The Duchesses

Chapter 87 : Ignorance is the Mother of All Evils

For the next two days, both sides arranged their moves to retaliate. However, Ares strikes faster than them. As a cunning illusionist, he immobilises everything he has on his side to crush the last thorn that will harm him. Thus, that day, the Temple, without Cardinal Eryx knowing, Her Holiness the Pope released another prophecy that has bestowed to her directly from the Guardian Deity and disclosed it to the people.

Another prophecy was granted to the Temple last night from the Guardian of Angelos to me. It is the prophecies where everyone would be aware that a witch has been raised in the land of Angelos and ruined the Angelos' descendants till the end. It is not like any witch. It is stunning, like poison ivy but deadly. It spreads its own hand like a snake slithers on the ground, with its golden hair and evil red eyes.

As a mark of their status as the noblest of the noble, the witch has traditionally carried dragon emblems. Therefore, the Angelos people must unite to destroy a witch and burn her to ashes. At the same time, the protector of the Empire, our Emperor, shall scatter her ashes in the Southeast, where she will continue to live unnoticed for generations to come.

In that meaning, I ask for the people of Angelos to be a stronger nation to protect the protector of Angelos Empire from this witch before our land succumbs to a darkness that people will never see the light anymore in this land. Thus goes in a great disaster that you cannot even fathom.

The false prophesies the Emperor and the Pope spread like wildfire in the middle of the drought have poisoned the masses. However, some of them, in denial, refuse to get burned quickly in that fire, demanding another proof. That can be predicted by Ares.

Thus he made a grand entrance on that day along with the Pope, holding on to the golem stone that he received from the shadow knights that night, while the confusion and questions were visible in the air.

"Before this prophecy is disclosed to the public today, Her Holiness has come to me to share our wisdom about the witch. While we were still trying to match the puzzle about her, the Guardian Deity helped us again when an Imperial Knight came to us, providing us with this."

The Emperor made a display about the golem stone, making the others look around and throw the question at each other.

"What is that weird-looking stone?"

Ares doesn't utter any words, but the corner of his mouth forms a slight smirk, pressing on the soft part of the stone. Then, as if it was that day, the sound of the thunderstorm caused people to become familiar with it, feeling like they had seen this before. It was an unforgettable day as Natalie intended it to be, but how would she knows that it would end up like this?

Ares fireback her tricks, fooling everyone else into thinking about it.

"How?"

"Isn't that voice that we heard that day?"

"The one who warns us about His Majesty's engagement with Duchess Medea?"

"Yes, it is precisely what you are thinking about. That is the sound of the Guardian Deity that day. However, the witch used this to trick us with this stone to mimic the voice of the Guardian Deity!" the crowd perked up their ears, listening to Ares' valiant voice disclosing the ugly truth.

With that claim alone, people turn their back again, worshipping Ares as the protector of the Empire. Thus, with everything they had, they found their voice again to ask the Emperor about the woman, having a suspect in their mind about the witch.

"Has Your Majesty found out about the witch?"

Ares joy in triumph in that question alone that he couldn't contain many trembles on his body over pure excitement. Isn't it evident with that description alone? Only one would fit all of that. And that's none other---