Messenger
The curtains embroidered with intricate lace were drawn open, and the morning sunlight poured through the window, falling onto Isabella's face.
The blonde girl opened her still-drowsy eyes, looking somewhat blankly toward the window, until her gaze landed on the figure standing there.
"Your Highness..."
She mumbled in a daze.
"Caw!"
"As a servant, I do not feel any respect coming from you!"
Suddenly, a harsh, grating voice rang out, jolting her fully awake.
At that moment, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a patch of black resting on that figure.
Was it a crow?
Just then, Sylvia's voice sounded:
"No need, I do not care about such things. Instead, I hope that when she interacts with me, she can be a little more natural."
"Caw!"
"Understood!"
The plump crow flapped its wings.
Seeing this, the puppet girl nodded, then pointed to the fat crow on her shoulder and introduced:
"Lakdevo, Death's Familiar, my current partner."
Lakdevo was the true name of this plump crow.
"Mm... oh..."
As she gradually became more alert, Isabella nodded, and then Sylvia continued:
"Next, I will be returning to St. Ruls Cathedral."
After saying this, she paused and scanned the girl lying on the bed from head to toe with an appraising gaze before finally nodding in satisfaction:
"Your soul is no longer weak and is recovering towards the state of an ordinary person."
"I believe it won't be long before the corresponding effects reflect on your body. This way, your physical functions will return to normal."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Isabella sat up in bed and was surprised to find that she actually had gained a bit of strength.
"Will you be staying in this house from now on?"
Sylvia waved her hand, signaling for her to lie back down, and then asked.
"No."
Isabella shook her head:
"In the morning, I will return to the estate located in the outskirts."
"My father and brothers have already returned from the capital to the family's territory and are currently living in that estate."
"If it weren't for the need to pray at St. Ruls Cathedral during the night, I wouldn't have come into the city either."
"Alright."
After giving a brief response, Sylvia, with the fat crow perched on her shoulder, nonchalantly walked downstairs and left the luxurious house with its garden.
Walking along the street in the early morning, watching the occasional passing carriage, the puppet girl felt a rare sense of leisure amidst the tranquility.
In the gardens by the roadside, the servants of each household had already finished their morning chores.
"Caw!"
The crow on her shoulder let out a cry, yet it attracted no attention.
She was currently in the Eplington District, an area where the upper class resided.
Her destination, however, was in the nearby Ruls District, where St. Ruls Cathedral was located.
"This is the first time I've felt this kind of atmosphere in the morning."
"In the past, at this time, Alova gave me the impression of being busy and bustling, noisy and chaotic."
At that moment, a carriage passed by her, the rhythmic sound of hooves blending with the girl's quiet musings as they both headed toward the distance.
...
"Good morning, Your Eminence."
Loruze slightly bowed to Sylvia, his gaze instinctively lingering for a moment on the fat crow perched on her shoulder.
"Tsk, a bishop of Radiance actually betraying his faith."
Lakdevo's signature grating voice rang out, but quickly fell silent under two cold stares.
Loruze lightly coughed and, following Sylvia underground, began his report:
"According to the directives of the Sanctum, the envoy has already arrived in the Kingdom of Savia."
"Mm, noted."
"As for the symbol you mentioned, I have found the answer through reviewing the archives."
"It belongs to an illegal faith organization that worships the 'True Moon,' called..."
"Full Moon Sect."
Before he could finish speaking, Sylvia interrupted.
"Continue."
At this moment, Loruze clearly froze for a second:
"So, Your Eminence already understands part of the situation."
"Regarding their faith, the upper levels of the Church speculate that it does not point to any particular evil god, but rather to a deity figure they fabricated themselves."
"Unfortunately, the Full Moon Sect's active regions do not include the Kingdom of Savia, so there is not much recorded about them in the archives here."
Sylvia pushed open the door to the room that once belonged to the bishop and now belonged to her, and walked in.
At the same time, the crow on her shoulder let out a "Caw" and then made a mocking remark:
"The Church of Radiance still does a fine job keeping secrets from the lower ranks."
"Hmm?"
Loruze, somewhat confused, followed her into the room.
Sylvia sat down on her solid wood chair and chuckled lightly:
"The True Moon indeed does not exist, but that is only at present."
"What the Full Moon Sect worships is the ancient moon god who fell in bygone ages."
"And their goal is to awaken this Ancient Moon God from his 'long slumber.'"
Hearing this, Loruze’s pupils instantly dilated:
"The Ancient... Moon God?"
"That’s right."
The puppet girl nodded, then began tapping the table lightly with her fingers.
"Now, some of their members have infiltrated the City of Alova. Together with the knights of the Tribunal, I want you to find their traces."
"But remember, your task is only to locate them. Try to avoid any conflict."
"And report to me immediately."
As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of white paper from the drawer, picked up the dip pen from the table, and began drawing a pattern.
It was made up of intricate lines, ultimately weaving together symbols from mysticism representing an envelope, a hand, and delivery into a single design.
"If I am not here when you receive news, use spirituality processed through 'Greed' to draw this symbol and place your letter in the middle. It will transmit the contents to me."
This was a new spell model she had created, capable of transmitting information.
However, upon seeing the symbol, Loruze visibly hesitated, and the crow perched on her shoulder also let out a "Caw," as if wanting to say something but holding back.
"Hmm? What is it?"
Sylvia asked, a bit puzzled.
Seeing this, Loruze answered in a low voice:
"Your Eminence, actually, there's no need for such trouble."
"We have 'Messengers.'"
"Messengers?"
Sylvia was clearly surprised. At this moment, the crow on her shoulder explained:
"You just recently descended into this world, so you might not know."
"Among the four transcendental paths mastered by the Church of Radiance, one includes Messengers."
"Transcendents who walk this path possess the ability to transmit information through mystical means."
In that instant, Sylvia fell silent.
Then, without bothering about the fat crow on her shoulder, she leaned back in her chair.
Amid the sound of Lakdevo flapping his wings, she slowly spoke:
"Tonight, we are going to give Isabella an introductory lesson in mysticism."
"You two will be the instructors."
"Caw?"
"Yes, Your Eminence."
Seeing this, Sylvia nodded in satisfaction.
Very good. This way, she could also justifiably supplement her own basic lessons.
At the same time, an important experiment could begin its next phase.