Chapter 186: Ella Light

They’re a bunch of idiots, like turtles hiding in their shells, oblivious to the truth that’s just a step away. What fools, pigs, and stubborn old coots!

Ella Light was quickly tidying up the dinnerware, all while internally venting her frustrations.

She felt a bit annoyed, yet there was a hint of joy within her.

Ella was a scholar at Theological Hall, focusing her research on the origin and structure of 【Faith-based Magic】.

In fact, the Holy Empire had many scholars dedicated to the study of Faith-based Magic at the Holy Academy and Theological Hall; it could even be called a mainstream study area.

However, the vast majority were simply focused on how to develop and apply this divine power more effectively—like the special barrier covering Theological Hall, which was an impressive achievement in that realm.

Very few, if any, had attempted to delve deeply into the true nature of this mysterious power with an unclear source.

Indeed, in Ella Light’s eyes, 【Faith-based Magic】 was an enigmatic force of unknown origin; perhaps others could close their eyes and attribute it to the blessings of the Goddess, deliberately ignoring the conflicts and contradictions it presented with current theories…

But as a member of the Light Tribe who did not belong to the Church of the Goddess and had never worshipped Goddess Aurora, she didn’t fit into that category.

The Light Tribe never worshipped the Light Goddess. They were born of light, equivalent to light itself, and thus revered the concept of light rather than some representation of it.

There wasn’t really any Light Goddess; even if there were, she certainly wouldn’t exist as described by the Church’s doctrines.

Her innate memories of origin told her so.

Ella was born on a night two hundred years ago, falling into the depths of the St. Bergan Plains, awakening to her own consciousness, and since then began her solitary wanderings.

She traversed many places and experienced a multitude of fresh sights and things, gradually forming her own complete value system and logic. Until decades ago, she arrived at the City of Angels, known as the Holy Capital, and was extraordinarily admitted to Theological Hall as a member of the Light Tribe, commencing her long research journey.

She wanted to understand what that thing, which she encountered countless times during her lengthy journey and was almost everywhere in the world, known as 【Faith-based Magic】, truly was?

Why did a force appear out of thin air and defy common sense?

Why was the strength of Faith-based Magic tied to the purity of belief itself?

Why… as a child of light, did she, belonging to the Light Tribe, not feel this power?

Ella spent decades traveling around, gathering various pieces of information related to Faith-based Magic, even tracking the lives of short-lived races to observe how they applied this power at different stages of their lives and under what conditions.

However, this deep analysis of faith from a scientific perspective was undoubtedly a huge taboo in the religiously founded Holy Empire. Her actions began to draw the attention of certain factions, receiving warnings and oppression, and even experiencing some subtle threats aimed at hindering her progress.

Yet, Ella did not give up; her curiosity and thirst for knowledge only intensified through these pressures, becoming almost a crucial beacon in her life—understanding the truth of Faith-based Magic.

The research society disbanded under pressure, and with no one daring to help her, she decided to go it alone.

Funding was cut, so she had to find ways to work, becoming a mercenary to make money—after all, research required constant movement.

Labeled as a freak and a heretic, ostracized everywhere, even facing some deliberate rumors branding her as a fake Light Tribe member…

So what?

The name Light would never be tarnished by the views of those mundane people and fools. So-called light meant being free to do what she wanted, go where she desired, unrestrained and spontaneous.

This was an instinct ingrained deep within the soul of every Light Tribe member.

That said, the various pressures did delay her research significantly, leaving her stuck in a bottleneck for the past few years, unable to find breakthrough, valuable information.

However… the recent 【Blood Calamity】 near the St. Bergan Mountains, her birthplace, provided a great inspiration to Ella.

It was said that under the cover of that crimson sky, all Faith-based Magic wielded by believers instantly lost its power, rendering them defenseless like lambs for slaughter.

Though the upper echelons of the Church intended to conceal the matter, the extent of that calamity and battle was vast, with millions of mouths speaking—it wasn’t something that the temples, which weren’t true deities, could entirely hush up.

After learning about some of the real situations through certain channels, Ella felt like she had her light bulb moment. She quickly generated several hypotheses regarding the possible causes of the invalidation of Faith-based Magic… and rapidly began corresponding calculations based on certain information she had previously gathered.

And some of these results, she had already publicly announced during the annual 【Consultation Conference】 in daylight.

Although the response was as dismal as ever, Ella, already accustomed to sneers and mockery, didn’t care at all. In fact, this situation was actually different from before.

Previously, especially in recent years, due to her research hitting a wall, most of her annual presentations were merely baseless conjectures like castles in the air. While they sounded plausible, academic research was a very rigorous endeavor; unverified guesses had no right to be presented onstage.

Hence, in previous years, at the end of her presentations, she mostly heard derisive laughter or ruthless critiques concerning flaws in her theories.

But today, there was utter silence throughout the venue.

The scholars of Theological Hall were all oddballs and arrogant, and if they heard something they deemed wrong, they’d stir up a racket. The sudden silence wasn’t typical.

Silence represented affirmation; it meant that Ella’s presentation indeed made them feel—this was a completely possible fact, but due to certain factors, they couldn’t applaud as they did for other splendid research. They could only pretend not to hear.

…What a backward country.

Even in a place claiming the highest degree of freedom, they still needed to tread carefully, afraid to openly discuss the truth, ha.

Can it really be labeled as light and sacred?

Ending her internal tirade and mockery, Ella cleaned the dishes and prepared to leave her dorm for the lab, to continue her unfinished research.

She had a premonition that she was getting very close to the truth; once she found and clarified the final critical nodes, she would be able to elucidate the complete functioning principles of Faith-based Magic. At that time…

It would surely send shockwaves throughout the world, leaving those detestable guys speechless and dumbfounded.

With that thought in mind, the Light Tribe girl, whose dark circles were nearing overload, casually wiped her hands on her skirt, changed into her outing uniform, and eagerly turned to leave, heading straight towards her private research room not far away.

Since she was now the last one remaining, Ella’s research room was very small, almost the lowest standard within the Theological Hall research society, even a bit shabbier than her rented one-bedroom apartment.

But it didn’t matter; her research didn’t require high-end hardware. The so-called research room was merely a place to store some results and materials, along with a few necessary devices, and to conveniently record data.

The girl jogged through the night.

Ella wasn’t afraid of personal threats; the Light Tribe possessed inherent powerful abilities and a noble status. Although their numbers were extremely few, there were hardly any people in the Holy Empire who dared to truly do anything against her. This was also one of the significant reasons she could continue her research alone until now.

But…

Seeing the remnants of the door lock clearly vandalized outside her research room and the slightly ajar main door, a faint sense of ominous foreboding washed over Ella Light’s heart.

   

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