by Dojyomaru
Despite being one of those high elves who were exclusionary and had no interest in the outside world, Merula had been a bundle of curiosity. From a young age, she had taken an interest in anything that caught her eye, and gone around asking adults what things were. When she grew old enough to think for herself, and started to see that the adults would lie to cover it up when they didn’t know something, she started wanting to go and find the truth on her own. And so, she spent twenty years studying various things.
Around the time she became a fully-fledged researcher, she ran into a great mystery.
What were the spirits that the high elves worshiped?
The high elves thought of themselves as a race loved by the spirits. The proof of that, they said, was in the powerful magic that the high elves were able to use.
The high elves were all able to use powerful magics that only those called mages among the other races could, and they did it as if it were no big deal. This was proof that the spirits were always at the high elves’ sides, lending them their power... or so their reasoning went.
Merula had her doubts about their spirit worship.
It’s true, high elves can use powerful magic, she thought. But is that really because of spirits? How can we believe in things like spirits that we can’t see?
There were those who claimed they had seen spirits. However, their stories were all utter nonsense, on the level of, “I saw my dead grandparents standing at my bedside.”
Besides which, living in a country that forbade the entry of all but high elves, even if the high elves could use powerful magic, how could they say for certain that the spirits only bestowed their blessings on the high elves?
It might be possible that the spirits would give their blessing to members of other races. On the other hand, what if a high elf left the islands? If the spirits would always be at their side, even if they left the island, they ought to be able to use powerful magic.
Without ever testing that, the high elves just blindly believed that they were a people beloved by the spirits, and Merula couldn’t tolerate it. Her knowledge couldn’t be made complete on the islands alone. Only by going into the outside world and absorbing knowledge from a variety of sources could she begin to approach the truth.
Merula began to think that way, and on her fiftieth birthday, she left the islands. Changing the color of her eyes with magic, she took on the guise of a light elf adventurer, traveling from country to country and absorbing more knowledge. There were things she figured out as part of that process, too.
Once she left the Spirit Kingdom, the power of Merula’s magic dropped.
Whether it was because “high elves can only manifest their power in the Spirit Kingdom,” or it was because “having left the Spirit Kingdom, Merula lost the protection of the spirits,” she didn’t know. If her power came back when she returned to the Spirit Kingdom, she’d be able to demonstrate with a high probability that it was the former, but those who left the Spirit Kingdom were deemed to be traitors. If she returned, she would be killed without question, so she hadn’t been able to verify this.
Let’s get back on topic.
Merula continued her travels, and the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria, which had a unique faith, like her own people, caught her attention.
The Spirit Kingdom worshiped spirits they couldn’t prove existed. So what about the Orthodox Papal State which worshiped the moon goddess Lunaria? Did this Lady Lunaria, and the Lunalith into which her prophecies were said to be carved, actually exist?
If she could figure out the relationship between the Orthodox Papal State, Lady Lunaria, and the Lunalith, maybe she could gain some understanding of the relationship between the Spirit Kingdom and spirit worship. With that thought in mind, Merula snuck into the main church of Lunarian Orthodoxy in order to see the Lunalith, which was said to definitely be there.
◇ ◇ ◇
“H-Hold on, please.” Inugami interrupted the story there. “You don’t mean to tell me that Madam Merula managed to sneak into the main church, do you? That place is famous for its tight security. It’s not a place an amateur could sneak into alone, right?”
“Well, you’re right, but...” Souji said, scratching the back of his head, and then put his hand down on top of Merula’s head. “Normally, it’d be tough, but... Merula has this special ability, you see.”
Souji rubbed his hand into Merula’s head and pushed it around, trying to convince her to do something.
Merula batted his hand away in annoyance, then whispered something. The very next instant, Merula vanished.
“Wha?!” Inugami cried.
She had been right there all this time, but now he couldn’t see any sign of her anywhere. However, Inugami’s sense of smell could detect Merula’s presence. He couldn’t see her, but she was most definitely still there.
As he watched Inugami look around restlessly, Souji laughed and put his hand where Merula had been just moments before. “I’m sure it looks like she’s gone, but Merula hasn’t moved from where she was. If I touch her, I can tell she’s definitely still... Guagh?!”
Souji suddenly fell out of his chair. Inugami tensed himself, wondering what was happening, when suddenly Merula reappeared with an angry look on her face and an outstretched fist. She must have punched him out of the chair.
“Don’t take advantage of the situation to try and grab my breasts, you sexual harasser!” Merula shouted down at the fallen Souji.
“Ow... Your breasts? I thought that was your side... Gwah!”
“Sorry for not being curvy enough!”
For saying something he shouldn’t have, Souji got stomped on, too.
Inugami was dumbfounded, but he still managed to ask, “Madam Merula can make herself disappear?”
“Yes. That’s right,” Merula confirmed. “I don’t really understand how it works myself, but I can make the colors of my body and clothing blend in with their surroundings. When I was in the Spirit Kingdom, I could make those around me vanish, too, but... now, just disappearing myself is the best I can manage.”
Souji came back to life and added, “She’s like a lizard, right?” teasingly, which earned him another kick. However, compared to the color mimicry of lizards, hers was perfect.
If Souma had been here, he might have pointed out that Merula’s ability was one that controlled the refraction of light, and that it produced perfect optical camouflage. But unfortunately, no one present could make that observation.
Souji got back into his chair and said, “Anyway,” trying to get back on topic. “Her ability let her infiltrate the main church and make it as far as the Lunalith.”
“Even if you can vanish, they should have been able to sense her presence and smell her,” Inugami said. “I’m impressed she made it all that way.”
“I’m sure it was partially luck, but it’s also a place that no one but His Holiness and the cardinals have access to,” Souji explained. “The security on the entrance is tight, but once you get in, it’s unlikely that you’ll be discovered. Merula snuck in as His Holiness and the cardinals were leaving. Mind you, because of her sneaking in, security’s been buffed up considerably.”
He stared at Merula pointedly, and she looked away awkwardly.
How could a single woman on her own do something so crazy? Inugami was taken aback. “You said security has been buffed up. Does that mean she was discovered?”
“Yeah,” Souji said. “She could deceive their eyes, but, of all the things she could have done, she had to go and touch the Lunalith. When she did, it seems she saw an oracle.”
◇ ◇ ◇
According to Merula’s account, the Lunalith had been in a vast room bereft of all signs of life.
The room was dimly lit, and in the center of this room with its high ceiling was occupied by what looked like a pitch black stone monument. It measured five or six meters high, two meters wide, and less than a meter deep.
Looking at it up close, Merula could tell that the st
one monument was giving off a pale light.
So this is the Lunalith... she thought. It really exists.
This was the object of worship in Lunarian Orthodoxy, the one on which the oracles of Lunaria were said to be carved. Though she had anticipated it would, when she saw that it actually existed, Merula got excited. Immediately shifting into researcher mode, she began to observe and analyze the Lunalith.
Currently, though the subject is currently emitting light, no text has appeared, she thought. Yet, in Lunarian Orthodoxy, it is said that the oracles of the moon goddess Lunaria come down to them through the Lunalith.
When Merula was in research mode, her thoughts became as analytical as a researcher’s could be. Even the femininity vanished from her words in her head, and she started to put together her sentences like they were part of a research paper, with all excess removed.
Merula circled the Lunalith.
Hypothesis: The oracles of Lunaria are carved in the Lunalith, she thought. If this hypothesis is true, the oracles of Lunaria will be carved into the Lunalith in some manner. It is unclear whether the oracles are in written or pictorial form. If this hypothesis is false, the oracles will not be carved in the Lunalith. In this case, it could be conjectured that they have set up this phosphorescent object that seemed meaningful as the Lunalith, and that Lunarian Orthodoxy is using it to support their authority... but...
Having thought that far, Merula shook her head.
It can be conjectured that the possibility of that is low. The method is much too roundabout for it to be a way to build their authority. If they were going to enshrine a monument that does not actually receive oracles, it would be far simpler to claim it was some sort of tool used by Lunaria. In point of fact, there are many such examples of other religions doing just that.
Merula circled around to stand (probably) in front of the Lunalith.
Let’s test if the hypothesis is true. In this case, there are, broadly speaking, two patterns that it could be divided into:
Pattern 1: The oracles are handed down periodically, or at random intervals.
Pattern 2: The receiver of the oracles performs some operation in order to have them come down.
Merula looked at the object, her eyes fully calm as she thought about it.
In the case of Pattern 1, the pope or other such receivers cannot receive oracles at a time of their own choosing. In this case, they would strongly reflect the will of the moon goddess Lunaria.
In the case of Pattern 2, the pope and others can receive oracles at a time of their choosing. In this case, it can be conjectured that the moon goddess Lunaria is not a being that influences her believers at all times.
Then Merula slowly reached out towards the Lunalith.
The Lunalith is emitting light. This can be conjectured to mean that the Lunalith is in an active state. If, in some manner, I could receive an oracle, the possibility of Pattern 2 would be heightened. I guess that’s how it’d be, yeah.
Merula’s mind returned from the sea of thoughts, and she touched the Lunalith. A moment later...
“Ah!”
The Lunalith suddenly shone brighter, and a number of golden lines appeared on its black surface. Merula jumped back in surprise, but when she calmed down and took care to observe, she was able to see a regularity to their patterns. Merula conjectured that they were characters. Surely these patterns had to be the oracles said to be inscribed in the Lunalith.
Merula attempted to decipher the oracle, but not only were the characters not the ones in common use for official purposes across the continent, they were so different from any of the writing systems of any country Merula had encountered in her travels that she couldn’t read them.
Merula was a little disappointed, but she quickly changed gears.
No matter what, I got an oracle to come down. The next issue is whether the Lunarian Orthodox pope and his people can read this...
When Merula was thinking that, she suddenly heard footsteps from a number of people approaching. Those footsteps were rough, and she could tell they were running.
Oh, shoot... They noticed my infiltration because I touched the Lunalith?! Merula hurriedly used her ability to vanish and moved up against the wall.
Right after she did, six heavily armed men stormed into the room. These men, whose shields bore the emblem of Lunarian Orthodoxy, were members of the Orthodox Papal State’s elite unit, the Order of Holy Knights.
The man who seemed to be their leader looked around the room. “...I can still sense their presence here. They’re hiding somewhere! Two of you, cover the door! The rest of us will search the room!”
This is bad!
Their leader had detected Merula. On top of that, once the entrance was shut tight, it would only be a matter of time before she was caught.
Having come to that conclusion, Merula took off at a run. Before it closed, she managed to push one of the holy knights aside and get out through the door.
“Ah! They got away! Throw towards the exit!” the leader shouted.
“Yes, sir!”
Under the directions of the leader, one of the holy knights who had been watching the door pulled out the dagger stored in the back of his shield and threw it towards Merula.
“Guh...”
She was unable to dodge, partly because the corridor was so narrow, and so the holy knight’s dagger stabbed into Merula’s shoulder. The pain broke her concentration, causing Merula to turn visible.
When the holy knights saw her, they shouted out in surprise. “An elf?! Stop!”
“L-Like anyone would...” Merula made herself disappear with magic again and fled.
Because of her injury, she left a trail of blood, and though the chase dragged on for a long time, eventually she was able to shake her pursuers by diving into the small river that surrounded the main church.
However, because she got into the water while bleeding, she started to lose blood faster, and Merula lost consciousness as she drifted down the stream.
◇ ◇ ◇
“So, when I found her washed up downstream like some ragged piece of cloth, I picked her up and took her under my protection,” Souji finished. “I’ve been hiding her ever since.”
“...Murgh.” Merula was hitting Souji in the back. It seemed she wasn’t happy about it, but the truth was that he had saved her, so she couldn’t say anything.
Inugami tilted his head to the side. “You are supposed to be a Lunarian Orthodox bishop, are you not? I find it surprising that you decided to help her.”
“I just thought she was a random passed out person at the time, you see. I was surprised a few days after I saved her when there were likenesses of her posted up in town, and she was wanted as a ‘witch,’ though.”
“Yet you still didn’t turn her in to the church?”
“...Well, having already helped her, I couldn’t change my mind and turn her in so easily.” With that said, Souji took a sip from his glass. “I mean, they say she brought down an oracle with the Lunalith. In Lunarian Orthodoxy, we learn that only the pope and a select few can bring down oracles. If word that a heathen high elf was able to bring one down spread, it would be a massive blow to the church. They’d stop being so special, after all. The loss of the church’s authority would mean a reduction in centralizing force in this country. That was why they named Merula a witch and were so desperate to find her. In order to make her disappear.”
“I see...” Inugami said.
“...I’m grateful to Souji.” Though Merula had acted annoyed by him before, this time she spoke sincerely. “I’m grateful to him for protecting a fugitive like me, and for healing my wounds. Also, I can’t thank him enough for sheltering me when I had nowhere to go.”
“Oh, hey,” Souji put in. “You’re being awfully meek now.”
“It’s how I truly feel. I want to do something to repay you, too. That’s why, while you’re sheltering me here, I took it upon myself to do all the housework for you. But!” Merula ros
e from her seat, pointing a finger at Souji. “You are far too messy! If you would clean up after yourself a little better, you wouldn’t spend so much time searching for things!”
“You say that, but you’re not much better yourself.” Souji stood up, unyielding, and looked down at Merula as he spoke. “I let you look after the house for a bit, and the next thing I know, my wine cellar’s been turned into some wacky experiment site. I’m telling you, you can’t just remodel a house without the owner’s permission.”
“I’m a researcher, so it had to be done. I paid for the materials out of my own pocket, so what’s the problem?”
“You mean the money you got from making me sell off accessories that you said you’d brought with you from your homeland? It was really hard making sure those wouldn’t be traced back to us. Honestly.” Maybe Souji had just remembered all of the hassle involved, because he started scratching the back of his head.
Which of them was really the guardian here...? It was hard to tell the balance of power between this couple.
Souji said, “Honestly now...” and sat down in his seat with a bang. “As you can see, I can’t go to the kingdom until I figure out what I’m gonna do about her.”
“Huh, wait?! What’s this about going to the kingdom?!”
Inugami explained to Merula about how they wanted to invite Souji to become the Kingdom of Friedonia’s bishop as a countermeasure against the Orthodox Papal State.
Hearing that explanation, Merula thought for a moment, and then nodded as if she had come to a decision. She turned to Souji and said, “What a perfect opportunity. I want to go to the Kingdom of Friedonia, too.”
“Oh, come on, are you sure? You really want to decide on it that easily?”
“If you leave, I’ll have nowhere to stay in this country,” said Merula. “That being the case, I want to leave for the kingdom with you while I’m still safe. I’ve already investigated most of what I can in this country, so I’d say now isn’t a bad time to take my research to a new frontier.”
