Chapter 26 

“Duke Fael…!”

At my call, the Duke of Fael, who had been lying down, slowly opened his eyes.

“Your Majesty…?”

I immediately used my magic to create a soundproof barrier before approaching him.

“Duke, what… what is this state you’re in?”

“Haha, I am unworthy of your concern.”

“Do not try to get up.”

The Duke’s condition was nothing short of wretched.

His body, so ravaged that not a single unscathed spot could be found, told the tale of just how intense the battle had been.

“For Your Majesty to visit me like this, I must not have lived my life in vain.”

As he spoke with a smile, just as he had the last time I saw him, something seemed to stir deep within me.

“Your Majesty, about that man, Roderon Edelvine.”

“… He is indeed of Arhan bloodline.”

Confessing as if admitting to a sin, I relayed the story of Roderon to the Duke.

“At least he wasn’t a formally recognized royal of the imperial lineage.”

As he laughed, relieved that he hadn’t committed regicide, I found myself unable to say anything more.

Seeing my hardened expression, Duke Fael let out a dry chuckle and spoke.

“Your Majesty, why do you wear such a face?”

“It was my misjudgment that caused your injuries, Duke, and led to the deaths of many Fael knights.”

“Your Majesty.”

Hearing my words, the Duke wiped the smile from his face and spoke seriously and resolutely.

“We are Fael. We are the sword of Arhan. Just as the first family head said, and just as my father did, it is our duty to wield our swords for Arhan, even unto death.”

So, there is no need for Your Majesty to look so burdened.

He reassured me, saying that while they might lament failing to fully carry out their duties, no knight of their house would regret dying in service.

“Duke…”

“But more than that, in this condition, I suppose wielding a sword is no longer possible. Perhaps it’s time for me to retire.”

“Is recovery truly out of reach…?”

“According to the priests, it’s a miracle that I’m even alive. I won’t die immediately, but it seems unlikely that I’ll recover to my former state.”

He lamented that, after overexerting himself in the last battle, even his aura had stopped responding properly, and his body was no longer what it once was.

Hearing his words, I made a firm decision.

“Duke, it is too soon for you to retire. Even if you were to retire, you must do so with a healthy body to enjoy your later years.”

“Your Majesty?”

“For now, rest and recover. Once you’re feeling a bit better, return to the capital. I have plans, so do not worry.”

“Your Majesty…”

“There is still much for you to do. Leave the rest to me and focus on your recovery, Duke.”

Leaving those words behind, I exited the Duke’s chamber.

As I stepped outside, the cardinal I had met once before was waiting for me.

“Greetings to the Emperor of the Arhan Empire.”

“It has been a while. Is His Holiness seeking me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. His Holiness is expecting you.”

“Lead the way.”

———————————————————————————-

“Haha, it has been a long time.”

“Indeed, it has, Pope.”

The cardinal had guided me to the Pope’s audience chamber.

Unlike my own grand space, the room was adorned with modest furnishings rather than extravagant decorations. Though simple, it held an air of dignity that reflected the character of the Holy Nation.

“You appeared so suddenly without any prior notice that this old man was quite startled.”

“I received reports of the Duke being gravely injured. I couldn’t wait for a response to my inquiries and came immediately. I apologize for the intrusion.”

“It was not a reproach, Your Majesty. I am, in fact, grateful that you have traveled such a great distance to visit the injured Duke.”

The Pope smiled warmly and offered me a cup of tea.

“This tea was a gift from the elves, delivered through the Saint. Its aroma is quite exquisite; do give it a try.”

Elven tea.

I followed his suggestion, lifting the teacup to inhale its fragrance before taking a sip. After savoring the taste, I spoke.

“Do you have someone planted in my intelligence agency?”

There could only be one reason for him to bring me tea from the elves.

The elves are not humanity’s enemies.

Much like the Saint, the Hero, and the Elven Princess, they wish to live in harmony and mutual prosperity.

Is that not the message he’s trying to send?

But how does the Pope know that I view the elves as adversaries?

Even if he knows I am preparing for war, most would assume it’s aimed at conquering other human kingdoms for unification—not the elves.

“The Light of kiriya reaches every corner of the world.”

So, the answer is yes.

Damn it. Did spies infiltrate when I hastily expanded the intelligence agency?

“Your Majesty, I saw you visit the injured Duke and his subordinates, grieving for them and showing your concern. If war comes, far more people will suffer and die.”

He doesn’t understand.

This tragedy happened because I failed to properly assess the enemy’s strength.

With well-deployed forces and my direct command, such a mistake would not occur.

The power wielded by those who faced Duke Fael was abnormal; this would not happen in a war against other kingdoms.

The Pope’s earnest efforts to persuade me were met with silence. Instead of responding with the arguments forming in my mind, I posed him a question.

“Pope, there was a time when you tried to dethrone me and place my younger brother on the throne, was there not?”

It was early in my reign, shortly after I had taken the throne.

Triell and several other factions had conspired to overthrow me, and the Holy Nation had undoubtedly played a role.

Since then, I had viewed every move of the Holy Nation through a skeptical lens. However, after sensing the presence of kiriya and understanding its essence, those suspicions had begun to fade.

If the Holy Nation were merely a self-serving group pursuing power, kiriya would not still bless and empower them.

Therefore, to have a genuine and open conversation with the Pope, it was necessary to resolve this lingering issue.

“Why did you do it?”

“That is…”

Did he not expect me to ask so bluntly?

The Popehesitated, clearly flustered.

“Not content with meddling in internal affairs, you even dared to interfere with the throne. If it hadn’t been during the war with the Demon King, I would have declared war on the Holy Nation immediately.”

No matter how many followers of kiriya exist within the Empire, few would tolerate the Holy Nation attempting to manipulate the Emperor’s throne.

Most nobles, save for the most devout, would likely declare conversion to prove their innocence, while others would face accusations of treason.

“… That is exactly why.”

“What do you mean by that?”

With a deep sigh, the Pope’s expression turned somber, and his voice grew firm.

“One of the reasons was merely the folly of an old man, but there were two reasons for my misguided attempt.”

“Tell me.”

“As Your Majesty may recall, the Demon King’s army was advancing unstoppably at the time. If the Empire had fallen then, it could have led to a repeat of the catastrophe from a thousand years ago.”

A catastrophe a thousand years ago.

Was he referring to the time when the dragon aided in founding the Empire?

I didn’t know much about what happened then, but given he used the word “catastrophe,” it couldn’t have been anything good.

“So, you thought I would bring about the Empire’s fall?”

“… That is correct.”

… To be honest, given my actions at the time, it wasn’t an entirely unreasonable assumption.
If I were in his position and saw a foreign heir behaving like that, I might have tried to manipulate a different bloodline to seize the country too.

“Your Majesty may find this hard to believe, but my intention was to bring you here, treat your wounds, and show you the utmost care.”

“And Triell would have simply stood by and allowed that?”

“One of the conditions of our alliance with Triell was that they would not interfere. So no, they wouldn’t have obstructed us.”

“Tsk. Fine, then. What’s the second reason?”

“It concerns Princess Rael and her character.”

“Are you suggesting she would have made a better emperor than I? Is that it?”

That’s… quite offensive.

While I could somewhat understand the first reason, the second one was harder to accept.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

Shaking his head, the Pope stood and retrieved several old maps.

They depicted the nations of the continent, but their configurations were vastly different from today’s.
The Empire occupied less than half of its current territory, and there were twice as many kingdoms as now.

The Pope then laid out a second and third map, each showing changes over time.

With each successive map, the Empire grew, and the number of kingdoms shrank.

Finally, he revealed the last map, which depicted the continent as it stands today.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Fraia, Zbora, Tara… and Edelvine. These are the kingdoms that have fallen to the Empire so far.”

There were quite a few of them.

So what? What’s his point?

Summoning a small flame to my fingertip, I burned away the names of the fallen kingdoms on the map.

“You’d best prepare to redraw your maps soon.”

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