Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 396



Only Noblemtl

396. Pian (1)

As with most primitive religions, there was something supernatural about the belief in the Lord God that had persisted for thousands of years.

First of all, if someone is suspicious and makes a fuss, they can bring an innocent person to the religious court without any evidence. There is no limit to the level of punishment, so there are countless cases where one’s life is over just because of a joke.

The five great saints, unable to stand by and watch, reorganized the holy law, specifying crimes based on the scriptures and their appropriate punishments.

But aren’t those legal provisions just something you extract and paste together?

-The author held private worship with his subjects on his own land. Isn’t it the act of heresy to set up a sanctuary for the Lord without the permission of the Orthodox Church?

There are cases where a territory is destroyed due to the false accusation of a neighboring lord. It is much cheaper to bribe high priests than to wage a territory war by consuming food and soldiers.

And the following year, the lord who had accused his neighbor was brought before the Inquisition by one of his own retainers, for precisely the opposite reason he had accused him of.

– The ancient sages once said that even in a desolate wasteland, one must build a church in one’s heart. But this fool, using the permission of the Orthodox Church as an excuse, has abandoned the faith of the people who want to properly worship the Lord in the sanctuary!

But as things got to this point, those who knew could no longer arbitrarily impose legal provisions on each other. This could also be seen as a side effect of exercising extra-legal power.

– Hey, hey. It all depends on what you say. I know it, you know it, we all know it. But do you really think you have to go this far just to win this one time?

-To say that we live in the ‘grace’ of the zodiac is proof that we are not devils wearing iron capes. Let’s leave it at that. If you cross the line, do you think others will leave you alone?

In this way, an implicit agreement had developed among the Zodiac people. As long as they did not openly commit serious crimes like summoning demons in front of everyone, they would at least not carelessly accuse each other.

Even though Prince Mores had revealed his true ‘magic’ and was calling himself an apostle of the Lord, this was one of the reasons why they could not easily detain or torture him.

“This is ridiculous!”

Archbishop Wesker, who had been in agony for several days, went to Cardinal Meyer’s house late at night and complained.

She was the one who stood on the front lines of exterminating demons together with the past emperor. So, it was inevitable that she would react more sensitively to the magic displayed by the Third Prince than others.

“Are you saying that you’re just going to leave the Third Prince alone? Your Majesty! That was clearly an aura belonging to the devil’s forces!”

Cardinal Meyer looked at his beloved junior with tired eyes. In fact, she wasn’t the only one who had lost sleep for several nights.

“What do you want to do, Wesker?”

“We need to make everything clear right now! An apostle of the Lord with magic, how could that really be possible? We need to properly investigate whether the prince’s words are true or not!”

“How? Are you going to lead the Knights right now, storm the main palace, and subdue him by force? Without Your Majesty’s permission, in the place where Your Majesty resides?”

“that……!”

If you think about it, it’s the same as treason. Perhaps that’s why the cunning Third Prince is still staying in the main palace.

“Truly, Wesker. I’m not entirely at ease either.”

Cardinal Meyer sighed deeply.

He just hoped that the 3rd Prince, who was caught up in various controversies, would refrain from talking for the time being. It was a place that had been carefully prepared so that no one would be harmed as much as possible, but the prince himself stepped forward and fanned the flames of the controversy!

‘Prince Mores’s intentions are clear. He has no intention of giving up even an inch of the position he has barely secured.’

I expected there would be some backlash.

However, because it was such a bold frontal assault, there was no time to respond. While everyone in the Holy Assembly was overwhelmed by the magic and was in disarray, the place for the testimony that had been prepared so well ended in a dull manner.

‘Cardinal Kaplan’s face was truly a sight to behold.’

What’s interesting here is that the reactions of his cherished juniors were sharply divided.

First of all, Archbishop Wesker showed a wary gaze that he had never seen before. It was a completely different attitude from how he had previously simply looked at Prince Mores’ incidents as if they were cute.

On the other hand, Cardinal Benitus seemed to have a lot on his mind, so he stayed in the prayer room within the Inquisition and prayed for several days.

Since the leader’s attitude is so vague, the Inquisitors under his command do not dare to make any rash moves.

“Your Majesty, no matter how small the danger, it must be eliminated as soon as its existence is recognized. That is the way for the people of Delcross to truly thrive!”

“I’m not saying we should just leave the danger alone. At least Prince Mores’s [Evil] power is beyond doubt, so let’s just wait and see how things develop until everything becomes clear.”

Cardinal Meyer consoled Wesker, who was very excited.

“No matter how you look at it, the truth is definitely there, don’t you think it’s important? Prince Mores also said that he would gladly accept the trials that were given to him and spare no effort in ensuring that the kingdom of the Lord prospers forever on this land?”

“… Your Excellency, don’t you know the true meaning of that statement?”

Wesker protested in a slightly weak voice.

At that time, Prince Mores, in front of the Holy Assembly, made a keynote speech promising to serve Delcross for the rest of his life.

But if you think about its true meaning, it means that everything you do is an event of the Lord, so do not dare to interfere with it.

“He was really impudent. He didn’t back down even one step until the end. He was no ordinary person.”

“Well, that’s enough. As soon as His Majesty returns, everything will be resolved neatly. So don’t worry any more and go back and get some rest.”

After barely coaxing Archbishop Wesker out, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing on one side of the hallway.

Julia Meyer.

His beautiful granddaughter, who became an adjutant in the Zodiac Guard at a young age and whom he was always proud of.

Perhaps because she was a little late getting off work, she was still wearing her neat knight uniform.

“… Did you hear everything?”

Then the granddaughter bowed her head seriously. It was a clear affirmation.

“Nothing is certain yet. So, please refrain from making unfounded assumptions.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

Julia nodded slowly and continued speaking cautiously.

“But there are already ominous rumors spreading throughout the capital about Prince Mores. Shouldn’t you state your position properly at the Holy Assembly? I am worried that the public sentiment will be shaken unnecessarily.”

“… … .”

Cardinal Meyer blinked briefly at his granddaughter, for he could hear the unanswered worry in her voice.

‘He was a child who was flawless in both his behavior and personality, but I was always worried because he never maintained deep relationships with others… ‘

It seems that she has become quite close with Prince Mores, with whom she is surprisingly talking about an engagement.

“My child. Don’t you have any doubts about him? Those rumors surrounding the prince may not be completely groundless rumors.”

“But that can’t be true, right?”

To the Cardinal’s question, Julia looked puzzled.

“This is the Imperial City, Grandfather. Everyone knows that no evil spirit can enter this sacred land.”

“… … .”

The cardinal was silent for a moment, then stared at his granddaughter with darkened eyes.

“Hey, Julia.”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

“Have you heard anything from your mother about the founder of our family?”

“A poem… is that what you mean?”

Julia thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.

The current head of the Meyer family, her mother, was a very busy person. Even when Julia was just a baby, she had no time to even have a leisurely conversation.

But her grandfather would not have asked such a foolish question.

“I haven’t heard anything from the lord. Does the founder of the Meyer family have anything to do with this matter?”

“… No, it’s nothing.”

The cardinal’s purple eyes gently curved, briefly caressing the eyes of his granddaughter who looked just like him.

“This old man talked nonsense. It’s nothing serious, so just forget about it.”

* * *

The air inside the palace was filled with tension.

At first glance, everything seemed peaceful, but that tranquility was as precarious as thin ice on a rapid stream.

The one who felt the precarious atmosphere more than anyone else was Sungjin. That’s why, even though his body had fully recovered, he did not rush back to Jinju Palace and instead stayed in seclusion in the main palace.

“Mores. I happened to come across some interesting anecdotes. They might be published as a fairy tale book soon. If you have time, would you like to read them with me?”

What a coincidence.

Amelia’s beautiful eyes, which had come with the scriptures, were covered with dark circles.

It seemed clear that after hearing what had happened at the convention, he had spent the night searching through the scriptures to find anecdotes about Saint Terbakia.

“Thank you, Sister. But you are also very busy helping the Empress Dowager with her state affairs. I will read this carefully later.”

Feeling his heart ache with guilt, Sungjin neatly placed the scriptures she had brought on a corner of the room.

Whoa whoa whoa!

-Master! Come play with me! Hurry up and make me big, strong, and cute!

Sometimes Max would barge in front of the door and howl loudly with his snout raised.

It was absolutely unacceptable. There was no way to guarantee how the changed aura would affect him. Even if he succeeded in transforming without any problems, it would only arouse suspicion from others.

If we just maintain the current state, even if something happens to Sungjin, Max, who is recognized as a [Shinsu], will be fine.

“No, Max. Here, I’ll throw Edith here, and you can play quietly with the wooden plate. Got it?”

“Huh? Your Majesty! Huh?!”

A bewildered Edith was pushed out into the garden by Seongjin and the wolfdog.

“No! What kind of nonsense are they talking about? What more proof do you need here? You’ve already demonstrated the power of [Destruction] in front of everyone. Isn’t that enough? Everyone must have lost their minds!”

Occasionally, Owen would come by, looking very indignant.

As I’ve been wandering around the palace recently with nothing special to do, it seems I’ve been hearing a lot of ominous whispers between priests and servants.

Seongjin looked at this ugly firstborn with pitiful eyes.

“Do you think other people are stupid and just say things like that without any basis?”

You’re such a thoughtless fool. I don’t know about other people, but shouldn’t you be a little suspicious of me? What would other people think if they saw you like this?

If you don’t have a special position in the zodiac, at least learn the ability to read the atmosphere. You’re acting so stupid that you barely managed to hold back the reflexive slap!

“Huh? Huh?”

Owen felt an eerie premonition. He instinctively grabbed his forehead and turned his head from side to side.

“… … .”

But what worried Sungjin the most was Masain’s reaction.

As always, I thought he would be furious and question Sungjin about the source of ‘Magi’, but surprisingly, he just went about his business with an indifferent expression.

Masain closely coordinated the security schedule with the 2nd Guards of the main palace, and also took time to inspect the resident knights of the pearl palace.

Sometimes, when he reports to the Demon Investigation Team on behalf of Seongjin, he writes a very detailed report and recites it one by one.

And when I had time, I would sit next to Seongjin and quietly embroider.

Explosion, conflagration.

Explosion, conflagration.

Under steady hand movements, beautiful flower petals are completed one by one.

The scene seemed truly peaceful at first glance, if only the eyes of Sir Masain, who was glaring intently at the design, hadn’t been burning.

“Excuse me… Sir Marsain?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, please do so.”

“…Uh, it’s nothing.”

It was one day when I was spending each day in such a precarious state.

“… … !”

Seongjin’s senses, which had become more sensitive than before, suddenly sensed an abnormality in which the flow of aura in the air changed simultaneously.

The air in the area was aligned calmly like a magnetic field, as if someone had passed a strong electric current through the wire.

Seongjin couldn’t contain his joy and jumped up from his bed and shouted.

“…father!”