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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 59 - Aina and Claire's Confrontation (2)
“Tell me. Where exactly is Lee Han?”
Without realising it, Aina had taken a few steps forward.
Lee Han.
How much effort had she put into trying to find him up until now?
Not only the soldiers but even the knights had been mobilised for the search. Though it was done under the pretext of other missions, that was merely a front.
Finding Lee Han had been one of Aina’s most important goals ever since the revelation concerning him had been delivered.
“I said, tell me. Where is Lee Han?”
Aina drew closer to Claire, almost pleading. But Claire, unfazed and without blinking an eye, calmly responded.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”
“What?”
“There’s no reason or obligation for me to tell Your Highness anything.”
“Claire… you!”
Aina’s face flushed red.
This was a rare occurrence.
Aina had always cared about maintaining her image. It was part of the persona she’d crafted, projecting the image of someone possessing the composure befitting an Emperor. As such, she hardly ever showed excessive anger or emotion—except in moments like this when she was genuinely enraged.
“Claire. It would be wise for you to speak clearly. Tell me everything you know about Lee Han. Otherwise, I will—”
“Strike me?”
“…What?”
“Oh, wait. No.”
Clap.
Claire clapped her hands together and smiled as if she’d just understood something.
“You’ll stab me in the back like you did back then, right? When you took down the Demon King.”
The sword that stabbed Lee Han in the back during the battle against the Demon King.
That same sword had severed the Demon King’s neck and was immediately turned on Lee Han.
“Claire!”
“Please stop calling my name. The only reason I’ve tolerated your rudeness so far is because you’re a Princess, but even that has its limits.”
“What the…!”
“And besides.”
Claire took a deep breath and spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly.
“You’re planning to kill him anyway, aren’t you? Lee Han?”
“...!”
Aina froze in place.
Claire, unfazed, continued her onslaught.
“You couldn’t care less about the destruction of the continent. Even if the entire continent were to fall, you’d be satisfied as long as you could sit on the throne.”
Her words were sharp and unfiltered, utterly lacking in respect for someone of Aina’s status.
Aina was so taken aback, she couldn’t even find the words to respond.
“You want information on Lee Han? Then go ahead and torture me. But be prepared for the consequences. Do you really think the things you’ve said haven't been documented somewhere?”
“Claire!”
Crash!
Aina’s fist slammed down on Claire’s desk, shattering it. Even then, Claire didn’t flinch.
Aina shouted.
“Why? Why are you so determined to turn everything we’ve worked for into nothing?”
“That’s because this was always the nature of our relationship.”
“Always?”
“Yes. Ever since Lee Han died, this outcome was inevitable. We were all fools.”
Claire muttered, her eyes losing focus.
“We were all so pleased, thinking we had sold off a priceless companion like Lee Han, for a high price.”
“That was the right decision.”
“And then, to ignore the guilt of betraying a comrade, we threw ourselves into worthless goals.”
“You had the same aspirations!”
“Only after hearing the prophecy that the entire continent would fall if we didn’t find Lee Han did we start to realise how stupid we had been.”
“Those so-called revelations from madmen are not to be trusted!”
“And only after we met Lee Han did we truly understand—we’d crossed a bridge that could never be undone. With that one impulsive choice, we sold off our entire lives.”
“That’s…”
Before Aina could come up with a retort, Claire stood up from her seat.
Then she opened the door to her office.
“Leave, Your Highness.”
“Claire!”
“From now on, I will no longer provide you with political funding. You’ll have to find new sponsors. I’m sure you’ll be very busy, so I’ll take my leave.”
“You!”
With her hand on the door handle, Claire added one final remark.
“This is the best courtesy I can offer you at the moment.”
◆
“Come out.”
— Clank.
With Asmael’s guidance, the door to the Heresy Inquisition room opened.
The priest who had been doing everything he could to capture Lloyd was now retreating, unable to resist Asmael’s firm stance.
“This way.”
Without another word, Asmael walked down the hallway.
It wasn’t the same path they had taken when coming in.
“There are spells cast to prevent prisoners from escaping.”
“So the Holy Office uses spells too? Isn’t that more of a pagan belief?”
“Well, it’s all about how you interpret the law. It can be anything you want it to be.”
“The priests who interpret the laws must have it rough.”
“They sure do.”
As they made their way down the hall, indulging in small talk, a loud voice could be heard up ahead.
— “I’m telling you! My companion is in there!”
— “Please calm down. If you cause any more of a disturbance, we’ll have no choice but to arrest you again.”
— “No! How is it that we were released but the companion we came with is still being held?”
The voices grew clearer as they approached.
‘That must be the village chief.’
It wasn’t hard to identify the voice’s owner.
He was always so loud.
“You seem to have the trust of your companions.”
“…Well.”
It’s kind of embarrassing.
As they got closer, another voice joined in.
— “Didn’t I tell you? I am the Third Princess of the Britannia Empire. I will vouch for him. There’s nothing—”
Jeez, they’re all worrying way too much.
With a small sigh, Lloyd pushed open the wooden door.
Inside, the grand arches of the building stretched above him.
The pristine white marble and elegantly carved symbols created an atmosphere of pure sanctity...
“Lloyd!”
Thud.
A sound like a carriage colliding echoed through the hall as a wave of heat rushed over him. The village chief wrapped him in a tight embrace.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Chief… Could you—”
“I was worried! They told me you were taken to the Heresy Inquisition room! They said no one ever comes out of there alive!”
Nearby, Asmael’s lips curled into a slight smile.
“I’m alive, so isn’t that what matters? Now please, step back. I can’t breathe.”
“M-My apologies.”
The chief scratched his head awkwardly and stepped back, making way for Princess Yulia to approach.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s good.”
Her words were cold, but her eyes were filled with relief. There really hadn’t been any need for them to worry so much, but seeing them like this made Lloyd feel a bit awkward. Meanwhile, Asmael was quietly conversing with the priest standing by the door.
“Heresy Inquisitor, what’s going on? Wasn’t Lloyd a wanted criminal? Why is he here, at the Holy Office headquarters…?”
“I’ve completed the interrogation.”
“Th-Then… does that mean he’s innocent?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I-I see. However, no outsiders are allowed inside the Holy Office. Especially someone who, regardless of their innocence, was previously wanted. It’s a matter of protocol…”
In other words, they were preparing to expel Lloyd and his companions from the Holy Office.
Having come this far, it could prove to be a difficult situation.
Both the princess and the chief clung to Lloyd, whispering, “Are we really going to be kicked out now?”
“Of course not.”
“But how are you going to stop it? There doesn’t seem to be a way.”
That wasn’t something Lloyd needed to worry about.
Because—
—Swoosh.
Asmael, who had been talking with the priest, glanced over at Lloyd.
He tilted his eyes slightly downward, as if signalling for Lloyd to come over.
They weren’t close, nor would they ever be, but Lloyd understood the meaning behind Asmael’s gesture.
He nodded, and Asmael cleared his throat with a cough.
Then he began walking toward Lloyd.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by our misunderstanding.”
Asmael bowed his head deeply.
Lloyd, the type to seize such moments, immediately put on an exaggerated expression of displeasure.
“Seriously, you all need to do better next time. Okay?”
“I will make sure this never happens again.”
“Just saying you’ll be careful isn’t enough. What kind of compensation are you going to offer after trying to bury me alive? How are you going to make up for this?”
Even the passing priests stopped in their tracks, stunned by Lloyd’s shamelessness. Lloyd’s previous life working part-time had endowed him with the soul of a true troublemaker. Asmael, looking slightly troubled, asked in return.
“Uh… What kind of compensation would you like?”
“Well, you see, we’ve come all the way from the Britannia Empire to visit the Holy Office.”
“…I see.”
“But because we got detained, we lost our lodging reservations and now we’re in quite a bind.”
“I understand.”
“We’ve been saving up for this trip for years. Look at that man’s tanned skin! He’s a devout follower of Deus who worked his farm for decades just to afford this pilgrimage.”
The village chief’s eyes darted around in embarrassment.
Acting really wasn’t his strong suit.
“We didn’t walk all the way to the Holy Office just to get detained. Don’t you think this is something worth making a fuss about?”
Asmael performed an impressive act of wiping sweat from his brow.
“Then how about this?”
“What?”
“You may stay here, at the Holy Office.”
The priest next to him gasped in surprise.
“Sir Asmael!”
“But there’s no other choice. After all, they’ve worked so hard to make it here. Sending them away without providing shelter or food would go against Deus’s teachings. Surely you know that, priest.”
“But the law—”
“How about this? I will take responsibility for inviting them.”
The guard priest scratched his head awkwardly.
Then, the village chief chimed in.
“Oh, how tragic! Twenty… no, was it thirty? Thirty years of nothing but farming to make this trip.”
His terrible acting skills aside, the priest couldn’t ignore the chief’s booming voice. In defeat, the guard nodded.
“I-I understand. You may enter. And as for the one responsible for granting permission…”
“Put my name down.”
And so, even Lloyd managed to enter the Holy Office headquarters.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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