Chapter 35
“It’s an honor, your highness.”
Lucion bowed his head.
There was a reason why Cetyl thanked him directly.
In fact, it was the nobles who controlled the economy of the Tesla Empire, and the imperial power came from imperial nobles, including the imperial family itself.
If this incident had not been prevented, the Great Depression would have occurred, in which most of the nobles, as well as the high-ranking nobles, would have died.
How wonderful would it be if they were to stop this?
[What will the royal family give you with this incident?]
Russell was already looking forward to it.
Lucion knew that as the incident grew bigger, the reward for it was also great.
Whatever the imperial family gave him, it would be quite extravagant, just to make him feel like he owed them money.
The opponent is the imperial family after all.
* * *
Knock. Knock.
A priest dressed in gray knocked carefully on the door of the office.
“I’m busy right now, so I’ll listen to your business later.”
The High Priest’s voice came out quietly through the door.
“That, the 5th prince has come to see you.”
The sound of busy footsteps leaked through the crack in the door at the priest’s urgent voice.
A middle-aged man wearing a pure white robe and a white hat bowed his head as soon as he opened the door.
“I greet the servant of the light, the fifth prince.”
“Nice to meet you. I have something to say. Do you have time?”
“Of course, your highness. Please come this way.”
The High Priest tried to guide Cetyl to the office, but he stood still and wandered his eyes.
“Is it possible to weaken the light a little? There’s someone with me who has a divine allergy.”
The High Priest looked at the door for a moment and answered Cetyl’s words, “Yes, it’s possible. Please wait a moment.”
The High Priest sent signals to the nearby priests.
It was a signal to tell them to weaken the light.
It was not until the High Priest himself lowered the light that he spoke to Cetyl again.
“It’s enough now, your highness. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting for so long.”
“Everyone, come in,” Cetyl said over the door.
The High Priest paused as he saw Lucion’s party coming inside after the door opened.
When he saw Carson, he knew then that they were the ones who told the higher-ranking priests about this.
The High Priest soon gave them a nod.
“Thanks to you. I almost gave an excuse to those who follow the darkness.”
“No, I just did what I had to do.”
Carson shook his head and showed humility.
“We don’t have much time left until the banquet, so let’s have a brief introduction. From the left, it’s Lord Carson Cronia, Lord Lucion Cronia, and Sir Heint Tria.”
As soon as everyone sat down, Cetyl briefly introduced Lucion’s party.
“I didn’t anticipate that the Crown Prince would come like this…”
When the High Priest opened his mouth, Cetyl showed his palm and stopped him from talking.
He didn’t have the time to listen to what the other party would say.
They had already postponed the banquet once. If it was delayed twice, it would have to be canceled soon.
This banquet was not only to benefit the Great Light Temple, but the external image of the Tesla Empire as it revealed the existence of a divine beast that had appeared for the first time in 20 years depended on this.
“A bomb was planted.”
Cetyl brought up the subject.
“…….”
The High Priest blinked and said nothing.
It was that shocking.
“I’ll show you.”
At Cetyl’s instructions, Carson stuck out a bomb and an explosion switch.
“They found it in the temple.”
“I-Is this true?”
Only then did the High Priest stutter in embarrassment.
“Isn’t the problem of the power of light that led to the postponement of the banquet just a mistake on the part of the temple?”
Cetyl’s eyes became slightly fierce.
“Your highness… That thing…”
“Lucion Cronia said he saw a priest with a bomb switch. In this situation, are you going to argue that it is simply inside the temple?”
At the words of the High Priest who seemed to be making excuses, Cetyl cut off his words at once.
The High Priest looked at Lucion for a moment. His eyes were not gentle.
“We got our hands on the bomb switch and blocked the worst for now, but the people almost died.”
Cetyl was determined to interrogate the temple strongly, and every word that popped out every time he opened his mouth was sharp.
‘That’s right. Keep pushing him, so that he won’t have time to think about anything else.’
Lucion loved the cool words and actions of the fifth prince.
“I don’t intend to let this go as a member of the imperial family. Of course, I believe that the High Priest and I share the same sentiment. Don’t you think so?”
Even Cetyl’s smile was strangely intimidating.
“Of course, your highness. I- I won’t let this matter go with no investigation. But, before that, I want to ask you something.”
The High Priest bowed his head, and after raising his head, he looked at Lucion again. “To Lord Lucion Cronia.”
‘Is it like this?’
Lucion held back his snorting.
[He can’t touch the prince, so he’s touching you.]
Russell ground his teeth.
‘Well, I did expect that.’
Lucion calmly put his fingers crossed on his belly.
A bomb came out of the temple now, and the imperial family found out about the incident.
How disgusting must the Cronia family and Heint, who informed the prince of that fact, feel to them?
‘Are you gonna try saying ‘I’m just a witness’ and then attack me and make room for yourself to escape from this somehow?’
Lucion looked at the High Priest with a triumphant expression.
“I’ll allow it.”
As soon as Cetyl’s words fell, the High Priest opened his mouth.
“A while ago, his highness said that Lord Lucion ‘saw a priest with a bomb switch.’ Is this true?”
“Yes. To be more precise, I saw the ornaments that the priest spilled.”
“How did you know that the decorative item was a bomb switch?”
“Brother Carson taught me how to recognize it.”
“Do you mean that you didn’t know it was a bomb switch until Carson Cronia told you?”
The High Priest’s face brightened as if he had caught something.
[In a way, it may seem like the imperial family and the Cronia’s are trying to hold hands and suppress the power of the temple. So I know that he’ll react like this.]
Russell glared at the High Priest with disgusting eyes.
[Still, do you want to do this to a child who is younger than you?]
When Russell brought up what Lucion wanted to say, he smirked and did not stop the leaking laughter.
Really, the High Priest’s response was stupidly hilarious.
“That’s right.”
“Why didn’t the lord return the ornaments to the priest? Are you sure it’s an ornament that a priest dropped?”
The High Priest, who grabbed the pod, blurted the point with excitement.
Indeed, it was unclear whether the priest dropped it or not, as Lucion claimed.
If the ambiguity was proven here, the temple could only cut off its tail.
However, Lucion would let it go the way the High Priest wanted.
“Are you insulting the Cronia family?”
“W-What do you mean by an insult?”
“Aren’t you trying to say that I didn’t return the ornament because I wanted it?”
Just as the High Priest blurred the point, Lucion also blurred the point.
“No, that’s not it…”
“High Priest. I am a Cronia. I can buy thousands, or even tens of thousands, of such ornaments. Isn’t your statement an insult to me or the Cronia family?”
Lucion added pressure to his tone.
“Please properly apologize for the insult just now.”
Russell burst out laughing at Lucion’s remarks.
[Wow. My stomach hurts.]
The High Priest looked at Cetyl and bowed his head helplessly.
“I’m really… I’m sorry. I never intended to insult the Cronia Family. I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
“Apart from this apology, I would like to ask if you really want to solve the case, or if you are simply trying to get away by finding loopholes in my words.”
At Lucion’s subsequent remarks, the High Priest felt very ashamed.
It was unlike the wit of a nobleman, and it was such a direct statement.
He thought Lucion was easy because he was just a boy, but he was rather beaten up.
“That, that, that’s a misunderstanding. I just asked you a question to make sure this happened, so I hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
“Then I hope you don’t trample on my heart to help the temple purely by asking a proper question so that I don’t misunderstand.”
The High Priest looked at Lucion for a moment and relaxed his shoulders.
He tried to avoid responsibility, but he almost took greater responsibility.
“Do you remember the face of the priest?”
Finally, the High Priest brought up a proper question.
“Yes. I remember clearly. I was about to call the priest to ask for directions. But he suddenly ran away.”
“Did you say he ran away?”
Cetyl, who had been quietly listening to the story, asked, bewildered.
“Yes, your highness. He saw my face and ran away.”
At Lucion’s words, the High Priest’s face became darker.
Cetyl quickly raised an eyebrow.
There was only one case of running away from Lucion, who had a divine allergy.
A corrupted priest.
Cetyl spoke out. “High Priest.”
“… Yes, your highness.”
The High Priest replied aloofly as if he had accepted everything.
“This matter will also reach His Majesty, so a proper investigation should be conducted in the Great Light Temple.”
“Of course. I’ll take full responsibility for this.”
The fact that a corrupted priest was found among the temple people, not anywhere else, could no longer be seen as a political issue.
As a light follower, he was going to do the most fundamental thing of punishing darkness.
“Lord Lucion Cronia.”
The High Priest smiled.
“Thank you for enlightening the head of this ugly servant of light. Having been in this position for a long time, I was only focused on avoiding responsibility.”
The High Priest’s gaze turned not only to Lucion but also to Carson and Heint.
“The Great Temple, as well as all the temples in Tesla, have been greatly blessed by the three of you. Thank you very much.”
Now that the High Priest looked like a high priest, Lucion exhaled a long breath.
Cetyl looked at the three and said, “The imperial family has also been greatly indebted to you.”
Soon his gaze turned to Heint
“You won the bet I made with you. I’ll send someone over soon, so you know.”
Cetyl smiled at Heint.
Heint bowed his head to Cetyl, grabbing the tip of his shaky mouth.
“Thank you, your highness.”
* * *
Carson and Heint left with the priests to search for the bombs, and Lucion pointed out the culprit.
The priest was indeed corrupted and was taken away for investigation.
What caused this would only be known if he opened his mouth.
Cetyl left the temple to report only then, and the delayed banquet started again.
Because of the bomb that had not yet been found, the banquet was held outdoors, and Lucion was sitting in a suitable place to see what the divine beast looked like.
“A light shines from the hands of the priest with the divine beast. Now it seems like they are trying to bring out the divine water.”
Hume explained the situation with an awe plastered on his face.
“Can you see that?”
Lucion also stood in place, but only a human head was visible.
He thought it was amazing that Hume’s eyesight could reach even from afar.
—Ratta wants to see, too.
Lucion’s shadow fluttered.
[Oh, it’s coming out now.]
Russell was as excited as Hume, floating higher than usual.
He had never been more envious of Russell than now.
[Oh, that’s too bad. If it weren’t for the other people, I’d put you in the air.]
Russell snorted and giggled.
“… Hah.”
Lucion stopped breathing for a moment.
It was so hard to breathe when a huge amount of light erupted from a crowded place.
It seemed that the divine beast appeared.
[Are you okay?]
Lucion shook his head at Russell’s question.
“… I think I’m going to die, but it’s good to be here.”
[As you may have felt, the divine beast appears now. Hmm… What is this? The direction of where the divine beast is coming in is a bit weird.]
“It seems to be coming towards you master.”
Hume continued Russell’s words.
‘What nonsense is that?’
Lucion’s stomach was churning, and he couldn’t open his mouth.
[Right. It’s coming to you, right?]
Russell, who was gently looking at the divine beast in the air, moved his mouth again.
Lucion felt all the hairs in his body stand up at the feeling of the growing light.
At that moment, people suddenly retreated like the sea splitting.
‘… Crazy!’
Lucion’s eyes widened.
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