On the morning of Kenneth Diggory’s meeting, Seongjin meditated at the gymnasium as always and devoted himself to one movement.
After training a little earlier than usual, he took a shower and got ready to go out.
In the meantime, there had been one more major clothing repair, but no one would be able to look at Seongjin and think of the old fat boy.
The limbs that had not yet grown were elongated without any flab, and good-looking muscles were firmly established here and there in the body where the fat had disappeared.
Seongjin smiled happily at the suit that was quite sleek.
Looking at it this way, isn’t Morres a pretty handsome guy? Well, the genes of the parents of good boys and girls don’t go anywhere.
With only two men, Sir Marthain and Sir Kurt, as escorts, Seongjin rode the carriage toward the meeting place on the outskirts of the capital. Until then, he had the mindset of going lightly to get some fresh air.
The carriage left the city center, up and down a couple of hills, and began passing sparsely run-down mansions. The wagon rattled badly because of the poor road surface.
“It’s not a neighborhood where the capital’s aristocrats usually stay. I can’t believe there are social gatherings in a place like this.”
Looking at the slightly dreary old houses, Sir Marthain made an impression. He said then he should have known something was wrong.
Not long after, Seongjin and his party arrived at a huge mansion that was, to put it mildly, antique, and objectively looked like a ghost would pop out at any moment. The garden, apparently untouched by the gardener, was overgrown with overgrowth, and withered ivy completely covered the fence and the mansion.
“……”
“Is it right where people live?”
There was a rare look of nervousness on Sir Kurt’s face, who was always gentle.
They were looking for an abandoned house, but soon a servant appeared from the entrance and escorted them into the mansion.
The party arrived at the banquet hall after walking for a long time through the old corridors that were not properly cleaned and were covered with spider webs. Anxiety that something is going wrong grows little by little.
The escort knights were stopped at the entrance of the venue, but Seongjin shook his head quietly at Marthain, who was about to protest. Still, they’ve come this far, so shouldn’t they at least check what kind of meeting it is?
Besides, just in case, Seongjin wore a sword borrowed from the armory around his waist.
Even though he is a beginner in swordsmanship, he is a monster hunter with decades of fighting experience. He was confident that at least one part of his body would be taken out no matter what happened.
Creak.
The door opens with a heavy sound, and soon the whole view of the banquet hall comes in at a glance.
Seongjin, who entered the room, flinched at the moment.
It was because six young men wearing black hooded robes pulled down to their noses all stood up from their seats and approached him.
Even in broad daylight, the banquet hall is covered with thick curtains and does not let in any light. In the middle was a single large mahogany table.
Under the dimly lit candles here and there, the long shadows of young men stretch out in various directions and sway gloomily.
What? What”s this the gloomy group that look like they will launch a demon summoning circle right now?
“Welcome to the meeting of the Black Prophets.”
The young man at the forefront takes off his hood and says.
he wondered where this might be the head of the demon worshipers, but the exposed face was more normal than he thought and had a good impression.
The young face, which seems to have barely passed the terms and conditions, is handsome and sincere. What the hell is a guy like a church brother doing here?
“I have heard a lot about you. My name is Kenneth Diggory. It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”
The greeting voice is obviously polite, but he doesn’t even take a simple short bow toward Seongjin.
It seemed to be left to be seen whether they looked down on Morres, or whether the group itself was in an atmosphere of excluding excessive greetings.
Seongjin nodded without answering and looked around the rest of the people. Seeing the generally calm reactions, it seemed that no one was actually acquainted with Morres.
Oh, except for the guy on the far left over there.
When Seongjin’s eyes met, that chubby robe was visibly embarrassed and flustered.
Maybe it’s that guy? The link between this organization and Morres.
“I’ve heard a lot about you too. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kenneth.”
After briefly greeting the hooded young man, Seongjin opened his arms as he approached the chubby robe.
“Jonathan, Jonathan McCalpen!”
He smiled brightly and squeezed the shoulder of the guy who was slowly backing away.
It’s you right? Where are you going to run to? The culprit who lured Morres to such a suspicious organization.
Seongjin put one arm around Jonathan’s shoulder, who was trembling, and smiled as he looked around at the rest of the crowd.
“Now then, I want to introduce you guys formally, right?”
Seongjin, who had a few words with the members of the Black Prophets, learned surprising facts.
First, these six black-robed young men, including Kenneth, were all classmates at the Theological Academy, or seniors and juniors. Jonathan McCalpen is also two years Kenneth’s junior.
“The priests do not try to explain the questions that arise to anyone. They just tell you to believe, and keep suppressing those who don’t!”
“… Aah, that’s right. It’s bad to force people to blindly believe in something for no reason.”
“So the religious indoctrination and oppression that has covered this continent is preventing people from escaping from the swamp of ignorance. What do you think, Your Highness?”
“Oh, I think it’s a real problem.”
“Exactly!”
What the hell is the normal curriculum for, why are these kids so angry?
Is this okay? Holy Imperial Theological Academy?
Second, most of them were bloodlines of wealthy high-ranking priests in Delcross, a theocratic society. It’s just that they are collateral, or even direct, or they are alienated bastards who are hit by many children and don’t get attention.
Yeah, like Kenneth, the fourth son of the second son.
“The theocratic society is an outdated social structure that has fallen far behind the times. Look at the many kingdoms and principalities that have been subjugated to Delcross! They do their best to keep the cardinal sent from Delcross out of politics. What about the result? Look at the brilliantly developed countries like Rohan and Brittany!”
“… Of course. It is right that religion and politics should be separated. Naturally.”
Rather than attempting to separate theocracy, it was probably to avoid Delcross’ interference in internal affairs.
“This current situation in which direct descendants of high-ranking clergymen inherit high-ranking positions regardless of their ability! If we can’t break this link, the future of Delcross will never be bright!”
Seeing the guy clad in black spouting overheated eloquence while swinging his arm, Seongjin just nodded quietly.
That was right. It’s just that he’s benefited from being a high-ranking priest’s family, but he looks even more angry because he’s not in the line of succession.
Thirdly, Seongjin assumed that Jonathan had seduced the idiot Morres, but in reality, Morres had been begging Jonathan McCalpen to introduce him to this group for about a year.
No, did you really do something useless like that? This trash!
“Due to the nature of our gathering, it was virtually impossible to invite the prince of the Holy Empire to this place. I think you will fully understand how much pressure we are feeling right now.”
Kenneth spoke in a calm tone, occasionally glancing at him as if examining his temper.
“But you said you were close friends with Jonathan, a member. We also had to take into account that you have not spared a lot of financial support for the activities of our Black Prophets over the past year.”
Seongjin almost opened his mouth wide in surprise.
Were there any other organizations that Morres supported?
“So, the members’ opinions came together that it would be difficult to ignore the prince’s request to visit the meeting any longer.”
Jonathan, who is sitting next to him, begins to become visibly restless. Seongjin narrowed his eyes and glared at him.
He thinks he found at least one outside helper who stole the palace funds, but he thought he’d have to take a closer look at him once he got out of here.
“To confess now, I may have secretly believed in the many bad rumors surrounding the prince. Our friend Jonathan is also shy, so it’s a bit difficult to solve misunderstandings……”
Jonathan’s face is now pale.
Guess he wasn’t very active in introducing Morres to this organization. Well, those rumors were all true, so he can’t really blame him.
“However, seeing the prince in person like this today, I realized once again how foolish our prejudice was.”
“Yes, even our members, who claim to be prophets to dispel the ignorance of prejudice, have not been completely free from gossip.”
“I am deeply reflecting.”
“Couldn’t you say that you are the only one of the members of the Holy Imperial Family who can properly see the twists and turns of this empire!”
As soon as he hurriedly cheered for something, it seemed that the members’ liking for Seongjin had risen significantly.
And fourth. In fact, what he found out earlier was nothing compared to this.
“There was a long hesitation before meeting the prince, but today our members made a decision here.”
At Kenneth’s calm declaration, the other four members, except for Jonathan, put their black hoods down to their noses again. Jonathan belatedly put down his hood, but his chubby face was clear that he wanted to cry.
“I am going to officially accept Prince Morres, who is working hard to bring a new future to the continent, as a member of the Black Prophets!”
The black robes nodded in unison. One of them held out the same black robe to Seongjin.
“Uh… I appreciate your decision.”
Seongjin hurriedly put on a robe to hide his embarrassed expression.
“Well then, Prince. Please prepare your heart.”
Kenneth puts on his hood, speaking in a solemn voice.
“Now, as a Black Prophet, it is time to enter into the mysteries of this world.”
“……”
Seongjin’s mind was becoming infinitely more complex now.
Aren’t they just young people with Second Grade Syndrome who are a little dissatisfied with society? What else is the mystery of the world?
Kenneth nodded, and a black robe pushed hard against an empty bookshelf in the corner of the venue.
Creak. The bookshelf spun around, and soon a small alcove appeared. It was a secret space with a dark staircase leading down to the basement.
This is where the atmosphere gets really weird.
Soon, the Black Prophets holding small candles began to descend the basement stairs in a row. Seongjin was caught in the middle of the heat, unable to do this or that, and had no choice but to follow them in silence.
Occasionally stroking the hilt of the sword hidden under his robe, Seongjin descended the seemingly endless narrow staircase.
The lightless stairs became increasingly dark, and it was uneasy to rely on small candles, but before long, small green moss began to appear around them.
At the end of the stairs, a damp stone wall covered with moss soon follows. There were a lot of green spores floating around that gave off a strange glow, and Seongjin had to try hard not to inhale them.
They walked for a long time along the passage lined with stone walls.
The passage widened little by little and eventually ended in front of a huge stone wall. When the group paused at the large door in the middle of the stone wall, Kenneth, who was walking the furthest behind, slowly approached the door and turned toward Seongjin.
“Behold, Prince.”
As he pushed the door back, Kenneth’s gaze was fixed on Seongjin’s face. He spoke to him in a low, slightly exaggerated tone, as if he were performing a play.
“This is the truth that this country hides under the mold of religion, the mystery of the world!”
Creeaak.
Seongjin’s eyes widened as the stone gate slowly opened.
That’s right. The fourth is the most important.
The fact is that these demon worshipers did indeed summon something into this world.
A large space surrounded by stone walls that looks more like a huge cavity than a room.
In the middle of the space, surrounded by moss and glowing green, a black lump that could only be described as a giant maggot wriggled ominously.
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