Touch My Brother and You Die - Chapter 219
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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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“First, I’d like to meet the High Priest. We may end up fighting again.”
Though I didn’t show it, Sage, Mother, and Aster were all wounded and exhausted. It was obvious I’d have to fight the Pope, so I needed to be fully prepared. And if luck wasn’t on my side, I’d have to face the Imperial Guard and other priests as well. There was no chance they’d side with us.
A woman with the exact same face as a Pope from several generations ago, who had defeated an elephant monster. And me, who had wielded the prestige of the Emperor and Lucilucil to control the Imperial Palace. It was clear as day whose side they’d take.
Though it did seem like I’d brought this upon myself.
“My goodness, where did you all sustain such injuries?”
Ahhh! Light is radiating from Grandfather’s face! Even with a beard, why is he so handsome!
The grandfather whom Prince Nerva introduced as the High Priest used sacred power with a benevolent expression. Watching Grandfather heal Mother was truly holy. What kind of extraordinary appearance must he have had in his youth to age so gracefully?
I stood there gawking at Grandfather’s face in amazement, when Sage quietly stepped in front of me.
“Doctor.”
“Yes?”
“Among all living men over fifty, who is the most handsome person in the world?”
“Why, of course it’s Sage Oswald, whose lightning scar is the sexiest thing in existence. Papa’s mysterious crimson eyes and chic appearance, his intellectual aura—no one can imitate it, and they shouldn’t even try. If they’re going to imitate, they should pay royalties. He’s a genius anyway, and his face is genius too. I love Papa.”
“Hmm…”
What, I’m just saying what I always say—move aside already. Since Papa rarely moves, I forcefully pushed him aside and got a good look at the High Priest. Wow… Do the people of Largol have some kind of racial advantage? Even in priestly robes, his build is so… oh, oh my, hm.
“The noble Young Lady is also injured. Allow me to examine you.”
Huh, me? Oh right, I did get cut near my neck chain earlier. It suddenly came back to me, so I offered my neck to Grandfather the High Priest. Then Sage interjected again.
“Wait! Hold on! The child has a chain touching the wound! She could get tetanus, so let’s wash it properly and get treatment at Aleine! Don’t let this priest cause another disease!”
Right, that’s true. The blade and chain weren’t rusty, but I should be careful just in case. If I solved every problem only to die of tetanus, it would be utterly humiliating.
Just washing, disinfecting, and wrapping it with bandages would be enough.
“Largol has tetanus vaccines. It seems you lack faith.”
“Vaccines? That’s just something Aleine imported ten years ago and started bragging about. Barbaric priest.”
“Aleine prospered, but lacked divine protection. You will come to understand in time.”
“What! You want to fight?!”
Wow… this grandfather has quite the skill at subtle jabs. So this is basically saying that since Aleine is being invaded and will soon become a Largol colony, why not convert to the Largol state religion while you’re at it?
How does he say such things with a benevolent expression without showing a hint of irritation? This isn’t the handiwork of someone who’s only sparred once or twice.
“Rosie! Are you hurt?! Let me see! Let me see!”
“Jack Brown, you bastard! What did you do! Where were you, you idiot!”
“Ah, so it’s my fault the Young Lady got hurt while teasing Lucilucil?!”
What a commotion. I need to get this country’s Prince Nerva on the throne and leave quickly. If I show up with the Fourth Prince in front of the Pope while she’s causing trouble, at least I can prevent that woman from seizing control of the Imperial Palace.
“…?”
Hmm? Now that I think about it, there’s something I overlooked. Why did I assume the Pope could stop the elephant monster? Generally, priests can only heal, right?
But there was clear circumstantial evidence that the Pope could do more than just heal. First, when I faced her, she said that if I served under her for fifty years, she could cleanse my negation. I let it pass then, but now I wonder if that refers to the regression magic cast on me.
And second was the private meeting between Celin and the Pope. Celin must have approached the Pope because she believed the Pope could solve her problem. And what was Celin’s problem? It was surely related to the mana restraint device created by my brilliant Papa.
She can cleanse my negation if given time. She can also release Celin’s mana restraint. Does the Pope possess some other special ability?
“High Priest, my question may be disrespectful to the Zoraab Church, but…”
“Not at all. You are the one who protected the Fourth Prince. Ask whatever you wish.”
“Does His Holiness the Pope possess any special abilities besides healing people?”
It seems I’ve struck a nerve. The High Priest glanced nervously at the Fourth Prince, clearly uncomfortable. So there was something to it after all. It appeared this was a matter that required the approval of Nerva, who enjoyed the strongest support from the Zoraab Orthodox Church.
I nudged Aster repeatedly until she delivered that particular statement. She looked at me resentfully, gritted her teeth, and offered a special message meant solely for the Fourth Prince.
“I love you, Fourth Prince.”
“High Priest! Given the emergency situation, I believe it would be acceptable to reveal this now!”
“I see. If that is Your Highness’s wish…”
Ha, my Aster is the most beautiful in the world. With things as they are, punishment hardly seems necessary. But if I don’t punish her, Aster will carry guilt. Perhaps I should commend her instead. To ensure she never falls prey to the temptation of grilled short ribs again, I’ll have to feed her until she’s absolutely stuffed.
“Joraab is a being who governs the life of all things. The deity can nurture life and heal, but conversely, can also cause impure beings to wither and perish. We mere priests can only exercise healing power, but since the Pope six generations ago heard the voice of Joraab, we have been granted the ability to cause life to wither.”
Six generations ago! Given that the current Pope has been alive for two hundred years, the timing aligns perfectly. So he fabricated his own power as the authority of Joraab and orchestrated everything.
Now I understand. That woman is a mage. Moreover, she’s a mage with a long career in the medical field. No wonder she kept going on about Macaon and couldn’t cure our Four Spans’s eyes. I dare say Macaon is the greatest physician in human history.
Listing his achievements one by one would exhaust my mouth, but the game was already decided when he refined penicillin at the age of twelve. If such a genius couldn’t cure it, then as someone in the same profession, my grandmother could only throw up her hands. Even if that woman excels overwhelmingly at activating human natural healing or accelerating decay to kill and revive, there is no one who can match Macaon in actually curing disease.
Of course! Such! A talented individual! Being summoned every time some unnecessary casualty occurs! Every time! I feel apologetic! But what can I do! We’re the ones in charge! If you hated the inconvenience, you shouldn’t have made a contract with Rocksburg and the Royal Family! You knew full well the notorious reputation of the Previous Duke Rocksburg, so why did you follow along so meekly!
Well, of course, Macaon must have been young back then, and to be frank, there’s a heart-wrenching story about how the Previous Duke deceived Macaon and installed him as the Royal Physician.
“That means…”
When a mage reaches the sixth circle, aging stops. This was generally known common sense among those affiliated with the Magic Tower. It was a characteristic found neither in Dark Mages nor in priests. Even the remarkable Celin maintained her youth through contracts with otherworldly beings and the use of her own power, so there were no exceptions.
Come to think of it, the profession of priest itself is a derivative of Dark Magic, so the characteristics would inevitably be the same.
A priest cannot enjoy a lifespan that transcends human understanding. To hide the fact that he was a mage, he passed down the position of Pope through generations, laundered his identity, and borrowed Celin’s power.
The ability to cause beings to wither was also valuable information. Through this, I understood both his boast about breaking my curse over fifty years and the reason he could release Celin’s mana restraint.
Whether the magic, curse, or perhaps corruption placed upon me—whatever its true nature—he had confidence that given time, he could cause that magic to wither. The same would have applied to Papa’s mana restraint. He intended to spend time causing the restraint to wither and ultimately perish.
If that’s the case, entrusting the chain around my neck to that woman and undergoing fifty years of training actually seems like a fairly promising option…
“Hmm…”
No. I still can’t do it. Rather than spend fifty years catering to that old woman’s whims, I’d become a battery. And before that, Leon might meet an untimely death again through some misfortune.
Anyway, returning to the original point. About the old woman’s power to eliminate the elephant. According to the High Priest’s explanation, if the elephant has even the smallest wound, she could cause it to decay and eliminate its existence? If so…
“High Priest. Grant me a tetanus injection and the mercy of Joraab.”
“Doctor! Are you in your right mind!”
“Indeed, a noble person truly understands the greatness of Joraab.”
Ha. Yes. Because I don’t want to die.
After receiving treatment for my wounds, I sternly ordered everyone else and the animals to be thoroughly healed without leaving a single scratch. Eliminating wounds immediately was important, and avoiding injury when confronting the Pope was equally crucial.
“Jack Brown, take a look at the Duchess’s weapon. The blade’s completely dulled.”
“Goodness, she’s used it quite roughly.”
Jack Brown pulled out some new friends he’d made during his time at the Imperial Palace and began sharpening the blade. So Mother’s is fine. As for Aster’s, it might be better to buy a new one, but with the Capital in chaos from the elephant rampage, I wonder if there’s anywhere to procure weapons…
“Sister!”
Noticing my concern, Leon called out to me confidently and pulled a key from his waist.
“I’ve obtained the key to the Royal Armory!”
“That’s my brother!”
Whether it’s from playing with Jack so often lately, your manner of speech has become quite vulgar, but I’ll overlook that much.
I embraced Leon, patted his back firmly, grabbed his face and squished it, then planted kisses all over him. Hahaha, this brat doesn’t even seem bothered by how much I’m mauling him. Such a disgusting little thing.
“Let’s go! My situation is already hopeless, but we still need to resolve the Aleine problem!”
“Doctor, don’t say such things so cheerfully. Papa’s heart aches.”
“Rosie, you’re not hopeless. You’re not! Don’t worry! Mom will figure something out!”
How many times have I told you? If this was something you could figure out, the incident would have been resolved more than sixty years ago.
When I spoke the truth coldly, the Duchess clutched her face and wept bitterly.
Regardless of her tears, I mounted Elizabeth. My beloved mare looked healthy, as did Peter, and the Fourth Prince was well protected by Aster. Mother’s golf bag remained safe in its place, and I could gather the weapons as we moved forward.
Seeing the elephant still rampaging, it seemed Grandmother the Pope hadn’t yet decided on the most opportune moment for her grand entrance.
Time was on our side. Our task this time was simple—to present the Fourth Prince to the Imperial Palace at the right moment.
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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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