Chapter 39: Experimental Results and the Shadow of the Church
After repeated experiments, Charlotte gradually mastered her one-wing ability, "Heart's Mischief." The "test subjects," naturally, were the Durand mother and daughter, as well as Renee.
The way "Heart's Mischief" worked was by distorting the target's thoughts. It wasn't an illusion, nor was it some whimsical seduction technique Charlotte had dreamed up.
Those affected by "Heart's Mischief" retained their understanding of the world and their memories. For example, they would still see a glass of water as a glass of water and remember that they needed to drink water when thirsty. However, under the influence of "Heart's Mischief," they might end up eating instead of drinking when thirsty, and even if someone pointed it out, they would believe they hadn't done anything wrong.
However, the reason it was described as "might" was because the effects of "Heart's Mischief" were neither absolute nor stable. Factors such as the caster's strength, the mental fortitude of the target, and the target's psychological guard against the caster all influenced the effectiveness of the ability, which could vary greatly.
For instance, Renee, with her three-wing strength and the enhancement of "Goi," was almost entirely unaffected by Charlotte's "Heart's Mischief." After the first night, Charlotte had tried to "ambush" Renee without warning, but the best result was merely making Renee laugh.
On the other hand, Anna, who had no supernatural abilities and trusted Charlotte completely, was almost always susceptible to "Heart's Mischief." Charlotte had little trouble convincing her that eating was the solution to thirst. This kind of thought distortion was far more challenging than simply implanting loyalty, as it involved tampering with common sense and instinct.
Through repeated experiments, Charlotte discovered that common sense, instinct, and logic continually corrected a person's thoughts toward what was "right and reasonable." For example, if someone ate when thirsty and found that food didn't quench their thirst, their instinct would push them to try something more "hydrating."
The distortion caused by "Heart's Mischief" wasn't permanent; it weakened over time. It was like two forces in opposition: once the force of "distortion" could no longer withstand the force of "correction," things would return to normal. Thus, Anna's habit of eating when thirsty lasted less than a day.
However, if the force of "correction" was absent or particularly weak, the effects of "Heart's Mischief" seemed to persist indefinitely. For example, Charlotte used "Heart's Mischief" to make Anna report her daily activities. Anna didn't see this as a big deal and continued to do so, even writing it down before bed if she couldn't report in person. The effects showed no signs of fading.
Compared to the "easy-to-handle" Anna, her mother, Beatrice, was far more troublesome. She had a strong wariness of Charlotte and little trust to speak of. But the more resistant Beatrice was, the more Charlotte wanted to "conquer" her.
Beatrice's wariness suggested that she knew certain secrets, such as the truth behind Marion Durand's attempt to assassinate Charlotte. Beatrice was, after all, just an ordinary person, and Charlotte could sense that "Heart's Mischief" did have some effect on her, though it was weaker and shorter-lived.
Through continuous experimentation, Charlotte discovered another characteristic of "Heart's Mischief": as long as the target remained the same, the effects could be stacked. For example, Charlotte used "Heart's Mischief" to make Beatrice dislike meat. After three, four, or five attempts, Beatrice's appetite for meat noticeably decreased.
This made things simpler. Charlotte adopted a gradual approach with Beatrice, using "Heart's Mischief" once or twice a day. She also chose a more suitable angle: instead of directly forcing Beatrice to reveal her secrets which would violate human instinct and face strong resistance Charlotte opted for a subtler approach. She implanted the idea that "the master has treated you and your daughter well, so you should repay her with greater loyalty." This line of thought aligned with the world's universal values, making it less of a "distortion" and more of a "guidance," thereby avoiding most of the instinctive "correction."
To reinforce this, Charlotte provided the mother and daughter with better living quarters, dined with them daily, shared carriages, and even bought them gifts during trips to Ambratu.
Sure enough, the effects of "Heart's Mischief" gradually manifested in Beatrice. Today, when Charlotte arranged for Anna to have a tutor and prepared for her to inherit her father's knightly title, "Heart's Mischief" finally broke through Beatrice's psychological defenses.
However, what Beatrice revealed surprised Charlotte.
"The Church?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.
"Yes," Beatrice nodded again.
"This is interesting..." Charlotte clapped her hands, instructing Renee to clean up the bottles and jars, while she took Beatrice back to the study.
Charlotte personally poured Beatrice a cup of black tea and took the opportunity to reinforce the suggestion of loyalty with another dose of "Heart's Mischief."
After persistent practice, Charlotte was no longer the novice who would feel dizzy after using "Heart's Mischief" just once. Now, she could use it... twice a day.
On good days, she could manage three times.
This left Charlotte somewhat exasperated.
Renee's one-wing ability was "Fus," which Marion Durand understood as a speed boost. In dragon language, however, it meant "extreme speed." "Fus" was also a stackable ability. During the fight with Marion Durand, Renee had used it once to quickly move in front of Charlotte, then twice more in Marion's presence, stacking it three times. Each stack increased her speed significantly.
From what Charlotte knew, Renee had been able to stack "Fus" ten times in a short period two years ago.
In comparison, Charlotte's ability to use "Heart's Mischief" only two or three times a day felt rather lackluster.
However, the good news was that once the first "Heart's Mischief" succeeded, Beatrice's psychological defenses completely crumbled. This time, there was almost no resistance, and when Beatrice accepted the tea, her face even showed an unmistakable look of admiration.
"Why would the Church want to assassinate me?"
Charlotte cut straight to the point, voicing her biggest confusion. She had no conflicts with the Church; in fact, their relationship had been quite good. The sudden assassination attempt left Charlotte feeling utterly baffled.
Wait...
Charlotte thought of someone Allen Ferrenbach.
Allen Ferrenbach was a secondary diocesan bishop responsible for religious affairs within the Duchy of Greenfield, often referred to as the Greenfield Bishop. His status in the duchy was second only to the Duke of Greenfield.
Before Helen Melefeld's death, Allen Ferrenbach had publicly refused her request to attend mass at Greenfield Cathedral during the Feast of Saint Grace. This act almost confirmed the rumors of Helen's affair with a stablehand, contributing significantly to her eventual suicide a fact Charlotte couldn't ignore.
However, Charlotte quickly dismissed this thought. Her animosity toward Allen Ferrenbach was one-sided. The bishop had never paid much attention to Charlotte, the well-behaved girl who sent him birthday and New Year gifts every year, let alone ordered an assassination.
Unfortunately, Beatrice couldn't resolve Charlotte's confusion either. She shook her head and said, "I don't know."
"Then how did you know it was the Church who wanted to assassinate me?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.
"About two years ago, some strangers approached my husband," Beatrice recalled. "They were dressed like nobles and even looked the part. My husband sent me away and had many private conversations with them. After that, he began secretly planning something. When I asked him what he was doing, he wouldn't tell me, only saying that if anything happened to him, I should flee Greenfield immediately. He even had me prepare a suitcase for a quick escape. Then... he died."
Charlotte grew even more confused. "Do you think those people dressed as nobles were actually from the Church?"
Beatrice nodded.
"Why?"
"They didn't eat much meat," Beatrice offered a rather peculiar reason. "Marion had me cook for them twice. Not only did they eat little meat, but they also ate less of everything else. Their appetites were much smaller than nobles'."
Charlotte found this both amusing and frustrating, but Beatrice's reasoning wasn't entirely without merit.
The "nobles" Beatrice referred to were clearly those of knightly rank or higher.
In this era, upper-class nobles, especially men, took pride in their large appetites. Hosts were expected to provide copious amounts of food to show their generosity, and guests were obliged to eat heartily alongside them. A small appetite was simply unacceptable. The Church, however, didn't share this "pig-feeding" lifestyle, and clergy members generally had smaller or rather, more normal appetites.
"But just because they ate less doesn't necessarily mean they were from the Church, right? Nobles aren't pigs; not everyone has a huge appetite," Charlotte still had doubts.
"Although they wore different clothes each time, I could always smell sage on them," Beatrice provided a second reason.
Charlotte's expression grew serious. Sage was a common spice, its burning aroma mild and slightly sweet, soothing to the senses. However, in this world, sage wasn't cheap, largely due to one major consumer the Church. Burning sage had a natural sedative effect, believed by the Church to aid spiritual practice and enhance the solemnity of churches. They liked to mix sage into candles, lamp oil, or simply burn whole bundles on church walls, consuming vast quantities annually.
The once-plentiful sage had its price driven up by the Church, making it unaffordable for commoners and unappealing to nobles, who could buy better spices for the same price.
Only those who spent their days in churches could be so thoroughly permeated with the scent of sage that it lingered even after changing clothes.
"Any other reasons?" Charlotte pressed.
Beatrice thought for a moment, then added, "Although they spoke Orlanian, they sometimes used very long sentences."
"Tsk..."
Charlotte stood up, pacing around the study with her neck craned, feeling somewhat agitated.
"Using very long sentences" might be easily overlooked in other countries, but in the Orlan Empire, it was a noticeable trait. This was because long, adjective-heavy sentences were a linguistic hallmark of the Edisans, the Orlan Empire's millennia-old enemies.
The Church's holy city, Moyes, was located in the Edisan Empire or, more accurately, the Eastern Edisan Empire. High-ranking clergy, such as archbishops and bishops, had to study in Saint Moyes before taking office, learning Church doctrine and listening to the teachings of the Divine Lord. This required them to learn Edisan, as the Pope used it for sermons and decrees.
Thus, while the Church had never officially designated a language, Edisan was its de facto official language.
Due to prolonged war and tension, Edisan nobles and commoners alike found it difficult to enter the Orlan Empire except for Church members. The Blackstone Fortress Marquis, who guarded the border, didn't prohibit Church personnel from crossing between the two nations.
Looking like nobles, having restrained eating habits, carrying the scent of sage, and using Edisan speech patterns...
The details Beatrice observed from a housewife's perspective all pointed to the Church.
After pacing for a while, Charlotte stopped and stared at Beatrice. "You've been going to church every day recently. Were you trying to reconnect with those who ordered your husband to assassinate me?"
Beatrice quickly knelt, said in fear:"Marion told me before he died that if I fled Greenfield, someone would offer me protection... I never intended to assassinate you again. I just wanted them to provide some assistance..."
Charlotte wasn't concerned about whether Beatrice had considered assassinating her again. Instead, she pressed on, "Did you manage to contact them?"
Beatrice shook her head. "I often prayed at the church, but no one reached out. I even hinted at my identity to Father Fado, but he seemed completely unaware of who my husband was."
Charlotte was disappointed. After some thought, she instructed, "Starting today, continue going to church as before. Make your prayers longer."
"Yes," Beatrice agreed without hesitation.
If they had contacted Marion Durand two years ago to plan this, was it really just for a half-hearted assassination attempt?
Did they truly harbor such deep hatred for her?
Or... was there something else at play?
With the world on the brink of chaos, even the Church couldn't sit still?
Charlotte gazed out the window at the overcast sky, lost in thought, a sense of impending storm brewing in her heart.
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