Chapter 38: The Eldritch Godness and the Shape of Worship

After dinner, I made my way to Felix’s room.

"Lord Felix, it’s Iris."

"Come in."

"Excuse me, then."

Felix’s room was quite impressive. There was a bookshelf packed tightly with books, a mahogany desk—it had the feel of a proper study belonging to a grown-up.

"Have a seat."

Saying that, Felix offered me a cup of tea. It was herbal tea.

"First off, I've made contact with the Rosenkreuz Society through Klaus. We haven’t received a response yet, but if you happen to run into Miss Elizabeth and the others at the academy, they’re unlikely to attack you on sight."

"That’s a relief."

"Yeah. Still, we can't afford to let our guard down. It’s not like they’ll agree to protect you unconditionally. We’ll have to offer some kind of concession. The question is what that concession should be..."

"A concession, huh..."

We’d have to play whatever cards we had—but the problem was, I didn’t have many cards to begin with. Stopping the nightmares was out of the question, leaving this world by my own will was just as difficult, and reversing the madness in those already affected was impossible.

At best, all I could offer was something like, "I promise to behave myself as much as humanly possible!"

"I know. It’s clear you’re not causing the nightmares intentionally. That’s why I looked into it—a bit about your faith."

"My faith?"

"I researched the Ith-Uri-Lith Apocrypha that Director Erich mentioned. Most academic circles dismissed it as a fake, but there was one university professor who left some interesting notes about it."

As he said this, Felix placed a book on the table.

"Professor Nathaniel Armitage. He taught at a university on the New Continent. He documented incidents he encountered, the Ith-Uri-Lith Apocrypha, and the heretical worship practices described within."

"And this is the book—‘The Worship of Ith-Uri-Lith, and the Origins of Our Species,’ right?"

Origins of Our Species? Wasn’t On the Origin of Species a book by Darwin? I wonder if it’s related somehow? Not that it matters—the thing’s massive and looks incredibly difficult. Honestly, I struggle even with light novels. There’s no way I can get through that!

"This book records a tradition suggesting that an entity called Ith-Uri-Lith is connected to the origins of humanity. It also mentions that enough material evidence was found to make the legend hard to dismiss. Here, this part. Try reading it."

"Uh, okay..."

The most distinctive feature of the Eastern heresy known as the Worship of Ith-Uri-Lith lies in its view regarding the origin of the human species.

The worshippers attribute the cause of humanity’s rise to intelligence to Ith-Uri-Lith. In their words: “...blasphemous Ith-Uri-Lith, who, impregnated by a thousand seeds, gave birth to the tens of thousands that are we; the great Earth Mother. Her blood granted us eyes to see the truth, tongues to speak falsehoods, and minds capable of suffering...”

They explicitly state that present-day humans are the descendants of the union between Ith-Uri-Lith and the proto-hominids that preceded us. Through her blood, they believe, we gained intelligence and built civilization.

Many religions also recount how humanity attained wisdom—typically, it is a gift bestowed by a divine being. One can observe such motifs in the apple of Eden or the fire of Prometheus.

Could the Worship of Ith-Uri-Lith be merely another myth of similar nature?

On this point, I believe the Worship of Ith-Uri-Lith differs fundamentally from other religions. The adherents place special emphasis on the blood of Ith-Uri-Lith. In other words, they claim not merely to have received gifts from their deity, but to be her kin.

I find this notion abhorrent.

The Supreme depicted through the grotesque lens of the Ith-Uri-Lith Apocrypha is an abhorrent being—one who devours humans as sacrifices, drives people to madness, and incites blood-soaked frenzies, standing in absolute opposition to the order and civilization we have built.

To think that we, as humans, are the offspring of such a being... Is that not profoundly horrifying? And when one considers the meaning of the intelligence and wisdom supposedly inherited from such a god, the horror only deepens.

The savage violence humans sometimes display, the merciless massacres, the cruel tyrannies—such barbarity, far from being primitive, is a product of civilization itself. If the cause of these atrocities lies in the blood of the being who granted us knowledge and intelligence, then it is a truth almost too dreadful to contemplate.

—From The Worship of Ith-Uri-Lith, and the Origins of Our Species

"This is... how should I put it, pretty difficult."

I read it. It was hard.

"The cult of Ith-Uri-Lith worship claims that non-human blood flows through humanity—and that it’s precisely this blood that granted us intelligence. That’s why they believe that by mixing their blood with yours, deepening the connection, they could obtain an even higher form of intelligence. That’s the conclusion the author reached through his study of Eastern Ith-Uri-Lith worship."

"I see. So that’s why Father wants me to bear a child..."

"Whether you’d actually grant greater intelligence, I can’t say."

After all, I’m the proud owner of a brain that can barely understand a book like this. Ohh, intelligence, intelligence, intelligence—what even is intelligence?

"Does this book mention anything about how to suppress my power that triggers the nightmares?"

"Unfortunately, no. It’s an analysis of the Ith-Uri-Lith Apocrypha, not a direct reproduction of its contents. If we could get our hands on the original Apocrypha, there might be something in there..."

"I see..."

I had found the Apocrypha once, but it had been stolen. If I had to guess, it was probably the cult who took it.

"The Rosenkreuz Society might have some knowledge as well. If it comes to it, we can turn to them for help."

"Yeah."

For me to become a harmless existence—someone who isn’t a walking disaster spreading nightmares across a wide area—I needed to somehow deal with this nightmare-inducing ability. As long as I had it, suicides and cases of madness would never stop.

"...Miss Iris. Are you still planning to leave the Imperial Capital?"

Felix asked me suddenly.

"I think I will. Even if the Rosenkreuz Society agrees to protect me, I doubt they'd allow someone as dangerous as me to stay in the capital. I’d prefer to move to some remote part of the Empire where cult attacks would be less likely."

"I see... But still, I’d like you to wait a little longer."

"Wait?"

I tilted my head at his unexpected request.

"At least until the Golden Festival in December. Can you?"

"Until the Golden Festival...? That’s at the end of December, right?"

The academy holds the Golden Festival at the end of December, a Christmas-like event. An elegant party with lots of delicious food, spending the night with close friends in a festive atmosphere—it sounded like a lot of fun.

Ahh! Felix must be thinking it would be too sad if I missed out on such a happy event. What a good guy! I’ll have to reevaluate my opinion of him!

"Alright, I’ll do my best to stay until then."

"Thank you."

I really do want to enjoy that festive end-of-year atmosphere with my friends. I’m looking forward to it!

.............