Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Grand Duke's Heir, You've Run Away
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[The Secret Conversation of the Two Grand Saintesses.]
As the sun dipped below the horizon in the evening sky, Catrine walked down the corridor with a deeply troubled expression. Ever since she had killed that man named Yahn the day before, Princess Ignatius had been radiating cold hostility and refusing to meet with her. With a critical mission looming, it was incredibly inconvenient that her relationship with the one who was supposed to guide her had soured like this.
Catrine had lived in the sky city of Chronos for so long that she was clueless about worldly affairs.
'That damn brat. If I told him to come out, he should've scurried right over.'
Catrine had assumed the bastard would reluctantly emerge at the last moment. There was no way a Master-level kid like him hadn't sensed the immense mana packed into the Dragon Flame Descent spell.
Yet he stubbornly held out until the end and met a ridiculous death. It was utterly absurd.
Catrine arrived at Princess Ignatius's office and paused to gaze at the emblem of the Church of Light engraved on the door. She took a deep breath, then cautiously knocked. Soon, Princess Ignatius's voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Catrine cracked the door open slightly and waved through the gap toward Princess Ignatius.
"It's me~ Can I really come in?"
"Yes. Come in."
Permission granted. Catrine slipped inside. She slowly approached Princess Ignatius, who sat silently on the sofa reviewing documents.
"So, what are those papers?"
"The Karl Grand Duke's family sent word. Karl Grand Duke himself will visit soon, and they want a detailed account of how Yahn the Grand Duke's Heir died and why."
Catrine grimaced. She had plenty of important tasks ahead, and now she'd gone and killed the son of one of humanity's greatest powerhouses right from the start. What a mess.
If the Grand Duke harbored resentment over Yahn's death and sought secret revenge, it could derail everything.
"Oh? Are they super pissed over there?"
"No, not really."
"Huh?"
"The part about Yahn the Grand Duke's Heir is just a few lines. The rest is mostly questions about you, Lady Catrine."
"About me? Why?"
"They probably want to know if you're with the forces of light or darkness. You revealed yourself as the Grand Saintess of Flames in yesterday's incident, right? In the human world, that's a huge political and religious issue. After all, you're the first Grand Saintess to descend since the dawn of human civilization. Anyway, you did great~ Now the one who should be acting in secret has shown her face to the entire world. What are you going to do now? Sigh~"
There was clear sarcasm in Princess Ignatius's final words. Valkyries must not meddle in worldly affairs or reveal their identities. Fortunately, her Valkyrie nature hadn't been exposed, but it was obvious this would create major obstacles moving forward.
Catrine averted her gaze awkwardly.
"At least they're not mad. That's a relief. As expected of the Iron-Blooded Chancellor, Karl Grand Duke. He's so composed even after losing a son."
"Is he, really?"
Catrine looked at Princess Ignatius urgently.
"Why? Did they say something else?"
"No. It's just that what Yahn the Grand Duke's Heir said before leaving has been bothering me."
"What did that kid say?"
"He said no one would sing a dirge for him even if he died."
A dirge was a song the living sang to mourn the dead. In other words, it meant no one would grieve Yahn's death.
"And?"
"Yes. From what I gathered, the Grand Duke secretly wanted to pass the position to his stepson Yosef, not Yahn."
Catrine squeezed her eyes shut.
"I shouldn't have used Dragon Flame Descent back then."
"No, you did the right thing."
Catrine shot Princess Ignatius a glare. The girl had been snarky since earlier. Yesterday, when Catrine visited to congratulate her on becoming the Light Grand Saintess, she'd been icy over Yahn's death. Now she was saying the opposite.
"Are you mocking me?"
"I'm serious."
"You were pissed at me for killing Yahn."
"I was, but after thinking it over, I realized he's probably still alive. A Grand Duke's Heir like him wouldn't die over something like that."
The words carried a subtle jab at her pride. "Something like that" referred to Catrine herself.
"Hey. That tone was weird just now."
"No. I just trust Yahn the Grand Duke's Heir's abilities."
"What abilities?"
"His abilities as a great prophet. He foresaw my ascension as a Grand Saintess."
Catrine had heard that before. But she couldn't believe it. There was no such thing as a prophet chosen by the gods.
If the gods were kind enough to communicate directly with humans, they wouldn't have sent Valkyries like them down to this world.
"That was a coincidence. He just guessed right to make you take him hostage easily. Valkyries can't see the future either. Sure, some can glimpse vague fragments, but nothing that detailed."
"I thought so too, but it turns out I was wrong."
"What makes you say that?"
"Late this afternoon, the Earth God's Chaos Hammer Bermong chose its master."
Catrine stared in stunned disbelief.
"N-No way... Princess Sierra?"
"Yes."
"That's impossible...!"
"See for yourself."
If it was true, Yahn was almost certainly a great prophet chosen by the gods.
The Seven Divine Artifacts hadn't chosen a master in thousands of years since they were enshrined in the Hall of Divinity. Yet two had emerged now, and Yahn had predicted both. It was impossible without prophetic powers.
Catrine was at a loss.
"So I really killed a great prophet chosen by the gods?"
"I told you, he's not dead. Why would someone who knows the future go to his own death?"
"No. No one could survive that. How do you escape a sealed-off bathroom?"
Princess Ignatius clicked her tongue, stood, and fetched a blueprint from the desk.
"Look."
"What's this?"
"The blueprint of the Temple of Chastity's outdoor bathroom. See that small passage on the side?"
Catrine nodded. There was a hole next to the toilet bowl big enough for a person to squeeze through.
"Yeah, it's there."
"According to construction experts, outdoor bathrooms in temples or grand estates have channels draining to the city's underground sewers for heavy rains, to prevent sewage overflow."
"So he went through there?"
"Yes."
Still skeptical, Catrine shook her head.
"No way. I confirmed he died."
"Did you see it yourself?"
No, she hadn't. Catrine had stayed far back to avoid the filth.
"No, but I sensed it with mana."
Princess Ignatius smirked faintly.
"As I thought."
"Why?"
"During today's investigation, we found a street tree near the Temple of Chastity sliced by an Aura Blade. Part of it was missing."
"So maybe...?"
"Yes. Likely an assassin's technique."
Catrine palmed her face. Among assassin skills was one that infused mana into dead animals or trees to mimic a living presence, fooling mana-sensitive trackers. Given the circumstances, Yahn had probably set up a log as a decoy, hidden his mana and presence, and escaped through the sewer.
No wonder he'd slipped away so cleanly. Assassins also had swift movement techniques.
What a humiliation. If her fellow Valkyries learned a mere human had toyed with her, she'd be teased forever.
"That damn brat!"
"Yes. You got played."
Catrine glared daggers at Princess Ignatius.
"You've investigated a lot, haven't you?"
Princess Ignatius opened her eyes calmly.
"I had a strange feeling."
"Strange? About what?"
"The fear and terror of the future in his heart."
Catrine didn't even scoff. Yahn hadn't feared even a Valkyrie like her.
"Maybe you misread it? He didn't seem the type to me."
"No. I felt it clearly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked me to sing his dirge before leaving. Kids that age don't talk about their deaths. They dream of the future."
"But he was surrounded by thousands, right? In a life-or-death moment, anyone might feel that way."
Princess Ignatius shook her head.
"No. He wasn't afraid of anyone in that moment. His fear was directed only at a distant future."
"Then...?"
"Yes. He knows the crisis humanity will face in the future."
"Makes sense if he's a great prophet as you suspect."
Princess Ignatius folded the blueprint and stood.
"Yes. So we must find him."
"We should. He might even know where that friend of his is."
"Yes."
Catrine nodded sharply with fierce eyes and rose as well.
"Anyway, you becoming the Light Grand Saintess at this time is perfect. We need to pool our strength to stop Sabondia's madness."
Sabondia was the Valkyrie of Death. Stronger than any and fond of humans, she'd recently fallen to madness and left Chronos without permission.
The Valkyrie Queen had ordered Catrine and Armida to hunt her down. Right after Sabondia fled, the "Compass of the Age" had pointed to doom.
That's why Princess Ignatius was helping. Leaving Sabondia unchecked would doom the world, so humanity's aid was needed.
"Yes."
"Brace yourself. Handling the Seven Divine Artifacts isn't easy. You'll have to endure my rigorous training."
"Yes. I know."
Catrine glanced back at Princess Ignatius. Oh, right—there was something else to check.
"Ah, and last night, one appeared from the dark forces too, right? The master of Dalahan."
"Yes."
"Where is she now?"
"No idea. She apparently flew into a rage and stormed out, and there's been no word since. The dark forces haven't found her yet, so she's probably already left the holy city."
"Any idea why?"
"Who knows~ I don't really know."
Catrine smacked her lips in regret.
Dalahan was a divine artifact forged by the Valkyrie Queen hammering orichalcum—god's metal—a thousand times. Even as a second-tier relic, it rivaled the Seven Divine Artifacts, so borrowing its power would be invaluable. Losing its master like this was a shame.
But it didn't matter. Armida, the dark Valkyrie, was handling the dark forces. Even with her quirks, finding one person with their help would be easy.
"Tch, Armida will handle it."
Catrine walked to the window and stared at the sky gradually darkening.
'But what was that sword the brat had?'
Catrine recalled Yojjo, which had blocked Idrone. For a sword without an Aura Blade to block her Flame Aura Blade meant it too was a divine artifact made of god's metal.
However, the only such artifacts left in the world were the Seven Divine Artifacts and Dalahan. Anything else was crude human magic items. A sword like Yojjo shouldn't exist.
[The Secret Conversation of the Two Grand Saintesses.] End