250 Hobien Ebony
The Temple of the Holy Tree Matriarch was bathed in a gentle light, the source of which came from the exquisite magic crystal lamps embedded in the walls. The tree hole that housed the temple was deep and winding, but the light made it feel welcoming and warm.
At the end of the tree hole stood seven holy emblems, each carved from animal bones and symbolizing the seven Holy Spirits revered by the Holy Spirits Church.
But something was off. The order in which the emblems were placed was different from the Church’s established rules. The most prominent position in the middle wasn’t occupied by the emblem of the father, symbolizing royalty, but by the emblem of the mother, symbolizing life. And the emblem was slightly deformed, with some lines slanting in a way that made the image of a mother embracing an infant resemble a towering tree.
The other six emblems were illuminated by the light from the magic crystal lamps at their base, but the Mother emblem in the middle was bathed in sunlight from the opening at the top of the temple.
The layout of the temple was nothing like what William remembered from over a thousand years ago. The Holy Tree Matriarch Temple of his time was completely shamanistic, with a deep and dark tree hole symbolizing the source of life. The only light came from the sun, moon, and stars shining through the skylight at the top, and the interior was filled with rough bone sculptures. The temple only worshiped the deity Matriarch.
If it weren’t for the tree hole, William would have thought he was in a cathedral of the Holy Spirits Church. The placement of the Mother Holy Spirit in the middle and the subtle modifications to the holy emblem were evidence of the Forest Elves’ struggle against the empire’s influence.
The maid led William to the temple and he saw a man wearing an antler crown and a gray fur coat kneeling and praying in front of the seven holy emblems.
“Your Majesty Ebony, the guest you’re waiting for is here,” the maid said before bowing respectfully and leaving.
After the maid’s footsteps faded away, William looked at the person kneeling in front of the holy emblem and asked in confusion, “Your Majesty? Is that referring to you?”
William couldn’t believe it. How could anyone accept the title of “Your Majesty” in the Emerald Province of the Riel Empire? Only the Holy Tree Duke had the right to that title if she dared overstep boundaries. But, according to the information William had received, the current Holy Tree Duke was a woman.
He was familiar with the antler crown on the person’s head. It was the crown of the Forest Elf tribe’s co-owner, the Father of the Wild. This crown not only symbolized the power to rule many tribes in Ravenwood Forest, but it was also a necessary tool for the marriage ceremony between the Father of the Wild and the Matriarch.
Upon hearing William’s question, the person stopped praying and slowly stood up. Then, he turned to look at William and said with a self-deprecating smile. “Please don’t take it to heart. The people here always like to use such sarcastic methods to constantly remind me that I’m a despicable failure,”
But, despite the smile, the person’s voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were talking about a stranger and not himself.
This person was extremely tall. He was two heads taller than William and his body was almost twice as wide. Coupled with the antler crown on his head and the gray fur he wore, he looked a little like a werecreature formed on the Damon Continent by fusing a human with a large beast’s body through a mystical technique.
“My name is Hobien Ebony, and I’m the current Listener of the Matriarch’s will. I’m also in charge of this temple. According to the Matriarch’s revelation, I’ve been waiting for you here for a long time,” he said, not standing on ceremony.
“You know who I am?” William asked with a frown.
Hobien shook his head and explained, “The Matriarch only provides me enlightenment. A person who can completely change Ravenwood’s fate is about to arrive. He will sever the chains around the Forest Elf’s neck and end the curse that erodes this land, expelling the famine that spreads among the forest people. As for what kind of hero you are, I don’t…”
“Wait…”
William interrupted, ignoring the mysterious prophecies and his flattery.
“Therefore, you don’t know my identity… Then, how can you be sure that the person Matriarch is talking about is me? Not another person who suddenly thought of making a pilgrimage to the Holy Tree Matriarch Temple?”
No matter what kind of praise Hobien had for him, whether he was a hero or a liberator, William was foremost focused and vigilant about how Hobien knew his whereabouts and existence so accurately.
It was always an uneasy feeling that his whereabouts and existence had been grasped by someone or a god.
“The Matriarch informed me of your image and the time of your arrival in the prophecy,” Hobien replied to William’s question.
“Is that so?” William nodded thoughtfully.
He couldn’t bring himself to trust the other party, who seemed to be pushing all the blame onto some god who couldn’t speak.
Most importantly, he had suffered from prophecy before.
But William knew better than to dwell on this matter, knowing that trying to get information out of this person would be futile. So, he switched gears and probed, “I heard from the lady who brought me here that the Matriarch you believe in seems to know that I saved Ava State in the Moon Realm?”
Even a god couldn’t be omniscient. And William couldn’t shake the feeling that this god-level existence was somehow connected to the World Tree under his feet. In other words, the other party was a god that existed in Currere.
So, how could a Currere deity know what had happened in the Moon Realm?
“Matriarch sees through everything,” the person replied calmly.
But to William, this calm answer was meaningless.
With this answer, William knew that deep cooperation with this person was out of the question.
Trust and shared interests were the prerequisites for cooperation, and he couldn’t find either in this conversation.
As for the former’s shared interests…
“Since you’re wearing this antler crown, does it mean that you’re the true ruler of Emerald Province? Or at least, that’s what you and the lady who called you ‘Your Majesty’ think?” William asked straightforwardly.
With the information he had gathered, William could guess that this person had another identity other than the Matriarch Listener he claimed to be.
He was likely the true ruler of the Forest Elves, who had been taken advantage of by the opposition supported by the empire’s royal family. The true king of the Forest Elves could only be pushed out of the core circle of power and sent to the Holy Temple to manage religious matters.
This wasn’t uncommon, be it in the past or now.
“You flatter me. I…”
“There’s no need for pleasantries.” William interrupted him and looked around. He found a stool and sat down. Then, he continued, “You wear an antler crown that symbolizes the highest authority in Ravenwood, and you don’t stop your subordinates from calling you ‘Your Majesty.’ Then, you wait here for someone who will help save the Forest Elf in the prophecy—don’t tell me that your goal in doing all of this is just to make yourself feel at ease when praying to those Holy Spirits and Holy Emblems.”
William smiled.
“But the Holy Tree Matriarch’s temple shouldn’t have enshrined the Holy Spirits Church’s worship symbols, right?”
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