TAPGB - Chapter 44

TAPGB - Chapter 44

The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride

“Ah, hey child!”

A familiar voice was heard from somewhere. Lucian and Dio clung to each other and looked back.

Javier, completely injured, stood trembling as if he had found a savior.

"Uh? I saw him at the temple..."

Lucian recognized Javier. Javier also realized that he had seen the two children in front of him at the temple in the morning.

"Ha ha ha... I never thought a coincidence like this would happen."

Javier let out a helpless laugh, then his eyes flashed for a moment and he held onto Lucian's shoulder tightly.

"Kid! Where on earth are we? Please tell me how to get out of this mansion!"

"Yes, yes?" 

"If you continue like this, you wilI be killed by that monster! No... Are you like that monster...?"

When Javier remembered that Caesar was Lucian's age, he became thoughtful and walked away from the two. Lucian and Dio felt strange when they saw him muttering that he wanted to live.

 "I would have told you to stay still."

"Caesar!"

Lucian smiled brightly at the familiar voice. Caesar had a cool look in his eyes but stopped when he saw Lucian and Dio. Soon he realized that his hands were covered in blood and cleaned them off with magic.

"Children need to sleep. Why are you waking up now?"

"Dio woke me up. He heard screaming coming from the mansion."

Caesar grasped the situation by taking a quick look around. He tried to hide it, but this is what happened. It was a failure to waste time trying to get some information from the bishop. He should have come up a long time ago and removed that body first.

"I can't do it.'"

Go to sleep. 

Caesar used a proverb towards Dio. Dio fell asleep on the spot.

"Why is Dio...?"

"The scene right now is not something a child should see, so I let him sleep for a while."

Caesar laid Dio down on the sofa.

".... Caesar, what are these people here? Why are they all dead?"

Caesar closed his eyes tightly at the thought that what was coming was coming. But there is something to take care of before that. Caesar hid Lucian behind him and then looked down at Javier. Javier looked blankly at Caesar and muttered.

"Human... No, you weren't. What happened to the Bishop?"

"..."

"Okay. At last..."

Even though he didn't say anything, Javier noticed it clearly. Soon, a helpless laugh leaked from his mouth.

"Ha ha ha... How did this happen?"

Javier sobbed for a moment and then lifted his tear-soaked face.

"... Are you going to kill me?"

"It's better than being left alive and having regrets."

"It's a regret... There is nothing to say about regret. What can a mere apprentice priest do? And, if it weren't for you, I might have died at the bishop's hands."

The bishop showed too much of the other side of the temple. Unless he was completely subordinate to the temple, they were considered a dangerous group, so he would probably have been ordered to be exterminated after the job was over.

He had decided to spend his whole life attending a temple, serving, and living only for God, but what on earth had he been striving for?

Caesar narrowed his eyes as he saw Javier's eyes becoming increasingly empty. Soon he approached Javier. 

Javier decided to die and closed his eyes. But he didn't feel any pain. When he opened his eyes, Javier saw a pattern engraved on the back of his hand. But the pattern disappeared in an instant.

"I'll give you a chance."

"Speaking of opportunity...."

"I don't know what it is, but it seems like something is being done at the temple. And I think I know a secret about this mansion." 

Anyway, if Caesar kills all the priests here like this, the temple will think it's strange. If they get suspicious and send someone here again, it'll be a headache, so it's better to plant a spy in the temple.

"You know because you experienced it today, right? The temple holds a special power."

Javier remembered the ominous power the bishop possessed.

"Just go back to the temple and tell them that you made the sacrifice safely. And tell me in detail what is hidden in the temple."

"I am a priest. How could a priest leave the temple behind and come to you, whose identity he does not know?...."

"Can you say you're a priest if you don't know anything about the temple?"

Javier trembled. Caesar looked him up and down and tugged at the necklace around his neck. 

"Möbius strip. It contains the doctrine of a temple symbolizing infinity. What is the God you worship?"

"God is just God. He is by our side anytime and anywhere, and always looks after us..."

"That means the God you serve exists only in words."

Javier was speechless. These were extremely blasphemous words that questioned God, but for some reason, he felt like he had been hit on the head by Caesar's words.

The God served in the temple is just that, a God. It does not symbolize anything in particular, nor does it have any form passed down through pictures or phrases, and it was simply widely known throughout the Empire when God gave an oracle to the first priest. 

God is infinite. Humans are not infinite.

If you serve God with a sincere heart, God will appreciate you and give you infinite power.

The infinite power mentioned here literally means infinite power without limits. It could be knowledge, power, or life.

The meaning of infinity changes depending on who thinks about it. But the essential thing is always the same.

The reason why belief in 'God' became widespread is because there were people to whom God bestowed infinite power.

That is, the first Emperor. Everyone knows that the first Emperor was powerful enough to unify the empire. Therefore, many people visit temples to have infinite power and to worship a god with infinite power.

A doctrine that Javier has always heard and held in his heart since he was born and raised in a temple. But the fact that it might all be just an illusion shattered the faith he had built up until now.

Javier was confused, but that wasn't something Caesar had to worry about.

"I will ask you again. Are you going to die here like this, or are you going to return to the temple and carry out my orders?"

Javier's stern eyes flashed. 

"... I will follow you."

Javier saw with his own eyes the bishop's extraordinary power, and he learned that something unknown to him was happening inside the temple. Since he's going to die anyway, shouldn't he at least know what's going on in the temple?

Caesar explained to Javier what to watch out for and the brand on the back of his hand. The brand was designed to automatically activate and take Javier's life if he betrayed Caesar.

"As long as you don't betray, nothing will happen."

Javier burst into laughter as he heard the same threat twice in just an hour. 

"How are you going to contact me?"

"You work at the Great God Hall, right?"

"Yes."

"I will visit you unexpectedly. You gathering information until I go there."

"All right."

"If the bishop dies and you return alone, you will be suspected. Think of an excuse.

"The death row inmate we brought in was a serial killer. He says he went on a rampage and killed the bishop and everyone who was nearby."

Although it bothered him that the bishop had special powers, Javier would take care of it.

"Then, bye."

Even when told to go, Javier could hardly move his feet.

".... Can I ask you a favor?"

"Ask?"

"I would like to offer my prayers to the four colleagues who died."

"There are three of you?"

"... The other one was offered as a sacrifice by the bishop."

Caesar nodded, saying yes.

"These people were just brought in without knowing anything like me. I didn't mean to drag you along because I liked it."

"Brother, let's listen."

Even Lucian, who had been quietly observing the situation, came forward. Caesar moaned and groaned as he lifted the three bodies into the sky.

"Rather than carrying the body away like this, wouldn't it be better to turn it into remains?"

"We are all orphans anyway, so there is no family to wait for."

Accepting this as permission, Caesar cremated them. Javier prayed sincerely for those who were slowly turning to ashes.

Soon Javier returned to the tunnel he came from.

Caesar restored the messed up living room to its original state with magic. The scent of blood lingering at the tip of his nose also disappeared.

"Brother, now explain."

Lucian, who had been waiting patiently, wanted the truth. Caesar obediently explained to him what had happened so far.

***

Slurp

When I opened my eyes, I saw the dawn rising outside the window.

[When on earth...]

Just a little while ago, the sky was filled with darkness, but now it was morning. I lost my mind again. 

I looked down at my hands. The feeling of instability I had felt for a few days was completely gone and I was filled with energy.

Rather than feeling overflowing with strength, does it feel like my soul has become stronger?

It was clear that nothing like the past few days would happen for a while. Well then, I'm glad...

[Why am I so anxious?]

Fear, anger, or sadness. I felt like I was feeling someone else's emotions that weren't mine.

"Leah."

I turned around when I heard a voice calling me. Not only Caesar but also Lucian was there. 

"Leah, are you okay?"

Lucian came over and hugged me. I wrapped mana around my entire body before he passed through me.

[Lucian, I mean, how did this happen...]

"I told you everything."

I was taken aback by Caesar's words. Her Lucian hugged me even more.

"I know you didn't tell me because you were afraid I would worry. But, tell me next time. I didn't even know this was happening and I was excited to invite Dio."

[.... Sorry.]

 "Are you okay now?"

[huh. I think it will be okay for the next 10 years.] 

"I'll take a look at Leah in 10 years. I will never forget today."

Lucian, who was only young, felt much more mature. Was it that shocking that I disappeared? 

Or was he resentful of the fact that I had kept it from only him?

I don't know what it is, but while I was surprised that Lucian had matured overnight, I was also disappointed and felt sorry for him.

"I have a lot to tell you."

Caesar told Leah everything that happened last night. The more I listened to him, the more I understood the seriousness of this incident.

[Ha, it was a temple, not the imperial palace?]

"The imperial family is probably also involved. I've planted a spy, so we'll find out soon enough. Still, it wilI be quiet for a while. You can rest assured." 

[Caesar, are you okay?]

"Huh? Me?"

[Lucian said he went into the basement. Didn't the ghost I saw back then appear again?]

It did show up. But this time it was all help.

Now I can only show up once. Please become stronger so that you can protect your precious one next time we meet.

'... It's unlucky, but he's right. I have to become stronger.'

Caesar don't know how the ghost came to be, but the power it showed when it entered his body was real.

Probably, even among the adult dragons, it would be difficult to find someone with that much strength.

After thinking about it, Caesar gave a vague answer and reassured the two.

[It seems like a big storm has passed.]

Lucian and Caesar nodded. Even though we didn't say anything to each other, we both felt that the peace had been broken by this incident.

"Hmm, where am I...."

At that time, Dio, who was sleeping on the sofa, woke up, rubbing his eyes. He looked around with dreamy eyes and found us.

"What are you all doing there? Why am I sleeping here?"

"Caesar, Dio doesn't remember what happened yesterday?"

Lucian asked Caesar. 

"I erased his memories. He saw the dead body right in front of his eyes."

[For now, pretend not to notice.] 

Lucian nodded and approached Dio, smiling as usual.

"You were sleepwalking." 

"What?! No way!"

"That's ridiculous. Then how could you be here? We were all looking for you and found you here."

"I-I... Sleepwalking...?"

Well, sorry Dio, but there was no other way to deal with it.

[Shall we eat breakfast first?]

"Good!"

Lucian welcomed him with open arms, Caesar followed him into the kitchen with a grin, and Dio was dragged by Lucian in a daze.

A huge storm has passed, but the place where the storm passed is calm. 

For now, they decided to enjoy the quiet for now and prepare for the future, which may not know what awaits them.

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