In a World without God

Chapter 15

Fools do not know the moon has risen, even though its light illuminates the night. Such were the people gathered in the amphitheater. Even when the Portrait of the Goddess revealed its true form, they could not accept that it was true.

"Who did this!!"

Someone opened their mouth but quickly silenced themselves. Who did this? It was a silly question. The Portrait of the Goddess is kept in the Oval Office of Lord Kindatu. If anyone had tampered with the painting, the blame would solely fall on him. But who would dare hold him accountable?

Besides, his office is more secure than any other building in the Fey family. Blades are embedded in the tight grates, and the door is locked with several layers of padlocks. How could anyone but a ghost touch the paintings without leaving a trace?

"Bring a cloth and cover the painting! The witch is deceiving the people!" Kindatu shouted, and the Fey family's attendants scrambled.

"Ominous! A bad omen! Descendants of the heroic Bosha... execute the witch's offspring at once!

"Deliver us from the darkness that deceives us!"

Edulis squinted one eye and twisted the corners of his mouth, a bitter laugh escaping him. People are the same as always. They see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. But.....

"Edulis! Edulis!"

"Keep your voice down, Aruru."

"What happened?! Why did the painting suddenly become like that?!"

"You did it, and you don't know it. You and the rats anointed the painting with swamp toad grease."

Barus swamp toad grease. It was something Edulis always carried with him. It was excellent for preventing rust on a sword.

"That's right! That's why I thought you were going to burn the painting with fire! I even prepared some kindling in case you forgot!"

Aruru waved the match in Edulis' arms.

"No, that's not it, put it away."

How could Edulis burn a painting of Ygraine?

The oil of the Barus bog toad is a clear solid in cooler temperatures, but at the slightest increase in temperature, it becomes liquid and drips.

The reason this is happening now is because the sun is shining on the painting in the arena, melting the toad oil that Edulis had applied to the painting beforehand.

Examining the paintings that Aruru and the rats have brought, Edulis realizes that they are not the same. "Of all the paints in the Portrait of the Goddess, only the ones for the hair and eyes were different. Only those colors were fat-soluble dyes. The rest were pigments mixed with glue, insoluble in oil.

It showed the extent of the lie the Fey family was living. These bastards had added black paint to a painting by Limousin le Fey and hadn't even bothered to find a pigment with the same properties.

Once again, Edulis remembered the image of Laotou. How she had followed Bosha to the auction house, only to be stopped by Ygraine, apologizing that she got caught..

- Ouch, Ygraine, how do you know this place? No, no, no, it's not because I'm greedy, it's just that I wanted to try some expensive liquor for once...

Ygraine was particularly strict with Laotou. This was because Laotou was the most unruly of the Apostles. However, after spending so much time with her, Edulis gained the ability to recognize deception.

"Truth is just a collection of facts that people want to be true...is that right?"

Edulis' thoughts differed from Kindatu's. Truth is a powerful thing in and of itself. Edulis looked around. Some people were shouting that the witch was deceiving them, while others were staring at the painting in fascination.