Chapter 264
Chapter: 264
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 264
>Chapter Title: To the Imperial Capital (1)
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While waiting for the pursuit team that had set off for the Demon Realm to return, Seongjin spent a quiet stretch of time.
Other than training or occasionally visiting Max, he still shut himself away in his room.
He wanted to avoid running into anyone from the count's household as much as possible. Just seeing the Border Count's family or even the servants brought Amelia's past to mind, spiking his blood pressure and making the back of his neck throb.
Instead, Seongjin was able to immerse himself in training for the first time in a long while.
Under Masain's meticulous guidance and meditating with Captain Bruno, it even felt like he'd returned to the Pearl Palace.
"A bit nostalgic. Those fulfilling days spent training all day in the training grounds."
"…Are you serious, Your Highness?"
Sir Carmen, who had been training alongside him while being nagged by Captain Bruno, shot Seongjin a look like he'd heard the most absurd thing.
"Tch. Of course I'm serious. That's why you're the dimmest one here."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't you join the knights before Lady Claudia?"
So why was his insight so much worse than hers?
"Ah, that's infuriating! Stop with that comparison crap… Mmph!"
"……."
"…S-Sorry."
On top of that, there were so many loose ends from his various undertakings that just tying them up took time flying by like an arrow.
Dasha had grown busy as well as a result. She was advancing Seongjin's requests simultaneously in the capital and Regina, even requesting reinforcements for the monkey watchtower.
"Your Highness, are you really going through with this?"
And every time she saw his face, she asked with evident worry.
"Of course. If we weren't serious, what was all this effort for?"
"But a business venture? Isn't it too out of left field?"
Delcross wasn't all that different from the Earth where Seongjin had lived. Young scions from prominent high-class families often dove headfirst into ventures with overambitious ignorance, only to crash and burn.
And now an ignorant young prince was launching a continent-spanning business? It was mind-boggling.
"Well, the groundwork's already laid by Branch Chief Schmidt. I've consulted on profitability too, so no issues there."
Besides, to have Logan's gift ready in time, they needed to start the groundwork in Regina right away.
"But no matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem profitable. Factoring in maintenance costs, it's perfect for running at a loss…"
"Hey now!"
Most ventures were half-solved if they could just hold out until stabilization.
With his father around, capital wouldn't dry up, and there'd be no real competitors anyway, so it would carve out its niche eventually.
Plus, he had a secret weapon he'd made with Dexter.
"What is it?"
"I'll show you in Regina on the way back."
Heh heh.
Seongjin grinned confidently.
It was right around then that Adjutant Francis arrived in the Zigsmundt territory.
* * *
"…Is this really a Glacier Troll?"
Francis adjusted his glasses and eyed the ice construct sharply.
It was Ice Construct No. 2, adjusted by Dexter as a replacement for the heavily damaged No. 1. Seongjin had parked it in a corner of the count's manor under sponsorship.
'Originally, I planned to bring the whole family and march in proudly.'
But the prevailing opinion was that a line of massive magical beasts walking into the capital would terrify the residents.
Dozens of tons of ice monsters would smash the well-maintained capital boulevards, plain as day.
And considering the Orthodox Church's backlash, they'd agreed with the Holy Emperor to bring just one, designated as a holy relic.
As such, a lot of effort had gone into Ice Construct No. 2.
Seongjin proudly spread his arms wide toward Francis.
"Not a Glacier Troll—it's Ice Construct No. 2, Sir Francis. And now it's officially an authorized holy relic of the Holy Assembly!"
"You know as well as I do that's nonsense. And don't arbitrarily slap weird names on something slated to be a holy relic."
Was it because he'd be separated from Captain Katrina for so long? Francis was pricklier than usual.
But even he couldn't hide his brief look of admiration upon seeing the Ice Construct No. 2 that Seongjin unveiled.
"When His Majesty suddenly ordered a magical beast designated as a holy relic, I thought it was some mad directive. But at this level… it's decent."
Well, it wasn't unreasonable.
Ice Construct No. 2 was no longer a crude lump of ice monster but closer to a knight statue clad in a fairly convincing suit of ice armor.
The breastplate bore the embossed emblem of the Lord God, mimicking the full plate of holy knights. Instead of the roughly piled ice head, it now sported a delicately sculpted helmet like those of the Holy Knight Order.
And that was hardly all.
A long ice sword hung at its waist, and a massive cloak emblazoned with the Lord's emblem billowed from its back—truly, a noble knight sent down by the Lord God Himself.
Sleeker overall, its size reduced to about five meters, the weight had plummeted too.
At this point, there'd be no worry of it punching holes in the capital boulevards with every step.
"I'm taking this to give to Father. It'll look pretty cool decorating the palace lobby, right?"
He felt proud. Like a dutiful son gifting his parents a shiny new car.
"Well, fine. Looks good enough."
Francis pulled out a thick stack of documents and began briskly annotating them.
"What's that?"
"Drafts for submission to the Holy Assembly. Do you think designating a holy relic is that simple? We're fabricating multiple historical records based on that 'Wondrous Continental Travels' tale. Everything has to line up perfectly to avoid issues later."
With that, Francis narrowed his eyes and focused on the paperwork.
"For now, let's name this Glacier Troll the holy relic 'Knight of Grace.' Straightforward and uncontroversial, right?"
It completely ignored Ice Construct No. 2's original name.
Seongjin shot him a dissatisfied glare, but Francis ignored it and scribbled away furiously.
Hmm, better change all 'Giant of the Lord God' to 'Knight of the Lord God.' The size descriptions don't match in places. 'When that massive body rose, it was like a mountain stirring' could become 'When the knight raised his sword, his majesty seemed enough to cleave a peak.' Best to delete the eyewitness account of the giant crossing Lake Salz on foot entirely. At this size, it'd probably submerge up to its head in the lake center. A bit ridiculous, no? The overall descriptions in the book are iffy too. Ah, might be faster to overhaul the entire [Wondrous Continental Travels]. And then…
Seongjin, listening from the side, was utterly flabbergasted.
"You're even revising an already published book?"
Francis replied calmly without looking up from his papers.
"Yes, well. [Wondrous Continental Travels] was destined for the forbidden list anyway if left as is, wasn't it? This has been in the works since we decided to delist it."
"……."
"The Holy Assembly's revised scriptures multiple times—what's there to be surprised about? It'll be quite the sight when the corrected first edition hits the capital. Why don't you pick one up too, Your Highness? Word is it's pretty entertaining."
Revising scriptures? For Seongjin, who'd lived on modern Earth, it was beyond imagination.
Curious, he sneaked a peek at one of the sheets Francis had finished editing.
-On the day Granus sought the Demon Realm at the Holy Emperor's command, auspicious lights shimmered from all directions. Truly, the Lord God's holy will manifested upon this land. Thus spoke the Vicar of God: This is preparation against the dark shadow that shall one day befall the Lord God's kingdom, sending down a sacred giant as the Knight of Grace…
He'd straight-up written a myth.
Wasn't this too blatant a fabrication? Where was the conscience?
"It's always been like that with His Majesty. When he drove the Dark Cult from the capital, he completely rewrote the scriptures once. Everyone hushes it up, but those in the know are aware."
"…Father did?"
"Yes. And it's not just him. I've heard some past Holy Emperors outright excised an entire chapter. It's so ancient now, no one knows the contents. Rumors say it held founding legends or an apocalypse foretelling Delcross's fall."
Finishing there, Francis narrowed his eyes at a snag in the documents.
"Well, can't deny it's the most efficient way to rule an empire, but whether it's proper for the Vicar of God is another matter. Honestly, His Majesty these days has zero conscience left, has he?"
Seongjin bristled and glared.
"But isn't your presence here proof of Captain Katrina's orders? That makes her an accomplice too. Why pick on Father alone?"
Now it was Francis's turn to bristle.
"No, the one issuing orders and the one receiving them are the same?"
"Has Father ever forced an unjust command on the captain? I guarantee she had zero doubts about his orders."
Lady Katrina was a mirror image of his father, executing his will to the letter. So either she had no thoughts of her own, or she was equally conscienceless!
Francis slammed the documents on the floor with a bang.
"Argh! How dare you speak of our noble and righteous captain like that! Everything she does is just!"
"Then everything Father does is just too!"
"Yes, Your Highness! Fine, let's say that! Ah, what is this, a kids' squabble?!"
"Don't play innocent! You've committed every irreverence in the book, and now you pretend to have scruples?!"
They bickered pointlessly for a good while until Masain, drawn by the commotion, mediated and stopped the fight.
"Francis, you're fine normally, but why do you turn into an idiot whenever Captain Katrina's involved?"
After scolding Francis, Masain turned to Seongjin and sighed softly.
"Logan or you, Your Highness—why do you all…"
"……!"
Seongjin was deeply shocked.
Wait, are you saying this is my fault, Sir Masain?
[Then whose fault would it be?]
'Shut up!'
Anyway, after wrapping up the report on Ice Construct No. 2, Francis toured the Zigsmundt territory to gather 'miracle' eyewitness accounts.
Surprisingly, collecting testimonies without much fabrication proved straightforward.
It had been such a chaotic crisis, and the battle in the darkness meant few remembered the ice constructs' details clearly.
-The ice soldiers sent by the Lord God appeared amid holy light and smote the beasts!
That 'holy light' was probably just flashbangs.
-Whenever God's apostles swung their fists, brilliant radiance burst forth!
The crude punches shattered ice from their fists, spraying everywhere.
-And that's not all! A massive Zigsmundt crest proudly flew from their backs, with the Lord God's emblem clear on their chests!
Sir Valerie's amateurish decorations must've looked convincing.
"This settles everything. The Holy Assembly won't raise issues now."
Francis, who had diligently compiled the statements, spoke relievedly.
With hopes of returning to the capital sooner than expected, his mood had improved noticeably.
"Well, we've muddled through somehow."
Seongjin still felt dazed. Things just wrapped up so sloppily.
Unfortunately, most soldiers who'd witnessed the ice constructs in broad daylight had perished, including old Sir Hans guarding the canyon fortress.
Meaning few remained to contradict the tale.
Stoic Orden had clamped his already taciturn mouth shut.
-So you're saying they weren't mere Glacier Trolls, but Knights of Grace—God's own emissaries? Ooh! I knew it! I felt a sacred aura from the first glimpse!
The relatively unscathed witness, Sir Oscar, was going even further, spreading rumors through every tavern in the territory.
Now bard Roland had composed an exaggerated ballad based on his account.
The prince raised his hand firmly, pointing to the white horizon.
Behold, those invaders from the frozen wastes! Our ancient foes!
At that light gesture, the Knight of Grace sent by the Lord God swung his sword…
Watching the developments with disbelief, Seongjin could only shake his head.
A world without proper media, as expected.
"Well, isn't it for the best? Cuts down on cleanup."
Francis, who'd finished everything in just two days—a rarity for him—pleaded with a rare bright expression.
"Then I'll head to the capital first. Please take your time returning, Your Highness. Even with papers ready, convening the Assembly and designating the 'Knight of Grace' as a holy relic will take a little time."
Shortly after Francis departed lightheartedly, the pursuit team returned to the territory. Including Logan in his still-gleaming uniform and the Lilium detachment.
Now it was truly time for Seongjin to leave the territory.
"Border Count Hendrick. Got a moment? Let's talk."
That evening, Seongjin visited the count's study. Before heading to the capital, he had unfinished business to settle with him.