NOVEL NEXT Chapter 187
My eyes were glued to the rapid movements of the Holy Kingdom while listening to Sara’s summary.
Even after the Sacred returned to the sanctified land, the twelve cardinals periodically visited Gebihenum.
The cycle for arriving at Gebihenum and returning to the Holy Kingdom was two months, of which they would stay in the Holy Kingdom for one month and then set off again for Gebihenum.
Each time, the escort accompanying them was the Blood Heaven Knight Order.
The personnel accompanying them to Gebihenum changed every time, and the same went for the twelve cardinals.
Except for seven years ago, six cardinals would move at a time. The remaining six cardinals were in charge of various events and worship in the Holy Kingdom.
The archbishop always held his position, while the Executioner, unlike the Blood Heaven Knight Order, stayed in the Holy Kingdom, judging heretics.
Had the Executioner and the archbishop not colluded with the demon brats?
Not everyone could say yes to that.
Mikel mentioned that the heresy had infiltrated so deeply that it was unidentifiable.
For now, it’s best to give up looking for allies inside the Holy Kingdom.
“Is there nothing about Nucleksyrol?”
“Yes. As far as I’ve found, there is no information at all regarding Nucleksyrol.”
“Is there no trade record in the black market?”
“I found records spread throughout the Empire, but I couldn’t find anything within the Holy Kingdom.”
It truly doesn’t exist even in the black market…
Out of all the drugs, Nucleksyrol is the easiest to obtain and the simplest to come across.
No matter how holy the kingdom claims to be, there has to be at least someone dabbling in drugs. After all, a kingdom is still a place where people live.
I flicked my lips and furrowed my brow.
“It’s certain that Nucleksyrol is being brought in.”
I had already mentioned a week ago that this ‘incident’ was the Awakening of the Gluttony Apostle due to Nucleksyrol.
Thus, I tried to investigate information about Nucleksyrol through Sara, but it was too clean.
Even in a situation where one would have to suspect dirtiness, if there were absolutely no traces, my suspicion turned into conviction.
“…I think so too.”
“They’re controlling that information.”
“I suspect the Cartel has put pressure on this, but I can’t say for sure whether the Cartel has the power to reach into the depths of the Holy Kingdom.”
“What if there’s the Imperial Family behind the Cartel?”
No matter how much I’ve grown up with the Duke’s Family and received various educations, I’m not politically astute.
Of course, I have memories of my past life and what Luna used to say, so I’m better than an average person, but it’s still not my area of expertise.
That’s why I asked Sara to confirm, and after a while of contemplation, she lightly fluttered her lips.
“You must be talking about a person excluding the Emperor. Among them, the one closest to the throne would be…”
“First Prince, Anton de Herman.”
“…Yes. It’s not entirely impossible to expect that the Empire’s First Prince is pushing the Cartel from behind.”
“Uje could also be supporting the Cartel among the six pillars. That’s quite likely.”
Sara’s eyelids fluttered.
I wanted to give her more time to think, but since time wasn’t on our side, I continued speaking.
“It seems the branch of Eustetia is also trying to get involved in this matter.”
Obvious anger was etched on her quivering eyelids.
Sara, who hides her emotions better than anyone, let her feelings show.
But the emotion was anger.
“I heard the branch stuck in the Veruna Region isn’t surprised, so they probably knew?”
“…I apologize, but yes.”
“What about Dad? No, wait. If Sara knows, Dad must know too.”
Sara avoided my gaze without answering.
“Anyway, that’s the situation. The branch is trying to drag down the direct line, and the Cartel is eyeing the profits that will arise from that, while Uje and the Holy Kingdom…”
Should I say this or not?
There’s no need to say it explicitly. If I needed Sara’s help, I would have said it, but I neither needed it nor wanted it.
Just bringing this information has likely put her at considerable risk… I don’t want to make it any more dangerous than it already is.
For now… after all, Sara is like family to me.
So I tried to keep my mouth shut, but…
“Uje is aiming for Transcendence, while the Holy Kingdom is probably aiming for the resurrection of the Saint.”
I gaped at her continued words.
“…How does Sara know that…?”
“A week ago, an Executioner visited the Duchy of Eustetia.”
“…What did they say?”
“They said a prophecy came down that the descendant of the Hero would lift the shadow cast over the Holy Kingdom. And that this descendant of the Hero is not your family head, but another descendant.”
“Oh my…”
I squeezed my eyes shut and slapped my forehead.
Just… why can’t I just quietly come in?
Was I a minor needing a guardian’s consent?
Then why did that crazy woman Mikel even mention guardians?
No… could it all just be a simple case of a missed message?
If the Executioner visited the Academy about ten days ago… it’s the third day now.
…It’s plausible that a message might have slipped through.
“…So what did Dad say?”
“I can’t say that out loud. The rest you’ll have to hear directly from the family head.”
“There’s no way he would say something like ‘no outings at your age’… right?”
“Even if he said no outings, he wouldn’t think you’d be cooped up in the Duchess’s mansion.”
“That’s true. Even if they say no outings, I would somehow find a way to get out. So will they try to chop my arms and legs to prevent me from going out?”
“…Has the family head ever struck you since your birth?”
“He hasn’t even scolded me once, let alone hit me with a club.”
“In that case, please refrain from saying such things.”
While Sara said this, I thought that if I told my dad about the plan I had prepared, I could probably get hit once.
I hadn’t shared the details even after conveying the brief overview.
“…Can I get away with being cute?”
“Thinking of using cuteness is a great change, but you mustn’t misuse it. Also, regarding this matter, it will be entirely useless.”
“Can’t I just immediately turn the wagon around and head straight to the Holy Kingdom?”
“I will stop that even at the cost of my life.”
“Ugh…”
Such thoughts were a bit inappropriate…
But at this moment, I was actually relieved that Mom wasn’t around in the Duchy.
If Mom found out… I might have truly been locked up with broken arms and legs.
*
Stella, swallowing dryly, opened her mouth in astonishment. Next to her, Pina was gasping dramatically, almost breathless.
“…Seeing it in person makes it… much bigger.”
[I’ve never seen such a big building in my life!!!!!!! It seems bigger than the village I lived in!!!!!]
“Um… it really is big.”
For sure, seeing the Imperial Palace directly from the establishment gives a different perception.
Plus, under the darkening sky at night, with the splendid lighting, it looks even bigger.
No, it’s not just that it looks bigger; it really is much larger!
I always thought what Dad said was just boasting, but it turns out to be true…
Is this even allowed?
What… am I going to get in trouble for this?
-I’m going to build an enormous house! Way bigger than the Imperial Palace! And we’ll all live together: Ronan, Paulo, Luna, Kaloso!
-Huh? A rebellion? If you say something like that, I’ll smack you!
Arisa, that crazy chimpanzee really built something bigger than the Imperial Palace…
“What if you’re surprised? You’ve lived here all along.”
“Of course I’m surprised because I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve only seen the Imperial Palace for the first time this year since my birth. Besides, there was never a mention that the Duchess’s mansion is bigger than the Imperial Palace.”
“True, it would be like that if you only ever lived here… But could it be that they never mentioned it because it might lead to various issues concerning the Imperial authority?”
“Yes. Actually, if you dig into the shadows of history, there are rumors that they expanded the land of the Imperial Palace after the Duchess’s mansion was built.”
Carrying all our luggage, Sara chuckled.
“So, when you go to other places, it’s better to avoid saying something was bigger than the Imperial Palace.”
“Ha… I see. Yes… I’ll keep that in mind.”
Stella, pressing her lips tightly, accepted the luggage Sara handed her and awkwardly looked around.
“Is… all of this cherry blossom trees?”
“Yep.”
“I’m a bit disappointed that it’s summer now…”
“We can always come back next year. There’s nothing to be sad about.”
“…Can I really come again next year?”
“There’s a festival, and since we could use the club as an excuse, we could find a way to come.”
[Can I come as well, just like this time?]
“Yeah. There are plenty of delicious things around here, so you’ll like it too, Pina!”
“Hee!”
“Well, then… when that time comes, I’ll somehow make sure to come through the club!”
Stella, with her fists pumped and her cheeks flushed, sparkled in anticipation.
Pina beside her swayed her tail so much that her bottom wiggled while she grinned.
“Until now, it’s always been just us two, but next year, the four of us will enjoy together?”
I chuckled softly while looking at Yurasia approaching us.
“That’s right!”
Upon hearing me, Yurasia wore a somewhat awkward smile.
Is it because she came to the Duchy after such a long time? Or because she was with the Knight Order?
It’s a different kind of smile.
“Oh, by the way. Are you leaving for your family home soon, Yurasia?”
It’s the kind of awkward smile you get when thinking about returning home.
But… has it really been that long? Isn’t it a bit early?
With the vacation over, is she trying to go back a bit faster?
“Ah… right. I’m planning to greet the family head and report back to the Captain before heading down.”
“Today?”
“Umm…”
Yurasia, who was pondering with her lips, eventually smiled as usual and said,
“I think I’ll leave tomorrow morning since it’s already late!”
“Does it take more than half a month again?”
“Yeah. It seems like it will take about half a month… Why, are you going to miss me?”
Miss her? What does that even mean?
I tried to respond as usual, but for some reason, my words got stuck.
…Why? What’s going on?
I don’t know. I just feel strange.
Maybe it’s because it’s almost that time of the month?
“Yeah.”
So I nodded.
Upon hearing that, Yurasia’s eyes widened.
Stella gasped in surprise beside her, while Pina simply thought the Duchess’s mansion was amazing.
“…Then, um… shall we stay with you a bit longer before heading off?”
“Yeah. Let’s stay a little longer.”
I held back the urge to say the words that the kids had come too.
I didn’t want to say something that might sound like a mere excuse. Why? I don’t know either. I just didn’t want to.
The whims that come before my period… something like that.
“And come back as soon as you can.”
“…Because you need to go to the Holy Kingdom?”
“Well, that’s part of it. Anyway, you understand?”
After hesitating for a moment, Yurasia beamed and hugged my arm.
No words were exchanged.