The Youngest Son of the Northern Grand Duke Wants to Break Off the Engagement

Chapter 27

After arriving at the Grand Cathedral Ergante, Alter was immediately guided inside.

The Grand Cathedral Ergante was located at the capital of the Empire and had been officially recognized as the headquarters and holy land of the Semerune Order.

In fact, it was the foundation that encompassed all cathedrals and churches in the region, and it was also the place where most high-ranking clergy gathered.

In other words, to meet the Holy Apostle, one had to visit the Grand Cathedral Ergante.

'Is the Holy King here?'

Alter quietly walked through the interior of the cathedral, glancing around.

The Holy King was the symbol of the Semerune Order and bore sacred authority as the leader of all the clergy and holy knights.

Because of this, even royalty and nobles could not treat the Holy King carelessly, and only the Emperor, as the Prophet of the State Religion, could issue orders to the Pope.

'I doubt I'll have any business meeting him. I'm not particularly related to Brillie, either.'

Even in the original work, the Holy King rarely made an appearance.

Only the prestige and influence of the Semerune Order, attributed to the Holy King, were occasionally mentioned.

Without some extraordinary event, the Pope would probably always remain at the Grand Cathedral.

'Right now, the Holy Apostle is more important. I don't know if he's a male lead or not, but...'

The priest leading the way came to a halt and stepped aside.

He knocked on the door and soon flung it open wide.

"The Holy Apostle is waiting for you. Please, come inside."

Leaving the priest behind, Alter entered the room.

Inside, a young man dressed in ceremonial robes was seated, and the door shut behind him immediately.

The young man seemed to observe Alter for a moment before rising from his seat.

"May the radiant glory of Semerune guide you. I am Hapnen Lagnis, direct knight of the Holy King and the third Holy Apostle."

"... I am Alter Radiant, youngest son of the Grand Duke Radiant."

"I have heard a little about you, sir Alter. Would you care to take a seat?"

At Hapnen's polite invitation, Alter quietly sat in the chair opposite him.

Hapnen followed suit, sitting down, and calmly studied Alter's face.

For a while, he said nothing, before belatedly revealing a sly smile.

"Wow... I didn't hear wrong after all. You really are good-looking."

"... Pardon?"

"You're so good-looking, I found myself staring without thinking. There are a lot of rumors in social circles, but now I can believe a few of them."

"..."

Alter remained silent and met Hapnen's gaze.

The blue eyes looked rather relaxed, with not a trace of tension in his expression.

Although he already knew about Hapnen's personality, the sense of discrepancy already felt somewhat stark.

"Ah, please don't misunderstand. I usually say these things out of courtesy, but I mean it sincerely. I've never seen a nobleman as handsome as you in my life."

"Ah... thank you for the compliment."

Alter replied, wearing an expression that was rather emotionless, answering reluctantly.

He seemed not to stand much on formality, yet the air he carried was still one of humility.

It was only that the taciturnity and sincerity of a cleric had faded a little, making him just slightly suspicious.

"Well, let's put aside personal matters for now... You mentioned you haven't been well?"

"Yes. I've been in poor health ever since I was a child."

"I checked briefly, and there are records about you, sir Alter. There aren't many cases of sending people out as far as the northern region, so I found it quickly."

"I understand the clergy came several times, but I heard there was no particular effect."

"Yes, and I regret that myself. The light of Semerune does not shine upon all lands. Similarly, we cannot cure every illness perfectly."

Hapnen gave a bitter smile and murmured quietly.

Surely Alter too must have tried various ways to cure his frail body.

But even the clergy of the Semerune Order had failed to make a breakthrough, so he had not been touched by dazzling grace after all.

"... I think I was able to receive healing from a Cardinal once, but as far as I know, the Holy Apostles cannot leave the cathedral."

"That's correct. As the direct knights of His Holiness, Holy Apostles must always guard the cathedral. If we must leave, we need to present proper justification."

"Does it have to be a really serious reason?"

"Hmm... If there's someone who urgently needs to be saved, or if the Agnes Empire falls into crisis, those are generally accepted as legitimate reasons."

"Judging from that, I suppose I'm someone who can be left to die, then?"

"..."

Hapnen fell silent for a moment, realizing he had spoken carelessly.

Of course, he was only explaining the rules and policies of the Order.

But the man before him had already had frequent contact with its clergy, and this was the first time meeting a Holy Apostle.

Given the hardships he must have gone through, it was no wonder such words slipped out.

"It's not that I don't understand the Order's circumstances. I suppose I'm only able to meet you because I am the grand duke's child. For anyone else, it would've been impossible."

"Hmm... Please don't misunderstand. The Holy Apostles have missions that have been entrusted to us, and... I must explain the Order's doctrine, and... considering the internal circumstances of the Order..."

"I'm not here to judge right or wrong. I just... felt a little frustrated, that's all."

Alter didn't want to complain over what was already done.

No matter what he said, he couldn't change the traditions and rules of the Setinus Order.

Right now, he needed to take care of his own body and identify the cause of his frailty.

"Th... that's understandable. You may indeed feel stifled, sir Alter. Please allow me to apologize on behalf of the Order."

"No, there's nothing for me to interfere with if that's what the Order has decided."

"With that in mind, let me give you a proper examination now. Could you please offer me your hand?"

Although he was flustered, hapnen naturally steered the conversation.

He could not guarantee he would be able to cure Alter, but it was not as if there was no possibility.

When it came to sacred arts for healing, he was unrivaled—even other Holy Apostles acknowledged it.

"Are you able to treat me right away?"

"If treatment is possible. I'll need to do a thorough examination first before I decide."

"..."

With little expectation, Alter held out his right hand.

Even the great mage had only said there was an impurity—he hadn't found an exact cure.

Since even the Order's own clergy hadn't resolved it so far, he just hoped they could at least uncover the cause.

"Hmm... Your hand is quite cold. Should that be considered a symptom too?"

"Yes. It's been that way since I was young, so I think it must be related."

"Would you say your whole body feels cold?"

"Yes. It gets better a bit when I'm in the sunlight."

"Your circulation seems fine. There's no problem with the flow of magic power either... I don't see any internal injuries."

Hapnen carefully examined Alter's hand.

To be precise, he was sensing the internal structure of his body through magic power—if there was a singularity, he would immediately recognize it.

Of course, a mage could make similar use of such methods, but their approaches differed, so the results would not necessarily be the same.

'There's nothing abnormal. But... that just makes it more suspicious.'

Hapnen decided that the body was healthy, but he wasn't fully convinced.

From his experience as a clergyman, it's impossible for a human to have a perfectly healthy body.

Everyone has their limits, and as such, weaknesses inevitably arise.

In other words, if Alter Radiant was human, at least one vulnerability should have been detected.

'Why is it so clean? It feels as if something has been hidden—a trick of some sort.'

Hapnen had been granted the position of Holy Apostle at a rather young age.

That was testament to his exceptional talent as a cleric, and he had indeed proven himself at a high level.

Thus, though lacking experience, his talent even overwhelmed the wisdom acquired through age.

'What is he hiding?'

Instinctively, hapnen began suspecting a separate possibility.

Possible causes: magical interference, psychological factors, an unknown disease, a subtle curse.

Any of these were plausible and even extreme cases should be taken into consideration.

'If it were psychological, the symptoms wouldn't be so wide-ranging. There'd be no pattern.'

He continued to examine Alter's body, eliminating possibilities one by one.

Usually, psychological factors result from a particular trauma, the side effects of which manifest in specific parts of the body.

However, Alter's symptoms were systemic, devoid of any clear pattern.

'If it's an unknown disease, there would be distinctive symptoms... If magic had interfered, there would be traces.'

Focusing intently on his diagnosis, hapnen furrowed his brow.

There were no unusual symptoms, and if there had been external magical intervention, the spell would still be in effect now.

Ruling out even those possibilities meant only one remained.

'You couldn't not notice if it were a curse...'

Curses were a technique favored by corrupted mages.

They brought suffering and misfortune to their targets, or secured benefits for the caster.

However, they always left clear evidence and could be swiftly detected and cleansed via sacred arts.

'There's only one spot where a curse could be hidden...'

When clergy conduct physical diagnoses, they examine the whole body thoroughly, but there is one place they never touch carelessly.

If outside magic power comes into contact with it, that part could seize up or even shut down completely.

Thus, treatment is not easy for that area—even the most capable clergy approach it with extreme caution.

'There's nothing particularly... huh?'

Hapnen noticed something and leaned in for a more detailed look.
After double- and triple-checking, he finally released Alter's hand.

"... Sir Alter, it was a bit of a challenge, but I believe I've found the cause."

"You've found it? What is it?"

"It appears to be a curse. The fact that it's been so carefully concealed suggests it was a deliberate act."

"...?"

Alter stared blankly at Hapnen, unable to accept what he'd just heard.

He had been convinced there must be a reason, but had never suspected it would be a curse.

After all, he had lived only in the northern region since childhood—how could he have been cursed?

"There's a curse inscribed on your heart. It hasn't been found until now because it's not possible to easily examine the heart. Even a small amount of magic power could cause an abnormality, so nobody dared touch it."

"Can it be removed?"

"Hmm... Lifting the curse isn't impossible, but I don't recommend it. If your heart stops during the process, it could cost you your life."

"My heart couldn't withstand it?"

"Yes. The impact of removing the curse could be transmitted to your heart... it might get damaged in the process. Restarting a stopped heart is no easy feat."

Maintaining a grave expression, hapnen struggled to continue his explanation.
Alter listened intently, feeling ever more anxious.

Perhaps, hidden within Alter Radiant, was a desperate secret.

'Who cast this curse on me? Could the great mage lift it? I should ask Father as well...'

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