54 2nd Lifetime: Finally Learning About the Different Factions

The clearing wasn't that far away, instead what took a long time was weaving their way through the underbrush and avoiding the reaching arms of the trees.

After they reached the clearing, Cornelia gestured for the girls to sit on the ground.

The trees enclosed on them, creating a cosy little alcove that allowed them a full view of the moon.

The only other sounds were of the night animals- the 'whos' of owls and the rustling of ground animals were the three girl's companions as they stood in the middle of the clearing.

Jaquine hesitated for a few seconds after Cornelia's gesture to sit down, however she soon complied. Mai, on the other hand, immediately plopped down.

"Did they tell you why you had to go through an induction ceremony?" Cornelia's question echoed through the clearing, and Jaquine was startled before she answered with a nod of her head. "I thought so." Cornelia shook her head in disappointment before she continued, "Long story short, it was because of traitors."

"Traitors?" Jaquine's voice was like a creaky record. The scare that Mai and Cornelia had given her must have shaken her much more than Mai had thought.

"Yes," Cornelia looked up at the night sky, admiring the full moon. She stayed silent for a few moments before she returned to look at Jaquine. "Although there are still traitors in each faction, they've decreased in number since the induction ceremony was made."

"Why?" Jaquine's eyes were wide in surprise.

Cornelia gave a short bark of a laugh. "Who wants to risk their life for a faction they don't even care about? If you ask me, the traitors are the crazy ones!"

Jaquine chuckled nervously before she placed her gaze on Mai. "Municia, why are you guys here?"

Mai noticed as Cornelia turned her head to shoot daggers at her. Giving Jaquine a reassuring smile, she said, "Don't worry about it. We came to talk to you about some things."

"What things?" Jaquine tilted her head, her eyes as large and reflective as marbles.

"Things like the different factions," Cornelia spoke up. "You do know the four factions, correct?"

Jaquine nodded.

"Then this'll be easy. There are three factions: Weiss, Cardon, and Rotto. And each faction has their own goal. Weiss is more government. Cardon is more economics. And Rotto is more military."

"What?" Jaquine's confusions was evident within her voice, and Cornelia couldn't help but sigh loudly.

"I thought you said you know this?" Cornelia shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Jaquine was quick to lower her head, tears prickling her eyes.

"Fine!" Cornelia huffed. "Cardon, your faction, focuses on the economic aspect of our country, Pxogaz. Therefore, most of the members have their hands in businesses and the like, correct?"

Jaquine nodded.

"Good. At least you know that." Cornelia straightened up and tucked her feet underneath her. "The Weiss faction is more governmental in nature. Most of its members are a part of the government, either as part of the Pontiff, or as an advisor to the Emperor."

Cornelia glanced at Jaquine to see if she was still listening. Noticing that she was, Cornelia continued. "Rotto is made up of the members of the military. They're usually in high-ranking positions such as a general. Make more sense now?"

"Un."

"Good. I was about to think that you were a lost cause. What about our governing system? You do know that, don't you?"

Jaquine hesitated before shaking her head no. Cornelia let out a sigh that lasted almost a full minute before she opened her mouth to continue talking.

"You know that we have an Emperor, at least?"

Shaking her head 'yes' as fast as she could, Jaquine rested her eager eyes on Cornelia.

"Good. We're an empire, but one where the power to govern is in a 30-30-40 split between the Pontiff, the Vestigal court, and the Emperor. Of course, the Emperor has 40% power. All three have the power to introduce laws, change legislation, etc., however, the Pontiff and the Vestigal Court are made of up multiple members. Which is why it's harder for the two to introduce a law, for example."

"Why?"

"That's simple. For the Vestigal court to introduce a law, all thirty members will have to agree on it, otherwise the law will not be passed through our inner regulation system. The same goes for the Pontiff, however it's even worse as they have more members. This is why it has only been the Emperor who has been releasing new laws, re-writing legislation, and other duties. The other powers are too busy fighting within than to fight with each other."

Cornelia took a deep breath before she spoke again, "You've already seen one of the internal fights in the Vestigal castle: the induction ceremonies. The Weiss faction used to have induction ceremonies until I abolished them."

"So, those fights at dinner table are fights for power?" Jaquine's eyes were growing wider at every minute Cornelia talked.

"Yes and no. They are more like fighting to the death," Cornelia off-handedly laughed. "But in the end, it is for power. There is a maximum amount of priestesses from each faction, but there is no minimum amount of priestesses from each faction. The less of the other faction there is, the more chances there are to pass a legislation that would favor your faction."

"But I thought the Vestigal and Pontiff don't release legislation?"

"Not anymore, but they did. Nowadays, the goal is to get the least amount of priestesses on the other's side while, at the same time, increasing the members of your side. Although we can't pass legislation, we can still veto it as long as the members that agree is more than 42%."

"Who's winning right now?"

Cornelia grinned widely, "The Weiss faction. We have 29 members. The Rotto faction has 12. While the Cardon faction has 28 members."

"Ah. So that's why they want to induct me."

"Glad you're quick on the uptake. If you join, then the Cardon faction can move a servant priestess to the teaching class, and a teaching priestess to the Vestigal court."

"But I thought there aren't minimums?"

"That's only for the Vestigal court. The teaching and servant priestesses all have a minimum that must be adhered to. It just so happens that you'll help them achieve that limit."

"Oh."

Mai watched them with bright eyes and eager ears, willing to listen to Cornelia's every word. She was like a sponge, absorbing all of the information being thrown at her while at the same time, her mind whirred as she connected each piece of information to each other.

Cornelia took another deep breath. "There's another thing to note, however." Her expression changed into a grave one. "I didn't take into account 'him'."

"Him?"

"Yes. The Emperor's son. He was considered by the oracles to be the vessel for Jove, God of War. Therefore, the Emperor has given him the right to exercise many powers."

"What do you mean?"

"He gives blessings to the people. Wishes strength upon soldiers during war. And sometimes goes to war himself, bearing the flag of Jove. Usually, however, the missions are smaller in scale, like the first one, especially during times of peace. But it isn't as simple as that... because priestesses are required to go with him. And if they go, they can be framed for losing their purity and they-"

Mai interrupted her, "Die." Thought whirred in her mind faster than the speed of light. The Emperor. The priestesses. The factions. They all blended into one big figure in her mind, but it was like a reflection on stagnant water after a stone was thrown on it: faint and rippling.

She couldn't focus it no matter how hard she tried.

Tuning back into the conversation between Jaquine and Cornelia, Mai focused.

"Yes, Municia is right. They die. Going on missions is the best time to frame another priestess. But it's also a great time to see the people and to get a breath of fresh air."

"Have you ever gone on a mission, Cornelia?" Jaquine's voice was filled with curiosity.

"I have."

That was it. Mai understood.

This world was almost the same as her previous lifetime. However, it was a bit more complex due to the structure of the three 'governing' bodies of the country. It was also more complex due to her relationships with others around her as well as the information given to her.

In her last life, Mai had Heith and an information network that was better than the FBI!

Here, however, she only had herself and time.

Thinking back to her task at hand, Mai thought long and hard. If the lifetime here seems almost the same as her previous world, then that means that Mai must have the same goal- helping the common people.

Having decided on what she needed to do, Mai thought about her next steps.

She needed to be selected for the next mission.

Then she could see just to what extent the government needed fixing.