Beguiling the Enemy’s Patriarch - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 67
* * *
Whether it was because I had cried my heart out without reservation, or because my exhausted body had been filled with divine grace, I couldn’t say for certain. In any case, I managed to fall asleep earlier than usual that night. Auredhian let out a short laugh upon seeing me in that drowsy state, then carried me to bed.
Judging by the way that silver light continued to shimmer in my vision until the very moment I drifted off, it seemed he had remained by my side until sleep claimed me.
Still such an unnecessarily tender person. I glanced around the Imperial Palace once more before moving forward. Today—two days since that dawn—was the day I would depart for the Temple.
“Since it is a place where we serve the divine, it is far more austere and humble than the Imperial Palace. I do hope you will find it acceptable….”
Diego, who had come to fetch me personally, trailed off with a worried expression. I shrugged my shoulders.
“It will be more than sufficient. The Imperial Palace itself was far too grand for me.”
“Then I am relieved, at least.”
Diego clearly wanted to ask me something. The way he kept glancing at me suggested he had a thousand questions on his mind.
….”
Under normal circumstances, I would have cheerfully said something like, “Why? What is it? If you want to ask something, just ask!” But I had no such inclination now. I awkwardly averted my gaze from Diego and continued walking.
Crunch, crunch. The neatly trimmed grass beneath my feet gave way with each step. It was the courtyard grass I had walked through countless times over the past two and a half months. I pressed my throbbing temples.
“What am I thinking about so much?”
Had I grown attached to this Imperial Palace in merely two and a half months? Or was it because I didn’t know when I might return to this place? Perhaps it was because this quiet, languid palace filled with peace resembled its master far too much.
“….”
But whatever the reason, such lingering attachment was now pointless. I shook my head firmly and quickened my pace. There was no reason to hesitate once a decision had been made.
“Let us go, Diego.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Diego maintained his worried expression but refrained from asking me anything further. It was a consideration I was deeply grateful for.
Crunch, crunch. We walked through the neatly maintained courtyard and along a familiar path—past Bellirook Palace and toward the South Gate of the Imperial Palace. Even though I had spent nearly three months here, I wanted to see the palace one last time. As the white onion-domed structure drew closer, my mood grew increasingly melancholy. I wondered if Marienne was doing well…?
“Gasp.”
And the moment I laid eyes on Bellirook Palace, my mouth fell open.
“What…. What happened…?”
I heard Diego let out an ambiguous laugh beside me. My eyes widened like saucers as I stared at Bellirook Palace—or rather, at the garden in front of it. The garden was utterly devastated. Red cordoning tape hung thickly in front of the garden, preventing any unauthorized entry. I could not hide my shock at the sight of the garden, which had been gouged out as if a meteor had fallen upon it.
“By His Majesty’s command, the garden was purified. Until not a trace of the corrupted magic remained.”
This didn’t seem like something to state so matter-of-factly…. I opened my mouth wide and looked up at Diego, then turned my gaze back to the garden. Only then did I recall that Auredhian had ordered the entire garden to be purified on the day I awoke.
“But still…. There should be limits….”
“Just to be safe. The order was to remove everything completely and thoroughly. It gave me quite a bit of work. I had to keep tilling until His Majesty was satisfied….”
“Sigh.”
So when that usually generous man loses his focus, there’s truly no stopping him. I came to understand this anew. I would have to see the kind Auredhian again. Yes…. I shook my head and passed by Bellirook Palace. All the while thinking about how long it would take to properly restore that place. My farewell to Bellirook Palace ended in a rather peculiar manner.
At last, the South Gate of the Imperial Palace came into view in the distance. Two and a half months after I had entered the Belgot Imperial Palace, I departed.
* * *
The distance from the Imperial Palace to the Temple was considerable. I rode in a carriage, careful not to stray far from Diego, and crossed the Capital. It was the same route Auredhian and I had taken when we ventured into Barishard.
I rested my head against the window and watched the passing scenery. Seeing it this way, the memories from a month ago came rushing back with vivid clarity.
The carriage slowly entered the city proper. Buildings with an antique and elegant character began to appear one by one along the straight road, then soon crowded densely on both sides of the street.
At the end of this street lay Ugel Square. A square that was itself a work of cultural art. The second heart of this nation. The place where I had dragged Auredhian about, examining all manner of trinkets and snacks one by one. Where the statue of a howling wolf bearing a cross stood, and where murals depicting Belgot’s founding mythology were painted.
And the place where I first witnessed that usually languid and leisurely man become sharp and acute. Where Soleia had posed her second threat to me.
Now that I was moving away from the Imperial Palace, I even found myself missing those memories. It was a foolish thought, I knew. But back then, I had wandered about so happily, oblivious to everything.
I sighed and waited for the scenery that would soon appear beyond the window. Yet when we reached the end of the street, the sight before me was quite different from what I remembered. A question filled with bewilderment escaped my lips.
“Um… why is the Square like that again?”
The Square, which had been more than half-filled with bustling crowds, now stood completely empty. The vendor stalls that had lined the Square’s edges had vanished without a trace, and the throngs of tourists that once gathered around the fountain were gone. All that remained were the howling wolf statue at the center and the fountain itself. And the murals depicting the founding mythology. Moreover, red cordons had been strung across every alley, blocking passage. Those red cords… they seemed oddly familiar somehow.
I furrowed my brow and turned to Diego Schmart.
“What is this… what happened while we were away?”
“Ah.”
Diego Schmart let out a short exclamation. Then he laughed awkwardly.
“That is…”
I looked up at him with a bewildered expression. Diego Schmart seemed to be choosing his words for a moment before finally opening his mouth.
“A few weeks ago… His Majesty ordered the Square to be sealed off.”
“The Square sealed off?”
“Yes.”
My mouth fell open. If there was an incident significant enough to warrant sealing off the entire Square a few weeks ago, there could only be one thing!
“This is a bit… excessive, isn’t it?”
My lips were saying one thing, but my heart was pounding again for some reason. It had been nearly a month since the dark-magic-cursed mana stone was discovered in this Square—nearly a month since I came here with Auredhian.
I had thought he might have been worried, but to this extent…
It was a rather endearing realization. I felt as though I might cry, yet at the same time, I felt as though I might float up into the sky. The contradiction made me scrunch my face up ridiculously.
“His Majesty must have been very concerned.”
Diego Schmart spoke to me gently. I pressed my lips together and barely managed to tear my gaze away from the empty Square. That man who wielded such strange emotional walls hadn’t even mentioned taking such measures to me. Now that I thought about it, the same was true of Bellirook Palace. I never could have imagined he would have turned the Garden upside down like that.
“He’s really a strange person.”
“Perhaps so.”
Diego Schmart answered my muttering and smiled faintly. I met his gaze with wavering eyes. Those kind golden eyes seemed to be saying ‘I told you so,’ and I suddenly wanted to crawl into a mouse hole and hide.
The carriage continued for a few more minutes before finally arriving at the Temple. The suffocating sense of pressure I had felt when I first set foot in the Temple was far less intense this time.
After descending from the carriage, I looked around with a fresh sense of wonder. A month had passed like the wind, yet it was still time, and white flowers bloomed abundantly all around. May was nearly over now, and summer was slowly approaching. The air was filled with the clean, clear sanctity of the Temple and the scent of green grass.
“This way, if you please.”
Diego Schmart led me forward, just as he had a month ago. I glanced up at the distant altar atop the stairs where Raulus was said to descend.
[You’ve finally come to a place where I can see you better, little crumb.]
Right on cue, a voice tinged with laughter struck my mind. I wondered why I hadn’t spoken up sooner. I carefully opened my mouth so Diego Schmart wouldn’t hear.
“This place really is safe, right?”
[It’s one of the safest places from the things you fear.]
It was an affirmation of sorts. I glanced up at the sky.
“So being able to see better in the Temple means you can be a bit freer here? Or perhaps you can descend to the mortal realm a bit faster…?”
The answer that came back was not a particularly welcome affirmation this time.
[That’s similar to telling you to go down below Remordi right now, little one.]
Well, of course… I sighed. There was no way I would be given a possession buff or an extra buff or anything like that. It seemed I, Yerenika, would spend my entire life never escaping the fate of a sunfish. How depressing. Truly depressing! As I was busily digging through the ground and frequently chasing after Diego Schmart, a voice called out to me.
“Your Highness?”
It was an unfamiliar voice. I reflexively stopped in my tracks and turned my head toward the source of the voice.
“My goodness, it really is!”
A Noble Lady with an unfamiliar face let out a small exclamation as she looked at me. She was an exceptionally refined and elegant beauty.

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