Reincarnated as the mother of an otome game's villainess?!

Chapter 27. There is a light that never goes out.

I could count the times I have visited the capital's cathedral with the fingers of my hands. It was a beautiful place, but I never felt welcome there. And I got the same feeling as we went through the corridors of that prison. I could feel the eyes of all the members of the church glaring at me from behind their masks. To say that the church and my family weren't in great terms was selling it short, though I wasn't sure of the reason. I wouldn't be surprised if one of my ancestors had burned a church or two.

—Madame Dragonroot, are you feeling unwell? —our guide asked.

—Ah, n-no, everything is fine —I said instinctively, but I stopped to think for a moment—, your colleagues don't seem to like me too much...

—Oh, so you noticed? —she said in a playful tone.

—But you seem pretty welcoming.

—Yes! I'm not part of the collective, so they give me work that they don't want to do, like dealing with strangers. But I like talking with strangers, so it is a win-win, isn't it?

—I suppose... —I said.

I had forgotten. The reason why they all watched me with the same unified glare was that they all were connected, like a computer network. They prayed and meditated to become even more "enlightened" and interconnected with each other. The highest in ranks were said to have become completely immersed in it, unable to distinguish where one ends and the other starts. That whole process was completely voluntary, and even hard to accomplish, but the idea of losing who you are as an individual made me shiver.

The guards on this prison should only be from low tiers on the church, so they at best should be able to share thoughts with the others. I was still thinking of the computer metaphor, so I couldn't avoid picturing them as critics in an internet forum, writing means comments about me. I sighed, and tried to focus on the task I had in hand. That only made me feel worse. After walking quite the long distance, we were led into a room where the King was already waiting for us.

—Your Majesty, good morning to you —I said, in the most polite voice I could muster for him.

—Greetings, Lady Dragonroot —he coldly replied—, and Doctor Conrad, I wasn't informed you were coming to this visit.

—Considering what happened to my patient the last time she met with you, I HAD to be here.

—Hmmmmm. Understood. I read the result of your research, and I share it with her majesty as well. It is quite enlightening, but there is still no known way to treat the curse, isn't there?

—I'm afraid I haven't found one yet.

—Then we'll have to proceed with what we planned —the Kind said, sounding a bit... apologetic?

We went through yet another door. There was a guard on each corner of this new room, and at first glance, there was just a table at the center of the room, with a few chairs on each side of it. But it was really confusing when I noticed we were also entering from the other side of the room. Turns out there was a barrier separating the room at the middle, which was currently reflecting light like a mirror.

—Are you ready? —the King asked me.

—I am going to stay at your side all the time, we can stop this at any moment —the doctor assured me.

—I... I am as ready as I can be —I forced myself to say.

The King gave a signal to one of the guards, and he approached the barrier. As soon as he touched it with his hand, lines started to glow through it, like a circuit board's tracers, and it became translucid gradually.