Aya Ran Away - Chapter 32

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 32
How dare he qualify the king’s words.
Should he take offense?
But now was not the time to establish authority—it was time to work.
“Only?”
Nahal pressed further.
The old man’s eyes looked different from those of ordinary people—hollow, as if emptied from within.
“We receive necessary knowledge through oral transmission from our predecessors. Because of this, some details may have diverged from the original.”
Nahal’s brow furrowed.
“What does that mean right now?”
No Saje bowed his head.
One of the younger priests standing behind him stepped forward to apologize on No Saje’s behalf and continued the explanation.
“We meant no disrespect to the king. This is Temple law: we divide into twelve factions within the Temple, and priests of the same lineage receive information only through oral tradition. Important commandments are written in Temple Script or the Divine Language, but all other knowledge passes through oral transmission, with clear divisions according to lineage.”
An inefficient organization.
Nahal clicked his tongue inwardly.
“For this reason, any information shared with the king requires the consent of all factions.”
“And?”
A convenient pretext for negotiation, wasn’t it?
Nahal laughed quietly.
It seemed the Temple meant to demand something from him in exchange for this.
They made such a fuss about him being the king chosen by the divine, a prophesied king, yet they wouldn’t share information properly.
“Very well. What do you want?”
He hadn’t expected unconditional aid, but their sudden reversal stung him nonetheless.
Not that he didn’t understand.
Nahal had anticipated from the start that they would impose conditions.
“Please allow the relationship between the Crown and the Temple to be restored. After the Coronation Ceremony, permit the Temple to oversee the nation’s major ceremonies and grant us the right to bestow Blessing Prayers upon the people once more.”
“But you’ve been performing blessings just fine, haven’t you?”
He’d seen colleagues stop at the Temple for prayers whenever they came to the Capital, and he mentioned this now.
“Not with formal authorization.”
Nahal nodded, thinking how many arbitrary restrictions had been placed on them.
“Granted.”
Allowing the Temple to oversee major state ceremonies rather than the Royal Palace might appear to be a distribution of power, but he didn’t care.
After all, he had to be different from Rebar of Agan.
The same applied to ceremonies.
The Royal Treasury struggled to fund such events immediately.
If the Temple took on that burden, it would actually be welcome at this juncture.
The priest added several other conditions.
“The main points are settled. Work out the smaller details with my subordinates and decide accordingly.”
Bardal and the other officials, with Nahal’s permission, began to adjust terms with the priests.
“Go discuss this in another room.”
He waved his hand dismissively and summoned an attendant to prepare a suitable chamber for their discussions.
“You stay here.”
As the younger priests filed out behind the attendant, Nahal singled out No Saje with a glance.
With a gesture, he indicated a chair near the table.
The young priests looked at No Saje with concern.
No Saje patted their shoulders lightly before sitting wordlessly before Nahal.
In the study, now emptied of all others, only the smell of stacked paper and parchment, and silence, remained.
No Saje bowed first and asked carefully.
“Is there something you wish to ask of this old one?”
Instead of answering, Nahal studied him for a moment.
Sharp instincts.
Or perhaps he’d already guessed.
“I’ll be direct. If you’ve investigated me, you’ll know this: I’ve been searching for a particular priest for a long time.”
Even as he spoke, Nahal kept his gaze fixed on No Saje’s face, missing nothing.
Yet the old man’s expression remained so composed it was impossible to tell whether this was simply his nature or whether something lay behind that calm facade.
“Fifteen years ago, a priest was dispatched from the Temple to offer Blessing Prayers to soldiers. I believe he was quite young at the time.”
No Saje fell silent for a while, as if weighing Nahal’s words.
After a brief pause, No Saje spoke in a measured tone.
“The Northern Region is such barren land that whenever the lords governing it made requests, we would send priests. Sometimes multiple times a year, so it’s difficult for me to identify anyone in particular at this moment.”
“It was Nifer, specifically in the Northern Region. The priest had at least ten people following and protecting him. Wouldn’t someone commanding such numbers be a high-ranking priest?”
A sharp observation.
But No Saje shook his head.
“Forgive me, but as I mentioned, the divisions between lineages within the Temple are quite distinct. The priests who venture outside to perform Blessing Prayers belong to a different lineage than mine. If you wish, I shall return to the Temple, relay the information you’ve provided, and search for the person you seek.”
It was wordplay.
Yeshili had done the same, and this No Saje was no different.
A vague unease settled over him, yet it was possible the priest might actually bring news.
Nahal nodded curtly.
“Very well.”
He turned his attention back to the documents.
He was about to tell the man he could leave.
“Ah.”
As though remembering something belatedly, Nahal paused, his pen held suspended in his hand.
“I hear the late king’s princess—soon to be my consort—spent time at the Temple.”
He asked without lifting his gaze from the papers.
“Did you know of this?”
In that instant, No Saje’s lips went rigid.
The silence was brief, but it was enough.
For the first time since entering the study, the priest’s face betrayed emotion.
Nahal slowly raised his eyes.
“Many among the palace staff know nothing of this fact. Yet it seems you did.”
No Saje, visibly flustered, answered at last.
“The princess’s mother was born a priest of the Temple, and after the princess’s birth, she lost her mother and fell gravely ill. With the permission of the king, the princess’s nurse brought her to the Temple to remain until her health improved.”
That the late king had permitted this came as a surprise.
It was the sort of thing the palace staff and nobility might well not have known. Since the king had publicly maintained poor relations with the Temple, he would have had no wish to reveal that the princess had spent time there.
Yet why had the king sent the princess to the Temple in the first place?
Though the Temple was renowned for its Healing Arts, the Royal Palace had no shortage of skilled physicians.
“How long?”
Nahal asked, studying the priest’s expression.
But No Saje had already composed himself.
He had donned a mask of stone.
“I’m afraid I don’t know that much myself.”
“Because your lineage is different?”
At this barbed remark, the priest made no denial.
“Yes, that is so.”
Nahal was about to say something more when the door to his study was knocked upon.
Someone rapped at the door from outside.
“Your Majesty.”
An attendant called to him from beyond the door.
The attendant announced that his men, whom he had sent to Nifer—the city laid waste by the late king—had returned.
Nahal clicked his tongue lightly and spoke to the attendant outside.
“Show them in.”
Presently, Snua and several others entered the chamber.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
No Saje rose from his seat and spoke.
“Go.”
Nahal called the attendant standing outside and entrusted No Saje to him, his laugh cold.
“I look forward to seeing what answer you bring to my question next time.”
No Saje made no reply, bowing deeply before departing the study.
Nahal watched the old priest’s retreating figure one last time, then turned his head away.
“So, what was my homeland like?”
Nahal regarded the dust-covered faces of his men, who had ridden hard across long roads.
* * *
At last, the morning of Nahal’s Coronation Ceremony dawned.
The sky that day was unusually clear, and the whole world shone with light from before dawn.
Between her unfamiliar surroundings and the tension she could not shake, Aya had barely slept.
Because Nahal had decided to hold his Coronation Ceremony at the Temple, Aya and the other palace staff had been staying there for a week.
It was nearly a hundred years since a Coronation Ceremony had been held at the Temple.
After the ceremony proper, a brief, informal procedure would follow—with only the nobility present—to receive the princesses as the king’s consorts.
So today was both Nahal’s Coronation Ceremony and Aya’s wedding day.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————