Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Once Again, the Family Meeting (3)
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"Kurt..."
"You..."
Hamilton Aleyas and Newyork Aleyas both grimaced at the same time.
The sudden appearance of their cousin from the main house seemed to rub them the wrong way.
"Perfect timing."
But Hamilton quickly switched gears.
"Kurt, I'd like you to send your son to the Eastern Branch. Sion is exactly the kind of talent we need there. I'll give him my full support."
"Ah, come on, brother. That's not fair."
Now it was Newyork's turn to bristle at Hamilton.
"Kurt! I'll make Sion the deputy branch head of the Western Branch! If he's going to be the next Knight Order Leader someday, he needs branch experience!"
"Spare us the empty talk, Branch Heads."
Kurt shot back confidently.
"Sion hasn't even had a proper chance to settle into headquarters life yet. He's just been running around as part of the Independent Knights."
"That's..."
"Well..."
"If you're short on manpower at the branches, I can talk to Uncle Sheshes and ask him to send over some capable folks."
At the mention of Sheshes, both Hamilton and Newyork scowled.
Word was that Sheshes didn't get along well with the branch heads.
"Come on, Kurt. You have to respect Sion's wishes."
"Your brother's right. Sion's a full-fledged knight now."
"He hasn't even been officially granted the title yet. And if we're respecting Sion's wishes, then you branch heads should back off."
Kurt gestured toward me with his chin as he spoke.
"Let Sion decide for himself. I'd appreciate it if you didn't push him too hard."
"Hmph..."
"Kurt's really protecting his son..."
In the end, Hamilton and Newyork backed down.
Watching his cousins return to their seats, Kurt smirked.
"You're causing quite the stir, aren't you?"
"Father, has everything been alright while I was away?"
"You're the trouble, kid."
Kurt poked me lightly as he said it.
"Captured as a prisoner and subjected to human experiments? You're lucky you came out unscathed. Could've been a disaster."
"I'm fine now, aren't I? And my mana capacity even increased."
"Who'd you get that optimism from...?"
"I wasn't too worried from the start. I didn't think the Edelphalt family would harm me."
"Oh?"
"They were considering using me as a hostage to negotiate with the Aleyas family... and they even tried to win me over. Said if I married Oscar Edelphalt, I could become the next head of the Edelphalt family."
"What? Marriage to Oscar Edelphalt?"
"Huh, you hadn't heard?"
Kurt wasn't the only one shocked.
Sena, Kain, and Robel nearby looked flustered too.
"Isn't Oscar the youngest granddaughter of Johan Edelphalt, the one we captured this time?"
"Hey, Sion! You already got a fiancée lined up?!"
"Not fair! Brother and I have never even had a girlfriend!"
"That's just what they said to try to sway me. I have nothing to do with Oscar Edelphalt."
As I explained away the needless misunderstanding, Kurt grabbed my shoulder firmly.
"Sion."
"Yeah?"
"I'll find you a marriage partner later. So don't go seeing just any girl."
"..."
"I'll find you someone on your mother's level—the best. Got it?"
"Yes, Father..."
I let it go in one ear and out the other.
[This is ridiculous. Who knew I'd witness family drama like this at a clan meeting?]
'I didn't expect it either.'
[You're really loved by the Aleyas family, huh?]
'Shut up about that.'
While chatting with Igzard in my mind, the clan meeting officially began.
"I'm Sheshes Aleyas, Director of the Unified Supervision Headquarters. I'll be running the meeting."
Sheshes was handling proceedings this time.
Various agenda items came up as Aleyas family members voiced their opinions.
Sharing views like this once a year helped unify the clan's overall stance—one of the meeting's key roles.
This allowed the Aleyas family to solidify their grip on the Holy Knights Order even further.
"I'm Gretus Aleyas, head of the Southern Branch."
Then a man with sharp eyes stood from his seat.
Gretus, Ianus's cousin and younger brother to Ianos, held the highest rank in the family after the Family Head himself.
Everyone fell silent, listening intently to what he had to say.
"A while back, I had a private audience with His Majesty the Holy Empire Emperor. I'd like to share what we discussed."
The Holy Empire Emperor.
Tension rippled through the banquet hall at the name.
[Didn't he say he got a medal from the Emperor for suppressing the rebellion?]
'Yeah, that's right.'
Not just Sheshes on the platform, but Helena, Kurt, and others focused on Gretus.
"His Majesty told me two main things. The first was his curiosity about who the next Knight Order Leader will be."
"The next Knight Order Leader!"
The quiet hall erupted in murmurs.
"He said that since nothing's been decided, it should be selected fairly."
"..."
Fairly selected.
What did that mean?
No—what was Gretus getting at by bringing it up?
* * *
'Gretus is playing games.'
Sheshes frowned from the platform.
'No way the puppet Emperor said that with any real intent.'
The Holy Empire Emperors traditionally held little power.
This one especially was seen as a figurehead for the Elector Princes.
'But the Emperor still holds legitimate authority over this continent... We can't ignore it outright.'
The next Knight Order Leader was expected to be one of Sheshes, Helena, Estr, or Kurt.
But now came talk of it needing to be "fairly selected."
'Gretus is claiming the current setup isn't fair.'
Picking from Ianus's four children is unfair; anyone qualified can become the next Leader... That's what Gretus wanted to argue by invoking the Emperor.
'He wants a shot at it himself, ultimately.'
Gretus was 63.
Old, but about twenty years younger than Ianus.
If Ianus stepped down now, Gretus taking over wouldn't raise eyebrows.
But if Ianus held on longer, it got tricky for Gretus.
'The problem is Father looks good for another ten years at least.'
Ianus was nearing ninety but still hale and hearty.
He looked no older than Gretus.
No, Gretus actually seemed more aged.
'No matter how I slice it, Gretus becoming Leader is a stretch. Is he pushing his son instead?'
Gretus's eldest, Avilon, was an 8-star knight.
Rumor had it he'd hit 9-star within five years—serious talent.
"And the second thing His Majesty mentioned was..."
Lost in thought, Sheshes heard Gretus continue.
"He'd heard the Holy Knights Order conducted military operations within the Papal States recently. He expressed suspicion that we're forgetting our true role and dabbling in politics."
"..."
Military operations in the Papal States.
That referred to Kurt and Sion suppressing Cardinal Versachio and the Papal Guard to protect Cardinal Epitraus.
It was a critique: were we abandoning our duties to meddle in Vatican power struggles with swords?
But Cardinal Epitraus had officially stated there was no issue. The Holy Spirit Church had acknowledged the Order was just doing its job.
So why drag it up now? Since when did the Emperor care about our role?
'Gretus pulled some strings.'
Likely Gretus brought it up first, maneuvering to extract those "concerns" from the Emperor.
"As everyone knows, the Holy Knights Order is the continent's greatest military force. We must all be vigilant so its intentions are never questioned."
"..."
The room fell silent, lost in thought.
It was the Emperor speaking. No scoffing it off.
Feeling the mood, Sheshes bit his lip.
'This is a check on Kurt and Sion. And ultimately... on all of us.'
Gretus had begun his real bid for the next Leader position.
* * *
Gretus's words turned the meeting gravely serious.
[The Emperor doesn't hold much real power, right? Yet everyone's on edge.]
'Think the Holy Knights Order got its name for nothing?'
The Emperor sat at the top of the secular Holy Empire government.
The Order fell under the religious Holy Spirit Church, but that didn't mean ignoring the Empire.
We adhered to order and the system—that's what made us the Order.
"This... the mood's gone sour."
Sena muttered beside me.
"Today was supposed to celebrate the Edelphalt subjugation."
"Right."
Kain nodded too.
"But now it's hard to bring that up."
"Yeah, it was a massive operation. Depending on the view, it could look like we were flexing our might."
Charging in with an army against non-Dialogue Church foes.
Easy to suspect ulterior motives.
"Southern Branch Head Gretus really poured cold water on it."
Sena had contributed to the Edelphalt takedown, but praise from the clan felt unlikely now.
Not just her—same for everyone else.
'The Aleyas family isn't just Ianus and his direct line.'
The Order had crushed the Edelphalts, but not the whole Order joined.
Gretus, Ianus's cousin; Hamilton and Newyork, his nephews—none involved.
From their angle, they could gripe that Ianus and Sheshes overdid the Edelphalt fuss.
They'd bowed to Ianus before, but if Gretus openly rebelled, things could shift.
"I understand the points Gretus raised."
Then the silent Ianus spoke.
"On the Papal States matter, we've talked it over with the Vatican plenty. But we haven't really addressed it with the Imperial side."
"..."
"Naturally, misunderstandings arise."
Ianus skipped Gretus's first point—the next Leader selection.
Dismissing it entirely?
"We can't just sit idle then."
"Exactly, Family Head."
Gretus replied boldly.
"We should discuss future operational guidelines."
"No need."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't you hear? It's a misunderstanding on the Imperial side."
Misunderstanding.
Meaning the Emperor was wrong.
"I'll ask everyone here: Has the Holy Knights Order ever done wrong? Have we ever abandoned the Church's doctrines for personal gain?"
"..."
"No answer?"
"No!"
The hall responded urgently.
"The Holy Knights Order has done nothing wrong. Only rightful actions."
"Family Head, but..."
"If anything, our fault was not explaining our righteousness to every soul in the world."
Ianus scanned the room as he spoke.
"As Gretus said, we wield great power. That makes us prone to suspicion."
"..."
"We must prove there's no misunderstanding."
Ianus raised his hand.
Helena stood promptly and joined him.
"Recent news."
She held up a document.
"His Majesty's youngest daughter... Third Imperial Princess will hold a grand birthday party early next year."
"The Third Princess?"
"She'll be ten next year..."
"Normally it'd be in the palace, but at Her Highness's special request, it'll be elsewhere. Can't disclose the location here. Just know security will be tough."
Seems the princess made things hard for the adults.
"The palace staff are agonizing over protection. A Dialogue Church top assassin shows up, disaster."
"Why not send palace knights?"
Newyork raised his hand; Helena shook her head.
"His Majesty and Empress aren't leaving the palace lately. Pulling knights for the party would thin palace guards—they say it's impossible."
"Hmm, I see."
"That's where we step in."
Ianus took over from Helena.
"The Holy Knights Order will provide guards for Her Highness. Able to handle even a Dialogue Church Grade 1 assassin safely."
"Family Head, do we really need to handle party security...?"
"Worried about losing His Majesty's trust, yet saying that, Gretus?"
"..."
Gretus shut his mouth.
"Slack security invites Dialogue Church or other threats against Her Highness. Preventing that is our role."
"..."
"If it earns greater trust from His Majesty, all the better."
Gretus's defeat.
Maybe Ianus anticipated the disruption and prepped.
"But no need for the full Order to move big. Unofficially—just a few from our Aleyas clan here."
Ianus glanced around as he said it.
"So, who should go?"
"..."
A birthday party.
Hundreds of knights would kill the vibe.
Heavyweights looming awkwardly wouldn't help.
Especially Sky Rank knights like Kurt—palace staff would get wary.
So who?
"I'll go."
Ianus smiled, pleased, as I raised my hand without hesitation.