Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 380



Only Noblemtl

380. Red (3)

Inquisitor Lumiere wasn’t initially interested in the saintess. It was just a series of coincidences that repeatedly stimulated her nerves, which were as strong as steel.

If I quickly turned my head away from the sudden breeze that blew a lot of leaves, there was always a little saint at the end of my gaze.

As she was rubbing her eyes against the dust that had been flying in while patrolling the procession, she met the gaze of a gray man passing by her, looking at her with concern.

As this coincidence repeated itself several times, Inquisitor Lumiere began to follow the figure of Saint Sisley out of habit.

As I gradually learned more about the little saint, a thought naturally occurred to me.

‘Indeed, there is something different about someone being canonized as a saint at such a young age.’

Contrary to expectations that she would be burdened with the burden of looking after children, Saint Sisley proved to be an excellent squire.

Even though he is not very familiar with horseback riding, he drives his horse all day with a serious expression. It was an unusual level of concentration considering that even the older Inquisitors sometimes nod off.

And that’s not all. He is the last of the group to receive his meals, and he is also the first to respond to Lumiere’s instructions.

Considering his young age, he was exempted from the night watch, and he would wake up at dawn and go to bed late at night, sharing his divine powers with the Inquisitors who were on night watch.

He willingly places himself at the lowest level of the Order and acts as a thorough member of the Knights of St. Marsyas.

‘Even Sister Ursula, who usually accompanied the atrium, was left behind in the zodiac this time.’

This is in stark contrast to the other saint, Seo Yi-seo, who accompanied the expedition force, riding comfortably in a carriage with two sisters.

Lumiere could clearly see that the members who had been keeping a distance from her were gradually starting to close their hearts to the saint who was working so diligently.

She eventually had no choice but to admit it.

The little saint showed a worldliness that was not befitting her age. Whether it was a made-up humility or a truly innate character, her sophistication was incredible for a girl who had barely turned twelve.

‘No matter how young you are, are you still a member of the Seonghwang family?’

But still, a few questions remained. How could that little girl so naturally behave as a knight, something that no one from the Knights of St. Marsyas had ever taught her?

‘It’s not like there’s no room for guessing, though.’

Prince Logan.

Right before the saint’s eyes, there is another member of the Holy Family who is a model of a great knight!

‘Yes. He cleverly adjusts his actions by taking his brother’s example as a reference.’

As the stream of consciousness continued to Prince Logan, Lumiere also began to observe the Lilium detachment surrounding him.

“… … ?!”

And so, naturally, I was able to clearly understand the true nature of the Lilium Special Forces.

“Your Majesty! Here is the food distribution! Please sit in the middle so that everyone can share an equal distance!”

“Why did you go to all that trouble when I could have gone myself? Thank you, Sir Ellie.”

“Your Majesty! I have already opened the page of scripture you were reading yesterday to coincide with the prayer time! Would you like to go now?”

“Yes, I always appreciate your thoughtful preparations. Your Majesty.”

“Down! Down!”

What can I say, it was truly a sight to behold.

It was to the point where it felt like the Lilium Squadron was not serving Prince Logan, but rather the Prince was enduring their polarity.

‘Otto, Ellie, you said the backseat sir… … .’

Inquisitor Lumiere furrowed her brow slightly.

The Knights are supposed to follow the will of the Lord and become His just sword. But when you look at their behavior, doesn’t it seem like they are a cult that only worships Prince Logan and not the Lord?

“What on earth are these idiots doing? Do they have any sense of pride or mission as a knight in mind?”

Inquisitor Boris, who was nearby, said with a hollow laugh. It seemed that not only Lumiere, but the other Inquisitors who were watching had the same thought.

“That must mean they deeply respect Logan.”

Lumiere, who as an adjutant could not officially see the other knights’ bad reputation, responded politely.

But Inquisitor Boris shook his head with a weary expression.

“Even so, the absurdity of these people is just too much. How much more so that even the Archbishop of Wester is rumored to have been slaughtered?”

It was already well known that the knights of Lilium had swapped the icon of St. Bastian in the church for Prince Logan. It must mean that they did nothing for the prince.

“Who exactly does the ‘Lilium’ of the Lilium Special Forces refer to? Those authors are giving the image of the lily, a long-standing symbol of the Knights Templar, to a young knight and worshiping him.”

The Inquisitor, having spoken thus far, turned his gaze to the little saint riding a horse in front.

Saint Sisley. A girl who, despite wearing a different, more informal armor than usual, has not lost the slightest bit of the dignity of an orphaned saint.

“What a bunch of ridiculous writers. They act like they’re the only ones serving the greatest man in the world. To be honest, there’s someone in our Order who’s even greater than Prince Logan.”

“Someone greater?”

“Yes. Saintess Sisley is the one who was canonized as a saint at an unprecedentedly young age. If you were to choose the true flower of the Knights Templar, isn’t it definitely her? If they compare Prince Logan to a lily, then our Princess Sisley is like a white peony… …!”

“… … .”

Inquisitor Boris, who had been trembling, slowly trailed off as he watched Lumiere’s gaze suddenly grow colder.

“… I made a slip of the tongue, Vice-Chief.”

Lumiere kept her mouth shut and looked at the saintess walking ahead.

I had no intention of treating her specially just because she was a high-ranking official who had suddenly fallen from grace.

But when I look at the little saint’s fluttering silver hair, I sometimes feel a psychological pressure to cherish her more than I do now.

‘No matter what, Sisley is just a squire. I can never give him exceptional treatment!’

Lumiere stubbornly made up her mind.

As time passed day by day, the punitive force arrived at Cyprus, a city at the mouth of the River Breez.

* * *

Cyprus had a very unique political system. There was no king, and a new council was formed each year with eight elders as the central figure to manage the city’s major and minor affairs.

-This is the most beautiful and ideal form of politics that all countries on the continent should emulate!

Prince Benicio, who once led the Republic of Ortona, is said to have praised him thus:

In any case, as soon as the expedition entered Cyprus, it was warmly welcomed by the elders.

Then, without even a proper rest, I was suddenly invited to the council. As the fishing ban was prolonged, the issue of subduing the sea monsters became more urgent than ever.

“From now on, it will be for the practitioners only. If it is presumptuous of you to do so, please wait here for a moment with the other members.”

At Lumiere’s direction, Sisley nodded and stood next to the members.

It was an event attended by Prince Logan, the leader of the expedition force, and all the adjutants. However, since this was the saint’s first expedition, it was judged that attending would not be of much help.

“… … .”

Logan also glanced at her, but did not impose any particular sanctions. After all, the affairs of the Knights were matters that had to be handled within the Knights.

So Sisley ended up standing alone in the large council building with the other members of the punitive force.

“What is that? That woman named Lumiere. Isn’t that too rude to Lady Sisley? You’re unlucky!”

When Seo Yi-seo muttered softly behind him-

Hurrruk!

A single torch lighting the hallway burned fiercely as if to a beat.

But Sisley just smiled bitterly.

‘I am still a young child with much to learn.’

Although she was able to secure a position as an adjutant from the beginning thanks to the support of the Holy Emperor, she still does not fully understand the workings of the Holy Knights. This is because the Inquisitors who should be guiding her acted indifferently and secretly ignored her.

But we can’t just blame them.

‘From the Inquisitors’ point of view, I am just an outsider who has come in without permission. So I have to slowly comfort their hearts and learn from them one by one.’

It was when I was calming my mind and maintaining a composed posture.

“Saint.”

Suddenly, a servant approached him, bowed his head to Sisley, and cautiously opened his mouth.

“With all due respect, one of the council members would like to see the saint for a moment.”

… a council member?

“Why me? Besides, aren’t all the council members gathered together for a meeting right now?”

“He was absent from the meeting due to other work. He happened to pass by and saw the saint, and it seems that he was very concerned about having the small grace of the Lord placed here.”

“… … .”

“He said that he had prepared a simple tea ceremony and hoped that everyone would rest comfortably for a while.”

Sisley thought for a moment. She was not a saint, but a member of the Knights of St. Marsyas. Was it really necessary to accept that request?

But just as he was about to say no, the servant’s urgent remarks continued.

“Please reconsider. The one who invited the saint is Ambrose of Helios, the eldest son of Chryses, the head of the Senate.”

Indeed, it was so frustrating that the attendant was worried that he would not be able to carry out the order.

Ambrose of Helios. He was so famous that even Sisley, who was not familiar with the rumors, had heard of him several times.

His father, Chryses, was one of the most powerful men among the elders of Cyprus.

What about Ambrose, the eldest son of such a person? He was a powerful man among powerful men who showed his political prowess from a young age and never missed a seat on the council every year.

Just because there is no king does not mean that there is no hereditary succession of power. How much more so, in this place where there is no monarchy, people call him the ‘Prince of Cyprus’.

‘If only Sister Ursula had been here… … .’

Sisley thought of his loyal attendant who was absent for a moment. Normally, in such cases, she would have been the first to step forward and prevent anything that was deemed unnecessary.

But since it was Sisley who received the request, her answer now came to represent the position of the Holy See and the Orthodox Church.

‘It’s not that difficult to attend a tea party for a while.’

But even so, Sisley could not help but hesitate.

If possible, I want to refuse, I don’t want to go for some reason. That feeling has been taking over my whole body since a while ago.

“If you are Ambrose of Helios, aren’t you the one who is called the Prince of Cyprus? Since it seems that he is asking for the position purely out of kindness, wouldn’t it be better to accept his request?”

Just then, a young knight suddenly spoke from behind. He was someone I had become acquainted with recently as we had been marching together near Sisley.

“Inquisitor Boris… … .”

As Sisley turned his head to look at him, the young Inquisitor continued speaking, scratching his head a little embarrassedly.

“I apologize for suddenly interrupting. However, we too have been concerned about leaving the saintess here. However, we cannot send Sisley alone to an unfamiliar place, so I will stay by her side to the end.”

I couldn’t refuse the request any longer when a member of the same order appeared like this.

Sisley nodded helplessly and followed the servant who seemed greatly relieved.

But this was before Sisley could even take a few steps.

Whoosh whoosh-!

The torches illuminating the hallway suddenly flickered together, creating dizzying shadows. It was truly strange, considering that there was nowhere for the wind to blow inside the building.

“… … ?”

As he gazed at the flickering flames, gripped by a strange premonition, the attendant urged Sisley on once again.

“Saint, come this way.”

Sisley followed the servant obediently without further delay.

Clank, clank.

With every step I took, the unfamiliar friction of the armor still rang in my ears.

* * *

Same time.

The strange thing was happening in the imperial palace at the center of Delcross.

“Father, is Mores getting a fever again?”

Owen tilted his head and asked.

After calling the Holy Spirit and pouring out divine power, an incredible amount of heat was once again rising near the bed where Mores was lying.

‘It’s strange? Normally, after calming it down with divine power, it would be quiet for a while without any fever.’

Owen looked at Mores’ feverish face with worried eyes.

It was just then.

Whoosh whoosh-!

Owen doubted his eyes for a moment. For a moment, he had the illusion that a fierce flame was shooting out from the lying Mores.

“… … !?”

what?

Owen rubbed his eyes and looked at Mores again, but the boy just had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily.

‘Well then, that’s right. No matter how high the fever, how can flames suddenly burst out from a human body?’

But Owen soon realized that something unusual was happening to Mores.

This was because the face of the Holy Emperor, who was pouring divine power towards Mores once again, was pale and bloodless.

His softly trembling voice faintly shook the air in the makeshift treatment room.

“Son, stop it. What are you trying to do there now?”