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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Only the invited kings, led by the co-leaders, the Emperor and the Pope, were allowed to enter the grand hall where the Alliance Council was being held.
There were no exceptions.
Even maids were strictly prohibited from entering while the meeting was in progress.
Lowly beings could never be allowed into the sacred gathering of rulers who would decide the future of the continent.
It was a measure stemming from the extreme elitism held by the kings of each nation.
‘I’ll have to hear the results from the Emperor later. There’s no way to enter during the meeting…’
Therefore, the commoners, excluding the kings, could only learn about the outcomes decided through the Alliance Council.
They could never know what questions and discussions took place within the grand hall.
What oracle did the Earth Mother deliver?
I was incredibly curious, but there was no way to find out beforehand.
“Lady Ludmilla.”
“You’re early. There’s still about thirty minutes left.”
Ludmilla, who was guarding the grand hall with the Imperial Knights, said, taking out a platinum pocket watch.
The Alliance Council meeting was about to begin.
As if to prove this, the royal guards of each nation, armed with dazzling weapons, were gathered in a massive crowd.
If I hadn’t received permission from Ludmilla, I would have been immediately stopped by the Imperial Knights.
I swallowed nervously, observing the grand hall, which was enveloped in an unusually solemn atmosphere.
“Have you heard about the oracle?”
“I haven’t either. It seems the Holy Kingdom has requested strict confidentiality.”
The reason why the kings of each nation had gathered in the Imperial Capital was still unknown.
The Holy Kingdom’s response was overly cautious.
What was it?
What could the content be that they were being so secretive?
Ludmilla also seemed puzzled, her expression stiff.
“To think the Earth Mother delivered an oracle…”
“I hope it’s nothing serious. Don’t you agree?”
Soon, the kings, dressed in splendid attire, began to appear.
The kings participating in the Alliance Council also entered the grand hall, expressing their curiosity.
“It’s been a while, Lady Ludmilla.”
As I was observing the approaching crowd,
An unexpected figure appeared.
The blond young man, who greeted Ludmilla with an oily voice, was the crown prince of the Pug Kingdom, who had lost everything to the Saintess Party’s Sword Saint.
What was his name again…?
I had forgotten his name, as he was someone not even worth remembering.
“Please proceed inside, Prince Erik.”
“Ah, yes… Understood.”
Through Ludmilla’s cold response, I realized that the fallen prince had ascended to the throne as the king of the Pug Kingdom.
But did it even matter?
A king of a fallen nation without a single citizen.
Surprisingly, the Pug Kingdom had participated in the Alliance Council meeting held three years ago.
It seemed they had granted special authority to the king, whose title was nothing more than an empty shell.
“……”
His desire for Ludmilla seemed to remain unchanged.
Or rather, it was his ambition to become the Valtarian Imperial Family’s son-in-law.
It was a futile attempt.
Ludmilla’s expression, filled with icy contempt, spoke volumes.
Erik, rejected once again, sighed and glared at me.
He probably believed that the reason he kept getting rejected was because I was interfering.
“Ahem, now we shall finally understand the Earth Mother’s will!”
“Haha… To be precise, it’s the Holy Kingdom’s intentions, wouldn’t you say?”
The king of the Kingdom of Jistard and the dukes of the Laterano Confederation had just entered the grand hall.
Following them,
The leaders who presided over the Alliance Council appeared.
“To think we have to enter together… It’s an old tradition, but I’m not particularly fond of it. To walk side by side with such a deceitful person.”
“We must show the world the camaraderie between our two nations for the sake of peace on the continent. The Earth Mother taught us to love even our enemies.”
Emperor Barbarossa.
Pope Boern.
As the rulers of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom entered, the troops guarding the grand hall simultaneously saluted respectfully.
It was a gesture of respect for the leaders who had led the Third Racial War to victory.
“Welcome.”
I also bowed alongside Ludmilla.
Barbarossa chuckled heartily, his face beaming with satisfaction.
“Haha! My spirits have been lifted, seeing the handsome young man and the beautiful young lady representing the Empire welcoming us. We could turn this grand hall into a wedding venue right now.”
Even though this was a gathering of outstanding knights representing their respective powers, Barbarossa still displayed his usual doting father persona.
My face flushed.
And Ludmilla’s must have been even redder.
Boern also chuckled in agreement with Barbarossa’s words.
“The holy sword Aldebaran… I see. I had heard rumors of a new holy sword user in the Valtarian Empire. So it’s Hero Maximilian’s younger brother.”
“I am Edanant von Hohenberc, Your Holiness.”
I said, bowing deeply.
Boern nodded with a meaningful smile.
“Please proceed inside, Your Majesty. The kings of each nation are waiting.”
“Hmm, hmm… Indeed.”
Ludmilla, embarrassed by her father’s antics as he stood at the entrance of the grand hall, gazing at us with a satisfied expression, urged him to enter in a barely audible voice.
Barbarossa coughed awkwardly and moved his steps.
“…I apologize.”
“I’m fine.”
The Emperor and the Pope safely entered the grand hall.
Ludmilla, trying to hide her flushed face, lowered her head and muttered.
Well,
I understood the Emperor’s intentions.
His second daughter was twenty-seven years old.
Wouldn’t he want to secure a promise before the year was over?
That’s why I could accept the Emperor’s sudden outburst, even in front of a large crowd, as a minor incident.
If I were the Emperor, I would have also done anything to ensure my daughter, who was well past marriageable age, found a suitable partner.
“……”
If I were to reveal my true thoughts to Ludmilla, I would be beheaded.
So I kept my mouth shut.
“Sir Edanant…!”
“……?”
As I chuckled briefly, thinking about Ludmilla’s incredibly late marriageable age,
I heard a voice calling my name.
Surprisingly, the voice came from the half-open grand hall.
“Attend the Alliance Council meeting. The Emperor and the Pope, the leaders of the council, have granted you permission.”
“Yes? But what…?”
No one except the kings of the allied nations was allowed to attend the Alliance Council meeting.
It was an unwritten rule that could never be broken.
This was impossible.
To order someone who wasn’t a king to attend.
Ludmilla was bewildered by this unprecedented situation.
It was only natural for her to be confused by the chain of upheavals triggered by the Earth Mother’s oracle.
“It’s a direct order from His Majesty and His Holiness. So I’ll be back shortly.”
“Ah, alright… Be careful.”
I could roughly guess the reason for the summons to the Alliance Council meeting.
It must be related to the Earth Mother’s oracle.
What was her intention?
Could she be planning to expose my identity in front of all the kings?
I swallowed hard, recalling the prospective saintess I had encountered with Elizaveta.
A string of curses escaped my lips at the thought that the Earth Mother must have devised a cunning scheme using the oracle.
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I pushed open the half-open door and entered the grand hall.
Perhaps it was due to the countless gazes,
Or the silent atmosphere.
My steps felt unusually heavy.
“…You summoned me.”
I bowed to the kings gathered in the grand hall.
The gazes of the rulers who commanded the continent focused on me, making me feel uncomfortable.
As soon as I arrived, Barbarossa scowled and shouted at Boern.
“Now that Edanant is here, speak! What is the oracle delivered by the Earth Mother?!”
“Yes, of course.”
Despite the Emperor’s roar, the Pope’s expression remained serene.
Boern, confirming that countless gazes were fixed on him, calmly stood up.
His actions were so leisurely that it made the observers feel impatient.
“The Earth Mother… has appointed Sir Edanant as the new hero of the Holy Kingdom.”
“What?”
The faces of all the kings present in the grand hall were painted with shock at the Pope’s sudden declaration.
The Emperor was no exception.
He was bewildered by the Earth Mother’s oracle.
“She said that the Demon King of Death will soon be resurrected from the Demon Realm… and that she will appoint a new hero to oppose Death.”
To appoint the apostle serving the Disaster God of War as the Holy Kingdom’s hero?
That damn bitch.
Could she be planning to make me fight the Saintess Party, hoping for mutual destruction?
No…
Perhaps there was another reason.
Surely the Earth Mother would also be aware of the world’s impending end, right?
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