The Dominator's Pilgrimage

Lily arrived at the door of Bishop Kilhug's office in the Curia Church headquarters. She adjusted her already immaculate attire once more before knocking. Knock, knock, knock.

"Yes, who is it?"

"Bishop Kilhug, it is Priestess Lily Cubus."

"Ah, please come in."

After receiving permission, Lily instructed Felix to stand guard as usual before entering the office alone. Inside were Bishop Kilhug of the Curia Church and Richard Lu Neveiria, Lord of the great city of Neveiria, just as Felix had said.

"May the blessings of the gods be with you... Good day, Bishop, Lord."

"May the grace of Curia always shine upon you... Welcome, Priestess Cubus."

"Welcome, Priestess."

Both men greeted Lily warmly and guided her to a seat. She responded with a soft smile and words ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of thanks.

The smile of Lily, bearer of the most powerful beauty-related title "Peerless Beauty," raised Kilhug's brainwashing level—which had been stuck at stage 4—from its plateau, while pushing Lord Richard all the way to the final stage 7.

Now that he's reached stage 5, the bishop will hit stage 7 in no time.

"Hahaha, Priestess Cubus's smile seems even more beautiful than usual today."

"You think so too, Bishop? I was thinking the exact same thing. Priestess, you look especially lovely today."

"Hehe. Thank you for the compliment. I suppose it's because I feel I've taken another step forward for the gods today."

"Priestess Cubus always keeps the gods close to her heart. I should learn from your example."

On the surface, their conversation was perfectly ordinary. This was precisely why the Dominator of Reason could be called a Dominator with only two abilities. Along with being undetectable, the brainwashing was so natural that even the victims themselves could not sense it. Yet if Lily issued a command in this ordinary situation, they would carry out any act without hesitation.

After exchanging compliments, the three sat down and began their meal. The dinner held in Bishop Kilhug's office was little more than a formality, so the table was quite modest compared to the occasion. The clinking of cutlery lasted only briefly before the bishop could no longer contain himself.

"Come to think of it, Priestess Cubus, how did your personal errand this morning go?"

The "errand" the bishop referred to was accompanying Deputy Bishop Duke earlier that day.

"Yes. I met her safely. I had high expectations since the Deputy Bishop spoke so fondly of her, and now I understand why. She was truly devout and adorable."

Lily Cubus answered the bishop calmly, showing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠none of the indifference she had displayed toward Luna during the day.

"Indeed. If not for giving birth to her, the Deputy Bishop was practically a parent. I've watched that child grow up since she was little. If I'd had the time today, I would have gone to see her myself~ Unfortunately, I couldn't spare a moment."

"She must be quite the cherished girl."

"Her faith and talent toward the gods are overflowing. I was terribly worried when she said she wanted to follow the adventurers. Ah, of course, compared to Priestess Cubus's faith and talent, it's but a drop in the bucket."

The conversation always ended with praise directed at Lily. She accepted it with her usual natural smile.

"Priestess, what are your plans for tonight?"

Lord Richard, who had been waiting for an opening, interjected. Lily answered as naturally as ever.

"Tonight, you say. I must of course make my usual city pilgrimage. I couldn't do the daytime rounds because I was with the Deputy Bishop, but that doesn't mean I can skip the night rounds as well."

The only weakness of Lily's brainwashing ability was that it required direct eye contact. That was why she used the pretext of pilgrimage to visit every corner of the city alongside the bishop, personally stamping her presence so that every being within the great city would fall under her control.

"I see. I was hoping we might spend some time together after so long."

"Oh my, is that so? But don't worry. I was planning to visit you at dawn anyway, my Lord."

"Ah! So tonight is the night you come to see me, Priestess. Hehehe. You may look forward to it. I've prepared quite thoroughly for you."

"Yes. I'll be looking forward to it."

When Lily gave Lord Richard a radiant smile, he grinned back at her.

"Priestess Cubus, what route will you take for today's pilgrimage?"

"Oh dear, look at me. I was so busy with other matters before coming here that I... I'll have to check now. Please wait a moment."

Having momentarily forgotten her usual routine due to the changed schedule, Lily set down her fork and knife and activated her ability.

A translucent model of the great city of Neveiria materialized above the dining table.

"Report all anomalies within the city."

Red dots appeared throughout the translucent city model, marking locations with problems.

"Today, we'll head to the checkpoint first."

After confirming every major and minor incident occurring in Neveiria, Lily decided the first destination of her pilgrimage would be the newcomers she needed to brainwash.

"As you wish."

"I'll send word to the guards in advance, Priestess."

Neither the bishop nor the lord raised any objection to Lily's decision.

"Yes. We'll discuss the subsequent destinations as we go."

With those words, the formal dinner came to an end.

****

The lord bowed deeply to Lily, promised to wait for her, and returned to his castle. The bishop and Lily left the temple together with Felix, who had been waiting outside the office. The other priests and clergy merely offered familiar greetings as the three departed, asking no questions about their destination.

Lily's chosen pilgrimage destination was the southern gate, one of Neveiria's two entrances. To reach it from the central temple, they had no choice but to pass through Fountain Square.

Murmur, murmur...

"My god... Neveiria has... so many..."

"Seriously... Hey, in my entire life... two people..."

"If I try to talk... maybe beside her..."

"No way...? Just give up..."

A noticeably large crowd of men had gathered on one side of the distant square. Lily paused for a moment, observing the greater-than-expected number of people.

More people than I thought... A quick look shouldn't be a problem.

"Bishop? I'm a little worried there might be some kind of disturbance. Shall we check before moving on?"

"I was thinking the same thing, Priestess Cubus."

Following Lily's command, Bishop Kilhug—who had been solely focused on heading to the checkpoint—turned toward the café as if that had been his intention all along.

As they approached the café, Lily realized there were even more people than she had anticipated. Both inside and outside the café were packed, and the staff looked completely overwhelmed while preparing drinks.

...I don't know why they're gathered, but this is a good opportunity to raise the brainwashing levels of everyone here.

"Bishop, it seems we need to assess the situation."

"Indeed. It's rare for this many people to gather. Priest Felix, could you ask what's happening inside?"

"Yes, understood."

Felix approached the crowd under the bishop's orders—orders that originated from Lily.

"Excuse me."

"Huh? Who... What's the matter?"

"Could you tell me why everyone is gathered here—"

"Oh, wow! It's Priestess Lily Cubus!"

The man Felix had spoken to spotted Lily standing behind both him and the bishop and shouted loudly. In an instant, every gaze in the crowd turned toward her, and more people began rushing over upon hearing the commotion.

...Is it because of the title? I didn't intend to draw this much attention.

She had sent Felix precisely because she knew stepping forward herself would cause this kind of situation, yet thanks to the Peerless Beauty title and her appearance being modeled after Arty, she had already become a magnet for male gazes.

Smile.

When Lily offered a polite smile, another flood of notifications appeared as the brainwashing levels climbed another stage each, and the crowd surged toward her.

"Priestess! It's been so long! Do you remember me?"

"Eh... Was it Kane...?"

"Hrk...! I-I never thought you'd actually remember...!"

"Priestess! Do you remember me?! I'm Kevin! I greeted you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the temple recently!"

"Ah, yes. I've met so many people at the temple that..."

"Priestess! What brings you here today?"

Seeing the situation spiral far beyond what she could handle with a single remark, Lily realized her mistake. The crowd that had gathered at the café instantly converged on her. Bishop Kilhug and Priest Felix regarded the scene as perfectly natural and showed no signs of panic. Lily herself remained calm, but she was beginning to feel troubled, knowing this would waste far too much time.

"To think I'd have such luck in my life... seeing the two most beautiful women in Neveiria at the same time..."

Amid the chaos, one man's words reached Lily's ears.

The two most beautiful...? Then the one inside the café must be...

Still smiling brightly at the people around her, Lily turned her gaze toward the café. There, as expected, was Ju Joyeon together with his companions Tiasia and Arty.