Chapter 94
Chapter 94. The Divine Trial
Berdo Makkan, the captain of the Dawn Knight Order guarding the border, struck the reins he was holding with all his might.
True to its reputation as the fastest horse owned by the knight order, it galloped forward at an incredible speed, pounding the ground.
‘I should have followed Her Majesty the Empress somehow…!’
Regret was useless now; it was too late. The best he could do at the moment was to hurry and see Her Majesty as quickly as possible.
He recalled the message that had just been delivered to the knight order:
‘Captain, you need to come out right away!’
‘Didn’t you hear me say not to leave the quarters today?’
‘High-ranking nobles are coming here through the palace’s magic circle! To hand over Her Majesty the Empress for a divine trial!’
The situation made his teeth grind involuntarily.
These people who don’t even know basic courtesy!
Normally, he as the captain should have greeted them, but he left that task to the vice-captain and set out to find Her Majesty the Empress.
“Her Majesty seemed unaware of the trial, I must at least buy her some time to return to the palace and prepare…”
His mind was racing. Branches scratched his cheek, already full of scars, as he recklessly galloped through the forest path rather than the well-paved road.
“Hya!”
Ignoring the scratches, he pressed on.
How many of his comrades’ lives had been saved thanks to Her Majesty’s quick judgment? Now that he finally had a chance to repay that debt, he couldn’t afford to waste even a moment.
At the main gate of the temple, the holy knights guarding the entrance raised their spears in alarm at the sight of the large black horse galloping from afar.
Neigh—!
The horse reared up on its hind legs, pawing the air, just before trampling the holy knights.
Without even catching his breath, Berdo leaped off the horse and handed the reins to a holy knight.
“I’ll leave him with you for a moment!”
“Berdo Makkan…? No, what on earth are you doing!”
Due to their great reputation and proximity, the holy knights knew the faces and names of the Dawn Knight Order members who often visited the temple.
But they never expected him to leave his horse like this and rush inside as if fleeing.
Ignoring the voices of the holy knights calling after him, Berdo hurried inside.
‘If I had known it would come to this, I should have asked for more details!’
How could he find Her Majesty the Empress, who had pulled her hood down to her hairline, in this situation with so many people coming and going? Moreover, due to his fierce appearance, people were quickly clearing the area around him, drawing unnecessary attention.
“Where are you, Your Majesty…!”
Berdo wiped the sweat from his forehead, breathing heavily. As he looked around, his gaze caught a priest.
“You there, wait a moment!”
“Yes? What…”
The priest who raised his head at the call took a step back in surprise upon seeing Berdo’s face.
“Ho-holy knight, he-here, here…”
Berdo hurriedly interrupted the priest.
“Do you recognize this emblem? It’s the emblem of the Tessibanian Imperial Knight Order.”
“Ah, yes, I do.”
“I have an urgent matter. Could you tell me where to go to see the Grand Priest or the Chief Priest?”
“Go-go to the end there. There should be a building with yellow curtains, th-that’s the place.”
“Thank you very much!”
Berdo dashed towards the building the priest had pointed out. Without noticing the priest urgently calling for holy knights behind him, he entered the building and began opening closed doors one by one.
In his haste, he searched randomly, but for some reason, all the rooms were empty. Had they all gone somewhere for some business?
When he opened the last door at the end of the corridor, Berdo finally found the person he had been searching for so desperately.
“Your Majesty!”
“…Did you follow me here?”
“Your Majesty, you must leave immediately. I’ll explain the details as we move…”
Berdo, who was about to continue speaking, noticed Vinea’s condition and his face hardened.
“Who… which priest dared to splash water on Your Majesty! Surely it wasn’t the Grand Priest? This is an insult to the empire!”
“Calm down, Sir. I did this to myself, and it’s not such a big deal.”
“But…!”
Wiping away water droplets that were still falling from her chin with the back of her hand, Vinea turned her head towards Berdo.
“What reason brought you here in such a hurry?”
“A number of nobles have come through the palace’s teleportation magic circle and are now heading from the knight order to the temple. It seems they’ve requested a divine trial. You need to leave immediately to buy time to prepare countermeasures.”
“A divine trial, you say? They’ve started quite an interesting affair.”
It had been a while, she couldn’t remember how long. In another regression, she had been burned at the stake as a witch after carelessly revealing the future, and that too was the result of a divine trial.
The decisive cause was when she blurted out a noble’s demise in front of him, and it came true. Of course, the malicious rumors spread by Eurene Castallo played a big part in turning public sentiment against her until that point.
“I’ll escort you to the palace, Your Majesty. If that’s not possible, I’ll help you escape across the border to the Veshnu Empire.”
“I appreciate your concern, but your help is unnecessary. I was actually in need of such a stage.”
“A stage… you say?”
“Didn’t I tell you when I left? That I needed to confirm whether I had truly incurred God’s wrath.”
Vinea lifted the corner of her mouth as she pushed her wet hair back.
“God has willingly given me an answer, so shouldn’t I deal with the heretics who dare to condemn me as a sinner? With God’s will at my back, that is.”
“Heretics? What on earth…”
“Someone’s coming.”
Just as Vinea finished speaking, the door burst open. An armed holy knight immediately pointed his spear at Berdo. At the same time, Berdo drew his sword from his waist, about to attack them when Vinea stepped between them.
“I’d like to request guidance to where the divine trial will be held soon.”
“You are…”
“The Empress of Tessibania. And the one who will stand for the divine trial soon.”
The holy knight, belatedly recognizing Vinea, looked at Berdo with a bewildered face. They had rushed here after receiving a report of a suspicious person with a sword roaming the temple, but why was the Empress of the Tessibanian Empire in the Chief Priest’s room?
In front of the perplexed holy knight, Vinea gently pushed the back of Berdo’s hand holding the sword.
“You should attend too, if you have time. It will be quite a spectacle to behold.”
* * *
At the central temple located on the border where Tessibania and Veshnu meet, a subtle silence and tension settled.
The nobles of Tessibania gathered in the grand, deep space with its majestic white columns, inspiring awe and intimidation.
Having just arrived through the teleportation magic circle installed in the imperial palace, they had barely managed to calm their nausea and pale faces during the carriage ride led by the Dawn Knight Order.
Five priests hurriedly greeted them.
“May God’s blessing be upon you. The servants of God Urogia greet you all.”
Marquis Marche, the regent, bowed his head in return.
“I apologize for contacting you so urgently. Where is Her Majesty the Empress?”
“Pardon? Wasn’t she coming with you? We were hastily preparing after your request for a divine trial…”
As the priest asked back with a confused look, Marquis Marche turned with a hardened face.
“Marquis Gendal, what is the meaning of this? A divine trial, you say!”
Marquis Gendal stepped forward. His long, lizard-like lips curved into a deep arc, revealing a vile expression.
“It’s exactly as you heard. Didn’t you tell me to convey the situation well to the temple? It’s only natural to bring Her Majesty the Empress, who stole Sefitiana and used wicked tricks, to a divine trial.”
“Marquis Gendal!”
Even if Her Majesty had indeed done such a thing, this was not the way. Just as the empire is not above the temple, neither is the temple above the empire. How could they entrust a matter that should first be decided by imperial law to the temple?
This was none other than the Empress of the Tessibanian Empire. Despite the numerous rumors surrounding her, many people were still defending the Empress of Tessibania because of her epithet, ‘Radiance of Blessing’.
If one truly revered the imperial family and cared for the empire’s honor, they shouldn’t have acted in such a vile manner.
“To do such a thing without any consultation, your motives are transparent and despicable! Do you think this will go unpunished?”
“Your words are harsh, Marquis Marche. I made the best choice for the empire.”
Once requested, a divine trial cannot be revoked. As soon as an accusation is made and approved by the Grand Priest, it is recorded on the back of the holy book.
Whether guilty or not, just having one’s name written there was an unspeakable dishonor.
And what of the punishment? If found guilty of blasphemy against God, one must confess their sins in front of everyone on the judgment platform in the open space behind the temple, then receive punishment fitting their crime.
If she had stolen Sefitiana and tried to overthrow the empire with God’s power, the ultimate price would surely be death.
“Speak plainly! It’s not for the empire, but for your own safety, isn’t it! The doctor’s opinion that His Majesty is still alive means that your head will be the first to roll when he wakes up, that’s why you’re doing this!”
Marquis Gendal’s face contorted. Below his furrowed brow, cunning and greedy eyes glinted.
“Nonsense! How dare you slander me like this when I wish for His Majesty’s well-being more than anyone!”
“Ha! Well-being? It would be fortunate if you don’t send an assassin to His Majesty lying in bed after handing over Her Majesty the Empress!”
The heated argument between the two was interrupted when another priest approached. The priest spoke to them.
“The preparations for the divine trial are complete. Her Majesty the Empress and the Grand Priest have taken their seats, so we ask that the others move to their places as well.”
