Only God

The caravan made its way smoothly through the vast territories of the Empire, inching closer to the southern border with each passing step.

They had not encountered any danger on their journey.

"It's really going smoothly."

Veldor exclaimed as they sat around the campfire.

The Dwarf Priest had wandered far and wide with the Sects in his early years, preaching the word of God. Those journeys were far from smooth sailing, fraught with all sorts of dangers. He had personally witnessed countless people brought low by the rigors of the road, terrible diseases, sudden accidents, and even losing their lives.

It was only after he became a resident Priest of a church that the Dwarf Priest had stopped his nomadic existence.

"Arsia Your Highness has the Royal Guard and Night Watchmen for her protection."

One of the Night Watchmen, Lunso's Eden, remarked. (This Eden was not that other Eden but one of the six Edens in the Night Watchmen.)

"I suppose that's true."

Veldor agreed.

Unlike his own impoverished past, Arsia was an Imperial Princess, the pearl in the Emperor's palm, and her marriage was of great significance. Naturally, she would be guarded closely on all sides.

The rigors of the journey? The caravan was well-stocked and traveled on major roads. Terrible diseases? For the safety of the Princess, the caravan included not only three Imperial Physicians but also a host of Monks and Nuns well-versed in medicine and the Ancient Language. Sudden accidents? The most common accidents on the road often stemmed from people, like robbery or betrayal by friends and family, but such a large caravan could handle any mishap.

"If there's to be an incident," Eden began, "unless the Gods themselves stepped in to stop her carriage, I suppose."

After secretly joining the Night Watchmen with Veldor, he had gotten to know the other Watchmen over several days. While they weren't exactly close friends, they were now familiar with each other.

Within the Night Watchmen, a group of about twenty, there were six Edens, so they often distinguished themselves by nicknames or hometown names. He, then, was called "Golden-haired Eden" or simply "Golden-hair."

With so many Edens, even if someone sought to curry favor with the Emperor by assassinating him, they would struggle to identify which Eden was the Priest declared a heretic.

Ting-a-ling.

Suddenly, the bell at Eden's waist chimed.

Veldor turned his head and gave Eden a knowing look.

Eden sighed, slowly standing up.

Touching the silver bell at his waist, Eden signaled he was stepping away for a moment and moved away from the campfire.

As the firelight gradually receded from his view, Eden turned his head to look towards the center of the camp.

The bell at his waist was a gift from the Queen, a treasure taken from the Royal Treasury. It had four pairs, not only capable of detecting ghosts and other evil spirits but also allowing the bearers to communicate with each other.

The Queen's intention in gifting this treasure was for it to be rung in the event of the Princess encountering danger or trouble, calling for help.

But the Queen's goodwill was instead used by the restless Arsia as a tool to alleviate her boredom.

The journey to Ausenco was neither long nor short, and although the luxurious bridal caravan included guards, physicians, and cooks, it lacked Minstrels, acrobats, and actors—those who could bring joy and entertainment.

Perhaps, the Emperor intended for Arsia to be docile and to get used to the monotony of married life ahead of time.

But how could Arsia tolerate such boredom?

When the bell was rung on such a tranquil night, it meant the Princess was bored and needed someone to relieve her ennui.

This role often fell upon Eden.

Eden did not want this role, but after persistent requests from Nun Cassandra, he found it hard to refuse. He endured and treated it as a kind of penance that a True Believer must undergo.

Groping in the dark, Eden arrived outside the Princess's tent.

Following the secret code, he jingled the bell, then lifted the curtain and stepped inside.

As he entered, he saw Arsia seated on the ground, craning her swan-like neck as if she had been waiting for a while. As a woman, she was tall, and even seated, she appeared strikingly lofty.

"Oh, my Priest," Arsia said with a tone that bordered on mockery.

"Mm, my sinner," Eden retorted.

Arsia furrowed her brow but soon relaxed. If she weren't so exceedingly bored, she wouldn't have summoned the dreary Priest.

During the day's travel, confined to her carriage with only Nun Cassandra for company, she was virtually alone for half the day, lost in reverie. It was only somewhat better when camp was made in the afternoon; she could read, listen to music, converse with envoys from Ausenco, and watch small-scale duels in the camp. But as night fell and everyone began to rest, the situation took a sharp turn, and Arsia grew bored once again.

At such times, her only option was Eden, who, despite being several years her junior, was at least a peer she could converse with.

"So, Your Highness, what exactly is the reason for summoning me this time?" Eden asked politely, then took his seat.

Arsia was somewhat dissatisfied.

The Priest's use of formal address seemed less about politeness and more about keeping his distance from her.

She always felt that she wasn't getting the respect she deserved from Eden.

A moment later, Arsia deliberately broached a subject:

"Eden, over these past days, you've explained many scriptures to me, as well as numerous secret legends.

Tonight, I don't want to hear them. I've grown weary of those things."

"So?"

Eden raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

Arsia crossed her arms and rested them on her knees, drawling:

"Why don't you tell me about your life instead, like… your parents."

She asked this question deliberately.

Arsia had learned a bit about Eden's background; she knew he was an orphan left in the care of a Monastery.

Her question was meant not only to provoke Eden but also out of curiosity: what kind of parents could have given birth to a Priest as dreary as him?

Indeed, as she had anticipated, Eden furrowed his brow,

"I don't know who my parents are."

Arsia feigned guilt:

"Oh, I apologize, may God forgive me, and may you also forgive me, I'm truly sorry."

"Then I forgive you,"

the Priest said abruptly.

After a pause,

Eden, looking at her, began:

"Noble Your Highness, I may not know my parents, but I do know yours,

I want to ask you why your mother raised someone as impertinent as you—are you able to enlighten me?"

Impertinent person.

Such blunt words, of course, provoked Arsia's emotions.

"How would she not raise me?

You should know, horses and donkeys can give birth to mules, so why couldn't my mother have a sinner, as you call it?"

Arsia replied with a laugh:

"Though I may be a sinner in your eyes, I'm a devout person, whereas you, clearly guided and cared for by the Monastery, have turned into a heretic."

"Pious? Don't make me laugh,"

Eden pronounced:

"Your mother is the devout one; I have never seen such a pure soul."

Arsia carelessly retorted:

"Say what you will, I am what I am.

Even if you claim I'm not devout, what use is one person's opinion? With just a wave of my hand, I could have thousands of poems praising me."

Eden said coldly:

"If the praise of sycophants was of any use, then King Dovlo would not be a sinner either."

The statement was heavy, and Arsia counterargued:

"Good Priest, you keep calling me a sinner, but I have never committed any atrocious acts against heaven or earth. In comparison to me, perhaps you should worry about yourself—you are a recognized heretic."

After saying this, Arsia smiled smugly.

In an environment this suffocatingly dull and boring, even arguing became interesting.

Eden suddenly fell silent.

The tent was filled with a piercing silence.

Eden looked at Arsia, truly unable to imagine how beneath such attractive skin could dwell such a sinful soul. She was like the Imperial Palace of Danschel itself, possessing both power and sin; her appearance inherited from her mother, while her character deeply influenced by her father.

"Hey, I haven't killed anyone yet."

Suddenly, Arsia blurted out this statement.

"Do you wish to become an Executioner Princess?"

Eden mocked.

"What's wrong with that?

There are thousands of princesses in this world, some become wives, some Empress Dowagers, some live in lonesome misery, some become Nuns or Priestesses; princesses' occupations are quite diverse. There's even the tragedy of those becoming prostitutes, yet none seem to have become executioners."

After a moment of silence, Eden said, slightly resigned:

"You have committed enough sins already—if you do not repent and atone for them, they are enough to send you to Hell."

"I don't care about the agony after death,"

Arsia said with a shrug,

"Among the Philosophers, my favorite is Wengert. He had a good point: 'If Hiris would craft boots for me, Sibos presented fine wines, if the Pastoral Goddess kept my estates blooming and the Matrimonial Goddess blessed me with eternal happiness; where doves nest under auspicious grapevines, and by the hearth fire in the cozy wooden house, I listen to the babbling brook—why would I seek happiness after death?'"

These words, full of heretical implications, should not come from the mouth of a princess of the True Religion.

Just as Eden was about to speak.

Suddenly, a sequence of noisy commotions came from outside the tent, as if all the pots and pans had started dancing.

This tumult was not ordinary; the sound of birds being startled in succession came from the forest.

Eden, puzzled and then astonished, speculated,

Could it be a mutiny among the soldiers? But these are the Royal Guard!

He hurriedly stood up and cautiously lifted a corner of the curtain to peer outside.

"Attack! Attack!"

Amidst the uproar, the sharp and urgent cries echoed repeatedly in the air above the camp.

Attack?

Could someone actually be attacking this convoy?

Before Eden could figure it out, a commotion arose from behind.

He turned around and saw Arsia standing up, holding a finely crafted Dwarf Crossbow.

Clearly snapping out of her surprise, she now, with a face full of excitement, said:

"It looks like it's time to be an executioner!"