Chapter 59
“On that very day, the holy relic split in half. I found out later that all the power contained within it had been exhausted, and it could no longer serve its purpose. So, in a desperate hurry, I procured a fake to put in its place.”
“…So, when exactly was that?”
At my question, Flux counted the days for a moment before speaking.
“It was approximately two weeks ago.”
“And what were you going to do if the barrier had collapsed in the meantime?”
The more I heard, the more absurd it became.
So, there was a black market held in secret in this city. He heard that a very dangerous item had appeared at the auction there and went to see it for himself, only for the item in question to explode. He suffered an irreversible wound and secretly stole the holy relic to treat it, but it ended up broken, so he replaced it with a fake?
“Right, so you were infected by demonic energy, but you couldn’t get help from the Temple. Did it never occur to you to seek help from the Duchy of Castline instead?”
“Imperial Princess-nim.”
Flux shrugged his shoulders.
“The innocent Imperial Princess-nim might not know, but there is a famous saying in the North. If a soldier becomes a monster after slaying demonic beasts over and over, the Duchy of Castline will personally take his head.”
“…….”
“I’m sure there aren’t many people like me, but if they declare that ‘it’s irreversible, so die,’ am I just supposed to die like that?”
I stood up from the bed. Seeing me approach him right in front of his face, Flux looked at me with puzzled eyes. I slapped Flux’s cheek with all my might.
Slap! The sound rang out. My palm stung.
“…What is this….”
“So, because you didn’t want to die, you didn’t care whether the citizens of the city you’ve loved and managed died or not, and you just went ahead and committed this mess with the holy relic? Aren’t you a total bastard?”
Flux’s cheek twitched slightly.
“……There was no other way. Unlike the North, the Southern Barrier was originally where demonic beasts….”
“So, why does performing the ritual with that fake put me in danger?”
“I hurriedly procured a fake that only mimicked the appearance of the holy relic, but… there was a problem with it.”
“What kind of problem?”
Flux answered in a crawling voice.
“…I found out later, but it was a similar type of object to the one circulating at the auction. Upon investigating later, I learned that far from being a holy relic, if handled incorrectly, it actually acts as bait to draw demonic beasts in.”
I felt like I was going to explode as I listened. Unable to overcome my surging emotions, I shouted.
“Great, just great! You couldn’t even get a proper fake! Then you should have retrieved that fake even then!”
As if making an excuse, Flux hurriedly opened his mouth.
“The time was too tight, and with the Dedication Festival approaching, the surveillance was far too strict. And since things had turned out like this, I couldn’t trust anyone within the Temple either.”
“So your solution is kidnapping? If it was going to be like this, why didn’t you find a way to contact me somehow before I even arrived here?”
“Security is weakest at the lodgings inside the Temple. If my current appearance were leaked to enemies, I don’t know what kind of weakness….”
“I thought the Imperial Consort was being petty and ignoring me, but that would have been better.”
I thought, gritting my teeth.
This didn’t happen in the original story.
The holy relic for the Dedication Festival wasn’t originally such an important element.
In fact, the most important thing at the Dedication Festival was for the ‘person with divine power’ to personally prove their power.
I suppose that’s why the Southern Barrier is okay for now, but….
No, what if it’s not okay? Will a horde of demonic beasts invade right now?
“Besides, after going as far as kidnapping me, the solution you suggest is for me to break the holy relic? Don’t you know what kind of treatment I’ll receive if I, who came all the way down here to perform the Dedication Festival, break the relic and ruin the festival?”
“I heard you are under the protection of the Castline family.”
“You are really irresponsible and annoying.”
I gnashed my teeth. I closed my eyes tight, then spoke toward a shadow lingering near the canopy in the distance.
“Hey. Come out.”
“Yeees!”
Debbie popped out from the corner with a cheerful voice. Flux looked on in horror as Debbie even stomped her feet with light movements.
“W-what? I heard there was no one beside you…!”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“It didn’t look like he intended to directly harm Imperial Princess-nim, and besides, Imperial Princess-nim just wouldn’t wake up! I was going to watch the situation for a bit since I could take down those clumsy guards and that young master all at once if necessary!”
“……Right, well, I was the one who instructed you not to take preemptive action.”
I let out a deep sigh.
Debbie was in the room right next to mine. No matter how lax the Temple’s security was, there was no way she wouldn’t know at all that I was being kidnapped from the next room. So I figured she was there, and as expected.
“Right. As you can see, I’m under the protection of the Castline family. Besides her, the second son of the Duke himself came along as my guard knight. Right, if I smash the holy relic while performing the ritual, all the responsibility falls on me, other people will handle the cleanup, and you won’t lose a thing. Must be nice, huh?”
“I am prepared for death.”
“No, whether you die or not, you have to take responsibility before you go! Don’t you have any idea who the culprits are?”
“I’ve found out that among some mages, there are those who smuggle the item in question. I also found the merchant guild that mainly handled that item. But the identities of those belonging to the guild are all fake…. When I commissioned <Hecate’s Tavern> to look into it further, I was rejected because it was too dangerous….”
“Just what does the holy relic look like that you’re having such a hard time finding a fake?”
Debbie answered in a bright voice.
“Ah, that! Actually, strictly speaking, it’s called a holy relic, but it’s probably just a super big special-attribute magic stone that can support the core of the barrier! I overheard that when they were doing the Northern Barrier maintenance project!”
“Doesn’t the Castline Duchy have a lot of those?”
“A lot… maybe not, but they have… some? Or not?”
Debbie had a contemplative look, which was unlike her. But well, if it’s not even in the Castline family’s warehouse, there’s no way to get it! Then the matter can’t be solved by my hands!
I asked about the situation with a ‘whatever happens, happens’ mindset.
“Is Lisianthus still at the Temple?”
“Yep, even though he’s a guard knight, since he’s a man, the Temple gave him lodgings far from Imperial Princess-nim’s room. And I didn’t tell the second young master because if he saw Imperial Princess-nim being kidnapped, he’d probably crack the intruder’s head open and smash the Temple pillars right then and there!”
Debbie smiled brightly as she approached me and held something out. It was the familiar emoticon sword.
“You always take it wherever you go, so I brought it just in case!”
“I am… truly… graaateful….”
I gripped the sword with a strange feeling. From now on, let’s just sleep with the scabbard tied to my wrist. That would be better. The sword in my hand started whining.
—Waaaah, waaaaah, Contractor-ni-i-im! Why is our relationship so rocky?! ٩( Ĭ ^ Ĭ )۶ Why are there so many hardships and trials pulling us apart every single day?!
‘Can I fix his condition?’
—Uh, “his”?
‘The guy who kidnapped an innocent person and is whining for me to take responsibility along with him just because he didn’t want to die after breaking the holy relic.’
—Uh…… ( ◑.◑)
The sword’s voice became hesitant.
—We-well, Contractor-nim, you basically use the Power of Light, right? （’◇’）
I figured as much, but it really was true….
The fact that the types of power I could use increased when I wore the <Insignia of Gloriana> on my body. The way it prattled on about my master level increasing. Even when it babbled about gods and such, it was the God of Light for now.
I thought I heard that if the Power of Light is extremely strong, it can overwhelm all other powers and accomplish anything. I wondered if I would ever reach that stage.
‘So?’
—Actually, strictly speaking, what you use is something that most others… even the Temple can’t use! For the Holy Emperor or the High Priests, the most the God of Light has allowed them is a branch of healing power. (⊙_ʘ) But well, Contractor-nim is the legitimate successor who will inherit everything, so your basic performance is different.
‘No, so what’s the conclusion?’
—It’s possible, but at Master’s current stage, it’s a liiittle? ɿ(｡･ɜ･)ɾ
I tried to ignore the rising sense of foreboding.
‘What do you mean by “a little”?’
—……You’d have to keep holding his hand for him to get better? All day? For nearly a month?
‘…….’
—…….
I tried to stay calm as I asked internally. Flux and Debbie looked at me with strange eyes as I suddenly went quiet. I took a deep breath.
‘……Why?’
—Well, because Master can only use the Power of Light through me for now. You can’t transmit it directly! So there has to be physical contact for the purification to somehow…….
‘I don’t like him, and I already have a fiancé anyway?! What excuse could I possibly have to hold his hand?!’
—Well, if you ask me that…. (；◔д◔）
‘Is that the only way?!’
—Or, as they say, strike while the iron is hot—you could just finish it all at once with something deep and passionate. ( ಠ‿↼)
Thud! Flux jumped in surprise when the sword suddenly hit the floor. I picked up the sword and slammed it onto the floor a few more times. Debbie tilted her head as she saw me grinding the tip of the blade with my toe.
“Um, Imperial Princess-nim? Is there something wrong with the sword?”
“There was some dust on it.”
—I-I only answered because you asked if there was a way…. (8ㅅ8)
Listening to the sword’s sobbing voice, I came up with a method. The world is originally best when it’s simple.