Chapter 91 Holy Kingdom (3)
The Holy Kingdom (3)
A dimly lit room.
Inside what appeared to be an office, a girl who looked barely older than a child sat with a long pipe clenched between her teeth, idly flipping through papers.
As she carefully scanned the document in her hand, she burned tobacco in her pipe.
The girl—Louie—let out a soft chuckle before carelessly tossing the paper onto the desk and fixing her gaze on the woman seated before her.
Golden hair that seemed to shimmer, and piercing golden eyes that felt as though they could see right through her.
Louie had met a few people like her before.
A raging fire smoldering behind a cold mask.
The kind of people who, the moment they ignited, would burn everything in their path beyond control.
"I never expected Her Highness the Imperial Princess to come visit someone as insignificant as me."
She smirked and relit her pipe.
Though the princess wrinkled her nose at the pungent smell of the strong tobacco, Louie paid no mind.
"I heard about you from the Duke."
"Ah, from Kain. Well, of course, it would be him."
So, he had spoken of her to the princess. If anything, she was pleased by his actions.
As the master of the Information Guild, expanding her clientele was hardly a bad thing.
Especially when that client was the sole Imperial Princess of the Arieh Empire.
'Aria von Shpenheim...'
As a member of the Imperial Family, she must have received an Authority from the Emperor. Was it sight? Or perhaps smell? Or maybe even hearing?
'Can she hear this voice?'
The princess's pupils trembled slightly, as if she had just read Louie's thoughts. Seeing that, Louie quickly deduced the nature of her Authority.
"How...?"
"Do you think I've spent just a few years in this damned world, little princess?"
Louie chuckled at her reaction.
She had sealed herself away in this strange place a thousand years ago, all in the name of preserving her own life.
Over those long years, she had met no shortage of people who came to kill the Emperor.
Some were swordsmen who had surpassed even the realm of Sword Masters.
Some were sages who had grasped the fundamental truths of the world, and others were holy knights who had received the Goddess's utmost favor.
Each one was a hero—a monster—whose name had once shaken the world.
In terms of sheer force, they were so formidable that even disaster-class monsters wouldn't dare show their faces.
"And yet, they all failed."
She tapped her pipe against the ashtray, shaking off the ashes before continuing.
"You don't seem any better than them."
The princess was at a loss for words at the weight of Louie's tone. In the silence that followed, Louie took a long drag from her pipe.
"You should go back now, little princess."
"But—"
"Next time, bring me a better answer."
The princess gritted her teeth before glaring back at Louie. But the girl did not retract her words, no matter how resolute that gaze was.
She simply watched her in silence.
The princess turned away and moved to leave. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Louie set down her pipe and spoke.
"Stay out of what's about to happen in the Holy Kingdom, Princess."
"Huh?"
"The Emperor will begin moving in earnest there."
Louie closed her eyes as she answered. The Emperor, who had tolerated the preparations for rebellion against him, would finally stir his heavy body into action.
And the starting point would be the Holy Kingdom.
'Will Kain be able to pull it off?'
The prophecy of fate foretold the fall of the Holy Kingdom of Numen.
It would be interesting to see how he would twist that outcome.
Louie relit her pipe. Though, in truth, she had already burned through all her tobacco.
§
Inside the rattling carriage.
Despite having ridden in it countless times, the ride was still far from comfortable. It would've been even worse without the magical enhancements.
'The Holy Kingdom, huh...'
Twirling a strand of her white hair around her finger, she gazed out the window. In the distance, massive walls loomed large enough to be seen even from afar.
True to its name as the Holy State of Numen, the walls were pristine white.
She glanced at Lily, but the maid had already dozed off, her head bobbing drowsily.
What a shame. Lily would've loved seeing such a magnificent sight. Scenes like this weren't something one could easily come by.
Come to think of it, did those walls encircle the entire nation?
Even from a distance, the sheer height of the walls was enough to draw an involuntary gasp of awe.
"Fascinating, isn't it?"
"Yes. Aren't you fascinated, Abel?"
"Indeed. The fact that every single one of those walls is imbued with holy power is quite remarkable."
"They're imbued with holy power?"
Curious, she pressed for an explanation. Abel pointed at the walls with his finger, then flicked it. At that moment, the engraved characters on the walls became visible.
"Those letters...?"
"They are ancient scripts that bestow holy power."
"Ordinary enemies wouldn't even be able to get past this."
"That's precisely how they've survived against the Empire."
I nodded at Abel's words while gazing at the towering walls.
Indeed, had the walls not been this formidable, the Numen Holy Kingdom might have long fallen to the Arieh Empire. In this world's western regions, the number of surviving nations—including the Empire itself—could be counted on one hand.
Even the Prilecha Kingdom, which had once shown signs of growth, was annihilated by the Arieh Empire over a decade ago.
From what I'd heard, it had been a truly brutal war.
Abel himself had participated in that conflict before even becoming a Saint.
Rumors suggested that the Prilecha Kingdom's downfall had been a joint effort between the Numen Holy Kingdom and the Arieh Empire.
I vaguely recalled that overlapping diplomatic complications had played a role, but...
...I can't quite remember the specifics.
In any case, the Numen Holy Kingdom was the nation that had successfully defended its territory against the Empire for decades.
Though it was puzzling how a city-state-like theocracy had managed such a feat.
"We're almost there."
At the coachman's voice, I leaned out the window—only to be met with the sight of a massive holy gate.
It stood about one and a half times taller than the calamity-level monster we'd encountered during the Hunting Festival.
Up close, the walls were far more imposing than I'd imagined.
However...
"Hah..."
I couldn't help but recoil at the sight of the long line of carriages stretched before the gate.
Retreating back inside, I exhaled deeply.
Abel, noticing my reaction, tilted his head slightly.
"Did something happen?"
"The line's too long. It'll take a whole day just to get through."
And that was no exaggeration. The queue stretched so far that I could spot people who had set up portable tents beside their carriages. Many looked disheveled, as if they'd been camping there for days.
Are we going to have to sleep in the carriage overnight too?
Worried, I turned to Abel.
"Will we make it inside today?"
"We'll be entering directly."
"Huh? But those people—"
Abel closed the book he'd been reading and set it aside before answering.
"Most of them are merchants or refugees. We, however, possess an invitation directly from His Holiness the Pope."
"Ah. Right."
True to his words, our carriage bypassed the snaking line and headed straight for the gate.
Naturally, the eyes of those waiting in line fixed upon us.
Many withdrew their gazes upon noticing the carriage's ornate decorations, though a few still glared at us with clear displeasure.
"Halt! Halt!"
A paladin in full armor, visibly irritated, scowled as he stopped our carriage.
Clicking his tongue, he tapped the scabbard at his waist impatiently before barking at the coachman.
"Can't you see the line behind you?"
"W-We have an invitation—"
"Invitation or not, can't you follow simple rules?"
The paladin cut him off with undisguised disdain. His expression was so openly hostile that I wondered if he had some personal grudge against nobles.
The coachman floundered under the paladin's aggression, unsure how to respond.
"Unless you were personally invited by His Holiness the Pope, you'd best get to the back of the line."
Abel, who had been quietly listening, exhaled deeply before stepping out of the carriage.
The paladin showed no sign of recognition—odd, since anyone who had participated in the subjugation expedition would surely know Abel's face.
Come to think of it, I didn't recall seeing this paladin during the expedition.
Must not be a high-ranking one. Or perhaps his skills aren't up to par yet.
"Will this suffice?"
"You'd better—"
The paladin's words died as his eyes fell upon the invitation Abel extended. His face froze mid-sentence, stammering incoherently in clear panic.
Abel observed him silently before retrieving the invitation.
"M-My deepest apologies! I failed to recognize an esteemed guest!"
"Be more careful next time. I'll let it slide just this once."
"Th-Thank you for your mercy!"
Beads of sweat rolled down the paladin's face as he bowed deeply. The bizarre spectacle drew the attention of the crowd, and many stifled laughter at the sight of his trembling eyes.
"The Holy Kingdom's inspections were strict, but not to this extent. Has something happened?"
"Ah. Well..."
The paladin hesitated, chewing his lip before finally answering.
"Lately, terrorists calling themselves 'Descendants of the Magic King' have been running rampant."
"...Descendants of the Magic King?"
Abel's expression twisted slightly at the paladin's words.