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The Emperor, Mikhail, smiled at him gently. The corners of his curved lips were filled with utmost satisfaction. He spoke softly to Luciel, who had lowered his eyes submissively. His gentle voice resembled that of a ‘father’ reading a fairytale.
“This is a gift bestowed upon the imperial family by a god long ago.”
“…”
“‘Divine Providence’… You might have heard of it once.”
Luciel’s eyes shook greatly. He had never heard such a story. But he knew better than anyone that his father, the Emperor of this country, was not a person to joke about such subjects.
So this must be an undeniable truth. He swallowed dryly.
“Long ago, yes… before ‘evil gods’ existed in this world. Countless ‘monsters’ existed on the continent. Until then, they were humanity’s main enemy. Quite interesting, isn’t it?”
“Are you referring to the era with no remaining records?”
“Yes. That’s the expression.”
The Emperor nodded approvingly and continued his story.
“At that time, humans did not possess holy power or magic. Moreover, even aura as we know it today did not exist, so many people died or were injured. A nameless god, pitying this, bestowed upon one man the power to stand against monsters.”
That man, he’s our ancestor. Mikhail briefly paused, exuding subtle pride.
“The divine sword given by the god had the power to control monsters. Thanks to this, humanity was able to lead the war to victory, and monsters completely disappeared.”
With monsters gone, the divine sword could no longer use its power. However, the impact brought by the name ‘Divine Providence’ was great. As more and more people coveted it, the ancestor made a decision.
To seal the sword deep within the imperial palace. Sealed in a deep place unknown to anyone, the sword had been asleep for hundreds of years.
“For a possible future when monsters might appear again, our ancestor left clues so that only his descendants could find the sword. This is the truth that those who became emperors of the empire have learned generation after generation.”
It was an unexpected story, but it was easier to understand as a piece of history. Luciel nodded. Perhaps he felt a little, just a little excited to be hearing a story from the past that no one else knew.
Until then, that is.
“Afterwards, the imperial family worshipped the nameless god. Yes, just like how the current temple follows the Demon God and Celestial God and calls themselves their servants.”
“But the current imperial family doesn’t follow any god, does it?”
“If there had been no problem with that nameless god, it would have continued that way.”
Mikhail quietly reached out and tapped the blue-glowing divine sword. The tapping sound settled heavily in their ears.
“That god fell from grace, my son.”
“…An evil god?”
“Yes. It’s quite shameful. The god we served fell from grace and lost its name. Moreover, it became evil and turned against humanity. Fortunately, the Demon God and Celestial God joined forces to seal the evil god, but history doesn’t disappear.”
In the end, the Emperor decided to erase all past records.
History is typically preserved through records, so all documents recording that time were burned, and those who spoke carelessly were killed. As this was repeated over generations, by the time hundreds of years had passed, it became a story known to no one except the Emperor who knew the truth through generations.
“But Luciel, there’s one truly amusing thing left.”
Just as he was about to respond, the Emperor, looking more joyful than ever, spoke first. As if he couldn’t bear not telling him immediately.
“Do you know what the source of the evil god’s power is?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Monsters. It’s monsters. The unknown creatures that were swept away by this sword and disappeared from the continent. Isn’t it funny? To fall while embracing the very beings it had worked to destroy.”
Mikhail let out a small laugh. At first glance, it seemed like a refreshing sound, but if one listened carefully, they would realize it was closer to a sneer.
Luciel felt the same. From the shocking truth to the sight of his father reciting the past with relish. Numerous pieces of information swirled in his mind, clouding his brain. As he lost his words and could only move his lips, the Emperor smiled as if to show off.
“Listen well, Luciel. This sword is nothing short of a blessing to us.”
“…”
“Specters? They’re just remnants of the evil god, aren’t they? At their root are monsters. Mere remnants cannot resist ‘Divine Providence’. The same goes for the executives of the Salvation Church, those disgusting things.”
We don’t need to crave divine power, we don’t need to hang onto the existence of the temple… Our empire can stand tall. Don’t you agree?
Luciel blinked silently. The brief question that followed at the end of the story was still demanding his agreement. He was not unaware that this was no different from a test from his father.
At the same time, countless scenes flashed by. His father joining hands with the Salvation Church, targeting Rohan who was said to be blessed by God, and trying to kill Arpel who stood beside him, Oscar who died under false charges.
And the horrific ‘monsters’ displayed in front of the imperial city.
In the end, Luciel slowly nodded. Squeezing out his voice just as he had when the Emperor first showed him the sword.
“Yes. I think so too, Your Majesty.”
And at that moment, Luciel’s heart, which had been wavering without direction, also tilted to one side.
***
“This is a big problem.”
The land of specters is growing larger and larger.
The news brought by the clergyman who nearly died at Rafon’s hands was more shocking than anything else. So much so that Dionel, who had safely returned to the temple after wrapping up the incident in Itor Village, turned pale upon hearing the story.
The high-ranking clergy who controlled the movements of the temple gathered in one place. Despite the crowd of people, the atmosphere was cold and subdued.
Rohan listened with one ear and let it out the other as voices determined the personnel to be dispatched. It was something he usually didn’t get involved in, and he was already certain that he would be included among those heading to the border.
However, his gaze was fixed on one side. Towards Arpel, no, towards Lexia who was unexpectedly sitting next to him.
“Why are you here?”
“Isn’t that too harsh for someone who came to help?”
“Your role is over, isn’t it?”
“Well. That remains to be seen.”
The shrugging action and the light tone of response were still playful as ever. If it weren’t for his strangely subdued expression and significantly lowered voice, it would have been a demeanor worthy of being dismissed as an endlessly frivolous guy.
Perhaps because the situation was what it was, Rohan couldn’t push further and just closed his mouth tightly, casting an irritated glance. Arpel was fiddling with Rohan’s hand as if to soothe him.
On the other hand, his attention was drawn to Lexia, who had shamelessly taken the seat next to him. Clear emotions were leaking from him. Like others here, he too was anxious. About the situation unfolding before his eyes that was changing so suddenly.
‘What could he be plotting?’
Arpel suddenly fell into thought.
When Dionel returned from Itor Village, Rohan and Arpel hesitated upon seeing Lexia following behind him. Although they had asked him to stay stationed in a nearby village, they hadn’t expected him to come directly.
Observing their reaction, Lexia said that surveillance had become much looser. In other words, it meant that the Emperor had started to focus on other matters.
Around the same time, an incident occurred at the border. Given that the Emperor had been behind countless incidents, joining hands with the Salvation Church, it was necessary to consider the possibility of his involvement.
“Then we’ll depart immediately…”
“I have a suggestion to make.”
By then, the discussion had concluded. If it weren’t for Lexia suddenly raising his hand and speaking up, everyone would have jumped up from their seats and rushed out of the room.
Dionel, after briefly looking at Lexia, nodded.
“Please speak quickly.”
“I’m thinking of using the Crown Prince to stir up the imperial family. Please lend me Clergyman Owen.”
“…Pardon?”
Silence fell for a moment.
This was true for Dionel as well. Although he had asked for a quick explanation, he hadn’t expected such an incredible story to be blurted out without any context. Barely grasping his slipping sanity, he managed to speak with difficulty.
“What do you mean…”
“Isn’t it urgent now? I’ll explain the details later, so please grant my request. In any case, it won’t harm the temple.”
His confident voice seemed not to even consider the possibility of failure. While his voice was quite trustworthy, all the clergy sitting here felt confused. It was natural. The content was no small matter, after all.
But Lexia was right. No matter how reckless the proposal seemed, the situation was serious enough that there was no time to discuss it in detail now. After briefly biting his lip, Dionel nodded and turned his gaze to Owen.
“I will comply.”
Owen’s monotonous voice signaled the end of the meeting. Soon after, everyone rose from their seats and began to leave hurriedly. The same was true for Rohan and Arpel.
“Take care.”
Although Rohan looked back with quite anxious eyes, Lexia just waved his hand with his usual shameless smile. After many clergy had been swept away like a wave, he shrugged and turned to Owen.
“So. What’s this about?”
“Let’s borrow some power from your family.”
“…Pardon?”
Owen frowned at the sudden words. Lexia thought, slightly curving the corners of his mouth, that the gap had already widened as much as it could.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
