Chapter 98. Good, but Bad

Step, step.

There was someone pacing around restlessly in the dim office.

High Priest Garot, was constantly frowning and peering out the window. He finally spoke in a vexed voice.

"Why is there no word from the Black Chains!"

His words, akin to a threat, made the priests assisting him flinch.

"It doesn't feel right, High Priest."

One of the priests, despite their fear, mustered up the courage to speak.

"What doesn't feel right?"

"The Black Chains answer not only to you, High Priest, but also to other high priests. 'Chancel of Seven Seats' is structured this way. If they have revealed our smuggling of a holy relic from the Holy Hall to another high priest..."

The priest looked so terrified that it was almost pitiable.

It was a reasonable concern.

However, it was not something Garot could accept.

Smuggling a holy relic from the Holy Hall was a grave crime.

While it might not be sufficient to strip him of his position as High Priest, it was surely enough to shake his standing.

"... Shouldn't you perhaps consider leaving the Holy City for a while as a precaution?"

It was a reasonable suggestion.

Lying low until the current chaos subsides could provide new opportunities.

"Are you telling me to run away?"

But Garot could not accept that.

How much effort and investment had gone into reaching this position?

Leaving the Holy City would be tantamount to discarding all the hard work done so far.

"What happened to Idel?"

"... There is no word from Sir Idel either."

"You damn fool!"

Uncharacteristically for a High Priest, Garot cursed.

He hadn't pinned much hope on Idel but now that things were turning unfavorable, his absence felt significant.

'Yulian...!'

If Idel had died, there was only one possibility.

Yulian Cryphart Frason, the guard commander of the visiting Prince Eulsis from the Ardra Empire.

"Enough. If it has come to this, I will personally..."

"Well, where do you think you're going, High Priest Garot?"

As Garot was about to march to the consecrated chamber, the office door burst open and a woman entered, her face half-covered with a fan.

"... High Priestess Shalana."

Garot muttered her name in a low, sunken voice.

"Oh, don't frown so much. Your already fierce-looking face, it'll look even older, we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"Thank you for your concern."

"Oh, what are fellow high priests for?"

She spoke while covering her lower face with a fan, smiling with her eyes.

Garot knew she wasn't really considering him a 'fellow' high priest when saying such things.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Oh, don't you know better than anyone?"

"I'm not sure what you're implying."

Garot could feel a cold sweat trickling down his back.

"You secretly smuggled out a holy relic from the Holy Hall, didn't you? And a high-grade relic at that."

"You falsely accuse me, Shalana."

"Falsely accuse? It'd be uncomfortable for me to say that without evidence or witnesses, wouldn't it?"

Snap!

As she snapped her fingers, a familiar face appeared.

"You...."

It was one of the Black Chains he had put under surveillance on other high priests.

With a haughty expression, Shalana leisurely waved her fan.

"What about the priests who conducted the ritual?"

"One seems to have died. Another is unconscious but may be able to testify."

"Oh my, how fortunate."

Snap.

Shalana laughed and closed her fan.

"Not only that, but bribery, leaking of secrets, suspicious deaths of priests... You've been living quite an interesting life."

"Wh-what... How many false charges are you going to pile on me...!"

"Rather than slinging your smuggled relic over to His Imperial Highness Eulsis..."

As Shalana continued, Garot felt the world around him grow dark.

How had it come to this?

These were affairs he should have been able to keep under wraps, and yet how had they come to light?

'I was too... hasty.'

Garot, who had committed all sorts of misdeeds to ascend from a mere believer to the position of High Priest, faced a harsh truth.

If exposed, everything he had built would crumble overnight.

- 'A life as fragile as a fly... hoho.'

Much like Yulian's previous soliloquy, the position of High Priest he held was one achieved on the fragile thread of "a fly's life".

That impatience had led him astray.

The squinty, all-knowing eyes seemed to peer into everything, pushing him to make a hasty decision with no emotion attached.

"Then, until the trial, we will take charge of High Priest Garot's safety. Don't worry too much~ If you're truly innocent, the Sun God will surely help."

Creak.

Shalana's snake-like laughter echoed, and Garot gritted his teeth.

This time, if he could just get through this time.

He vowed revenge.

Not just on Shalana! But also on that damnable slit-eyed fiend!

***

Although the only exit, the staircase, had collapsed, fortunately, there was an escape route in the basement.

As it was a disposal site for demon carcasses, the ceiling was structured to open and close for ventilation of the toxic air.

Though it was quite high, for those of a certain capability, escaping that way was not too difficult.

After escaping there, Eulsis moved to the ward, while I and Rinne head to our quarters.

Throughout the journey, Rinne nagged me to get treated.

"... Isn't it cold with holes like that?"

In a somewhat curt yet concerned voice, Rinne asked, but I shook my head.

"I'm fine."

"... If you say so."

To Rinne's slightly pouty expression, I merely offered a gentle smile.

Go to the medical facility of the Holy Kingdom looking like this?

The moment they discover the 'Sombra' patching my wounds harbors demonic energy, my head would be the next on the chopping block.

Once again, I repeat, my goal in this life is 'Safety First.'

Yet, strangely enough, whether 'Sombra' possesses a pain-killing effect, or this damned pathological dignified bearing is acting as an anesthetic, much of the pain had subsided.

===

⇒ The trait 〈Amnesia〉 has transformed into 〈New Sword Saint〉.

===

Perhaps it was also the aftermath of acquiring this new trait.

During the battle with Idel, I had wielded the sword used by the Sword Saint, which altered my trait.

'New Sword Saint....'

A strange trait and title indeed.

Originally, the protagonist of this piece was the 'Sword Saint', and the appearance of 'new' implies the protagonist's demise.

'Do you really expect me to play protagonist?'

Perish the thought, yet the possibility of 'maybe' also crossed my mind concurrently.

A derelict Sword Saint, plus one who willingly implanted demonic energy into his body, couldn't possibly be the protagonist.

"I'll go check on Prince Eulsis's condition."

Rinne's voice cut through my musings, rousing me from my thoughts.

Rinne, just in case, was heading to check on Eulsis, who would be receiving treatment elsewhere.

Given this was potentially hostile territory with frequent incidents, it seemed wise for her to act that way.

Once she disappeared, the surroundings grew silent.

Though it was conducive to organizing my thoughts, a presence was following me.

A quick 'mana detection' identified it as a Black Chain.

'Have they come to clean up?'

Most likely it was one of those who had been tailing me a while back under the High Priest's orders.

Cooperation underground was due to the mutual demon threat, but now things might not be the same.

On high alert, I reached for my sword....

"Sir Yulian, rather...."

Huh?

"Bishop Yulian, I apologize for the late introduction."

At the Black Chain's words, I felt a brief dizziness.

Well, well, a Dawn Society agent even here?

"You notice so calmly, you must have expected as much."

I was just so astonished I couldn't respond.

"How could allies with a common purpose not recognize one another?"

"... So you allowed the tail because you knew?"

No, I let you be purely to avoid any unnecessary commotions....

"Otherwise, we wouldn't even be having this conversation, would we? Huhut."

Nonetheless, I decided to indulge the imagination oozing from the fellow.

It was, after all, very 'Yulian' to do so, and it wasn't like adhering to it was a bad deal.

Gulp.

Chilled by my unspoken warning, the Black Chain began to perspire, revealing a familiar sight.

A purple haze indicative of fear.

'Despite knowing I have three holes in my body, you still react this way.'

To be honest, people in the Holy Kingdom often seemed oddly aloof to the name 'Yulian', which was a tad disappointing.

I guess I've become more 'Yulian'-like myself.

It seems the title of 'wanting attention' is now almost engrained.

This is the flavor of the homeland.

'But still, having a Dawn Society member even here...'

How deeply have they burrowed their roots?

"What happened to the High Priest who caused us so much trouble?"

That was the High Priest's doing, wasn't it?

Testing the Black Chain subtly through a figurative question.

"... It appears that High Priestess Shalana currently has High Priest Garot detained for smuggling holy relic."

Indeed, it was as expected, the High Priest's deed.

And to think it was Garot, the one who had directly conducted Eulsis's blessing back at the Empire.

While Eulsis pulled on the thread of peace with the Holy Kingdom, Garot too probably thought of the Imperial Prince in a similar fashion.

He might have wanted to implant 'suggestions' to reinforce that thread even a little.

"I apologize for not informing you sooner or taking steps when I should have. There were too many eyes watching."

"It's fine. Being an informant is akin to walking on thin ice anyway."

"... Thank you for understanding."

Understanding, my foot! I nearly died because of you!

"Still, knowing that all this was the doing of High Priest Garot... you must have planned this battle at the Sanctum of Solitude, too."

The Black Chain, affiliated with the Dawn Society, spoke with a slightly admiring tone.

"The Sanctum of Solitude was constructed by the Sword Saint for his own safety. And to have toppled it completely..."

What kind of absurdity is this again?

That Sanctum of Solitude wasn't built by a High Priest but by 'Hayden Reich'?

'You've really gone off the deep end. Crazy bastard.'

A knave consumed by power, akin to 'Yulian', but through first-hand experience, I find this Sword Saint just as atrocious.

After all, it was the 'player' who had crafted the Sword Saint into a paragon through choices, yet, the way was ruthlessly indiscriminate.

Even so, I truly liked the 'Sword Saint' I chose.

"Archbishop, no, even High Pontiff Tenelon will be satisfied."

Not that I did it for their satisfaction.

It was purely for survival.

But since things turned out this way, what's the harm?

Let's throw in a little lip service and move on.

"It was something necessary. All of this is for the great cause of the Dawn Society. You're doing well, too."

"Thank you for saying so, Sir Yulian!"

The previously slightly undercast face of the Black Chain brightened instantly, filled with respect.

***

A Sword Saint who designed the Sanctum of Solitude to condense demon's demonic energy.

A High Priest who smuggled out holy relics and aimed their blade at us.

Those were immense incidents dwarfing others.

Yet, the greatest threat to me at present was this,'... Eulsis still had not opened his eyes.'

The activation of the holy relic 'Imprinted Falsehood' had been halted.

However, during its preparation, something might have occurred.

He could have suffered a head injury, or there might be an issue with a critical organ, like his brain.

'If by any chance, Eulsis cannot wake up....'

One could easily predict what would happen to me, the guard.

Even if losing Eulsis wouldn't impact the line of royal succession due to his elder siblings, a royal is still a royal.

Even if there's leniency in terms of grave punishment, the Imperial Court is littered with jackals who'd see my neck at the guillotine at the first chance.

If Eulsis remains unconscious or declared deceased here, cold clarity would be required.

'... Perhaps I truly might have to follow the Sword Saint.'

Thud.

As I was on standby outside, the infirmary door burst open, and Rinne dashed out, having verified Eulsis's condition inside.

"Prince Eulsis has awakened!"

Looks like I won't need those asylum preparations after all.

Clacky's Corner:Nice, Eulsis woke up just in time.

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