Chapter 731: Succession to the Throne (1)
“The royal family’s… invitation, is that what you mean?”
The temporary shrine, replacing the fallen Holy See, lay in ruins.
A woman’s voice resonated through the space.
Her voice had always been beautiful and warm, yet ironically, in this moment of the Holy See’s greatest crisis, it sounded even more beautiful and comforting.
Perhaps, it was only natural. After all, heroes emerge in times of chaos, and saviors appear when the end is near…
In any case, an elderly man responded to her voice, his own sounding weary.
“Yes, that is correct, Savior.”
The old man spoke with utmost respect.
Ordinarily, he would have summoned her to relay the news, but the fact that he had come to deliver it in person spoke volumes.
Not that his rank was low.
Quite the contrary; it was exceedingly high.
In fact, the old man had once been one of the highest-ranking Holy Knights, the leader of the moderate faction’s Archpriests, and, at one time, the Chancellor of Gallos. And now, he had been elected as the new Holy Sovereign, replacing the former Holy Sovereign, who had perished under the rubble.
He was, in essence, one of the most powerful figures in the world.
Yet even so, he showed the utmost reverence toward her.
For his title was one granted by humans, whereas hers was granted by the heavens.
She was the Daughter of Angels or the Savior.
So, the old man bowed his head willingly.
The weight of this honor seemed to weigh heavily on her, as her expression darkened suddenly, as if an enormous weight had settled upon her shoulders.
Sensing this, the old man—Holy Sovereign Armand—looked toward the attendants standing in the room.
These were nobles’ children, sent to become priests of the Holy See. Like others of the Holy See State, their faces and hands were disfigured, marred with unsightly blemishes.
Holy Sovereign Armand spoke to them.
“Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”
At his words, the attendants, who had been standing with their hands clasped and heads bowed, looked up in surprise.
Yet they did not move.
The command had come from the supreme leader of the Pater Church. Still, they merely blinked.
Seeing this, Holy Sovereign Armand closed his eyes, seemingly exhausted.
His weariness was not merely from witnessing the decline in Pater Church’s authority but from how utterly pitiable these people had become.
Their behavior was selfish, as they clung desperately to Joanna’s side.
At that moment, Joanna spoke.
“Could you please give us a moment?”
Only then did they bow and step outside in response to the Daughter of Angels’ request.
The door closed softly and without a sound, and Armand expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Savior—”
“—Please… I beg of you, please don’t call me that.”
Joanna held up her hand, sincerely pleading, rather than out of modesty, as Armand offered his formal greeting.
Armand agreed to her request.
“As you wish, Lady Joanna.”
“You may also lower your speech.”
“Apologies, but I cannot do that.”
“You are the Holy Sovereign.”
“A mere half-sovereign, at that.”
Armand spoke, and indeed, it was true.
A Holy Sovereign was the supreme religious leader of the Pater Church. While they directly ruled only the Holy See State, their authority spanned the vast lands of all nations that recognized the sovereignty of the Holy See.
But that was a thing of the past.
After the demon’s descent, which destroyed the Holy See, twisted the appearance of the Holy See State’s inhabitants, and eradicated Holy Magic, the status of the Pater Church was a shadow of what it once was.
Moreover, Armand’s selection as the Holy Sovereign was far from ideal.
It hadn’t been an election of fraud, but with the demon having decimated more than half the Archpriest Council and with other prominent candidates like Roderick either injured or dead, Armand’s selection had occurred with barely any formalities. To put it plainly, it had been a rush job.
Thus, Armand regarded himself as a “half-sovereign.”
He had ascended to the throne through the most impoverished of ceremonies at the very lowest point in the Holy See’s authority.
Joanna did not yield and responded firmly.
“You are still the Holy Sovereign. Elected fairly.”
“Thank you for saying so. If not for your words, I would not be recognized as Holy Sovereign.”
Unable to refute the undeniable truth, Joanna fell silent.
When Holy Magic vanished into the demon’s hands and Pater Church’s authority plummeted, it was Joanna who stepped forward to restore some semblance of order.
Flying through the sky with wings crafted of Holy Magic like an angel herself, Joanna had restored hope.
“Holy Magic has not disappeared. Every bit of it has been gathered by the Daughter of Angels to defeat the demon!”
Presenting Joanna to the world, Armand had spread this fabrication, and with that lie, he had managed to contain a fraction of the chaos overwhelming the world.
With nothing left to say, Joanna fell into silence, and seeing her, Armand whispered quietly.
This time, he spoke plainly, out of consideration for Joanna.
“Is it a heavy burden?”
After a long moment of contemplation, Joanna nodded.
“It’s a bit difficult. It’s the eyes of those who look at me.”
Armand recalled the eyes of the attendants from earlier.
Eyes that looked upon her as if she were the only lifeline left amidst an oncoming hell.
Their gaze was laced with an intense emotion far beyond reverence for gold or wisdom.
A selfish feeling so powerful, it was suffocating just to behold.
Of course, it was understandable. Faced with survival, or even salvation, humanity could only be weak.
Yet selfishness remained selfishness.
Even a desperate longing for salvation…
Armand wondered if perhaps, even the omnipotent being above had never revealed themselves to the world because it was impossible even for them to save all of humankind’s selfish desires.
Perhaps not even an all-knowing god could save selfish humanity entirely.
It was a heretical thought for a Holy Sovereign to entertain, yet he could not entirely dismiss it.
If the intention was to save humanity, would they not have created an end to this apocalypse?
As Armand nearly allowed himself to fall into such a negative thought, Joanna spoke.
“I’m sorry… I’ve been complaining too much. Surely, this is difficult for Your Holiness as well. I apologize.”
Seeing Armand’s darkened expression, Joanna had offered an apology.
This only filled Armand with shame.
To think he had just displayed the same traits of humanity he’d condemned. Armand swiftly changed the subject.
“No, Lady Joanna… Anyway, back to the main point. The royal family of the United Kingdom has invited you. They wish for you to attend the royal succession ceremony.”
Joanna examined the letter Armand handed her.
As he had said, it was an invitation, requesting the Daughter of Angels to bless the coronation of the new king of the United Kingdom.
After reading the letter, Joanna’s first response was simple.
“Suddenly?”
It perfectly encapsulated the notion of a succession for the United Kingdom’s throne.
Just as she had noted, it was far too abrupt, as though she had been struck out of the blue.
Although the current Queen of the United Kingdom, who had brought it to its peak, had entered old age, she was still widely regarded as healthy and vigorous.
Only a short while ago, newspapers had even documented her bustling activities as proof.
And yet, quite suddenly, the Queen had fallen ill, and it was determined that Crown Prince Edward X would ascend to the throne.
For a royal succession, it seemed hastily executed, almost sloppy in its swiftness.
On top of that…
“On top of that, rumors of an alliance between the royal family and the Puppet have spread.”
The supposed alliance between the Puppet and the royal family...
The rumor originated from a conversation broadcasted simultaneously throughout the United Kingdom, predictably sparking large and small ripples.
In Celland, which was loyal to the royal family, most dismissed it as nonsense or political terrorism.
However, in colonies and places like Northland, where sentiments against the royal family ran high, the rumor had been taken quite seriously, inciting disturbances of various scales.
Only adding to the turmoil in an already chaotic world where Holy Magic had vanished...
“That’s likely why they’ve sent this invitation—to form an alliance, as it were. With the royal family disordered by the rumor of collusion with the Puppet, and our Pater Church’s authority weakened without Holy Magic… In short, they want to bolster each other’s authority.”
“You think they have an ulterior motive.”
“Indeed.”
Armand answered without the slightest hesitation, then added with conviction.
“It’s highly likely they have allied with the Puppet.”
“Do you have reason to be so certain?”
“It’s disheartening, but people are not so easily changed. No matter how young they may be, without a particular catalyst, they cannot change, and unfortunately, the Crown Prince of the United Kingdom does not hold a position to acquire such a catalyst. Especially a person like Edward X.”
From his answer, Joanna could sense Armand’s estimation of Edward X.
Certainly, he did not have a favorable reputation.
Nonetheless, Joanna pressed further.
“However, recent reports claim he has changed a lot and achieved remarkable results, haven’t they?”
“That’s why I believe he’s allied with the Puppet. For someone incompetent, accomplishing those feats would only be possible with assistance.”
Complete distrust. Joanna felt a moment of pity for Armand.
A priest, a preacher of God’s teachings, held such profound distrust in humanity.
Rather than an inherent disposition, it seemed this distrust had been shaped through countless experiences.
“…Then, why would they invite me? If they really have allied with the Puppet, wouldn’t they want to keep me away?”
Armand hesitated before responding.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer; he was simply reluctant to give it.
When Joanna urged him once more, Armand finally spoke.
“They must believe they need your power, Lady Joanna, to fulfill the end of days.”
...
Armand explained.
The Puppet’s ultimate goal.
It was none other than the realization of an artificial apocalypse.
This was something speculated by the former Archive Merlin, who believed the Puppet’s goal in bringing about the end was to harness the power of God, which would manifest at that time.
“The power of God?”
“An apocalypse is only possible with divine permission.”
“Ah…”
Joanna gasped.
The world had interpreted the end of days as some sort of demonic rebellion, but that was not the case.
Having once faced the Lady on the Camel, they understood it better than anyone.
The grim reality was that the apocalypse was an act of God, carried out by demons with divine sanction.
“...The Puppet may have interpreted that the Daughter of Angels is also necessary to bring about a complete apocalypse. That’s likely why you were invited.”
“So, it’s a trap.”
Armand nodded.
Which naturally raised a question. Knowing all this, it would have been normal for Holy Sovereign Armand to refuse the invitation, yet he explained instead of turning it down.
The reason for his stance wasn’t hard to deduce.
“You believe I should go, don’t you, Your Holiness?”
Armand nodded slowly and heavily.
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
Even knowing it was a trap, Armand wanted her to go.
However, Joanna did not get angry.
She understood that his reasoning went beyond merely restoring the Pater Church’s fallen authority. With the apocalypse nearing, Armand was not so foolish as to cling to such matters.
His request was aligned with the very purpose of his acceptance of the Holy Sovereign role amidst the Pater Church’s crisis.
In these circumstances, he was struggling, desperately trying to avert the apocalypse.
“If Edward X has indeed joined hands with the Puppet, their preparations are likely complete. Your invitation is probably meant to increase the chances of bringing about the apocalypse, as part of their end-time preparations.”
“Could they really bring about the apocalypse just by staging such a thing?”
“I think it’s unlikely, but the fact that it’s the Puppet makes it problematic. A black magician who has clung to life for centuries. If he’s prepared, we can’t dismiss the possibility of success.”
“So, you’re saying I have to go.”
Joanna understood Armand’s intention.
If the Puppet was indeed prepared, he reasoned it would be better to attend and prevent their plans than to avoid it entirely.
“Of course, I have no intention of sending you alone. I will also—”
“No.”
For the second time that day, Joanna interrupted Armand. This meant it was a matter of great importance.
“Your Holiness, you should remain here. The Holy Sovereign’s direct involvement is unprecedented. If we both go, it will only arouse suspicion.”
“Even if…”
Armand began, but then fell silent.
Even if they were to disguise his identity, the Puppet would likely recognize him.
Moreover, the Puppet had probably gathered information on their side as well.
He was, after all, a black magician who had survived for centuries and allied with the crown prince.
Additionally, according to the new Archive Kevin, it was possible the Puppet had sent corpse puppets to spy within the Holy See itself.
If that were true, then as Joanna said, his going would do more harm than good.
“Instead, I have a favor to ask of you, Your Holiness.”
“Name it.”
“My younger siblings… I apologize for asking for such a selfish favor at a time like this, but would you care for them?”
She was referring to the children of the Ark Orphanage, who were currently residing in the Holy See State.
Ever since they had been abducted by the Piper, they had had nowhere to go and had ended up here.
Thankfully, they had survived the ominous signs of the demon’s descent and hadn’t suffered the same curse that twisted others’ skin.
Armand nodded.
“Of course, I will. This isn’t selfish at all.”
“No, it is selfish.”
Joanna rejected Armand’s comfort. This was the truth.
Despite the suffering of the entire Holy See State, she had only prioritized her siblings.
Armand understood her feelings and didn’t press further.
Instead, he offered something else.
“Would you not like to visit them? …The children miss you, Lady Joanna.”
Armand’s suggestion was directed at Joanna, who hadn’t visited her younger siblings once in the aftermath of the demon’s descent.
Joanna’s answer was the same as before.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t… not right now. I simply can’t see them.”