Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Grand Duke's Heir Has Run Away
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"Enough. We need to get going."
"Yeah, we're running a bit late, aren't we?"
The carriage kept racing through the streets of Divinum Castle. I spotted a hotel and had the carriage stop for a moment.
"Hold up."
"What's up?"
I called out to Shura and handed her my luggage.
"Shura."
"Yes, Master."
"You're staying at that hotel tonight."
Shura glanced at the hotel. Hotel Darkness. It looked like a lodging spot for followers of the Church of Darkness.
In the holy city of Divinum, forces of darkness and light coexisted, which meant conflicts could easily erupt. To minimize clashes between the two sides, inns were segregated by faction—light for one, darkness for the other.
"And you, Master?"
"I'll be staying somewhere else with Hubeo. We're aligned with the light forces, after all. You know how we'll meet up again, right?"
Hubeo wiped his face, while Shura fiddled with the pendant on her chest.
"Yes."
"Alright, off you go."
"Then, Master, I'll see you later."
Once Shura had picked up all the luggage and left, the carriage set off again. Hubeo watched her fade into the distance and casually asked,
"That elf... she's with the dark forces?"
"Yeah."
"You sure about this? She could be a spy."
"It's fine. She's a female elf."
He had to get the hint by now. A female elf's devotion to her mate transcends nations and faiths.
"Hmm. Fair enough."
Before long, as the carriage neared the Divinum Grand Temple, a street lined with bookstores came into view. The stalls overflowed with books bearing titles like You Too Can Become a Divine Artifact Wielder, 100 Mindsets for Becoming a Divine Artifact Wielder, and These People Can Never Wield a Divine Artifact.
Hubeo stuck his head out the window, eyeing the bookstores with interest, so I flicked his joint.
"No need to look at those. It's all nonsense."
Still, Hubeo wasn't convinced. He was grasping at straws, desperate for any edge.
As the legitimate heir of Duke Perero, Hubeo's succession was shaky. There were dozens of direct bloodline rivals alone. Sure, he'd reached 4th-circle mage status right after coming of age, earning family recognition for his magical talent, but the Perero house wasn't short on others with comparable gifts. He had every reason to worry.
"Still..."
"Trust me. Who am I? Yahn Sergio Karl. I've got ways. Heh heh heh."
"For real?"
"I said so. Which divine artifact do you want, anyway?"
I tossed out a question whose answer I already knew.
Truth be told, the divine artifact Hubeo truly craved was the Tier 2 relic, the Storm God's Earth Staff Alroim. It was the magic staff wielded by his ancestor, Duke Reynold of Perero—a perfect match. To the Perero family, Alroim held more symbolic weight than any faith.
"The Storm God's Earth Staff Alroim."
I shot Hubeo a playful look. Should I tell him? Nah, maybe not... But he was my best friend from school days, the guy who'd handled my commute and snacks. Fulfilling one life-or-death wish seemed fair enough.
I leaned in close to his ear and whispered the secret to claiming the artifact.
"Give it your best. You can handle that much, right?"
"That'll really do it?"
"Yep~. Anything Tier 2 or below follows my lead."
Hubeo still looked skeptical.
"But just pulling some trick like that to get a divine artifact? It doesn't make sense."
"It works. I've checked it all out. Oh, and you know what this pilgrimage trial is?"
"What?"
"Taking down Jess's mercenary band. But I've already handled it for you. Their leader's stashed in Aim Village in the Drwin Mountains—just go pick him up later. See? Having the right friends makes it a breeze. Heh heh heh."
With specifics, Hubeo started to buy it. Plus, my uncle was the emperor, my father the empire's number two. It was plausible I'd pulled strings for temple intel.
"Whoa, really? So you're going for Dalahan this time?"
Dalahan was off-limits. It wasn't one of the temple's fake artifacts.
"Not Dalahan."
"Why not?"
"Emperor Siegfried's decree."
"Oh, right. If royalty claims Dalahan, they become the next emperor regardless of gender. Otherwise, whoever wields it gets treated as a state guest?"
"Yeah. If I took Dalahan, it'd be a headache. Things with my maternal side are already delicate."
I was imperial blood. Claim Dalahan, and by ancestral will, I'd jump to top of the succession line. Forget my uncle the emperor— it'd sour things bad with my cousin, Crown Prince Simon.
"Ah, got it."
"Anyway, take this secret to the grave. Leak it, and you're dead. It's blasphemy itself."
I swore Hubeo to silence. No point sabotaging someone else's business. We just scoop up the crumbs.
In the end, he promised to keep quiet. As his best friend, I knew he wasn't bold enough to spill life-risking secrets. Case in point: he'd flinch on instinct if I just raised my hand to brush back my hair.
The carriage was now passing the stone walls surrounding the Divinum Grand Temple. The sun hadn't quite hit midday yet. Close call, but we weren't late.
I propped my elbow on the window ledge and gazed at the Hall of Divinity in the distance. No sacred barrier up yet—preparations for the ceremony seemed complete.
Yojjo. I've made it here. Hang on—just a little longer.
An nameless artifact, crude and bizarre, but I'd named it Yojjo anyway. That sword was inside there now. One final step to reunion.
That's when I spotted a tall swordswoman in her late twenties striding along the stone path. She wore a cloth-wrapped scabbard at her waist, but it was her vivid, silky crimson hair—brighter than blood—that caught the eye.
Her features were sharp, yet ethereally beautiful. Pair her with the moon elf Shura, and Shura's looks would seem to pale in comparison.
But I knew her face. From the future, that is.
Hubeo, watching alongside me, suddenly freaked out.
"Yahn, you see that woman?"
I gave her a calm glance.
"Yeah."
"She's stunning, right?"
"Yeah."
Hubeo eyed me like I'd eaten something bad. Fair enough—me acting glazed over with a heavenly beauty right there must've baffled him.
"Yahn, aren't you into her?"
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"Only a fool would mess with her. Approach that woman, and that's your funeral."
The woman's name was Catrine. Right now, she was a guide assisting newbie Guardians on their pilgrimage path. But later, she'd lead the Divine Artifact Corps, humanity's last hope.
"You know who she is?"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
"Enemy from my past life."
Catrine had kicked me out of the Corps in one breath. All because I'd bribed my way out of the pilgrimage. She'd declared no pilgrimage, no Guardian status, denying my entry. That branded me a fake who defiled the sacred.
After that, everyone scorned me. When Yosrahim capital fell to monsters, I was utterly abandoned.
"Who the hell is she? Tell me."
"A Valkyrie. The Flame Valkyrie, no less."
Hubeo's face drained white as he mouthed soundlessly.
Valkyries were the sovereigns of holiness, members of the sky city Chronos, administrators sent by the gods themselves. Untouchable great beings. Even a noble like Hubeo couldn't meet their eyes.
"S-seriously?"
"Yup. So listen up. She's got a nasty temper. Act all high and mighty as a noble, and that's your death day."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Doubt me? Ask the Pope. Both light and dark pontiffs already know."
Suddenly, the carriage door splintered with a crack as a cloth-wrapped sword pierced straight through the scabbard into the interior. I scratched my nose, eyeing the blade at my throat. This was the Sacred Flame Sword Idrone, one of the Seven Divine Artifacts—Catrine's beloved blade.
"Ears like a hawk, huh."
Her sharp voice rang out from outside.
"Who told you?"
"Overheard it somewhere. I've got sharp ears too."
"Fine. Keep it shut forever."
"Got it, so buzz off. I was just worried for my friend—he's joining under you soon."
Her escort knights swarmed the halted carriage, but Hubeo yelled to hold them back. A Valkyrie could take on a nation solo. Fix the carriage later, but piss her off? The family could crumble.
Catrine glared at the turning knights and said to me,
"Understood. I trust you. And your friend up front—zip it."
"Y-yes, ma'am!"
Hubeo stammered through his trembling voice. Idrone withdrew from the carriage, and Catrine departed.
Hubeo exploded at me.
"Yahn! Warn me privately next time!"
"Why?"
"Didn't you see her overhear and get pissed? You know how strong Valkyries are!"
I knew from history books. Valkyries sometimes descended incognito for missions, clashing with humans and sparking incidents. Some even toppled dynasties—like the fall of Iseran Kingdom and rise of Yosrahim Empire.
I flashed Hubeo my warmest smile.
"And I'm not scared? Why yell like that?"
He calmed down, adopting a humble posture.
"N-no, it's not that..."
"Be careful?"
"Yeah, got it."
I glanced at Catrine retreating. Sure, her temper sucked, but she wasn't a heartless Valkyrie. In the age of ruin, when all others answered the gods' call and fled to the heavens, she stayed alone, leading the Divine Artifact Corps and sharing humanity's fate.
Still, I hated her guts. Was I the only one who skipped the pilgrimage? Early in the ruinous era, most Guardians who'd snagged artifacts skipped it too.