NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 84
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I signed up for the investigation team to uncover the true identity of the warmonger after discussing with the priests of the Holy Kingdom.
They say it’s dark under the lamp, right? The warmonger would never dream that he’s hiding in the investigation team.
The Holy Kingdom’s efforts to find the Apostle of the Disaster God would soon fall flat. I decided to keep a low profile until the heretic inquisitors sent from the Holy Kingdom completed their investigations.
“The warmonger is a hero who turned the tide in the Battle of Laigir! There’s no way such a great man could be tied to the Disaster God!”
“…”
The Imperial Intelligence Agency is indeed impressive. It’s amazing that the Valtarian Imperial Family has already gotten wind of the news that I participated in the Holy Kingdom’s investigation team.
I’m caught up in this unnecessary fuss.
I showed a pained expression as I watched the agitated crown prince. The overly enthusiastic Alexis, who reveres the Saintess Party to the point of obsession, spoke out in defense of the warmonger.
“I truly believe in the heroes who saved the world. However, isn’t it true that many nations are expressing their fears due to the disasters occurring in Boemon Kingdom? For the sake of alleviating their fears and proving the innocence of the Saintess Party, I believe an investigation is necessary.”
“I-I apologize…! I must have shown a moment of rashness.”
I comforted the crown prince, who sincerely revered the Saintess Party, as our eyes met.
Alexis nodded as if he understood.
“Lord Edanant, the brother of the hero, must be quite worried… I’m sure Lord Edanant has many concerns.”
“…….”
Worried? Concerned? What in the world is that?
I had never once worried about Maximilian.
Even when I witnessed Maximilian setting out to the worst frontline to defeat the Undying Demon King, I never worried at all. Because I already knew he would win.
It’s the same now.
There’s no greater waste of energy than worrying about the strongest hero in history.
“Alex.”
“Mila, sister….”
Just after that, while I was having a conversation with the crown prince Alexis, the princess, who boasted an impressive stature, approached with quick steps.
It looked like she came to scold her overly excited younger brother.
“Isn’t Lord Edanant feeling troubled?”
“But the warmonger is truly innocent! It must be a false accusation concocted by those envious of the Saintess Party’s esteemed reputation! How could they tarnish the name of a great hero by associating him with the Apostle of the Disaster God…?!”
What’s going on here?
Are they trying to mess with me on purpose?
My face turned red at Alexis’s earnest defense of the warmonger.
It was a completely innocuous act.
Yet the more I listened to the crown prince’s passionate claims, the more embarrassed I felt.
Alexis then left, displaying an energetic disposition, likely to submit a petition along with the noblemen who followed the Saintess Party, just like him.
“Pfft…!”
Ludmilla let out a chuckle for a moment.
It was because she saw my face all stiff.
Even the clowns at a seasoned circus wouldn’t be as funny as this. Ludmilla, who had chuckled, seemed unable to hold back her laughter any longer, bursting into a fit of laughter, bright red in the face.
“…Ludmilla.”
“I-I’m sorry… pfft! Hahaha! But isn’t it just too funny…!”
Has the proud protector of the Imperial Family ever laughed like this?
Is it really that funny?
I don’t find it particularly amusing myself.
The golden-haired princess was laughing so hard that she was clutching her belly.
“I heard the news too. You decided to join the Holy Kingdom’s investigation team, huh?”
“It’s a form of self-preservation to hide my identity.”
“That’s quite an excellent plan. Truly, you are remarkable.”
“It was a suggestion from Saint Zebeline. I merely followed.”
Ludmilla’s expression crumpled instantaneously as she shrugged off the compliment.
Truly, she’s a rival. Just a moment of praise evokes such blatant dislike.
I cleared my throat to ease the tense atmosphere seen on Ludmilla’s face.
*
A cardinal was dispatched from the Holy Kingdom to deliver the Holy King’s handwritten letter.
It must be related to the Saintess Party.
Upon hearing the news, Zebeline frowned, showing her complicated feelings.
The plan to simply brush aside the suspicions against the warmonger was disrupted. If they sent a cardinal, the Holy King must be keeping a close eye on those suspicions.
‘Of all the many old farts, how did the most stubborn one come?’
A middle-aged man with shining glasses that reflected like a mirror stepped down from the carriage.
His long, narrow eyes.
A hooked nose that curved downwards.
And the deep wrinkles indicating his years of experience.
The priests who met the crimson-clad cardinal were taken aback, quickly turning their heads. They were afraid they might get scolded by the cleanliness-obsessed cardinal.
“Thank you for your long journey, Cardinal Baladi.”
“It’s been a while.”
Hordamet Baladi.
A cardinal known for his stubbornness, rivaling that of Ludmilla, has arrived in the Valtarian Empire.
He was a peculiar fellow who didn’t tolerate compromise.
Therefore, it was only natural that he receives absolute trust from the Holy King.
Zebeline clicked her tongue inwardly, expressing her dissatisfaction.
The reason the Holy Kingdom sent one of the many cardinals they had was clear. The Holy King’s intent to thoroughly investigate the suspicions surrounding the warmonger was blatantly obvious.
“I didn’t expect Cardinal Baladi to come.”
“Didn’t an issue arise that shakes the foundations of the Holy Kingdom from the Boemon Kingdom? As a cardinal of the Holy Kingdom, it is only proper that I take action.”
Hordamet Baladi was known for judging many cultists as an inquisitor.
He never condones evil.
The same applies to those who worship false gods.
He was someone who had relentlessly slaughtered during the process of subjugating the remnants of the Demon King’s Army and the cultists that survived the Racial War. Though Zebeline, too, had her share of bloodshed, Hordamet was much more brutal.
He was a fanatic who committed slaughter in the name of receiving recognition from the Creator Deity.
“What do you think of the warmonger, Cardinal?”
“I only came to uncover the suspicions. I hold no feelings towards the warmonger.”
Hordamet responded officially to the Saintess’s question.
In response, Zebeline thought to herself, ‘Oh my, how noble of you.’
“I came to the Valtarian Empire not only because of the suspicions regarding the warmonger.”
“Excuse me?”
“It is to deliver Her Majesty’s intentions to the Emperor of the Empire.”
“So you have other business?”
I wonder what the leader of the Holy Kingdom would include in a handwritten letter.
Could it be something related to Edanant?
A sense of foreboding ignited within me.
Especially since the one bringing the Holy King’s handwritten letter is a notorious fanatic.
“It’s time to meet the Emperor. Saintess, I must take my leave.”
“I don’t know what it’s about, but if it’s a decision made by the leader of the Holy Kingdom, then it must be followed.”
The cardinal, adorned in crimson vestments, respectfully bowed to Zebeline and then headed toward the Imperial Palace along with the priests dispatched as an envoy.
*
The Valtarian Empire and the Gael Holy Kingdom formed an alliance stemming from the Third Racial War.
Thus, it was not uncommon for an envoy dispatched from the Holy Kingdom to seek an audience with the Emperor of the Empire, just as the Valtarian Empire’s envoy visited the Holy King every year as honored guests.
However, this time felt different.
As Emperor Barbarossa read the Holy King Boern’s handwritten letter, he sent away the ministers present during the audience.
“To convene an alliance conference? Now?”
“That is correct, Your Majesty.”
The alliance conference.
It referred to a meeting of the nations of humanity formed to defeat the Demon King’s Army and the cultists.
We must hold the alliance conference now.
Barbarossa swallowed hard as he set the Holy King’s handwritten letter down for a moment.
“To convene an alliance conference, we need the approval of the co-rulers. Do you know who they are?”
“Of course. The Holy King of the Holy Kingdom and Your Majesty of the Empire are the co-rulers of the alliance.”
The Emperor of the Valtarian Empire.
The Holy King of the Gael Holy Kingdom.
To hold the alliance conference, agreement from both the Emperor and the Holy King was necessary.
That is why Boern sent the handwritten letter to Barbarossa, wishing to make the alliance conference happen.
“It seems the Holy King of the Holy Kingdom takes the alliance conference lightly. To make a decision abruptly without offering any justification… Does he intend to command the lords of the continent under the pretext of the Earth Mother’s divinity?”
Emperor Barbarossa’s voice carried a tone of anger.
He seemed on the verge of explosion.
It wouldn’t be long before the disgrace-infused anger morphed into a violent rage.
Faced with this volatile situation, the priests dispatched from the Holy Kingdom looked on in shock at Hordamet. Despite the tense atmosphere that felt as if a sharp reprimand would fall at any moment, only the cardinal maintained his composure.
“The Earth Mother has delivered a divine oracle directly.”
“…What?”
A divine oracle.
The Earth Mother delivered a divine oracle.
The Emperor’s face blanched in shock at the cardinal’s response.
His anger subsided.
And instead, wonder filled the void.
“How dare you mock the Emperor of the Valtarian Empire! It’s clear that the Holy Kingdom is up to some cunning plot, wanting to reign over the continent under the pretense of the Creator Deity’s oracle!”
“Why would I speak falsehood? Surely His Majesty heard the divine oracle of the Earth Mother.”
That was utter nonsense.
It was such an absurd reason that I felt the anger rise.
Barbarossa shouted in an agitated voice, as if to draw his sword. However, despite the tension, the cardinal sent from the Holy Kingdom displayed unwavering faith and stuck to his ground.