Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Special Unit (3)
“Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. Are you alright?”
Inside the room that had grown quiet after Davide and Winter left, Sheila carefully asked.
The Imperial Princess, who had been continuously rubbing the philtrum beneath her nose while deep in thought, suddenly began chuckling to herself.
“Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess?”
“Ahh. What an outrageously bold fellow.”
The Imperial Princess recalled Davide making his proposal with his head held stiffly high. He had called it a proposal, but in truth, it had been filled entirely with benefits for himself.
“You said Canis Ulbushis?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Bring me information on that child as well.”
“As you command.”
The young lady of the Ulbushis Family whom Davide had mentioned. If he had gone so far as to use the word absolute, then there was undoubtedly something there.
The claim that she was a countermeasure against Ancient Magic was persuasive enough on its own, but the Imperial Princess instinctively sensed there was something beyond even that.
“However, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Hmm?”
As the Imperial Princess roughly shoved a cookie into her mouth, Sheila quietly opened her lips. Tilting her head, the Imperial Princess looked toward Sheila’s serious expression.
“Are you not placing too much power behind Student Davide?”
The Imperial Princess’s expression immediately cooled. Sheila had been the one openly encouraging her to try him out, yet now that she had taken a bite, she was worrying instead.
“You made it rather obvious that you wanted me to give him a chance.”
“That is true, however… is the Holy Knight Order not a bit premature?”
At Sheila’s question, the Imperial Princess nodded. It was not difficult to understand. Currently, there were only three places that possessed a Holy Knight Order, in other words, Inquisitors.
Only the oldest religions possessed them. Such authority and history were what allowed a Holy Knight Order to exist.
“You. Sheila.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Speak the concerns you hold.”
At the Imperial Princess’s words, Sheila briefly closed her mouth. She discarded the tea that had been steeped so long it had begun turning bitter and brewed a fresh cup.
Pouring it for the Imperial Princess, she slowly opened her mouth.
“There are three concerns.”
“Three, you say.”
“The first is the backlash and restraint from other religions.”
That was something the Imperial Princess had also expected. Inquisitions were a powerful authority religions could wield.
In the past, within the Holy Kingdom, clergy had possessed immense power through the act of conducting inquisitions.
Though acts such as summary judgment had disappeared in the present era, it was by no means weak authority.
“The second is the backlash from nobles who seek to restrain Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“Those bastards.”
“Indeed, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. The Imperial House must never become deeply involved with religion. This is the will of the First King and an important rule passed down through generations. However, the Holy Knight Order of the Anaye Order will later become the most crucial force when facing Fiendbeasts. Naturally, it will inevitably become associated with Your Imperial Highness, and the nobles will not sit idly by and watch.”
While drinking the faintly brewed tea, the Imperial Princess leaned back into the soft chair. Listening to Sheila’s meaningful advice, she nodded her head.
“I already have plans regarding that matter.”
“I see.”
At the Imperial Princess’s single remark, Sheila immediately bowed her head. Having spent so much time together, the two showed unwavering trust toward one another.
“The last concern is Student Davide.”
“Davide?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
Watching Sheila merely speak his name without additional explanation, the Imperial Princess could not hide her puzzled expression.
“This may be unfair to Student Davide, but he is a cold and selfish person.”
At Sheila’s words, the Imperial Princess clapped her hands. There was no better way to describe Davide than that.
“He does not trust others easily and is kind only to those within his own fence.”
“So?”
“I beg forgiveness for my insolence, but I do not believe Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess, will ever be able to enter Student Davide’s fence.”
It was quite a rude statement. Within the Empire, there was no one more powerful than the Imperial Princess. If she wished to go somewhere, imperial authority allowed her to go anywhere.
However, the Imperial Princess did not grow angry. Partly because of her affection for Sheila, who had raised her in place of her mother, but also because she instinctively agreed with Sheila’s words.
“At this rate, Student Davide will surely become an obstacle to Your Imperial Highness.”
At Sheila’s words, the Imperial Princess smirked. It was astonishing how similarly they thought.
“I think so too. That bastard is absolutely not the type to serve beneath anyone. Even if that person is me, the Imperial Princess.”
To be honest, the Imperial Princess liked Davide. There had once been a past where she wanted to kill him, but after speaking face-to-face with him, her thoughts had changed.
To be cold-headed meant possessing decisiveness, and selfishness did not merely mean taking care of oneself, but protecting what belonged to oneself.
“You. Sheila.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
“I will not simply use Davide to hunt Fiendbeasts.”
Sheila waited for her master’s next words with an unwavering expression.
“The path I walk will never be a splendid one. I don’t know why, but that bastard feels quite useful.”
“Is that so.”
Before she realized it, Sheila poured tea into the emptied teacup and smiled. The Imperial Princess furrowed her brows at Sheila’s meaningful smile.
“Why are you smiling unpleasantly again?”
“I am smiling because I am happy, Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
At Sheila’s words, the Imperial Princess clicked her tongue. She had no idea what had flipped her switch this time.
***
At the Imperial Princess’s order to leave, we quietly exited the room. The Vice-Commander, who would normally have seen us off, asked for our understanding and remained by the Imperial Princess’s side.
“Um… Senior.”
Only after we completely left the massive corridor connected to the Imperial Princess’s room did Winter finally open her tightly shut mouth.
“The Holy Knight Order, the Capital Priest… I-I don’t really understand…….”
Winter asked with a bewildered expression. It was not something easy to understand from just a few words.
“Organize what you want to ask and ask me. I’ll answer.”
At my calm response, Winter swallowed dryly. Even though I had not limited the number of questions, she still pondered carefully before speaking.
“Can everyone… can everyone avoid getting hurt?”
At the unexpected question, I stopped walking. Winter, who had been following behind me, bumped her head into my back when I abruptly halted.
“W-Why?”
Winter flinched as she trembled under my silent gaze while I turned around to look at her. I ruffled her hair.
“Eh?”
Winter let out a dazed sound after her hair suddenly became a bird’s nest. I lightly patted her shoulder and started walking again.
“It’ll be hard to avoid getting hurt.”
“Ah…….”
At my answer, Winter’s expression darkened. The heroic tales of those once called the Holy Knight Order were famous.
And the tragic stories of their unfortunate lives were even more famous. Winter knew that well, and that was exactly what worried her.
“But no one will die.”
“…….”
From now on, the Anaye Order would grow in scale. Naturally, that meant there would be many more Believers.
I had made a promise to Winter. At the very least, the people currently around me. Worden, Aro, and Winter—I would never let them die.
“Yes. I always trust you.”
“Do you now.”
She must have had many more things she wanted to ask. I found Winter endlessly admirable. That frail, lonely crybaby had now become someone who thought of her companions first.
“Let’s gather the others first before getting into the details.”
We headed straight toward the chapel. Conveniently enough, Aro and Worden were already there.
“Where’d you go?”
“Ah, we had reports to submit, so I went with Winter.”
A fox-shaped Aro sitting atop Worden’s sturdy head was the first to speak.
At the mention of reports, Aro looked at Winter with a pitiful expression. Even when offered help, Winter had stubbornly insisted it was her own work and somehow managed to complete it alone.
“We found our direction.”
I picked up Aro, who leaped down from Worden’s head and ran over. Aro immediately started speaking excitedly.
Winter moved toward one side of the chapel to brew tea, while I carried Aro toward the rocking chair.
“What kind of direction?”
“You. A method to use blood.”
At the mention of blood, life returned to Worden’s previously blank eyes. Seeing those intelligent eyes on such a rugged face felt oddly burdensome.
“Your blood completely blocks magic itself. The applications are practically endless. It can be used as a Talisman that blocks curses, or conversely, it can be used to destroy magical devices.”
As expected, leaving it to a professional really made a difference. I had simply thought of it as a weapon capable of piercing through a mage’s shield.
Even that alone would have been incredibly useful, but I had asked Aro because I thought it might be something we could profit from tremendously.
“Blood? It’s amazing. It affects almost all existing magic.”
I nodded while listening to Worden’s supplementary explanation. Seeing me agree with her, Aro wagged her tail happily.
“So what I came up with is~ this!”
Proudly, Aro pulled something out from her fur. Just what kind of principle was behind that fluffy fur to give it storage functionality?
What Aro pulled out looked similar to a modern smoke grenade.
“I call it… ‘Blood Mist’!”
Instead of answering proudly herself, I examined the object that looked like a smoke grenade. Its weight was appropriate, about the same as a dagger.
It was neither too light nor too heavy, making it seem suitable for throwing.
“So inside this thing is a liquid made from your blood. You press this button and throw it, then air gets injected instantly and mixes with the liquid, causing it to expand. Then smoke forms wherever the Blood Mist lands.”
I thought it merely looked like a smoke grenade, but it was basically an actual smoke grenade. Seeing something so similar to a modern object, my face filled with curiosity.
“So what happens next? In the area covered by that smoke, all magical measures become impossible, and if someone inhales even a little of it, it accumulates inside their body. It gets expelled quickly, but in an urgent situation, blocking the opponent’s magic power is an enormous advantage.”
She had created something far more incredible than I had imagined. Seeing my admiration, Aro became even more excited.
“A perfect counter against mages. So does it only work on mages? Nope~ Everyone possesses biological magic power, and this also has the effect of momentarily disrupting that. Of course, we haven’t conducted proper experiments yet, so I don’t know the details.”
“This is excellent. We can move forward with this direction.”
At my sincere praise, Aro grinned brightly. I looked over at Worden, who had remained silent.
“You worked hard too.”
“Thank? You. It really? Wasn’t difficult.”
Since the conversation seemed to be wrapping up, I slowly brought up the main topic.
“Alright. Everyone gather around. I have something to tell you.”
Right then, Winter, who had just finished brewing the tea, placed teacups before everyone.
“Hm? There’s one extra cup.”
“Canis.”
Aro tilted her head while looking at the five teacups. I immediately called Canis’s name.
“Canis~ appear~”
Worden and Aro both jumped in shock when Canis appeared as if summoned by a ghost.
It made sense for Aro since this was her first time seeing Canis’s movement technique, but Worden’s reaction was somewhat strange.
“Why are you surprised?”
“In the Demonic Realm? There are monsters like that.”
“Oh. Sorry~ Seriously.”
At Worden’s words, Canis apologized unusually quickly. She immediately sat beside Winter.
Aro comforted Worden by patting his thigh with a sympathetic expression.
“The Anaye Order is going to create a Holy Knight Order.”
“?”
Everyone looked dumbfounded as I abruptly revealed the main point. I immediately pulled out a document from my chest and handed it to Canis.
“Hm~ what’s this?”
“It’s a forced enrollment form. Congratulations. Welcome to the hell that is the Anaye Order.”
“Eh?”
Tilting her head at my words, Canis unfolded the document.
“Uh…….”
A flustered Canis stared intently at the document. At the very end was the seal of the Imperial Princess, something no citizen of the Empire could ever refuse.
“The Holy Knight Order is being created under a secret order from the Imperial House, specifically from Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess. I’m only saying this just in case, but if this fact becomes known outside, it’s immediate execution.”
“…….”
“Her Imperial Highness absolutely insisted on including you in this group! So naturally, you have to join our Order. Questions?”
Looking at Canis, who could only stare blankly with her mouth hanging open, I flashed a vicious smile.
“Huh?”
I grabbed Canis by the head. Canis let out a dazed sound as my hand suddenly rested atop her head.
Just like that, I engraved Anaye’s mark onto the crown of her head. Without any resistance, Anaye calmly engraved the mark there.
“With this, congratulations on joining the Anaye Order. Ah, and for reference, you absolutely cannot tell even your family the name of Her Imperial Highness. That’s also punishable by execution.”
Thus, Canis ended up joining the Order created by me, the eldest son of the rival family she despised. And she now had to explain that to the head of the Ulbushis Family without mentioning the Imperial Princess.
“Your crown looks prettier now.”
And as a bonus, she now had a tattoo engraved on the crown of her head.