Chapter 121

An uproar broke out in the conference room when it was revealed who the emperor had summoned. Evelyn, who had been maintaining her composure thus far, had also frowned as if his appearance were unexpected.

Theo squinted at Giorgio, who leapt to his feet.

“Duke Valkyr. Do you have something to say?”

“……nothing, but I was surprised to meet His Eminence Eustaf unexpectedly.”

Giorgio bowed to Theo and sat down again. He attempted to maintain a calm demeanor, but sadly Theo could sense his unease.

‘Ha. I knew it, but do you really hold hands with them?’

Although he maintained a relaxed demeanor, he was actually roiling inside like a volcano.

The Valkyr family were also his people, despite the fact that they are political rivals. It is inevitable that many sacrifices will be made in response to his betrayal. Theo was the most concerned with people among the previous emperors. Giorgio’s decision could put both his beloved people and his nation in danger. He was unable to pardon him for lighting the fire of trouble.

However, Theo quickly regained his composure. The emperor was supposed to be like that. No matter how angry or happy you are, you must be able to control your emotions right away.

Theo spoke to Eustaf in a calm voice, masterfully managing his emotions.

“Cardinal Eustaf, welcome; I know you’re busy, so I’ll just say thank you for taking my call today.”

“No, this isn’t something I can just sit back and watch, so I had to take action.”

That implies that the meeting will also include representatives from the Vishna religion.

The plate has grown wider. Everyone present at the meeting was busy determining whether this would be advantageous or detrimental to them.

Eustaf spoke calmly while surrounded by complex interests.

“I discovered one thing while looking through the remaining data about the witches in the temple.”

“What’s that?”

“The witch is never in close proximity to divine power,”

Some people’s faces showed surprise at Eustaf’s words. The emperor took a quick look at their faces and said,

“However, Viscount Yurpheon undoubtedly started a fire.”

“Yes.”

Beces or Evelyn turned away and gave you a stern expression. Her icy gaze shifted to Duke Valkyr.

Giorgio wanted to squint his eyes shut as he was in her direct line of sight. But it was unfortunate that it couldn’t be done. Who would have thought that Viscount Yurpheon’s own defense would come from Eustaf? 

‘There’s no turning back already.’

For the first time, Giorgio wished he hadn’t made that decision. He would have chosen differently if he could go back in time.

Throughout history, Giogio and his ancestors have amassed an enormous amount of strength and reputation. Things created with unspeakable effort, time, and sacrifice. Could he possibly keep them?

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, I don’t think this is a matter that can be overlooked.”

Giorgio protested to the emperor in a low voice. Theo smiled as he looked at Duke Valkyr, who was more solemn than usual.

“The Duke appears to believe there is another problem.”

“That’s not it, of course. However, while I have no doubts about your Majesty or Cardinal Eustaf, I worry about whether the populace of the empire and the populace of our allies will accept it.”

“Isn’t that just stubbornness?”

Theo burst out laughing as if he was dumbfounded. Giorgio added, bowing his head.

“In our eyes, yes, but to them it just sounds like a pretext to escape the situation, so…”

Giorgio’s words, which had been pouring incessantly, came to a halt for a brief moment. He then addressed the individuals who had come to exact revenge on Adelia Yurpheon or to seek payment from the empire. Evelyn, who was standing in the center of them like a representative, caught his attention in the middle of them.

Giorgio forced himself to hide his melancholy feelings and opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be better to leave the decision to them? That would be much more advantageous for the empire and for the future with the allies.”

In the hall, there was a deafening silence. Foreign envoys and nobles of the empire were unable to speak.

“I seem to be just making excuses in the Duke’s eyes,”

His dejected expression made it difficult for Giorgio to breathe. Giorgio was only able to avert his gaze.

“Please regard it as advice from your loyal servant.”

Loyal… Theo laughed repeatedly, as if the word loyal was quite funny.

“There’s one thing in our kingdom that reacts to the blood of a witch.”

“That’s for sure.”

“Well, it seems fairer to leave it to the Macbeth Kingdom, since the Viscount Yurpheon is from the Empire.”

One by one, they began to nod, saying, “It’s a good suggestion.”

When things went her way, Beces grinned internally. It goes without saying that she kept pretending to be a devout royal princess.

At that point, Eustaf, who had been quietly observing the proceedings, stepped in to mediate between the Duke and the emperor.

“In fact, there’s something I haven’t told you about the debate yet.”

Theo, who expressed his displeasure without hesitation, sighed briefly and asked Eustaf.

“…what is it?”

“I also thought that simply verifying through old data was insufficient; it is true that the certainty of the existence of a witch has decreased, so I decided to put Viscount Yurpheon to the test.”

‘Test? What the hell…….’

Looking at the emperor, Giorgio scowled. The emperor displayed no signs of agitation as he sat on a high throne and observed everyone.

‘You’re having fun.’ 

It was something the emperor already knew.

He had a strange urge to laugh out of annoyance. Giorgio’s lips were sealed as he fixed his gaze on the royal princess from Macbeth. What are we going to do next?

“Test. What do you mean by that?”

Beces questioned Eustaf while maintaining her composure.

“It’s not a great test. It’s just a sacredness test.”

It was a ritual that priests had to go through in order to advance past the level of a bishop.

“Are you considering converting Viscount Yurpheon to the Vishna religion?”

Someone yelled in an enraged tone. Eustaf shook his head and brushed the misunderstanding aside.

“That is absolutely not true, but the sacredness test cannot be passed by those who do not have divine power, as well as those who have unclean power, so…”

They should never let anyone here know that Adelia was headed for the sacred ground. Hence, Eustaf matched the words with the emperor beforehand.

It’s obvious what they’re going to say, so Eustaf planned ahead of time to adequately cover Adelia’s absence.

“……but how can we prove that she passed the examination?”

“You don’t have to worry about it; only those who pass the test will be able to pass the final gate and return in full.”

A great deal of risk was involved in the process of becoming a bishop. You will wander aimlessly until you either lose your sacred power or become insane if you are not qualified.

Someone mustered the courage to yell in response to Eustaf’s audacious deed.

“Cardinal Eustaf, where in the world did you send Viscount Yurpheon!”

“I can’t tell you that because the sacredness test must be performed only in the eyes of God, and I hope you understand that we can’t reveal the location just in case.”

Beces stared coldly at Vishna’s pawn.

This is nothing short of a drag. Beces gritted her teeth to the point where she made a sound and stared at Eustaf. We’re almost there!

‘Did they smell it, too?’

She had a history of conflict with the Vishna religion. Beces therefore had a thorough understanding of the habits of Vishna’s pawns. They don’t behave so aggressively toward someone who has been cornered as a witch. At a time when it was also befuddled with disaster.

Did he actually realize that Adelia Yurpheon was the true God’s representative, or did he merely move because he was unable to remain silent and watch this event?

‘Wait a second. Berg Chihen, now that I think about it Didn’t they say he went to Selence Palace?’

According to what she knows, he had personally suggested talking to the Duke Valkyr first and forming an alliance as opposed to making things convenient for the temple. But recently, he was said to be missing.

“No way.”

For a brief moment, she felt as if she had discovered the final piece of the puzzle she had been searching for.

‘Ha. That’s what happened.’

Both Cardinal and Berg Chihen knew who the ‘real’ was. Berg Chihen may have approached Duke Valkyr to learn more about the situation.

“This will be somewhat of a disadvantage,” she said.

Beces made a hasty choice. Despite her anger, she is now forced to follow their beat. It was time to update the strategy.

Eustaf looked at the crowd and spoke in a calm voice, as if persuading.

“Now is the time to wait. The next disaster is about to break out. What we need to focus on is the coming disaster. Who we are wary of will also be suffering, not the cause of our suffering.”

He was right. The envoys started whispering in each other’s ears. The air was gradually changing. Theo, who noticed this right away, raised his lips and announced that the meeting would temporarily end.

“I believe continuing the meeting today is pointless; let’s stop digging. I think everyone has a lot to think about, but I hope you act wisely; then let’s wrap up today’s meeting here.”

Theo rose from his seat and proudly exited the venue.

***

It was the morning of the scheduled meeting. Adelia’s group started to move seriously when everyone fell asleep and the nocturnal animals got down to business.

It was all done behind closed doors.

“I heard about what occurred today. Evelyn Macbeth came to see you, didn’t she?”

Adelia told the Emperor about what happened with Evelyn. As he did so, the emperor let out a long sigh while touching his forehead.

‘We must leave immediately at dawn. No one should notice our movements.’

Adelia departed the Selence Palace right away and relocated to a different structure outside. It was a more covert location choice.

“It’s time.”

Before leaving, Ivan looked at the plan one last time and then said. He was conducting the final inspection with Adelia, who also glanced at the time.Before leaving, Ivan looked at the plan one last time and then said. Adelia, who was assisting him with the final inspection, also glanced at the time.

“Let’s go.”

Ivan and Adelia moved on without delay.

‘As expected, there are more guards than usual.’

No matter how late it was, strict security was required because it was the Imperial Palace. Additionally, foreign envoys have arrived, resulting in increased security.

In such circumstances, it was challenging to avoid being recognized. Demalo and Berg were sent to the confluence first by Adelia. Since fewer people meant a lower chance of being discovered,

Adelia hastily followed Ivan. Fortunately, the two were able to flee the imperial palace as planned because Ivan was born and raised here and was familiar with the castle’s layout.

“Here you are. I’ve been waiting for you.”

The two were greeted by Lensley, who was standing by in the forest near the Imperial City.The two were greeted by Lensley, who was standing by in the forest next to the Imperial Palace.

“What about the rest?”

As instructed, they have arrived at the confluence point.

“All right, let’s move quickly and join them.”

Adelia and Ivan boarded the carriage. Lensley sat in the saddle and tightened his hood. The carriage soon sped out of the city.

The sacred ground, located in the middle of the Taklok Desert, was where they were headed.