Chapter 103
Chapter 103
Brillie Illenat, who had remained at the first line of defense with Alter, returned to the capital belatedly.
Fortunately, no monsters appeared, and the Eastern Army, together with the support unit, reclaimed the half-destroyed fortress.
For the time being, the Marquess of the East personally reorganized the front lines and reinforced the troops.
'It's finally all over. The capital should have settled down by now as well.'
Brillie Illenat washed herself thoroughly and then entered the room at her leisure.
The fatigue from the fierce battle had not yet subsided, but she was able to accept it with a sense of relief.
She wondered if she could just make preparations now and hold the wedding at an appropriate time.
'All I have to do is get married, but they just won't leave me alone.'
Brillie Illenat sat down at the table and waited for the refreshments to arrive.
The war that broke out in the northern region was something she could accept to some degree.
But when the former emperor declared that he would marry her, she was overwhelmed with bewilderment.
In the end, she led a rebellion and enthroned a new emperor, only for a dragon to suddenly attack the Eastern region.
'Are they telling me never to get married in my life? Tsk.......'
Brillie Illenat leaned against the armrest with a displeased expression.
Then, supporting her face with her right hand, she simply tilted her head.
She had finally changed her perspective and decided to get married, but why did the world keep interfering?
'This should be enough. I don't want to be disturbed anymore.'
Brillie Illenat had devoted herself to swordsmanship more than anyone, but she did not want to get caught up in such battles anymore.
She had already received a title from the imperial family and achieved feats on the battlefield.
As a citizen of the Empire, she had more than fulfilled her duties; shouldn't she enjoy some leisure, even belatedly?
'Knight of True Flame is... No. Let's not think about that.'
Brillie Illenat could not bring herself to tell the members about the Knight of True Flame.
They would not be able to easily believe that the captain, whom they had trusted and followed for so long, had turned into a monster.
Besides, she had merely crossed swords with the Knight of True Flame, so for the time being, she intended to keep it a solemn secret.
'Couldn't I be wrong?'
Brillie Illenat pondered for a while, but soon rejected even that thought.
She had confronted the swordsmanship of the next Sword Saint several times, so it was not something she could easily forget.
That only made her all the more certain, refusing to consider the possibility that she might be mistaken.
'I should have cut him down then.......'
"I'm sorry. I was late bringing it."
"It's fine. I just got here, too."
Edith entered the room and politely set down the tray.
She placed the plate of sweets and the teacups in order and then picked up the teapot.
Brillie Illenat, faced with the fragrance of tea, was once again made aware that she had returned home.
"Um... did you hear the news?"
"What news?"
"You know the Semerune Order, right? The clergy and the holy knights belong to it."
"I know. Why?"
Brillie Illenat answered calmly and took a sip of tea. Edith hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.
"Noble weddings are usually held at cathedrals or churches, right?"
"Yes. Because the Order oversees weddings."
"I heard the Holy King said the Order won't officiate weddings anymore... are you going to be okay?"
"... What?"
Brillie Illenat barely swallowed her tea, her eyes narrowing.
Even commoners, if they held a modest wedding, would seek the blessing of a priest.
Of course, there were cases where people married without the wedding sacrament, but that was generally considered improper.
In other words, if the Semerune Order refused to officiate, then the marriage itself could not be established.
"Why are they doing this all of a sudden?"
"I'm not sure of the details... but it seems there was some commotion within the Order itself. Since it's a direct command from the Holy King, even the Emperor supposedly has difficulty intervening?"
"Haa..."
Brillie Illenat lowered her gaze with a sigh.
She had hoped things had finally settled down, but now yet another problem had arisen.
Why did these vexing situations keep happening only to her?
"Then not even the holy apostle can do anything?"
"Probably so. There's no one above the Holy King in the Order, right?"
"Since the issue arose on the Order's side, the Emperor can't step in either?"
"Exactly. Even if he tries, they probably won't listen. It's not like being unable to marry for a while will cause tremendous trouble."
"There's no legitimate reason to step in. If you butt in for nothing, you'll only end up clashing with the Holy King."
Brillie Illenat instinctively sensed how tangled the situation was.
On the surface, they might have claimed internal issues of the Order, but it could just be the Holy King pushing things through unilaterally.
Perhaps the Holy King had some separate motive for prohibiting marriages.
'To solve this, either diplomacy or force will be needed....'
* * *
Alter first made contact with Cadeon regarding the current issue.
Trouble had arisen yet again before the wedding could even be arranged, so there was no way to avoid discussing it.
Above all, the Holy King had unilaterally proclaimed a ban on wedding sacraments, leaving even the imperial family at a loss.
"The imperial family hasn't pressured the Order. The Holy King has acknowledged the Emperor's legitimacy, so there's no real reason for conflict."
"We have no way of knowing the reason at this moment?"
"I'm looking into it bit by bit, but I cannot fathom the Holy King's intention. Right now, I'm just waiting for a letter from the holy apostle."
"So even the cardinal or archbishop doesn't know the reason?"
"I checked myself, and since it's a command from the Holy King, everyone is following it—for now. Only someone like the holy apostle could know the details."
"......"
Alter traced over the current situation in detail as silence fell.
When they dispatched the holy apostle and the Holy Knights to the eastern region, there had been no conflict.
Even the third princess's rebellion was accepted to some extent, and the imperial family always respected the judgment of the Semerune Order.
In other words, the Holy King was oppressing the wedding sacrament for entirely personal reasons.
'In the future I saw... the Holy King will be assassinated.'
Of course, the exact reason for the Holy King's assassination was not mentioned.
They simply held a funeral ceremony for the late Holy King and elected a new one.
Perhaps the restriction on the wedding sacrament was related to the Holy King's assassination.
'The Holy King must have been hiding something. That's why the holy apostles quietly settled the matter among themselves.'
Otherwise, they would not have overlooked the assassination.
On the contrary, there seemed an air of wanting to erase all traces of the previous Holy King with the new one.
Considering all these possibilities, it seemed likely that the matter directly concerned the honor of the Semerune Order.
'But I never expected they would ban wedding ceremonies. Is this also part of the variable?'
In the future Alter saw, the Holy King was assassinated first and therefore could not impose a ban on the wedding sacrament.
This, too, must have stemmed from the deviation of the future, resulting in strange changes.
If things became more twisted, the Holy King's assassination might be transformed into an internal war of the Order.
'I'll have to look into this separately....'
"How about just waiting a bit longer? Under the current circumstances, you won't be able to get married."
"Waiting isn't hard, but I don't know how Brillie Illenat will feel about this."
"What can be done? Without the Order's wedding sacrament, the marriage won't be recognized. And if you go ahead with the wedding on your own, both the Grand Duke of the North and I will lose face."
"... How is the imperial family responding?"
"They've tried persuasion, but the Holy King only gave the same ceremonial response. At this rate, the Emperor herself may have to step in."
"If discussions fail, won't that just lead to a conflict?"
"That's exactly why the Emperor is agonizing over it. How long has it even been since she ascended the throne? She cannot risk another controversy so soon."
Alter could understand the Emperor's position to some extent.
No matter how just the cause, the throne had been seized by rebellion.
The Imperial Army had to scour the capital to root out the remnants, and several royals and nobles regarded the rebellion itself as illegitimate.
In such a context, conflict with the Holy King would only increase suspicion and unrest.
'Hmm... I need to find out the reason for the Holy King's assassination first....'
* * *
Alraune gathered his disciples in one place, keeping silent for a long while.
He had already made his decision, but still couldn't shake the feeling that it was a little premature.
However, since so many had witnessed the recent events, he thought they would surely accept it to some extent.
'......'
Alter glanced at Alraune out of the corner of his eye, already having an idea of the reason.
Since Alraune had summoned only his disciples, it was clearly a matter of discussing succession.
Perhaps experiencing the war in the eastern region had triggered a psychological change.
"...... Indeed, it seems I mustn't put this off any longer."
At last, Alraune spoke and looked around. All possessed outstanding qualities, but he had to choose just one among them.
Of course, the fate of a mage could unfold anywhere, so even if one did not become the great mage, each could find their own path.
"I have decided who will inherit the title of great mage. I hope none will object. I have my reasons, which I can prove."
"......"
The disciples momentarily flinched but soon began watching someone.
This person had earned merit in the northern war, supported the enthronement of the new emperor after the rebellion, and withstood a dragon's breath alone.
The achievements were so great, none could refute them.
"I designate one of my disciples, Alter Radiant, as the next great mage. From now, I allow you all to freely leave the Lebhardin Society. Basically, I recommend you join another society or work as a mage. Of course, you may also stay here and continue learning. I will respect your choices."
After Alraune spoke heavily, he made eye contact with his disciples.
Most seemed to accept the decision, but a few could not hide their displeasure.
As a teacher, it made him somewhat anxious to watch those students who had not been chosen.
"Alter Radiant will remain. The rest, please leave."
At the great mage's order, the disciples began to withdraw.
Alter, aware of the mood, reluctantly stayed behind.
Alraune, lost in empty senses, finally broke the silence.
"... If you are to become great mage, you must also be prepared for the possibility of being eliminated. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, I do. But experiencing it firsthand is not exactly comforting."
"Effort alone is not enough to reach the pinnacle. Talent and even luck must accompany it."
Alraune muttered calmly, looking at Alter.
He had never treated him differently for being from the same region or being the child of a grand duke.
He simply chose him as his successor for possessing talent, luck, and effort in equal measure.
"I will relinquish the title of great mage within a few years. If it's quick, it could be within months. Until then, I will continue to instruct you, so keep striving."