Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: The Five Stages of Denial
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“Theo, are you sure this will work?”
Isfil muttered in a voice thick with worry as she looked at me, and I nodded back at her.
“It’ll be fine.”
“...If you say so, I’ll believe you, but...”
She gazed at me anxiously before looking down at the paper in her hand.
Isfil alternated between staring at the paper labeled “Letter of Delegation” and me.
Our plan was as follows.
“What if I step down, you become the Saint, and then we alternate between Prince and Saint? Will that make sense to them?”
Isfil murmured, and I nodded.
“No reason it wouldn’t.”
In fact, it was the safest option for me to handle it.
“There’s no one better suited than me to remain untouchable by the Holy Kingdom.”
If I were a commoner—or even an ordinary noble—instead of an imperial prince, becoming a Saint would mean a high chance of getting dragged off by the Holy Kingdom.
But as the Empire’s prince, even they couldn’t touch me lightly.
And from living with my mother, I doubted she’d just say “Oh, okay” and let them take me if they tried.
To make that happen, I needed fame.
Of course, fame alone wasn’t enough. I had to build real power too.
But here was the problem.
Being a prince was almost like cheating for building fame, but it was poison for building true skill.
Whatever I accomplished, they’d just think it was expected.
It was an impact issue.
A slum kid hailed as a Saint would draw far more attention and cheers than a prince ever could. That was just how society worked.
So just being good wasn’t enough.
I had to be ridiculously good.
The first requirement was Holy Power.
“You said my Holy Power is about on par with yours?”
“It’s a bit less, but they probably won’t notice.”
“You’re sure about that?”
“Yeah. At this point, Theo... your Holy Power might even surpass the Pope’s...”
No point giving them a plane ride—they still wouldn’t get it.
Second.
“And control over Holy Power...?”
“That’s on my level too.”
Isfil nodded.
In the end, I had to show power comparable to the Saintess just to get anyone calling me a Saint.
Especially since the current era’s Saintess had already vouched that my Holy Power was pretty good.
“Good.”
I nodded.
“Then we’re ready to—”
“But will the Holy Kingdom accept me quitting as Saintess?”
Isfil murmured, her voice full of concern again.
“They’ll probably call it a lie.”
“Probably? They’ll absolutely call it a lie.”
No way they’d just sit there quietly.
They’d pull out every trick in the book.
Religion was another form of power.
If nations bound people with land and loyalty, religion bound them with ideology.
In some ways, it was even stronger.
We couldn’t underestimate that force.
“Of course, inside the Empire, the backlash will be less than you’d think.”
That’s why I’d been running myself ragged at the relief centers for months.
“...I’m worried it won’t end easily.”
“Of course it won’t.”
But what could we do?
“You said you didn’t want to go, Isfil.”
“...”
She stared at me quietly after hearing that.
“Yeah... I don’t want to go.”
“Then you’re not going.”
There would be plenty of variables.
The Holy Kingdom wouldn’t accept it at face value, and more problems than I anticipated could arise.
I’d prepared as much as possible and built connections, but those were a last resort.
Using their power would mean owing them favors, so I had to improvise as much as I could.
At least we were at the starting line...
“...Why?”
Isfil’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Huh?”
“Why are you helping me like this?”
She looked at me steadily.
I looked back at Isfil.
She’d just turned thirteen, right?
I thought back to my past for a moment.
“I think kids should live doing what they want.”
I hadn’t been able to.
I’d lived by what was given to me, not freely.
I couldn’t eat what I wanted or see what I wanted.
And even as an adult, had I done what I wanted? No.
I’d just scrambled desperately to survive day by day.
“Time will pass anyway, and you’ll end up doing things you don’t want.”
That’s what adulthood was.
Bills, national pension, all sorts of payments.
Gifts for friends’ weddings, and so on.
But kids weren’t there yet.
“That’s why I’m doing my best to help you now.”
Especially the ones who’d hit middle age and tried to live vicariously through their kids.
Cardinal Luis’s face came to mind.
Maybe I should’ve dealt with that guy in the Empire first.
“...”
Isfil tilted her head as she watched me.
“But you’re a kid too, Theo.”
“That’s why I’m living how I want.”
Since coming here, I hadn’t bent my will much.
Not even to my mother.
As I nodded to myself, Isfil rested her chin on her hand, thinking of something before murmuring.
“Come to think of it, you do everything I tell you not to. I say don’t train, and you do. I say grow a little, and you don’t. I say rest because it’s tough, and you don’t...”
“...”
“But.”
Isfil smiled softly at me.
“Thank you. You’re the best, Theo.”
“...Anyway.”
I cleared my throat and spoke up.
“The news will spread soon.”
“...His Majesty approved, right?”
“Yeah.”
I recalled my conversation with Mother.
‘Theo, your Holy Power is similar to the Saintess’s?’
‘A little less, but...’
‘And your control over it is similar too?’
‘Again, a little less...’
‘Mom always believed in you. Who else could be the Saint if not you?’
‘...What about Isfil...’
‘Don’t worry. She gave up her Saintess position for you... The Empire will treat her with utmost care.’
‘Thank you, Mom.’
‘Oh, come on. Summon the ministers.’
‘Mom?’
‘Listen to this. Our child has...’
“...”
Anyway, permission granted.
I turned my gaze away as I thought that.
“We’ll see how they react when it comes.”
“How do you think they’ll react?”
“Obviously.”
It was practically tradition at this point.
There was even a famous saying about the Five Stages of Denial.
First, Stage 1 of Denial.
Denial had begun.
Sure enough, a few days later, a letter arrived from the Holy Kingdom refusing to acknowledge it.
And with Isfil’s return deadline approaching, they demanded preparations to send her back.
Mother’s response was simple.
<By her own will, Isfil has lost her qualifications as Saintess.>
<Theodor is the Empire’s prince, so we can’t give him up as Saint either. We’re keeping Isfil too.>
<Get lost.>
That was the three-line summary.
The Holy Kingdom’s reaction was predictably poor.
They threw a fit, demanding Isfil’s immediate return.
Then they moved to Stage 2: Anger.
Soon after, a lengthy letter arrived.
This was an outrageous diplomatic breach, and if it continued, the Holy Kingdom had ways to respond.
Mother ignored it, of course.
From there, the Holy Kingdom started applying external pressure, as if they couldn’t stay silent anymore.
For example, cathedrals within the Empire issued statements condemning us.
The Holy Kingdom portrayed the Castina Empire as a den of villains they’d love to crush.
But surprisingly, it didn’t cause much uproar in the Empire.
When the Holy Kingdom issued their condemnations, the Empire’s relief centers countered by defending the Empire.
<Miracles are made by people, not gods.>
<Prince Theodor didn’t proclaim God’s miracles—he showed miracles with his own human body.>
<Countless sick have been saved, and more are being saved even now.>
<The Holy Kingdom, which demands payment for miracles, should reflect on its past actions.>
The Holy Kingdom flipped out at those words too.
Meanwhile, I was gradually expanding my activities.
With Mother’s permission, I kept going to the farthest relief centers to heal people.
“If I’d gone to the Holy Kingdom for treatment, it would’ve bankrupted me...”
One man I’d healed said that, and it hit me then.
“Money?”
“Yes. The Holy Kingdom charges based on treatment level.”
Makes sense for doctors, but...
“Sometimes they even demand a night with your wife.”
No, it didn’t.
Those trash bastards.
“I see.”
After finishing the treatment, the man thanked me profusely.
“Your Highness, how can I ever repay this grace...?”
“Work hard.”
But I wasn’t hurting for money.
Food, clothing, shelter—all handled by the palace. And I’d heard selling just the Diamond Orb Mother gave me would last a lifetime.
Though it meant falling behind on magic and sword training, earning scoldings from Lily and Ravire...
“See, everything the Holy Kingdom said was wrong...”
Another person I’d just healed spoke up.
“My future feels bright now.”
“Pardon?”
“If someone like Prince Theodor becomes emperor, it’ll surely usher in a golden age. Though it’s already a great era...”
“Don’t say ominous things.”
I had no intention of becoming emperor.
Of course, some came purely to berate me.
“Theodor Castina! You vile wretch!”
“...”
“I’ll never forgive—”
-Thwack!
And Clue, assigned as my guard by Mother, mercilessly smashed them every time.
No joke—she sometimes seemed stronger than the Knight Commander.
Time passed like that,
“...An envoy from the Holy Kingdom has arrived.”
And the ones we’d been waiting for finally came.
“Theo...”
“It’s fine.”
I took Isfil’s hand as she murmured anxiously and nodded.
Now it was time for Stage 3: Bargaining.