Chapter 149: Dark Carnations

The countryside rolled past in waves of green and gold.

Lea watched through the window as cultivated fields gave way to wild grasslands, then to scattered woods that grew denser the further south they traveled. The train cut through it all with mechanical indifference, leaving a trail of steam in its wake.

"First time heading to Empire's Edge?", the woman beside her asked.

Lea turned from the window. Her companion was perhaps sixty, with silver hair pulled into an elegant bun and wearing clothing that spoke of old money rather than new military merit. The family crest on her brooch was unfamiliar but clearly ancient.

"Yes, just deliver news.", Lea replied, "Though I've traveled extensively for my work."

"Oh? What do you do?"

"I'm an Envoy for the Temple of Fire.", the technical truth came easily now, wearing the truth like clothing. "Record keeping, mostly. Documenting supernatural incidents across the empire."

Though she is more like the future inheritor.

The woman's eyes lit up with interest, "How fascinating! You must have seen quite a lot."

Lea smiled faintly, "More than I expected when I took the position."

More than the past me would've guessed.

The Plague Garden bounced gently on her lap, invisible to everyone but her. Through the window, a small village appeared and vanished in moments, replaced by more grassland.

The woman leaned forward slightly, "Is it true what they say about the monsters? The things people are turning into?"

Studying her thoughts, Lea realized this was someone who knew about the mystical side of the world, though not a Pathstrider. So it is alright to talk about it.

"The Horrors?", Lea's gaze drifted back to the window, "Yes. Though most reports are exaggerated. A ritual went wrong, and several cultists turned into monsters with human faces. Fortunately, all of them were captured and eliminated."

The woman shuddered, "How terrible."

"The survivors called it a monster.", Lea continued quietly. "But all I saw in the reports were desperate people with bad luck. We all sought divine help when we were at our wits' end."

Like me, clinging to Charlotte who masquerades herself as the Goddess of Time... well, that goddess never existed in the first place.

Silence fell between them for a moment. Outside, the grasslands gave way to rocky terrain as they approached the foothills.

"You mentioned you've traveled extensively.", the woman said, recovering her composure, "What's the strangest thing you've documented?"

Lea considered, "There was a sea monster off the coast of Kres. Its body was like a mountain of crimson spears; seeing it for the first time was a haunting experience."

She recalled the hazy appearance of Curruid, fighting the first Star God she encountered. The one that broke her whole.

"Did you see it yourself?"

"From the shore, yes. It moved like a living battlefield. Carnage followed everywhere it went; people's screams can be heard."

The woman stared, clearly unsure whether to believe her.

"The Blood God people sent three ships to investigate.", Lea added her own spin of what happened next, "Only one returned. The captain said the serpent looked at them. Just looked. And two crews decided to jump overboard and swim toward it rather than sail away."

"Madness.", the woman breathed a sigh of disbelief.

"Or clarity.", she shrugged, "Who's to say?"

The train rounded a curve, revealing a distant mountain range. The peaks were still snow-capped despite the season.

"Have you ever witnessed divine intervention?", the woman asked, "A god's actual presence?"

Lea's mind flickered to Auger being torn apart. To Messtorrin reclaiming the World's Authority. To Charlotte standing before the Three Rings with casual arrogance. When a hero fell, protecting the world once more.

"Once.", she said carefully, "During a war in the north. A god descended to stop a weapon that would have cracked the world. I was far enough away only to see the light. An emerald light, forbidden and terrifying, came like a meteor."

"Which god?"

"I don't know. The records were classified.", another smooth lie, "But I saw the aftermath. Where the god had stood, there was a crater three miles wide. The stone had turned to glass. Nothing grew there anymore."

Not that there was anything beside snow in the first place.

The woman absorbed this with a mixture of awe and fear.

"You must have fascinating stories.", she said, "Do you enjoy the work?"

Lea paused, looking back out the window. A bird flew alongside the train for a moment before veering away.

"I observe and document what happens. Whether I enjoy it is irrelevant. The work needs doing for justice to be carried out."

Both under the light, and in the darkness.

"That sounds lonely."

It was. But Lea didn't say that.

"I've encountered pirates twice.", she offered instead, steering the conversation elsewhere, "Once in the Eastern Sea, once near the southern archipelago. The first time was almost pleasant. They were just merchants who'd lost their licenses and turned to smuggling. We shared dinner, and they let us go."

"And the second time?"

"The second time, their captain had awakened to the Carnage Path, likely Fourth Step. He killed three Church guards before I managed to—", Lea caught herself, "Before reinforcements arrived. He died fighting. His crew surrendered immediately after."

"How frightening!"

"It was educational.", Lea corrected, "Carnage users grow stronger the longer a battle continues. The key is ending things quickly or not engaging at all."

Though the true story was Lea ramming a pirate crew with her borrowed ship. Then her death at the hands of the Blood God people. Carnage was no joke in the hands of someone competent.

The woman looked at her with newfound respect, "You sound like you have combat experience."

"I observe.", Lea repeated, "Sometimes that means being close enough to danger to document it properly. Though I can hold my ground..."

The train began to slow as another station approached. Smaller than Enlin, just a rural stop for passengers heading to outlying farms and villages.

"This is my stop," the woman said, gathering her belongings, "It was wonderful speaking with you, Miss..."

"Dantes, Mercedes Dantes."

"Lady Zhaoxin.", the woman replied with a slight bow, "If you ever find yourself in the northern territories, House Zhaoxin would be honored to host you. Any friend of the Temple is welcome."

"Thank you."

The woman departed, leaving Lea alone in her section. The train resumed its journey south.

Lea watched the landscape change again. Farmland. Then scrubland. Then the first hints of the vast plain that defined Empire's Edge.

The Plague Garden bounced on her lap, making a soft sound.

"Mm..."

She read the emotions... and she froze.

"What do you mean...", she sighed.

The Plague Garden bounced apologetically, emotions washing over Lea in waves. Fear. Relief. Protective concern.

The "noble woman" hadn't been a noble at all, it was the Mist Lord. That insect god with the vulture-like body and purple flowers. The one that had fought against the gods in the North. The one whose mere proximity had made reality feel wrong.

And Lea had just spent nearly a day casually chatting with it about sea monsters and pirates, keeping it company

"Why didn't you tell me?", Lea whispered, keeping her voice level despite the panic clawing at her thoughts.

More emotions from the slime. Protection. Strategy. Timing.

If Lea had known, her caution would have shown. Her Silence could hide emotions from most beings, but that thing? Which had hidden itself in lies and deception for over 7,000 years? It would have sensed the deception. And it would've killed her right then and there.

And Lea, in her ignorance, had passed.

She'd spoken casually about divine battles because she had witnessed them. Described cosmic horrors with the detached tone of someone who'd seen too much to be impressed.

Or had it?

Lea replayed the conversation in her mind. The questions about monsters. About divine intervention. About whether Lea enjoyed her work.

Testing. It was all testing.

And at the end... "If you ever find yourself in the northern territories, House Zhaoxin would be honored to host you."

An invitation, or a threat disguised as courtesy. But the examinee wasn't Lea, but the Mist Lord itself. It tested how far it could go when facing a divinity that opposes its own. And it had succeeded.

The Plague Garden nuzzled against her, offering what comfort a slime could provide.

"You kept me alive.", Lea murmured, scratching the slime gently, "Thank you."

"Mm!"

Now, it is a straight ride to Empire's Edge.

=0=0=

In the Great Desert region bordering Aipotu, in the sunny sky of this world were... spaceships, five giant silver spaceships bigger than cities flying in formation.

All heading toward the Western Sea.

"A third of my fleet will be what I give to this world's safety against a Great Old One.", Charlotte hummed, "AMS Logres, AMS Arcadia, AMS Babylon, AMS Uruk, AMS Londinium. Onward!! We are going to chop down some ice!!"

"But do I have to carry you like this?", Celosia asked.

Currently, he was holding Charlotte in a princess carry. The price for having her help was a whimsical request. It isn't clear who feels more embarrassed about this situation, as both are looking at each other with neutral expressions, or Jim, who had to watch this in the back with Charlotte's maid.

"Of course, it is my rightful reward for helping you.", she winked.

"It is almost my praying time; please get off me.", he pleaded.

She listened and got off him, "Alright~ but you have to cuddle with me after all of this is over."

"Yeah, sure.", he shrugged and walked away.

No matter how their relationship goes, they are aliens to each other. At best, they both view the other as a pet, Celosia being a feisty snake to Charlotte, and she being a cat to him.

While Jim elbowed the maid lightly, "Do you have to put up with her every day?"

"Yes.", the ebony winged maid answered, "It is honestly tiring."

"You had it rough, Miss Ennael.", he offered a comforting smile.

"It's okay, besides, I have nowhere else to go but to follow Her Majesty.", she smiled gently.

Beside Charlotte's fleet, only two gods decided to get involved in this world-ending situation.

At the beach and western end of the Great Desert, the Goddess of Madness stood facing the pillar of ice dozens of kilometers away. Yet the beach was partially frozen even from this distance.

In the heart of the Great Desert, where a tower of sandstone stood tall, unwavering in the harsh wind of the desert. Where branches wrap around the outside of the tower, and a great tree grows on top, a green emerald in a sea of yellow sand. That place is known as the Academy of Infinity, the domain where the God of Knowledge resides.

And His branches are turning toward the greatest threat this world has ever seen - the Chalk Princess, Charlotte Silvi.