Chapter 10
After the Emperor departed, Elena moved to an empty reception room for a moment.
“Saintess. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. I just have something to think about.”
“It’s because of the Emperor, isn’t it?”
“Mm. That’s right. It’s a bit bothersome.”
At Elena’s answer, Bella ground her teeth.
“He is clearly a crazy bastard. Suddenly staring at the Saintess like that, then just asking your age and leaving abruptly!”
“Exactly. It was strange.”
He surely came to the Grand Temple personally to meet her, yet when they actually met, he just asked her age and left as if fleeing. Even thinking about it again, she couldn’t understand.
“The aide who was next to the Emperor earlier, did you say he was Baron Rafiano? He looked flustered too, didn’t he?”
“Yes. He looked so surprised his eyes almost popped out because the Emperor just left by himself.”
“That means it was the Emperor’s arbitrary action.”
The Imperial Family had never expressed any position regarding Saintess Elena until now. Even just to keep the Grand Temple’s power in check, it would be natural to deny her existence, but the current Emperor had acted indifferently, as if he didn’t even know of Saintess Elena’s existence.
“Since he has now kicked out his nephew and safely become Emperor, perhaps he came with the intention to keep you in check starting from now?”
“Mm. It was three years ago that the current Emperor ousted his nephew and ascended to the throne, right?”
“Yes. It was extremely noisy back then. On the last day of the New Year’s banquet, they suddenly announced that ‘The Late Emperor has passed away’, and then the very next day, unilaterally notified that the Crown Prince was deposed because he was not in a state to inherit the throne.”
“Was there a reason to handle it so urgently?”
“No way. honestly, the Late Emperor collapsed the year the Late Empress died, so it had been over ten years, right? There were even rumors suspecting madness, asking why he was suddenly acting like that after behaving well all that time.”
“Since it is a family that has lasted a thousand years, it is about time a crazy person appeared.”
At Elena’s muttered words, Bella burst into laughter, saying the Saintess certainly had a funny way of speaking. It was a laugh that made the listener feel good. Of course, Elena hadn’t said it as a joke, but meant it sincerely.
Anyway, since signs of getting entangled with the Imperial Family were already showing, it was right for Elena to prepare as best she could.
“Bella. Please investigate matters related to the Imperial Family. Events that happened during the Late Emperor’s reign, or rumors circulating regarding the recent Emperor, anything is fine.”
Having survived facing four Devils, if she were to get wrongly tangled with a crazy Emperor and die, it would be so unfair she wouldn’t even be able to return to Eclard’s embrace.
* * *
After entrusting the investigation to Bella, Elena headed to the Pope’s office as planned. Although there was no appointment, the Pope seemed to have already heard the news that the Saintess was coming.
“Come in, Saintess.”
A tall man with black hair reaching his waist, interspersed with sparse white hairs, opened the door himself to welcome Elena.
The highest authority of the Eclard Church. Johann Klemes Lübeck, who overcame the limitations of his origin with the support of wealthy Eastern nobles and seized the position of Pope.
He was famous for having such a handsome face that it was said he became Pope thanks to his looks, but today, with added fatigue, he looked pitiful. It seemed he had consumed quite a bit of mental energy in his private meeting with the Emperor.
“Priest Arhalte. Serve tea to the Saintess and leave us.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
As soon as Elena entered the office, the Pope sent out not only his aide priest but also the escort knights he always kept with him. Then, with a terribly exhausted face, he gave the answer to the business Elena hadn’t even asked about yet.
“A Devil appeared in the West two months ago. The Emperor came because of that matter.”
Elena almost spat out the tea she was holding in her mouth.
“Wait a moment, a Devil appeared in the West over two months ago, and you mean to say I didn’t know about it until now?”
“No one knows. It descended in such a closed-off place, and the place trapped in the black fog happens to be a location closely related to the Imperial Family, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“If the person who treats the Imperial Family like an enemy hesitated to intervene, is it perhaps the tomb of the First Emperor or something?”
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