CHAPTER 65: THE FATE DOMAIN

Hermes stood there with a dumb look on his face. When Eleanor had told him of her father's arrival the day before, he had thoroughly planned out different scenarios in his head. He had no idea what kind of person Lucien was, but he wanted to make sure that the Valencourt Family Lord would get a decent first impression of him.

However, all of that planning and overthinking was thrown out the window. Lucien Valencourt looked at Hermes, whose eyes were still wide open, and chuckled. He placed his hand on his shoulder.

"You didn't expect my answer at all, huh? No worries, I will explain everything in due time." He glanced back over to his two daughters, who were also showing signs of confusion.

"Lets head inside, shall we?"

Hermes readjusted his glasses and nodded. He was ready to hear everything the elderly man had to say. The revelation of Elizabeth's awareness of his arrival caught him off guard; it was a scenario he hadn't entertained. As far as he knew, she had only recently visited the mansion, a fact that suggested she had notified Lucien of Hermes' presence before he even embarked on the trial. Although this feat completely baffled him, his knowledge about Elizabeth's Celestial abilities gave credence to what Lucien had stated.

The group made their way into the opulent mansion; they proceeded towards the grand lobby. The expansive space was filled with lavish couches adorned with intricate gold trimmings and opulent furniture. Hermes took a seat on one of the plush couches, his gaze fixed intently on Lucien and his two daughters seated across from him.

The head butler approached Lord Lucien with a deferential bow, gracefully pouring him a cup of tea, which Lucien accepted. Catching Hermes' unwavering stare, Lucien met his gaze and smiled.

He laughed. "It seems the waiting has made you restless for answers."

Hermes realized how he was behaving. "I apologize, Lord Valencourt. That was fairly rude of me..."

The old man chuckled. "No matter, no matter. It is my fault for stalling this long." He placed his teacup down on the table. He then eyed his butler, who proceeded to bow to him. The butler then instructed all the servants away, leaving the entire lobby devoid of sound.

"Now then, what would you like to ask?"

Hermes took a deep breath. "Elizabeth... How did she know I was going to arrive here..."

Lucien closed his eyes. "The Fate Domain... It works in mysterious ways..."

Eleanor, who was sitting beside him, froze up. "Fate Domain?!"

"Yes, my darling. Elizabeth Lysange belongs to the Fate Domain. She is an outsider..."

She frowned. "I see... It makes a lot of sense now... Why the church condemned her..."

Hermes, who was sitting across from them, heard their brief exchange. 'Outsider?'

Eleanor, oblivious to what Hermes was thinking, looked back up at her father. "But... Even if she had awakened into the Fate Domain, are cleansing rituals not enough? Why would they condemn her so greatly?.."

Her father sighed. "It is because she had used [Prophesize-Eye] on King Linarias."

Before Eleanor could reply, Hermes spoke up. "Excuse me." They both cast their attention to him. "I already knew that Elizabeth belonged to the Fate Domain. However, how does that have anything to do with her predicting my arrival... And Also... What is an outsider? [Prophesize-Eye], as well... What is that?..."

The old man struck his fist into his palm. "Oh, you are right. I haven't explained anything yet... Apologies, I can get distracted sometimes..." Hermes nodded. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

Lucien crossed his arms. "Let me start at the beginning. You already seem to understand that there are more domains in existence than the traditional 6, correct?."

"Yes, though I do not understand why there is a difference between the two. Aren't all domains equal?"

The old man sighed. "In terms of worldly power, yes, they hold sway. But in matters of faith? No, not truly. Back in the days of the Monarch of Wisdom, 'He' imparted 'His' divine commandments to 'His' chosen disciples. These ancient edicts form the bedrock of humanity's reverence for the Enlightened One. The fifth commandment declares, 'Thou shalt not seek growth beyond the boundaries illuminated by my presence.' The church's interpretation of this decree is clear: only within the domains of Stars, Death, Knowledge, Technology, Longevity, and Dreams does the light of his influence shine. Anything beyond these realms is deemed to lie beyond the reach of his illumination, and those who dabble in such powers are deemed heretical in nature."

Hermes' eyes widened. "So for this reason, Elizabeth is being persecuted?"

He shook his head. "No, as my daughter had stated, if it was just as simple as her being an Outsider, things would not have devolved to the point they are at currently."

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Hermes remembered her words. "She mentioned a cleansing ritual?"

Eleanor nodded. "Yes. The cleansing ritual rids any heretic of their celestial powers. Using its ritualistic magic, they can separate the Astral Projection from the body, and safely shatter the heretic's dimensionality, completely reversing their ascension."

Hermes frowned. 'Such a cruel method... Though, it would definitely be better than death for most people, I suppose...' He cleared his throat. "I assume then that they decided to not use this procedure because she had apparently used this [Prophesize-Eye] ability on the king?"

Lucien sipped his tea. "Indeed... [Prophesize-Eye] is an ability that belongs to the Fate Domain and is usually unlocked at 2.0 Dimensionality. We do not know what aspect or archetype it belongs to, since there are no documents available that provide that information to us. However, we do have a firm understanding of how it is utilized."

Hermes' jaw almost dropped. '2.0 Dimensionality?! How... Isn't this trial meant to be for her Stage 1 Ascension?! Could she have lied to me about what her true stage and dimensionality were? No... She has no reason to...' He decided it was best to continue asking questions.

"This ability, what does it do? Why did the king get so offended at her for using it?"

Eleanor decided to answer. "I don't completely understand it either. However, it is said to have the power to see what a person would do in the future. As for why she would even attempt it on the king... I have no idea."

"I do," Lucien spoke up. "The reason is simple. We tasked her to do it."

Hermes jolted up from his seat. "What?!"

The old man placed his cup back down. "I understand your anger, however, Elizabeth herself had agreed to it."

"Why would she?!"

The old man's face suddenly became serious. "Because this empire is about to fall." The air suddenly turned stiff as they all stood frozen in place.

Beads of sweat formed on Hermes' brow, his nerves frayed as he slowly lowered himself back onto the plush couch. "W-What do you mean?.."

"From its very beginning, disputes and squabbles between the families were the norm. Even amidst Rudwell's grand unification efforts, grudges persisted among the aristocracy. Following Rudwell, his son Darius ascended to the throne, ushering in a tumultuous era." Every word sounded as if it came from a first-hand account... Lucien continued,

"for the first time since the empire's inception, distinct political factions emerged. Some aligned themselves with the church, forming the Church faction, while others pledged allegiance to the noble bloodlines, joining the ranks of the Noble faction. A third faction, the Neutral Faction, also emerged, though it remains relatively diminutive even to this day."

"Long gone were the days of families fighting for only their own personal gain. Most squabbles that occur now happen due to rivalries between the factions." His frowned deepened with every sentence.

Eleanor nodded. "Many people tend to exaggerate how much impact King Linarias has had on the current state of the empire, but I say the wounds were festering from before he was even born."

Lucien's nod was somber, his demeanor reflecting the weight of the revelation. "Indeed... And so we arrive at the current era. The Marcia Royal Family, once relegated to a mere ceremonial role, now finds itself thrust into the forefront of power. Rudwell's policy reforms bestowed upon the appointed leader of the family the title of emperor over the entire human domain. This necessitated a stance of neutrality in imperial politics, a position that made the Neutral Faction relatively important even at its diminutive scale."

His tone grew heavier as he continued, "However, all of this changed roughly two months ago. Linarias, in a decisive move, declared that the Marcia family would align indefinitely with the Church faction..."

Hermes could not believe what he was hearing. How can someone be this incompetent? Such a radical change would almost always spark conflict... Hermes peered deeply into Lucien's eyes and asked, "would this not create a political imbalance between the factions? Why would he even do this?.."

Lucien sighed. "Indeed, it would... Protests all across the city occurred. Well, they have mostly been quelled now by the inquisition... Though, the nobles are still racing to understand how this will impact the future of the empire. The Church faction has now grown rapidly in size, becoming far more politically powerful than the Noble Faction. Consequentially, the Guardian Knights were also impacted, as more and more funding was siphoned to the inquisition instead. Our family was already struggling financially, but these policy changes have put an even larger strain on us. Our Valencourt family belongs to the Noble faction after all."

"King Linarias had to have considered this prior... Why would he sacrifice so much for the church? Is he just that pious?" Hermes still could not understand the logic behind the decision.

"That is exactly the answer we were seeking, my child. These changes are too radical. We suspected that the king was being secretly manipulated. However, there is no way to prove this. That is why we requested the aid of that lass, Elizabeth."

Hermes furrowed his brows. "How would she be of any help?"

"With the power of [Prophesize-Eye], she can peer into the future, gaining glimpses of what lies ahead and discerning hints about his next moves," Lucien explained, his voice tinged with a sense of gravity. "Yet, it's not just that. We sought to gauge the certainty of her visions by observing the church's reaction. Delving into the king's future would undoubtedly be considered a grave transgression, but the extreme condemnation of Elizabeth as the 'Witch of Calamity' suggests that a deeper conspiracy is at play. According to the High Pontiff, Elizabeth stands accused of trying to spread the highest form of blasphemy, indicating that whatever she uncovered with her [Prophesize-Eye] is something they desperately wish to keep hidden from public scrutiny. Slandering a noble of the esteemed 13 families to such an extent was seemingly their only recourse for prosecution."

Hermes sat there in silence, slowly digesting the revelations told to him. Although the explanation did make sense, he didn't understand why Elizabeth would subject herself to such a role. He had a sneaking suspicion that her trial's mission heavily involved finding out what the king and, more importantly, the church, were up to.

However, the notion that the Valencourt family was willing to sacrifice Elizabeth merely to assess the reaction of their adversaries didn't sit well with him. With a composed demeanor, he rose from his seat, meeting Lucien's scrutinizing gaze.

"Thank you for sharing this information with me. I shall take my leave now," Hermes stated calmly, his voice betraying none of the turmoil swirling within him. Despite him wanting to blame them for what they had put Elizabeth through, he knew that such a confrontation would be pointless. With too many foes already on his plate, he had no desire to add another, especially when both Eleanor and Elara had treated him with kindness.

He gracefully bowed to them and headed for the lobby's exit when suddenly Lucien's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Young man, you aren't thinking that we just simply sacrificed Elizabeth, did you?" Hearing this, Hermes tilted his neck back and squinted.

"Hm?..."

Lucien smiled playfully. "Tonight, at 11:45. That is when our rescue operation begins."

End of Chapter