Chapter 105
Maybe he decided to become a priest in Lebron.
The clean, composed air unique to priests suggested that this man named Danny hadn’t fallen into such behavior overnight.
Could it be that a new religion had sprouted in Lebron?
“Stay as quiet as possible.”
Deciding to keep a low profile until she could reunite with Carlton, Belia whispered to Lude.
Though her face remained expressionless, her mind was racing.
The word “Fray” had never once appeared in any of the texts she’d studied about the Holy Nation.
Which meant, judging by their actions, there was a high chance this was heresy.
If the existence of heretics became known within the Holy Nation, Lebron would vanish overnight.
So, their extreme devotion might just be a ploy—to test whether she was one of the Holy Nation’s people.
However, the Holy Nation never donates money to heretics.
That’s why she had deliberately offered a donation—to signal that she wasn’t from the Holy Nation.
She wanted to see their reaction.
But the man named Danny didn’t show a flicker of emotion or hesitation.
What on earth was he?
Belia glanced again at Danny’s back.
Her thoughts tangled together in confusion, yet she couldn’t shake the strong feeling that this was somehow the path that would lead her to the Saint.
Until Carlton arrives.
Glancing behind her for no reason, Belia quietly began walking toward the central district of Fray.
All the while thinking—keep your head down.
“Emergency declaration?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Allen, whose body was stiff from staying inside his room for too long, stretched as he asked.
Considering he was the one who’d been at the center of the Empire’s uproar—the attempted assassination of the Crown Prince—his face looked remarkably calm.
“In the Holy Nation? Why?”
“They say a sacred relic has been stolen.”
“A sacred relic? They can’t even keep track of their own holy artifacts? What kind of lunatic would steal something like that?”
Allen, who had been resting on the sofa, picked up his glasses from the table and stood up when his aide entered.
“So, what changes when they declare an emergency?”
Idly picking his ear, Allen sat behind his office desk.
“They… plan to temporarily close the borders, Your Highness.”
“The borders?”
Allen’s eyes, which had been filled with annoyance, suddenly sharpened.
“What gives them the right to interfere with our borders?”
He tilted his head, recalling what he had learned in royal studies and international relations.
Anticipating his reaction, the aide quickly continued.
“According to the emergency letter, it seems there were certain stipulations made when the Holy Nation recognized the Neutral Zone and the Magic Tower. Perhaps even His Majesty wasn’t aware of this.”
“Stipulations?”
“Yes. Recognizing the Neutral Zone and the Magic Tower imposed significant restrictions on the Holy Nation, and—”
“What nonsense. They were the ones insisting on managing black magic and failed miserably. If they’d done their job right, I wouldn’t have gone through that mess in the first place.”
Allen grumbled, but his aide, used to this behavior, calmly went on.
“Anyway, when the Holy Nation agreed to recognize the Neutral Zone, they also signed a few accords with other kingdoms. To summarize, an emergency in the Holy Nation is treated as an emergency across the entire continent, granting them certain rights—including the power to close borders. They sent official documents proving this along with the emergency declaration.”
“They’re complete crooks.”
Allen shook his head in disbelief.
“Apparently, not just our Empire but other nations as well are expressing confusion. It wasn’t a negotiation—it was an outright unilateral notice from the Holy Nation.”
“God sure throws His weight around.”
Nodding in agreement with Allen’s harsh remark, the aide added:
“Other kingdoms seem to expect the Empire to take the lead in protesting this. Within an hour of the Holy Nation’s letter, we’ve already received similar messages from several nations.”
“So basically, ‘You’re the Empire, so handle it for us,’ huh?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“What’s His Majesty’s stance?”
“As soon as His Majesty received the letter, he called for an emergency meeting with the Holy Nation. It’s already underway.”
“A meeting? With those slowpokes? Already?”
“Yes.”
Allen frowned deeply.
“So they declared an emergency and immediately came to our Empire first. Don’t tell me that lunatic who stole the relic is hiding here?”
He quickly brushed aside the faces of a few people who flashed across his mind.
“No, Your Highness.”
“Good…”
“But—they came for another reason. The Holy Nation says they wish to assist in investigating the Crown Prince’s assassination.”
“…What?”
It was such a bizarre claim that Allen’s expression froze.
By the time he realized from the aide’s calm face that he hadn’t misheard, a sharp knock knock knock! sounded at the door.
It was so urgent that the second aide burst in before permission was even granted.
“It’s an emergency, Your Highness!”
“What now?”
Feeling a rising sense of foreboding, Allen turned to the aide who had rushed in.
“The Holy Nation says they wish to examine Your Highness’s body—to trace the truth behind the assassination.”
“…Why?”
“They claim the relic theft bears similarities to an incident eight years ago.”
“Eight years ago?”
A spark of realization flashed through Allen’s mind.
The incident from eight years ago.
The secret the Holy Nation had been hiding.
And the connection to the present.
“Me?”
Both aides nodded at once.
“So what, whenever something bad happens to them, it somehow ties back to me?”
Allen’s face twisted in disbelief.
“This is absurd…”
It was the kind of ridiculous superstition you’d hear from a rural village, not from supposedly devout followers of God.
“So now they’re asking His Majesty for permission to… medically examine me?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Hah.”
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Even as he thought they were utterly insane, Allen calmly began to map out how this would interfere with his plans.
“The border closure itself is already a problem…”
He bit his lip, thinking of Belia.
For some secretive reason, both Carlton and Belia had said they’d be gone—anywhere from a few days to two weeks.
They hadn’t told him why.
Annoying, but he had no choice but to trust them—because only Belia could resolve the issue in Canaria.
He’d taken a leap of faith, relying on nothing but her word.
To buy up to two weeks of time, he’d stirred up a huge commotion—the Crown Prince assassination case.
It was the perfect distraction: halting all royal events, concealing someone’s absence, delaying a certain wedding.
“Sigh…”
The Empire could handle border issues with some political maneuvering, but if the Holy Nation imposed magical restrictions across nations, that was another story entirely.
Still, Allen believed Carlton could find a way to fix it.
He turned to another concern.
“What about the Dalton Duchy?”
“They haven’t heard yet, but with how widespread this has become, they’ll know soon.”
Allen had fabricated evidence under the pretext of investigating the assassination, using it to thoroughly raid the Dalton Duchy.
He had even tied in a few noble factions, but his true target was the Daltons.
“Well, once they find out, they’ll probably welcome the Holy Nation with open arms.”
After all, if the truth behind the staged assassination came out, it could ruin Allen completely.
He’d minimized the risks during the falsification, but secrets always had a way of leaking.
The Holy Nation’s sudden involvement would only buy the Daltons more time.
They’d be seething with hatred for him already.
He’d wanted to strike first before that happened—but now the Holy Nation had appeared, throwing a wrench into everything.
“When I return, I’ll be able to resolve the matter with Canaria. So prepare to strike the Dalton Duchy. Canaria agreed to this as well.”
“She could’ve at least told me what that plan was supposed to be.”
Why had she kept it so vague?
Allen recalled the reckless young lady of the Marquis’ household and began to think.
He had no choice but to believe her—Belia, who had said with absolute confidence that once she returned, she would fix everything.
Suddenly, Allen realized how much he himself had changed—how impulsive he’d become.
Just like the people he’d recently surrounded himself with.
With a deep sigh, Allen rose to his feet.
“Let’s go.”
He looked in the mirror, noting his gaunt face after several days without proper meals.
He’d taken precautions for an emergency—but hadn’t expected them to be used this way.
For a moment, his aides were confused about where he intended to go.
But when they saw Allen pinning his insignia onto his chest, they snapped to attention.
“Y-Your Highness, are you going to the meeting yourself?”
“I don’t think that’s wise. What do you plan to say once you’re there?”
