Nikolaos and Dietus finished their fair testimonies.

“Andromeda, while producing the Starlight Elixir, conducted countless human experiments on the poor…”

“Kyrie kidnapped, violated, imprisoned, defiled Erica, and committed every act forbidden toward a noble prisoner of the opposite sex…”

“In truth, the mutated beasts were also spread by the two to produce the Starlight Elixir and then blamed on Rikenta…”

Since their former lord Traisan had asserted it, it was truth anyway.

Was it not fairness itself to grant justice to our side?

They never even imagined this matter would shake House Astreos itself.

No matter how impressive those wretches were, a single breath from Peleus would turn them brittle.

If they could at least blow Kyrie away through this opportunity, they would be fully satisfied.

“I have listened well. However, I also heard voices saying Kyrie should become the Sub-patriarch.”

“The ignorant who know nothing of the truth—”

“No. Make those voices louder.”

“Pardon?”

“You cannot catch two rabbits at once. We must separate Andromeda and Kyrie first.”

“Indeed!”

Saint Deneve seemed to be thinking similarly.

“Kyrie must become the Sub-patriarch!”

“Kyrie alone suits the Sub-patriarch seat!”

“Andromeda may have more mana. But has she actually accomplished anything yet? On the other hand, Kyrie? War, subjugation, diplomacy — he’s practically all-purpose.”

“He treats soldiers well too. Never looted even once.”

“Academy top graduate, discovery of mutated beasts, extermination of mutated beasts, exposing the Rikenta plot, capturing Erica of Rikenta, expelling Gracus, impeaching Traisan, rescuing Andromeda, the Flammerios treaty… he is Sub-patriarch material.”

Nikolaos and Dietus set their course.

Upon reconsideration, crushing Kyrie head-on seemed difficult.

But a Papal Inquisition inquisitor could do it.

Astreion was prosperous, but it also had many urban poor.

With a few coins, one could hire people to shout all day, and they did not even need that many.

“Kyrie! Kyrie! Kyrie!”

“Thunder Sword! Thunder Sword! Thunder Sword!”

Because there were also quite a lot of people who truly supported Kyrie.

“It seems Nikolaos and Dietus changed their minds.”

“That’s good. Honestly, you thought we should push Kyrie too.”

“Yes. Personal feelings remain, but to stop Andromeda’s solo dominance, we need a hero as well.”

The adopted heirs also welcomed this situation.

Regardless of the fact Nikolaos and Dietus met Saint Deneve, this flow itself was quietly satisfying.

“At least arrange a competition.”

“We know how you think of us. You will be more disappointed hearing this. But that child Kyrie truly is different. He alone is the talent who will bear the next hundred years of Astreos.”

“Lightning arts, swordsmanship, diplomacy, politics — there isn’t a single point to nitpick. At least guarantee him the future regency.”

Ur, Bataos, and Sirmynes advised the Head of House whenever they met him.

This is driving me insane.

【“How about changing routes this time? The grand plan you told me was quite splendid, but it was filled with hollow hope.”】

Still impossible.

Kyrie fell into the difficulty he had anticipated.

I know. Plans assuming every stage proceeds as scheduled always fail. But stages don’t simply proceed — they are forced forward by any means necessary.

He rejected the constellation’s temptation in one stroke.

Andromeda.

How she would think was unknown.

She’s a mood-type person. Today she calls me little brother and shields me, but if she lies down at night and becomes anxious she might drop heavenly tribulation on my head. No — stop thinking like that. That sounds like Traisan’s thinking. I defeated him.

Kyrie defeated Traisan.

If I won… doesn’t that mean I become something even worse?

The sudden thought made Kyrie stop in place.

“Kyrie.”

“Good morning.”

Scipio and Silvanus greeted him as they passed.

Why are they greeting me? Someone might misunderstand and think we’re close.

Kyrie stood blankly before startling awake.

Good thing Nikolaos and Dietus changed their minds.

They seemed to meet Church people — must have had a change of heart then. The Church and Royal Family constantly watch us. Only our blood relatives can be trusted. Good they realized it now.

Scipio and Silvanus walked away with satisfied hearts.

【Hero’s Journey Stage 12】

【Stage 4: Sub-patriarch (Kronprinz/Crown Prince)】

【Become the Sub-patriarch of the noble house】

【Failure Penalty: Death】

【Success Reward: Heart Domain】

I trembled while staring at the flickering words above the stigmata.

I could roughly guess how the situation was unfolding.

Those sons of bitches — no, now we share the same father, better refrain from that insult.

Those worse-than-dogs bastards were driving a wedge between me and Andromeda.

If Andromeda trusted me as before, there was no problem.

The problem was when she stopped trusting me.

Some might ask how I could doubt her trust.

But entrusting my fate completely to another’s trust was no different from betraying myself.

Realistically, I needed at least a minimal safety device.

But I didn’t know if those adopted heirs could be that device.

Even just meeting them was a problem.

A maid or servant would surely see us, and by that afternoon every servant in the main estate would know.

Like a self-fulfilling prophecy in ancient tragedy, I might create the situation where Andromeda abandons me with my own hands.

But I also couldn’t go whining to Andromeda.

A younger brother who says “You trust me, right?” cannot be trusted in another sense either.

Either way, I couldn’t keep this unstable situation going.

My soul was on the line.

Even the slightest anxiety factor was unacceptable.

Right now, not a single thing was certain.

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Rapid thoughts never stopped.

I couldn’t shake the anxiety.

At this rate it wouldn’t be strange to faint standing up with a nosebleed.

“…Can’t concentrate?”

“My apologies.”

Only after Magnus spoke did I return to reality.

This was the training ground of the Twin Thunder Palace, and Magnus and I were practicing Sacheol blades.

Before us lay piles of black iron powder dredged from underground.

“Do you remember where we were in training?”

“Like ‘wide-area imbuement,’ pull the surrounding Sacheol, adjust attraction and repulsion, and form the shape. That’s it. Damn — sounds easy when spoken.”

“Yes. Words are always easy. Actions always difficult. Handling two abilities at once is even harder.”

Magnus spoke about efficiency.

“A bloodline capable of handling lightning arts and magnetism arts simultaneously is rare even in history. I can use lightning arts, but only at the level of barely using it.”

“That time, the ‘Emission’ signal—”

“Even that single emission required total concentration. Authority is like that. You must engrave it into the unconscious until it emerges reflexively, so handling multiple Authorities is extremely difficult. And lightning arts and magnetism arts are especially distant… as far as I know, even the Head of House cannot use both.”

“What?”

That was genuinely surprising.

“But I can.”

“Yes. You can. You can do that inefficient thing. So do not hesitate at the crossroads of choosing one.”

“….”

That pure certainty shook me.

Am I someone who can do both?

Right now I’m not sure I can properly do even one.

“Don’t tense up. Don’t try to control each piece individually — entrust it to the large flow. If you try to control every tiny Sacheol grain like lightning or emission, anyone’s head would explode.”

In the end, I failed to create a Sacheol blade that day.

“Younger brother.”

“Yes.”

“I will ask someone else to escort me today.”

“Oh? Ah.”

At the evening banquet hall, Andromeda entered with someone else.

“Sir.”

“Silvanus… hyung?”

The adopted heir of the Security Gold Corps approached me as I stood alone.

Wearing a white wig, a splendid uniform, and countless medals across his chest, Silvanus suited urban elegance more than battlefield roughness.

“My younger sister wishes to speak with you. She has great interest in the Corpse Wasteland. Could you enter with her and talk?”

He introduced a beauty in a brilliant dress.

Refusing conversation with him would be one thing, but refusing his sister with so many watching eyes was difficult.

I also didn’t want unnecessary disturbance during this exhausting time, and it was better for me to get along with the Security Gold Corps regardless of unit.

“Shall we?”

That day, I never once met Andromeda’s eyes.

“That is enough!”

Inside a prayer hall within the Astreion Cathedral grounds.

“A very, very minute crack. But a single crack is enough. It has been proven in the realm of existence and nonexistence. In the end they too are humans defeated by desire. Even the superhumans of noble houses are merely human! Only we, baptized by Myriad Star, are true transcendents beyond the seven deadly sins of humanity!”

Saint Deneve laughed madly, spittle flying.

Even Saint Uranos, who brought him, was overwhelmed by the momentum.

“Arminan.”

“Yes.”

“Gather the Navigators.”

“At last the chance to judge the criminal who violated my cousin has come. I will gladly comply.”

Saint Deneve called men wearing cloaks marked “Confidential.”

“Betelgeuse!”

“Yes.”

“Call the Oathbearers. The time for vengeance has come. Your humiliation can be repaid on the stage I prepared. Be grateful! Be grateful!”

An inquisitorial procession held power that rendered all inspection procedures meaningless.

“Brother Uranos.”

“Yes.”

“Gather the cathedral knights. The location is the monastery in that small city you mentioned. I will meet one more person and bring Kyrie there.”

“Whom do you intend to meet?”

“Sub-patriarch Andromeda!”

Saint Deneve cried in ecstasy.

“Are you sane?”

Saint Uranos asked in shock.

Betelgeuse and Arminan swallowed.

“One cannot face the insane while sane! Go ahead first. I will follow shortly.”

Saint Deneve did not.

Reception room of the Sub-patriarch’s palace.

“If you do not withdraw immediately, Inquisitor or not, she said she will fry you in lightning fire — deliver that without omitting a single word.”

Andromeda’s head maid Sepeia conveyed her mistress’s words to Saint Deneve.

“I am the direct Papal Inquisition inquisitor of His Holiness.”

“With respect, Her Grace Andromeda says even if His Holiness himself rushed here, he could not save you, and she would burn you alive.”

“A logic impossible to refute. As expected of Astreos. Very well. Then please convey this: there is a way to maintain your relationship with your younger brother.”

It was clearly an expulsion order, but Saint Deneve did not retreat.

Crash!

The inner door burst open.

“You.”

“Your Grace!”

“You have arrived?”

Andromeda approached with irritation filling her blue eyes and sat facing Deneve.

“Change my mind in three minutes.”

“Send him to a monastery.”

“What?”

“There is a reason you act like this despite nothing having happened yet. You also know the truth. You are not like Duke Astreos.”

Saint Deneve poured out words as if waiting.

“The relationship between you and Kyrie is not founded on reverence like the relationship between Lord Peleus and the others. Nor would you desire that. Therefore send him to a monastery. We will perform the sword dance. A very minor charge related to Erica is sufficient. Then if he serves as a cathedral knight in the capital, you can still meet. Fewer voices will worry than when he stays close as the senior adopted heir.”

Despite Andromeda’s hostile gaze, his speech did not waver at all.

“People cannot share power. Lord Peleus, whom you grew up watching, is simply not human. You are human, so walk the path of humans. Possess everything first, then grant it little by little.”

“You.”

“Kyrie has already met the adopted heirs. He trains magnetism arts with Magnus every day, and as you saw, he spent time with Silvanus’s younger sister at the banquet. That is only what has been revealed. Even if your brother has no intentions, the adopted heirs will turn him into a second Traisan. This is the only way to protect him.”

Chapter 158

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