Episode 678 The Kingdom of Gleiman (3)
After the two became strangely quiet, Ray went to sleep.
After a night in the VIP room.
As the next day dawned, Rien knocked on the door.
“I have something to guide you.”
“come in.”
She came in, supporting the steaming teacup on a tray, and offered tea.
“Did you have a good night?”
“Thanks to you, I slept well. What’s more?”
“His Majesty the King wants to see the saint. At noon, I will send a maid.”
At her words, Ray was lost in thought.
Ugh, I’m quite surprised.
Usually, when envoys come from abroad, there is no case where the king urges them like this.
He nodded.
“okay.”
“And...”
He seemed a little worried about saying it.
Lien hesitated and bit her lip.
It doesn’t seem like it’s an easy thing to say, frowning even with an impression that you don’t normally use.
Let’s wait until the mouth opens.
After taking a sip of black tea to see if her throat was burning, she finally spat out the words.
“...Not only His Majesty the King...the Demonic Church wants to see the saint.”
“In the Demonic Church?”
Ray, who was waiting to hear what she said, was surprised by her words.
Even if it is not an official position now, he had served as a saint of the Holy Land until a few years ago.
If the Demonic Church invites himself, who used to be a saint, to a situation where things get bigger just by asking for a priest from the Holy Land, the aftermath will be indescribable.
They’re not stupid, and they won’t be ignorant of that fact.
‘What’s your intention?’
Even if you come and touch yourself, nothing good will happen, right?
Are you trying to provoke the Holy Kingdom?
It is true that religious conflicts between the Demonic Church and the Holy Kingdom are intensifying, so it is not without possibility.
Thinking seriously, Ray nodded his head.
“okay. What time is it?”
“He said that if you give me a message a day in advance, you can come when it’s convenient for you.”
Look at this.
Can I come anytime?
I can’t afford to be overflowing, so now I’m going to look like I’m going to have a good time.
However, I couldn’t be vigilant unless I knew their intentions.
As the tea he brought with him was so lost in his thoughts that the tea he had brought with him had cooled down, Rien quietly bowed and left the room.
* * *
Eventually, at noon, Ray was lost in thought until the lady-in-waiting came to wake him up.
The young lady-in-waiting entered the bedroom and prepared clothes as she was accustomed to.
“I will help you change your clothes.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“But the robe...”
The maid couldn’t bear to say that it was dirty and only looked at it.
The tattered cuffs and the faded robe couldn’t be described as neat even with lies.
“I’ll go like this.”
“I agree.”
“Thank you for noticing.”
The king, who expressed his gratitude briefly, asked.
“Do you know why Jim made everyone back?”
Sitting on the throne, resting his chin on his question, it feels like Tu is trying to test himself.
At first glance, Ray responded monotonously.
“There must be something that would be difficult for others to hear.”
“Half right, half wrong.”
Ray raised his head at the king’s words.
It is enough to be called rude to face the ruler of a country squarely.
However, King Gleiman did not particularly stop him.
Rather, make eye contact and speak with strength in each word.
“Jim is the king. It’s a position where you can’t move carelessly or you shouldn’t move. Therefore, it can be said that other royalty or high-ranking nobles are actually wielding power.”
“...”
Ray listened to the King in silence.
“The day I first sat in the king’s seat. Jim didn’t stop it. Even when the brothers who coveted the position of king appeared and the nobles who followed me killed them, I did not try to stop them. I took it for granted at the time, but as time went on, it became harder to see the people dying because of Jim’s incompetence.”
The king, deeply remorseful, clenched his fists.
“Why did the royal family become like this? How did my kingdom come to such an evil? After decades of regret and struggle, I was able to find a clue.”
“...”
Let’s hold our breath for a moment and wait for his words to drop.
The king slowly opened his eyes.
“...The Demonic Cult.”
The two looked at each other.
“The Demonic Cult, which was thought to have been created recently, actually spent most of its time in the shadows, but continued its activities. After they came out of the shadows, the kingdom they saw was dying like a rotten tree. Because the king was incompetent and the nobles were weak, the blood of the people never ran dry.”
A deep sigh continued from his mouth.
“After days of neglect, neglect, neglect, and neglect, I finally realized it when I reached the point where my throat was choking. That my history has been a reign of failure.”
He looked down at the parchment he had torn.
“But it is already too late. The power of the Demonic Church has grown and can control the kingdom. Even so, if there is a last hope... Jim wants to put his last remaining strength on the king.”
“...”
Ray did not answer meekly.
Neither agreeing nor denying, just looking at the king.
At that, King Gleiman laughed for the first time.
“I trust you will not refuse.”
There is no reason.
I don’t know why, but I was sure he would do the favor.
according to the king’s wishes.
Ray nodded.
“You can’t just refuse His Majesty’s request. We will do our best.”
“Thank you. But, unfortunately, there is little I can do.”
“it’s okay. It doesn’t matter, as long as you do me a few favors when I’m done.”
After hearing that the Demonic Church was calling him anyway.
While doing so, it would have been a great welcome if he could use it when confronting the Heukbang in earnest by accepting the king’s request and clearing his debt.
“It’s a private affair with the prince of a country, so I’ll do as many requests as possible.”
“Then let’s hear more about the matter.”
How the royal family became corrupted and what the current situation is.
Also, what is the meaning of the saying that the blood of the people never runs dry?
After hearing that, I’ll have to think about the Demonic Church again.
One floor of the audience room.
There, the conversation between the two kings continued at length.