Otome Game Mob Villain

Chapter 775

"Let's see, what does it say..."

I brought my face closer to the page and focused my eyes on the small script.

'Goddess Mysterina Martel is a fiction.'

The blood drained from my face, and I slammed the book shut.

Tink and Capella looked at each other, tilting their heads in puzzlement.

"Lord Ridd, what's wrong?"

Tink timidly spoke up.

"I feel like all my faint hopes have been shattered..."

"Huh...?"

Glancing sideways at Tink and Capella, who were tilting their heads, I let out a deep sigh, covered my face with both hands, and looked down.

No, I wanted to understand the true meaning of Ibi's words, so I was researching Zubera, seeking new information, right?

But this is a little different from the information I wanted to know.

'Goddess Mysterina Martel is a fiction'... Even if I were to learn such a fact, I'd want to learn it in a future where Baldia has gained more power.

A book that denies the goddess sacred to the Mysterina faith in Ancient Martel language—if its existence were ever known to Toga, it would absolutely become an issue between nations.

At worst, it contains forbidden content that could crush Baldia before I'm executed in the future.

No matter how much Baldia is hailed as the Empire's sword and is rapidly developing its territory, it doesn't yet have the power to stand against an entire nation like Toga.

Considering national power, to oppose that country, you'd need to unite the entire strength of the Empire.

On this continent, the nation of Toga is that large.

First of all, in 'Toki Rena', was the Mysterina faith of Toga built up to this extent?

Maybe I just don't remember because I was skipping the unread parts.

In Toga, there is 'Elliot Oration', the crown prince and a romance target in 'Toki Rena'.

I will eventually meet him too, so I wanted to avoid open confrontation as much as possible.

And right then, to end up grasping such a forbidden Pandora's box was completely unexpected.

But now that I have it, there's no helping it.

Fortunately, there's also physical distance between Toga and Baldia.

If we strictly manage information, we might manage somehow.

No, we have to manage somehow.

Yeah, let's think positively.

Magnolia's David and Kiel, Renarute's Raisis, Zubera's Johann... They were also characters in 'Toki Rena', but in this world, they are real people living their reality.

Their country's intentions and their own thoughts don't necessarily align.

Even 'Elliot Oration', being the prince of the Holy Nation of Toga, isn't necessarily a blind believer in the Mysterina faith.

If he were a blind believer and came into conflict with me, the words written in Ancient Martel language, 'Goddess Mysterina Martel is a fiction,' could become a trump card, couldn't they?

I organized my thoughts, took a deep breath, raised my head, slapped both my cheeks lightly to psych myself up.

"Alright, I'm fine now. I'll continue reading."

Saying that, I opened the book's cover.

'Goddess Mysterina Martel is a fiction.'

The large characters written on the first page in Ancient Martel language.

Next to it, the small translation, likely in Gleas's handwriting.

And, upon closer inspection, part of the bottom of the page was blacked out.

Judging from the ink's hue, it seems it was blacked out a long time ago.

Probably, the author's name was recorded there, I assume.

The reason is unknown, but judging from the content, it was likely blacked out with clear intent.

If I turn this page, there's no going back.

Gulping audibly and holding my breath, I turned the first page.

'I was one of the attendants who served her, having met Mysterina-sama before she was recognized by society as a saintess, when she was just a girl.

In the present-day Mysterina faith, Mysterina-sama is deified and revered as 'Goddess Mysterina Martel'.

However, I assert that 'Saintess Mysterina' and 'Goddess Mysterina Martel', while looking the same, were entirely different people on the inside.

But this was an inconvenient truth for the propagation of the Mysterina faith, so it was buried in darkness and erased from the Mysterina scriptures.

I cannot help but feel indignation at this point, and so I have secretly taken up my pen.

If this book falls into the hands of those who revere Saintess Mysterina-sama as a goddess or whatnot, it will undoubtedly be disposed of.

I can only pray that it does not meet such a fate and that it becomes material through which the true Mysterina-sama can be known in the distant future.

Now, let us move to the main subject.

Mysterina-sama was from the country now called Zubera.

She was born to loving, good parents, blessed with eleven friends, raised surrounded by various animals, and Mysterina-sama grew into a pure-hearted, kind girl.

The turning point where Mysterina-sama became a saintess was around the age of fifteen.

At that time, within what is now Zubera, various countries were scattered, fighting over territory, and the flames of war never ceased.

One day, Mysterina-sama's village was caught in that warfire, and she lost her parents, friends, and all the animals, barely escaping with her life, it is said.

But the war-torn world was not so kind as to allow a fifteen-year-old girl to live alone.

If found by invading soldiers, she would be killed or, at best, enslaved.

Even if she luckily escaped and reached another village, in a world of war, no one would help her.

In the end, she would either fall into slavery or sell her body.

Moreover, wandering in forests or mountains, it was impossible to survive the winter; she would eventually meet death.

Mysterina-sama, while despairing over her own fate, apparently stepped deep into the forest, resolved to quietly meet her end.

But, in the forest, Mysterina-sama heard a voice saying, 'Come this way.'

Led by that voice, she proceeded and stepped into a cave deep in the forest.

There, she encountered a strange, glowing entity and gained tremendous power, it is said.

Having gained power, she returned to her destroyed village and drove away all enemy soldiers with overwhelming force.

Then, she wept before the corpses of her friends and the animals, but accomplished the miracle of reviving them by mixing the eleven and the animals together using her gained power... This is the moment of the birth of the new race, the Beastmen.

At this time, she also created a sky-soaring dragon.

The Beastmen became a new race to last for eternity, but the sky-soaring dragon died in a battle with the narrated Goddess Mysterina Martel.

Its remains are buried in the land of Mysterina-sama's birthplace.

The countries that had been fighting over territory were all later destroyed by Mysterina-sama, who had gained power, but I plan to record the details of this point later.

Next, I shall tell what Mysterina-sama accomplished from here and how she came to be revered as a saintess.'

Gleas's translation of the Ancient Martel language cuts off here, and I cannot read further.

The content so far covers about three pages, and the book continues much further.

As stated in his letter, his time for translation must have been limited, I suppose.

Flipping through to the end, indeed, there is no further translation.

However, there were blacked-out sections in the middle and at the end of the book.

It seems parts that could identify dates, names, eras, or the author have been thoroughly blacked out.

Amidst the tension, or rather, a unique, heavy atmosphere and silence, as I carefully closed the book, the sound patan echoed in the room.

Leaning my back against the sofa, I slowly let out a large sigh.

"...The origins of the Beastmen, Mysterina Martel's birth... it must be a major discovery, but this book is indeed too forbidden, too dangerous."

"Indeed. To think the origins of the Beastmen are due to Mysterina Martel's power... I am simply amazed."

As Tink agreed, Capella groaned with a thoughtful expression.

"...Mysterina Martel created the Beastmen. If this is fact, Toga would put even more pressure on Zubera. With just these three pages excerpted, the content is unfavorable for Zubera. In any case, there's no doubt this is a book that could fundamentally overturn the relationship between Toga and Zubera, both nations."

"Right. This is too much not just for me, but even for Father. No, even Emperor Irwin and Empress Matilda would probably be troubled by how to handle it."

I clutched my head and slumped down.

Being able to glimpse the facts underlying the ancient heroic tales recorded in the Mysterina scriptures should be moving, but it puts my own life in danger.

No, it doesn't stop there.

The danger could extend to Baldia as well.

Maybe this is why Ibi said 'Don't delve too deeply'—because such facts exist in Zubera's history.

Thinking that, a certain thought suddenly surfaced in my mind.

"...I wonder, could the reason the Padgry family is so fixated on strengthening bloodlines be because they know this fact?"