Chapter 11 – The Child of God (Part 2)

The faces of the three men hardened.

“According to what His Holiness said, the time when the Child of God appears is when the Imperial Family and the two Dukes mentioned in the myth are in various states of crisis. I didn’t hear exactly how they were in crisis, but it is said that the Child of God is essential for restoring stability.”

“……”

“But everything went wrong with the previous Child of God. After being forcibly moved here, their abilities were extracted, and they were experimented on, eventually meeting a tragic end. The story of the mad Emperor and the two Dukes recorded in the Empire’s history is the tragic conclusion of this event.”

As Knox continued, the eyes of the three men grew colder. Their minds were a chaotic mix of thoughts.

“His Holiness originally stated that his existence was ‘a being born at the time the Child of God reappears.’ Therefore, he said his reason for existence was to serve and support the Child of God from behind the scenes. However, due to the disruption, His Holiness, who was supposed to be born at the time of the previous Child of God, was born later, only after the tragedy befell the Child of God.”

“Since they were forcibly moved, even the timing that should have aligned was disrupted.”

“Yes. Because of that influence, His Holiness passed away before the next Child of God appeared.”

“Then where is the next His Holiness now? Since Ria has appeared, they should have been born, but isn’t the Holy Kingdom still closed? Could it be that Ria was also moved not at the original time?”

At Eden’s question, Rune clenched his hands tightly on his lap. He became anxious and uneasy, wondering if the act of trying to save her was actually pushing her towards death. However, even if he went back to that time, he would act the same way. It was the only way to save Ria immediately.

Fortunately, Rune’s anxiety soon ended. Knox shook his head.

“Since things were already disrupted from the previous Child of God, there is no problem with the young lady’s movement. Most importantly, the movement was not associated with dark arts, which is a significant difference from the previous Child of God.”

“Then why?”

“I think perhaps there was another intervention of dark arts in that part. And I suspect that the mastermind behind that and the current kidnapping incident is the same.”

“No way.”

“Yes. We suspect the Imperial Temple as the mastermind.”

Silence fell in the office. Knox assumed the three men’s silence was due to disbelief and quickly added.

“I know you might find it hard to believe. It’s only natural to think it doesn’t make sense for a benevolent and noble temple to do such a thing, or why they would engage in such wicked acts instead of serving the Child of God and His Holiness.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Cherta, who had rubbed his face dry once, leaned his elbow on the armrest of the sofa, supporting his forehead with his hand. If his assumption was correct, it meant the temple had been engaging in forbidden acts and had started to rot long ago.

“This is a story known only to the Imperial Family and us, but since you are suspicious of the temple, Marquis, I’ll say it. It seems the temple has been corrupted for quite some time.”

“What do you mean?”

“We only found out the truth recently. We just thought it had been deeply rooted and rotting for a long time, but listening to you, it seems more serious. Without the Holy Kingdom’s permission, we couldn’t conduct a proper investigation, so all we found out was that 13 years ago, yes, the accident at the Marquis of Verdandy and the accidents of the former Duke and Duchess of Astina, and the former Count of Fernon happened around the same time.”

Cherta shared the information they had discovered with Knox. From the strange incantation to the high probability that the two incidents were deliberate, and the possibility that such acts could happen again.

After hearing the entire story, Knox’s face hardened, and his wrinkled hands clenched into fists so tightly they turned white. The truth that his daughter and son-in-law’s deaths were not accidents but caused by the temple’s intentional actions naturally enraged him. Anger also rose towards himself for not knowing this truth for 13 years.

At that moment, Rune, deep in thought, furrowed his brow and spoke.

“That strange incantation.”

“The one used on the coachman?”

“Yes. Doesn’t it seem related to the black liquid the Marquis mentioned earlier?”

“Why do you think so?”

“Assuming the temple is behind everything, as the Marquis suspects, typically, that strange incantation, the black liquid that melts people and emits a foul smell, none of it seems like something the temple would do. It’s also something that can’t be done with divine power, which mainly involves healing or blessings.”

“That’s true.”

“But if we consider it as something that can be done with a power other than divine power? And if the temple already possesses and can use that power? Then it connects easily. The ‘dark arts’ involved in all the disrupted events so far would be that power.”

“Certainly… Then it also connects to the previous Child of God.”

“When opposing forces collide, they wouldn’t fuse, so it’s a sufficient explanation for how they could extract and experiment on the abilities of the Child of God, who possessed divine power.”

“That means they could control even divine power with opposing force, which implies…”

A thought that took their breath away flashed through their minds.

“If we hadn’t saved Ria, the tragedy of the previous Child of God… could have happened again.”

Their minds went cold. Even the assumption was maddening. It was a moment when they deeply understood why the Emperor and the two Dukes, who lost the Child of God in the past, went mad.

“The temple will target the young lady again. This time, they’ll plan more meticulously. Unless the temple is eliminated, the danger will continue to follow.”

“But without the Holy Kingdom’s permission, we can’t even attack the temple, can we?”

Damn it. 

Eden cursed shortly. Every time that damned Holy Kingdom was mentioned, the path seemed blocked. At that moment, Knox narrowed his eyes and spoke quietly. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes hinted at the experience he had accumulated.

“Isn’t it possible to issue a warning that the Holy Kingdom won’t notice?”

“That they won’t notice?”

“Yes. I found out that the frequency of contact with each temple has decreased since the Holy Kingdom closed its doors. In that case, unless it’s an attack severe enough to close the temple, they might not intervene. There’s a high chance the news won’t reach them.”

“The Holy Kingdom revolves around His Holiness, so it’s not wrong. They might focus on finding His Holiness first and then resolve the issue afterward.”

Cherta tapped the armrest with his index finger, lost in thought. It might be better to issue a warning, letting them know everything. They would hold their breath for a while. It wouldn’t be bad to search their stronghold secretly during this time.

Having made his decision, he lifted his head.

“The two Dukes will accompany me to the temple. We’ll take only a few Imperial Knights, including Diharn, and leave immediately. Meanwhile, Kahin will stay here and guard Ria. That way, I can be somewhat relieved. I also ask this of the Marquis.”

“Don’t worry about that. But what do you intend to do?”

“I’ll tighten the noose around those who don’t know their place. Then they’ll live like mice for a while, and during that time, we’ll focus on finding His Holiness as quickly as possible and getting the Holy Kingdom’s permission. We’ll need a lot of help from the North as well; is that possible?”

“If it’s for my daughter and son-in-law’s revenge, there’s nothing I can’t do. It’s possible.”

“Good. How long does it take to get to the temple from here?”

“It should take about ten days round trip.”

“And for Ria to move her legs?”

“That shouldn’t take more than a week at most.”

A resolute voice flowed from Cherta, who nodded.

“Six days. I’ll be back within six days.”

“Your Highness, that’s… No, never mind. Understood.”

The ten-day journey was suddenly reduced to six days. Normally, Knox would have said it was impossible, but he remembered how they had covered a week’s distance in just four days and changed his words.

Then, there was a knock on the office door. As Knox quickly put the key he had placed on the documents into his inner pocket, the floating characters scattered and disappeared.

“Come in.”

Soon, with Knox’s permission, the head butler entered and politely conveyed a message.

“Count Fernon asked me to inform you three that the young lady has awakened.”

However, before the words were even finished, the three of them left the office without any need to decide who would go first.

“…she has.”

In the blink of an eye, Knox looked at the empty seats and the wide-open door with an expression of disbelief, listening alone to the butler’s final words.