Chapter 61

"Your Majesty. News has arrived from the delegation."

"Oh. Bring it here."

Vailsar Imperial Palace. The Emperor's audience chamber.

Before the Emperor, who had been attending to current affairs together with members of the noble council, a pristine white letter was placed.

"Hmm, the Kelt Holy See's Pope has committed a rather brazen act-let the Counts see as well."

As the Emperor spoke thus and extended the letter, the nobles gathered in the audience chamber began to stir.

"How shall we respond? Dispatching the knightly orders to the Holy See..."

"The knightly orders are reserve forces for the central front. We cannot move them rashly."

"However..."

"Indeed. Those who received my direct commission have been threatened; I cannot simply let that pass in silence."

At the Emperor's words, the magistrate who had brought the news quietly bowed his head.

"Raise the trade tariffs on the Kelt Holy See, and exhume and publicly expose the corpses of the twenty martyrs buried within Vailsar territory, then send those heads to the Holy See."

"Y-Your Majesty!?"

One noble, hearing the Emperor's single sentence, cried out in shock.

Desecrating corpses was already grave; to send them directly to a theocracy like the Holy See was an unprecedented outrage in history.

"P-please reconsider, Your Majesty! There is no reason to provoke the Holy See further...!"

"Miles. Do you believe the Vailsar Empire is a nation that, fearing a small frontier country, ignores its own humiliation?"

At the Emperor's words, the noble who had spoken turned deathly pale.

"Y-Your Majesty! That is not what I meant...!"

"If not, then do you petition Me, Emperor of Vailsar, not to resist the Holy See's outrage?"

Hearing the Emperor speak to this extent, the noble's face became too dreadful to look upon.

The noble, trembling in terror, collapsed as though broken and knelt on the spot.

"I-I have committed a crime deserving death!"

"Is that so? Then you must die."

A single sentence, tossed off as casually as a remark on the weather, plunged the office into silence. How long did the frozen atmosphere persist, so cold that no one dared open their mouth?

"Hahaha, it seems everyone was quite startled?"

The Emperor's laughter broke the heavy silence.

"My apologies. I grew bored and played a brief jest-do not take it too much to heart, Counts."

"Y-your grace is boundless, Your Majesty..."

The noble named Miles, drenched in sweat, staggered to his feet.

'A clear warning that can be sent without resorting to direct military force. In the aspect of personally transporting the executed elves' corpses, the Empire will appear to have observed proper courtesy.'

Count Belkuth, observing from one corner of the office, watched Cardias Emperor with deep eyes as He patted Miles's shoulder.

"Your Majesty. Hiram Belkuth ventures to offer humble counsel."

"Speak."

When the Emperor granted permission, Belkuth, bowing deeply, slowly opened his mouth.

"In this incident, Sir Verkut, who volunteered as a prisoner to preserve the delegation's honor, has ties with my main house as well."

"From what I hear, they were not particularly good ties."

At the Emperor's words, Count Belkuth's face twitched, but he hid his expression and continued.

"...We have yet to repay an earlier offense committed by a member of the main house. Thus, I intend to have our household knights escort the missionaries bound for the Holy See. May we have Your Majesty's leave?"

After a moment's thought at Belkuth's words, the Emperor eventually nodded in assent.

"Very well. That may indeed prove safest. Do as the Count wishes."

"Your grace is boundless, Your Majesty."

Belkuth bowed respectfully and quietly made to withdraw from the audience chamber.

"Ah, Count Hiram. Allow Me one request."

At that moment, as he was about to leave, the Emperor's single sentence made Hiram turn back.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Command me."

"Yan Verkut. Would you deliver this to that knight?"

At the gesture, the Emperor's royal guards handed a small box to Belkuth.

Within the antique box, stamped with the Emperor's seal, lay an iron medal engraved with the Empire's crest.

"An Iron Knight Medal... Do you bestow territory upon Sir Verkut?"

At Hiram's remark, a murmur arose among some nobles.

"Territory? Was he not from the Penal Corps?"

"There are many within the noble council who have yet to receive territory..."

Whether unaware of such whispers or merely feigning ignorance, the Emperor nodded comfortably and spoke.

"He it was who risked his life to save My direct soldiers. Reward is due. I intend to grant him one of My personal domains."

'A private audience and a personal domain-treatment equal to a high official of the Imperial faction or the senatorial class.'

With that inward thought, Belkuth bowed deeply to the Emperor once more.

"I shall convey the order, Your Majesty."

"Very well. My thanks."

Watching Hiram bow and depart the audience chamber, the Emperor's lips curved in a faint smile.

'Whichever you choose, it is your decision; I shall not stop you. Do as you please.'

***

"Your Holiness. This is Bayan."

"Ah. One moment, please."

In a corner of the grand Cathedral, the Pope's private room was so humble that one could scarcely believe it the residence of a head of state.

"...Isn't this just a priests' dormitory?"

"It is, Your Holiness. This is where His Holiness resides."

As Bayan stepped back, the door of the small priests' dormitory opened.

"I am honored to meet Your Holiness."

'Wait, the Pope himself is opening the door?'

Seeing Bayan drop to his knee as the door opened, Yaan hurriedly knelt as well.

"It is an honor to meet you. I am Yan Verk..."

His words trailed off.

'Why are the shoes so small?'

"Yan Verkut. Please raise your head."

The voice, heard directly and not from beyond the door, sounded far too youthful to belong to an old man or a middle-aged man.

While he was thinking that, following the Pope's order, Yaan raised his head-and his eyes widened.

"Welcome. It is my honor to receive such esteemed guests."

The one smiling at him was a boy barely in his early teens.

"..."

For a moment Yaan was speechless, staring blankly. At his gaze, the Pope gave an awkward smile.

"Were you surprised? That such a child could be Pope?"

"Not at all. Forgive my rudeness."

"Oh, it's all right! Please raise your head!"

Flustered, the Pope pulled Yaan to his feet; Yaan struggled to turn his mind from its constant stalling.

'This is the Pope? The one who threatened the delegation, prepared for war with the Empire, is this child?'

While he was thinking that, the Pope led the risen Yaan to a desk in the corner of the room.

A plain desk and chair of dark coniferous wood, a bed, a bookshelf covering one wall, and a cross-the symbol of the Creator.

'They say clergy should be frugal, but this is excessive.'

As Yaan surveyed the room and judged the Pope's quarters, a youthful voice reached his ears.

After seating Yaan, the Pope himself boiled water and prepared tea and refreshments.

Despite his tender age, the hair swept to one side was as gray as an old man's.

"For a papal office, it's a rather shabby room, isn't it?"

"No, that is..."

"Many of the cardinals objected. They said the papal office must have grandeur or its authority would suffer."

Speaking thus, the young Pope brought over a plate of tea and sweets.

"After the Commander's tea, now the Pope's. For the faithful, this would be a lifelong dream."

"Haha, my skills are unrefined."

Watching Ren speak to the Pope so casually, Yaan felt his head throb.

Yaan enjoyed luxuries no ordinary human could taste in a lifetime, yet as he took the cup at the Pope's gesture, his face showed no hint of emotion.

No, to be precise, he had no room to feel excitement amid the current chaos.

"Most people from the Holy See are used to it, but visitors from abroad are usually surprised. The entire continent is at war, so there's no opportunity for rumors to spread."

"Ah, yes."

"How is the tea? I bought it at a teahouse three blocks from the Cathedral. The owner always gives me good leaves."

"I'm sorry. I'm not well-versed in tea."

"Not at all. What matters is speaking together. Ah, come to think of it...."

The Pope, offering everyday topics in such a relaxed manner, as if welcoming a guest to a teahouse.

"Yes. I believe so."

"It's a field I know little about."

"My apologies."

"Ah, yes."

Yet Yaan could only give brief replies to such comfortable questions.

Never having experienced anything like this in his life until now, Yaan couldn't even guess what expression to wear.

Still, the Pope seemed to enjoy talking with Yaan and kept speaking.

The conversation with the boy who ruled the Kelt Holy See continued for another thirty minutes before calming somewhat.

"Ah, the tea has gone cold. I fear I babbled on by myself."

"Not at all. More importantly, you said there was something you wished to say."

Seeing Yaan force a change of subject, the Pope's words paused.

For a moment, the Pope quietly studied his face.

Meeting his gaze, Yaan soon realized the Pope's eyes were fixed on his left eye.

"It's certain. You've been chosen by the angel and taken the Test."

At the Pope's words, Yaan's eyes darkened as he recalled Cardinal Sian, whom he had met yesterday.

A sacred duty. To become the successor of the Ancients and awaken the ruins.

'Creator's glory? Nonsense. You'll just be devoured by a relic and turned into a monster.'

As he thought this and prepared words of refusal, the Pope's quiet voice reached him.

"Yan Verkut. The reason I called you is to make a request, as the Pope, to you."

"A... request, Your Holiness?"

The Pope nodded gently to the cautiously questioning Yaan.

The red tea in the small cup lit the young Pope's resolute face.

"Do you know what lies in the Kelt Holy See, located at the continent's northernmost tip? A snowfield covered in perpetual snow."

At those words, Ren, who had been sitting quietly beside Yaan listening, looked at the Pope.

"There. You can't go."

"I know. But the cardinals of the other dioceses did not think so."

"How many did you send?"

"At present, fifteen confirmed. And they plan to form a large-scale investigation team."

When he said that, Ren quietly closed her eyes.

Seeing her downcast expression, Yaan frowned and asked.

"Since this kid reacted, it must be a site related to the Ancients, but where exactly?"

"Alcatraz. An ancient human city."

At Ren's emotionless words, Yaan froze exactly as he was.

"...Did I just mishear?"

"No. It is precisely as the angel said. Beyond the Iron Wall that blankets the northern Kelt Holy See's snowfield... lies the Creator's sanctuary, the Crystal City."

As he spoke, the Pope pulled a small map from his pocket. Drawn on it was a terrain he had never seen, recorded on no map of the continent.

"I've heard the end of the Iron Wall is uninhabited wasteland."

"In the Empire, only Emperor Cardias knows. In Alfraia, only the Saint King possesses this information."

"Kelt and Janskarl attempted the investigation. Only here succeeded."

At Ren's supplementary explanation, Yaan quietly pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Please accompany the investigation team heading to the sanctuary and protect them. That is my request."

After saying this, the Pope's eyes as he looked at Yaan were earnest.

"Since you wear Imperial Army uniform, you cannot board a colossus anywhere in the Holy See."

"Even if I escort the team, there's no guarantee they'll be safe."

"No. What is needed is not that, but you, Yan Verkut."

"Is it not the status of the Creator's guest that is needed, rather than me?"

Unable to hold back, Yaan blurted it out, then realized his mistake and quickly bowed his head.

"My apologies. That was careless."

"No, I understand. I cannot know what you endured to reach here."

Sighing as he looked at the Pope, Yaan asked him again.

"If I protect them, what benefit will there be?"

"Benefit?"

When the Pope echoed the word, Yaan quietly crossed his arms and asked him.

"They have illegally trespassed into the sanctuary, so they are no longer under the Holy See's jurisdiction. They even intend to dispatch a large-scale team without reporting to His Holiness."

"...That's correct."

At the Pope's affirmation, Yaan continued.

"Then why do you seek to protect them? Even prepared for a clash with the Empire?"

The officials might claim it ended amicably, but the repercussions of the Pope's actions were considerable.

"Vailsar does not wage war."

"But they'll deliver a retaliation equal to it."

"Indeed. Whether threats or condemnation aimed at me, they won't hesitate."

"Knowing that, why?"

Yaan had already seen countless elf villages wiped out under the pretext of retaliation.

Yet the Pope only offered a faint smile at Yaan's words.

"Because, more than such trivial things, I believe those lives in immediate danger are more precious."

...What?

"...That is your reason?"

"I will take responsibility for my choice myself. I won't allow the Holy See's people to come to harm."

"...."

The young Pope spoke thus with a faint smile.

Hearing those words for the first time in his life, Yaan froze on the spot, unable to utter a word.