Chapter 23 - The Princess and I
Chapter 23 - The Princess and I
Clatter-! Clatter-!
"........."
"......"
Inside the carriage heading south with Princess Camilla, I was sitting alone with her.
The carriage was as flashy as one would expect from the Imperial family.
It was adorned with fancy velvet, gold embroidery, and the golden eagle, the symbol of the Minerva Imperial family.
The inside of the carriage was wrapped in a chilling silence that made such splendor seem meaningless.
Clatter-! Clatter-! Clatter-!
"............"
"........."
Outside, a warm southern breeze carrying the scent of orange trees was blowing.
But inside the carriage, a blizzard from the far North was raging.
Wow... this is fucking uncomfortable.
I tried to strike up a conversation with the Princess to somehow break this uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Um... Your Highness."
"What is it? Sir Edric, who receives my brother's favor."
"Th-the weather is really nice, isn't it?"
"Indeed. It is quite warm. It would have been lovely to see this weather with my brother."
Camilla elegantly unfolded her fan and covered her mouth as she spoke.
Her red eyes were beautiful enough to be called the jewel of the Empire, but they held a sharpness as if she were trying to dissect me piece by piece.
Wow... this is seriously fucking uncomfortable.
Should I not have said anything?
"I heard you performed amazingly in the North as well. My brother really praised you, Sir Edric."
"You are too kind, Your Highness. I merely did what I had to do as an aide."
Camilla looked at me with a gaze that seemed to say, "This tastes like a lie!"
"Is that so? Was getting engaged to the daughter of the Northern Grand Duke also part of what you had to do?"
"Th-that is!?"
Her eyes were not smiling at all.
I wiped cold sweat from my mind and answered with the biggest smile I could muster.
Of course, I knew this made me look like a snake, but I had no other choice.
It's not like I could talk back to the Princess in anger!
"That was... a prank by the Goddess of Fate."
"The Goddess of Fate?"
"Yes. I, too, was taken aback by Lady Nataliya's assertiveness. However, for the sake of the Empire's well-being, I decided to willingly shoulder the burden."
"Are you saying that obtaining Lady Nataliya, who is called the Flower of the North, is a burden?"
"Uh... I suppose so."
Now that I think about it, yeah.
At the Princess's remark, my brain froze as if I'd been hit by a 0.2-second Unlimited Void.
Even I thought that was a fucking weird thing to say.
How do I fix this...
"Are you acting right now?"
"A-acting!?"
"There is no need for such acting in front of me... I know you are wearing a mask to deceive everyone."
It's not acting...
I was genuinely flustered...
The Princess lowered her fan and said.
"I don't like it, but... since things have turned out this way, let's have a temporary truce."
"A truce?"
"Yes. You wouldn't want the completion ceremony to go wrong and harm my brother for the sake of your goals, would you? Neither do I. So, let's make sure this completion ceremony finishes well without us clashing."
What? When did I start a war with the Princess?
I don't know what the Princess is misunderstanding, but it was a good thing that she offered a truce first.
Because I need the completion ceremony to end safely without any issues so I can return to my 72 billion mansion.
"I will follow your orders, Your Highness."
"...Hmph! You are indeed quick with these kinds of calculations."
She says that, but in the Princess's eyes, I could see a scheme to expose my true colors during this trip to the South.
Phew... It wasn't an easy journey with the Princess from the start, but I wasn't annoyed at all.
Because right now, my loyalty to the 72 billion mansion is at MAX level.
I received a 72 billion mansion, so I should be able to endure this much stress.
After passing through that time, which felt like walking on thin ice, we finally arrived at the Oracle territory, where the St. Maryen Church was built.
As soon as the carriage door opened, the cheers that poured out were much hotter than expected.
"It's Sir Edric! The Light of the South has returned!"
"Sir Edric! Thank you for ensuring our children no longer go hungry!"
During the last Southern civil unrest, I squeezed the Southern nobles and returned the wealth to the people of the South.
They say that for those starving from famine, it was nothing short of salvation.
As thousands of Southern people gathered on the roadside chanted my name, the eyebrows of Camilla, who was standing next to me, trembled.
"Truly surprising, Sir Edric. Your name is heard louder than mine, the Princess of the Empire. At this rate, you could be called the King of the South without any dispute."
"It... it is all thanks to the grace of the Prince."
Knowing what happened to Wilhelm, who was called the King of the South, I immediately panicked and corrected the Princess's words.
This Princess is trying to send me to my grave!
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course, Your Highness."
"Hmm... Alright. I'll take your word for it."
The Princess said with an expression that showed she didn't believe it at all.
She snapped her fan open to cover her face, but her eyes were still full of suspicion.
While this conversation was happening, the entire delegation got off the carriage.
It was quite a spectacle when the Princess, myself, the Princess's attendant Lumiel, and the secretaries belonging to the Imperial Secretariat, who could be called my subordinates, all got off.
The lord of the Oracle territory approached to welcome us.
It was Baron Schurdin of the Porcella family, the lord of the Oracle territory.
He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his 50s, sporting well-groomed, slicked-back black hair.
Baron Schurdin bowed politely.
"I greet Your Highness. You must have had a difficult journey coming all this way."
"Not at all, Baron Schurdin. Thanks to the warm breeze of the South, I was able to have a very pleasant journey."
The lord guided us straight to that place.
The reason we came here, and the place that would become the new landmark of the Oracle territory: the 'St. Maryen Church'.
"Wow..."
"It's beautiful."
The St. Maryen Church was truly the 'pinnacle of holiness'.
Standing tall on the top of the hill, the church was shining so brightly that it was blinding as the pure white marble caught the sunlight.
The reliefs on the outer walls, carved by artisans with chisels over 30 years, depicted the lives of the saints as if they were real, and the massive domed ceiling was painted with a mixture of blue sapphire powder, making it look as if the sky had been moved indoors.
The sight of the colorful light streaming through the ornate stained glass and pouring onto the marble floor was of such overwhelming majesty that it would make even a pagan kneel.
"Indeed... the 30 years of time were not in vain."
"Yes, with this, the God will look after the Empire even more."
The Princess replied to my words.
She was so mesmerized that she couldn't take her eyes off the church.
She is called the last conscience of the Imperial family, but she had one flaw.
That was that she was also a very devout believer of the Church.
After the Empress passed away, she fell into religion and received much emotional comfort from it.
However, anything in excess is dangerous.
Various villains of the Church exploited her faith, and she fell into danger.
Seeing the Princess, who had been venomous to me just a moment ago, disappear and be replaced by a religious devotee, it really seemed to be the case.
In my case, honestly, I do believe in God, but at the same time, I am an atheist.
The Church in this other world is a religion that worships 'Solar', the Sun God and the only God.
The problem is that no one knows if that god is my god.
So, just like the countless religions of my past life, my feeling was just, "Oh, there's a religion like that."
Of course, I am not denying religion.
I think religion can be as important as life to some people, and I have no intention of denying that.
Because for those with pain in their hearts, religion can sometimes be a necessary medicine.
Like the Princess right in front of me.
Just when the Princess was heading to the central altar of the church with her attendant...
A heavy yet benevolent voice was heard from inside.
"The glory of the Imperial family has reached this place. I greet Your Highness."
An old man with long white hair and wearing a pure white clerical robe walked out slowly.
Kind wrinkles and a gentle smile, but a gaze with unfathomable depth behind those eyes. Camilla greeted him politely.
"Cardinal Albinus, I heard you came in place of Cardinal Raul. Thank you for the trouble of traveling such a long way."
Cardinal Raul didn't come, and Cardinal Albinus came instead?
I deleted Cardinal Raul from the report I had seen and searched for information on Cardinal Albinus.
But who was Cardinal Albinus again?
I've heard the name a lot... who was it?
.............Ah......Ah!?
The moment I thought of that name, I felt goosebumps rise all over my body.
In the original work, he was one of the worshippers of the Dead King Amon, who wears the mask of a saint and tempts people with eternal life.
No! Wasn't the Dead King supposed to appear much later!?
He's appearing this early!!?
I froze in place at his sudden appearance.
That old man smiling benevolently in front of me right now is the culprit behind the great catastrophe that will one day take the lives of tens of thousands...
A cold, non-existent fear slowly tightened around my throat.
Cardinal Albinus's gaze slowly passed Princess Camilla and rested on me.
"Ah... so this is the rumored Sir Edric Noel. The one the Southern people praise as the 'Savior' and who receives the greatest favor from the Prince... I really wanted to see you."
Cardinal Albinus looked at me with a very strange smile.
His eyes were kind, but... I could feel a creeping dark energy.
And the most important thing... this Cardinal... had the face of a snake, just like me.
I think I indirectly understood why people are suspicious of me until the very end when they see me.
A wicked snake has invaded the holy church.