David was on his way to the Imperial Palace to meet the Emperor, for he had some business to discuss with him in connection with attending the prayer service held in the temple on his behalf.
"Whoa. There's so much to prepare."
Levy, who was holding a bunch of related documents next to him, yawned heavily.
"Isn't that yawning too openly?"
David said to Levy in a playful tone as if scolding him.
"As the Crown Prince's aide, you should be more perfect and flawless. Don't you think so?"
At those words, Levy slumped his shoulders and began to lament his fate.
"Please, please. The Crown Prince's aide is also a human being. I couldn't sleep at all yesterday because I had to check and coordinate the schedule and make sure to prepare everything without missing anything."
There was news of a prayer service being held at the temple, and he was suddenly Informed of his schedule to go on behalf of the Emperor. David's additional schedule was a burden to his assistant, Levy. He was already struggling with a lot of work, but now he had three times more work than usual. As he said, the dark circles under his sunken eyes had spread to the tip of his chin.
"And what you just said was exactly the same as Her Majesty the Empress."
"That's a terrible sound."
David snorted and scoffed.
"If you want to keep working and getting paid like you are now, you shouldn't be saying things like that to me, right?"
"Are you going to cut me?"
"If you keep saying that, I won't be able to cut you off."
Levy took David's words seriously as he spoke with a relaxed expression.
"Then please give me a lot of retirement money. As much as Your Highness can give me."
"..."
"If possible, I would like to be given enough money to buy a villa in a resort and hire servants there so that I can live there for the rest of my life without worrying about money."
"..."
"You are the Crown Prince, so you can give me that much, right? Of course. I have worked under Your Highness for several years."
"..."
David's eyebrow rose diagonally as the
words poured out without hesitation.
"If I tell you to quit, are you really going to quit?"
"Oh, why? I didn't say I was going to put it away first, and since you said you were going to cut me right away, I asked you to do so if you were really going to cut me."
Levy grumbled and said what he wanted to say. David, who had been staring at him, suddenly smiled and opened his mouth.
"Levy, you know? Greedy people tend to have short lives. What are you going to do if you're so greedy that you end up in a hole? You won't be able to take a single penny with you when you die."
"So, you should enjoy it while you're alive. When I think about it, it seems. like the most unfair thing to do is to work so hard and die. I should quit right now and go on a trip...!"
"Who sent you? I have no intention of cutting you, so don't even dream about it"
"I should get married too!"
Levy grumbled that it was too much, even though he had no intention of actually cutting it. As they were talking, they soon arrived in front of the palace office.
Bam!
The office door suddenly opened and a bloody man was dragged out by the knights.
"What... what is it?"
Levy stepped back in surprise. David also stopped with a slightly stiff expression. Looking closely at the person being dragged out, he saw that it was one of the palace attendants who served the Emperor closely.
'Another one died today.'
Lately, David has seen more than one person a day, groaning with a part of their body cut off, or bleeding like that. At first, they were just pale and limping as if they'd been beaten up, but it got worse. Now, there were a lot of people dying at the drop of a hat.
"Ah, it is a pleasure to meet His Highness the Crown Prince."
The knight who discovered him saluted.
"That's enough greetings."
David asked the knight who had brought out the drooping servant about the situation.
"What happened?"
"Nothing happened."
The knight's answer was as expected.
"It's just that servant is disturbing His Majesty..."
"What did he do?"
"He put the wrong amount of sugar in His Majesty's tea..."
'For just that reason?"
When David heard it, it was really a trivial reason. It would have been more unfair to die for that reason. Levy must have thought the same thing, as he clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyebrows. Then he whispered softly so that only David could hear.
"They say that there is a big problem because there is no manpower to attend to His Majesty the Emperor. That is understandable. Who would want to do it if people died like that every day?"
David agreed, adding.
"It seems like the punishments are getting more and more severe."
The Emperor's behavior became much more violent and violent than before.
"That's why."
Levy shook his head and nodded in agreement.
"Go in."
David straightened his collar and said.
"Yes."
Levy checked his clothes once, determined not to be nitpicky, and answered with a solemn expression. When he entered, the pungent scent of blood still lingered in the air.
"A peaceful afternoon, Your Majesty the Emperor."
David frowned and bowed politely to the Emperor sitting on the throne.
"Are you here?"
The Emperor's attitude toward David and Levy was indifferent. It was hard to believe that he had just killed a person.
"Yes. You said there was something to discuss regarding going to the temple."
"Yes. Listen."
"First of all, if Your Majesty could tell me the level of courtesy and sincerity we should show to the shrine, I will prepare according to that standard."
The Emperor strongly disliked the temple for daring to rival the authority of the Emperor of the empire by putting the Gods first. Just as he did not have a good relationship with the magic tower, he did not have a good relationship with the temple either. It was surprising that he suddenly showed a positive attitude toward the rituals performed at the temple. However, the Emperor would not have suddenly become devout to religion or friendly to the temple without any reason or purpose. What was important was how far the Emperor would allow the temple to go.
"So, to maintain friendly relations, I was wondering if we could send valuables, jewels, and items of this size. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks."
After David finished his report, the Emperor rested his chin on one hand and showed that he was not very pleased with it.
"That's a bit too much. It would be enough if it was just moderate enough so that no one would complain."
The Emperor continued speaking as if he was in a bad mood and couldn't even be bothered to think about such things.
"If a Saintess with divine power performs a ritual at the temple and spreads the energy of purification widely, it will be able to calm the people of the empire who are anxious about the appearance of monsters. It will also be a good opportunity to let them know that the status of our empire and the royal family is still unwavering and solid. Even without me having to do anything."
The Emperor didn't seem to have any intention of beating around the bush. He was saying that he would use the image of the Saintess and the prayer service held at the temple to get what he wanted without having to do any trouble. The imperial family was only trying to show the possibility of maintaining and continuing friendly relations with the temple if necessary.
'As expected, it seems like you have no intention of restoring your relationship with the temple.'
If they had just done things roughly without discussion, they would have been scolded even though they finished well.
"I see. I understand."
Suddenly, a question occurred to him. It was the Emperor who summoned the Saintess who had been traveling around the empire to the capital for this banquet.
'Is this what he first suggested, to use the temple and the Saintess?'
But even so, there was no particular reason for the temple to accept the Emperor's proposal. The Emperor was not active and seemed indifferent to say that he had taken the initiative. Then. On the contrary, if it were right for the temple to plan and lead the prayer service on its own initiative.
'Why did the temple suddenly inform the imperial family of the news of the prayer service and ask for their participation?'
If it was because of the sudden increase in the appearance of monsters, then large-scale monster subjugation would be more effective and have a greater impact on people than prayers. That's why when he first heard that the Saintess was being called to the capital, I assumed it was for the purpose of subjugating monsters. However, when the Saintess actually came to the capital, they said that a prayer was held out of the blue.
'Then there must be another reason.'
David felt uneasy as if he had missed something in the middle. Feeling puzzled, he decided to take a quick look at the Emperor.
"It's amazing that a prayer service is held at the temple at the right time. Did you know about this in advance and call the Saintess to the monastery?"
"..."
In response to David's question, the Emperor stroked his chin as if remembering something. The Emperor, who had been staring at him blankly, frowned.
"You will find out when you go to the temple. You will find out some very interesting facts when you go there."
Then he burst out laughing as if he couldn't hold it in anymore. His eyes, which were shining like a snake's eyes as if he had never been in a bad mood, were delighted. David was puzzled as he couldn't understand why the Emperor was acting like that.
"Yes. I think it would be good for the Grand Duchess to go to the temple together."
"...?"
David was taken aback by Karina's story that suddenly came out...
"Isn't the temple close to the north anyway? It would be best for the Grand Duchess to participate in the temple's prayer service and then go straight to the north to say her final farewells to her acquaintances."
"Is this your last goodbye?"
"Ues."
The Emperor slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
"I intend to permit the Grand Duke and his wife to divorce."
"Suddenly?"
It was suspicious that he had been so adamantly opposed to the couple's divorce, but now he suddenly changed his attitude.
'What are you thinking?'
The Emperor continued speaking indifferently, not caring what David was thinking.
"I had originally intended to allow the two of you to divorce. No matter how hard you tried, it didn't seem like their relationship was getting any better. Then you should respect the Grand Duchess's wishes."
"..."
"I think I've burdened that child with too much. I'm going to try to ease that burden now."
He pretended to say it for Karina's sake, but he immediately knew it was a lie.
'There's definitely something there. I'll have to investigate it in more detail.'
David, having decided so, immediately opened his mouth.
"First, I will convey a message to the Grand Duchess."
He liked the fact that he had an excuse to meet Karina.
***
“Hoooo.”
Karina, who remained in the room, placed one hand on her forehead. She let out a deep sigh that came from the depths of her heart
'I'm tired.'
She felt like she had used up all her energy dealing with Lucia.
"Are you okay?"
Mikhail asked with a worried voice. Karina smiled, consciously raising the corners of her lips as high as possible to indicate that it was okay.
"But why did you refuse? If it was divine power, it would have helped, and there would be no harm in it."
"..."
Yes. The Saintess tried to use her divine power several times to help her regain her strength. It was a precious opportunity that ordinary people, not those who were sick, could not afford no matter how much money they paid. The opportunity to feel the Saintess's pure divine power. Its value was indescribable. However, Karina refused her offers until the end.
"I didn't really want to receive it."
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