"So this is the living puppet you made of that guy from Aru Village. Kind of scary... I can feel a soul in it. Is it his soul?" [Diana]
"You are improving at a good rate. That's right. Whatever's inside is his soul." [Merlin]
"Scary..." [Diana]
This guy from Aru Village doesn't provide much needed information about the Illumination, so he was taken by Master Merlin and turned into a living puppet. Since Master Merlin has a good understanding of both the art of puppetry and the art of the soul, she turned this guy into a living puppet. Dead and yet alive. Aware of what's happening and yet unable to make sense of it. Able to move only at the whim of its master. Longing to cross over to the other side, even if it means decaying its new body, yet unable to do so. This living puppet allows Master Merlin to use any kind of magic since it's using someone from the village of Aru. I curiously ask how the process of making a living puppet and based on Master Merlin's reaction
"Do you want to know?" [Merlin]
"Um... Yes...?" [Diana]
"Really?" [Merlin]
"All right, all right, I don't want to know. You're really scaring me!" [Diana]
"Oh good. That's better." [Merlin]
I'm sure it's going to be a nightmare for this guy. I feel bad, just a little, and that scared me more than anything. I wonder, will I really become as heartless as they are? I can only hope and pray that I wouldn't
"Sorry I'm late. It took a lot longer than I thought at first" [Eisheth].
"A succubus... Are you Nar's friend!" [Diana]
This pretty succubus lady who entered the meeting hall just smiled and waved at me. Based on her reaction, I can say that she's indeed a friend of Nar. Leaving Master Merlin's side, I float over and greet her personally. She just pinches me as a greeting and kidnaps me by having me sit on her lap before the meeting starts.
"You smell good! I wanted your perfume too!" [Diana]
"How about you come to my house, I will show you my collection" [Eisheth].
"Eisheth! Don't corrupt a young mind!" [Cardinal Davis]
"Whatever you say. If anything, the ladies are all attracted to beauty" [Eisheth].
They begin to argue among themselves. I can tell. They're like oil and water. I'm sure it's a common occurrence, just like Oreforged and Elegast. They're like sworn enemies and friends at the same time.
"Looks like everyone is here. I brought my two daughters as well if you don't mind" [Amleth]
"Kara! Mara!" [Diana]
Since the two are like oil and water and I feel lazy to analyze the content of their intense arguments, I sit next to Kara and Mara. They enter the hall together with Nar, Sas, Aeron, Tiara and Alaric. The gloomy Aeron wanted to scold me for running around while Auntie Amleth is around, but I ignored him and went straight to sit between Kara and Mara. I can tell he's getting angry from my reaction, and I wanted to provoke him more, but I'm afraid Auntie Amleth will give me a punishment like last time, so I'm restraining myself, being a mature lady.
"The Illumination. That's the name of the group. So far we can say that they're made up of the crazy side of the Church, some faction of the Empire, whether it's Emperor Justin or not is still unclear. There is also a rebel side from the remnants of the Angel and Demon kingdoms. Other than that, it's starting to gain popularity among people from other countries through various names and organizations" [Eisheth].
"However, their method and ideology remain the same. I'm not sure how THE THING came to be, but their ultimate goal, a race blessed by the goddess herself. To make everyone equal. At least that's what the forensic team was able to glean from the document I recovered" [Alaric].
So after I blacked out for about a day, they managed to dig out this much. I understand that this crazy group called Illumination is a dangerous one. To finance themselves, they will go through both legal and illegal methods, like the auction the other day. Still, the Illumination, I can't say it rings a bell. Still...
"Why is that guy from Aru Village working with him? As a mercenary? Somehow, my gut tells me it's not just that" [Diana].
"Good question, little Diana. I did some digging into his memory and soul, and while he is indeed working as a mercenary, surprisingly, their end goal couldn't be more antagonistic than each other" [Merlin].
Master Merlin controls the living puppet. Through the puppet's eye, a kind of screen flashes with the puppet's memories. It shows that they're hoping for the resurrection of the Lord of the Fallen. That's what the current Chief Village is hoping for, and as for what the Lord of the Fallen is...
"It's probably the corrupted fairy queen before Titania, or should I say the first fairy ever born. That's what I thought, and considering how the people of Aru Village have been dropping like frogs in the gutter lately, they probably wanted to regain their former glory by resurrecting her. Again, just a theory. This guy here just supports the Chief's idea to get more money and booze, so he's a typical useless pawn. A very strong one, though" [Merlin].
"And to do that, they need my parents Fairy heritage?" [Diana]
"Likely" [Merlin]
If that's the case, yes, it couldn't be more antagonistic. According to the fairy queen Titania, she charged me with stopping THE THING when I am strong, so surely resurrecting the Lord of the Fallen will be beneficial... Why does my sense of danger tell me otherwise?
"There's a guild report from Country of Emas that the group there is making suspicious movements. I will at least send Randy. What about the others?" [Akela]
"I can go there under the pretext of meeting Her Holiness first" [Cardinal Davis].
"Oh! So Saintess Rumia will be the one coming to Amleth!" [Diana]
"How did you know that beforehand..." [Kara]
"That is... To quote Master Merlin, a mystery!" [Diana]
Kara and Mara stare at me. Aunt Amleth and Master Merlin seem to have realized that I got this information from their discussion the other day. Even the fat guy from Ministry of Defense seems perplexed, since this is the first he has heard of Saintess Rumia coming here, and this little girl has beaten him in the information war.
"Kara and Mara will go in my place, of course, on the pretext of meeting Her Holiness as well. Nar and Sas, please accompany them. I will make a proper arrangement and discuss it beforehand with the royalty over there" [Amleth].
"This is all after the final test, right! I want to follow them!" [Diana]
"Sure... I think so?" [Mara]
"Why did I get the feeling that it's a no... But land of Emas... It's the route they used when they kidnapped me, right? Hehe..." [Diana]
"For the love of Goddess! You haven't learned your lesson!" [Nar]
"Oh, I'm definitely not going alone. Definitely not" [Diana]
"Sigh... House arrest it is for you" [Sas]
"That's cruel!" [Diana]