, flashed a calculating expression before speaking again.

“Evidence, evidence… What if there was a physician’s opinion stating that my daughter lost consciousness due to poison?”

Once again, murmurs spread through the crowd. Some seemed to believe Duke Angellus’s outlandish claim because he had mentioned evidence.

Even though a family physician’s opinion could easily be manipulated.

‘The psychology of crowds is truly fragile and foolish.’

I knew a straightforward way to end this fluctuating debate: to become the Savior.

‘I just need to be the savior.’

Admitting that fact would clear my name of any suspicion that I was a member of the Cult of Irkala.

Because it’s clear that the god Ishtar wants something from me, whether it’s salvation or antagonizing her sister Irkala.

Is there any other reason I can explain the power I’ve shown?

To be a Savior is really annoying, and I genuinely don’t want to use that word.

‘I hate it, but…….’

A world that has never been kind to me, and yet here I am, alive on this earth.

I have a father who would risk any injury to protect me, because he believes I am his biological daughter.

There is a mother who confidently calls me her daughter, even though I am not her biological daughter. There’s a suspicious older brother who worries about me and a cheeky younger brother who supports me.

There is a man who wandered through dimensions and eventually found me, an awkward friend who said he would take my side, and a friend who always looked after me with a smile on his face.

Above all, I could not ignore this world where my biological parents sacrificed themselves to protect me.

‘Because this world is necessary for me to exist.’

This was no longer the world in a book.

Since I found out that the original, that is, the memories of my previous life, had been manipulated, I could not completely trust those memories.

Even if this were merely a story written by someone, it didn’t matter. Because I was the protagonist, and this life was mine.

I stared directly at Duke Angellus, who was sitting across from me at the round table and offered a hostile smile.

“I cannot be a follower of the Irkala Sect.”

“Another baseless claim—”

I ruthlessly interrupted the nobleman’s words and declared.

“Because I am the Savior chosen by the Goddess Ishtar.”

There was no reply, no murmur. What followed was nothing but silence.

After a while, Duke Angellus broke the silence and asked.

“Are you claiming to be the Savior even though you said you don’t remember? And that’s just another unilateral claim from the Ishtar Shrine’s side, as far as I know.”

“My memories are not certain. However, just before I lost consciousness, I heard a revelation from the Goddess Ishtar.”

My child, do not doubt your power. Do not limit yourself.

I wasn’t the only one who heard that voice.

The moment the voice of God was heard, the people of the four great families and the priests of Ishtar reacted simultaneously. Then Adenmir spoke up.

“If it was the god´s voice, I heard it too.”

Following that, Duke Perdia admitted as well.

“I heard it too.”

“I also heard god´s voice.”

“Me too.”

Jansi and Carlot added their voices to the conversation.

“I heard it too, but…”

“It was definitely god´s voice. I didn’t mishear.”

The testimonies from the members of the Four Great Houses who were present in the square at the time continued.

“I heard it too.”

Even Duke Kreundel, who had no connection to this, heard it?

I was a bit surprised. With this, it was acknowledged that everyone with abilities had heard the voice of god.

Except for Duke Angellus. Then, the door to the conference room opened.

“It was undoubtedly the voice of God.”

The last person to acknowledge hearing the voice was the High Priest of the Ishtar Shrine.

“To doubt the Savior who sacrificed their body to close the rift, suspecting them of being a follower of the Irkala Sect, is blasphemy against the Goddess.”

Even the High Priest, who was closest to Ishtar, admitted to hearing it, leaving no room for doubt.

I looked at Duke Angellus, who seemed to be struggling to maintain his composure, and asked him.

“All the members of the Four Great Houses and the priest are saying they heard god´s voice. Why is Duke Angellus the only one remaining silent?”

“…….”

“Surely Duke Angellus also heard it?”

Surely Duke Angellus must have heard, so why does he look suspicious? After looking around, Duke Angellus nodded in agreement.

“…I heard it.”

With Duke Angellus’s confession, the situation was neatly resolved.

Elodie Perdia is the Savior chosen by Ishtar. As long as this proposition is not overturned, no suspicion can be cast upon me. People looked at me with different eyes than before.

They were filled with doubt, admiration, envy, and various other emotions. Duke Perdia was the first to rise from his seat and came directly towards me without hesitation.

“Let’s go home.”

The duke held out his hand to me.

It was a callused and rough hand, characteristic of a swordsman.

[sc name=”add_image” image_url=” https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/ADCreHe27ImYmnmK1DfjfLcmyk-fFKkCJUKaDp_f5-MNcRUJHt_OqZAaumdXkGr3Wpsw68fnn4_Bb39VrJrl4CIac–9Mgjojrepgd40LoS6BgqRd_ANg6I=w2400″][/sc]

In that moment, many thoughts flashed through my mind.

“Elodie?”

“Yes, Father.”

I reached for his hand, which was cold but gentle.

***

On the day we returned to the Perdia Mansion, the butler came to find me.

“Master wishes to have a family dinner tonight.”

It seemed like only a short time had passed since the last dinner, but we were already having another family dinner. Then again, it seemed like we hadn’t had many family dinners in a while.

I wondered if it had something to do with the recent developments from the meeting.

“Tell them I understand, butler.”

“I’ll send a maid up when it’s time.”

After preparing the appropriate attire for the formal dinner, it was already evening.

As I heard a knock on the door, I turned to look at Greed, who was on the bed.

[Eating something delicious all by yourself?]

“You said you don’t need to eat meals.”

[But being full and enjoying food are different things!]

“I’ll give you snacks later. So, please stay quiet in the sealing stone.”

[Okay, it’s a promise.]

“You pig…”

I sealed Greed, who had developed a taste for human food, in the sealing stone and went down to the dining room.

Everyone was seated, though the Duke of Perdia came in shortly before I did.

As usual, it was a quiet meal with minimal conversation.

“I’m relieved that the council meeting went smoothly. Isn’t that right, Lili?”

“Yes, it is.”

After some brief conversation, dessert was served. Throughout this time, Duke Perdia had not spoken a word.

After a few moments, he took a sip of his coffee and turned to me.

“Elodie. It is your birthday at the end of the year. If you have anything you’d like to receive, feel free to tell me.”

The moment I heard those words, I realized that now was the time to say what I needed to say.

“I don’t really want to receive anything… but I do have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

I looked at my family and saw that they cared about me, unlike in the past when they were indifferent.

I didn’t want to be in this family under false pretenses anymore.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

“I’m going to be independent.”