Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Go to the Holy Kingdom
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‘Was there any incident at this exact timing that would prompt the emperor to send a letter directly?’
I racked my brains reviewing the story’s events, but nothing came to mind. To begin with, the emperor shouldn’t be paying me this much attention at this point in the story.
He was supposed to just gloss over me as a moderately talented knight for now, then gradually take notice during the later story arcs.
I had no confidence in handling that ridiculously fickle personality and behavior of his from the early to mid-story. Something had clearly gone wrong, but I couldn’t pinpoint where.
“Should I just open it up and check?”
“Yeah. Be careful not to reveal anything to us first before you see the contents. Oh, and you know you can’t damage the emperor’s seal, right?”
My fingers paused as I was about to peel off the seal. Aurora stared at my abruptly frozen fingers, fell silent for a moment as if at a loss for words, then muttered in disbelief after a long pause.
“……You didn’t know?”
“Nope.”
“A letter stamped with the emperor’s seal means His Majesty personally oversaw every single step. Choosing the parchment, writing the words, sealing the envelope, and even stamping the seal—all of it. So you absolutely cannot damage it. You have to keep it safe and return it when you have an audience with His Majesty.”
“What if I lose it or something?”
“Want to hear?”
“……Better not.”
I quietly gave up. When Aurora put it like that, I had no desire to satisfy my curiosity by peering into the abyss.
“Good thing I warned you just in case. If you’d glossed over it, you’d have been in real trouble.”
Aurora patted her chest in relief. I felt the same. I never imagined a landmine like this hiding in such a place. And not just any landmine—a massive anti-tank one, no less.
How was I supposed to know the fine details, like not damaging the emperor’s seal or keeping it safe to return during a later audience?
I moved my fingers even more cautiously. I gently peeled off the emperor’s seal and placed it on the table, then untied the knot of the red ribbon wrapped around the parchment.
‘Do I have to return this ribbon later too?’
I stared blankly at the ribbon in my hand before setting it down next to the seal. Better to keep it just in case. At least I wouldn’t lose out by taking it along.
The parchment scroll looked luxurious at a glance. It had a springy bounce when touched, yet was far softer than regular paper.
Paper with bounce? It sounded odd, but that was my impression.
“Wait a sec. There aren’t any specific etiquettes I have to follow when unfolding or reading it, right?”
“Not entirely none.”
“Eh, there really are?”
“Every action you take in His Majesty’s presence is governed by strict protocols. How to breathe, how to kneel, where to direct your gaze—all that sort of thing.”
“…….”
My throat suddenly felt constricted. In the emperor’s presence, even breathing and eye movements had prescribed rules? Seriously?
“But those only apply when you’re actually having an audience in the imperial palace. You don’t need to worry about that here, so relax. Just read it however. Though don’t handle it too roughly.”
“That’s a relief, at least.”
I meant it sincerely.
I grasped both ends of the rolled parchment and slowly unrolled it. Black ink letters appeared on the surface of the slightly ochre-tinted paper.
—Go to the Holy Kingdom. Caecilia Rivanus.
“……?”
I doubted my eyes for a moment.
The parchment, long like several A4 sheets joined end to end vertically, contained only two sentences. The emperor’s name and title took up more characters than the actual message.
Was I seeing wrong? I peered closely at the parchment, then pulled the scroll all the way to check if there was more writing at the top or bottom.
But no, those two sentences were it. The order to go to the Holy Kingdom, and Caecilia’s full name.
“Why the serious face? What does it say?”
Aurora tossed the question lightly. The other knight commanders looked equally curious but hesitated to ask outright since it was a letter from the emperor himself.
“Um…… just to be sure, is there magic that hides the text until certain conditions are met?”
“How should I know? I’m not a mage. Why? What’s it say?”
I handed the parchment over wordlessly. Aurora read it, then widened her eyes just like I had, her face a mix of bewilderment and absurdity.
Now it was the knight commanders’ turn to satisfy their curiosity. Aurora passed the parchment around with a complicated expression, and they each glanced at it, ending up with the same looks.
Silence settled over the drawing room, stretching on for quite a while. Our teacups emptied and refilled at least twice before Aurora finally broke it.
“There’s got to be more to it.”
She picked up the parchment again, her face reflecting the exact emotions she must have been feeling.
“No matter how I think about it, there’s no reason to personally write and send a letter just to say ‘go to the Holy Kingdom.’ There has to be something else here.”
“I agree, my lord. It’s more accurate to assume this letter has some specific magical treatment.”
Iris affirmed her words. The other knight commanders seemed to think similarly.
“Then the first question is this: Why the Holy Kingdom of Raphaela, of all places?”
The reactions split.
Aurora and Iris looked utterly baffled as to why the Holy Kingdom specifically, while Claudia, I, Lise, and Erika wore expressions like something had occurred to them.
We had to explain eventually anyway, and this might be the perfect timing. The decision came quickly. After exchanging glances for a while, Erika ended up taking the lead.
“It might be because of what happened to us.”
Erika recounted everything that occurred right after we subjugated Arachnainera.
How we’d set out to find an antidote for the poisoned Claudia, only for Stella—the heresy inquisitor from the Holy Kingdom of Raphaela—and her battle nuns to appear.
How Stella declared us heretics and surrounded us with her battle nuns.
How she tore open our sacred robes to expose our breasts and pussies to judge us for heresy, and when she determined I wasn’t one, she couldn’t accept it and made me grope her breasts.
And finally, how she sensed holy power in me, lost her composure, healed Claudia, and said she’d arrange a meeting with the Pope of the Sun if we stopped by the Holy Kingdom.
Even after the explanation ended, Aurora and Iris remained speechless for a long time.
“……To sum up what you said, Erika.”
Aurora suddenly clutched her forehead.
“Delta got judged for heresy by Raphaela’s inquisitor, and the method was lifting clothes and groping tits? And before that, she made you flash your nipples and pussy?”
“The wording is a bit crude, but yes, that’s accurate.”
“Is that inquisitor woman a pervert? Or does she have some exhibitionist kink?”
Aurora’s own outfit was hardly normal, making her words ring hollow.
Her dress exposed her sideboob, collarbone, and even armpits, with not a scrap of underwear beneath. Lecturing in that getup carried zero persuasive power.
Plus, hadn’t the knight commanders shown up to the banquet in sheer, see-through dresses that showed off their bare skin, wearing lingerie matching their hair colors?
‘And calling that getup sacred robes, too.’
No one—Aurora included—questioned Erika’s barely-there outfit, which could expose her nipples and pussy to the slightest breeze, being termed sacred robes.
From my perspective, it was six of one, half a dozen of the other.
“If the inquisitor promised to arrange a meeting with the Pope of the Sun, the Holy Kingdom likely already informed His Majesty. That would explain this letter.”
“That fast? It’s a long way from where we subjugated the monster to the Holy Kingdom…….”
“They might’ve used some method. There’s top-tier space-transfer magic, so holy spells might have—”
“Correct.”
A third party’s voice came from somewhere. It was unfamiliar.
We reacted swiftly. The knight commanders instantly drew their weapons and aimed toward the source, while the maids rushed to Aurora and shielded her with their bodies.
By the time I barely managed to react and start moving, the knight commanders were already fully battle-ready.
“Who are you? This is Lord Aurora’s estate. Identify yourself, or we’ll treat you as an enemy.”
A woman stood before the drawing room’s grand window, cloaked head to toe in a gray-and-silver robe. Even under the loose fabric, the curves of her body were strikingly visible.
“Lower your weapons. I am no enemy.”
“That depends on you. No long talks. Show yourself. Then we’ll proceed with conversation or whatever.”
“……Understood.”
A slender, gloved hand reached for the robe covering her face. A soft rustle sounded as she removed it, and thick gray ponytail spilled down her back.
Violet eyes caught the chandelier light, gleaming purple like jewels. They slowly swept over us, holding no hostility.
“My name is Selene.”
The woman spoke with an expressionless face.
“I am a heresy inquisitor under the Pope of the Moon.”