Mystery: But the Witch's Path

Chapter 67 Faith

1346 10 Month 10 Day.

Early in the morning, Altair was woken up by his personal maid, Eileen, and then, still half asleep, was pulled into the washroom to wash up.

Since Altair became a "witch" five days ago, she has had one less entertainment activity in the evenings, so her routine has gradually become more regular in the past few days.

By the time Altair was fully conscious, the maids were already wiping her cheeks with warm towels soaked in rose hydrosol.

After washing up, Altair, wearing a loose linen nightgown, and Vivian went to a small restaurant for a meal.

As Altair was spreading homemade strawberry jam on a slice of crispy white bread with a silver butter knife, Erin brought in Rafe's invitation.

After Altair took the letter, she glanced at it and immediately understood its main point: Uncle Rafe was inviting her to dinner that noon.

Sometimes, Altair felt sorry for the old man. Since his son joined the army, he rarely came home. Now, like herself, he was all alone at home… unlike her, who had company, the old man didn't.

Around noon, Altair had Eileen help her get dressed. She wore a high-waisted cotton dress, a short wool coat, low-heeled sheepskin shoes, her hair half-up, a veiled hat adorned with blue ribbons and silk flowers, and light-colored short lace gloves. She then left Sheffield Manor by carriage.

The carriage hadn't been traveling for long when Altair, who had been sitting quietly, clearly felt the temperature change in Backlund; winter was coming.

Looking out the carriage window at the red maple leaves falling on the streets, she remembered that "the Kingdom of Rune is located in the southeastern part of the Northern Continent, and usually officially enters winter in mid-to-late November."

Hopefully, this year will be a peaceful one.

When the carriage entered Strauss Manor, Altair saw that his Uncle Rafe was already standing at the door, waiting for him.

After getting out of the car, Altair smiled and said to him, "Good afternoon, Uncle Rafe."

"Actually, you don't need to wait for me at the door yourself; the housekeeper can take care of these things."

"Good afternoon, Altair. As you know, I'm currently unemployed at home and don't have anything important to do all day. So waiting for you at the door is a way to pass the time, and I can also enjoy the scenery at the same time. It's a win-win situation," Rafe explained, looking at Altair not far away.

In response to his explanation, Altair smiled and said, "Yes, autumn has arrived. I saw the maple leaves turning red on my way here. The 'maple viewing season' is just around the corner."

Rafe nodded, smiled at Altair, and said, "Let's go, I had the chefs make your favorite Fipot noodles today."

Looking at the delicious food in front of him, Altair asked while twirling it with his fork, "How's things going with Uncle Charles? I heard that a full-scale war has broken out in the Southern Continent."

"It's alright. This attack by Fussack came too suddenly, catching everyone off guard," Rafe replied while cutting meat.

Before Altair could reply, he added, "You don't need to worry about his safety. Perhaps Charles will send a telegram back to thank you in a while."

After hearing what Uncle Rafe said, Altair stopped eating and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Don't be surprised." Rafe put down his knife, wiped his hands with a napkin, and explained, "Actually, ever since your new weapon went into mass production, George III has been wanting to start a war, but he hasn't found a reason."

"Now that Fussac has made the first move, George III is unlikely to let this opportunity pass."

"You probably haven't been keeping up with the situation at the weapons factory lately. The factory is now operating at full capacity, producing about a thousand 98k rifles a day."

"Once these firearms are produced, the royal family will send them to the Southern Continent immediately through special means."

Listening to Uncle Rafe's explanation, Altair also felt that Fussack would end up losing more than he gained.

As for special methods, I should be referring to "travelers".

"Don't worry about things that have nothing to do with you," Rafe interrupted Altair's thoughts, pressing, "You haven't decided on your faith yet, have you?"

Alter, sitting opposite Rafe, nodded and said, "No choice has been made yet."

Altair's presence in Backlund essentially sealed her fate, leaving her with only three options: the Church of the Night, the Church of the Storm, or the Church of Steam and Machines.

Rafe explained to her, "I think you should understand that the nobles' possession of faith is the result of the combined effects of three factors: a basic need for status, political protection, and social rules."

"You don't have to believe in them; you can just go through the motions."

"And among the three main faiths of Ruen, I think you should be aware of the differences between believers in different churches."

"The followers of the Goddess of Night are the most widespread, ranging from nobles and the middle class to rural areas, and spanning all walks of life."

"The followers of the Lord of Storms are generally royalty, navy, fishermen, and so on."

"The followers of the god of steam and machinery are generally engineers, factory owners, skilled workers, and so on."

"So, have you decided which righteous god you want to worship?"

Altair pretended to be deep in thought, but he already had the answer.

"These deities still need to be chosen, and I'll definitely choose the Goddess of Night without hesitation."

"If you're going to suck up to someone, of course you should suck up to the one with the thickest, longest, and most legs."

After finishing his thought, Altair answered succinctly, "I choose the Church of the Night."

Altair then added, "Although the mainstream faith of the Loen leadership is the Church of Storms, the main reason why most people choose to believe in 'Him' is due to the influence of the royal Augustus family."

"For example, you and my father, in order to better develop your careers in the military, and also to avoid standing out in the military, you were forced to choose to believe in 'Him'."

"But I'm different. I probably won't be entering the military system in the future, so there's no need for me to play an unintentional card."

"As a factory owner who manages a large factory, I should logically choose the god of steam and machinery. But my nature is that of an aristocrat, so worshipping 'He' is not of much value to me."

"So I can only choose the Goddess of the Night, at least the Church of the Night has been developing quite well in recent years. Most of the new generation of nobles in Rune have chosen to worship her. For example: Earl Hall."

After listening to Altair's explanation, Rafe nodded and praised, "Excellent choice. Even if you wanted to worship the God of Storms, I would dissuade you."

"The teachings of the Church of Storms are not good for women."

"Go to St. Samuel's Church once in the next few days. It's the main church of the Church of the Night in Backlund."