TGS - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Turning the Tables
The Festival of the Moon Goddess arrived as scheduled.
Unlike the grand ceremonies for the other major gods, the worship of the Moon Goddess was, by necessity, held at night.
On the night of the full moon, the road to the temple was lined with crescent-shaped lanterns. The moons of the mortal realm and the moon at its zenith shone upon each other, bathing Digebia City in a pure, soft radiance that gave it an unreal, dreamlike quality.
Priests, having bathed in advance, carried the statue of the Moon Goddess out from the sacrificial chamber and placed it on a float encircled by bouquets of pale gold flowers. Four docile steeds set off, pulling the float along the city's main avenue at a steady pace.
A procession of priests followed closely behind the float, and behind them were the carriages of the city lord and the great nobles. The common people stood on both sides of the road, waving their arms and crying out the name of Anmila, the goddess of the moon and the night, as they watched the procession enter the large square before the temple.
Only during such a major festival would the divine statue leave the temple, and it was the only opportunity for the common folk to witness it with their own eyes.
As none in Alyuin's party were followers of the Moon Goddess, they were seated on the other side of the square as observers.
The nobles of Digebia who worshipped other gods were all seated there, and they showed no strange expressions upon seeing the Princess and her Royal Guard. Some offered a slight nod, while others approached to make conversation, sending friendly signals.
Regardless of their attitude, the young princess’s calm and unhurried smile never wavered. Her words and bearing were so proper, it was as if she had never left the royal city.
The city lord's advisor watched from the side, nodding to himself in secret.
Indeed, the city lord had not misjudged her.
He turned his head toward the center of the square, where Lord Hephit stood. Their eyes met in mid-air, and both saw the hidden approval in the other's gaze.
The festival officially began, and everyone returned to their seats, ceasing all conversation.
The temple's high priest stepped forward from the crowd and stood before the tall statue of the Moon Goddess, reciting a hymn:
Anmila, Anmila of the long night Your radiance unchanged since ancient times Goddess of the silver moon You rule the night sky with your lunar wheel And shelter your followers in the darkness You are the Giver of Bones to all living beings You are the Guardian of all things Tonight, we praise your name In the Kingdom of the Gods, you shall be eternal
As one of the eight major gods, the Moon Goddess Anmila was regarded as the guardian of the night, driving her lunar wheel on its patrol across the night sky until her brother rose from the other side of the firmament.
In the myths, she and the Sun God were both children of the God of Sky, and the elder siblings of the River Goddess, Lotus.
At the festival of her nominal elder sister, the spirit-form Lotus was perfectly calm. She glanced at the clear night sky before nonchalantly retracting her gaze.
As the elderly high priest recited the hymn, not a single sound was made in the vast square. Even those who were not followers of the Moon Goddess held their breath in the solemn atmosphere, listening in silence.
All except for one person.
A high-ranking priest stood within the priestly procession, his head bowed low. Hidden by his long sleeves, his hands trembled imperceptibly.
Despite having mentally prepared himself, the act of causing a disturbance at the festival of the god he worshipped still filled him with unease and panic. No matter how low he bowed his head, he felt as if he were being pricked by needles, as if the Moon Goddess's cold gaze was falling from the heavens, pinning him to the spot.
It's all an illusion, the priest comforted himself. He was clearly following the Moon Goddess's will, expelling the unwelcome, god-forsaken one on her behalf. If the Goddess Anmila was truly watching, she would surely praise his courage!
Just then, a panicked clamor suddenly erupted from the edge of the square.
"Fire!"
"Someone help, the incense wood is on fire!"
The sudden shouts drew everyone's attention. Flames had ignited on a pile of wood stacked outside the square. Amid the soft glow of the moon-shaped lanterns, the crimson flames were particularly conspicuous. Many people stood up in shock.
This incense wood had not been placed there for no reason, of course. There were fifteen logs in total, an offering to be made to the Moon Goddess Anmila in the final part of the festival. The divine statue was to be escorted back to the temple surrounded by these logs.
How could they have caught fire so suddenly, and burned so quickly?
There was no time to ponder such things. Everyone was focused on putting out the fire, beating at the flames and carrying water. The fire itself was strange, burning stubbornly for some time before it was finally extinguished.
But by then, the incense wood had been burned beyond use.
The high-ranking priest met the eyes of his wife's younger brother in the crowd. The merchant glanced toward Alyuin, who was seated calmly on the other side, and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The high-ranking priest hesitated for a moment before steeling his resolve. As if sleepwalking, he stepped out of the priestly procession and stood before the statue of the Moon Goddess.
"I heard it! I heard the oracle of the Goddess Anmila!"
Lord Hephit paused and looked at the high priest, who also frowned and shook his head.
"Priest of Anmila, what did you hear?" Hephit asked.
The high-ranking priest closed his eyes and said in a trance, "The Goddess is enraged. For a defiled person bearing sin to appear at her sacred festival is a great disrespect to her... She does not acknowledge such a festival, and so..."
And so she had sent down divine punishment, destroying the incense wood so the festival could not proceed smoothly.
As soon as these words were spoken, some people instinctively looked in the Princess's direction.
A person bearing evil sin—wasn't there one right here? The daughter of a criminal, branded as such by the King in Akhet himself and exiled for that very crime.
Alyuin met the varied gazes without flinching, her composure unshaken.
She asked, "Is that the Moon Goddess's oracle?"
The high-ranking priest declared, "Of course! The festival of the Goddess Anmila should be as pure as the moonlight. How can it be defiled by the presence of a sinner!"
Alyuin smiled with profound meaning and clapped her hands lightly. "Motis."
The captain of the Royal Guard, who had been missing since the start of the festival, now emerged from behind the cart that had just been on fire. He was escorting a short, low-ranking priest, who trembled as he walked toward the center of the square.
"He started the fire," Motis said, his voice simple and powerful. He showed the crowd the flint he had confiscated from the junior priest. "The fire was difficult to extinguish. He must have poured oil on the wood."
The high-ranking priest's face instantly turned pale.
Alyuin said leisurely, "Your Excellency, the Priest, does this arsonist look familiar?"
"I... I..."
Didn't I tell that fool to check his surroundings and not get caught? Damn it, damn it!
The priest took a step back, subconsciously casting a pleading look at his accomplice.
Seeing that the situation had turned sour, the merchant tried to use the cover of the crowd to slip away. But Alyuin's gaze had already found him with precision. She raised her voice with a smile, "Master of the Kara Caravan, won't you come and help this esteemed priest?"
—She had known all along.
In that instant, the merchant realized. The target of their scheme had seen through their plan at some unknown point, yet had remained still, waiting until the die was cast.
Impiety was a grave crime in itself, and sabotaging a festival was grounds for immediate execution.
Even as he was being restrained by Hephit's guards, the merchant was still in a daze. They had been so cautious, leaving no trace before they acted. How on earth had the newly arrived princess discovered them?
Wait, if she had really known all along...
The merchant suddenly raised his head, panting as he questioned her, "You knew all along, didn't you? Ha! Even though you knew, you let the junior priest act. You deliberately sabotaged the festival just the same. What's the difference between you and them!"
The young princess said innocently, "How did I sabotage the festival?"
"You let him set fire to the incense wood—"
From the other side of the square, two cavalrymen from the Royal Guard strode forward, pushing a cart laden with wood. Both of them had grins on their faces that they couldn't suppress.
"The incense wood is right here." Alyuin raised her eyes, a faint smile playing on her lips. "I am a follower of the Goddess Lotus, but I would not stand by and watch someone ruin the Moon Goddess's festival. I had no choice but to move the incense wood to another location. I imagine... Lord Hephit and the esteemed High Priest will not object."
Hephit's expression was calm, revealing nothing. After a moment, he smiled in approval. "Of course not. I must thank you for your efforts in preserving the festival, Your Highness."
That was the final word.
It was just a farce, but it had reminded more people of the crime for which the Princess was exiled. The nobles exchanged glances with tacit understanding, while the common people whispered amongst themselves in the outer circle.
Observing, speculating, gossiping with cold remarks.
Alyuin had long grown accustomed to all of this over the past few years.
The Princess stood her ground, her gaze sweeping over the entire square as if by chance, waiting for something. Suddenly, it fixed on a certain direction and did not move.
A blue heron with snow-white feathers flew gracefully and calmly through the night, past the rows of soft moon-lanterns, past the crowd that stared up at it in a daze, and finally landed beside the Princess.
The blue heron's long, slender beak held a snowtu flower, which it gently placed in Alyuin's hand.
It let out a low, soft cry, raised its head, and revealed eyes as clear as blue chalcedony.
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