Chapter 39 - Three Gazes
Chapter 39 - Three Gazes
A strange silence hung within Azelia's room.
Azelia, who had been on the verge of bursting into tears just a moment ago, finally steadied her trembling shoulders after hearing my explanation.
"I see. So, His Highness the Prince was interested in Sister Cale."
"Yes, that's why he asked me to inquire for him."
Azelia sniffled as she listened to me, then exhaled in relief, smoothing down her chest.
Soon, she blushed, feeling embarrassed, and lowered her head.
"I'm sorry, Edric-nim. I misunderstood so selfishly... When I thought that Edric-nim liked someone mature like Sister Cale, my world went dark for a moment...."
"Ah... no, that's understandable."
Is it... understandable?
Since I had been a 'solo since birth' in my past life, I had absolutely no idea why Azelia had suddenly started crying, so I just sympathized with her for the time being.
"So, Azelia, do you happen to know Sister Cale's type?"
"Hmm... Sister Cale is..."
Azelia placed her index finger on her lips and pondered for a moment.
Soon, she leaned in and whispered cautiously into my ear.
"Actually, I had a conversation like that with Cale yesterday. Cale said she likes someone with a strong sense of responsibility rather than someone flashy. She said her type is a man like a rock, who silently guards the place where he belongs rather than seeking the spotlight."
"A sense of responsibility, huh...."
I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought.
Responsibility... If it were the old, reckless, good-for-nothing Leopold, he would have been disqualified in one second.
But who is the Prince now!
The current Prince was the 'Super Prince' I had awakened, who would take responsibility for the future of the Empire.
If it were this Prince, who was running hard every day to shoulder the future of the Empire, he definitely had a fighting chance!
...To add a side note, I wish he would dial it back a little because his sense of responsibility seems to be spiraling out of control.
I feel like I, his aide, am going to die of overwork before he even becomes Emperor.
"Alright, I've grasped her type. Now the problem is how to create time for just the two of them...."
I crossed my arms and pondered.
Actually, I had suggested just making a formal request to the Papal See, but the Prince refused because of his personal preference.
To pursue a natural encounter in an era of rigid social hierarchy... is it because this world is a romance fantasy?
As I was thinking that, Azelia's eyes sparkled as she came up with an idea.
"Edric-nim, there's a festival after the investiture ceremony, right? How about leading them to the 'White Forest' behind the sanctuary then? It's truly romantic because the trees glow silver when the moonlight hits them."
"Oh... that's good? That's a great idea."
The White Forest behind the sanctuary was the very place where the barbarian protagonist and the saintess created a romantic atmosphere in the original story.
To think she would suggest such a wonderful spot that even I had forgotten about—I asked Azelia.
"But Azelia, where did you learn about such things?"
"Th-that is... I saw it in a romance fantasy novel another sister borrowed recently. The male and female leads confess their feelings for the first time in a silver forest in that one."
Romance fantasy novels are popping up here too!?
Between Nataliya and this, the whole world is a romance fantasy!
...No. They say people live similarly everywhere, so I suppose people here like romance fantasy novels too.
I decided not to think about it too deeply anymore.
"Right, let's go with that idea. Thank you, Azelia!"
"Yes! I hope things work out for the two of them, too. Cale deserves to be happy as well."
Azelia and I held hands and spoke.
Although we didn't say it out loud, Azelia had naturally joined the Cupid team.
Leaving Azelia's support behind, I headed straight for the Prince's temporary residence.
The Prince was already waiting for me at the door before I could even enter.
"Leopold-nim!"
"Yes, Edric! Did you find out? The secret strategy to win Sister Cale's heart!"
The Prince approached me with such intensity that his eyes seemed ready to pop out.
Whoa, whoa, calm down, Prince. You're starting to act like a rascal again.
I said, calming the Prince down.
"Your Highness, please calm down."
"Right, I'm calm."
The Prince suddenly straightened his expression.
No, don't calm down too suddenly, it's scary....
I conveyed the valuable information I had gathered to the Prince.
"Sister Cale prefers a man who has a strong sense of responsibility and silently guards his own place."
"Responsibility?"
No sooner had I finished speaking than the Prince's eyes changed.
He thumped his chest and said.
"Isn't that talking about me! You are the witness to how diligently I have been performing the Empire's state affairs lately!"
"...Yes, Leopold-nim, of course."
Indeed. Because I'm the one dying because of you.
I even told the Prince about the natural encounter course I had planned with Azelia.
After hearing everything I had to say, the Prince laughed happily and gripped my shoulder tightly.
"Hahaha! Thank you, Edric! I will never forget this favor for the rest of my life."
"It is nothing, Leopold-nim. I only did what I had to do."
For the sake of my happy retirement, it was crucial that the Empire didn't go to hell.
A 72 billion house! A pension worth over 100 million!! A beautiful wife!!!
While I was having such materialistic thoughts, a question popped into my mind.
"Leopold-nim, I have a question, though."
"What is it?"
"If it were you, Leopold-nim, couldn't you have kept the Sister by your side using the authority of the Imperial Family? Why go to such lengths...."
At my words, the Prince looked toward the sanctuary for a moment.
Then, recalling something, he answered with a gentle smile.
"My mother also met and married my father through free love, not by command. My mother always said, 'Love is not something you conquer, but something that seeps in.' I want to have that kind of love, too, Edric."
"Leopold-nim..."
Wow, that line just now was something a protagonist in a romance fantasy would say.
But the problem is... is this guy really a mother-con?
Every time he talks about something, it's all about his mother.
It's a hundred times better than him acting like a rascal, but he's so 'mother-mother' that it's actually worrying.
While Edric was busy acting as the Prince's Cupid, a cold gaze from the exact opposite direction was tracking Edric.
In the shadows of the ruined ancient temple on the outskirts of Sanctuary Sola, men and women in black uniforms moved without a sound.
On their chests was engraved the emblem of the moon, the mark of the [Heresy Inquisition], a secret organization operating in the darkest corners of the Church.
"Status of the target?"
Along with a low voice, Cardinal Raul walked out of the darkness, erasing his benevolent smile and donning a cold, expressionless face.
The agents knelt in unison to show respect.
"We greet the Head of the Inquisition."
While Raul was a Cardinal with a gentle personality to the outside world, his true face was that of the head of the Heresy Inquisition, which eliminated threats to the Church in advance.
Raul stared at Edric, who was conversing with the Prince from a distance, and asked.
"Edric Noel. Have any abnormal phenomena been detected from him?"
"There are no particular signs as of yet."
Cardinal Raul took a small crystal ball from his robes and toyed with it.
A report about the 'Holy Water of the Sun' that Edric had allegedly created at St. Maryen Church flashed through his mind.
'Throughout the history of the Empire and the Church, the Saints who were able to refine the Holy Water of the Sun all had the 'Stigmata,' the mark of God, engraved on their bodies without exception.'
It was a mark of the chosen, and a kind of safety device to withstand divine power.
However, according to what Raul had personally verified, the Stigmata did not exist anywhere on Edric's body.
'He refined the Holy Water of the Sun without even having the Stigmata? If that is true, he is the first 'Saint' in the history of the Church without the Stigmata.'
If Edric was a Saint outside the Church's control, it was closer to a disaster than a blessing.
This is because the significance of the existence of 'Saints, Holy Men, and Saintesses,' who were worshipped as special beings because they had the mark of being chosen by God, would fade.
It would mean that God's divine power was being reduced to nothing more than a <Skill>, a human talent.
"This is troublesome...."
However, he couldn't just kidnap him and investigate.
He was the closest aide to the Prince, a key figure in the Imperial Family.
It was a sensitive matter where, if handled incorrectly, it could escalate into an all-out war with the Imperial Family.
Cardinal Raul emitted a cold glint in his eyes and ordered.
"Continue surveillance. You must never be caught. Report immediately the moment he reveals his power."
"Understood."
Raul masked his face with his mask-like, benevolent smile again and disappeared into the darkness.
Edric did not yet know.
That even while he was playing Cupid for the Prince's love life, the sharpest blade of the Church was aimed at his back.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Sanctuary Sola.
Among the crowds flocking from all over the country ahead of the Saintess Investiture Ceremony, there were also those 'fallen nobles.'
They were scattered, dressed in ordinary commoner clothes, and were entering the sanctuary mixed in with the crowd.
"Stop. We will be conducting an inspection."
"Yes..."
"Stand in front of this mirror."
The place pointed out by the Papal Knights had a small mirror.
It was the [Mirror of Truth].
If one stood before that mirror, an impure soul that had made a contract with the Dead King could not hide itself.
The Papal See, feeling a sense of crisis after the Dead King Worshipper incident and the subsequent resurgence of their activities, had taken out every [Mirror of Truth] in their storage and placed them at the entrance of the sanctuary like this.
As the fallen noble stood in front of the [Mirror of Truth]... there was no reaction at all.
"No reaction... Pass."
"Thank you..."
There was no other reason why Kahel could pass the [Mirror of Truth] safely.
He was not a fanatic who worshipped the Dead King and received the Dead King's power.
He was merely a 'vengeful ghost' who had received a weapon containing the Dead King's power, so no mark appeared on the [Mirror of Truth].
"What is this?"
"It's a self-defense dagger."
The dagger given by the Dead King worshipper was not a big problem either.
The dagger in his bosom was also kept in a special sheath that suppressed magic, so it was treated as a simple self-defense weapon.
Also, since it was that kind of era, it was common for people to carry daggers for self-defense to protect themselves from monsters and bandits.
"Pass."
Once the knight's permission was given, Kahel twisted his lips inside his hood.
Stupid fools. Not knowing that this dagger is the poisonous fang that will stain your sanctuary with blood....
Kahel hid his body in the crowd and looked at the altar visible in the distance.
The red hatred lingering in his eyes began to turn toward Edric and the Saintess.