Chapter 100: The Cultists
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: The Cultists
I had heard in passing that Luciano was from an orphanage. Moreover, that orphanage was run by the Temple. It was a perfect setup for suspicion.
The location of that orphanage was probably...
"Hmm."
I can't remember.
I must have let it slip through my ears since I hadn't been very interested at the time. No matter how hard I tried to recall, I couldn't remember the specific region.
Left with no choice, I went to see Marianne. Having heard that Luciano’s whereabouts were unknown, Marianne had been feeling depressed lately.
"Mari-unnie."
"Dia."
Now, when it was just the two of us, we called each other by our names. Of course, we weren't truly alone, as Sophia and Demia were always by my side.
Still, thanks to their silent approval, we were able to treat each other quite comfortably now.
"You know, Dia was thinking."
"Yes?"
"Could Luci have gone back to the orphanage? He always missed that place."
"Ah."
At my words, Marianne’s eyes widened as if she had also remembered the fact that Luciano grew up in an orphanage.
"Um, where was that orphanage?"
"It was a village in the East called Loben."
"Ah, I see."
The East this time, huh?
Well, it made sense. Eastern villages, which focused mainly on trade, had so many outsiders coming and going that suspicious activities wouldn't stand out. They might have built the orphanage there for that very reason.
"Unnie, can't we go visit? Please? Luci might be there."
"But..."
Marianne blinked, looking troubled at my suggestion. It was unthinkable for the Imperial Princess to leave the palace for a remote village.
Anyway, I didn't mean I would go myself; I meant she should send someone to look since Luciano might be there.
Well, it would be even better if I could secretly follow along and search, though.
"Dia wants to go out too! Staying only in the palace is so boring!"
"D-Dia, that's..."
As I continued, I started throwing a bit of a tantrum. Marianne looked even more flustered.
"What are you talking about, Dia?"
"Mom—! I mean, Mother..."
I jumped, startled by the sight of Veronica. Her sharp eyes swept over me before she broke into a smirk.
"Our Dia, you must feel quite stifled staying only in the palace."
"Mhm, yes."
"But is it right to trouble Mari like that?"
Veronica, who had grown natural with Marianne’s nickname, asked with a smile. I forced a nod.
"No, it's not."
"Right?"
"Yes..."
Perhaps sensing a hint of rebellion in my drawn-out response, Veronica let out a small sigh.
"You said that orphanage is in Loben?"
"Huh? Yes."
"I will send people there for now."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Yes, we'll be able to find Luci soon, so don't worry."
"Okay."
Perhaps because Marianne had rejected being the Saintess, Veronica now treated her as just an ordinary child rather than a Saintess. Marianne seemed to prefer that as well, as her expression when facing Veronica had improved significantly.
"Our Dia, it's dangerous outside, so you can't go out for the time being."
"Hmph."
I pouted, but Veronica was right. With the Empress Dowager and the Temple desperately targeting me, the moment my departure was discovered, I would be in as much danger as before.
But why are they still targeting me so persistently?
Kidnapping me because I was an easy target to threaten Veronica and Dantalion was something that would have worked before I became the Princess.
But isn't it a bit foolish to keep targeting me even after the two of them got married and I was officially recognized as the Princess?
Or is there something else they want from me?
The thought sent a chill down my spine. Thinking about what the Empress Dowager—who had contracted with an Ancient Demon that even the demons of the gems feared—could want from me only brought bad things to mind.
And Cedric has been strangely quiet lately, too.
After glaring at Veronica as if he wanted to kill her for marrying Dantalion, he was being excessively silent while the plague was causing such a stir.
Perhaps it was because Dantalion, the Emperor, was personally moving the knight orders, but Cedric’s knight order, which was responsible for the southern border, seemed rather idle. Even so, their own lands must be suffering from the plague; weren't they being too lax?
Don't tell me...
A certain hypothesis crossed my mind, but I immediately denied it. No matter how crazy Cedric might be, he wouldn't go as far as to ruin the country by involving foreign nations.
Struggling to push aside my anxiety, I complained loudly to Veronica.
"M-Mother is always busy, and Niel went out with Mel, so only Dia and Mari-unnie are in the palace all day."
"Yes, yes. Mommy will make time soon to play with Dia."
"Really?"
"I promise."
Answering with a bright smile, Veronica pinched my cheek gently. I put on a joyful expression as if I were looking forward to it.
Anyway, for now, let's focus on securing Luciano.
Since Veronica said she would send people to the region where the orphanage is, news should arrive soon.
Unless the Temple had gotten rid of the orphanage entirely, someone should be able to find him and bring him back.
At that time, I thought it would be quite simple.
*
Once the ball was over, the palace became a bit quieter.
And unfortunately, there was no news from Nathaniel and Melissa, who I thought would return quickly, and even Luciano was proving difficult to find. I wondered what was going on.
Should I really go find Luciano myself after all?
With the help of the demons, I should be able to sneak out of the palace. It would be fine as long as I didn't get caught by the Empress Dowager or the Temple.
However, even Desmond opposed my plan.
[It is too reckless. Just wait quietly for now, Master.]
It's already been days.
[Human processing is naturally slow.]
"Ugh."
Thanks to that, I was just idling away my time in the palace. Marianne was so gloomy that I couldn't even bring myself to approach her frequently.
Ha, I wish something would just happen already.
Then I might be able to make a move amidst the chaos.
Perhaps my brain had gone numb from boredom, but I eventually found myself thinking such things.
And apparently, that became a flag.
[It seems another explosion has occurred in the capital.]
Again?
I widened my eyes in surprise at Desmond’s indifferent remark.
I remembered the time I had to hurry back to the mansion because of an Apocrypha terror attack before I entered the Imperial Palace.
It seemed they were still busy burning down buildings over there.
[It seems an Apocrypha bomb was also discovered near the city gates.]
What, even near the Imperial Palace?
Isn't this crossing the line? Even so, the Apocrypha had never crossed the line this much in the original story.
If, as I suspected, the Apocrypha was actually on the Temple's side, perhaps the Empress Dowager and the Temple were getting anxious because things weren't going their way and were now touching the Imperial Palace.
Doing so would make people more confused and cause them to rely on the Temple more.
[Yes, so for today, just stay quiet—]
Boom!
"...!"
It was just as Desmond was about to nag me again. Along with a clear sound of an explosion, the ground shook and vibrated. This was no ordinary occurrence.
"Your Highness!"
"Sir Mia, this is..."
"It's alright. It is safe here."
Demia spoke gravely as she carefully picked me up. Then she stood on guard, scanning the surroundings.
"Sir Demia, the explosion sounded very close."
"Hmm."
Sophia whispered anxiously. Demia gave a small nod.
"It would be best to head to Her Majesty the Empress's chambers."
"Yes, carefully..."
However, Sophia couldn't finish her sentence. Something flew toward her, targeting her.
"Nanny!"
Clang!
Demia quickly drew her sword and deflected the object aimed at Sophia. My eyes widened in shock when I saw the dagger embedded in the wall.
"Who's there!"
At Demia's shout, people came pouring into the room. Their heads were covered in white cloth, and their matching white clothes were engraved with eerie patterns. I trembled at the sight of them.
The cultists!
The Apocrypha—the cultists described in the novel looked exactly like this. Seeing them in person, I froze for a moment, unable to think.
"How dare you enter this place!"
Demia shouted in fury and pointed her sword at them.
But the situation was not good. I didn't know what it was like outside the room, but Demia was the only one protecting me right now.
Of course, the demons were there, but the only one who could use power openly was Desmond in his direwolf form.
Why aren't the other knights coming?
There was no way the knights of the Empress's palace would have stayed still while the cultists got this close. An uneasy feeling gradually tightened its grip on my body.
What about Veronica? And Marianne?
Of course, I was worried about the others, not myself. I unconsciously swallowed hard, my body tensing with nerves.