Children of the Holy Emperor - Chapter 156

“I don’t want to die like that.”

Last night, Sisle shared the heartfelt sentiments she had hidden for a long time.

“Hmm, then how about we try this?”

Seongjin made a suggestion to her.

It was a method she had never considered before.

“Before the events of the Chronicle unfold, you take the initiative to renounce your position as Saintess. Pass the role to Seo Yi-seo and retire gracefully. After that, why not join the Holy Knights like Logan?”

“What? Retire? Holy Knights?”

What’s that about?

Sisle blinked her eyes.

She had often pondered how to overcome the slander targeting her, but never once thought about voluntarily stepping down from her position as Saintess.

In the first place, wasn’t the role of Saintess a lifelong appointment once chosen?

“Big brother. The reason I’m facing this crisis is because my position as Saintess is in jeopardy. But what if I just give it up first? Wouldn’t that only hasten my death?”

“Huh? Why do you think that?”

Seongjin tilted his head.

“Let’s break it down one by one. In the Delcross Chronicle, your downfall began because Seo Yi-seo emerged, passed the Saintess’s Trials, and even received Cardmos’s blessing, right? As a result, your standing as Saintess was threatened.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“So you said you tried to be recognized as a Saintess and undertake the blessing of the Holy Emperor’s sarcophagus before Seo Yi-seo appeared. But then you discovered that receiving the blessing meant having your body taken over by Cardmos and your soul vanishing.”

“Right. That’s what happened.”

Sisle replied gloomily.

“Then what are you hesitating for? If it’s absolutely impossible to fully satisfy the conditions of being that kind of Saintess, isn’t it best to renounce it first before your enemies can exploit it? If you weren’t Saint from the beginning, would such tragedies have befallen you?”

“Hmm…?”

Upon consideration, it did seem that way.

As Sisle stood there looking dumbfounded, Seongjin gazed straight into her eyes and asked,

“Let’s make one thing clear. Why did you become a Saintess?”

Seongjin, who had not an iota of piety, couldn’t understand it at all.

A Saintess. It was neither a salaried position nor one with any real power. Revered as a holy being, it was an honorary role where one had to serve selflessly for life without holidays, wasn’t it?

“Those old geezers in the Orthodox Church are using your young age as an excuse to make you work without sharing any power. Why are you so fixated on keeping that position?”

“That’s because…”

Perhaps it began when the mark of the Saintess appeared on her body.

She enjoyed the high priests of the Orthodox Church making a big fuss, proclaiming her to be the reincarnation of Gracia. It wasn’t bad to be revered as “Your Holiness” by the faithful either.

She may have also felt a little defiant when the Holy Emperor expressed his opposition.

“So did you find joy in living as the Saintess?”

“…”

Honestly, she had never really thought about it. She had always believed unquestioningly that it was the right path.

Though the service was quite demanding, it was fulfilling to see the delighted faces of the faithful. But after dreaming of the Chronicle, she clung to the position as if it were a guarantee of her life.

However, if she wasn’t truly the reincarnation of Gracia…

If she wasn’t destined from the start to be the Saintess, then what would happen?

“Even if I’m not the Saintess… it may not matter much…”

Hearing Sisle’s feeble answer, Seongjin nodded.

“Next, we need to clarify who your enemies are. Who was the first to claim you were unqualified?”

“Enemies?”

“Yes. Of course, there may be others if we look, but let’s focus on the big two for now. You should do your utmost to seize power and topple them before they attack you first.”

“Seize power? Why is that necessary? Can’t I just stop being Saintess?”

In response to Sisle’s question, Seongjin clicked his tongue inwardly.

As he always thought, their father had truly raised the kids too sheltered.

“Listen well, Sisle. Do you think it really matters to those bastards that another Saintess has appeared, that you’re unqualified, or any of that nonsense? The biggest reason you met such an end in the Chronicle is that you held no power. What’s important is that you appeared weak to them because you lacked strength!”

“…!”

“Even if you let it slide this time, your enemies who seek to harm you still remain. Unless you gain power, similar incidents can repeat at any time.”

It’s not that you become a target because you’re guilty of anything.

They simply bite because you don’t bite back, and the enemies feel safe to tear into you.

Locking eyes with the shocked Sisle, Seongjin lightly tapped her shoulder.

“You know, Sisle, what I’ve realized lately is that it’s always best to live wielding authority.”

And wouldn’t the greatest authority in the Holy Empire be none other than the Holy Knights?

“Authority…”

“Yes. You need to become the one judging, not the one being judged. Bury your enemies with power before they can suppress you!”

“Uh…”

“Just proving your innocence won’t solve anything. It only gives your enemies time and pretext to prepare other attacks. If they slander you, fight back even with incitement and fabrication! If they try to crush you with force, go to them first and shatter their skulls! That is the true balance of power and the proper way to fight!”

The Demon King lamented.

[That’s not it at all, you devil!]

Sisle swallowed her dry saliva. The nightmarish situations that unfolded in the Chronicle flashed rapidly through her mind.

-It’s divine punishment! The Saintess has fallen and lost her qualifications! She must have colluded with demons!

That’s right. That’s how it was.

The Sisle in the Chronicle did her utmost. To prove her innocence and qualifications.

But in the end, it was all for naught. The approach had been wrong from the start.

“Do you understand, Sisle? If someone slanders you as fallen, accuse them of heresy! If someone claims you colluded with demons, insist that they are demon worshippers!”

“But big brother, isn’t that deceiving people?”

“Does that matter? They’re all doing it, so why can’t you?”

At that moment, a thunderous realization struck Sisle.

That’s right. Why can’t I?

They called me the reincarnation of Saintess Gracia, but it’s not true. They accused me of colluding with demons, but I did no such thing!

The old geezers willfully misconstrued and slandered my every action, but none of their claims were true at all.

For high-ranking priests, not a single one of their actions reflected the will of God.

Then why should I have to prove my innocence to them?

Why must I follow divine doctrine to counter those who don’t abide by God’s will?

“Truth cannot be a weapon. Only incitement and fabrication will grant you power.”

“Incitement and fabrication!”

“To fight against fanaticism, you must become an even greater fanatic.”

“Fanatic!”

As Sisle clenched her fists, Seongjin slyly added,

“And if that’s not enough, you can borrow some power from the venue.”

“Venue?”

“Yes. Since it’s the birthday banquet, let me give you an example. What if you announced your retirement at an occasion like this with foreign dignitaries present? For the sake of the Empire’s face, your enemies would have a hard time making a big deal out of it, don’t you think?”

“That’s true.”

Sisle nodded.

“But a retirement announcement… I’m not sure what I should say.”

“Hmm? Just say something like ‘It’s a beautiful night!’ and casually pass it on to Seo Yi-seo. Isn’t that enough?”

That’s how they all do it at award ceremonies and such. Once you start with ‘It’s a beautiful night!’, the audience naturally responds well.

“So let’s think of a way gradually after the birthday banquet ends. Hurry and ditch the Saint position, then go join the Holy Knights and learn swordsmanship.”

“Swordsmanship?”

“Yeah. The Order of Saint Bastian belongs to the Orthodox Church, so that’s a bit tricky. Why not join the Order of Saint Aurelion instead?”

Seongjin said it like that.

However, even at that point, Seongjin never imagined in his wildest dreams that Sisle would put that idea into practice the very next day.

***

Big brother Morres easily told her to pass on the Saintess position, but in truth, that was because he was unfamiliar with the ways of the Orthodox Church and the teachings of the scriptures.

Passing the role of Saintess to Miss Seo Yi-seo meant passing Gracia’s soul to her as well.

And that was an extremely dangerous claim. Carelessly moving a soul to another body was considered an act of demon worship.

It was the reason why the Cornsheim family was nearly wiped out a few years ago.

Moreover, even if she denied being the reincarnation of Gracia’s soul, she must not deny that the Orthodox Church appointed her as a saintess. To do so, the only way would be to claim that she herself was the soul of another noble saint.

‘But at least one thing big brother said is true. Incitement and fabrication. In other words, anything can be twisted to fit as needed.’

Sisle decided to craft a new narrative.

For that, all the details had to be similar to the stories in the scriptures and explainable within the scriptures. So that night, Sisle scoured the scriptures, searching for usable passages.

Surprisingly, Cardmos found it very entertaining and helped out beside her.

-There was this anecdote too. See if you can find where it’s mentioned.

And she was able to uncover a few anecdotes.

An instance where five-colored lights filled the surroundings when an ancient saint received a divine oracle.

A tale of Saint Bastian protecting the soul of a child persecuted and murdered by pagans, delivering it to the parents.

-Mom, Dad. Now that I’ve met you, I can rest assured and enter God’s embrace.

The child’s soul thus went to heaven – a heartwarming conclusion. But if someone else had manipulated another’s soul, they would have been labeled a heretic for defying the natural order.

Having finished her preparations overnight, Sisle now stood here with firm resolve.

She suddenly spotted big brother Morres, his eyes wide open, staring at her.

‘Hey! What are you trying to do? Huh?’

Those eyes held a hint of suspicion, as if to say, “Don’t tell me…?”

Seeing them, Sisle couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Don’t worry, big brother. I can do this well. I’ll fabricate it properly, just as you said.’

Then Sisle boldly declared to the audience,

“On a day like today, I am glad to reveal the truth before you all. In fact, I am not the reincarnation of Saint Gracia.”

“Your Holiness Sisle! What in the world are you saying!?”

Archbishop Wesker jumped up from his seat, his face ashen, but soon fell silent at the bright light emanating from the girl.

Immense divine power pulsated from the girl’s body. And at some point, five-colored lights began to settle in various parts of the banquet hall. It was the handiwork of Cardmos, who found it amusing and started playing along.

“Until now, I have merely been safeguarding Saintess Gracia’s soul from corrupt entities.”

Sisle’s voice carried a sacred resonance.

Though it was the unconscious result of her willpower infusing divinity, most people didn’t realize this and listened to her voice in a daze.

“Fortunately, I have now found the true owner of the soul, so my mission is complete. Therefore, I will now return Gracia’s soul to the Saintess!”

Safeguarding a soul? And returning it?

They were indeed statements perfect for sparking a heresy controversy, but the majority failed to recognize that fact. The five-colored, captivating light enveloping the girl appeared too sublime.

And the moment Sisle grasped Seo Yi-seo’s hand…

The audience couldn’t believe their eyes. Was that not the distinct mark of Gracia appearing on Saint Seo Yi-seo’s hand? Of course, this too was Cardmos’s mischief.

The shocking declarations didn’t end there.

“I, Sisle, am actually the reincarnation of Saint Marcias, inheriting his will!”

“…!?”

“Now that the time has come to reveal this, God Himself has commanded me to lead the Heresy Tribunal and fight heresy! To that end, I intend to join the Holy Knights!”

The emblem that subsequently appeared on Sisle’s hand was, without a doubt, the emblem of the Order of Saint Marcias!

Not only the high priests but everyone in the banquet hall couldn’t hide their astonishment. Cardinal Benitus’s eyes seemed ready to bulge out of their sockets.

Carefully observing their reactions, Sisle declared in a calm voice,

“In one hand, the scriptures! In the other, a mace! Thus, I will continue to fight heresy for God’s kingdom!”

Then Sisle smiled. A smile that was flawlessly transparent yet somehow eerie.

Now, with the power to lead the Inquisitors in this hand… I will fight you all to the very end as well.

Cardinal Benitus. Cardinal Cesare.

***

That night.

Late in the evening, Nate, who had just left the prayer room, heard astonishing news.

“Sisle, Saint Mar…”

…What?

For a moment, his stagger wasn’t solely due to fatigue.

Sisle had stepped down from the position of Saintess. That in itself was good news.

Nate’s reason for involving Seo Yi-seo was to control Cardmos, but more importantly, to lighten the heavy responsibilities placed on the child.

He had wished for his daughter to live a freer life for herself.

“…But why the sudden decision to join the Holy Knights?”

After blankly staring into the air for a while, Nate slowly held his forehead.