Chapter 170
Holy Knights protected the priests.
While Holy Knights shared the same roots as priests, their duties were somewhat different.
They received the same holy power as priests, but primarily exercised their abilities for purification rather than healing.
Literally, the power to purify what was contaminated.
They mainly purified things tainted by black magic, but could also purify natural elements like land and water.
Thus, they trained in swordsmanship and took on the role of safely guarding both inside and outside the temple.
Ezeto was a high-ranking Holy Knight.
If Prion was revered as the next Pope, Ezeto was practically designated as the next Holy Knight Commander.
‘But he was someone I had little interaction with. Yet suddenly, he comes to see me today…’
‘…Could he be the one?’
“Please sit here, Sir Ezeto.”
Prion hid his momentarily sharpened gaze and offered him a seat.
Ezeto sat across from him, and Prion closed the doctrine book he had been reading.
“Would you like some tea?”
Ezeto shook his head at Prion’s question.
“No, thank you. Since I’ve come suddenly, I’ll speak my business quickly and leave.”
“In that case… please speak freely.”
Ezeto let out a hesitant sound, “Hmm,” before carefully asking.
“The reason I’ve suddenly sought you out, High Priest… is because of the rumor spreading through the temple today.”
“…You mean the rumor that I received an oracle from Lord Helios.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Prion exhaled deeply, “Hmm,” as if expressing discomfort, and said.
“I’ve already told His Holiness the Pope everything about that. That I did not receive an oracle.”
Prion looked at Ezeto with a resolute gaze that said not to ask further.
But Ezeto merely gave a slightly awkward smile and didn’t back down.
“High Priest, I heard that too. But I believe you did receive an oracle.”
Ezeto continued, instantly changing his expression.
“Perhaps everyone in the temple thinks the same. Since your visit to the chapel last night was quite an unusual action.”
Prion replied with a hardened face.
“So are you saying I should explain my actions one by one? Even though I neither violated the temple’s rules nor committed any sin?”
Ezeto waved his hand with an awkward smile.
“Ah, if my words offended you, I apologize. I absolutely did not speak out of suspicion toward you, High Priest.”
“Then what is it?”
At Prion’s sharp question, Ezeto took a deep breath and put on a serious face.
Then, as if checking for eavesdroppers despite being alone, he leaned slightly toward Prion.
Finally, Ezeto spoke softly, as if sharing something extremely important.
“High Priest, I am a Holy Knight who serves Lord Helios’s will.”
“…”
“A Holy Knight’s mission is to completely purify the dark forces in this world. That’s why I wish you would tell me, at least, the truth about the oracle.”
Ezeto continued with a very serious gaze, as if trying to enchant someone.
“If a hero who will save this world is truly about to appear, shouldn’t I, a Holy Knight, help that person?”
Ezeto’s green eyes were as resolute as a knight steeling himself before battle.
It seemed as if he would willingly sacrifice his life to help a hero if one appeared before him.
Perhaps an ordinary person—no, even Prion himself, though just for a moment—would have been swayed by Ezeto.
He had almost unwittingly told the truth just now.
But fortunately, he didn’t give in to Ezeto.
Because the Chief Deity had warned him in advance.
Prion’s blue eyes darkened as he looked at Ezeto.
‘You… you’re the one who betrayed the temple.’
Last night, troubled by the Chief Deity’s recent inexplicable actions, Prion couldn’t sleep and was rereading the temple’s doctrine book, which he had read thousands of times.
To avoid having impious thoughts.
But then, the voice of the Chief Deity resonated in his mind.
Saying he would give an oracle now, so come to the chapel.
But only Prion was to come, quietly.
So Prion, unable to hide his tension, had gone to the chapel.
And he approached the wooden tablet on the altar, made from the sacred tree imbued with the Chief Deity’s power from the primordial era.
Then, as if it had been waiting, an oracle—dormant for 100 years—began to be inscribed on the wooden tablet.
[Child, while I was in brief hibernation, evil forces have invaded even into the temple. Therefore, I now intend to root out those who dared to betray me. Soon I will descend to that land, so before that, find the traitor in the temple. The method is…]
It was to spread a rumor in the temple.
A rumor that the Chief Deity had given an oracle only to him, and that soon a hero would appear to deal with all the evil forces.
The Chief Deity had deliberately asked Prion to come to the chapel instead of speaking through his dreams or mind, in order to spread the rumor.
Even at that late hour, there were priests on patrol.
So Prion, unlike when he entered the chapel, deliberately slammed the door loudly when leaving, as if wanting everyone to hear.
And he returned to his room very slowly, making sure the patrolling priests could see him.
Thus, there were more than a few witnesses who saw him going to the chapel late at night, and as soon as morning came, the rumors began to spread.
Of course, since just going to the chapel alone wouldn’t allow people to guess the contents of the oracle, he slightly utilized a junior priest he trusted the most.
Violet.
He had her appropriately add to the conversation once the rumors started circulating.
That she had accidentally overheard High Priest Prion muttering something about a hero coming soon, or something like that.
There was no need to even mention the word “oracle.” Once the seed of doubt had grown, it would flourish with even the slightest nourishment.
Through Violet, the rumor snowballed, and eventually it became an established fact that the Chief Deity had given Prion an oracle about a hero descending.
Still, he hadn’t expected the traitor to come so quickly.
He had thought it would take at least another day or two.
But now, so soon…
Was it because the black magicians were cornered by the Second Prince’s incident?
A quick response also meant they had little leeway.
Since Prion didn’t know about the Dark Specter sealed in the Empress’s Palace, he naturally thought it was related to the Second Prince’s incident.
Prion finally moved his lips slowly toward Ezeto, who was waiting for an answer.
“…You’re right, I did receive an oracle. Lord Helios said he would soon root out the evil forces in this world.”
And after briefly lowering his gaze as if conflicted, Prion raised his eyes and continued to Ezeto.
“But he told me to keep it secret for now, so Sir Ezeto must also keep this confidential.”
Exactly as the Chief Deity had instructed.
“Yes. I will absolutely keep the secret.”
Ezeto, who had made a false vow with a resolute face, left the room, and Prion exhaled a long sigh with complicated feelings.
Hoping that he had done well as Lord Helios had instructed.
At the exact time when Prion was completing his mission, Alice was drinking tea in her bedroom.
Just then, a flash of lightning split the sky, followed by thunder that seemed to shake heaven and earth.
Rumble— CRASH—
Alice flinched and set down the teacup she had been holding.
“It’s really pouring down, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
Alice replied to Aileen’s comment and turned her head toward the window.
Rain had started falling late last night, and now it was almost at typhoon level, with rain, thunder, and lightning raging.
‘Is Lord Helios angry or something?’
Amusingly, Alice had such a thought as she looked at the torrential rain pouring onto the terrace beyond the window.
And for good reason—in this world, the existence of deities was too evident.
She wondered if the weather might also be influenced by the deities.
But such idle thoughts were brief, and Alice’s mind shifted to the temple.
‘I wonder if the rumors are spreading well in the temple as planned.’
Indeed, it was Alice who had arranged for the Chief Deity to give an oracle to Prion.
The spreading of rumors in the temple was the starting point of Alice’s perfect strategy.
The deity’s story about how he had planned to have Alice deliberately provoke the Empress to hasten the Dark Specter’s breaking of the seal.
After hearing that, Alice had realized:
Perhaps she could reverse what she thought was a complicated situation by pushing it even further, making the Empress and the Dark Specter anxious without her needing to take action herself.
To put it briefly, Alice intended to drive the already cornered Empress even further into a corner.
People typically failed to make rational judgments when thoroughly pushed into a corner.
Though she felt sorry for the First Prince and Count Latrang, she would temporarily set aside that matter and maximize the temple rumors.
The Chief Deity’s oracle, a hero.
These two elements created more impactful gossip than the First Prince’s poisoning.
It was an oracle given after 100 years, and it wasn’t just an imperial matter but something that concerned the entire continent.
Wasn’t there a saying that news without legs travels a thousand miles?
The temple rumors would surely soon spread not only among the nobles but also cross the high walls of the imperial palace to reach the Empress’s ears.
No, perhaps the Empress might hear it even faster than the nobles.
Since she had planted her people in the temple.
In any case, as soon as the Empress heard about the oracle, she would naturally inform the Dark Specter.
Then the Dark Specter would wonder if the Chief Deity had somehow discovered its hiding place in the Empress’s Palace and would want to quickly confirm.
Whether the Chief Deity was truly preparing something or not.
And to confirm this, the Empress would probably seek out Alice.
The hero of the oracle. The one chosen by the Chief Deity—the Empress would be most suspicious of Alice.
Then at that moment, Alice would give the Empress certainty.
That they were indeed about to die.
