Chapter 65: 039. Imperial Prince is Heading Out to Enjoy a Festival -2 (Part One)
**
The archbishop and his fellow bishops hurriedly fled from the courtroom, leaving only the Holy Emperor Kelt Olfolse and his grandson, the First Imperial Prince Luan, behind to man their positions.
They stared at each other and began their discussion.
Luan started speaking first. “With what Raphael said… Do you think he’s onto something?”
“Do you mean the ‘holy undead’?”
Luan looked at his own hand. The unblemished white skin entered his view. Even after a month, he still found himself touching his own skin several times in a day.
He continued on. “He brought about this miracle called resurrection, grandfather. I may sound like a lunatic by saying this, but I keep thinking that things like a holy undead being created wouldn’t be impossible for him to pull off.”
He shifted his gaze back to Kelt Olfolse.
The emperor looked confused as well. “I can’t figure it out. How can a set of rules that contradict itself exist? However… if what Raphael has said is all true, then that only means Allen is still hiding something from us.”
“Why doesn’t he tell us the truth?”
“Because he doesn’t trust us. We ourselves are guilty after all.”
The guilt of banishing the boy and abandoning him – there was also the threat of assassination, and yet the Imperial Family chose to turn a blind eye.
That was most likely the reason for Allen’s distrust of the entire Imperial Family.
Just as a bitter grin began spreading on Kelt’s lips, a Paladin quietly approached and whispered something to his ear before presenting a message. “Your majesty, a letter from her highness the First Imperial Princess.”
Kelt Olfolse furrowed his brows and broke open the wax seal. After scanning through the contents, he shook his head. “We got rid of the pests, but now it’s the wild beasts’ turn, it seems.”
According to the letter, demonic creatures were going on a rampage nearby the expansive forest found in the Hilda fiefdom, which was located in the northwest of the Empire.
Kelt Olfolse asked the Paladin, “Which Order of Cross?”
“Your majesty, the Order of the Verdant Cross has been dispatched as per her highness’s instruction.”
“What seems to be the problem then?”
“The enemy has proven to be quite crafty, your majesty. They attack swiftly, and then withdraw just as quickly back to the forest, their natural territory. Not even the members of the Verdant Cross dare to carelessly tread in their backyard, your majesty.”
Kelt Olfolse groaned under his breath.
Luan, who was sitting on the opposite balcony, tilted his head. “Did something happen, your majesty?”
“It’s from the First Imperial Princess, Hilda. She says things have gotten somewhat complicated.”
“Is it because of the demonic beasts?”
Kelt shrugged his shoulders. “It’s likely that the news of Vampires fleeing from our land has even reached that place. That’s probably the reason why those beasts began their rampage.”
While saying this, the Holy Emperor turned his head in another direction. His attention was now resting on a group entering through the courtroom’s entrance, who consisted of one girl and two men – Charlotte, Gril, and Harman.
Gril was exceptionally cautious as he studied the atmosphere inside. Lord Jenald left for his fiefdom quite a while ago, and that was why only the farmer and Charlotte had been invited here.
“Uhm, excuse me… D-dear Paladin-nim? Why did you summon us here?”
It was at that very moment Kelt arrived before the group. “I summoned you all today so that I can bestow upon you with suitable rewards for defending our northern territory.”
All of the colours drained out of Gril’s complexion at the Holy Emperor’s entrance. He hurriedly prostrated on the ground.
Unlike him, though, Charlotte adhered to the established etiquette of the imperial court by getting down on one knee and bowing her head.
“Oh-hoh!”
Kelt’s brows arched in a soft smile as he observed Charlotte.
Gril might be one thing, but as far as he was concerned, this girl truly possessed an air similar to a knight undergoing training in the imperial court.
“I’d like to reward you both.”
Luan also came down from the balcony and stood before them. He produced a document from inside his robe, an official decree of peerage, which was marked with both the Holy Emperor’s handwriting as well as his Imperial Seal.
Kelt Olfolse spoke up, “You shall be granted nobility.”
Gril, still face down while kowtowing on the floor, was making a puzzled expression.
Nobility?
He recalled that it was some throwaway joke the Paladin named Harman told him in the past. So why was his majesty making the same joke now too?
“Hear ye, oh the present head of the House of Count Heraiz, Gril Heraiz.”
Gril flinched nastily.
Gril Heraiz? Who or what was even this Heraiz thing? He raised his head with a dazed expression etched on his face.
“Not only did you ably defend our northern territory, you are also the only member of our aristocracy who supported my youngest grandchild, Allen Olfolse. As such, I shall bestow upon you the title of Marquis.”
Gril’s jaw figuratively fell to the ground.
“In addition, your daughter, Charlotte Heraiz, will be granted the peerage of Paladin. She will be accepted into the knight order directly under my command, the Order of the Golden Cross.”
“H-hang on, I beg y-your pardon… Your majesty?”
Gril’s eye muscles were noticeably twitching now.
“Of course, if you wish to continue living in anonymity, then I shall respect your decision and not force it upon you. However, Charlotte, what say you?”
She kept her head bowed during her reply, “I swear to continue protecting his highness.”
“I see. I give you my praise for your loyalty, child. The moment you reach adulthood, you shall be bestowed with your own peerage and the Imperial Court will spare no expenses in supporting your growth. I shall also write a recommendation letter to the academy in my name. I have an acquaintance named Oscal staying there. He shall teach you the mastery of the sword,” the Holy Emperor spoke with a content smile on his lips. “I pray that Gaia’s blessing and the everlasting glory of our Theocratic Empire will always be with you…!”
And so, the Holy Emperor Kelt Olfolse bestowed peerage to both Gril and Charlotte. He then left the courtroom, leaving behind Luan and the rest.
The First Imperial Prince then lightly patted Harman’s shoulder. “Harman, you’ve done well. We’ll increase the amount of supporting funds meant for your bestowed territory, so don’t be shy and spend it as you see fit.”
“I’m honoured, your highness.”
Harman bowed deeply after hearing his words.
Luan exited from the courtroom next. And now, only Harman, Gril, and Charlotte remained in the area.
The Paladin shifted his gaze over to Gril. “I’m relieved that your loyalty has been sufficiently rewarded toda…”
“Just what on earth happened here?!”
Gril shouted out while hurriedly holding his own head. But then, he suddenly reached to grab Harman by the shoulders, and shook the latter, hard.
Looking as if all semblance of rationale had abandoned him, cold sweat drops trickled down his face as he continued crying out. “Just… just what the hell happened to me?! P-p-peerage?! What’s this all about Counts and Marquises and all that?!”
Harman furrowed his brows. “Gril, my man. Calm down. Aren’t you Gril Heraiz?”
Gril’s eyes widened to an unbelievable degree. “Who said that?!”
“There was that document with his majesty’s seal branded on it, wasn’t there?”
Gril immediately recalled the tattered piece of document he ‘picked’ up back in Ronia.
Harman continued on, “You don’t have to hide it from me nor from his majesty anymore. He has already acknowledged it, therefore…”
“I only picked that up, you know?!”
Harman flinched a little and tilted his head. “Say that again?”
“I said, I picked it up! We were busy getting rid of the corpses back in Ronia fiefdom, but then, my friend Hans dumped that paper on me! That’s how I came across it!”
“N-no, hold on for a second here…”
“Did you confirm it? Did you properly confirm my ancestry, sir Paladin?!”
“…”
Forget about confirming or whatnot for a moment here, didn’t the Seventh Imperial Prince trust this man? And his daughter also knew Imperial Swordsmanship, didn’t she?
Not to mention, this man was also involved in hunting down the Progenitor Vampire, Morgana the Witch, and even the King of Gluttony too.
If all these feats weren’t proof enough, then what would?
There was simply no way that a mere commoner would provide help in killing a Progenitor, hunt down a witch, and win against a zombified bear in battle…
Gril cried out, “Those were all lies!”
“Lies?!”
“I made up those stories so I’d have something to boast about down at my local pub!” Gril held his head once more. “M-M-Marquis… A bloody Marquis?! C-Charlotte, if it’s Marquis, it’s that, right? That? Baronet, Baron, Viscount, and… and, what comes after that, Charlotte?”
“Count.”
Charlotte responded in an unconcerned voice, and Gril animatedly nodded his head. “Yes! That’s right! A Count! A Marquis comes after that! Oh my dear goddess! It’s a major nobility! Wh-what is with this sudden situation?!”
Harman’s eyes started trembling powerfully while he listened on. He shifted his gaze over to Charlotte, hoping for some kind of verification from her.
She coolly nodded. “The events of killing Morgana the Witch, King of Gluttony, and the Progenitor Vampire are all purely the achievements of his highness, the Seventh Imperial Prince. Gril and I are simply commoners.”
Harman urgently turned his head towards Gril. “Is that really true?!”
“Yes, it’s all true! Aaargh, this fella! How can a fella like you be so frustratingly thick-headed?!”
Gril must’ve completely forgotten about the fact that he was addressing a Paladin of all people and as a matter of fact, he even began stomping on the ground in frustration.
He just couldn’t wrap his head around this event where he somehow ended up with a nobility of marquis. However, that ship had set sail already.
A commoner, not even a count, ended up being bestowed with the title of marquis. Meanwhile, Charlotte shot right past the ranks of regular Paladins and became a member of the Order of the Golden Cross, a knight order that answered to no one but the Holy Emperor.
Harman’s mouth clamped shut real tightly.
While bestowing these peerages, the Holy Emperor held Gril’s hands and patted Charlotte on her head as if he had been deeply moved by their loyalty. Even the First Imperial Prince Luan lightly patted Harman on the shoulder and offered some words of encouragement.
All of these events, all of these accidents… they were all caused by Harman’s misunderstandings.
Large cold sweat drops visibly trickled down Harman’s ashen-coloured forehead.
What if this lie was to be exposed? He had basically deceived both the Holy Emperor and the First Imperial Prince at the same time.
Harman reflexively shielded his neck; knowing those two’s personalities… there was simply no way they would let this one slide if the truth got out.
While thinking to himself, it can’t be… Harman began recalling the Seventh Imperial Prince’s face just then.
