Chapter 78
Chapter: 78
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 78
>Chapter Title: Orthodox Church (2)
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>The line was fairly long, but sorting them out didn’t take much time.
Those infected with the Gray Plague typically lost consciousness early on. There wasn’t a single person who could walk steadily on two legs that truly harbored a Roperum egg.
About half the people who had filled the capital guard’s prison and courtyard were quickly screened as they passed the table.
The first check was by Liora plague physician Jibril.
Clad in near-perfect protective gear, she gave the patients a rough once-over and, if she judged it wasn’t the Gray Plague, immediately sprinkled rose perfume on them.
“Before standing before His Highness, thoroughly erase that stench to prevent illness! Foul odors are the root of all diseases!”
That quack Liora plague physician!
The second check was by the reliable hound Francis.
Coughing nonstop from the potent perfume, he double-checked the patients passing by for any trace of demonic beast energy.
“You promised, Your Highness! To the Captain, cough! Please make sure to convey my efforts here, achoo! Cough!”
You fool, you always ruin it with your mouth after doing good work.
The third check was by the Demon King—alongside Yi Seongjin.
He examined the chest and head of each person passing by, then whispered to Seongjin.
[No Roperum eggs, no salt crystals either. All clear. Heh heh.]
The unfiltered wave of his smug satisfaction left Seongjin feeling oddly conflicted.
The fourth was Lord Masain, holding the money pouch.
He handed a few coins to each cleared person, staring into their eyes uncomfortably and emphasizing to every one.
“The one who saved your lives today is none other than Prince Mores! Don’t ever forget to live with gratitude for the rest of your days. Understood?”
…Lord Masain, please stop! You’re embarrassing me to death!
And with that, they received a rye bun and an apple each from Lord Haven and Lady Claudia before leaving the capital guard post.
Their faces were blank with bewilderment, as if unsure whether this was a dream or reality.
Once the line had thinned out somewhat, Lady Claudia whispered from the side.
“Even so, just a few coins? Isn’t the compensation too stingy? It’s barely enough for one meal on the way home.”
“That’s just right.”
Seongjin replied.
“If you could escort each of them home and watch over them until the money runs out, then sure, give them more.”
Half-hearted favors could turn poisonous for those without the power to protect themselves. Their plight was pitiful, but this was the limit.
“…Ah!”
Lady Claudia made a sound like a lightbulb going off, then looked at Seongjin with sparkling eyes.
She always stares at me like that when she’s hungry. Didn’t she sneak a rye bun earlier for sure?
When only a few people remained in line, a burly middle-aged man came rushing out from the capital guard building.
It was the capital guard captain, who had just been informed of the situation.
“What in the world is going on here?! Why are you releasing all the prisoners we arrested?!”
Sharon, who had been overseeing the capital guard side, stepped forward to block him.
“I’m certain I delivered the cooperation writ stamped with the seal. Did you not receive it, by chance?”
“I did receive it, but what kind of ‘active cooperation’ is this… And releasing prisoners at will—what do you think you’re doing?! These were arrested on orders from above! Who gave you the authority…!”
“Heh heh. Since it seems you don’t understand, allow me to explain once more: with the Holy Council’s approval review underway, the temporary emergency measures have already ended. Moreover, the Heresy Tribunal has applied for dismissal of the case and stepped back. Thus, neither side currently has authority over their disposition. Heh heh.”
“What nonsense is that? That doesn’t mean they instantly fall under the Demonic Beast Task Force! At the very least, until the Holy Council decides on a policy, the capital guard should naturally manage them!”
The guard captain’s point was valid.
Strictly speaking, the third-party Demonic Beast Task Force had barged in out of nowhere.
But that’s why they chose this ambiguous timing when it couldn’t be flatly denied. That’s what made such a tantrum possible.
“They’re not under the capital guard’s jurisdiction either, are they?”
“We were merely following temporary emergency measures…”
“But now, even the Orthodox Church that enacted those measures no longer has claim.”
“Even so, they must ultimately be detained by the Heresy Tribunal…”
“Regrettably, they’re not under the Heresy Tribunal’s jurisdiction now either. So why are you interfering with the Demonic Beast Task Force’s [official duties]?”
“Urk…!”
As he listened to Lady Sharon’s thin, leisurely voice, the guard captain’s face gradually lost all patience.
Meanwhile, the last person scurried away from the capital guard post, leaving only dozens of unconscious patients sprawled in the courtyard.
Thud. The guard captain collapsed limply onto the spot, his face hollow.
‘Maybe it’s time to soothe him a bit…’
Seongjin approached the guard captain.
“You’ve always worked hard protecting the imperial capital. Since this was urgent [official business] for us as well, I apologize for not seeking your cooperation in advance.”
“…Prince Mores, Your Highness.”
The guard captain staggered to his feet, his pallid face starting to protest.
“Your Highness! It’s troubling when you push through like this so arbitrarily! If you’d even once considered our position, having to drag them all back in…!”
“That’s impossible. The temporary emergency measures are over. If you harm any more innocent imperial citizens from here on, we’ll deem it your sole discretion and take measures accordingly.”
“Sole discretion?! The orders from above were clear: arrest even the rash patients!”
“Then why arrest rash patients?”
“Because rashes are naturally the early symptoms of the curse…!”
“Exactly—rashes being the early symptom of the Gray Plague is the key point.”
Seongjin cut him off and brought forward the physician standing behind.
Jibril Seymour.
She was the very plague physician who had sprinkled rose perfume on Seongjin’s group in front of the tribunal before. He’d stopped by the Liora Plague Society office, spotted a familiar face, and roped her in on the spot.
She was undoubtedly one of the quacks, but fully geared in protective clothing, she exuded a specialist’s aura.
“So we consulted the Liora Plague Society. As you know, they’re a venerable school recognized by the Holy Council for their expertise. Doubting them is tantamount to denying the Holy Council’s authority.”
The guard captain glared at Seongjin with a screwed-up face.
Hey, don’t get mad.
They’d lost prisoners under Holy Council review too—they’d need some excuse to give the Council later, right?
“And fortunately, an adjutant from the Saint Aurelion Knights stepped up as well.”
Seongjin pointed to the foul-tempered holy knight scowling in the back and continued.
“Who better to discern the Devil’s Curse than a holy knight of the Lord? He was the first to detect the plague outbreak at the tribunal recently. And just before, Francis’s ingenuity saved a Gray-Plague-infected palace knight’s life.”
The guard captain tugged at his mustache, looking uncomfortable.
“Your Highness, the capital guard merely follows orders. Isn’t discerning curses the Heresy Tribunal’s job afterward? You’re ignoring all procedures!”
“Is that so? You may not have heard, but the Heresy Tribunal has already concluded the Gray Plague is unrelated to demons. If they detain innocents willy-nilly and something happens to them, do you think the Tribunal will take responsibility for the fallout? In the end, all the blame will fall on the inflexible capital guard.”
“……”
“By the way, while the Holy Council mediates, it’ll take quite some time—how did you plan to manage all those people? Were you even providing enough food?”
They were slum-dwellers who wouldn’t get proper treatment anyway.
Most would’ve died even without being dragged here, so the plan was probably just to warehouse them—but the guard captain couldn’t voice that ethically.
“…We were devising countermeasures as best we could. We sent cooperation writs to the 7th Knights as well…”
“Then all issues are resolved now—no need for more writs. Isn’t that convenient? Just manage the remaining prisoners well.”
“……”
The boy’s face, retorting at every turn with a sly curl of his lip, was utterly infuriating.
The guard captain’s eyes narrowed slightly as he faced Seongjin.
“Come to think of it, there’s something I wanted to ask Your Highness. Last night, some capital guard members suffered serious injuries on duty. What do you make of such an unsavory incident occurring in the imperial capital, under the Lord’s sacred law?”
“Oh? Did that happen? I hope the injured guards recover well. Ah, speaking of which…”
Seongjin furrowed his brow and continued.
“Last night, the Pearl Palace resident knight escorting my [guest] was brutally assaulted on the road. They attacked a palace [guest], gang-beat a palace knight, and even drew swords on a member of the imperial family trying to intervene. With law alive in the imperial capital, how should we handle such frequent outrages?”
“……”
“It’s beyond insulting the imperial family—they even tried to assassinate a prince. I’m quite curious who ordered them.”
“Th… That…”
“But I’m too busy with [official duties] to bother. So I plan to delegate the entire investigation to the capital guard—can you handle it quietly without fuss?”
“…We’ll devote ourselves fully, Your Highness.”
The guard captain, face drained white, swallowed and retreated.
[…Didn’t you say you’d soothe him? Why threaten instead?]
‘It wasn’t even a raised fist—threat? This was me being very gentle.’
[……. ]
The real problem started now.
Everyone lying here was a Gray Plague patient. Now they had to decide who to save.
Nearly 150 people had been dragged here relentlessly over the past three days.
The mobile ones had already left, leaving about half.
Seongjin toured the courtyard and prison, quickly scanning the fallen. He culled another ten or so unconscious from other severe illnesses, not Gray Plague.
After confirming them with Jibril and Francis and sending them to the palace clinic, only confirmed Gray Plague patients remained in the capital guard post.
“…Extract eggs from all of them? Time is running short.”
Lord Masain asked worriedly, seeing the remaining fifty or so.
Seongjin gave a clear criterion.
“Tell the guards to try feeding them water. Exclude those who can’t swallow.”
Soon, a bizarre scene unfolded: capital guard members going prisoner to prisoner, trickling water into their mouths.
As Seongjin roamed inside and out issuing orders, the guards were following his commands in a daze.
With the entire Demonic Beast Task Force moving in perfect sync under him, they naturally saw this young boy as the top authority. Even the guard captain just watched silently as the prince wandered about commanding.
Despite no pressure from rank or status, his words oddly carried weight, making defiance unthinkable.
Another ten or so who barely swallowed were culled, leaving only mid- and late-stage Gray Plague patients in the prison.
“Take the culled ones to the physicians now for extraction.”
With that order, Seongjin turned from the rest without hesitation.
Those with advanced Gray Plague seemed beyond saving.
The Demon King had confirmed their brains were wrecked full of salt crystals. Visually, their bodies were rigid as logs, barely breathing.
Even if reversible—which was doubtful—those unable to drink water had no hope. No IV nutrition like in modern medicine.
Better to hand them over nicely, appeasing both the Heresy Tribunal and Orthodox Church maximally—for everyone’s benefit.
It might seem cold, but Seongjin thought it best.
‘The Tribunal sees them as unwanted baggage, but if another department snatches them arbitrarily, it becomes a pride issue. Reduce the numbers a bit, and they’re more likely to accept.’
Same for the Orthodox Church.
Stealing every last one would render the Holy Council review pointless, and a piqued Church might trigger emergency measures again.
But leaving plenty of confirmed Gray Plague patients would make them likely wait quietly for review to end.
Aiming for half success from the start.
‘Half of that half, and hope they’re satisfied.’
While Seongjin pondered, Masain watched his face, lost in some strange sentiment.
He’d voiced cautious opposition since morning when Seongjin mobilized the Task Force.
-If Your Highness pities the detained imperial citizens, pressuring the Holy Council toward dismissal now would be appropriate. Once dismissed, all would be freed. Snatching them arbitrarily risks making enemies of both Church and Tribunal.
-But meanwhile, the wrongly detained suffer, and early-stage patients miss treatment windows?
-Even so, I oppose. If Your Highness intervenes and personally decides innocents’ fates, some will surely blame you later for their deaths. And they’ll nitpick your criteria, gossiping about your qualifications…
-Lord Masain.
Having grown up watching his father’s bloody power struggles with siblings, Masain saw Seongjin’s actions as dangerously undermining his position.
Yet the seemingly naive prince was unexpectedly resolute.
-Future problems can wait. For now, focus solely on saving as many as possible.
-….
The prince, who seemed driven by noble intent to aid citizens at great risk, now coldly sorted life from death without qualms.
Masain found this young prince’s demeanor strangely unfamiliar—yet somehow familiar too—tilting his head unwittingly.