TSS 04

⁜ Chapter 04 …

  A Mother’s Command More Terrifying Than Revelation

“What do you mean! Why would you go to a temple!”

My father, Raymond Danyer, raised both hands to the sky and lamented, as if calling upon the heavens.
It was a rather theatrical gesture, but that couldn’t be helped. People here considered this kind of theatrical behavior proper etiquette—refined, even.

“My beautiful daughter, what do you lack that you must go to the filthy lands of Hamilkar, huh?!”

For a moment, I flinched.
I had clearly said, “I will devote myself to the temple of Gerka, God of Wisdom, and study to become a good wife.” And yet his reaction was completely dismissive!
Still, unintentionally, my father had hit the mark.
I was trying to go to Hamilkar’s land. Gerka was not my real concern.

At dinner, my eldest brother, Bertrand, had lost his appetite and sat with his arms crossed.
The way he kept rubbing his neck with one hand resting on his crossed arm showed just how displeased he was.

My second brother, David, stood up and shouted outright.

“I cannot allow you to be sent to a country of those barbarians!”

The Count’s territory of Hamilkar had near-independent autonomy, almost like a nation, in exchange for defending the border.
Because of that, its people did not think of themselves as citizens of Morihen, but as “Hamilkar people.”
And honestly, that wasn’t wrong. If you have the right to wage war, you’re basically a country anyway.
Many even called it a “count-kingdom.”

If this were Korea, I would’ve immediately snapped back with something like, “Who are you to decide yes or no?”
David and I were only three years apart—what right did he have to decide my fate?
But unfortunately, here, he did have that right. I was part of the Danyer family’s property, and my brothers were the ones managing that property.
Ha… this life of being a “super subordinate.”

Still, a subordinate must behave like one.
I turned my gaze to my father—the ultimate authority among all authorities, the head of the household.

My father was already emotionally synchronized with my little brother. No, “synchronized” wasn’t enough to describe it. He was practically merged.

Should I try to win over my eldest brother and reverse the situation?

I looked at him again and happened to meet his eyes.
He slowly turned his gaze away, pretending we hadn’t made eye contact. Meaning—he wouldn’t side with me.

Then there was only one person left.

I turned my head.

My mother was quietly watching me.

“Arian, why must you go so far to a temple? There is a temple of Gerka in our own territory as well.”

Unlike the men who had only anger and opposition, my mother calmly pointed out the contradiction in my words first.
Hah. But Mother, I had already anticipated that question.

“If I am to go to a temple anyway, it would be better to attend a famous one. And in Hamilkar’s Gerka Temple, isn’t that person there?”

There was the high priestess Pythia, who was said to receive direct revelations from Gerka.
Once it was confirmed that she had a direct line to God in her mind, she was never allowed to leave the “Grand Cathedral Hall” for the rest of her life.
Even her noble status as the king’s sister and the eldest daughter of the previous king meant nothing before the authority of “divine revelation.”
Perhaps Hamilkar could act so arrogantly precisely because he was holding her as a hostage.

The king likely hated the fact that his sister Pythia was in Hamilkar’s territory, but for me, it was beneficial.
If I studied beside Pythia—the king’s sister and the world’s only “saint”—and even gained her patronage, my value in the marriage market would rise to near-princess level.
Well, of course, if a real princess studied at the Gerka Temple and gained her aunt’s patronage, I could never match that.
But a princess would never come here anyway. Hamilkar? A barbaric land.
A princess raised only in the royal capital of Lid or its seasonal palaces would find the borderlands too far and frightening.
And the king, already furious about his sister being held hostage, would never allow his daughter to be taken as well.

I had only mentioned “that person,” but my mother understood everything I meant.
And she was not the only one—my father and brothers understood it as well.

“What defect do you have that you must go all the way to a temple?!”

People go to temples when they need to raise their value.
In other words, temples are for those who urgently need to improve their worth.
A legitimate noble daughter like me, with a high-ranking father and even blood ties to ruling families through my mother, had no reason to go.

Usually, it was illegitimate daughters, scandal-ridden girls, those with ruined reputations, branch family members, stepmother victims… those kinds of people who went.
And even those people didn’t usually go all the way to Hamilkar. They usually chose the safest temple in their own territory.

That’s why my father was screaming.
Because I was behaving like someone with a defect.

Of course, if I really went, my father would use his political skills to spread the story that I was not defective, but a devout and pure girl.
(But honestly, most girls my age would probably think I had something “off” in my head even if my body and status were fine. That’s how far and barbaric Hamilkar was considered. But it didn’t matter—the ones deciding my marriage weren’t girls my age, but older men like my father or Count Hamilkar, and women like my mother.)

My mother pressed down on my protesting father with a single look, then turned to me, tapping the table lightly with her fingers.
Then she smiled gently and said:

“You really are my daughter. I am proud of you.”

“Dear!”

My father called out to her in protest.

Someone in Rome once said: men rule the world, but women rule those rulers within the home.
Maybe that’s not true for every household, but my mother fit that saying perfectly.

“Yes, I will fully support you taking charge of your own future.”

“Mother!”

My younger brother tried to object in shock, but my mother ignored him completely.
And just like that, my journey to the temple was decided.

Ten days later, after all preparations were complete, I boarded the carriage.
My mother held my hand and said:

“Since you are leaving on such a firm resolve for such a long journey, I will not worry. I trust you will definitely gain Lady Pythia’s patronage.”

……Huh?

When did I ever say I would gain Lady Pythia’s patronage?

Do you think a saint is some kind of joke? There is only one saint in the entire continent.

Of course, if I were a princess, it might be possible to gain her patronage—as her niece.
But I’m not the king’s daughter. I’m my father’s daughter. How am I supposed to gain the saint’s patronage?

Ignoring my stunned expression, my mother smiled brightly.

“Surely you’re not going just to escape your parents and siblings and spout nonsense, right? Do your best.”

Her face clearly said: “Try failing and see what happens.”

“W–wait, mo—”

I tried to say, “Mother, of course I’ll do my best, but—” but at that very moment she let go of my hand and closed the carriage door.

The carriage started moving. Hey, wait! I didn’t even agree to leave!

But the coachman always obeys the highest authority present.
And judging by my father crying “Arian!” in the distance, it wasn’t even my father’s order.

Carrying a command more terrifying than Revelation itself, the carriage departed.

It took 23 days to reach the Hamilkar territory by carriage.

As far as I knew, medieval roads were unpaved, but the roads leading to Hamilkar were mostly paved.
Not asphalt, of course—but flat stone roads that made travel much smoother than dirt paths.
And unlike the medieval world of my original Earth, this world had mages.
My carriage didn’t have suspension, but it did have shock-absorbing magic cast by a mage. Thanks to that, the journey was surprisingly comfortable.
We also stopped at inns along the way, so lodging wasn’t a problem.

The problem began after we entered Hamilkar territory.

I knew the “Grand Cathedral Hall” was on a mountain peak, but seeing it in person was overwhelming.
The towering peak pierced the sky, making it impossible to even estimate its height.
It truly felt like a place where gods might descend.
And the snow—glittering in the sunlight—made the entire mountain shine.

Ah, so that’s why it’s called the “Mountain of Light.” It really does look divine.

The problem was whether I could actually climb it.
And I was currently wearing a summer dress—there was no way I could go up like this.

On the first day, my escorts and I exchanged glances and immediately turned away, without even needing discussion.

At the base of the Mountain of Light were several villages.
From the atmosphere, they didn’t seem poor despite their small size.
The clothes of the children and the condition of the houses made that clear at a glance.
Which meant this village had some additional source of income. That usually meant trade would go smoothly.

Before entering the temple, I needed to meet the local overseer.
Hopefully, they would be someone I could communicate with.