Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 166

In front of the temple, many citizens of the territory had gathered, seeking solace in the divine as war loomed. And just as Hera had warned, the temple was seizing this opportunity to relentlessly slander the lord.

“Believers! Your lord is driving you straight into death!”

With the crowd so dense, Ayra cast illusion magic over her and Janus’s faces and moved closer to the temple.

“It is the lord, that stubborn mage, who clings to pride and would offer the people of Solar as sacrifices to war! Do you even understand the depth and weight of the sinner’s crimes she defends? In Sobletz, he murdered hundreds—no, thousands of innocent lives! And yet she dared bring such a man into this sacred land! The gods will surely be furious!”

So it was the temple who leaked information about Bloom. Then... did that mean they had joined hands with Sobletz? Ayra glanced at Pebble for confirmation, and Pebble shook a [Yes] placard. Her brows furrowed.

Still, I don’t see the High Priest anywhere.

The one shouting himself hoarse was Attera la Theon, the former High Priest and maternal uncle of Act. When Ayra checked the map, she found the actual High Priest, Act, near the mercenary bureau. Hiring bodyguards in preparation for war, perhaps? At that moment—

“Wanna smash it?”

Janus suddenly whispered low in her ear, making Ayra flinch. To be honest, she was a little tempted, but if she was to govern the territory smoothly going forward, she’d need religion on her side. She firmly refused.

“No.”

“Then just a little.”

“I said no.”

When Ayra reached up to push away the lips brushing her earlobe, Janus made an overtly disappointed face. She didn’t miss that expression and shot him a warning look. It seemed he’d had far too much fun smashing Sobletz’s lord’s manor the last time—she had no intention of letting this dragon feel any joy from wrecking Solar.

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While they quietly bickered, Theon’s sermon—thinly disguised propaganda—shifted its focus.

“Do you remember the sacred and glorious procession from Sobletz’s main temple? Sobletz, like us, is a land that worships Morunka. Recall the white, holy garments the priests and followers wore! The gleaming pearls!”

Ayra narrowed her eyes, watching the elderly man shout until his face flushed red and his voice cracked.

“In Sobletz, everyone wears such garments and pearls! That shining white port city is bountiful and generous, and wishes to share its wealth with us, its siblings! Ever since the god-blessed cave path was opened, Sobletz’s riches have flowed into this land. But the lord—she seeks to ruin it all!”

Ayra hadn’t felt much when she first heard the temple had sided with Sobletz. But now, watching this old man act like their puppet, her blood started to boil. As both a lord and someone who remembered her homeland’s history from her past life, she couldn’t let this stand. Especially when Theon was crediting Sobletz for her own achievements.

“The lord must return the sinner immediately and mend ties with Sobletz, our brethren! Instead of playing war and using our lives as bargaining chips, we should welcome the culture of the white port city and advance!”

With every word, the citizens grew more anxious and muttered among themselves. The system window showed her approval rating dropping again. But then a thought passed through Ayra’s mind.

Hold on. Maybe... I can use this to my advantage?

There’s a fine line between a hero and a butcher. After listening for a while, Ayra abruptly turned, her robe billowing.

❄

Enraged by the Skeet silk incident and the destruction of his lord’s manor, Orsain had indeed moved quickly. By the time Orsain himself led five thousand troops to the mountain range dividing Solar and Sobletz, both Solar’s scouts and Sobletz’s herald arrived at the castle gates nearly simultaneously.

“My lord! Sobletz’s army has reached the mountain range!”

“The lord of Solar must surrender the criminal now—it is not too late! Do so and kneel to Sobletz before five thousand soldiers trample your land!”

Solar could barely muster fifteen hundred troops total. And truthfully, at least five hundred of those were either untrained, too young, or too old to count. Meanwhile, Sobletz’s army—well-fed, well-trained, and representing a wealthy territory—was on a completely different level.

Ayra stood atop the castle wall’s watchtower, listening to the heralds. She turned to look back. Terrified citizens had gathered at the gates, crying or shouting, pointing fingers at her and at Bloom who stood beside her. Ahead, soldiers stood lined up, morale already in the gutter.

After a deep breath, Ayra stared unflinchingly at the herald and shouted, voice ringing clear:

“Listen closely and relay my words to your master. Jumenie Orsain, lord of Sobletz, is a petty, cowardly swine who gorges himself with greed.”

“Wh-what...?!”

The herald had expected refusal—but this?

“Jumenie Orsain reeks so terribly of blood and filth that his mother, father, wife, and children must all walk around with their noses pinched shut. He loves his wealth so obscenely that he caresses his pile of magic stones each night, and because the stones are so hard, his genitals have been worn down to the size of a pinky. Now producing an heir is a real ordeal for him.”

The vulgar insults stunned not only the herald, but also Jinas and Hera, who had been standing nearby with solemn expressions. Gretel’s mouth fell open, his face pale. Unbothered, Ayra continued with gusto—talking about how Orsain supposedly had romantic relations with pigs and that the magic stone in his pocket was one he’d made love to especially often. The herald, unable to retort, cried out in dismay.

“Y-you’re insane! How dare you speak of Lord Orsain like that! Silence yourself at once!”

“Well, if you’re too scared to deliver the message, I’ll send it myself.”

With a bright smile, Ayra took out a bird-shaped artifact from her robe. She attached a recorder crystal containing the entire tirade and released it into the sky. The herald stared blankly as the bird flapped away toward the mountains, then hastily mounted his horse and fled.

As Ayra watched with a grin, a furious voice rang out:

“My lord! Do you realize what you’ve done?!”

It was Theon again, leading priests as he raised his staff and pointed at the watchtower.

Ayra’s smile vanished. Her face turned cold as she looked down at him.

“So you’re letting Sobletz trample Solar after all! You’re gambling with your people’s lives! And with such poor odds! A thousand troops against tens of thousands?! Why do you protect the sinner so fiercely?! Unless... you share the same crimes! The gods will not forgive you!”

As Theon spread exaggerated falsehoods, fear and unease rippled through the crowd. Ayra raised her hand, and Theon fell silent—not by choice, but in shock. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

“People of Solar.”

The young lord’s voice rang clear and sharp. Sunlight gleamed in her pale blue eyes.

“Enough of the wicked mutterings of that corrupt old man. Hear the words of your true ruler—descended from the house that has governed this land for centuries.”

She hadn’t even shouted, yet her voice reached every ear as if she spoke right beside them. Upon the tower, buffeted by wind and snow, her white cape and robe snapped like flags.

“That’s right. As that man said, the great army of Sobletz has arrived at our doorstep. But...”

The murmuring stopped. The people listened, breath held.

“Has this land of snow and ice, blessed by Morunka, ever been trodden by enemy feet? Not once. In all the time the House of Solar has ruled this land, not a single foreign invader has been allowed to cross our walls.”

Each word Ayra spoke struck with weight. A few citizens puffed out their chests, visibly reassured.

“The people of this land live with red blossoms blooming in their hearts, even amidst the harshest blizzards! No matter how brutal the winter, Morunka has always watched over us. It is by her grace that we survive. Have you so easily forgotten her blessings? Do you now doubt the goddess?”

At her rebuke, many drew sharp breaths. Some devout believers teared up, clasping their hands in prayer.

Still, fear lingered on their faces.

“Just as no lord before me ever let an enemy step upon this land, I too will never allow it. I will not grovel and beg to survive! People of Solar—remember the pride you once held!”

Ayra deliberately paused, meeting each pair of eyes in the crowd. Then, she turned and pointed behind her.

“Here stands the man Sobletz and that old priest called a great sinner.”

All eyes turned toward the man clad in familiar armor. Beneath the deeply drawn helm glowed a pair of dark green eyes.

“You recognize him, don’t you? He’s long protected the people of Solar from the demonic beasts.”

At her words, the knight who had stood like a statue turned to face Ayra. His lips parted beneath the helm, then closed again.

“Since arriving in Solar, he has saved many lives—as a soldier and as a knight. So I ask you: do any of you, safe behind these walls, have the right to judge his sins?”