Act 89

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”officially’ that is.…’

Prasion of the Septemviri Canonici, did not initially grasp the meaning of these words, but as they approached the border, he began to understand.

‘Are you saying it exists unofficially?’

In the Septemviri Canonici, which performs seven roles for the benefit of the Holy Nation, there are those who also engage in all sorts of dirty work.

This “dirty work,” as Julian mentioned, is “unofficial business.”

Assassinating key figures from rival nations or gathering intelligence from other countries are such tasks.

For a nation that claims sanctity as its beacon, one could point fingers at its dirtiness, but for those leading the country, these negative aspects are somewhat inevitable.

‘So… exactly when?’

Prasion mulled over Julian’s words.

It could have been dismissed as merely a jest.

Many who are intimidated by the stature of the Holy Nation tend to bluff, as he had seen before.

However, he is the ‘Smiling Executioner.’

Despite being part of the empire, he had brought infamy to the Holy Nation. Would he have spoken those words just to bluff?

‘No, it’s certain.’

Prasion guessed that he must have come for espionage in the Holy Nation.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown such certainty at the crossroads just now.

“Sir Prasion, you’ve worked hard!”

Recognizing him, the border guards of the Holy Nation approached and greeted him politely.

Glancing at them, Prasion spoke.

“Tell the archbishops.”

With eyes sharp as daggers, he scanned the border guards.

Though the investigation was belated, if Julian’s espionage activities are confirmed, ‘You will die by my hand,’ he thought, his voice colder than ever.

“The envoy sent by the empire, and his escort captain, might have been engaged in espionage here.”

“Understood!”

Watching the retreating back of the border guards, Prasion shifted his gaze back to the envoys from the empire.

Specifically, he looked at ‘Julian,’ who was holding the reins at the front of the procession.

‘What were you thinking when you said those words?’

What could his ulterior motives be?

Although Prasion looked at Julian, his half-closed eyes did not easily reveal his thoughts.

Despite stepping into enemy territory amid an ongoing truce rather than a peace treaty, and carrying a nonchalant smile, no emotions could be felt from him.

***

The Holy Nation, Fernand, the capital and the main hub of the Solarian Church which worships the sun god ‘Solarun.’

If one were to describe the atmosphere of the place in one word, it would be ‘devout.’

“Many people are seen praying here. I’ve never seen such a scene before.”

Having entered Artea, Linne grasped the reins of her horse and muttered to herself. I could understand that.

Whether men or women, young or old, the sight of everyone praying to the statues of Solarun stirred something deep within.

“Being the main hub of the Solarian Church, I expected Artea to have this kind of atmosphere… but seeing it in person, it feels unfamiliar,” muttered Ulysses while riding in the carriage.

Even he, as a royal, finds this scene unfamiliar, despite his many experiences.

“If you follow this road, you will reach your destination, ‘The City of Rituals’. Perhaps, the highest officials of the Holy Nation will come out to greet His Highness Ulysses.”

“You seem quite familiar with it. You must have been to the Holy Nation before.”

To Linne’s question, I kept a calm expression, regardless of what I felt inside.

In fact, I’ve never been here before, I’ve only experienced it through ‘play’.

Ah, let’s just say I’ve been here.

As we passed along the well-maintained road, the presence of people decreased and, conversely, the grandeur of the buildings became more apparent.

The pinnacle was reached when crossing the stone bridge leading to the heart of Artea, the City of Rituals.

Thud, thud, thud.

As numerous white pigeons split the clouds and climbed the high city walls, Linne marveled and sighed.

“Wow….”

“Indeed, just as Julian said, the architectural style here has a unique charm. It could even awaken a sense of faith that wasn’t there before.”

Ulysses also admired the scene and remarked.

Should you even say that, the one who came dragging that faith?

Of course, I was surprised too.

Seeing it in real life is very different from watching it on a small monitor screen.

Hmm, well, it’s quite nice.

‘Julian’ can’t afford to show a foolishly surprised face, so I had to suppress it as much as possible inside.

As we got closer to the city, guards started to appear.

They were clad in white armor that suited the style, but their gazes at us were not kind.

“The look in their eyes isn’t friendly.”

“We are technically in a truce now, but we were enemies willing to go to war at one point.”

“Ha, right. We’re uninvited guests.”

“But isn’t it nice to see how high they’ve built the walls? It’s as if they’re afraid of our empire’s stature, scared.”

Linne looked at me with a stony face to my silly joke.

‘What are you talking about?’ That seemed to be the intent.

Of course, I know.

These high walls were built before the war with the empire.

So stark. It was just a joke.

“It’s not bad to think that way.”

But Ulysses chuckled softly.

Such jokes feel like the truth when ‘Julian’ makes them.

This guy’s reputation is like a certified check.

***

“You’ve come a long way, Prince Ulysses. I am ‘Garoth’, one of the chief ministers of Fernand.”

As we reached deep into the City of Rituals, Garoth, one of the twelve chief ministers, came out to meet us.

These are the types who wouldn’t normally budge for anything trivial, but they seem to have gotten off their seats since the prince of the empire has come.

They were dressed similarly to the priests who were with Prasion, but their ceremonial robes were slightly more elaborate.

“Nice to meet you, Chief Minister Garoth.”

“Ha, the pleasure is all mine! The prince of the Adratan Empire is as dignified as his reputation suggests.”

The prince, following the etiquette of the Holy Nation, made a greeting that seemed to please Garoth, who smiled very satisfactorily.

“Ah, did you not get lost on the way? The structure of this City of Rituals is quite complex, so it’s common for newcomers to lose their way.”

“Fortunately, my escort captain is skilled at navigating.”

As Garoth stepped forward briskly, he glanced at me upon hearing Ulysses’s words. Although he was smiling, Garoth’s gaze was not so kind.

“I envy those who are skilled in finding their way. It would be nice if we had such talents in our Holy Nation.”

His gaze was harsh, truly the look one gives to ‘unwelcome guests.’ He didn’t say it outright, but Garoth was questioning me.

‘Have you unofficially been to the Holy Nation before?’ More specifically, ‘Have you visited this City of Rituals?’

It seems he has already heard the story from Prasion.

“I’ve heard the rumors, Sir Julian. That you are one of the noble disciples of the Sword Saint.”

Knowing well that Julian and the Sword Saint have a bad relationship, he deliberately mentioned it.

I couldn’t make a scene here.

“Yes, it’s an honor to meet you too, Chief Minister Garoth.”

His eyes briefly sparkled then faded.

“So, the lady next to you must be another disciple, Miss Linne.”

As Garoth’s gaze shifted to Linne beside me, she also greeted him lightly.

“Master Hayden Reich is fortunate in his disciples. Or perhaps, it’s natural for such an outstanding person to attract good talents.”

One should never take the words of these high-ranking officials at face value. They are always political and masters of insinuation.

Perhaps what Garoth really wanted to say was,

‘With such a Sword Saint seeking asylum in the Holy Nation, many disciples of your caliber will emerge. It won’t be long before we’re at war with the Empire again.’

Unfortunately, none among us could pick up on that.

They just kept smiling proudly.

“So, Prince Ulysses. Shall we discuss the procedures for the baptism?”

Putting greetings aside, Garoth began to lead into the main topic.

“I understand that you’ve come to the Holy Nation to personally receive baptism to gather the followers of the Solarian Church that exist within the Empire.”

As expected…

Unless they’re fools, the Holy Nation also knows Ulysses’s situation.

The fourth prince, far from the line of succession.

He came all the way to the dangerous Holy Nation for the purpose of rallying the followers of the Solarian Church within the Empire to his side.

“However, regardless of such intentions, we would like to follow the formal procedures for the baptism.”

“I understand. I came here to follow the rituals.”

“Ha ha, thank you. Then let’s proceed immediately.”

Garoth smiled slightly and led the way, with Ulysses following him.

As the person I was guarding moved, Linne and I were about to follow when.

“Ah, the baptism is to be received by Prince Ulysses alone, so I would ask the two of you to wait here.”

Garoth was refusing Linne’s and my accompaniment.

“That won’t be possible. Although the baptism is important, he is the prince of the Empire. As his guard, it would be difficult for me to comply.”

I naturally refused Garoth’s request.

Since an incident had already occurred on the train, I did not expect this place to be safe either.

“Exactly! As I heard, Sir Julian, your loyalty is indeed remarkable.”

Loyalty, my foot! If something happens, it’s my neck on the line.

“However, you must follow our rules. The moment you entered the Holy Nation, your lives became as fragile as a fly’s.”

Garoth issued a warning, his expression more serious than before.

“No! We are diplomats from the Empire! We deserve the appropriate treatment…”

I raised my hand to calm Linne, who was becoming infuriated.

He’s right. From the moment we entered here, our lives naturally came under the jurisdiction of the Holy Nation.

No matter how strong someone is, they can’t win against a nation.

Clink!

My hand moved and made a loud noise as it touched the scabbard.

Such a noise is not suitable in this sacred place.

I held the scabbard quietly, contemplating how to defuse the situation.

“A life as fragile as a fly’s… huh.”

I uttered the words to buy some time and gave a small laugh.

“Ha, haha, just a joke. Just this once, I’ll allow you both to observe as well.”

Huh? Suddenly? What brought this on?

Although I didn’t know the reason, seeing Garoth sweating, I nodded as if it were only natural.

“Thank you for your consideration, Chief Minister Garoth.”

***

Clang!

After finishing the prince’s baptism, Garoth entered his office and angrily pushed the candlestick on his desk aside.

“Where is the Sword Saint now?”

Muttering to himself, Garoth shifted his gaze to the cleric in the room.

“He’s checking the state of the Solitude Tower and should be on his way back.”

“Phew…”

Upon hearing the cleric’s words, Garoth let out a short sigh.

“To think he’s not only created that insane place but goes there almost every day to manage it, it seems the Sword Saint’s reputation has indeed hit rock bottom.”

Garoth spoke with a voice full of frustration and leaned back in his chair.

“Damn him.”

Then, the image of ‘Slit-Eye’ from the execution stand earlier began to form in his mind.

The way I held the scabbard seemed almost like a threat not to allow our company, as if saying I would strike if we were not permitted.

“‘A life as fragile as a fly’s… huh.’

Moreover, Julian’s response to his warning seemed almost to mockingly question, ‘Do you find that amusing?’

– ‘I know what you’re thinking.’

-Think about the reason I mentioned for unofficially visiting here.

Even words Julian hadn’t spoken seemed to echo in his ears.

“Tch…”

Garoth clicked his tongue internally.

Although other chief ministers opposed admitting the prince of the Empire, Garoth had pushed forward with this matter, disregarding the means.

The reason was.

“Could it be, you knew?”

The prince was brainwashed to be under his control, to be used when necessary. 

For this purpose, a ‘relic’ was also prepared in the holy city. 

The plan was to proceed quietly during the baptism, but it was thwarted by Julian’s presence. 

‘He must have reacted that way because he knew,’ Garot bit his lip slightly. 

“Archdeacon Garoth, what will you do now? Since you couldn’t lay a hand on the imperial prince at the baptism, there might be no other way…” 

“The other archdeacons are also turning their attention here. If we don’t clean this up quickly, they might realize that the relic has been taken out from the holy repository.” 

Worried, Garoth glanced at the priests and made a decision. 

“Summon the Black Guards.” 

Upon hearing the command to summon the Black Guards, a group tasked with dark deeds among the Seven Voices of the Court, the priests were startled. 

“If you call them, there will inevitably be bloodshed, Lord Garoth!” 

“It’s fine. If we brainwash Ulysses, it can be made to seem as if nothing happened.” 

“And the other two…” 

At the priest’s question, Garoth grinned chillingly. 

“On their way back to the empire, they were killed by a demon attack… That scenario should be believable enough.” 

Demons, called the enemies of mankind. Isn’t it fairly common for a diplomatic delegation to be annihilated by a demon attack on their way home? 

If they die outside the sacred nation’s territory, it wouldn’t be their fault, which would be perfect. 

Garoth smiled broadly, anticipating all scenarios. 

A sinister and vile smile.

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