Chapter 276 – The Exiled Church

000

Cassius was the second in the royal family that Cleon saw.

When I saw Amelia for the first time, what I felt from her was the impression that I could feel her good personality her rather than the nobility of her royal family her.

And, it was her nobility that she knew that she was sacrificing herself to keep the peace of the capital.

Inside, I could read that he was still young, and that he was constantly struggling with his belief in the mission he had shouldered.

However, the young man Cassius Chaldearis in front of him was different.

There was something about him worthy of his status as his crown prince.

It was ‘nobility’, which makes one feel the responsibility that a person standing above others should have, or ‘arrogance’, which is the opposite, and was aloof.

No matter who Cassius faced, he felt like he would treat everyone equally.

And one more thing, Cleon couldn’t help but question the fact that he knew his name.

“You know my name.”

“Of course. I heard about it from the beauty dyer right next to me … And I naturally heard about his activities at his academy.”

Cassius smiled and approached Cleon and held out his hand.

Perhaps the crown prince would ask an adventurer to shake hands, Cleon thought so, but she held his hand her, thinking that he should not embarrass him.

“I came to know your name after working at the academy, but I knew that you existed even before that.”

When Cassius, who held his hand, said such a story, Cleon could only remain silent and look him in the eyes of her.

I didn’t feel any malice from him.

However, Cleon had enough experience to trust everyone just because he felt no malice.

Because there are many people in the world who harm others calmly and without malice.

“Excuse me, but I’m seeing you for the first time today. It’s the first time I’ve heard your name.”

“Haha! I vaguely sensed that Mr. Cleon wasn’t interested in such things. Doesn’t the Beauty Painter think so?”

Cassius laughed at Cleon’s answer and asked the opinion of Lyomes’s father – the beauty dyer standing next to him.

“Not connected to the world, farther away. I felt that I was looking beyond the stars. However, I see countless chains to bind you to the world.”

The Beauty Painter answered that while quietly stroking his beard, and winked at Riomes.

Then, as if he knew, Riomes left the three without saying anything and disappeared beyond the crowd in the venue.

Every one of those actions of Beauty Painter came to Cleon with a great sense of intimidation.

“It seems that Mr. Cleon was a little frightened by the beauty dyer.”

“Umm… Prince Cleon. I don’t really have any intention of interrogating you, even if you’re the man who embraced my daughter.”

When Cassius said that, Beauty Painter looked down at Cleon with a slightly apologetic face and spoke.

In a way, it wasn’t something that would come out of the mouth of a royal family, so Cleon was a little embarrassed, but Cassius exclaimed ‘wow’ and just looked at Cleon.

“And this appearance of mine… Think of it as genetic. My third generation… That is, my grandfather’s father was a mixed blood of an earth giant and a human. That blood has been passed down to this day.”

Earth giants are one of the ancient alien races that are no longer left, and among the giants that have appeared numerous times in human history, such as dwarves and elves, they are the only race that has maintained peace with humans.

They live longer than humans and have a deep connection with the spirits of the earth, but they were manipulated by an evil wizard who aimed for their power, and met a miserable end in that the entire race was destroyed.

Even the stone statue-like appearance of the Beauty Painter can answer the question to some extent if the blood of the earth giant flows.

Also, the huge height and size that did not look like a human were the same.

“…I’m sorry, Beauty Painter. I know it’s wrong to judge people by their appearance. I think I was too worried because I also had an affair with Riomes.”

“I don’t care. At this age, the only person who hasn’t judged me by my appearance is that child’s mother. Now, there’s something else I need to tell you. Cassius. Explain to him.”

The Beauty Painter strokes his beard once again, forgives Cleon, and turns to Cassius to talk.

Then Cassius nodded his head and snapped his fingers, and a soundproof barrier was created surrounding Cleon, the flamethrower, and Cleon.

The story told here is a story that can only be heard by three people, and will not escape outside.

“Sorry for the sudden story… Mr. Cleon. Do you know what the ‘Exile Church’ is?”

“Exile… Church…?”

At the name given by Cassius, Cleon’s memories of the past that had been fixed in his head began to move, as if turning the mainspring of a clockwork that had stopped.

Lesia disappearing in front of her eyes, she herself could only look at it.

I recall what the zealot talked about before, when I confronted the regressors.

Cleon, who gained knowledge through her adventures her, thinks that what happened to Lesia was to be banished to the realm of the final dimension.

And Yogtos, the ‘Time Eater’ monster of the rift in the other dimension that I met in El Cairo not too long ago.

In the illusion he showed me—to be precise, it was the time of another world that brought about the same moment of choice.

A man wearing an ‘animal mask’ he met there.

The man who sent Lesia through the rift in another dimension.

“…It’s the first name I’ve heard of, but I think I’ve met one of them. You mean those who wear animal masks and can send people through the rift in another dimension?”

“Right. I know exactly.”

Cassius nodded and met his eyes with Mr. Painter, and Mr. Painter nodded his head as well.

“The Church of Exile has been secretly hiding behind the history of the continent since a very long time ago, and they are repeating the act of sending beings who could be a threat to the world beyond the dimensional rift. You’d better think it was gone by them.”

“…A threat to the world…”

Cleon remembered Lesia once again and bitterly reflected on those words.

Cassius looked at Cleon’s expression on her and patted Cleon on the shoulder as if to comfort him.

“Knowing something about them means that at least Mr. Cleon has been in contact with them. It’s nice that it’s easy for us to explain, but we don’t have that much time, so I’ll keep it short. Just like you , Aruru, and some of your colleagues are preparing. “There are unauthorized people invading the capital right now. And they are the ‘Exiled Church’ from the story.”

“The Exiled Church… Why?”

“They serve the ‘Father of All’ according to an ancient pact, and do not forgive those who pose a threat to him.”

Cassius said that while looking at Cleon.

“…”

And Cleon understood the meaning of that gaze at once.

Cleon heard the name of the father of all things from Quon.

Right away, I already knew that it was referring to ‘Adam’.

And he vaguely felt that he and Adam were doomed to collide with each other.

“I’d better get out of here.”

“No, that’s not true. It’s not just you, Mr. Cleon, that they’re after.”

When Cleon heard Cassius’ story, his eyes widened.

“No way…”

“Yes. Amelia and I are also their targets. They are putting Amelia’s ‘Saint Princess’ power at risk.”

As Cassius spoke, he looked at Amelia, who was talking to people from afar.

“And I, as you can see. I’m the one who doesn’t think badly of the Father of All and the Exiled Church.”

Cassius, who said that, was still aloof.

However, from his attitude and his story, it was as if he already expected all of this to happen.

His attitude, like that of a prophet, was to bring confidence to listeners.

“Your Highness, can you see the future?”

“It’s similar. It’s a prediction. It’s not a prediction, but it’s close to a prediction. It’s looking at the movement of the stars in the sky to see the fate of people.”

“…It’s astrology.”

Cleon also often looked at the stars, so he had some knowledge of astrology, but unfortunately, Cleon himself was unable to actually see the future of people.

However, I heard from someone in my childhood that talented people can actually predict a person’s fate by looking at the stars in the sky.

“Should I say it’s a sin I learned a lot from Sophia-sensei’s astrology class years ago?”

“…”

When the name of the great sage Sophia was mentioned, Cleon nodded as if he knew now.

If you were to be a member of the royal family, and if you were to think of a person worthy of becoming the teacher of the next king, there would be none other than the great sage Sophia.

Of course, he must have had countless other teachers, but if it were Sophia, there would be no shortage.

And, since it was she who told Cleon about astrology, Cleon was convinced.

“The reason I brought Amelia to this party was because I wanted them to gather in one place rather than letting them cause incidents in various places in the capital. If me, Mr. Cleon, and Amelia are gathered.

“There are royal guards here, but will they still target us and act?”

When Cleon said that, Beauty Painter nodded and replied.

“They do their job regardless of circumstance, time, or place. Opening the dimensional gates is done quietly and covertly.”

“Besides, they can also manipulate the memories of the humans they’ve lost in doing so. Those who don’t have a strong connection to the beings lost to the realm of banishment will instinctively forget about them.”

Upon hearing the story, Cleon clenched his fist as if he knew well.

Cassius held hands with Cleon once more and talked.

“Mr. Cleon. Won’t you lend me your strength to thwart the plan of me and my sister and the father of all?”

Saying that, Cassius smiled lightly.

As if he knew that Cleon he would not refuse.

“…All right.”

And as expected, Cleon didn’t shake his head.

Cassius let out a sigh of relief.

“Up to this point, it is as predicted to a certain extent through foreknowledge. However, I do not know perfectly what will happen after this. Besides, there is one more thing I want to tell you.”

Seeing Cassius’slightly lonely expression, Cleon felt a bit uneasy about it, but first of all, he waited for his next words.

“Take good care of Amelia-her my sister her. There must have been someone involved in her turn of fortune her. And… There is still one more great threat to her.”

“Is it… Impossible to be with Your Highness?”

I didn’t mean to refuse to ask Amelia well.

However, Cassius’ expression of her was as if he was speaking and demeaning as if he could n’t protect her.

When Cassius heard Cleon’s words, he answered with a slight trembling of his hands as if he had been stabbed somewhere.

“The next time we meet, if I were the person I am now, I would have been able to talk more with Mr. Cleon. Unfortunately, I don’t think I have much time left.”

“…Is that also the result of foreknowledge through astrology?”

Cassius responded with a shrug.

“The time of fate is approaching us step by step. In the flow like a huge wave, we cannot determine by foreknowledge which way we should steer. What follows fate and depends on fate. Disobeying seems to be completely different, but in fact it is also the same thing.”

“The story of Prince Cassius is sometimes too abstract.”

The beautiful flamesmith shook his head, leaving such an impression on Cassius’ words of his.

Cleon had no choice but to agree with that impression.

What the young prophet sees the future.

And, while moving toward that future, what they should do.

It had no way of knowing except when the time came.

001

“… Hey, what the hell is this?”

Alvein stood alone in the venue, standing next to Remilia with a dissatisfied face.

Long blonde hair and thin arms. And the chin line.

The dress worn on the body of her is hardly visible for men.

Albein’s appearance had changed to that of a ‘woman’, just like when she visited Cleon’s house before.

“Why do I have to do this again…!”

Looking at Remilia as if protesting, she answered Alvein with an expressionless face.

“It can’t be helped. Didn’t her contract her with her you and her her she her her … Her Belle Lily stipulate that she must take her medicine once a day, which she hands her?”

“…Because it was a contract that if I take that medicine, it will give me strength…! Is this that power!”

When Albein said that, Remilia sighed and looked back at him.

“Excuse me, Alvein-sama. You are originally supposed to be in a labor facility in the north. There is a possibility that one of the nobles here may remember your face by participating in your trial. There’s nothing more dangerous than what you look like.”

“Maraud even gave me a mask to wear…”

When Albein took out the mask, Remilia quickly reached out and snatched it away.

“What are you doing…!”

“It’s a story to make full use of that appearance. The boy who took medicine and became a girl- No, the young lady is a beautiful girl on the outside.”

Albain blinked two or three times at Remilia’s story, then crossed his arms and looked around the venue.

Due to taking medicine, the departure was delayed a little, so I entered after the opening speech, but for some reason people were gathered in a corner.

The only thing that catches her attention as she passes by is the things of bad guys.

Most of them looked nothing but perverts with greasy faces.

“Even if you tell me to use it. I’m here to find a woman, not a man.”

“Foolish young boy. The society of nobles is more complex than you think, and it is also a place where countless conspiracies and desires are swirling around. This kind of social scene, as old man Maraud told you, can only be ‘find a mate’. It’s such a shame to waste it.”

Remilia’s way of speaking her, as if looking down on her Alvein her, caused a fire inside her her, but before coming here, he rebelled against her who tried to give him her medicine, and was beaten with her mop handle. Recalling that there was a lump on her head, Albein tried to cool off her anger.

“The appearance of a beautiful girl eases men’s wariness. There are times when men talk about things that don’t come out when men talk. She’s It’s a soft part of human beings.”

“…Is it?”

Albein herself, she was the weakest male representative in the world, and she was a person who easily fell for women, but she didn’t seem to be aware of that.

“It is.”

If Remilia added like that, she didn’t think too deeply about Albedo and she thought so… And nodded her head.

As expected, Alvein’s INT (Intelligence Ability Point) in this form seemed to drop to less than half.

“Now, then, shameful boy. From now on, I will give you one piece of advice.”

“… What?”

Although the previous words were a bit disturbing, Alvein pointed to one side of her president as Remilia raised her finger.

There, he saw a man standing there, with a huge, terrifying appearance.

A peculiar style of dress, a long beard, and a rugged appearance.

Just looking at it felt like a chill ran down her spine.

“Talk to the man over there and come.”

“…No!”

When she told the story that Alban rejected at once, Remilia frowned at her.

“Did I hear it wrong, boy?”

“What the hell are you going to become friends with a stranger like that! I don’t want to die!”

“…Haa… What are you talking about. He is the king of a foreign country that is an ally of the kingdom, ‘Beauty Painter’. And, they say he has a beautiful daughter under him.”

His words her were a little tempting, but Alvein shook his head repeatedly as his life his was more important than that.

“…Then what about the blond man underneath?”

“… Who is that?”

When Alvein’s gaze turned downward, he saw a young man talking to someone there.

It was an age that looked similar to his original appearance.

“Casius Chaldearis. The crown prince of the kingdom… In other words, the man who will be the next king.”

“Prince…? There’s nothing much to see than I thought.”

Albain laughed at her snoring, and Remilia sighed ‘Haa…’ As she looked at Albain.

However, soon Albein sees the target he is talking to and opens his eyes wide.

“…Wait, isn’t that… Cleon we’re talking to over there?”

“…”

And, Remilia also noticed that and glanced down at Alvein.

“…Ha! It’s just fine, I’ll dig up the guy’s information with this figure.”

“Don’t think stupidly, youngster. Even if you’ve changed into that form, Cleon has magic poetry. If he feels something out of place, he’ll figure out who you are right away. Going that way means he’s left the two of you. Behind-“

However, despite Remilia’s disapproval of her, Alvein stepped in and began to approach her.

‘Magical poetry…? There’s no way Cleon can see through my transformation magic, right?’

However, Alvein’s unfounded confidence and sympathy for Cleon took away his rational judgment.

Albain, walking briskly, was on the verge of reaching the place where the three were gathered.

“Ladies and gentlemen gathered here. Excuse me for a moment.”

A polite, yet low-pitched voice resounded from above the podium where Cassius had just given a speech.

When everyone looked there at the voice that came as if they were talking right next to them.

There stood a man who appeared from nowhere, wearing a shabby robe and an animal mask on his face.

Albein, too, when he thought that the moment he looked at him, a strange feeling of unhappiness ran through his spine.

In the next moment, a huge light covered their eyes.

It was a very unpleasant light that did not feel warm.

“Exia.”

“…Yes. Master.”

And if you think you heard that voice. Somewhere, a girl’s scream was heard-

Soon, when the light faded. People look around.

No one seemed to notice what had just happened.

“…What was it… Just that…”

Alvein wiped his brow dripping with cold sweat and looked at the place where Cleon stood.

There, only a tall man stood with a serious look on his face, and Cleon and Cassius, who was talking to him, were gone.

“…? Where did you go?”

And, the crowd gathered in one corner tilted their heads and began to spread to their surroundings and talk.

It was a reaction as if what happened just a moment ago had been nothing.

There seemed to be few people who noticed that several people had disappeared from the venue in the light from earlier.

And Albedo immediately returned to where Remilia was standing, forgetting who he was heading towards.

Only a maid with a faint smile stood in the corner of the venue.

A ring in the shape of an animal glittered on her hand.