Blasphemous Grace - Chapter 69

Delonas looked up at him, then glanced around the bath. She was weary of such opulent places. Some might call that ungrateful. But she wished to live plainly, working—even if the labor was hard. She cared not for luxury, nor for commanding servants. The price for such things, and those who coveted her, were too many.

Above all, being known across the continent—once a matter of indifference—now felt unbearable. She wished to be unknown. To live peacefully, as simply a person, in such a place. With family… and with a friend.

Of course, her family might dream of restoring the empire. For the sake of the former Beakin imperials groaning under Archion’s heel, perhaps they could not abandon that dream.

“……In a world where my family lives, but in a place where no one recognizes me…” If it were not too greedy, she pressed her lips into a firm line, then cautiously continued. “I want to live with my friend.” As in those childhood days.

At this, Ian’s eyes widened. Carefully, he extended a hand toward her. A movement utterly unlike when the geas had forced his touch. At this sincere gesture, she willingly placed her own hand atop his.

“……!”

He gently drew her into an embrace. He closed his eyes. Tears he did not wish her to see, he tried to hide. Though he was the one who had cast her into the abyss. Though she knew all this and still accepted him. From sorrow, from gratitude. But even tears, he feared, might weigh upon her. So he merely shared his warmth, concealing his tears. And for Delonas, that was answer enough.

***

Lekia still believed the brands upon the two functioned properly. Crown Prince Aldenas’s public disposition was utterly weak-willed; he seemed incapable of defying his younger brother or father. Lekia could not imagine Aldenas had stolen the imperial treasure, the Stone of Protection. Indeed, they had not even verified the stone’s presence.

With Beakin no longer posing a threat, they had grown careless. And into that gap, Aldenas and Ian began to move in unison.

The plan was simple. Or rather, the plan was already in Ian’s hands—he simply had not yet set it in motion. Archion’s commoners still did not rely heavily on holy water in daily life, but its nobles and wealthy elite had already placed it at the center of their existence.

“Hard to imagine how they managed in the old days.”

“Not so old—barely a decade or two past.” Even as they said this, they had forgotten what they had developed and used over centuries until mere decades ago. Cleaning agents enhanced with various additives? Their research had long been discarded. The workshops that specialized in their production had long since closed. This was not limited to cleaning products—it extended to food, clothing, shelter, and even the battlefield.

“Pass me some holy water.”

“Here.” Methods of maintaining blades were forgotten—holy water sufficed. Wound salves were unnecessary—holy water healed. For nobles especially, the all-purpose holy water was a hundred times more advantageous than scarce goods requiring costly acquisition and distribution.

The imperial court was no different. Flowers placed in vases filled with holy water never wilted; surfaces wiped with holy water collected no dust. Moreover, sprinkling holy water on food preserved it and even enhanced its restorative properties. From the daily lives of the imperial family—who received concentrated holy water directly from Lekia—to their very safety, everything depended on it.

Naturally, the moment holy water vanished, all of this would collapse in an instant. Taking advantage of that opening, nobles dissatisfied with the Archion court would rise up. Archion, originally a tribal system, would fragment overnight. Remnants of Beakin would join the fray, and the continent would descend into chaos.

That had been Ian’s original plan.

But.

‘I want to live with my friend.’

She wished to live. And what she desired was not war. It was peace. And nestled in his embrace, she had murmured softly: “The seaside…” She wanted to live unfettered by the sea, where the heart could soar free.

And so, before executing all his plans, on the day of his final secret meeting with Aldenas, Ian stated his terms.