"Cesare, you're going too?"
Doesn't he see the poor old man standing next to him now, his eyes burning brightly, holding a crown?
But Cesare shrugged.
"The coronation can be postponed as long as I want, and how can I just let you go when you are not even single?"
His golden eyes caressed Medea's belly.
Ugh.
Marquis Leniard, reaching his limit, stumbled. Neriel, who was nearby, hurriedly supported him.
"Cesare, you're postponing your ascension to the throne and going to the Holy Nation? You're not in your right mind, are you?"
Terrence forgot to observe the formalities of a courtier in front of everyone and asked back.
"We can understand Her Highness's desire to go to the Holy Nation. Her Highness is not only the representative of our Katzen, but of the entire continent. We dare not add words to her determination to fulfill that responsibility."
Terrence's eyes were bloodshot behind his slightly cracked glasses.
He had been waiting for the moment when Cesare would wake up, filling the empty space with his own body and legs, but as soon as he woke up, he left the space again. No matter how angry he was, he couldn't help but explode.
"Since the Emperor passed away, there are mountains of pending state affairs, and hyenas are drooling over the position, so where are you going?"
That's right!
The vassals of the First Prince's faction enthusiastically agreed with their eyes.
"After seeing that hell, is there still a brave fool who dares to challenge me?"
"Please, be reasonable. If you wait patiently, Her Highness will probably come back on her own!”
But Cesare did not answer.
But his gaze glanced silently at Theo and Peleus.
In that look, Medea read a trace of his worry that she might not return to Katzen.
She reached out and gently took Cesare's hand. The unexpected contact made him flinch, and she cupped his hand, squeezing it tightly.
And she said, looking at the golden eyes like the sun.
"Cesare, it will take quite some time."
But whenever that happens.
"I will definitely come back to you."
Medea knew that this man was the only one who would always welcome her warmly, the only one in whose arms she could rest in peace.
"So, take your responsibility here, and I will do the same."
"..."
After a while, Cesare slowly nodded.
And he looked at Leniard.
The Marquis hesitated for a moment, but eventually bowed his head and handed over the crown to Cesare.
He took the crown and placed it in Medea's hand.
A heavyweight was conveyed.
"Yeah, you have to come back and put this on me."
Cesqre's large hand firmly grasped her hand that held the crown.
"Otherwise, your husband will be a nameless person for the rest of his life."
There was even an arrogance that he would be able to rule without any problems, even without the Emperor's crown.
"Dea, this brother will go with you."
Peleus said.
"Your Majesty, just a moment."
Sissair stepped forward in haste at Peleus's words.
"I'll take you to the Holy Nation. So don't worry about your safety."
Cesare had been watching Terrence's outbursts as if they were someone else's. But now it was his turn.
“Your Majesty."
Is the Emperor of Valdina now saying that he, too, will be leaving his post?
Valdina's prime minister, Sissair, lit a fire in his eyes.
But when Peleus didn't move at all, he opened his lips and then swallowed.
"If that's the case, I must return to Valdina as soon as possible. Someone must take care of the affairs of state without forgetting."
It was a remark that was unclear whether it was a plea or a sharp satire.
Peleus avoided his gaze, pretending not to notice.
The gaze of Sissair, beyond his glasses, passed through Medea and reached Cesare.
"I came to fetch Her Highness in case she wished for freedom, but her husband has tied himself tightly to Her Highness's side, so I guess she doesn't need us anymore."
He thought to himself.
There is no other madman on this continent who would dedicate his eternal destiny to his wife, even making an unbreakable oath, than Acares, or rather, Cesare Katzen.
"Yeah, you and no one else will have to worry about that until the day you're laid in the coffin."
Cesare responded coolly.
It was a bonus that he kept his gaze fixed on Theo and Kensington.
Theo swallowed a breathless sigh.
He revealed his true feelings for a moment without realizing it, but Medea didn't even take his feelings seriously.
But that greedy man, who cannot tolerate even that moment, is the Saintess's companion.
There will never come a moment when he can understand her choice.
Anyway, this was enough for him.
The mind that has not been established will not be delved into further, but will remain only as a reverence for the representative of the goddess.
"Please do not be afraid, I will serve you with all my heart."
And not long after.
A carriage was prepared in front of the cathedral.
The black carriage was engraved with the emblem of the Katzen Imperial Family, and the guards surrounding it were the Agemas of Valdina.
Peleus mounted his horse. The symbol of Agema's horse engraved on his silver armor gleamed in the sunlight.
Medea looked back before getting into the carriage.
"I’ll be back."
Medea raised her hand, but she couldn't look him in the eye for long, and she lowered her gaze. She was afraid her reddened eyes would be revealed.
The time she waited for him was too long, and the reunion was too short.
'Have a nice trip, Dea.'
Cesare nodded slowly.
Rattle.
The carriage's wheels moved slowly toward the Holy Nation.
Cesare couldn't take his eyes off the carriage until it disappeared from his sight.
In front of Medea, he pretended to understand the cause of saving the Holy Nation and calmly let her go; that was his limit.
There were deep nail marks under his fist.
If he let go even a little, he felt like he could run after the moving carriage.
***
A year later.
Holy Kingdom Sacramontis.
After the service, Pope Anastasia took off her Mithra.
"Captain Theo, is today the day we depart for Katzen?"
"Yes, Your Holiness."
The beautiful knight next to Pope Anastasia answered.
On the right shoulder of the cream-colored armor hung a silver badge. It belonged to Leonor, the former commander of the Knights Templar.
Grand Master Theodore of the Knights Templar was known to always wear this badge in memory of his predecessors and comrades.
"It's already been a year! Time flies."
One of the Pope's sleeves was gently blown by the wind. A black blindfold covered her face, which had been stripped of its Mithra.
It was a trace of torture left by the black magicians who occupied the central temple.
But Anastasia survived.
She was one of the few who perished among the many priests who fell, and she eventually became the first mid-level Priest to ascend to the papal throne.
A year ago.
After High Priest Paul assassinated Pope Benedict, the Holy Nation engaged in a fierce debate over the vacant papal throne.
The candidates were narrowed down to just two surviving priests.
Anastasia, the high priest of the previous Pope, and the high priest in charge of the diocese of Katzen.
Both of them received attention for having faced the darkness of the beginning head-on.
However, the high priest of Katzen was greatly weakened in body and mind after that day's tragedy, and it was judged that he would not be able to lead the Holy Nation.
In the end, the position went to Anastasia.
The backlash from the faithful against the youngest Pope, who broke centuries of tradition, was considerable.
Nevertheless, no one could deny that the election was smoothly accepted thanks to the firm support of Saintess Medea.
Pope Anastasia restored the central temple and promoted major reforms.
And at the center of it all, there was Medea.
"Most of the high-ranking priesthood positions in the central temple have fallen vacant. Anastasia, if not now, do you think there will ever be another opportunity to attempt something like this?"
Medea set the country straight radically and fiercely.
Any evil committed in the holy country in the name of God was no longer tolerated.
"Don't you know that your stubbornness and arrogance have weakened the power of the Goddess and ultimately created an opening for darkness to creep in?"
"If we are obsessed with the authority before our eyes and lose sight of the truth, and if we still do not realize the work of His Holiness and the priests, then there is no future for this holy nation."
Ultimately, the central temple abandoned the monotheistic doctrine, persecution of other religions, and distortion of the Bible that the existing Catholic Church had maintained for centuries, and established a new order that integrated the Catholic and Protestant religions.
And she even embraced the Shadeia tribes as part of the temple.
"After Saintess Medea awakened, the stars that had been sent down to the Shadeia tribe stopped, so we could bring them back whole."
As they were well-versed in the primordial materials, they were of great help in restoring the sacred relics of the temple that had been destroyed by the black magicians.
They were also excellent at fighting, having lived as a wandering tribe and faced the demons that came as punishment from God.
Thanks to this, many young Shadeian priests were selected to join the Knights Templar.
"While we're on the subject, don't overwork yourself, Knights Templar. We just finished subduing the monsters in the Swamp of Gluttony. I heard Sir Theo hasn't rested at all."
"No. This is how I repay the Saintess."
Theo smiled faintly.
While he subdued monsters in the abandoned lands of the continent, he did not turn a blind eye to the suffering people.
As if he were repenting for his sin of not being able to stop Rachel while going through the most difficult places.
Meanwhile, Pope Anastasia clicked her tongue.
"By the way, I wish Saintess Medea would stay here instead of going to Katzen."
"Your Holiness, I too, would be very tempted to do the same if I saw the Saintess, but there are no priests who would step forward to take charge of the Emperor of Katzen anymore."
The senior priest assisting her shook his head.
"I don't know if this is a temple or the Katzen Palace. When the Saintess was in labor, he almost completely emptied the prayer room."
"Ah, how could I forget that day?"
The solemnity broke the composure of Pope Anastasia.
When Medea arrived in the Holy Nation, she was already past the stage of pregnancy.
About half a year later, she gave birth to a child in the central temple.
"...At that time, I really thought that there was darkness lurking in his blood. After that, I had to consider exorcism, wondering if it was some kind of evil spirit."
Anastasia remembered that day.
😂😂
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