When I asked in a bewildered manner, the Emperor nodded with his mouth wide open.
“That’s right. And that’s exactly what happened last night when Count Guss died. What does that mean? Since the elder of the heretics who dared to rebel against the goddess is dead, doesn’t that mean that the goddess’s anger has been alleviated a little?”
Then he suddenly sat up.
“Well done, anyway. Discovering and dismantling a heresy of that scale is truly a great achievement. I will inform the entire empire of this fact so that everyone will know of the Saintess and the Crown Prince’s achievements!”
I hastily tried to stop him, as he seemed ready to call all the people of the empire together and give a speech.
“However, Your Majesty, I cannot say that the matter has been completely resolved. We have not found the main body of the heretic known as Ibis, and there must still be remnants. The Count called himself the second servant, so there must be another...”
“Oh, what are you worried about, Saintess? You dealt with such a big heretic elder in just a few days, so how can the main body and the remnants be difficult? Besides, merits are something that should be announced immediately after they are achieved. If you put off being humble for no reason, you might not receive the recognition you deserve. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
The Emperor, who had given his advice firmly, quickly left the reception room.
It seems that, given the turbulent times, they wanted to establish their prestige by widely publicizing the royal family's activities.
Because the Crown Prince's merits are no different from those of the Emperor.
'That weak father is like a fool.'
As I was shaking my head while looking at the door through which the Emperor had exited, I heard two sighs from behind me.
It belonged to the Crown Prince and the Pope.
It seemed like they were thinking the same thing as me.
'It's not easy for an Emperor to become a source of worry for everyone, but you've done it, Your Majesty.'
As I was clicking my tongue, I suddenly felt a heavy weight weighing on my shoulders.
It was a sign that I needed a break.
'Well, the Western schedule wasn't easy. I had to spend a whole day doing laundry because of that damn director.'
I clenched my fists as I recalled the director who even made me do her underwear laundry. I cautiously opened my mouth while watching the Pope and the Crown Prince.
“Can I take my leave now? The journey in the West has been so tiring that I would like to rest for a while.”
“Why not? After all that hard work. Put aside your worries about the remaining remnants and just focus on getting some rest.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
I bowed my head politely to the Pope's kind words and left the reception room, my body drooping.
'By the way, why hasn't this assassin woken up yet?'
Even though it hit a vital spot, it's been almost a month, and he still hasn't gotten up.
'If he wakes up, we might be able to figure something out...'
That was when I took a deep breath.
“Who is this? Isn’t it Shayne?”
I stopped in my tracks when I heard a voice out of nowhere.
'Shayne?'
Few people in the empire can call my name so freely.
I looked up in puzzlement and saw an old man with white hair blocking my path.
“Oh, now that you are a full-fledged Saintess of the empire, was I too rude?”
The sight of him joking with his gray eyes rolled back sadly was very familiar.
'Your Excellency, the Marquis of Zenger?'
His name is Arnold Zenger.
He was the head of the Zenger family and my grandfather's best friend.
Naturally, there was a lot of traffic between families, so when I was young and didn't know anything, I thought of him as a member of the same family.
'I used to call him Grandpa..."
The nickname "Landstalker" was given to the Marquis by my grandfather because he was very short, well below the average height for a man in the Empire.
Although it was a very rude title for me to call him when I was still so young, he, who only had two sons and no grandchildren, adored me so much that he never scolded me.
'Rather, every time he came, I was given gifts like desserts from a famous pastry shop, clothes, and shoes.'
However, as I became busy with the education of my successor and my grandfather's health deteriorated, we visited each other less and less, and after my grandfather passed away, I almost forgot about him.
'You've aged a lot since I last saw you.'
I was lost in my thoughts for a moment, but I came to my senses and bowed.
“It’s been a long time, Your Grace.”
“Haha, what are you trying to say that makes you feel distant? Just call me Grandpa like you used to.”
“I’m an adult now.”
When I answered with an embarrassed smile, the Marquis burst into laughter.
“In the past, you used to run to me and hug me tightly, saying, ‘Grandpa,’ but when did you grow into such a respectable young lady? My heart is full of emotion, but at the same time, I feel regretful.”
I, who was following him and extending my mouth, soon asked with a puzzled expression.
“But why have you come to the temple so early in the morning?”
“What else is there to do at the temple? I heard yesterday that the disaster across the country has stopped, so I came to offer a prayer of thanks to the goddess.”
“You are still faithful.”
I smiled broadly as I recalled how he had insisted that we always offer a prayer of thanks to the goddess before eating.
“Welcome, Your Grace. The goddess will be delighted to see you.”
“Haha, how could a goddess welcome such a wrinkled face?”
He waved his hand as if it was nonsense, but then opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him, and he said, “Ah.”
“I met His Majesty on the way here. I heard that you and His Highness have been searching for and eradicating heretics who have not yet been revealed to the world.”
Oh my, this damn human being.
It seems that he couldn't stand it any longer and opened his mouth as soon as he saw the Marquis.
I sighed deeply and nodded in response.
“Yes, I was lucky enough to find the hideout of the evildoers.”
“Haha, you did a great job.”
It was at that moment when I was about to wave my hand and say, "What are you talking about?"
“But I’m not that pleased with your achievements.”
“Huh? What is that...”
When I tilted my head and asked, he continued with a dark expression.
“I heard you even went undercover. Of course, it was to wipe out the rebels all at once, but wasn’t it too dangerous for a woman to do?”
"Ah..."
Realizing that the dark expression on his face was his concern for me, I was silent for a moment before speaking cheerfully.
“You don’t have to worry. His Highness has been by my side, and the goddess is always looking after me.”
“Hmm, yes. That’s good, but... Still, don’t push yourself too hard. It’s good to fulfill the mission of a Saintess, but aren’t you the only successor to the Veloce Dukedom? Your deceased grandfather must be so worried about you that he can’t close his eyes. Consider his feelings and always be careful.”
“I will keep that in mind, Your Grace.”
“Haha, stop calling me Your Grace. I miss the days when you used to call me Grandpa.”
He scolded me with a sad tone for a moment, but then he said with a look of regret on his face.
“Oh, I guess I’ve been keeping a busy person busy for too long. I heard you arrived today, so you must not have had time to recover from the travel fatigue. Now, I’ll be going. I should also hurry up and go pray to the goddess.”
“I’ll take you to the mass.”
“Heh heh. Why are you worried that this old man might get lost in the temple? Don’t worry. Although it’s not an age where it would be strange to go at any time, it’s not that bad yet.”
He chuckled, tapped my shoulder a couple of times, and then turned away first.
On the other hand, I couldn't take a step straight, and my body froze.
'...What?'
I blankly stared at his back as he walked away, then turned my gaze back to my shoulder where his hand had touched.
It was clearly a kind and warm touch, but I couldn't understand why it felt so painful,l and my stomach was churning.
'Is it because I'm so tired?'
I tilt my head and hurry back to the room.
“That’s right. And that’s exactly what happened last night when Count Guss died. What does that mean? Since the elder of the heretics who dared to rebel against the goddess is dead, doesn’t that mean that the goddess’s anger has been alleviated a little?”
Then he suddenly sat up.
“Well done, anyway. Discovering and dismantling a heresy of that scale is truly a great achievement. I will inform the entire empire of this fact so that everyone will know of the Saintess and the Crown Prince’s achievements!”
I hastily tried to stop him, as he seemed ready to call all the people of the empire together and give a speech.
“However, Your Majesty, I cannot say that the matter has been completely resolved. We have not found the main body of the heretic known as Ibis, and there must still be remnants. The Count called himself the second servant, so there must be another...”
“Oh, what are you worried about, Saintess? You dealt with such a big heretic elder in just a few days, so how can the main body and the remnants be difficult? Besides, merits are something that should be announced immediately after they are achieved. If you put off being humble for no reason, you might not receive the recognition you deserve. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
The Emperor, who had given his advice firmly, quickly left the reception room.
It seems that, given the turbulent times, they wanted to establish their prestige by widely publicizing the royal family's activities.
Because the Crown Prince's merits are no different from those of the Emperor.
'That weak father is like a fool.'
As I was shaking my head while looking at the door through which the Emperor had exited, I heard two sighs from behind me.
It belonged to the Crown Prince and the Pope.
It seemed like they were thinking the same thing as me.
'It's not easy for an Emperor to become a source of worry for everyone, but you've done it, Your Majesty.'
As I was clicking my tongue, I suddenly felt a heavy weight weighing on my shoulders.
It was a sign that I needed a break.
'Well, the Western schedule wasn't easy. I had to spend a whole day doing laundry because of that damn director.'
I clenched my fists as I recalled the director who even made me do her underwear laundry. I cautiously opened my mouth while watching the Pope and the Crown Prince.
“Can I take my leave now? The journey in the West has been so tiring that I would like to rest for a while.”
“Why not? After all that hard work. Put aside your worries about the remaining remnants and just focus on getting some rest.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
I bowed my head politely to the Pope's kind words and left the reception room, my body drooping.
'By the way, why hasn't this assassin woken up yet?'
Even though it hit a vital spot, it's been almost a month, and he still hasn't gotten up.
'If he wakes up, we might be able to figure something out...'
That was when I took a deep breath.
“Who is this? Isn’t it Shayne?”
I stopped in my tracks when I heard a voice out of nowhere.
'Shayne?'
Few people in the empire can call my name so freely.
I looked up in puzzlement and saw an old man with white hair blocking my path.
“Oh, now that you are a full-fledged Saintess of the empire, was I too rude?”
The sight of him joking with his gray eyes rolled back sadly was very familiar.
'Your Excellency, the Marquis of Zenger?'
His name is Arnold Zenger.
He was the head of the Zenger family and my grandfather's best friend.
Naturally, there was a lot of traffic between families, so when I was young and didn't know anything, I thought of him as a member of the same family.
'I used to call him Grandpa..."
The nickname "Landstalker" was given to the Marquis by my grandfather because he was very short, well below the average height for a man in the Empire.
Although it was a very rude title for me to call him when I was still so young, he, who only had two sons and no grandchildren, adored me so much that he never scolded me.
'Rather, every time he came, I was given gifts like desserts from a famous pastry shop, clothes, and shoes.'
However, as I became busy with the education of my successor and my grandfather's health deteriorated, we visited each other less and less, and after my grandfather passed away, I almost forgot about him.
'You've aged a lot since I last saw you.'
I was lost in my thoughts for a moment, but I came to my senses and bowed.
“It’s been a long time, Your Grace.”
“Haha, what are you trying to say that makes you feel distant? Just call me Grandpa like you used to.”
“I’m an adult now.”
When I answered with an embarrassed smile, the Marquis burst into laughter.
“In the past, you used to run to me and hug me tightly, saying, ‘Grandpa,’ but when did you grow into such a respectable young lady? My heart is full of emotion, but at the same time, I feel regretful.”
I, who was following him and extending my mouth, soon asked with a puzzled expression.
“But why have you come to the temple so early in the morning?”
“What else is there to do at the temple? I heard yesterday that the disaster across the country has stopped, so I came to offer a prayer of thanks to the goddess.”
“You are still faithful.”
I smiled broadly as I recalled how he had insisted that we always offer a prayer of thanks to the goddess before eating.
“Welcome, Your Grace. The goddess will be delighted to see you.”
“Haha, how could a goddess welcome such a wrinkled face?”
He waved his hand as if it was nonsense, but then opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him, and he said, “Ah.”
“I met His Majesty on the way here. I heard that you and His Highness have been searching for and eradicating heretics who have not yet been revealed to the world.”
Oh my, this damn human being.
It seems that he couldn't stand it any longer and opened his mouth as soon as he saw the Marquis.
I sighed deeply and nodded in response.
“Yes, I was lucky enough to find the hideout of the evildoers.”
“Haha, you did a great job.”
It was at that moment when I was about to wave my hand and say, "What are you talking about?"
“But I’m not that pleased with your achievements.”
“Huh? What is that...”
When I tilted my head and asked, he continued with a dark expression.
“I heard you even went undercover. Of course, it was to wipe out the rebels all at once, but wasn’t it too dangerous for a woman to do?”
"Ah..."
Realizing that the dark expression on his face was his concern for me, I was silent for a moment before speaking cheerfully.
“You don’t have to worry. His Highness has been by my side, and the goddess is always looking after me.”
“Hmm, yes. That’s good, but... Still, don’t push yourself too hard. It’s good to fulfill the mission of a Saintess, but aren’t you the only successor to the Veloce Dukedom? Your deceased grandfather must be so worried about you that he can’t close his eyes. Consider his feelings and always be careful.”
“I will keep that in mind, Your Grace.”
“Haha, stop calling me Your Grace. I miss the days when you used to call me Grandpa.”
He scolded me with a sad tone for a moment, but then he said with a look of regret on his face.
“Oh, I guess I’ve been keeping a busy person busy for too long. I heard you arrived today, so you must not have had time to recover from the travel fatigue. Now, I’ll be going. I should also hurry up and go pray to the goddess.”
“I’ll take you to the mass.”
“Heh heh. Why are you worried that this old man might get lost in the temple? Don’t worry. Although it’s not an age where it would be strange to go at any time, it’s not that bad yet.”
He chuckled, tapped my shoulder a couple of times, and then turned away first.
On the other hand, I couldn't take a step straight, and my body froze.
'...What?'
I blankly stared at his back as he walked away, then turned my gaze back to my shoulder where his hand had touched.
It was clearly a kind and warm touch, but I couldn't understand why it felt so painful,l and my stomach was churning.
'Is it because I'm so tired?'
I tilt my head and hurry back to the room.
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