The Tyrant's Last Doll

“I’m sure everyone is curious about the why I, a secretary of the Emperor, am here. And how I have divine power.” Iona smiled. “I’m sure you all heard the statement from the Theres group a month ago. Unfortunately, there were misunderstandings between the two parties. I am here to resolve those misunderstandings.” she said as she took another deep breath.

Ridrian couldn’t help but take a deep breath as he watched Iona speak. He was on edge, just like the rest of the crowd. They all hung on her every word, waiting for her next statement.

And then she spoke the words that would change everything.

“I am the Saintess that the group mentioned.”

The crowd was struck into a stunned silence. No one dared to speak or even breathe, as they waited for the implications of her words to sink in.

EP 106

Iona lifted her finger, her voice clear and steady. “Contrary to what the group has said, I was not held by His Majesty. I was his secretary long before I received Theres’s will. I was simply busy with my duties at the palace, which led to the misunderstanding. Additionally, I was praying for the safe return of our soldiers from the war, and thus, I was not aware of the statement until now.”

Ravis stepped forward, standing beside Iona. He surveyed the crowd with a smile that failed to reach his eyes. “Everything Iona has said is true. She was busy with her duties.” He took the object from Iona and raised it to amplify his voice. “I am Ravis, the High Priest of Theres Group.”

The side whispers seemed to gain volume among the people gathered. The priests that were usually busy meditating were here on the battlefield. That was something rather unheard of.

After the initial buzz calmed down a little, Ravis continued his speech.

“I think there must be some among you who are wondering when Viscount Lesprey became a Saintess so I’m here to explain. I believe everyone remembers when the water of Ebaron City became holy water when we were praying for rain…”

He waited for the people to signify that they remembered before going ahead with the rest of his words.

“…That was because Theres has descended upon us while we were praying. Every priest who participated in the prayers knows about this; all the citizens of Ebaron know this. I was there when the Saintess received Theres’s will in person.”

As there had been no serious rebuttal from the palace after the statement from Theres group, everyone had been thinking that what Theres group had said could be true and that whatever the Emperor accomplished was therefore fake. However, as the High Priest presented quite convincing evidence to show that Iona Lesprey was a Saintess, everyone seemed to believe his words.

“Well, the reason there wasn’t any rebuttal was because the Saintess was too busy praying.  That is the only reason why this rebuttal has taken so long.”

Ridrian couldn’t help but be impressed by how both were able to make their lies sound like the truth.

Nevertheless, he had to acknowledge, that though they weren’t telling the truth, they weren’t flat-out lying. Even though the reason she was staying in the palace and hadn’t been coming out for a month was different, it was true that they were busy preparing for the war and that Theres descended during the prayer. In his experience, being half wrong and half right was a specialty for those who had been politics for a long time.

I didn’t think she was this politically talented.

He had always thought she just went with the flow, that she was someone who didn’t say what she wanted to say and didn’t ask for anything. So, he never could have imagined that she could pull off this kind of stunt. On top of all that, she had thought about using the High Priest to make people believe in her. Ridrian couldn’t help but be amazed at this side of Iona that he had never seen before.

“Thank you, High Priest. I’ll explain other misunderstanding as well. Like I said, I’m the Saintess that the group has mentioned. However, I also received a bit of a different order than other Saintesses in the past. I’m ready to help the savior who will save this continent.” Iona’s explanation continued, interrupting his musings.

Everyone’s eyes widened. The Saintess isn’t the savior? All the Saintesses that had come down in the past were the savior. They gave everything they had to make sure everyone was well.

“Are you curious as to who the savior is? The person who is trying to save everything on this continent from corruption is in front of you.” the Saintess of present day added, smiling softly as she gestured behind her

Who is she pointing at?

Ridrian suddenly realized that she was pointing at him, and he couldn’t mask the look of confusion that took over his features.

Me? Saving the continent?