The old man was very perplexed, hearing my request.
‘Was letting me go outside that difficult?’
This just makes the situation more suspicious.
I looked at the translucent windows bickering again,
[ Miss Butterfly: Move over there, you stinky man! ] [ Uncle Rabbit: You are the one who barged in! ] ‘I don’t think those beings know what’s going on outside, as they’re sealed and have a limited radius of activity.’
Even if the seal weakened, there seemed to be limits.
But I was getting frustrated.
“Maxim seems to be avoiding me lately.”
He was so good at covering his tracks that it was impossible for me to find him if he chose to hide.
“Maxim you traitor!”
I stomped out of the greenhouse.
“I need to wash up.”
As I trudged along, I could see Sherry and the maids ahead. They were coming to fetch me.
I was about to run to them. But when I saw their dark expressions, I instinctively hid behind a nearby statue.
As Sherry and the maids approached, I could hear them talking, “It’s too much! Even if these are rumors… How surprised the lady would be if she knew!”
“That’s why we need to be more discreet. She’ll never know unless she reads the papers.”
“Master has said that no newspapers will be allowed in the mansion from now on, and that the ones we have now will be burned in the incinerator within the day.”
The maids walked away.
“The incinerator!”
I ran straight to the other side. I had to see the newspapers before they were burned. It was the only way I could find out the truth.
But smoke was already rising from the incinerator at the back of the mansion.
“Am I late!”
I rushed in, and to my relief, there were still stacks of newspapers. The servants hadn’t burned them yet.
Dad loves to read, to the point of addiction. He had recently subscribed to a number of them.
He was getting rid of his favourite things by burning them all. I ducked behind the incinerator structure and creeped over to the pile of newspapers.
The sound of rustling came from the burning papers, acrid smoke was rising.
The smoke made my eyes sting. But I could see the headline posted in the Crimson Ears newspaper, 「Is Princess Hanelope, daughter of Prince Hart von Reinhardt, really a witch? A battle for truth between the Imperial family and the Temple!”
– Henderson, the Princess’s attending physician, reveals to the Temple about her being cursed with ‘Divine Poisoning’…”」
“The bodies of the children found in the slums also bore the witch’s mark…”
My story was boldly engraved on the front page. Next to it was a drawing of a little girl.
My face wasn’t well-known, so the appearance of the girl in the picture seemed unfamiliar, but it was undoubtedly trying to portray me.
The girl had an odd fierce expression, sharp teeth, horns, and even hands and feet like horses’ hooves. Behind was a gruesome gallows drawn.
I was shuddering. I ran away from there as if fleeing.
‘People think I’m a witch! They know my lips had turned green!’
The physician who treated me admitted everything. He even plotted with the Temple.
‘They had told me the physician was sick and resting!’
That’s why dad didn’t send me to the Academy and kept me at home. To protect me from possible bad rumours and threats!
‘But Divine Poisoning doesn’t exist.’
My mum said it was fake too. But how can I make them believe it?
There was only one way.
‘I have to prove it’s not real. That it’s all a lie by the Temple!
***
Caliverse Square:
Hidden by the square, the busiest place in the capital, there was a narrow alley. Behind this glamorous street, the alley was an anthill of people, each with their own story.
In the crumbling building’s basement, a man who didn’t quite fit in with the surroundings appeared.
His entire body was shrouded in black robe, but his mere sharp gaze revealed that he was a man of great nobility. Accompanied only by a few guards, he entered the underground, removing the hat covering his face.
“Welcome!”
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
“To come all the way to such a humble place. I’m so honored, Your Majesty.”
“Weren’t you the one said that you wouldn’t meet unless I came in person? What an amusing thing for a Saint to say!” The Emperor said, throwing his hat down on the table.
Asta, who was sitting at the head of the table opposite, laughed softly.
“I have been waiting for His Majesty. After all, you’ve been requesting it for so long.”
“Weren’t you confined in the Temple? How did you come out?”
“My probation has already been lifted. How can a Saint afford to remain silent when a ‘witch’ has appeared?”
The emperor glanced at the priests standing expressionlessly behind the Saint, he knew what was going on.
Once again, she had schemed her way out of a crisis.
She could only rely on these low ranking priests.
“You’re getting more and more reckless. Conspiring against my granddaughter, even threatening me. After escaping from the Temple, is this a small game for your amusement?”
“Oh my! Your majesty, I don’t know what you mean by framing her. The only reason the Princess Hanelope was labelled a ‘witch’ was because the Physician who examined her had a pang of conscience and informed the Temple.”
“Did the Saint have no hand in that man’s actions? If so, why has the Temple been hiding him until now?”
“The Temple fears that His Majesty, who loves his granddaughter, will force the Physician to recant his statement, and if you do, maybe you too will incur the wrath of Prache.”
Asta said shamelessly without batting an eye.
The Emperor gnashed his teeth.
As the Emperor he was angry at his helplessness. For now, Asta had the upper hand, whereas he was the weaker one.
The capital is now tinged with madness.
This was because the Temple and Asta were campaigning against Hanelope, a ‘witch.’
The waves of this madness had to be stopped before spreading throughout the entire empire.
Sensing the Emperor’s despair, Asta said.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I don’t want anything bad to happen to young Princess Hanelope either. If you send her to the Temple, I will purify her soul and…”
“There are no witches in my land!”, the Emperor shouted.
The roar stiffened Asta for a moment.
“I clearly know that the Temple is behind this disease. The Imperial family and Temple would have remained allies if you didn’t start executions! That was the moment I vowed to bring down the Temple at all costs!”
The Temple executed the merchants and their associates who were accused of being witches.
The Emperor thought it as unjust, but could not intervene.
It was too much to risk breaking the centuries-old inviolable bond between the Imperial family and the Temple. Besides, Asta’s influence was soaring at that time.
The Emperor was waiting for an opportunity. He was determined to reduce the influence of the Temple from the moment he ascended the throne.
He made a long term plan.
Until the Temple’s incitement led the public to accuse each other of witchcraft.. To murder or to be murdered…
“The Temple intentionally incited my people to kill each other! The more chaotic the world, the more dependency on faith! I decided right then, I would expose your disgusting hypocrisy!”
The Emperor’s eyes flared with rage. His escorts had to intervene.
The priests standing behind Asta trembled with fear. Even Asta herself was breathing rapidly.
She tried hard to remind herself that she was currently in a position of power. She couldn’t be overwhelmed by the Emperor’s anger.
“Your Majesty, I know you wish to deny it, but the physician who informed us that the Princess was a witch is a researcher of the same disease. It’s no secret that he frequently visited His Highness Prince Hart’s residence to examine Princess Hanelope.”
“Thanks to that, the people and anonymous newspapers have been spreading rumors that my granddaughter is a witch. No matter how much I try to stop it, the words keep spreading. It’s all because of you people working behind the scenes!”
“So, what do you want? Why did His Majesty bother to come all the way here to see someone as unpleasant as me?”
Asta gritted her teeth and forced a smile.
“…….”
The flames of anger that had been burning in the Emperor slowly subsided. The Emperor was now as cold as ice as he glared at Asta.
“I want to make a deal with the Temple.”
“What kind of deal are you talking about?”
“What do you want? I’ll agree to anything, but in return, stop the manipulation immediately and let go of my granddaughter.”
“…….”
“Hanelope is a child who knows nothing. It’s a dangerous situation, even for an adult. You never know when, where, or who might harm her, so please…”
“…….”
“In the name of the Temple and the Saint, issue a statement that Hanelope is not a witch.”
Due to the witch hunts in the past, the people’s anger and fear of witches soared. They believed witches deserved to be killed.
No matter how the Emperor tried to suppress it, he couldn’t sway public opinion.
If the Temple didn’t cooperate, he couldn’t stop this madness.
‘The Emperor surrendered before me.’
Asta regained her composure and laughed coldly.
“I have to pray to God in order to reveal the truth. Let’s have a big, pompous ceremony, at an Imperial villa on the outskirts of the capital. His Majesty and every member of the royal family must attend the ceremony. You are going to kneel before God, and recognise my authority. Do you agree?”
The Emperor stared at Asta as if he would tear her apart.
But despite the look, he nodded obediently.
Asta felt instinctively that something was strange, but she didn’t have the time to think deeply.
‘It’s his granddaughter who is at stake. Even if he’s furious, he has no choice but to kneel.’
Asta was too caught up in the euphoria of her long-awaited victory.
The old man was very perplexed, hearing my request.
‘Was letting me go outside that difficult?’
This just makes the situation more suspicious.
I looked at the translucent windows bickering again,
[ Miss Butterfly: Move over there, you stinky man! ] [ Uncle Rabbit: You are the one who barged in! ] ‘I don’t think those beings know what’s going on outside, as they’re sealed and have a limited radius of activity.’
Even if the seal weakened, there seemed to be limits.
But I was getting frustrated.
“Maxim seems to be avoiding me lately.”
He was so good at covering his tracks that it was impossible for me to find him if he chose to hide.
“Maxim you traitor!”
I stomped out of the greenhouse.
“I need to wash up.”
As I trudged along, I could see Sherry and the maids ahead. They were coming to fetch me.
I was about to run to them. But when I saw their dark expressions, I instinctively hid behind a nearby statue.
As Sherry and the maids approached, I could hear them talking, “It’s too much! Even if these are rumors… How surprised the lady would be if she knew!”
“That’s why we need to be more discreet. She’ll never know unless she reads the papers.”
“Master has said that no newspapers will be allowed in the mansion from now on, and that the ones we have now will be burned in the incinerator within the day.”
The maids walked away.
“The incinerator!”
I ran straight to the other side. I had to see the newspapers before they were burned. It was the only way I could find out the truth.
But smoke was already rising from the incinerator at the back of the mansion.
“Am I late!”
I rushed in, and to my relief, there were still stacks of newspapers. The servants hadn’t burned them yet.
Dad loves to read, to the point of addiction. He had recently subscribed to a number of them.
He was getting rid of his favourite things by burning them all. I ducked behind the incinerator structure and creeped over to the pile of newspapers.
The sound of rustling came from the burning papers, acrid smoke was rising.
The smoke made my eyes sting. But I could see the headline posted in the Crimson Ears newspaper, 「Is Princess Hanelope, daughter of Prince Hart von Reinhardt, really a witch? A battle for truth between the Imperial family and the Temple!”
– Henderson, the Princess’s attending physician, reveals to the Temple about her being cursed with ‘Divine Poisoning’…”」
“The bodies of the children found in the slums also bore the witch’s mark…”
My story was boldly engraved on the front page. Next to it was a drawing of a little girl.
My face wasn’t well-known, so the appearance of the girl in the picture seemed unfamiliar, but it was undoubtedly trying to portray me.
The girl had an odd fierce expression, sharp teeth, horns, and even hands and feet like horses’ hooves. Behind was a gruesome gallows drawn.
I was shuddering. I ran away from there as if fleeing.
‘People think I’m a witch! They know my lips had turned green!’
The physician who treated me admitted everything. He even plotted with the Temple.
‘They had told me the physician was sick and resting!’
That’s why dad didn’t send me to the Academy and kept me at home. To protect me from possible bad rumours and threats!
‘But Divine Poisoning doesn’t exist.’
My mum said it was fake too. But how can I make them believe it?
There was only one way.
‘I have to prove it’s not real. That it’s all a lie by the Temple!
***
Caliverse Square:
Hidden by the square, the busiest place in the capital, there was a narrow alley. Behind this glamorous street, the alley was an anthill of people, each with their own story.
In the crumbling building’s basement, a man who didn’t quite fit in with the surroundings appeared.
His entire body was shrouded in black robe, but his mere sharp gaze revealed that he was a man of great nobility. Accompanied only by a few guards, he entered the underground, removing the hat covering his face.
“Welcome!”
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
“To come all the way to such a humble place. I’m so honored, Your Majesty.”
“Weren’t you the one said that you wouldn’t meet unless I came in person? What an amusing thing for a Saint to say!” The Emperor said, throwing his hat down on the table.
Asta, who was sitting at the head of the table opposite, laughed softly.
“I have been waiting for His Majesty. After all, you’ve been requesting it for so long.”
“Weren’t you confined in the Temple? How did you come out?”
“My probation has already been lifted. How can a Saint afford to remain silent when a ‘witch’ has appeared?”
The emperor glanced at the priests standing expressionlessly behind the Saint, he knew what was going on.
Once again, she had schemed her way out of a crisis.
She could only rely on these low ranking priests.
“You’re getting more and more reckless. Conspiring against my granddaughter, even threatening me. After escaping from the Temple, is this a small game for your amusement?”
“Oh my! Your majesty, I don’t know what you mean by framing her. The only reason the Princess Hanelope was labelled a ‘witch’ was because the Physician who examined her had a pang of conscience and informed the Temple.”
“Did the Saint have no hand in that man’s actions? If so, why has the Temple been hiding him until now?”
“The Temple fears that His Majesty, who loves his granddaughter, will force the Physician to recant his statement, and if you do, maybe you too will incur the wrath of Prache.”
Asta said shamelessly without batting an eye.
The Emperor gnashed his teeth.
As the Emperor he was angry at his helplessness. For now, Asta had the upper hand, whereas he was the weaker one.
The capital is now tinged with madness.
This was because the Temple and Asta were campaigning against Hanelope, a ‘witch.’
The waves of this madness had to be stopped before spreading throughout the entire empire.
Sensing the Emperor’s despair, Asta said.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I don’t want anything bad to happen to young Princess Hanelope either. If you send her to the Temple, I will purify her soul and…”
“There are no witches in my land!”, the Emperor shouted.
The roar stiffened Asta for a moment.
“I clearly know that the Temple is behind this disease. The Imperial family and Temple would have remained allies if you didn’t start executions! That was the moment I vowed to bring down the Temple at all costs!”
The Temple executed the merchants and their associates who were accused of being witches.
The Emperor thought it as unjust, but could not intervene.
It was too much to risk breaking the centuries-old inviolable bond between the Imperial family and the Temple. Besides, Asta’s influence was soaring at that time.
The Emperor was waiting for an opportunity. He was determined to reduce the influence of the Temple from the moment he ascended the throne.
He made a long term plan.
Until the Temple’s incitement led the public to accuse each other of witchcraft.. To murder or to be murdered…
“The Temple intentionally incited my people to kill each other! The more chaotic the world, the more dependency on faith! I decided right then, I would expose your disgusting hypocrisy!”
The Emperor’s eyes flared with rage. His escorts had to intervene.
The priests standing behind Asta trembled with fear. Even Asta herself was breathing rapidly.
She tried hard to remind herself that she was currently in a position of power. She couldn’t be overwhelmed by the Emperor’s anger.
“Your Majesty, I know you wish to deny it, but the physician who informed us that the Princess was a witch is a researcher of the same disease. It’s no secret that he frequently visited His Highness Prince Hart’s residence to examine Princess Hanelope.”
“Thanks to that, the people and anonymous newspapers have been spreading rumors that my granddaughter is a witch. No matter how much I try to stop it, the words keep spreading. It’s all because of you people working behind the scenes!”
“So, what do you want? Why did His Majesty bother to come all the way here to see someone as unpleasant as me?”
Asta gritted her teeth and forced a smile.
“…….”
The flames of anger that had been burning in the Emperor slowly subsided. The Emperor was now as cold as ice as he glared at Asta.
“I want to make a deal with the Temple.”
“What kind of deal are you talking about?”
“What do you want? I’ll agree to anything, but in return, stop the manipulation immediately and let go of my granddaughter.”
“…….”
“Hanelope is a child who knows nothing. It’s a dangerous situation, even for an adult. You never know when, where, or who might harm her, so please…”
“…….”
“In the name of the Temple and the Saint, issue a statement that Hanelope is not a witch.”
Due to the witch hunts in the past, the people’s anger and fear of witches soared. They believed witches deserved to be killed.
No matter how the Emperor tried to suppress it, he couldn’t sway public opinion.
If the Temple didn’t cooperate, he couldn’t stop this madness.
‘The Emperor surrendered before me.’
Asta regained her composure and laughed coldly.
“I have to pray to God in order to reveal the truth. Let’s have a big, pompous ceremony, at an Imperial villa on the outskirts of the capital. His Majesty and every member of the royal family must attend the ceremony. You are going to kneel before God, and recognise my authority. Do you agree?”
The Emperor stared at Asta as if he would tear her apart.
But despite the look, he nodded obediently.
Asta felt instinctively that something was strange, but she didn’t have the time to think deeply.
‘It’s his granddaughter who is at stake. Even if he’s furious, he has no choice but to kneel.’
Asta was too caught up in the euphoria of her long-awaited victory.
