IDIBC Chapter 111

Ricardo’s Return (3)

The Grand Priest is elected by the votes of the priests.

In particular, senior priests have voting rights equivalent to thirty times that of ordinary priests, and since all of them wanted to drag the Grand Priest down from his position, replacing the Grand Priest would be easily accomplished.

If the Grand Priest had truly followed only the will of the gods as he claimed, the senior priests would not have all risen against him in unison.

Thanks to this, Ricardo was able to return to the capital earlier than planned.

The Grand Priest had been obsessed with the saintess born under the star of Rochester.

In a time of confused divine oracles, he believed that supporting her was the only way to establish his unstable position and ultimately survive as Grand Priest.

Because of this, there were many who would blame the Grand Priest if Ricardo and the saintess failed to become engaged.

The things the Grand Priest had done in collusion with Judith’s family had provoked antipathy in many people.

“Hadeima has already conveyed their will to side with me.”

“Y-you must have threatened the temple with force!”

Ricardo watched with a silent gaze as the Grand Priest’s thoughts, visible through his eyes, changed back and forth. The amusing thing was that in his eyes, there still remained the convictions of a priest.

“Perhaps so.”

The priests would immediately drag down the Grand Priest who had failed to properly carry out the gods’ commands.

Ricardo was well aware of the background behind why he had clung to the Emperor’s side like a bat while being unable to abandon Rochester.

“Even so, nothing will change.”

The Grand Priest who would produce Rochester’s designated companion as Empress—that must have been Johannes’s ultimate goal.

He too had once been a true son of god who could directly hear the divine voice.

“Intelligent, yes, but a Grand Priest who can no longer read the will of the gods…”

At the words that he could not read the will of the gods, the color drained from Johannes’s face.

Now unable to change his position, the Grand Priest must place Judith in the Empress’s seat. So the attempt to marry Lienne to Harriot was not solely the Emperor’s will.

Ricardo, briefly recalling that matter, closed his eyes tightly.

Though he had faced Harriot up close only a few times, each time he evoked unpleasant feelings. The world seen through Harriot’s eyes was indescribably filthy.

The mere fact that Lienne had been briefly tied together with such a horrible human being made him feel as if his blood was flowing backward.

As blood rushed hotly to his head, Ricardo’s chest cooled. He looked at the Grand Priest with coldly settled eyes.

“And yet you dared…”

Though Ricardo did not finish his words, the Grand Priest trembled. As things stood now, it wouldn’t be strange at all if Johannes, having lost his power, became a political scapegoat bound in the square.

“From now on, you must choose your side well, Lord Johannes.”

“…”

“Rather than thinking other thoughts right now, you should be thinking about how to preserve your life.”

“I, I have only conveyed the will of the gods and tried to fulfill that will. Rochester’s companion to Rochester, the woman who received the oracle of becoming Empress to the imperial family. Isn’t this the will of the gods and natural order?”

Looking into his eyes, Ricardo let out a bitter laugh. It was because what the Grand Priest was saying was entirely truthful.

He thought Rochester’s power to gauge truth was useless against humans who deceived even themselves to push through their own greed.

Ricardo, deeming it meaningless to continue conversing with him, rose from his seat.

“Lord Johannes, I have no intention of interfering with your faith and religious convictions. You need only listen well to what I say from now on.”

Ricardo’s voice calling his name no longer held any emotion.

“From now on, the positions of the Grand Priest and Hadeima are as follows.”

Ricardo, directly facing the Grand Priest’s eyes, began to point out each matter one by one, examining all the negative possibilities he could harbor.

“First, you shall announce the reinstatement of Stuart Reid Schneider to the position of Crown Prince.”

“The Emperor’s backlash?”

“That is not for you to worry about, Grand Priest. I should have told you this first, but I forgot.”

“…”

“From now on, don’t think about anything. Everything you think only hastens your death.”

Johannes, looking at Ricardo standing tall and imposing, unknowingly nodded his head as if receiving a new divine oracle.

“Second, as soon as you retrieve the ark from the labyrinth, clearly state your intention to enthrone him as Emperor. As soon as day breaks tomorrow.”

“Wh-whom do you mean?”

“Who else? The one who holds the key to seeking the will of the gods.”

“…”

“And lastly…”

Johannes opened his eyes wide and waited for the next command Ricardo would give.

“After you have made your intentions clear, you must never leave this prayer room until I give permission. However, when I call for you, you must respond at any time.”

“A-am I safe? The Emperor won’t leave me alone…”

The true face of the Grand Priest, who was merely a human worrying only about his own safety, was more foolish and weak than imaginable.

“I will protect the Grand Priest’s life. Because you need to stay alive for the time being.”

Having finished what he had to say, Ricardo turned and headed toward the door when the Grand Priest shouted.

“I-I will follow your will, but remember this one thing. Your arrogance will surely incur the wrath of the gods.”

Ricardo, who had stopped in his tracks, looked at the shabby altar prepared for prayer. Even after hearing curse-like words from the Grand Priest, Ricardo’s face showed not the slightest fear toward the gods.

“Even in this situation, don’t you understand? The gods have already withdrawn from this matter. So you too, Grand Priest, should no longer involve yourself in the affairs of the imperial family and Rochester.”

At these gently conveyed final words, the Grand Priest squeezed his eyes shut. What he was saying was clear. Neither the existence of the saintess nor the oracle of the Empress had any influence on Ricardo.

The countdown to a full-scale change of imperial power had begun.

****

After receiving a terrifyingly ambiguous oracle, my life was turned upside down once again.

Though it was fortunate that I had prevented the situation of becoming Walter’s fiancée, my heart was heavy. It was because Sabrina had to walk an unwanted path because of me.

Madam Fennel—no, my mother, who had now become Countess Fennel again—ended up bedridden after that day.

As if her spirited appearance confronting numerous knights had been a lie, she withdrew back into the dark room.

Somehow I had a premonition that she would soon break out of her shell like a chick in a coop, but it would be a long and difficult process.

No one could directly break the hard shell surrounding her. But one thing was certain: if we waited, she would emerge.

With this belief, I even looked forward to the day when Madam Fennel would step back into the world.

When that time came, I too would be able to call her mother.

Moments when just thinking of the word “mother” made my heart increasingly swell.

Sabrina, engaged to Julian, was to become the mistress of the Paquin family in public, so she had to spend countless hours receiving guests.

From about three days after entering the Paquin household, many people gathered to see Sabrina.

Most were the wives of vassals, but some were also mistresses of noble families with quick access to news.

Half of their attitude toward Sabrina was curiosity and half was jealousy, but not a single woman forgot her courteous smile.

Watching the splendid carriages endlessly pass through the front gate, I was once again amazed that matters between the imperial family and ducal houses didn’t spread at all to ordinary nobles.

Is this what they call their own league?

If people knew even a little about why this engagement had been established, they wouldn’t be crossing the Paquin family’s front gate with carriages full of gifts like this.

I too was occasionally invited to tea parties where Sabrina and the ladies gathered.

Though Sabrina skillfully led the parties as if she had been exposed to aristocratic culture for a long time, when I appeared, everyone would excuse themselves, causing the parties to end sooner than expected.

It seemed people hadn’t yet decided what position to take toward me, who had received only half an oracle.

When even the tactless Countess Sparrow, who had remained until Sabrina complained of a headache, left, only the two of us remained in the garden.

Looking into the distance, a breeze of a quite different temperature from a few days ago blew.

Though midday was still hot, befitting an empire with a mild climate, a long autumn was beginning.

“I’m bored to death.”

A small laugh escaped at Sabrina’s complaint.

“I thought I had longed for the lives of nobles… but apparently not at all.”

If Rochester gave the feeling of being venerable and weighty, the Paquin mansion gave the feeling of everything being graceful, refined, and new.

Wherever I looked, the unfamiliar garden scenery felt unbearably awkward, so I kept my gaze only on the innocent teacup.

The teacup too had meaningless patterns repeatedly engraved on it, and I had heard this was a fashionable design these days.

I stirred the tea idly. Removing my gaze from the cooled water in the teacup swirling round and round in a whirlpool, I suddenly looked up to find Sabrina also staring blankly into space.

Dressed splendidly, she suited the Paquin family well in many ways. So much so that the scene of her standing there seemed like a complete painting in itself.