The Shocking Honor
The Academy was thrown into chaos by the shocking news. It was only natural. A student of the Academy had been appointed as an Honorary Monk of the Lure Church. That alone was enough to draw everyone's attention. But this news went one step further—no, five steps further. It wasn't just any ordinary student who had received the title. It was Kyle Berwen.
Everyone who heard the news doubted their own ears. When they realized their ears weren't playing tricks on them, they began to doubt the news itself. No one could bring themselves to believe it. After all, it was far too absurd. This was Kyle Berwen they were talking about—the Academy's most notorious troublemaker, the scoundrel who had ultimately been disowned by his family because of his behavior. Even if one lined up every person in the entire Empire, he was the kind of man who would fight for the top spot among the worst of the worst. That was the infamous Kyle.
That was why no one nodded in acceptance upon hearing the news. However, they soon learned the truth. The news was real. And the Academy was turned upside down. Some even wondered if they were all sharing the same dream. A few went so far as to send inquiries directly to the Lure Church, convinced there must have been some mistake. But no matter who asked or how many asked, the Church's answer remained the same.
"There is no mistake."
With that unwavering response, people had no choice but to accept it. Kyle Berwen had indeed become an Honorary Monk. Of course, acceptance didn't mean the shock had faded. People still looked dazed. The event had been too sudden, too incomprehensible.
Yet among them were those whose reactions went far beyond mere surprise.
Crash!
The blond young man, Ernen, slammed his hand down on the desk in irritation. Crack! The desk—crafted from the finest timber and shaped by the hands of a master artisan, befitting a prince—let out a pitiful sound as part of it splintered. It was an item whose price was beyond what ordinary people could dream of in a lifetime, yet its owner paid it no mind. Or rather, he had no luxury to care. The very fact that he had broken the desk with his own hands proved that the current Ernen was not in his right mind.
Though the desk hadn't been built to withstand extreme force given its purpose, it was still a masterpiece. It boasted durability far beyond ordinary furniture, reinforced with the finest materials and several auxiliary spells. It wasn't the kind of thing that could be broken by raw strength alone. Yet Ernen had shattered it with ease. That meant he had used mana—whether intentionally or because his fury had caused it to surge on its own. Either way, it was proof that he was not thinking clearly.
"...An Honorary Monk?"
Without so much as glancing at the broken desk, Ernen asked his subordinate in a low voice.
"...Yes."
The subordinate answered cautiously, watching Ernen's expression. What had driven Ernen to this state was, of course, the news that Kyle had been appointed as an Honorary Monk of the Lure Church. When he first heard it, even Ernen had doubted his ears. Knowing the stringent conditions for the appointment, he had immediately suspected it was false. So he had sent his subordinate to verify the truth. And the report confirmed that the unbelievable news was real. This reaction was what followed that confirmation.
While the other Academy students had felt intense shock mixed with disbelief, Ernen felt an unbearable rage. There was a reason for his response. Kyle Berwen becoming an Honorary Monk meant his plans had been fundamentally derailed.
Ernen had been working with Sebastian to expel Kyle from the Academy. He wanted to remove the most troublesome obstacle in his path to claiming the saintess. At first, he had tried to use Kyle's past misdeeds as leverage. But that attempt had failed due to Bellard Berwen's intervention. Though frustrated, Ernen hadn't given up. It was merely the easiest method that had been blocked—there were other ways.
If he couldn't use underhanded tactics because of the Berwen family's surveillance, then he would simply use legitimate ones. Ernen and Sebastian had immediately changed their approach. They would entangle Kyle in a new incident. Though it wasn't an easy task, neither of them considered it particularly difficult. They knew that as long as they created even a small "pretext," it would be enough. They would have someone fabricate an incident, force Kyle into it, and if there was even the slightest fault on his part, use that as grounds for expulsion.
But just as they were about to put that plan into motion, Kyle had been appointed an Honorary Monk. How could Ernen not be furious?
Someone might ask what difference it made whether Kyle was an Honorary Monk or not. But that question came from ignorance. The criteria for appointing an Honorary Monk were extraordinarily strict. The Church selected candidates with the utmost care, and because of that rigor, they did not treat their Honorary Monks lightly. Anyone appointed to the position immediately received the Church's full attention and favor. If an Honorary Monk faced trouble, the Church would spare no effort to help. In a crisis, they would dispatch the Holy Knights without hesitation. Furthermore, if the individual wished, they could live out their days on Church grounds. Beyond that, they could make nearly unlimited requests of the Church, as long as those requests did not violate doctrine.
In other words, the moment one became an Honorary Monk, they were treated as a distinguished guest of the Goddess Church. And now Kyle had been granted that position. It meant Ernen and Sebastian's plans had suffered a massive setback.
If, in their current state, they deliberately created an incident to expel Kyle from the Academy, the Church's agents would immediately mobilize to thoroughly investigate the truth and the circumstances. Claiming it was an internal Empire matter and refusing interference would be useless. The moment Kyle was appointed, he was considered a member of the Goddess Church.
Still, if they crafted an airtight plan with no room for fault, wouldn't it be fine? No. Strictly speaking, while Kyle was an Honorary Monk of the Lure Church, the three sister churches of the Goddess Church maintained such close ties that they were practically one organization. The moment they sensed anything suspicious, the Lure Church would request assistance from the Astrea Church, and the Astrea Church would dispatch their Inquisitors without a second thought. Astrea was the Goddess of Judgment. Her Inquisitors, blessed with her power, possessed the ability to discern truth. No matter how meticulously a scheme was constructed, the moment they investigated, the truth would inevitably come to light. In short, it was impossible to commit wrongdoing while avoiding their gaze.
"Damn it all—!!"
Thud!!
With a furious cry, Ernen slammed his hand down on the desk once more. Crack! The already damaged desk was now half-destroyed, reduced to a pitiful state—completely unusable.
"......"
The subordinate watched his master, who had lost all reason and could no longer contain his anger, with a complicated expression. Though Ernen's appearance was frightening, the subordinate also felt a sense of dissonance.
'...Has His Highness ever looked like this before?'
He had served Ernen for over a decade, ever since the prince was barely born. Despite watching him for so long, this was the first time he had seen Ernen lose control and display such raw fury.
'He was always so rational...'
Ernen had always been cool-headed and logical, even from a young age. Blessed with natural talent and intelligence, he had displayed a composure and rationality far beyond his years. It wasn't that he had never been angry before. But in those moments, he had shown cold anger, never losing himself to rage like this. Even during the succession struggle, when the tide had turned heavily in the crown prince's favor.
That was why the subordinate felt uneasy. The lord he was looking at now felt somewhat distant from the past lord he had believed would become the greatest ruler.