Chapter 60
Arteon seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing.
“Because I learned that the imperial family was involved in that matter.”
“!”
“The imperial family is behind Prince Jeffrey’s disappearance. Upon learning this, the Eve County family withdrew the commission out of fear of repercussions and returned to their estate.”
Kaiden supported the staggering Reina.
“Are you alright?”
To his voice filled with concern, Reina nodded lightly.
It was the imperial family again.
She found it hard to gauge how far the emperor had infiltrated her life.
Various thoughts swirled chaotically before converging on one.
She could not forgive.
Reina simply could not forgive the emperor, the imperial family.
Suppressing the steadily accumulating anger with effort, she asked.
“You said you continued the investigation on your own after that?”
“Yes.”
“Was there any progress?”
“There were various dangers, but fortunately, I met a collaborator, and we were making progress.”
“A collaborator…?”
In response to Reina’s question, Arteon took something out and placed it on the table.
It was a plaque engraved with pure white wings and a golden shield.
It was the emblem representing the ‘Holy Nation,’ a sanctuary that even the empire’s emperor could not encroach upon, a small country ruled by the Pope.
What Arteon produced was a pass permitting entry to the Papal States.
Moreover, this golden plaque not only allowed entry to the Holy Nation but also granted the authority to meet the Pope.
That Arteon possessed an identity plaque given only to a select few priests chosen by the Pope.
She couldn’t help but be surprised that the one who helped Arteon was from the ‘Holy Nation.’
At that moment, Alfredo, recognizing the pass, exclaimed in shock and questioned.
“Goodness, young master, how on earth do you have this plaque?”
“I borrowed it for a bit.”
“You didn’t steal it, did you?!”
“Ah, I said I didn’t? Does the guild leader distrust me that much?”
“You should have acted in a way that’s believable!”
While Arteon and Alfredo bickered, Reina fiddled with the plaque.
[Isadal]
The pass had a name inscribed on it.
Probably the person who helped Arteon track Jeffrey’s disappearance.
‘Who could it be?’
What reason could they have for searching for her brother?
Curiosity about this person she’d never met arose in Reina.
It was an indescribable feeling.
At that time, Arteon said.
“I’ll entrust this to Your Highness now.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve heard that the Holy Nation is quite close from the North. Please deliver it to the priest in my stead and hear the detailed story.”
That meant he couldn’t reveal the details without the other party’s permission.
Kaiden said.
“It seems you’ve made a sacred oath.”
“They’re an extremely thorough person.”
Arteon shrugged, implying affirmation.
Come to think of it, Arteon hadn’t directly revealed who the collaborator was.
He had merely shown the pass.
Reina fiddled with the pass. As Arteon said, the Holy Nation was fairly close from here.
She wanted to leave immediately, but the delegation was scheduled to arrive soon.
Let’s not be hasty.
Reina calmed herself.
In truth, she was grateful just to have found a clue about her brother.
It felt as if the Saintess had truly answered her prayers.
Reina expressed her thanks with a pure, clear smile.
“Thank you. For not forgetting my brother and searching for him.”
Touched by her sincerity, Arteon gave an embarrassed smile. Receiving praise made him feel oddly ticklish.
A moment later, he rose from his seat.
“On the contrary, I’m the one who’s grateful. I owed your brother a debt.”
“….”
“If you ever need help from our guild, contact the branch anytime. I’ll assist as much as I can within my means.”
Arteon spoke earnestly, bowed his head, and left.
Alfredo quietly followed behind him.
Chapter 6. The Delegation
News arrived at Crencia Castle that the delegation led by Mikael had entered the North.
After checking the telegram, Kaiden murmured in amazement.
“It’s true.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing.”
Kaiden lightly brushed off Ben’s question and stared out the window.
“Soon, using the pretext of gifts, Mikael will lead a delegation to visit the North.”
“What’s the purpose?”
“Primarily to spy on the North, and also to probe my abilities. …The emperor entrusted a divine artifact to Mikael.”
“I heard divine artifacts are treasures of the imperial family.”
“That’s right. The divine artifact Mikael is bringing is a mysterious item that discerns the powers of divine beasts. With it, it’ll be difficult to hide all my abilities. The emperor probably aimed for that.”
“Then isn’t it dangerous? You said you don’t want the emperor to know about your abilities.”
“Yes. So I’m thinking of trying to deceive the divine artifact.”
She fiddled with Ritsi as she replied calmly.
Compared to the looming crisis, she appeared remarkably composed, as if she had anticipated all of this.
At times, she behaved like a prodigy who could foresee several moves ahead.
It wasn’t as though she had come from the future, yet it was truly remarkable.
Kaiden rose from his seat and headed to a familiar place.
Just then, Reina was sitting in front of the divine tree, reading a book.
Ritsi, who followed her around like a shadow, was perched on a branch of the divine tree, preening its feathers.
Since forming the pact, Reina had often come here to rest.
It was because the area around the divine tree was unusually warm.
Kaiden could sense that she liked this place.
Reina was so focused on her book that she hadn’t noticed his arrival.
Instead, Ritsi spotted him first and circled around the tree.
Peep.
Even amid Ritsi’s fuss, Reina remained deeply engrossed in her reading.
When he quietly sat beside her and cleared his throat, only then did Reina sense his presence and greet him.
“Kaiden. When did you get here?”
“Just now. More than that, I’m a little hurt. Your expression just now made it seem like I was interrupting your reading.”
“No way.”
Reina let out a soft laugh and closed the book.
“You’re here again?”
“Just because. Being here calms my mind. What brings you all the way here, Kaiden? Didn’t you say you were busy today?”
“I heard the delegation has entered the North. As you said, Mikael Prom Mernie is leading it as the representative.”
They’ve finally arrived.
Since she already knew through Ritsi that the delegation was coming, it wasn’t particularly surprising.
As Reina gazed at him quietly, Kaiden continued.
“Is he really bringing the divine artifact?”
“I’m certain.”
Reina replied calmly and raised her hand. At that moment, Ritsi flew over and perched on her fingertip.
Looking into the innocent bird’s eyes seemed to fill her with courage.
In truth, when facing the tiny Ritsi, Reina had thought she might be able to deceive the divine artifact.
Because this small bird, unlike the majestic one that had appeared whenever she manifested her powers in the past, exuded no sense of dignity whatsoever.
Ritsi’s powers didn’t stop at mere prophecy.
Fundamentally, it could see energies invisible to the naked eye.
Things like the colors of emotions, auras, mana, and the like.
This was possible even without vitality, so it was an ability Reina had often used even after going blind.
Since she hadn’t lost her sight as she had now, she hadn’t used this power even once.
It seemed she could deceive the divine artifact with just that ability, without needing to reveal prophecy.
Especially since Ritsi was manifesting in that form right now.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t tried it since regressing. It should still be possible, right?’
