Chapter 65 - Purple Eyes

The Imperial Parliament became chaotic. As predicted, Fabian started to push the nobles to come to his heels in even harsher ways.

“Your Majesty, if you withdraw your Imperial Army, people will take it as a sign that you have given up protecting the continent.” One of the noblemen came forward and dared to say, but Fabian didn’t budge.

“It’s just to stop the pursuit of demons. Empire’s legitimacy doesn’t change.”

“But Your Majesty……”

“If there’s anyone who wants to speak more, I will allow you to go directly to the periphery to chase away the demons. Chancellor, will you go first?”

As always, the nobles remained quiet in front of their own disadvantages.

“Or, will the Marquis of Satin serve the Empire and sacrifice yourself?”

“Your Majesty……”

Fabian shuddered at their selfish attitude. He knew very well that what the nobles were worried about wasn’t the citizen who had been hurt by demons. They were afraid that the Vatican would expand its influence and place them at a disadvantage.

“If there’s anyone who wants to kiss the Pope’s feet, I’ll be happy to send him, so tell me anytime.”

In the end, that was the point. After Fabian had said that, all the nobles who attended the parliament closed their eyes and avoided his eyes. He couldn’t look at their pitiful face and rose from his seat, leaving the room. It was an attitude, showing that no matter what they said, he didn’t care.

“Your Majesty.” Serus stuck close to Fabian who walked away.

“Why? Are you still disappointed with me?”

Serus was splashed with an idle flame, but he was calm. “I won’t, but I have something to tell you.”

Fabian stopped, staring at him.

“The Pope has set out for the Felice Kingdom.”

“What?” Fabian’s face frowned because it was an entirely unexpected move from the Vatican.

“When?” Fabian asked him back.

“I don’t know exactly, but I think he’s probably arrived by now.”

“Damn it!” an unusual, harsh word came out of Fabian’s mouth, “What the hell’s going on?”

Fabian couldn’t understand the Pope’s intent and purpose went to the Felice Kingdom. His heart was frustrated because he wasn’t able to grasp the true motives of the Vatican. But on the other hand, he also felt unprepared to know.

“Serus, I….”

“No, it’s too late for Your Majesty to leave now.”

An angry expression instantly appeared on Fabian’s face. But what Serus said was true. Even If he left now, the Pope would have already gone when he arrived at the Felice Kingdom. And Fabian He didn’t want to show such a pathetic scene.

“Yeah…I don’t do pointless things.” Fabian, who struggled to cool down, gazed into the air with cool eyes. “But, if you think on the other way around, it means that Saint Iretta is now empty.”

It was a meaningful remark.

“This is a good time to get caught off guard.”

Serus nodded solemnly. The Pope’s departure meant that he took both the Paladin and the Knights in question. In a way, it was an opportunity brought by Fabian’s precise judgment which focused on common sense without being swayed by emotion.

“I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

Serus and the Black Hawk Knights would never, ever spend that opportunity in vain.

The Felice Kingdom was busy preparing to welcome the Pope

And Arthur’s worries came faster than expected. Considering the Kingdom’s location, his Kingdom couldn’t completely side with neither the Empire nor the Vatican. However, a small Kingdom had its own behaviour. First of all, they had to greet the Pope with a happy smile.

“Your Holiness, welcome to the Kingdom.”

The Pope nodded his head to Arthur’s greeting, relieving signs of fatigue.

“It’s been a long time since I visited the Kingdom on the big festival, but I’m coming here again since I couldn’t talk properly because there was a commotion. We shouldn’t neglect the Felice Kingdom, which always shows their faith to us.”

At first glance, it sounded like he was going to offer a reward for the Kingdom’s donations, but it wasn’t easy for Arthur to be off guard.

“The Pope’s health and the glory of the Vatican are enough for us.”

“Surely, those are the words of the faithful King of the Felice Kingdom.” The Pope nodded in a satisfactory way. Until now, his nature wasn’t that different from the Pope that Arthur faced long ago. The Pope was a proud man and a bit arrogant.

He also always felt like a chosen one as he had a holy position. Even so, the Pope wasn’t someone who had the guts to fight against the Empire.

“Oh, you’re late.” The Pope pointed his eyes at the man standing behind him. A Paladin in shining armour bent his knees and gave the King an example.

“Ah, you’re the knight who defeated the Wyverns at that time. I couldn’t even say thank you properly.”

“Never mind, it’s his duty as a Paladin.” said the old Pope

Evelyn, watching the conversation from the sidelines, and she sensed some inconsistency in the Pope’s words. Aside from that, the Paladin was disrespectful not to take off his helmet in front of the King. More than that, he didn’t open his own mouth when the Pope introduced him as a Paladin.

“Sir…Me, Sir…! Adrian, who was in Miriam’s arms, seemed to be calm for a long time, but he broke the mood again.

“Please forgive the little Prince for his rudeness,” Miriam asked for understanding and left the hall first while holding the child. At that moment, no one knew that the helmeted Paladin turned his attention to Adrian before he returned to his position.

“The Prince is young, so it’s all right. We’ll officially introduce our Paladin later.” The Pope concluded the conversation as if he had read Evelyn’s mind.

In consideration of the Pope who had come a long way, Arthur suggested him to take a rest first. And Evelyn approached Arthur when the Pope’s party was completely out of sight, “Why did he come to our Kingdom at a time like this?”

“It could be just a return for the donation.” But Arthur didn’t look sure of his words.

“That can’t be true. He wants us to clarify our position……”

“Don’t jump to conclusions.” Arthur seriously stopped Evelyn from speaking. “You too, you’re a finance minister now, and you have learned about public affairs. Those who represent the Kingdom must not jump to conclusions easily.”

Unlike before, Arthur’s face was stern, which meant that Evelyn was already recognized as the representative of Felice Kingdom.

“Be careful, don’t draw your own conclusions. You have to be able to observe calmly and see the problems deeper than anyone else. And to be able to do that you have to kill ‘yourself’.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.” Evelyn listened to Arthur with an earnest look, as she had been obliged to protect this Kingdom until Adrian grew up.

“You already meet them, so there is no need to participate in the dinner any more.”

Evelyn nodded.

“Fortunately, the Duke of Akshire is coming, there won’t be a shortage of people.”

Akshire’s presence relieved her. After all, it was a family that shared the fate of the Felice Kingdom. Evelyn calmly bowed back to Arthur politely. As his father taught her before, now was the time for her to be careful.

The Pope, who had decided to stay at the Pavillion, sitting in an armchair, enjoying the tea. Not long after, the Paladin came in and took off his helmet. Whenever he saw it, the transparent purple eyes shone mysteriously on the young man’s spotless face.

“David. Did I really need to come here?” It was the Pope who asked him that question unexpectedly.

“Yes, you should…” David answered calmly. And the Popenodded with his usual arrogant attitude, “Yeah….. It’s your will, so I’ll do it.”

“But I don’t understand what you want to find out in this place. The Felice Kingdom has a long relationship with the Vatican. It means there’s nothing new.”

“Are you sure there isn’t?” David raised his purple eyes and looked quietly at the Pope. When the Pope made eye contact with him, he fixed his gaze as if he had forgotten everything. “There’s one……..Someone who wasn’t originally a part of the royal family.”

Suddenly, the Pope let out a sound in a daze, “Ah……”

The Pope let out a sound in a daze.

“It shouldn’t exist in the first place.” David murmured meaningfully, but the Pope didn’t understand what he said.

“I have to know if that being will shake the balance.”

The Pope just sat there blankly, and David left the door, leaving the Pope alone, whose time had stopped. There was no emotion on his straight face as if the plaster statue created by the artist.

“Adrian….” David said low. He was only a toddler, but his existence appeared all of a sudden.

“It’s a life that couldn’t exist in the past. So what will happen to the balance of this world……?” His purple eyes stared into the air. The doubt he felt when he saw the little Prince at the Great Festival turned into certainty after facing him again today.

“Why, the Emperor’s child was born…..”

The words he spoke to himself were like a sigh.

“The cursed tyrant, who will bring death to the entire continent, should have no children.” David spat out an unknown sound. His eyes reached a distance as if looking at another dimension.

“The equilibrium of this world must not be shaken.”

That was his only wish, and also the reason why David was alive until now. His purpose of living over the years and his journey through time was to maintain the balance of this world.

David looked down at his empty hand, recalling countless pasts that had overlapped with his hands and said vainly, “No more, there’s no turning back.”

He was the last successor of the white tower, which had kept the balance of the continent in secret since ancient times. It was very difficult for him to do this mission when he was already left alone. And He lived as a human solely as a guardian of the world’s balance.

“That was the last time.”

David remembered the moment when he used his hand to create the last magic. It was the last magic given to him. Perhaps because his power was lacking that time, his magic worked imperfectly.

After that, David’s remaining power was very weak, and could only be used to pretend to be a Vatican Paladin or manipulate the demons.

“But my will and ‘that person’ still remains…”

David closed his eyes. It seemed that the teaching he had inherited from his teacher was still engraved in his veins. The equilibrium of the world must not be shaken at any moment. The moment the balance was shattered, the fate of the whole continent would fall into hell.

Once again, he opened his eyes. His purple eyes had a firm will. “Whatever you do.”

The forbidden magic of time that had flipped the time back. If Adrian’s presence broke the balance, it was his responsibility to get rid of it.

“I have to keep the balance of this continent.”

David’s voice, who had lived alone for a hundred years just for that reason that sounded vain and bitter.