Chapter 150: I'll Have to Smash Them All
Ian raised the communication tool, causing the saintess to look at him in surprise.
‘What exactly are you planning to do?’
There was no other choice.
The Adelas are a marquis aristocratic family.
It was also a powerful noble family, capable of leading a faction.
Furthermore, the involvement of the saintess, the cardinal, and the Holy Empire made the matter even more problematic.
Nevertheless, the saintess felt compelled to assist Ian and protect her family.
‘If I touch his body, I can see the future and help him.’
But she didn’t.
She knew what would happen if she touched him.
‘If I make a mistake, the prophecy may be triggered.’
The saintess’s power lay in prophecy, which automatically activated when she made physical contact with someone.
Because she couldn’t control this power, it became even more dangerous.
She had a clear understanding of the repercussions if she were to touch Ian.
‘Once caught in the saintess’s prophecy, one’s fate becomes fixed.’
Despite the belief that fate could be altered, the saintess’s prophecies prevented any such changes. Visjt novelbin(.)com for new updates
Even Cesare avoided contact with her to shield himself from the influence of her prophecies, relying instead on predictions obtained through the consecration ceremony.
It was a natural precaution.
Prediction and prophecy.
They were similar, yet different.
The consecration ceremony allowed glimpses into multiple people’s fates with minimal impact, whereas the saintess’s physical contact revealed the future of a single individual with far-reaching implications.
‘Once a fate is read, it becomes an unchangeable record.’
It felt as if the record was being written in the world itself.
And it was destined to unfold exactly as written.
This was also written in the ancient records left in the Holy Empire.
“Even those called heroes couldn’t pioneer their own fate. They became mere puppets, forced to live exactly as written in their destiny.”
This inherent danger made it risky for the saintess to touch Ian, as it would fix his fate and prevent any deviation.
It felt as if someone else spoke through her when she interpreted and conveyed fate.
To protect Ian from having his destiny sealed, the saintess refrained from physical contact.
But Ian himself was busy moving around.
“Can you hear me?”
A voice came from beyond the communication tool at Ian’s words.
[Yes, I can hear your voice, Your Highness.]
A deep and firm voice.
It was Galon.
Ian immediately gave him an order.
“Bring all the items that Sir Walter brought last time.”
Galon seemed a little surprised.
[Are you referring to that hideous thing as the Marquis of Adelas?]
“Yes. But make sure you’re not caught.”
[I will obey your orders.]
Galon wasn’t the only one.
Ian contacted others as well.
It was about mobilizing all the forces available to him.
That’s when it happened.
Buzz buzz!
Suddenly, Ian’s communication tool emitted a bright light, indicating an incoming call from someone other than his usual contacts.
As Ian raised the communication tool, a voice could be heard.
[Prince! Where on earth are you!]
Simultaneously, Nathan’s face appeared on the screen.
He looked disheveled, with grass leaves sticking to his head, clearly having been searching for Ian for some time.
He urgently shouted.
[I’ve been searching everywhere for you! I can’t find you. What should I do? More importantly, where are you, Prince?]
Instantly, as if Nathan was leaning his face towards the communication tool, he came closer.
Ian covered the saintess partially, hiding her from Nathan’s view.
“It’s a secret space of the Adelas family.”
[What? We had such a place in our house?]
“It seems you’re not trusted much on this side either.”
[...]
Nathan’s face showed a hint of hurt, but something caught Ian’s attention.
He leaned closer to the communication device, trying to see what was behind Nathan. Specifically, he wanted to see who was with him.
“Sir Nathan, what are you doing right now?”
[Oh, nothing much.] Nathan replied, scratching his head.
Ian expressed disbelief, saying, “It doesn’t seem like it’s nothing much.”
The reason for Ian’s doubt became evident as he saw several fallen figures behind Nathan. Most of them were men dressed as priests.
It seemed someone had attacked the priests and taken them down.
“Did you kill them because you were found out?”
[Do you think I’m such a brutal man? It was just an accident during the mission.]
“An accident? What exactly are you doing?”
[Well...]
Nathan’s explanation was simple.
While searching for Ian, he witnessed priests trying to kill another priest.
And unknowingly, he intervened.
[That’s what happened. I thought maybe this person could be of help to us.]
Beyond the communication tool, a man came into view.
He was a priest with a simple appearance.
At that moment, the saintess exclaimed in surprise.
“Yan?”
He had turned the tables on Cardinal Cesare.
“Moreover, the conclave. The Pope appeared furious because he had no knowledge of it.”
“That was to prevent such a situation...”
“It seems like many people are secretly moving, doesn’t it? Other cardinals.”
“!?”
For the first time, Cesare had a murderous look in his eyes.
How dare Adelas try to threaten him?
However, the Marquis of Adelas boldly proposed a deal.
“I have no intention of becoming your enemy, Cardinal Cesare. What do you think?”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think about being allies? Instead of merely seeking advantage, let’s truly cooperate.”
“...”
Marquis Adelas revealed Cesare’s weaknesses, which he had found.
He demanded a price to eliminate them.
He laid out clear conditions, unlike the vague ones before.
‘I thought he only intended to use and discard me, but he’s actually quite shrewd.’
In the end, Cesare had no choice but to join forces with Marquis Adelas.
As they walked together, the Marquis smiled and remarked, “I never expected to witness your unwavering loyalty. Thank you, Cardinal.”
“You flatter me.”
“And to think you’re safeguarding the future of my family. Such honor can hardly be found elsewhere.”
“...”
Cesare clenched his teeth inwardly.
While Marquis Adelas had provided him with foresight by pointing out his weaknesses, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being manipulated.
‘But soon enough, your smile won’t last. Once the succession begins..’”
The country itself would no longer be important. Cesare smiled.
“Well then, shall we go in?”
“Are you starting immediately?”
“As long as the offerings are ready, we can start as soon as the priests arrive.”
As they were about to enter the underground with smiles on their faces, a loud rumble echoed.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Crash!
“!”
A tremendous explosion was heard, coming from the secret space where the saintess was supposed to be.
Cesare and Adelas were shocked, their faces frozen in disbelief.
“What is happening...”
“What are the priests doing? Hurry, go inside and check!”
But it was that moment.
Bang!
With a tremendous explosion from the underground, dust billowed out.
Even the knights and priests who were about to enter covered their mouths and retreated.
“Cough...”
“Everyone, quickly inside... Rescue the saintess...”
Everyone tried to go down to the underground by any means necessary.
However, the problem was right after that.
Boom!
“!”
Something was amiss.
It wasn’t just the underground secret space trembling; the entire mansion seemed to be shaking.
The startled knights shouted at Marquis Adelas.
“The mansion is collapsing!”
“We need to evacuate immediately!”
“My Lord!”
The Marquis frowned and looked at the Cardinal.
“Cardinal, what can you do about this— Huh?”
But Cesare was already gone.
As soon as the mansion started shaking, Cesare was the first to rush outside, with only a few priests going down to the underground.
Marquis Adelas was bewildered but followed suit and went outside.
It was when everyone had made it outside.
Thud!
With a resounding impact, the mansion started to crumble.
The supporting pillars gave way, and Cesare and Adelas stood in shock, their souls seemingly escaping through their eyes.
Time passed.
“What are you all waiting for? Quickly, find the saintess!”
“Call for the laborers! We must rescue the saintess trapped underground!”
The two of them urgently shouted.
In response to their orders, knights, priests, and many others rushed towards the collapsed mansion.
And then it happened.
Clack, clack, clack.
With a tremendous sound of hooves, the Blue Wolf of Lavaltor arrived on the scene.
They encircled the mansion and the two men as if laying siege.
Marquis Adelas, startled, directed his question to Fiosen, who was leading the Blue Wolf.
“What in the world is happening?”
But Fiosen did not respond.
Instead, he bowed his head toward a man behind him.
It was Ian Kaistein, his gaze fixed on Marquis Adelas with an icy coldness.