Chapter 108 - Book Rabbit

Episode 108

On the wrist Arpad had so pointedly extended, the Tear of Agrippina that Hilia had given him still hung.

As the two sacred relics made contact, a resonance of divine power occurred once more.

*Hum.*

A mystical resonant sound and bursts of light like sparks.

Upon confirming it, Archbishop Bio's eyes flashed.

"That pearl... could it be the Tear of Agrippina?"

"It is. My wife gave it to me as a wedding gift."

Arpad elegantly shook his wrist once. It was clearly an attitude of boasting.

The teardrop-shaped pearl hanging from the chain swayed, *challang*. Archbishop Bio's gaze followed its movement.

"...To see two precious sacred relics at once is the highest honor."

The Archbishop murmured, stroking his smooth chin.

"Now that I think of it, Her Highness the Crown Princess's maternal family were originally descendants of the Illiaden royal family from an island nation in the east, were they not? It seems this is a treasure passed down from there."

This time, Hilia answered.

"That's correct. You are well-informed. My maternal family was incorporated into the Ducal House of Delphin in my mother's generation, and my mother passed away early, so the circumstances are not widely known."

Arpad seemed to want to interject again, but Hilia's slender finger lightly scratched the back of his hand.

*'Let me handle this.'*

Understanding the meaning, Arpad closed his mouth.

Thanks to that, Hilia could poke the question she wanted directly at the Archbishop.

"You seem to have a great interest in the sacred relics of the five goddesses, Archbishop?"

"...!"

Archbishop Bio smiled softly.

"It is only natural for a priest to seek to follow the fragments left on earth by the gods."

Hilia knew that statement was false.

*'Why would a priest of the Lord God's Temple be interested in the sacred relics of the five twin goddesses? If it were a relic of the Lord God, that would be one thing.'*

Mythologically, Agrippina and Statilia were two of the five sisters born between the Lord God and the Mother Goddess.

Even the temples of the Lord God and the Earth Mother Goddess were not particularly powerful on this continent.

What ruled the entire continent was the Istrid Empire.

And the authority of the Istrid Imperial Family came not from a god, but from their ancestor, the dragon Artanus.

*'It's completely different from Earth's Middle Ages.'*

At the coronation, the Empire's Emperor had no need to borrow a priest's hand to receive imperial authority from a god.

He directly placed upon his head a crown woven from dragon bone and scales, set with a dragon heart the size of a fist.

Beneath the gaze of the statue of Artanus overlooking the throne.

The fertility of the Artanua Plain, capable of feeding the entire continent, was what the dragon Artanus had promised to his descendants.

Because of this, imperial authority was exalted, while divine authority was low.

Moreover, unlike medieval Europe, it was not unified under a single church of a monotheistic faith.

With various sects worshipping different gods proliferating, divine authority could not unite as one.

Archbishop Bio was a man dissatisfied with this.

He often argued thus:

"Since the Lord God is the master of all gods, all temples should rightfully gather under the name of the Lord God's Temple."

His goal was to unify all temples under the name of the 'Pantheon' to strengthen its authority.

And Ludwig, whose legitimacy and dragon blood were thin, strove to ally with the temples to supplement his lacking authority.

Naturally, the one manipulating this from behind was Evangeline.

The Archbishop very smoothly evaded my pointed remark.

"Since they are the sacred relics most widely known in the world, any priest would inevitably be interested."

A fundamentalist answer.

Unlike the flash in his eyes or the slight hint of greed he had shown earlier, Archbishop Bio easily retreated.

"Ah, but I have taken up the time of such esteemed individuals as uninvited guests."

"Not at all. It was a pleasure to see you."

"Next time, I shall formally request an audience and apologize for this discourtesy."

The Archbishop disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

Though the contact was brief and the conversation seemingly insignificant, Hilia could be certain.

*'It's clear. When I asked if he was interested in the goddesses' relics, he tried to evade.'*

In her past life, she had thought his interest in the goddesses' relics was solely because of Evangeline.

To present them to the woman he worshipped.

But for the first time, the thought occurred that this might not be the case.

* * *

After Archbishop Bio left, the tea party proceeded warmly once more.

One of the invited noblewomen, her expression animated, spoke.

"It seems that rumor was true."

"What rumor do you mean?"

"The rumor that if you attend Her Highness the Crown Princess's social gatherings, you get to see the faces of the most talked-about handsome men."

The women Hilia had invited today were middle-aged ladies close to the Duchess of Müzen.

Unlike the young ladies who blushed shyly upon seeing Arpad or the young Duke of Müzen, they spoke a bit more openly.

"My eyesight hasn't been good lately, but this feels like having my vision restored."

"Indeed. And just now, even that rarely-seen figure, Archbishop Bio, showed his face, didn't he?"

"He must have heard the rumors about Her Highness and wanted to see for himself."

At these words, Arpad's eyebrow twitched.

It was such a subtle change that no one noticed.

The chatter of the noblewomen, laughing *haha hoho*, finally arrived at today's main topic.

"By the way, for the Duchess to become Her Highness the Crown Princess's Head Lady-in-Waiting, I'm truly envious."

"That's right. Congratulations, Duchess."

"It is the highest honor, so I must do my best."

The purpose of today's tea party was to widely spread the rumor that Hilia had taken the Duchess of Müzen as her lady-in-waiting.

The fact that, following Hilia obtaining the Platinum Key, she had also absorbed the Ducal House of Müzen, the master of the south.

The guests invited to today's tea party would do their utmost to convey this news to high society throughout the Empire, including the capital.

Looking at them, Hilia should have been basking in satisfaction. The instigator who had brought back unpleasant memories, the Archbishop, was also gone.

But Hilia now had to watch one corner of the tea party venue with eyes full of unease.

In this gathering of mostly women, two men of high status were talking separately.

Namely, Arpad and Aaron.

Moreover, it was Arpad who had first called Aaron out.

"Young Duke of Müzen. Shall we step out for a brief conversation?"

"It would be an honor, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Arpad was a handsome man with artistic lines as if carved by a god, while Aaron was a more robust, cheerful, and tanned typical southern handsome man.

The sight of these two handsome men standing together was truly like a painting.

Any woman would inevitably have her gaze stolen.

Especially since most of the ladies present were those favorably disposed towards Hilia and the Duchess of Müzen.

Without any intention to flatter, they simply admired with pure hearts.

"When Lord Artanus took human form, they say his beauty was beyond words. I imagine he must have looked something like His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Truly, His Highness the Crown Prince is so handsome he seems almost inhuman, making it a bit harder to approach him."

"That's right. And on top of that, he exudes such dignity, so it's only natural he's difficult to deal with."

Hilia smiled in response.

*'They're diligently sugarcoating the fact that his personality is utter trash.'*

Still, the compliments on his face needed no such sugarcoating.

It was simply true that he was that handsome.

Soon followed words Hilia had not anticipated.

"But I never thought I'd see His Highness the Crown Prince make such an expression."

Hilia was puzzled.

Such an expression? What expression?

"Lately, he's been making such unexpectedly affectionate and gentle expressions that one can momentarily forget he's a successor of the dragon's blood."

"He's only like that when he's beside Her Highness."

"It's as if he becomes an ordinary husband in front of Her Highness."

"......"

Hilia couldn't stop the blush from rising to her face.

Her chest felt ticklish.

This was precisely... because it sounded as if Arpad truly loved her.

The ticklish feeling starting from her heart traveled through her blood vessels and reached the ring finger of her left hand. The very finger wearing the Star of Statilia.

For some reason, Hilia felt as if that finger was throbbing.

She immediately denied her own fluttery feelings.

*'Ugh. Just because others say that, I mustn't get the wrong idea. This is, after all, just a gift given to a collaborator who did well.'*

And it was also a means to flaunt 'our relationship is good' to everyone.

But she couldn't outright deny it either.

To deny it would be to shatter the rumor that they were a lovebird couple.

*'Right. It's absolutely not because I like hearing those words that I'm staying quiet.'*

Before Hilia could even realize why she was feeling bashful, the chatter continued.

The noblewomen were busy with exclamations and compliments about the Crown Prince.

Next to become a topic was Aaron Müzen.

"To see the young Duke grown so. The Duchess must be so proud."

"He already won a tournament at fourteen, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the Empire's number one knight now."

"You flatter me too much."

The Duchess, while modest, did not hide her pride.

"We came to the capital as it's about time to arrange a marriage for my son, and I am truly grateful that Her Highness has granted me the honor of serving her closely."

Hilia naturally took up the thread.

"Even without my involvement, young ladies vying for the young Duke would line up, but let me help. When a bride is decided later, I'll take her as my lady-in-waiting and bestow a gift."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The warm atmosphere was shattered by discord arising from an unexpected place.

Right between the two men whom the noblewomen had praised until their lips were sore.

Before they knew it, Arpad's brow was furrowed.

Before him, Aaron Müzen, wearing a combative smile, was formally kneeling and presenting a bomb-like request.

"Aaron Müzen, heir to the House of Müzen. May I have the honor of requesting instruction from Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

It was a sudden request for a spar.