Prache claimed to be the only God, yet he did not know everything.
‘If you were omniscient, why would you ask me to fetch things for you?’
But a problem crept up.
‘I never thought Fork would be buried with the relic.’
Fortunately or unfortunately, the incident of the disappearance of the relic was pushed aside due to various incidents and accidents on the ‘Day of Blessing.’
‘If things get noisy, I planned to blame the Pope. But was this old man trying to outsmart her?’
Asta sneered at the helpless old man.
“Why are you asking me about the disappearance of the relic?”
“Because you and I are the only ones who have access to the ‘Viridescent Sword’.”
“Then His Holiness must have lost it, because I have no knowledge of it.”
“…….”
Asta turned away.
The Pope glared at Asta and muttered eerily, “Those who tamper with the things of God shall pay the price.”
Asta glanced back. But there was no one.
“When did he leave the prayer room…?”
The old man, with his limited mobility, shouldn’t be able to move that fast.
A chill ran down my spine as I realised this.
Just then, flames suddenly rose from the chalice in the center of the prayer room.
It was the signal that an oracle had arrived.
“!”
Asta ran to the chalice, forgetting the fear from a moment ago.
The flames had died down, and a scroll appeared.
The chalice always contained a blank scroll, and when the oracle arrived, the soot from the flame would inscribe an oracle on the scroll.
‘The oracle came before I could pray.’
With trembling hands, Asta unfolded the scroll.
There were 2 words written-
[ Divine poisoning. ]
***
The conference room of the Palace was bustling.
An urgent meeting regarding the impending decision on the ‘Abolition of the Day of Blessing’ was about to take place.
Nobles from the Imperial faction and the temple faction were seated on the different side of a long table, engaged in a tense exchange.
Among the attendees were high-ranking priests like Archbishop Liang.
“Abolishing the day of blessing! Have we neared the end of the World! What’s going to happen to the country?”, the Duke of Eisen spoke up first.
Duchess of Moltke did not back down, “It might be the end indeed. Otherwise, why would a Saint’s offering rot?”
The Duchess and Duke of Moltke were archetypal Imperialists. It was natural for Eisen and Moltke to be at the neck of each other.
The Emperor entered the conference room.
As he took his seat with a stern expression, the nobles and high-ranking priests seemed to await his words.
“Your Majesty, if you abolish the Day of Blessing, the public sentiment will fluctuate.”
“The Day of Blessing is essential for supporting the poor.”
“How can the wrongdoing of the Saint be attributed to the Divine Temple and the Gods?”
“If you want to blame the authority for the collapse, I’m all ears. The Great Temple will make amends.”
Duke Moltke, realising the temple’s shamelessness, spat out, “You are trying to set up a scarecrow to divert attention from your sins. Compensation will come from the donations of the people, won’t it?”
“Your Excellency, how can you say that!”, Archbishop Liang raised his voice.
The Emperor frowned at the chaos.
Then he said sternly, “Quiet down. I have no intention of abolishing the ‘Day of Blessing’.”
The unexpected declaration caused the position of the Imperial and temple factions to reverse.
“W- What do you mean by that?”
“Your Majesty, do you really mean it?”
The Emperor nodded.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and the High Priest is right. The Blessing Day is an irreplaceable celebration that the people support, and I, who love my subjects, cannot do away with it.”
“Well thought, Your Majesty.”
“The people will praise your decision.”
Noble priests and clergy smiled and tried to flatter the Emperor.
However, the Imperial faction nobles were perplexed.
The Emperor’s attitude differed completely from before, when he insisted on abolishing the Day of Blessing.
But the real surprise was yet to come.
“The Blessing Day will be promoted to a national holiday again, and the Imperial family will personally oversee it.”
“Of course! How can the Temple ignore His Majesty?!”, Archbishop Liang smiled and nodded.
The Emperor stared at him without a word, then burst out laughing, “Very well. As the Archbishop says, Imperial authority is necessary. However, the Temple doesn’t need to act as a proxy, for the Imperial authority is sufficient.”
“His Majesty is very kind. But how can the Temple not have any involvements on a religious occasion?”
“That’s not needed. From now on, ‘Blessing Day’ will not be a day of blessings from the Gods, but a day of blessings from the Emperor himself.”
The Emperor looked around the room, a smirk on his face.
He watched the expressions on the faces of the Imperial and Temple factions change from moment to moment.
“The Emperor’s day of Blessing!”
“Are you going to exclude the temple”
The Temple faction was shaken.
Then, realising the Emperor’s intentions, the Imperial faction fired back, “What do you mean by excluding? The temple can always join in, thanking the Emperor for his graciousness.”
“Nonsense! Blessing Day is the day when the God Prache bestowed his blessings on humans. Have you forgotten the ‘Divine Poisoning’?”
“Haha. Isn’t that all just a legend?”
“H-How can you say such a blasphemous thing! Did you forget about the executed witches!”
The Emperor, who had been watching the factions in a heated debate, slammed his hand down on the table.
The room fell silent.
“Didn’t you emphasize on public admiration linked to the festival?”
“……”
“It will be my job from now on. I will take care of the people, where even the temple can’t reach. I will be more generous than the Great Temple ever was.”
The Emperor laughed as he shredded the Temple’s rationale to pieces.
The temple faction was too stunned to speak. Archbishop Liang, who had come to his senses late, shouted, “B-Blessing Day is not just a day to distribute food to the people! The core of the Blessing Day is faith? Without faith it’s not the same.”
The Emperor pretended to turn a blind eye, “Furthermore, I will not extort donation or tribute like the temple. The people, nobles and commoners alike, will simply enjoy the day. The ‘Day of Blessing’ that I bestow will truly be a day that pleases the people.”
“Your Majesty, please!”
“The people will not accept this!”
The priests raised their voices.
The Emperor laughed mockingly at their absurdity.
“Is that really how you see it? They’ll get more, and nothing will be taken away. Do you really think the people would mind if the giver is an Emperor and not a God?”
“That, that’s…”
They couldn’t say anything. It’s not like they didn’t understand the underlying. Or rather, they were too sure to say anything. The people would obviously prefer the Emperor’s Blessing Day.
The Imperial faction was confident of victory.
“Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. People will love this decision!”
“We will help make the new Blessed Day a great joy for the people.”
“I’m pleased to see you agree with my decision.”
The Emperor’s ended his words and enjoyed the look on the opposition’s face.
‘It’s refreshing to see those lowly b*stards unable to say a thing.’
The Emperor smiled and thought of his granddaughter. It was that child who provided the idea to knock out the temple faction with a single blow.
***
It was when the Emperor and Hart were contemplating the abolition of the Day of Blessing, Hanelope said, “Don’t get rid of the Blessed Day, do this instead!”
The Emperor and Hart looked at the cheerful Hanelope, curious to hear what she had to say.
“Don’t abolish the Day of Blessing. Instead of a day when God bestows blessings, make it a day when Grandfather bestows blessings.”
“What? I bestow blessings?”
“Yes. Does God always have to give blessings? Why can’t my grandfather give a blessing to the people!”
The Emperor and Hart’s eyes widened at Hanelope’s words.
It sounded plausible.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, “Well, do you really think the people, who were being blessed by the Gods, would suddenly want to be blessed by grandfather?”
“I used to wait for the blessing day with my mum,” the child said, “not to thank the Gods, but because on that day we could eat lots of taste food and rest easy and no one would tell us off. That felt good.”
The child’s jewel-pink eyes twinkled as she recalled happy memories with her mum.
“It doesn’t matter who gives it, as long as it makes people happy!”
The corners of the Emperor’s mouth turned upwards as he listened to his granddaughter.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to be blessed by a God than by a mere mortal Emperor?”
Hanelope shook her head vigorously.
“No, no, no! It’s not about who gives it, but how much is given!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If Grandfather gives more, the people will like the Emperor more than God!”
Having said that, Hanelope hesitated for a moment, and then whispered in the Emperor’s ear, “And the truth is, the temple only gives us so little. They eat the tastier ones themselves. They’re annoying!.”
“Hahaha!”
The Emperor laughed out loud when he heard Hanelope’s words.
“How did this little one come up with such thoughts? Your are right. If it makes people happy, that’s what matters. Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
Prache claimed to be the only God, yet he did not know everything.
‘If you were omniscient, why would you ask me to fetch things for you?’
But a problem crept up.
‘I never thought Fork would be buried with the relic.’
Fortunately or unfortunately, the incident of the disappearance of the relic was pushed aside due to various incidents and accidents on the ‘Day of Blessing.’
‘If things get noisy, I planned to blame the Pope. But was this old man trying to outsmart her?’
Asta sneered at the helpless old man.
“Why are you asking me about the disappearance of the relic?”
“Because you and I are the only ones who have access to the ‘Viridescent Sword’.”
“Then His Holiness must have lost it, because I have no knowledge of it.”
“…….”
Asta turned away.
The Pope glared at Asta and muttered eerily, “Those who tamper with the things of God shall pay the price.”
Asta glanced back. But there was no one.
“When did he leave the prayer room…?”
The old man, with his limited mobility, shouldn’t be able to move that fast.
A chill ran down my spine as I realised this.
Just then, flames suddenly rose from the chalice in the center of the prayer room.
It was the signal that an oracle had arrived.
“!”
Asta ran to the chalice, forgetting the fear from a moment ago.
The flames had died down, and a scroll appeared.
The chalice always contained a blank scroll, and when the oracle arrived, the soot from the flame would inscribe an oracle on the scroll.
‘The oracle came before I could pray.’
With trembling hands, Asta unfolded the scroll.
There were 2 words written-
[ Divine poisoning. ]
***
The conference room of the Palace was bustling.
An urgent meeting regarding the impending decision on the ‘Abolition of the Day of Blessing’ was about to take place.
Nobles from the Imperial faction and the temple faction were seated on the different side of a long table, engaged in a tense exchange.
Among the attendees were high-ranking priests like Archbishop Liang.
“Abolishing the day of blessing! Have we neared the end of the World! What’s going to happen to the country?”, the Duke of Eisen spoke up first.
Duchess of Moltke did not back down, “It might be the end indeed. Otherwise, why would a Saint’s offering rot?”
The Duchess and Duke of Moltke were archetypal Imperialists. It was natural for Eisen and Moltke to be at the neck of each other.
The Emperor entered the conference room.
As he took his seat with a stern expression, the nobles and high-ranking priests seemed to await his words.
“Your Majesty, if you abolish the Day of Blessing, the public sentiment will fluctuate.”
“The Day of Blessing is essential for supporting the poor.”
“How can the wrongdoing of the Saint be attributed to the Divine Temple and the Gods?”
“If you want to blame the authority for the collapse, I’m all ears. The Great Temple will make amends.”
Duke Moltke, realising the temple’s shamelessness, spat out, “You are trying to set up a scarecrow to divert attention from your sins. Compensation will come from the donations of the people, won’t it?”
“Your Excellency, how can you say that!”, Archbishop Liang raised his voice.
The Emperor frowned at the chaos.
Then he said sternly, “Quiet down. I have no intention of abolishing the ‘Day of Blessing’.”
The unexpected declaration caused the position of the Imperial and temple factions to reverse.
“W- What do you mean by that?”
“Your Majesty, do you really mean it?”
The Emperor nodded.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and the High Priest is right. The Blessing Day is an irreplaceable celebration that the people support, and I, who love my subjects, cannot do away with it.”
“Well thought, Your Majesty.”
“The people will praise your decision.”
Noble priests and clergy smiled and tried to flatter the Emperor.
However, the Imperial faction nobles were perplexed.
The Emperor’s attitude differed completely from before, when he insisted on abolishing the Day of Blessing.
But the real surprise was yet to come.
“The Blessing Day will be promoted to a national holiday again, and the Imperial family will personally oversee it.”
“Of course! How can the Temple ignore His Majesty?!”, Archbishop Liang smiled and nodded.
The Emperor stared at him without a word, then burst out laughing, “Very well. As the Archbishop says, Imperial authority is necessary. However, the Temple doesn’t need to act as a proxy, for the Imperial authority is sufficient.”
“His Majesty is very kind. But how can the Temple not have any involvements on a religious occasion?”
“That’s not needed. From now on, ‘Blessing Day’ will not be a day of blessings from the Gods, but a day of blessings from the Emperor himself.”
The Emperor looked around the room, a smirk on his face.
He watched the expressions on the faces of the Imperial and Temple factions change from moment to moment.
“The Emperor’s day of Blessing!”
“Are you going to exclude the temple”
The Temple faction was shaken.
Then, realising the Emperor’s intentions, the Imperial faction fired back, “What do you mean by excluding? The temple can always join in, thanking the Emperor for his graciousness.”
“Nonsense! Blessing Day is the day when the God Prache bestowed his blessings on humans. Have you forgotten the ‘Divine Poisoning’?”
“Haha. Isn’t that all just a legend?”
“H-How can you say such a blasphemous thing! Did you forget about the executed witches!”
The Emperor, who had been watching the factions in a heated debate, slammed his hand down on the table.
The room fell silent.
“Didn’t you emphasize on public admiration linked to the festival?”
“……”
“It will be my job from now on. I will take care of the people, where even the temple can’t reach. I will be more generous than the Great Temple ever was.”
The Emperor laughed as he shredded the Temple’s rationale to pieces.
The temple faction was too stunned to speak. Archbishop Liang, who had come to his senses late, shouted, “B-Blessing Day is not just a day to distribute food to the people! The core of the Blessing Day is faith? Without faith it’s not the same.”
The Emperor pretended to turn a blind eye, “Furthermore, I will not extort donation or tribute like the temple. The people, nobles and commoners alike, will simply enjoy the day. The ‘Day of Blessing’ that I bestow will truly be a day that pleases the people.”
“Your Majesty, please!”
“The people will not accept this!”
The priests raised their voices.
The Emperor laughed mockingly at their absurdity.
“Is that really how you see it? They’ll get more, and nothing will be taken away. Do you really think the people would mind if the giver is an Emperor and not a God?”
“That, that’s…”
They couldn’t say anything. It’s not like they didn’t understand the underlying. Or rather, they were too sure to say anything. The people would obviously prefer the Emperor’s Blessing Day.
The Imperial faction was confident of victory.
“Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. People will love this decision!”
“We will help make the new Blessed Day a great joy for the people.”
“I’m pleased to see you agree with my decision.”
The Emperor’s ended his words and enjoyed the look on the opposition’s face.
‘It’s refreshing to see those lowly b*stards unable to say a thing.’
The Emperor smiled and thought of his granddaughter. It was that child who provided the idea to knock out the temple faction with a single blow.
***
It was when the Emperor and Hart were contemplating the abolition of the Day of Blessing, Hanelope said, “Don’t get rid of the Blessed Day, do this instead!”
The Emperor and Hart looked at the cheerful Hanelope, curious to hear what she had to say.
“Don’t abolish the Day of Blessing. Instead of a day when God bestows blessings, make it a day when Grandfather bestows blessings.”
“What? I bestow blessings?”
“Yes. Does God always have to give blessings? Why can’t my grandfather give a blessing to the people!”
The Emperor and Hart’s eyes widened at Hanelope’s words.
It sounded plausible.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, “Well, do you really think the people, who were being blessed by the Gods, would suddenly want to be blessed by grandfather?”
“I used to wait for the blessing day with my mum,” the child said, “not to thank the Gods, but because on that day we could eat lots of taste food and rest easy and no one would tell us off. That felt good.”
The child’s jewel-pink eyes twinkled as she recalled happy memories with her mum.
“It doesn’t matter who gives it, as long as it makes people happy!”
The corners of the Emperor’s mouth turned upwards as he listened to his granddaughter.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to be blessed by a God than by a mere mortal Emperor?”
Hanelope shook her head vigorously.
“No, no, no! It’s not about who gives it, but how much is given!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If Grandfather gives more, the people will like the Emperor more than God!”
Having said that, Hanelope hesitated for a moment, and then whispered in the Emperor’s ear, “And the truth is, the temple only gives us so little. They eat the tastier ones themselves. They’re annoying!.”
“Hahaha!”
The Emperor laughed out loud when he heard Hanelope’s words.
“How did this little one come up with such thoughts? Your are right. If it makes people happy, that’s what matters. Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
