In one of the kingdom’s conference rooms, the representative of the Angel Cult, who had been summoned here by the kingdom because of the Cassius affair, were sitting across the table.
The warm sunshine outside seemed to be a lie, but the room was cold and tense.
In front of Alto, whose face was unreadable, Archbishop Amanda, dressed in white monastic garb, was sitting with a soft face.
For either side this was as expected, both sides responding to each other without conceding their claims.
“Does that mean you want to say that what that Yang guy did had nothing to do with you?”
“As you say. It is a pity for us that …… his arbitrary actions have caused His Majesty and Prince Alto to distrust us.”
“That’s not going to work.”
Alto, with a cold atmosphere around him, told a sad-faced Amanda.
“The Angel Cultists were involved in the kidnapping. Celestia, who had revealed this, was no doubt an obstacle. There is a high probability that Yang and Cassius assisted the Demon King. After luring Celestia out, the Demon King eliminated Cassius and Yang, who were no longer needed. That would make perfect sense.”
“……”
Amanda’s brow was still slightly furrowed as she tried to keep a calm expression.
From the kingdom’s point of view, they were already convinced that they were related to the [Demon King of the Isolated Island] because they were looking for Hero. But he had no intention of pursuing this point further here.
As long as the supreme bishop of Benedict didn’t come in person, whatever was asked could be easily denied by answering “I will bring this question back properly” like this.
“… Although I don’t know about kidnapping, but we did search for Heroes. But that’s just to make sure they are safe and to protect them. In fact, many of them were raised in the orphanages we run.”
As a trump card, she was going to use the fact that about half of the children taken away had survived.
“So it’s outrageous to say that Angel Cult is working with the Demon King,” she said.
“So it’s with Kujaro, then?”
“Phew, that’s troubling. That’s why I said that the facts that would prove it were completely non-existent.”
One of the bishops behind Amanda felt the pressure released by Alto couldn’t help but hold his breath, and Amanda responded in a somewhat troubled and softer tone.
“Then, what should we do with Yan, the suspect?”
“If he’s a criminal, he should be tried according to the law. Even if he is an Angel Cultist. I’ll leave it to the country to deal with him.
“…… Marton.”
Alto, who thought it would be a waste of time to continue this conversation, turned his attention to Duke Marton Dee.
After a slight nod from Marton, Alto ended the meeting.
“I want you to refrain regarding missionary activities and key members.”
“…… ha, huh?”
Amanda’s expression crumbled in the face of those unexpectedly strong words.
“That’s only natural. After all, you’re still full of suspicion. We’ll be conducting an on-site investigation, so be prepared for that.
With these words, he completely ignored the dumbfounded Amanda ……
“So that’s it.”
And with that he left the room early with Marton in tow.
“……”
Although there were soldiers in charge of surveillance nearby, Amanda didn’t care about them at all and bit her lip tightly.
Religion was a troublesome thing. Because it was the home of people’s hearts, the slightest show of careless action would be met with popular opposition.
But Alto was not at all hesitated.
This is same even though the other side has been firmly rooted here for many years.
Perhaps it was because of his Light heritage that Alto always put the people first, a man who was perhaps even more troublesome than Celestia.
Amanda couldn’t help but think so.
♢♢♢
Alto and Marton walked briskly down the corridors of the royal castle.
“No response yet from Kujaro, but it would be better to secretly concentrate the soldiers around the border.”
“Fine.”
“The Angel Cult must be watched too. And it would be better not to wait until the Supreme Bishop of Benedict returns.”
“Yes.”
The impact of Celestia’s absence was incalculable, and the King himself, not to mention Alto and Marton, were busy running around without even having time to sleep.
“If there is a war, Jick and the others will help.”
“Really? If the Knights without Banners, who are so strong, can help, there is nothing more reassuring than that.”
They had agreed to cooperate with the Bonds of Three Fairies and the Knights Without Banners as a countermeasure against the Black Demon King, but he didn’t expect them to help out even in the event of a war.
Coupled with the mysterious Black Knight, Marton finally showed a long-lost smile on his face.
“The only question left is ……”
“The Larman forces that were wiped out…. And the reconnaissance activities that is most likely to anhilate it.”
“Have you arranged and discussed the matter with others?”
The reception and publicity of that matter mentioned earlier has been completed, right?
Alto’s reliability made Marton feel a new light in the Kingdom of Light after Celestia’s actions had been controlled as much as possible.
Although he did not yet have the power of Celestia, he had a strength that surpassed that of the King of Light. And that made Marton’s heart rise.
“Yes, it is arranged.”
“Good.”
♢♢♢
“Alto-sama he ……”
“He seems to be smarter than I thought. Not to the extent of Marton, though…”
As if to throw cold water on the serious conversation that was going on between them at the moment, there was a knock at the door of Celestia’s room.
Celestia was under house arrest in her room, due to the obstinate decision of King Leiter and Prince Alto.
Meetings with people were kept to a minimum, and it was difficult to leave her room except for training sessions.
“…… This voice is Erika. It’s okay to let her in.”
“Yes.”
Mary stood up from her desk at Celestia’s instruction and headed for the door.
When she opened the door, the face of a girl with an orange side ponytail peeked out from nowhere.
“Nee-sama, let me see the ‘relic’~”
“Umm …… You can only look at it. Please don’t touch it yet.”
It was the second ‘relic’ of the Light Kingdom.
She took out the black decorative sword and placed it on the table.
The other sword, which she had also gotten from Chrono that night, she also put it into a specially built quality container and hung it next to her long-backed chair.
It was treasured, so to speak, and she never left it unattended.
“Huff~~”
Erica, who had been told that contact was forbidden, pouted as she moved closer, shaking the sword she had been carrying around her waist.
“…… Is the school closed today? You didn’t go to play with Hakuto-kun and Oswald-kun?”
Although it is true that there was a lava-like jealousy in the past, but now Celestia is convinced that she is a special existence for Chrono, so that kind of feeling is much lessened.
“I can’t believe you said to play …… Nee-sama, do you think of me as a tomboy girl playing in the field with boys? …… I heard that those two are also going to have a special training today, in order to be able to skillfully use the kind of mysterious magic power that Hakuto he used at that time.”
“…… is that so.”
Hearing the words spoken by Erika, who was looking at the decorated sword with interest, Celestia’s face changed.
The day of the party, the final battle.
The magic of the Hakuto that she had felt at that time, although it was only a little, felt somewhat similar to the black-winged man in the ruins.
It was as if it was diluted to the limit, very wonderful ……
So now she was also going to revisit the information and heritage of the past to investigate the reason why this could have happened.
Moreover, Celestia already had a hypothesis.
For the truth that Chrono probably knew from the beginning.
“That might be good. Because right now the biggest threat is the power of the [Isolated Island] and the Angel Cult. At least for now.”
“Eh? I thought it was the Black Demon King and Kujaro?”
When she heard her interlocutor call the Demon King by his name without any honorific, she wanted to lecture her with an unprecedented intensity of emotion, but she resisted.
“The two parties you mentioned are on one side extremely powerful but currently operating in the shadows, and on the other side is a small country that is difficult ti move due to the presence of a rebellion…… It is incomparable to the Angel Cult that polluted the country and caused a large number of victims in its long history, and to the [Isolated Island] that sent it here.”
The risk of dealing with something like Kujaro when there are such internal factors is incalculable.
“…… Why do you say that [the Demon King of the Isolated island] has something to do with the Angel Cult?”
“……”
Hearing Erika’s words, not only Celestia, but also Mary became dumbfounded.
“…… Father had talked about it before.”
“Really!?”
“Father and Shiro, who knew the truth about the ruins, seemed convinced of this. Although Heroes will not be targeted anymore, we can’t rule out the possibility of other actions by the Angel Cult and the Isolated Island.”
She then took her eyes off the decorated sword and Erika, took a sip of her green tea and continued.
“But there’s still that ‘relic’ that’s been passed down in the royal capital for generations, so it shouldn’t be invaded to such an extent, should it?”
“Even though it’s very famous, is it really real? We haven’t seen it once.”
It’s a secret treasure of the Light Kingdom, which has a strategic level of power.
Because of the existence of this “relic”, the Kingdom of Light has never allowed any other country to invade.
“It does exist. It was used twice in the past, though in the distant past.”
“Hoo hoo. But now that we have two ‘relics’, shouldn’t we be able to defeat the [Isolated Island] or something?”
As Erika said this, she began to eat the refreshments Mary handed her.
“What will it be like…”
While casting her eyes to the decorative sword aside, Celestia muttered softly.
If the inheritances she had investigated were anything to go by, many of them had incredible power.
However, that was only if what those legacies said was true.
At this stage, it would be too dangerous to put too much faith in the power of ‘relics’.
“……”
She did not take her eyes off the decorated sword at all.
“……”
Then, remembering Chrono, Celestia desperately tried to suppress her heart, which was beating fiercely even to the point of pain.
“Nee-sama? Nee-sama? Do you have a fever? Do you want me to keep the sword for you?”
Looking at Celestia’s hand over her ample bre*sts, feeling a little envious of the huge …… no, the bouncy feeling, Erika reached for the decorative sword.
“No. Please stop.”
Celestia immediately picked up the decorative sword again to protect it.
“If you are still a royal of the Kingdom of Light, then you should at least understand the fact that the Angel Cult has caused the sacrifice of countless citizens.”
“Well, I don’t forgive my enemies. It’s disgusting that the evil party is spreading like this …….”
In the fire of justice that flared in Erika’s eyes, Celestia saw the same bloodline as her father and older brother.
(…… I must complete my own task too to do so.)
♢♢♢
Beneath the gates of the royal castle, the civil officials, who were neither gatekeepers nor soldiers or knights, were at that moment yawning in an idle manner before the tables and chairs that had been placed there.
It was late in the afternoon, and the boredom was almost over. But it was this moment that was the hardest.
“…… So bored.”
“Why don’t we go drinking after this? I’d like to take a break, too.”
The two civil servants were resting their cheeks on the table, as if they were about to fall asleep.
“Can we come too?”
“Oh, wouldn’t it be nice? It’s all a bit gloomy here, and you soldiers must be exhausted. Let’s all go and have a party.”
The soldiers nearby, the gatekeepers, also looked tired.
“Okay. If that’s the case, then we’ll just wait for the sun to set.”
“That means ……, aaah! I want to off work right away!”
“I’m sorry you’re getting off work, but I’d like to ask you something.”
In front of the clerk, who was yawning and gritting his teeth, a giant black figure appeared.
It was a darkly coloured armour that seemed to swallow up the evening sun.
“What?”
“How, how could ……”
The huge figure, ignoring the retreating soldiers and clerks, went on.
“I heard that I can get information about that matter here.”
“The Black, the Black Knight …………-sama.”
There, the Black Knight ……, who had become the greatest hope of the Kingdom of Light despite having appeared only a few times, was standing.
