Chapter 105………………………………..
Kyle’s brows twitched at the unpleasant laugh — the laugh belonged to the Emperor.
Could someone called “Emperor” take such delight in toying with his subjects?
Looking at him made Kyle feel nauseous.
The Bartmann Empire had been built with the blood of countless soldiers and comrades.
Nobles had been using the Shrine to satisfy their private greed, and the Emperor was trying to use his nephew to check those nobles.
Kyle felt his insides twist; his stomach boiled hot as if his entrails were being wrung.
“Weren’t you all so eager to speak up earlier? Why so quiet now?”
“……”
“It seems you didn’t understand my question properly, so I’ll ask again. Is the Shrine doing the work it ought to be doing?”
The nobles, instead of answering, frowned and pressed their lips shut.
“Then I’ll ask this: is there any rule about appointing the High Priest? Is it explicitly stated that only a member of the Penayo family can be High Priest?”
The air in the great council hall went heavy.
If Kyle were made High Priest, the Shrine could no longer be used to launder black money under the pretext of donations.
Kyle noticed several nobles whose hostility flared up.
Could the Emperor not see their expressions, or was he deliberately ignoring them?
“Your Majesty.”
Seeing the atmosphere grow ugly, Marquis Jozoba cautiously addressed the Emperor.
“Speak.”
“I understand Your Majesty’s intent. But appointing a High Priest is a grave matter — this seems rather abrupt.”
Marquis Jozoba spoke calmly, as if soothing the Emperor.
The nobles around him, who were pro-royal family, nodded in agreement.
As expected, when Jozoba stepped forward the Emperor retreated a little and let out a displeased hiss.
“Your Majesty, I’m not saying I’m absolutely opposed. I just think it would be better to allow some time to exchange opinions.”
Given the Emperor’s temper, shouting “no” outright would only provoke him further.
At Jozoba’s persuasion the Emperor sighed irritably, as if he couldn’t help it.
“Very well. If you think so, then do as you wish. But I do not intend to wait long.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. We’ll gather opinions as quickly as possible.”
The Emperor looked sour at this unsatisfying outcome.
Clicking his tongue lightly, he rose — Kyle followed behind him like a guard.
A glance at Duke Bakard made him seem outwardly the same as usual.
But the corner of Bakard’s eye twitched slightly, and his tightly pressed lips had gone pale.
(He’s very angry. He’ll go straight to the Emperor.)
As soon as the council doors shut, Kyle moved closer to the Emperor and spoke quietly.
“Will Duke Bakard go to Your Majesty and behave rudely?”
“He will. He glared at me as if he meant to kill.”
“Your Majesty, are you afraid?”
“Me? Afraid? I’m the Emperor. Since when does an Emperor fear his subjects?”
“That’s right. Your Majesty is the Emperor of the Bartmann Empire. Your words are law. No one can contradict the Emperor.”
The Emperor had been speaking as if Bakard’s suggestions were his own ideas.
This time Kyle, as Bakard had done, spoke low as if planting a suggestion in the Emperor’s ear.
“Your Majesty, Bakard.”
As soon as the Emperor entered his study, Duke Bakard’s voice was heard.
His expression was as always, but the speed of his approach betrayed his anxiety.
“Did you run all the way here? Otherwise you wouldn’t be so quick… Duke Bakard, you’re youthful.”
“Your Majesty, I was greatly surprised today.”
There was no time to respond to the Emperor’s sarcasm.
“Surprised?”
“That you said you will appoint Duke Kyle as High Priest.”
Bakard’s cheek muscles twitched as if he was holding back anger.
“Oh, that. I’ve been thinking about it for some time, but I only said it now.”
“I see. Then may I understand this appointment as meaning you intend to marry the High Priest to the Holy Maiden?”
“Marry? Did I say marriage? Why are you bringing up marriage now?”
The Emperor hadn’t discussed marriage with Duke Bakard. It was the Holy Maiden who had proposed Kyle’s marriage to the Emperor himself.
A shadow of doubt began to creep into the Emperor’s gaze as he looked at Bakard.
“Your Majesty, appointing a royal to be High Priest without reason will only appear tyrannical. You need at least the pretext of a marriage to the Holy Maiden.”
A chilling look flashed in Bakard’s eyes — the look he used when coercing others.
As always Bakard tried to dominate the conversation; the Emperor clenched his teeth against the pressure.
He’d agreed with Bakard on most things before, but this was different.
“Duke Bakard, I disagree. Marriage depends on the hearts of those involved.”
“Pardon? Their hearts?”
“Yes. Even if a royal marriage is politically necessary, Kyle isn’t someone who hungers for power.”
“……”
“He says he wants to run the Shrine alone and live an upright life — what can I do?”
The Emperor’s tone and behavior were completely different from yesterday.
Bakard knew well that he had been the one to shape the current Emperor, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.
More than anything, it annoyed him how the Emperor treated Kyle.
Because the Emperor had always wished Kyle would disappear, Bakard didn’t need to intervene so insistently.
“The Holy Maiden’s beauty alone will be enough to capture Kyle. How about arranging for them to meet naturally?”
Laughing as if he’d thought of some grand plan, the Emperor chuckled loudly.
His demeanor — like a kindly uncle — made Kyle frown.
“Your Majesty, haven’t you been meeting with the Holy Maiden lately?”
“If anything, I was thinking I might like to meet her again.”
“Then I will arrange it. I have procured a finer incense and a better tasting tea. You may look forward to it.”
At Bakard’s smile the Emperor smiled thinly and thought: You think I wouldn’t know the darkness in your heart?
“Yankeller! Yankeller Penayo!”
With the sound of the door being battered down, a shout from the High Priest rang out.
The assistant clergy who were talking inside the office were startled and opened the door.
“High — High Priest, you’re here?”
The High Priest stood there, exhaling harshly, shoved him aside and barged in.
The assistant who was shoved outside staggered, but the High Priest closed the door without caring.
Yankeller’s brow contorted at the sight.
“You’ve been coming to the Shrine often lately.”
The High Priest standing before Yankeller’s face flushed as if about to burst.
“How many times have I told you! You must act at once!”
“Don’t just shout — speak so I can understand.”
Yankeller’s cynical look provoked the High Priest further.
He picked up a cup on the table and threw it to the floor.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
Seeing the shattered glass, Yankeller’s voice rose.
Smack — in an instant the High Priest’s big, thick hand struck Yankeller’s cheek.
The unexpected hard blow tore the soft flesh inside Yankeller’s mouth.
One side of his face burned as if scalded; his twisted neck ached and he couldn’t move quickly.
Through the throbbing ear came the High Priest’s heavy, angry breaths.
The eye on the struck side was bloodshot from burst capillaries.
The High Priest, meeting Yankeller’s bloodshot, as-if-blood-will-drip eyes, flinched his shoulders.
“High Priest, will hitting me resolve your anger?”
Even in this situation, there was no emotion in those eyes.
No matter how much the High Priest was his child, Yankeller couldn’t get used to the way those eyes looked at him.
Yankeller’s cold gaze quickly calmed the High Priest’s agitation.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to….”
Yankeller ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek and felt the torn flesh.
The High Priest sighed as he looked at Yankeller’s reddened eyes.
“Yankeller, do you know what I heard?”
“Has another Holy Maiden appeared?”
“It’s not the Holy Maiden that’s the problem. The Emperor said he will appoint Duke Kyle as High Priest.”
The High Priest’s voice, which had been subdued, rose again.
Yankeller’s eyes widened as he stared at him.
“What did you say? Kyle will be High Priest?”
“Yes. The Emperor said so in front of the nobles. Duke Kyle was there himself.”
“Will he marry the Holy Maiden?”
Angelus’s threatening words flashed through Yankeller’s mind.
If Kyle were to marry Angelus, there would be a pretext for taking over the Shrine.
Yankeller’s heart began to race.
If Kyle really married Angelus….
The short moment waiting for the High Priest’s answer felt as long as years.
“No, there was no talk of marriage. And marriage to the Holy Maiden… marriage is between you and—”
Bang!
Yankeller slammed his fist down on the desk.
The High Priest’s eyes went wide at this unfamiliar side of him.
Because Yankeller had been the one to observe things calmly, his sudden excitement seemed like a good omen.
“Yankeller, do you see now? Everyone is desperate to swallow up the Shrine. Even Duke Kyle, who you considered a friend, would become High Priest. Did you, by any chance, tell him anything about the Shrine?”
Yankeller did not answer.
He had vented to Kyle so many times he couldn’t count.
He was curious: why would Kyle want to become High Priest?
When Angelus had mentioned the High Priest title, Yankeller had dismissed it as her notion.
Now he wanted to know the real motive hidden behind Kyle’s desire for the title.
“What are you spacing out for! Snap out of it. If you stay dumb like this, the Shrine will be taken from you.”
The High Priest’s fearful face suddenly aged decades.
For whatever reason, someone declaring they would become High Priest was tantamount to issuing a challenge to him.
Yankeller’s face reddened further, but his whole body cooled.
“High Priest, should we apprehend the Holy Maiden of Edet?”
“Yes. Capture the false one to boost the Shrine’s prestige. Then the talk of appointing Kyle as High Priest will be as if it never happened.”
The High Priest stopped pacing and anxiously walked around the office.
“Heretics aren’t easily caught. They’re secretive and persistent. It would be best to catch them as soon as possible… We need to find a way. A method.”
