Is he crying!
I was puzzled by the expression, which seemed so out of place with Uncle Rabbit.
‘D-Don’t cry!’
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ sobs, asking you to make a promise to not do so again ]
I couldn’t answer.
Not knowing his identity was making it difficult to change my mind of him being something ominous.
[ How can I enter the Great Temple if I was an evil being! ]
Reading my thoughts, Uncle Rabbit replied.
‘Hmm? Come to think of it, he’s right.’ I tilted my head, ‘Then are you perhaps… a great demon who can even dispel divine power?’
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ facepalms in disbelief. The face that never shed a single tear is finally… (The remaining sentence is deleted per ‘Uncle Rabbit’s’ request). Both the language I speak and the divine language are the same. Think logically. Now say who I might be?” ]
In other words, the letters I see in front of me is ‘divine language.’
The oracle was also ‘real.’
‘But not everyone can read this language.’
Divine language cannot be learnt and interpreted, only with the blessing of the God Prache, it could be read. And yet, am I reading the divine language with no connection to the temple?
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ is frustrated, “Just as the Saint is able to read divine language because ‘that bastard’ has blessed her, can’t you realize you have been blessed with the same? I wonder what kind of entity can ‘bless’ you to read this language?” ]
‘You, a sealed object, can bless?’
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ flinches. “Then your special powers…” ]
At that moment, a translucent window flickered and vibrated.
Sensing something, Richter frowned and tried to find the anomaly.
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ grumbles, it’s her again… You will need me in the future. So don’t get rid of me! ]
‘There won’t be such a thing.’
[ ‘Uncle Rabbit’ wonders if that will really be the case, smiling mysteriously. Follow the Saint ]
With those words, the window disappeared.
‘Following Asta?’
But Asta had just finished her speech and was sitting in her seat.
‘He must be talking nonsense again. Let’s not be swayed.’
I shook my head, and behind me, lively music could be heard from the square.
“Who’s coming?”, I turned round.
The Emperor was leading a procession of Royal guards. Some of the Knights of the Guard played musical instruments, while others followed, escorting the Emperor.
In their dazzling silver armour, they looked like divine warriors. Thanks to them, the Emperor looked more majestic. He looked like a God.
With all eyes focused on the Emperor’s procession, the Pope stepped forward to greet him.
“Your Majesty, it’s been a long time.”
“I am late”, the Emperor said, not looking sorry at all.
He had arrived late on purpose.
To be the centre of attention.
People couldn’t take their eyes off the seated Imperial Guard. The commoners openly admired them.
Before the excitement of the trust could fully settle, they witnessed the Emperor’s grand procession.
Thanks to this, the reverent feeling during the oracle recitation had now turned into admiration for the Emperor.
‘Did he intentionally choose this timing for the entrance?’
Judging by the looks on the faces of the Archbishop, and the priests, the Emperor’s plan had worked.
I averted my gaze and saw the knights. Most of them were young men, but there was a boy about Brantley’s age.
‘If that boy can join the Guard, then Brantley could too.
I studied the boy for a moment, then looked away.
Suddenly, I locked eyes with Brantley.
It was a persistent stare.
“Who are you looking at?”, Brantley asked in a low voice.
“The Knights of the Guard.”
“Is that so?”
I replied casually, Brantley nodded and asked no more.
Then the Pope’s hoarse voice came through, “Your Majesty, who is guard accompanying you? The seats for the Imperial Guard are over there”
“Ah, this one will sit by my side. Take off your helmet, Hart.”
At the Emperor’s call, everyone doubted their ears.
“Hart? Did he mean His Highness, Prince Hart?”
“No way. It must be someone else with the same name.”
“His Majesty the Emperor and Prince Hart are on bad terms, is it even possible for them to accompany each other?”
Amidst the buzzing voices, the Emperor’s Imperial Guard took off his silver helmet.
Under the sunlight, dazzling golden hair fell, and a beauty with shining red eyes raised his head.
It was Prince Hart von Reinhardt, my dad!
“My God! It’s really Prince Hart.”
“How can he be with His Majesty?”
“Is the sun rising from the west?!”
People chattered without realising they were being heard. They were so surprised that they forgot to keep their voices down. The arrival of the Emperor and Prince Hart together was a huge shock. As their relationship was like cat-and-dog.
Especially Asta’s face was a sight to behold. It was an expression as if she had eaten dirt.
One of the ladies stood up. “Please sit down. You two are going to delay the programme.”
It was the Duchess of Moltke.
She smiled, as if she’d seen this coming, and seated the Emperor and Prince Hart side by side.
The two seats in front, which were empty, were for the Emperor and dad. Seated in a similar row was the Pope. Immediately behind them were the high-ranking nobles, Asta, the Archbishop, and other senior officials of the Temple. Next were the seats for the mages and me.
Thanks to this arrangement, the voices from the front row were clearly audible. The intimacy between the Emperor and dad kept the commotion at bay.
Even Prince Patrick, seated next to Asta, was taken aback.
Though, unlike Asta, his reaction was half joy, half surprise.
“How come His Majesty and brother arrived together?”
“Who else would drag this foul creature than His Majesty, and besides, Hanelope is here, her father should come.”
“His Majesty brought brother himself?!”
Duchess Moltke said to the astonished Prince Patrick, “It’s all thanks to Hanelope. She has brought His Majesty and Hart closer.”
“Is that true?”
“Thanks to Hanelope, they frequently encounter and talk to each other in ways they never did before, their misunderstandings of each other are cleared up naturally. Moreover, with Hanelope being so cute by His Majesty’s side, the atmosphere gets better every time they meet.”
“I see. That’s fortunate indeed”, Prince Patrick said with a smile.
Asta bit her lip.
The next part of the ceremony was a chorus of praise to the Gods, but she couldn’t loosen her expression. Eventually, Asta whispered something to Patrick and stood up.
Suddenly, the words of the Uncle Rabbit popped up in my head.
[ Follow the Saint ]
“Brantley, I’m going to the restroom for a minute.”
I informed Brantley and followed Asta out the door.
But the temple square was too big. There were many trees and statues blocking my view, so I couldn’t see where Asta had gone.
It was a lost cause.
I walked in circles for a while, but there was no sign of Asta.
‘Should I just go back?’
Just then, a warehouse caught my eye. It was a storehouse for grain to be distributed to the people.
‘Could Asta be in there? But the door is locked tight.’
I tried shaking the large padlock slightly. As expected, there was no sign of it opening. Moreover, the lock was enchanted with holy power, and any attempt to open it would cause a great uproar.
Rustle!
I felt a tap on my back.
I spun around in surprise to see the Duke of Fork looking down at me.
“I did think it was you, Princess Hanelope. Why are you here alone? It’s dangerous to wander around away from the adults.”
He expressed concern, speaking with a face so similar to Ulrich’s that it felt strange.
“This is a Divine Temple protected by the Gods.”
“The Gods may be kind, but those adults who claim to believe in Gods are not. Moreover, the Lady is currently the center of attention.”
“The center of attention? Me?”
As I raised my head in surprise, Duke Fork patted my head and chuckled.
“I’m afraid I made unnecessary comments to the Princess. You probably don’t understand the meaning yet at this age. Let’s go back to the event site. I’ll escort you.”
Duke Fork extended his hand to me.
‘But why was Duke Fork here?’
I was contemplating, looking at Duke Fork’s hand. However, he grabbed my hesitating hand, and my thoughts were interrupted.
***
Inside a dark warehouse.
A woman walked through the piles of grain, clutching a lantern.
The character in question with a chilly yet splendid face illuminated by the lantern was Asta Appel.
Her steps halted in front of the stacked corn.
It had been set aside at the Emperor’s request.
He had donated a large amount of grain to the Great Temple in honour of the ‘Blessing Day’. The Emperor had requested that the corn be kept separate because he wanted to give it directly to the people.
‘You fox!’
Asta gently caressed the corn with her pure and beautiful hands.
Notes:
Changes: 울리> Wulli/ Wulri
Wuli will be termed as Ulrich from now on. Previous chapters have been corrected. Sorry for the inconvenience.
