<Chapter 62>

*  *  *

The nobles who attended Duke Winstein’s wedding were summoned to the Imperial Palace immediately upon their return to the capital.

Given that they had received orders from the Emperor himself before leaving the North, being summoned to the palace wasn’t particularly unusual.

What stood out was the white cloth draped over the raised platform where the throne sat at the far end of the elongated hall.

It was especially peculiar given that the Emperor, despite his advancing years, was known to revel in showcasing his youthful appearance, one resembling a man in his thirties.

‘Could it be that there’s something wrong with his health?’

The nobles, kneeling on one knee before the throne, stole nervous glances at the veiled platform.

Bang!

“How insolent! Did the Emperor give you permission to lift your heads? What nerve do you have to look up?”

“W-we beg your pardon!”

“We have committed a grave offense! Please forgive us!”

The nobles flattened themselves to the ground, begging for mercy as an imperial knight struck the floor firmly with the hilt of his sword, his booming voice echoing through the hall.

After a long, tense silence, the Emperor finally permitted them to lift their heads.

– “What have you learned about the rumors concerning the Duchess being the Saintess?”

The Emperor wasted no time and went straight to the point.

The nobles exchanged hesitant glances, carefully weighing their words. At a time like this, they needed to offer just enough to satisfy the Emperor without leaving themselves fully committed to any particular stance.

“According to Bishop Roam, the Duchess is not the Saintess. He claimed the true Saintess has already appeared in the capital.”

– “…The true Saintess has already appeared in the capital?”

“Yes. However, he was drunkenly rambling when he said it, so it’s uncertain how credible his words are.”

“It’s also possible that he was spilling secrets he was ordered to keep while under the influence of alcohol…”

– “…So, to summarize, the Saintess has already awakened, but His Holiness the Pope has kept that fact hidden from me?”

The Emperor’s low, menacing tone sent chills down the spines of the nobles.

Whether the true Saintess was in the capital or not was irrelevant.

What mattered was that they had unwittingly sown discord between the Pope and the Emperor.

“T-T-that’s not what we meant!”

“I-I personally saw the Duchess treating people at the chapel under the guise of prayer! Her divine power was truly astonishing!”

The nobles scrambled to redirect the Emperor’s ire, desperately emphasizing the miraculous nature of the Duchess’ abilities. After all, if they stoked enmity between the Emperor and the Pope, they’d surely be caught in the crossfire.

“I even witnessed a person who was carried in on a stretcher walk out on their own two feet!”

“It’s no wonder the people of the North revere her as the Saintess. If Bishop Roam hadn’t claimed otherwise, I might have believed it myself!”

– “…I see.”

A contemplative voice filtered through the cloth-covered throne. It seemed their strategy of diverting attention to Inosensia had worked.

– “You must be tired from your long journey to the North. You are dismissed for now. However…”

The Emperor paused briefly before continuing.

– “You are to keep the rumors about the Duchess potentially being the Saintess to yourselves.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! We shall not utter a word!”

Whether the true Saintess had appeared in the capital or the Duchess had awakened as the Saintess in the North, the nobles didn’t care. Their only concern was to avoid displeasing either the Pope or the Emperor.

After vowing to remain silent about everything they had seen and heard in the North, they retreated hastily, as if fleeing for their lives.

Moments later, the Emperor, deep in thought behind the veil, snapped his fingers.

A shadow knight of the imperial guard appeared silently and knelt without a sound.

– “Is the persuasion complete?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. The Baron’s daughter has finally made a wise decision.”

– “Good. Ensure she is well taken care of. She is destined to serve as the guide for the chosen.”

After dismissing the shadow knight, the Emperor called for his chief chamberlain.

– “Send someone to the North to deliver an invitation.”

Every autumn, a harvest festival was held in the empire’s capital.

Though Temenos had never once set foot in the capital since inheriting his title, no matter how many invitations were sent, this time was different.

As the matchmaker for Temenos’ wedding, the Emperor felt it was only proper for him to visit and express his gratitude.

‘Once he arrives in the capital, I’ll see to it that they divorce.’

After that, it will be a simple matter to keep the woman confined to the palace, as I had done with two others before her.

‘She’ll have no choice but to offer endless prayers, begging the divine to return my blessing. Surely, even the gods won’t ignore such earnest pleas.’

This has to work.

The Emperor glanced down at the wrinkled skin on the back of his hand before clenching his fist tightly.

‘…But they said the Saintess has already appeared in the capital?’

As the Emperor mulled over the nobles’ words, a twisted smile crept across his lips.

He had found it odd all along.

Why else would the Pope so confidently dismiss the possibility of Inosensia being the Saintess?

‘But why? For what purpose would he hide the existence of the Saintess?’

From the Pope’s perspective, concealing the Saintess’ awakening was counterproductive. Without her, the divine barrier couldn’t be maintained.

…Unless.

‘Unless the goal is to prevent her from acting publicly.’

If the Saintess had yet to awaken, then perhaps the Pope was using her supposed responsibility to maintain the divine barrier as a pretext to keep her hidden.

…But what exactly is he scheming within the confines of the Great Temple?

– “Summon the scribe.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. What are your orders?”

– “I will write a letter. Have it delivered to the Pope, and ensure I receive a response.”

The contents of the letter, stripped of pleasantries and formalities, posed a single, pointed question to the Pope:

Your Holiness, is it really true that the Saintess has not yet awakened?

*  *  *

Part 6

‘Whew… What perfect weather.’

How long has it been since I last enjoyed such leisure?

Sinking into a long sofa, I sipped on a glass of chilled fruit juice, savoring the moment to its fullest.

Warm sunlight streamed in through the wide-open window, accompanied by a gentle breeze that rustled softly against the curtains. In the background, faint birdsong mingled with the occasional squeak of Flurry, my familiar.

It was summer…

‘Yes, this is exactly what I imagined the life of a duchess would be.’

Waking up late, undisturbed, with the sun already high in the sky.

Lazily getting out of bed only when my back could no longer bear lying down, followed by a light meal.

Spending the day reading or engaging in light hobbies, taking a leisurely walk, and then returning for another meal before sprawling out on the sofa again.

‘Just the thought of it is delightful…’

But all of that was just a dream. There was far too much work to live such a leisurely life.

Between my duties as a duchess and my responsibilities as a Saintess…

This rare moment of reprieve was only possible because I had managed to finish all the urgent tasks for the time being.

Otherwise, I’d still be buried at my desk, crying as I worked through a mountain of paperwork.

‘And now, even the number of people seeking treatment has dwindled…’

From the start, I had only declared that I would treat those suffering from incurable diseases.

Naturally, there weren’t many cases of incurable diseases to begin with, and I’d already treated most of them. These days, only one or two patients came seeking treatment each day.

After easily healing them and leading prayers with the others, my duties at the chapel would be done.

Though I no longer performed the miraculous act of curing incurable diseases in front of everyone as frequently as before, which slowed the rise of faith somewhat…

Still, as of yesterday afternoon, I had successfully raised Northern Faith to over 5,000.

◆ Ultimate Objective: Save the World

◇ Current Objective: Raise Northern Faith to 10,000 | Confessions 9/10

 

*Northern Faith: 5,039

*Familiar: Flurry (Hamster)

*Key Items in Possession: 4 Divine Oracle Tokens

The people I had healed regularly returned to the chapel to offer tributes and prayers to the God.

Thanks to their efforts, my faith points increased by at least 200 to 300 each time I visited the chapel.

At this rate, achieving 10,000 faith points for the North seemed more a matter of time than an impossible goal.

‘This is just a matter of time, but…’

I let out a sigh as I gazed out the window.

The real problem was this one—
 

<To be continued>

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