Chapter 243

Chapter 243
Chapter 243: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Even in this atmosphere where not a single person welcomed his presence, the Archbishop displayed zero indication of being rattled.

In fact, he seemed notably more at ease here than he did enclosed within the sanctuary of the temple.

“I think I will take a seat for a moment as well.”

Am I actually allowed to do this?

The Archbishop offered a gentle smile, making himself comfortable among them while calmly picking out a fitting teacup straight from the cabinet.

“So, what precisely was it that you wished to address by showing up so abruptly?”

In direct reply to the Second Prince’s inquiry, the Archbishop maintained his signature good-natured expression.

“I certainly did not intend for our introductory meeting to feel quite so sudden, either. You would naturally be inclined to feel rather startled, Your Highness, and above all else, you would view me with deep suspicion, making this a rather poor strategy on my part.”

Decoding those words suggested that his underlying purpose here was important enough to warrant putting up with the obvious inconvenience.

‘If this truly revolved around an emergency, he wouldn’t be lingering here so leisurely, pouring tea for himself.’

Just what is he aiming for?

Despite receiving a chilly stare from the Second Prince, the Archbishop sipped his tea without a single sign of discomfort.

Only after carefully setting his cup back down did he speak.

He swept his gaze across the three individuals gathered in the room, sizing them up with a tranquil expression.

“What a remarkably unusual grouping.”

The hero who successfully vanquished the corruption plaguing the empire. The youngest grandson belonging to the Asteri lineage.

The Marquis of Byedantis, who personally executed his own older brother after discovering a pact with demons, thereby preserving the proud legacy of his swordsmanship-focused household.

And finally, the Second Prince of the empire, who triumphed over a devastating curse and is destined to eventually claim the imperial throne.

‘Out of those three. Exactly two have managed to rewrite their fates.’

Priests occasionally experience precognitive visions, commonly referred to as revelations sent by the divine.

The greater a priest’s reservoir of divine energy, the sharper and more definitive those prophetic dreams tend to become.

Consequently, they frequently fall into exceptionally deep, prolonged slumbers.

Precognitive visions experienced by someone matching the Archbishop’s stature invariably foreshadowed periods of immense turmoil.

In short, they depicted calamities capable of inflicting lasting damage upon the empire or the wider continent.

The first such vision centered on the Marquis of Byedantis.

Under normal historical circumstances, he would have eventually succumbed to his inner burden and gone completely berserk.

The sheer devastation witnessed within that dream was nothing short of apocalyptic.

The towering peaks encircling the Baidantis Territory collapsed entirely, burying countless lives beneath massive landslides.

It was a true display of unbridled, freezing fury.

‘And the second vision.’

That belonged to the Second Prince.

The latter’s premonition proved shorter in duration yet far more intense than the one involving the Marquis of Byedantis.

Carpets drenched entirely in blood. Corpses piled high along both sides of the path.

The reigning Emperor. The Crown Prince. The Empress. Even their extended relatives alongside the elite Knight Order.

Every single one of them dead.

And at the very center stood the Second Prince himself, exactly as he appeared before the Archbishop now.

He perished while sitting upon a usurped throne, a heavy crown resting awkwardly upon his bowed head.

Dark, stagnant blood pooled across the floor in every direction.

‘He failed to conquer the curse.’

And thus, he resorted to the most direct, brutal path of retribution imaginable.

That was how history was supposed to unfold.

A dark era of chaos should have descended upon the land.

Yet.

‘It never materialized.’

Because the predetermined trajectory of fate had shifted.

And the catalyst that altered their destinies while drawing them together into a single space was none other than…

“If everything comes down to mutual benefit, then I suppose it isn’t such an odd gathering after all.”

Rikschel answered the Archbishop’s observation with an unshakable calm.

“I have no intention of rocking the boat unnecessarily. Rather… I find this whole situation genuinely fascinating, yet strangely familiar.”

“Familiar?”

“Back when I was much younger, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with individuals who remind me quite a bit of all of you.”

“……”

As Rikschel trailed off as though a sudden realization had struck him, the Archbishop continued in a gentle tone.

“I am speaking of Patrick and his loyal companions. Haha. Please, do not read too much into it; I meant no hidden threat, it simply strikes me as both novel and wondrous.”

The facial expression belonging to the Marquis of Byedantis shifted subtly upon hearing those words.

The exact same reaction rippled across the other two occupants in the room.

Even though the delivery sounded as casual as inquiring about someone’s health, dropping a comparison like ‘resembled the hero’ was by no means a casual affair.

The emergence of a hero was historically synonymous with the arrival of widespread chaos.

Such words had no business escaping the lips of the Archbishop, especially given that the temple stood as the premier bulwark opposing those very forces of evil.

“I am still nowhere near matching the standards of our Family Head, but I appreciate your kind sentiment regardless. However, would it not be wise to avoid tossing around comparisons regarding heroes, even if no particular malice is attached to them?”

“You are entirely correct. I misspoke.”

The Archbishop conceded the point without hesitation and immediately steered the conversation toward his primary objective before the Second Prince could dismiss him outright.

“The Temple intends to take charge of investigating the recent spate of disappearances within the Imperial Family.”

“We require a legitimate justification.”

The Marquis of Byedantis countered with a sharp, clipped tone.

“Is it not standard practice for the Temple to maintain a strict policy of non-interference in matters concerning the Imperial Family?”

The Second Prince made no effort to mask his growing displeasure, either.

Though, realistically speaking, he wouldn’t normally have let his emotions show quite this openly.

His annoyance wasn’t born out of the Temple daring to poke its nose into imperial affairs, however.

It was simply the frustrating realization that he had just been outplayed in a mental chess match.

‘The Archbishop has already accomplished whatever he came here to do.’

Before they had even begun to decode the old man’s underlying motives.

Or rather, before any meaningful negotiation could actually get off the ground.

That realization implied that the three of them had already been categorized as transparent individuals, or…

‘He has already gathered the necessary intel.’

Not through physical documents or spoken confessions, but via direct investigation utilizing the unique perceptual abilities available only to someone of the Archbishop’s tier.

‘How thoroughly aggravating.’

The Second Prince let out a silent smirk at the resurfacing of an old emotion he hadn’t experienced in quite some time.

Only a few months ago, he would have swallowed that exact same irritation without a peep simply to ensure his survival, yet here he was, feeling bothered by it after such a brief interval.

You’ve grown far too comfortable lately, Kyle.

‘If he has already secured his information, then our only option is to take it right back.’

If something gets taken from you, you simply reclaim it.

Wasn’t that always the fundamental rule of the game?

Straightening his posture and blanking his expression, Kyle locked eyes directly with the Archbishop.

“To be entirely transparent, the Temple holds zero ambition to medgle in imperial politics through this situation. However, hmm.”

The Archbishop paused momentarily as if searching for the most appropriate phrasing, then raised a single index finger.

“First, I offer a formal apology for our past negligence regarding the curse inflicted upon His Highness the Second Prince.”

“So, you are offering your assistance now?”

“Something along those lines, yes. And secondly.”

While the apology stemmed from the Archbishop’s personal sentiments, this second point was backed by official pretexts.

“We have concluded that this current incident carries a dangerously high probability of escalating into a full-scale period of chaos.”

“……”

“As both Rikschel and the Marquis of Byedantis are already aware, I was recently dispatched to the Great Barrier alongside Patrick. Yet, no structural anomalies were detected within the barrier itself. Consequently, while expanding the scope of my investigation, I uncovered irregularities originating right here within the Imperial Palace.”

The specific curse the First Prince had laid upon Kyle wasn’t severe enough on its own to warrant direct intervention from the Temple.

While a clear line had certainly been crossed, it fell short of threatening the total collapse of the empire.

However, the bizarre events unfolding right now were tied directly or indirectly to something far more momentous.

At least, according to the official explanation provided by the Archbishop.

‘……There’s a glaring contradiction.’

A distinct logical flaw ran straight through the Archbishop’s argument.

Nevertheless.

“Very well.”

“Your Highness.”

The moment the Second Prince signaled his agreement, Rikschel immediately voiced his objection, only for Kyle to cut him off with a raised hand.

“There is nothing in this arrangement that works against my interests.”

And it was the absolute truth.

It amounted to a guarantee that someone would help him prune away the pesky Empress.

That singular benefit provided more than enough motivation to say yes.

Even so, this wasn’t a concession to be handed over cheaply.

If played correctly, they could leverage this entire crisis to extract something far greater down the line.

“…Sigh.”

Rikschel exhaled a long, heavy breath.

The Second Prince was far from a fool; he undoubtedly had his own hidden agenda at play.

“However, I do have a single condition.”

“And what might that be?”

“I expect to receive complete, unfiltered access to all information gathered while handling this affair.”

“That is only fair. Although, communicating directly with you carries too many risks given the watchful eyes surrounding Your Highness… Ah. I have the ideal solution. There is a particular young priest I hold in high regard; I shall dispatch that child straight to the Asteri household.”

A priest he holds in high regard…?

“Could that individual possibly be…?”

“Haha. Look at the time, it has grown quite late. I must take my leave before I draw unnecessary suspicion.”

Cutting off Rikschel mid-sentence, the Archbishop let out a hearty laugh and promptly rose from his seat without a trace of hesitation.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the tea. Should a favorable opportunity present itself down the road, let us meet again. Farewell.”

The Archbishop exited the chamber at a pace even swifter than his grand entrance.

As the heavy doors clicked shut behind him, absolute silence reclaimed the room where the three men stood.

“…He essentially just ran away.”

The Marquis of Byedantis offered that dry assessment as his final verdict.

—

Time continued to tick forward.

The volatile dragon energy radiating from Lion’s physical vessel was steadily stabilizing and dissolving away.

The primary credit for that progress belonged to a very specific source.

“Aagh! My precious fur is getting torn out!”

“Grrr! Arrr!”

It was all thanks to Tiamatrak successfully clearing his probationary interview.

His assigned job title remained, as previously established, ‘grunt’.

Consequently, Tiamatrak, existing purely as a disembodied soul, poured every ounce of his effort into draining Pus’s seemingly endless stamina.

Which effectively translated to roughhousing with the beast using every inch of his spiritual form.

Furthermore, perhaps owing to his lingering ties to Lion…

“I refuse to touch vulgar objects like this!”

“I only bothered to take human form because I enjoy possessing a physical shell, not to play fetch like a common hound!”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

He had somehow acquired the uncanny ability to physically touch and manipulate lightweight household objects even at close range.

Which realistically meant…

“He enjoys it much more when you pull a bit harder on the rope.”

“I despise being covered in slobber! Human! Lion! Is this acceptable?!”

It also meant he was fully capable of engaging in an intense tug-of-war match against Pus.

Lion calmly went about organizing his various alchemy ingredients while tossing a casual reply over his shoulder.

It might sound like an exaggeration, but this constituted the ultimate form of automated, hands-free hunting.

“Beep beep.”

Lion wasn’t the only one benefiting from the grunt’s sudden productivity boost.

Nature, who had been shouldering the burden of childcare duties, also appeared to let out a mental sigh of relief, currently treating the top of Lion’s head like a cozy, leisurely bird’s nest.

“Yes, yes. You’ve done a wonderful job.”

“Beep beep.”

Nature offered a chirp that practically translated to, *If you appreciate my hard work, hand over a snack*, before returning to her peaceful personal relaxation time.

“……”

Yet, amidst all this domestic tranquility, a single individual stood frozen like a statue.

That person happened to be Freya.

As a side note, the Salamander was still cowering deeply inside her robes, refusing to poke its head out.

Even though a significant portion of the surrounding pressure had dissipated, the environment remained thoroughly hostile to Freya, who inherited the ancestral trauma of elves who had suffered terribly under dragons long ago.

The exact same phobia applied to the Salamander, which mirrored its master’s temperament to a terrifying degree.

‘T-this has to be why that wretched witch—’

Initially, she assumed the girl was just picking fights because she found her face annoying.

But after getting forced to scrub down and change into pristine clothes, she had immediately been shoved out the door to run demanding errands!

And then, she was chewed out for supposedly returning too late.

‘It was way too suspicious from the start!’

So, overcoming her sheer terror, she had marched back to confront the witch directly…

‘A literal dragon soul!’

And the end result was receiving a brief, terrifying explanation of the situation.

Naturally, coupled with a strict warning that leaking this secret anywhere would result in immediate consequences.

Freya, of course, had zero intention of blabbing her teacher’s classified secrets to the outside world.

However…

“Hey. Throw the chew toy for me this time.”

‘Why on earth does this little demon’s terrifying minion never seem to run out of energy?’

“It is currently prime playtime hours.”

“……”

Watching the spectral entity converse with empty air while toy balls and chew toys zipped back and forth through the living space, she calculated that it was only a matter of time before someone noticed the anomaly.

‘Teacher… please save me…’

That exact fear was the only thing keeping Freya gritting her teeth and stubbornly lingering near her teacher’s workspace.

Just in case, she needed to be stationed nearby to invent plausible cover stories if anyone came sniffing around.

Besides, hadn’t someone from the Temple announced they would begin their official deployment starting today?

‘My teacher probably hasn’t even heard the news yet.’

Everyone else had deliberately kept quiet to ensure absolute stability during the energy-settling process.

Regardless, having someone present to smooth over any awkward social encounters was definitely for the best.

That way, they could at least pass off any magical phenomena as harmless Spirit Arts.

‘……! Wait a second!’

As her thoughts drifted down that path, a horrifying realization hit her.

Never mind her teacher for a second.

…What on earth was going to happen with the witch?