Adeline leaned back against her pillow, mentally weighing her words.
First, she wanted to know if there were gods in this world.
Not the kind humans created to explain natural phenomena, but real ones that actually existed, with the power and ability to intervene in reality.
The Holy Difficulty Church had ruled for over a thousand years.
If the object of their faith was nothing but an illusion, how could the church have maintained such a long reign?
She also wanted to know if there were supernatural powers in this world.
Magic, secret arts, superhuman abilities, psychic powers… whatever you called them, they were forces that defied reason and science.
If they existed, then this seemingly ordinary noble family she found herself in—could it be connected to such powers?
Her father, Herman, was away from home all year.
Was he really just handling business for the merchant guild?
She had kept these questions bottled up inside her for a long time.
Ask Lina?
That sixteen-year-old maid couldn’t even explain what the Holy Difficulty Church was.
Asking her about supernatural powers would probably just earn her a blank stare.
But asking Swan was different.
He was older, well-traveled, and as the Castia family’s butler, he moved in much higher circles than Lina.
Even if he didn’t know the details, he should at least have some leads.
But she couldn’t ask directly.
Blurting out something like “Does magic exist in this world?” would probably make her sound like she was delirious with fever.
She needed to beat around the bush, approach it from a historical angle, and make her questions sound like genuine curiosity from her reading, not something else.
Adeline picked up A General History of the Kingdom of New Clare from the bedside table, flipped to the pages about the Holy Difficulty Church, and leafed through a few other books that touched on religious content.
She stacked these books together, placed them beside her pillow, and waited quietly.
Around three in the afternoon, a soft knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Adeline said.
The oak door swung open, and Swan entered, carrying a silver tray with a cup of steaming tea.
He set the tray on the bedside table, his gaze sweeping over the stack of open books beside the pillow before settling on Adeline.
“Miss Adeline, you look much better than yesterday.”
He gave a slight nod, his tone as measured as ever.
“Thank you.”
Adeline leaned back against her pillow and gestured to the chair beside her.
“Master Swan, please have a seat.”
Swan hesitated for a moment, then sat down.
His posture was as proper as his stance—back straight, hands resting on his knees, gaze fixed ahead.
Adeline picked up A General History of the Kingdom of New Clare and opened it to the page with the bookmark.
“Master Swan, I’ve been reading this book over the past few days. I came across the part about the Holy Difficulty Church, and there are some things I don’t quite understand.”
Swan’s eyes fell on the book, and his brow furrowed slightly.
“Are you interested in history, miss?”
“Not exactly interested, just curious.”
Adeline tried to keep her tone casual.
“The book says the Holy Difficulty Church ruled for over a thousand years, controlling all the knowledge and beliefs of society. I was just wondering—what kind of god did they believe in? Was it real?”
Swan was silent for a moment, as if weighing how to respond.
“Miss, the Holy Difficulty Church is a thing of the past.”
His voice was flat.
“It’s now New Calendar Year 187. The Anti-Faith Movement ended over four hundred years ago. That church has long since become a footnote in history.”
“I know.”
Adeline nodded.
“But I’m still curious—was the god they believed in… real? If it was, then where did it go?”
Swan’s gaze held a trace of helplessness, reminding Adeline of the adults in her past life who were pestered by children asking if Santa Claus was real.
“Miss, that’s a difficult question to answer.”
He said.
“If you ask for my personal opinion, I’d say that if the god the Holy Difficulty Church believed in was truly real, it wouldn’t have ended up in the state it’s in today.”
He paused, then continued,
“Think about it, miss. A church overthrown, its cathedrals demolished, its followers scattered, even the Pope driven from his throne. If the god they believed in truly had that much power, why wouldn’t it protect its own church?”
“Maybe gods don’t meddle in human affairs?” Adeline ventured.
“Then what’s the point of believing in it?” Swan countered.
Adeline was stumped by his question.
She couldn’t fault Swan’s logic; it made sense from a common-sense standpoint.
If a god never answered its followers’ prayers, never intervened in human wars, never protected its own church, then what difference did it make whether you believed in it or not?
But her instincts told her things weren’t that simple.
A church that ruled through faith, capable of suppressing all of civilization’s knowledge and thought for a thousand years… Organization, military power, or political maneuvering alone couldn’t explain such an extraordinarily long reign.
Unless that church truly possessed some kind of power beyond reason.
“Master Swan.”
Adeline shifted her angle.
“Have you ever heard of anything… supernatural? Something ordinary people can’t do, something beyond reason?”
Swan’s expression didn’t change, but Adeline noticed his fingers tighten slightly.
“What do you mean, miss?” he asked.
“For example… someone doing incredible things, like the heroes in legends. Or some kind of secret knowledge that, if learned, grants special abilities.”
Adeline tried to make her tone sound as if she were discussing plot devices in a novel.
“I’ve read several books with similar content. I wonder if any of it is real.”
Swan was silent for a few seconds.
“Miss, those are all legends.”
His voice was calm.
“Authors will make up anything to attract readers. Those poems and history books you’ve read—any heroes or miracles mentioned are mostly exaggerations and imagination.”
“Have you ever seen anything strange yourself?” Adeline pressed.
Swan shook his head.
“I’ve served the Castia family for forty years. The strangest thing I’ve ever seen was the kitchen mice learning how to open the cupboard door.”
Adeline almost laughed at that, but held it in.
“So you think there’s no such thing as supernatural power in this world?” she asked.
“Miss, it’s New Calendar Year 187.”
Swan said.
“Steam engines are running, trains are speeding, factories are producing. We live in an age where everything is explained by science and reason. Leave those ancient legends to the bards and novelists.”
He stood up and gave a slight bow.
“Miss, please rest well. Don’t overthink things. Your health is the priority. Once you recover, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you please.”
Adeline looked at him and nodded.
“Thank you, Master Swan.”
“It’s my duty.”
Swan picked up the empty teacup, placed it on the tray, and turned toward the door.
At the threshold, he paused and glanced back.
“Miss, have you been reading too much lately? Should I have Lina find you some lighter reading material? Those history books and theological treatises are too taxing for your current condition.”
“No need. I can handle them.”
Adeline said.
Swan said nothing more, pulled the door open, and stepped out.
In the room, Adeline was silent for a long time.
‘Maybe I really am overthinking this.’