Chapter 39
The reason I hadn’t watched the Saintess Candidate’s personnel coming from the Holy Kingdom to the Southern Empire from the beginning.
“The first place we need to lay the railway is the Northern Region.”
“Yes.”
It was very simple.
“Where should we select the site for the Academy?”
“I am debating whether to choose the Northwestern Region or the Northeastern Region. What are your thoughts?”
“Your Highness, I believe the Northwestern Region is suitable, the reason being…”
I was too busy.
Starting right away with the railway and the Academy.
I also had to find a new way to utilize the Magic Tower in the sky.
Tax-related issues, the migration of the Northern Barbarians, and so on.
There were simply too many problems to handle.
Even though I was managing internal affairs by reading the existing Crown Prince’s Memory.
Perhaps because I wasn’t the Crown Prince to the core, handling the work smoothly was incredibly difficult.
'It’s only because many competent people are helping me, otherwise I would have been in real trouble.'
I was this busy.
I couldn’t keep watching the Saintess Candidate’s movement continuously.
Honestly, no matter how bad of a premonition I had, I also thought, would that really happen?
“But to think it actually happened.”
The Border between the Southern Empire and the Holy Kingdom.
That ambiguous region.
The place called No Man’s Land in the Empire, and Pilgrimage Road in the Holy Kingdom.
I never dreamed they would cause trouble there.
I couldn’t help but feel like my own raw flesh was being torn off, but.
I thought I was in a position where I just had to sit back and watch.
But to come up with the one-dimensional idea of destroying what they couldn’t have.
“I should stop here.”
“Your Highness?”
“I will handle the rest in the Southern Region.”
Curious about just how confident they were to act like this, I immediately stood up from my seat.
It was a shame about the internal affairs, but this was it for now.
From now on, it was the Time of Judgment.
+++++
“…It’s a flame.”
At someone’s words, everyone’s gaze turned in that direction.
The swords that were moving to covet the lives of others stopped right at that moment.
“…What is that.”
The Holy Knights, no.
The Band of Thieves panicked and stared at the place where the flame had erupted.
In the middle of the Desert.
A massive flame that shouldn’t exist blazed fiercely, revealing its presence.
The thieves instinctively felt it.
That if they didn’t deal with that first, they wouldn’t be able to do anything else.
Therefore, they moved their steps in that direction without hesitation.
To execute the one interfering with the god’s will.
However, what they faced when they arrived near the flame was.
“Guaaaagh!”
“My body! My bodyyyyy!”
“The fire, the fire on my body won’t go out!”
“Save me! Please save me!”
“Romper! Oh, Romper! Please watch over us!”
It was a living hell.
The Troops that the Holy Kingdom boasted of were rolling on the Ground, struggling desperately to put out the fire.
Those who hadn’t caught fire were terrified to go near the flame blooming in the middle of the Desert.
Those who had the courage to jump in anywhere to execute all evil.
For this moment at least, they were trembling like young children, desperately biting their lips to keep from curling up.
And the very person who created this atmosphere.
“How can there be such a Band of Thieves in the place called the Holy Kingdom’s Pilgrimage Road.”
The man with Golden Hair and Red Eyes was sitting on top of a piled-up mound of Holy Knights' corpses.
“…I apologize. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
“What do you have to be sorry for, is this not something that happened outside the Holy Kingdom.”
As soon as they heard the Saintess Candidate Rowena’s words, the thieves' eyes widened.
The Crown Prince? The Crown Prince of the Empire came all the way here to help the Saintess Candidate?
Questions overflowed at the incomprehensible situation.
“Since when in the world…”
Those overflowing questions spilled out of their mouths.
“Does a thief wonder about that? How uncharacteristic.”
At the Crown Prince’s subsequent answer, the thieves realized their mistake.
And at the same time, they recognized that the situation had become very twisted.
“Should we retreat?”
Even if their identities had already been discovered, there was no exact physical evidence.
Even if he pointed them out directly, they could just shoot back that he was mistaken due to the heat of the Desert.
“Fighting back is a crazy idea.”
Running away was the best plan.
As long as the Crown Prince was present, doing anything more was impossible.
In the first place, to move forcefully here, they had to use Divine Power.
The moment they used Divine Power, a situation would arise where they couldn’t feign ignorance.
Thus, the relatively unharmed thieves met each other’s gazes, and the moment they tried to turn their bodies to flee immediately.
“For mere thieves, the sound of your eyes rolling is too loud, as if this is your first time in such a situation.”
Fwoosh!
The flame that shot out in a straight line accurately erased the thieves below their knees.
Despite there being many civilians around, it was a precise Manipulation that erased exactly only the thieves below their knees.
The one most surprised seeing that sight was not the thieves, but the Saintess Candidate, Rowena.
“I heard he was recently carrying out purges, so I thought his temperament would be rough.”
Looking at the Crown Prince, she realized how wrong she had been.
When she learned of what happened from the Northern Region to the Eastern Region, she thought he would be destructive.
But he was kinder than anyone else.
The sight of him thoroughly protecting those within his shade.
“I must apologize later… for having the wrong idea.”
She felt how foolish she had been to Judge based only on rumors without seeing for herself.
And in the meantime.
“Heu-euk… Heu-uh-uh-euk!”
Those whose lower legs had disappeared rolled on the Ground, urgently starting to crawl in the opposite direction of where the Crown Prince was.
“The knights of the Northern Region ate dirt, but do the knights of the Southern Region eat sand.”
No, I shouldn’t call them knights, should I call them thieves.
The Crown Prince slowly stood up while watching that sight.
“You will never return alive.”
He informed the sand-eating thieves of the reality that was about to hit them.
“Even if you return, only your necks will go, and the truth of it will be the Crown Prince’s eradication of thieves on the Holy Kingdom’s Pilgrimage Road.”
“Th-that can’t be. Th-that can’t…”
“Do you think the Holy Kingdom will protect you, those who tried to stab their own flesh out of fear of giving me a single thing, will protect you?”
At those words, despair settled in the thieves' eyes.
Because the thought that the Holy Kingdom wouldn’t protect them became lodged in their heads.
“Yes, if you tried to harm what is mine, you should have that kind of look in your eyes.”
Starting from the end of the Crown Prince’s words, all the thieves' corpses turned to ash and disappeared.
Overwhelming Firepower.
With that alone, everything that had threatened the Saintess Candidate’s group vanished in an instant.
Leaving exactly only their necks behind.
“Thank you very much, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
And as soon as she recognized that the situation was resolved, Rowena quickly knelt down.
“I also apologize. I arbitrarily judged and misunderstood His Royal Highness the Crown Prince based only on rumors.”
“I do not mind, so stand up. How can one who must lead this many people alone kneel so easily.”
“Since this is a place where I am meeting the one who will become our shade, how could I not kneel.”
Saying those words, Rowena met the Crown Prince’s gaze.
Golden Hair and Red Eyes.
The physical trait that only the Imperial Family of the Empire could possess entered Rowena’s eyes.
“With the Saintess Candidate staring at me so intently, I don’t know what to do. Do you like my face?”
“N-no. I apologize. I was being rude…”
“No, I asked if you liked it.”
“…Yes.”
“I had to fish for that compliment, but thank you anyway.”
A brief conversation.
Rowena briefly wondered if the Desert had always been this hot.
“The Empire will send escort Troops. With this many Band of Thieves around, what in the world is the Holy Kingdom doing, really.”
“…Your Highness, I apologize.”
“I didn’t say that to receive an apology.”
The ones who should be apologizing are elsewhere, yet the wrong person is bowing her head.
Continuing his words like that, the Crown Prince gave a faint smile.
The Saintess Candidate knew that the Crown Prince’s smile wasn’t genuine.
Smiling even though it wasn’t a situation to smile about at all.
That was probably because countless people were watching the Crown Prince.
The person in power who had erased all unexpected threats.
That the atmosphere changed depending on the expression of that person in power.
The Crown Prince seemed to know that all too well.
“A kind person.”
Rowena stealthily went behind the Crown Prince and stared at his back to her heart’s content.
Right at that moment.
“Come to think of it, I don’t know what I should call you. Can I call you Saintess Candidate?”
“It’s meaningless now, so you may comfortably call me Rowena.”
“Alright, Rowena. This was originally something I intended to say in The Center, but since we met early, let me ask you one thing.”
The Crown Prince smiled deeply and met Rowena’s eyes.
“Do you have any intention of becoming the Saintess of the Empire?”
At those words casually tossed out.
“Eh?”
Rowena made a dumbfounded expression for the first time in her life.
+++++
CRASH!
“Wh-what is it!”
Kieeeeeeek!
As soon as the sound of the Grand Holy Temple’s ceiling glass breaking rang out, people were startled.
They would be surprised even if it just broke, but for the ceiling glass to break during the time the Pope was offering prayers?
Is it an attack?
Is there an attack that went completely unnoticed?
“Protect the Pope!”
“Enemy attack!”
The Priests and knights swiftly moved near the Pope, trying to evacuate him.
Just as the Pope was about to slip out of the Grand Holy Temple’s Grand Prayer Room.
Thud!
A large bundle of some sort fell with a loud noise from the hole in the broken ceiling.
The red bundle, filled to the brim with who knows what, made a squelching sound as soon as it hit the floor.
A terrible sound to hear.
When everyone couldn’t even guess what it was.
“E-everyone, get out.”
Only the Pope knew its identity and, terrified, ordered everyone in the prayer room to get out.
“B-but we don’t know what that is, so how can we leave Your Holiness…”
“I said get out right now!”
As if absolutely no one else should find out its identity.
The Pope shouted uncharacteristically loudly and sent everyone in the prayer room away.
Kieeeeeeek!
A bird that confirmed that sight announced its presence.
Then it left the spot as if mocking them.
The Pope knew the identity of that bird.
A majesty believable enough to be called the second coming of a phoenix.
“Is that not the Crown Prince”s carrier pigeon.'
Did no one else spot it?
Could it be that the carrier pigeon concealed its own body?
Various questions arose, but now was not the time to care about such things.
“Heu-euk… Heu-euk…”
Trembling hands untied the red cloth.
And forced him to face the truth inside, a truth no one would want to see.
“…!”
Even if they weren’t the Holy Kingdom’s most elite Troops.
They were still absolutely not lacking in handling the task.
In preparation for the one-in-a-million chance of something happening, an entire Knight Order had been dispatched.
But they had all returned to the Holy Kingdom with only their necks remaining.
And through the Crown Prince’s carrier pigeon, at that.
What this meant was clear.
Do not try any funny business.
It’s not that I don’t touch you because I can’t.
“R-Romper God…”
Unable to look at the crushed heads any longer, the Pope hurriedly wrapped the cloth back up.
Seeking his god, he barely caught the balance of his staggering body.
“Father!”
“…Balleryan, are you here.”
As he was gathering his mind like that, he saw his son open the door and come in.
Even though Balleryan hadn’t looked inside the cloth, he seemed to have immediately grasped what it was.
“Is this the Crown Prince’s doing?”
His face hardened in an instant.
And at Balleryan’s words, the Pope’s face actually relaxed.
“Does this look like the Crown Prince’s doing to you?”
“Then is it not?”
“We… We did this, Balleryan.”
Things didn’t have to turn out this way.
How could it be the Crown Prince who made it like this.
Are you turning a blind eye even knowing that we are the ones who created this situation?
The Pope wanted to ask that.
But knowing that he was in the same position anyway, he kept his mouth shut tight.
If he couldn’t realize it himself, what meaning would teachings have.
“…”
The Pope wordlessly turned his back on Balleryan and left the spot, carrying the cloth containing the Holy Knights' heads.
Left alone in the prayer room.
“The Crown Prince…”
Balleryan felt his legs give out at an emotion he was feeling for the first time in his life.
The name of that emotion was.
“…Was he this strong? Did I… Did I think I could stand against a Crown Prince like this?”
Fear.