Chapter 99. A Fact Only I Know

When I personally confirmed with my own eyes, Yulian was thankfully unharmed. There were no visible injuries, and it didn't seem like there was anything wrong with his mind either.

As he listened to the unfolding events of this situation, he wore a rather serious expression.

"I've been thinking about it, and I don't think it's wise to report this incident to the royal family."

Hmm... I thought there was nothing wrong with his mind, but now I'm not so sure.

But after a moment of reflection, I realized why Yulian would say something like this.

"If Your Highness says so, I will keep it to myself as well."

"Thank you for saying that, Sir Yulian."

Yulian closed his eyes for a brief moment before speaking.

"Then, let's rest for a bit and then head back. By now, we should've already crossed the border, haha!"

It might have been better to ensure more stability, but since it was the prince's words, I offered no objections.

I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible myself.

Rinne seemed to have some doubts about Yulian's intent to overlook this incident.

"Why..."

As she muttered to herself upon exiting the room, I couldn't help but ask her in turn.

"Lady Rinne, do you not understand why His Highness said that?"

Rinne's eyes narrowed slightly, perhaps perceiving my question as sarcastic.

"No, please enlighten me."

"The reason we came here was to establish peace with the Holy Kingdom. But if the prince had been attacked here, what would the royal family think?"

"Ah..."

Rinne let out a short sigh at my explanation.

"So, his Highness intends to let this incident slide quietly."

There's no need to explicitly state it's to preserve the Fourth Prince, but she must understand that much.

Conflicts between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom would only prove Yulian's inadequacy and uselessness.

"Even for royalty, exposing weaknesses invites attacks."

"That kind of thing only gets worse higher up."

Upon saying this, I turned my gaze toward the entrance of the arena.

There, accompanied by priests and attendants, a woman was gracefully approaching.

'I knew she would come.'

High Priestess Shalana.

Unlike Garot, she was a combative High Priestess seeking a full-scale war with the Empire.

I had anticipated her arrival due to this incident—it was a perfect opportunity for her.

"Tch."

Upon seeing Shalana's face, Rinne clicked her tongue beside me.

The frown on her face suggested she might have encountered her once without my knowledge.

"Oh my, hello, distinguished guests from the Empire."

I formally greeted Shalana, who was courteously introducing herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, high Priestess Shalana."

"Oh my, do you know who I am?"

"How could I not? High Priestess of Advance, Shalana, is well-known. I've memorized the names of the other High Priestesses as well."

Shalana chuckled dismissively, hiding her face with a fan.

"Oh ho ho, you jest."

She offered a slight smile, although her voice betrayed a hint of discomfort.

The identities and powers of the High Priestesses were top secret in the Holy Kingdom.

"How is Prince Eulsis's condition?"

"Thankfully, there are no issues."

"Oh, that's such a relief. Ho ho."

At Rinne's words, Shalana feigned relief and laughed.

She doesn't truly believe it's fortunate, even if she pretends to.

"This incident might have been due to our oversight."

It's more than just oversight; I was nearly killed.

"The leader is in custody and will be brought to trial soon."

I suppose he'll be executed according to the story.

"However... I hope you will remain as witnesses until the trial concludes."

"What do you mean by that?"

Rinne was the first to react to Shalana's nonsensical statement.

As expected, if it's the Rinne I know, she wouldn't come here without some ulterior motive.

"Ho ho, don't you understand? I'm suggesting that you, as the victims, remain as witnesses against High Priest Garot."

"How long will that take?"

Shalana never lost her smile as she responded to me.

"Well, it may take at least a month, given it is a trial of a 'High Priestess.' Ho ho."

"Do we have any reason to comply with that?"

"Perhaps not a reason, but there is an obligation. Moreover, aren't you the only victim?"

At Rinne's resistance, Shalana snapped her fingers lightly.

"This is the Holy Kingdom, isn't it? Since you're here, you must follow the rules here."

Priests and attendants accompanying Shalana subtly moved forward, as if sensing her predatory gaze on us.

'I expected this.'

The reason she stayed quiet when we arrived in the Holy City was simply due to the watchful eyes of the other High Priestesses.

Amidst all this, an incident offered her—who loves war—a perfect excuse to welcome with open arms.

'She aims to pin some false accusation on us to drag us into a confrontation with the Empire.'

If she truly wishes for a full-scale war with the Empire again, she'd do anything.

'As expected, if only she would just show her hand outright instead.'

As stated before, the Holy Kingdom is a state that holds an appearance that does not befit its name.

On the positive side, it's a place of many intrigues.

On the negative side, it's a shady state.

"We plan to leave as soon as His Highness Eulsis recovers a little more."

"Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"No, I heard you."

I gave her a leisurely smile.

I had already prepared for this situation, considering it in advance.

"Indeed, we are naturally bound by the law of the Holy Kingdom. However, exceptions exist for all laws."

Ugh.

Suddenly, a pang hit me from the injury dealt by Idel, causing me to stagger.

To steady myself, I placed my right hand on my waist.

Cha-cha-cha-chak──!

At that moment, Shalana's guards simultaneously pointed their spears at me.

Why are they doing this!?

In that instant, I realized that my hand had touched the 'scabbard' strapped to my waist.

"Wh...what are you plotting?"

A flustered Shalana.

Even Rinne stared at me, eyes widened in surprise.

"This is the Holy Kingdom. Did you plan to draw your sword before a High Priestess? Is that the exception you mentioned?"

Damn, it's a misunderstanding!

I only wanted to steady myself!

"Hoho, indeed. It is a kind of exception."

I am aware it might sound like an excuse. So, let's get to the main point quickly.

"The exception I want to discuss, priestess Shalana, has nothing to do with swordsmanship."

***

Priestess Shalana felt an instinctive fear at Yulian's move to draw a sword.

'A disciple of the Sword Saint....'

Even in the Holy Kingdom, people knew of that rumor.

He was said to be the primary disciple of the now-exiled Sword Saint, an exceptional swordsman. If he wielded his sword, a bloodbath would be inevitable.

However, from her position, it would have been advantageous if he did draw his sword.

'If Yulian, who came as Prince Eulsis's guard, had drawn his sword arbitrarily and caused a commotion, it would have given us a stronger reason to detain him here.'

Yes, that would have been preferable.

Yet, his audacious action to actually draw the sword took her by surprise.

'Would he draw his sword when such a large number of Holy Kingdom personnel is gathered?'

From this moment, Shalana's mind was made up about what kind of person 'Yulian' is.

'A madman.'

Not an ordinary madman, but a madman who was adept with a sword.

"Hohoho, so what other exception do you have in mind?"

"Firstly, let's relocate. There are too many eyes here, after all."

She intended to refuse his suggestion.

'Does he want to speak alone after threatening with a sword in this situation?'

Her motto was never to negotiate with mad dogs—it only brings trouble.

'Hm?'

But upon seeing Yulian unfasten his sword from his waist and hand it to Rinne, she slightly reconsidered.

"He used the sword just now for a warning, but now he's using it to prove he's harmless?"

The reason for touching the sword earlier was to create a scene like this.

Indeed, an old-fashioned yet classical negotiating tactic.

If he was capable of using his wits in this manner, it meant he had cards to play.

"Hoho, shall I hear what you have to say?"

Her tone softened significantly, contrasting with the tense situation earlier when he touched the scabbard. She accompanied him to another location.

They arrived at the arena's VIP room.

"There's no eavesdropping magic here, right?"

Yulian inquired suspiciously, and Shalana responded with a smile.

"Hohoho, of course not."

"That's a relief."

"What's so delicate you need to be so cautious? Whatever it is, is it causing you to worry for your safety?"

Are you planning to defect, perhaps?

She meant to say, but Shalana held her tongue.

Speaking first was the worst possible strategy.

"It's not for me but for you, priestess Shalana."

His slightly arrogant tone annoyed her, but Yulian continued without giving her a chance to react.

"You don't mind leaving these two here?"

Yulian gestured at the two priests who followed Shalana into the VIP room.

"Don't mind them. No matter what happens, they are trustworthy."

"I see, they're your guards. Indeed, even without a sword, it wouldn't be difficult for me to snap your neck, priestess Shalana."

Recognizing that the two were her guards, not priests, Yulian confidently shrugged his shoulders.

"Hoho, there's a limit to rudeness, you know. Do you understand your current situation...?"

"What would you do if I currently have the Holy Artifact 'Inscribed Lies' smuggled out from the Sacred Command?"

The eyes of Shalana, who was hiding her jawline with a fan, widened significantly.

"Ho, hoho. Is that so? Well, then. It was said it wasn't found underground."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, of course. After all, it's a high-grade Holy Artifact managed by our Holy Kingdom."

Shalana kept her smile, trying to hide her true intentions.

"Then, will you return it?"

"Of course, I should."

"Hohoho, it's reassuring to hear."

"As we still have to deal with some matters on our end, I'll return it to the Sacred Command tomorrow."

"... Excuse me?"

Shalana showed clear signs of confusion.

"You wanted us to stay in the Holy City as the trial's witness anyway, right? So I don't think waiting until tomorrow would be a problem."

"You could just hand it over to me. Hohoho."

"High Priestess Shalana."

Yulian, with his invisible gaze, looked directly at her.

The smile on his face seemed to suggest he knew her 'scheme.'

"You heard High Priest Garot arranged for the retrieval once the artifact's location was identified and sent his dark-arts users?"

Much like a serpent coiling its body.

"Fascinating. It seems they must have tracked its location in real-time by some magical means."

"What relevance does that have now?"

"Do you indeed believe it's irrelevant?"

Yulian's unhurried tone started to bind her.

"You allowed High Priest Garot to act, intending to retrieve the artifact from the Sacred Command all along."

Even if she lied and denied it, she suspected those emotionless slit eyes of his would see through her.

"To suppress him during his antics, quietly recovering the artifact."

Just bringing this topic up suggests he spoke from 'certainty.'

"The artifact would have been declared 'destroyed' during the suppression. That's what'll be reported to the Sacred Command, right?"

Upon Yulian's words reaching this point—

Clack.

Shalana closed her fan.

Yulian, that man, had a clear understanding of her plan.

As he said, Shalana was aware the artifact had been smuggled out from the Sacred Command and had allowed it.

She planned to secretly recover it for her own use when High Priest Garot attempted to wield it later.

Her prediction was right; Garot acted, and the plan seemed to progress successfully.

Until the demon appeared.

'Damn the Sword Saint's Gu Poison Hall, causing a demon rampage, and it was wrecked.'

Relief washed over her knowing Yulian had it.

Inwardly, she laughed.

"Was that the 'exception' you mentioned earlier?"

Yulian nodded.

She was slightly bothered by the fact that negotiations were going as he wanted, but at this point, it didn't matter to her anymore.

She retrieved the artifact she thought was destroyed.

With that alone, she was satisfied.

"Hoho, alright then. Then we'll pretend none of that earlier happened. Feel free to leave the Holy City. We won't stop you."

"I'm glad we could come to an understanding."

"As am I. Hohohoho!"

Sha-sha-sha.

Unfurling her fan once more, she laughed heartily.

"Ah, where is the artifact?"

Yulian took a laurel from his breast pocket and placed it on the table.

"Good, very good."

Her mind filled with thoughts to use the 'Inscribed Lies' laurel to eliminate her political rivals and consolidate her position firmly.

'Soon...'

Unable to conceal her emotions, Shalana waved her fan back and forth.

"High Priest Garot is now pitiable. Not only for smuggling the artifact but now to be blamed for its destruction."

"A fool at a high post faces his downfall in that way."

"Huhut, indeed."

Yulian seemed to prepare himself to leave, adjusting his outfit.

"Then, we'll be off now."

With a short farewell, Yulian turned around.

"Hohohoho."

"Priestess, will you let him go just like that?"

"If you give the word, we'll try to subdue him and have Prince Eulsis remain in the Holy City."

"No, leave them alone."

Shalana stopped her other priests.

"Whether we surely subdue him is uncertain, and if commotion reveals that the 'Inscribed Lies' is intact, our original aim becomes meaningless, don't you think?"

"But, priestess..."

"Remember this word – focus and choice. We tolerated Garot until now all for this artifact."

Caressing the laurel crown on the table, a delightful laughter slipped from her lips.

***

"Now, let's prepare for our return."

"Is everything resolved?"

Rinne asked slightly taken aback at my confident proposal to head back.

"Yes, we've come to an understanding."

"... Did you threaten with force again, as you did earlier?"

"Do I seem like someone who'd do that?"

"I can't say no."

Well, it's a little strange, but I can't say I wouldn't do that.

"I gave Priestess Shalana what she wanted. The very thing she was desperate to acquire, even amidst all this clamor."

"How would you, Sir Yulian...?"

How? I handled it while fighting in the ceremonial room.

"But if it's enough to make a High Priestess withdraw, it implies it holds immeasurable value."

"Yes."

Immense value, indeed, is the correct assessment.

However, I know it's not wise to covet too much.

I glanced at Idel's 'Soul Stone' concealed within my jacket.

Due to its abrupt demonization, the color was murky, and the power it held was insignificant, yet undoubtedly, it was a tri-horned Soul Stone.

'The holy relic 'Inscribed Lies' definitely carries tremendous power, but this Soul Stone suffices for now.'

After all, I also obtained the Bell of the Silent Night.

Furthermore.

'There's one thing Shalana doesn't know.'

Why a holy relic capable of easily eradicating political opponents didn't find its way into the same grade as the 'Demon God's Chalice'.

'It's a one-time use.'

It had already been used once underground.

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