“Lord Roel, Lord Nora, will bread do? Here is some jam I bought from a street vendor. It goes quite well with the bread.”
“Thanks, Klaude. Aren’t you going to eat too?”
“I’m fine. I just ate not too long ago.”
Ever since Roel and Nora arrived at the monastery, the middle-aged monk had been scrambling around to attend to their every need, not resting in the slightest. It was almost as if he was afraid of neglecting them.
Feeling a pair of eyes brimming with respect and admiration staring intently at him, Roel felt a huge headache.
(Affection Points +100!)
What in the world is going on here? Do you even recognize me? It’s not as if I’m some sort of god who has descended upon the world to offer you salvation, so why are you giving me so many Affection Points?!?!
Roel had never known that affection could be so burdensome too. Every time he saw green light beaming from Klaude’s head, he felt like the weight on his shoulders was getting heavier and heavier, as if someone was heaping expectations on him.
Wait a moment. Could it be because… I’m too handsome?
Roel munched on a slice of bread as he nodded his head solemnly. He felt that his guess made perfect sense. Otherwise, why would a stranger treat them so well as to even offer them precious rations?
One must know that it was the entire Holy Capital that was in turmoil at the moment! Even if they were noble children, there was no guarantee that they would get a reward for returning them to their parents, especially since their parents were very possibly dead.
“Klaude, may I ask you a few questions?”
“Yes, of course! Feel free to ask!”
While Roel’s mind was still wandering all over the place, Nora engaged in a conversation with this overly passionate monk.
“Are the armies fighting out there Prince Wade’s and Princess Victoria’s?” asked Nora.
This was an odd question, considering how the fighting had been going on for half a month now. It was impossible for anyone in the Holy Capital to not know of it. Klaude was understandably taken aback, but soon recovered.
Of course! The Holy Sons have just descended from heaven, only to be met by such chaos. They must still be trying to grasp the situation. Oh ho, isn’t this a good opportunity for me to show my worth?
“You must be confused by what’s happening in the city. Why don’t I explain everything to you?”
“Yes, that would be much appreciated. Thank you, Klaude.”
“No no, this is what I ought to do!”
“…”
Putting aside Roel, who could literally see affection, even Nora was starting to feel somewhat overwhelmed by just how passionate Klaude was. In the end, she chose to attribute it to his sense of righteousness.
For the next few minutes, Klaude exhibited his scholarly credentials. He explained the circumstances surrounding the two factions in a clear and concise manner.
The battle started at the beginning of March, and it has been ongoing for half a month now. The entire Holy Capital went into lock down and became isolated from the rest of the world. No one is allowed to enter or leave the city. It’s a struggle between Prince Wade along with three allied eminent noble houses against Princess Victoria and the Theocracy’s Guardian Knights and Knight Orders.
The three noble houses are the Belfasts, the Weiss, and the Elrics, though to be more exact, the Belfasts and the Weiss are only playing a supporting role. The bulk of Prince Wade’s strength comes from the Elrics.
As for Princess Victoria, she has the support of the Ascarts, who command the Third Battalion and the Knight Orders.
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The two sides swiftly built their formations along the central street of the Holy Capital and faced off with one another, but it didn’t take long for the bottleneck to be broken. According to the news, the patriarch of the Elric House personally led a swift and deadly strike against the flanks of Princess Victoria’s forces, resulting in their defenses being breached and their formation collapsing.
From then on, the battle turned from a clash into a massacre. The death toll rose swiftly every single day, and blood filled the entire Holy Capital. There were a great number of deaths on both sides, but eventually, Prince Wade’s alliance still managed to destroy Princess Victoria’s forces.
Realizing that the situation had turned desperate for them, the patriarch of the Ascart House ordered a retreat. He pulled Princess Victoria away to his residence and cast a grand magic spell over the surroundings, filling the area with fog. Anyone who stepped into the fog would suddenly find themselves teleporting randomly around. So far, this had hindered Prince Wade’s alliance from clinching the decisive victory.
Currently, Princess Victoria and the remnant of her forces were holed-up within the fog, but everyone knew that this wasn’t a long-term plan. It was only a matter of time before the grand spell was released. Once that happened, Prince Wade and his allies would swiftly eliminate all of them.
Prince Wade had ordered the area covered by the fog to be encircled, and they were constantly sending patrol teams in to scout the area. Therefore, those who were trapped here had no choice but to hide within the shelters of their own homes and pray that Prince Wade’s soldiers would overlook them.
“Wait a moment. How are you so clear about all of this?”
After hearing Klaude’s story, Roel sensed that the man knew too much. This was a medieval world they were living in, not the modern era of information, with radios and cell phones. It was hard to believe that a mere monk living in a monastery, an ordinary civilian, would actually be able to gather so much classified information.
Klaude began to stutter under Roel’s questioning. His eyes swam nervously around for a moment, but under the interrogative stares from the two children, he eventually caved and confessed.
“I am part of Princess Victoria’s logistics team, but I was unable to keep up with their retreat and ended up being left behind. So, I took my own rations and sought refuge in this monastery. The bread you are eating right now is the food that I snuck away with.”
Ah, so you’re a cook who failed to keep up with your comrades…
Nora and Roel looked at the food in their hands speechlessly.
Based on Klaude’s account, by the time he got here, the grand magic spell had already been activated, confounding his sense of direction. Had it not been for his good luck, he would have never been able to make it into this monastery.
In a strict sense, Klaude could be considered as a deserter, but neither Roel nor Nora, who were sharing his loot, had any intent to criticize him. After filling their stomachs and quenching their thirst, Roel felt that it was time for him to ask Klaude what his stance on this matter was.
“Judging by the fact that you had previously worked in Princess Victoria’s army, does this mean that your allegiance is to Princess Victoria?”
“You can say so,” replied Klaude vaguely.
His not-so-resolute answer surprised the two. Given that Klaude was on Princess Victoria’s side, he should have been filled with contempt for Prince Wade for colluding with evil cults.
Noticing that something was amiss, Roel narrowed his eyes and probed on. He decided to cut straight to the main point.
“Is Prince Wade not an evil cultist?”
“Huh? Of course not! He might be a heretic, but he’s not an evil cultist. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have so many followers either,” replied Klaude with genuine confusion.
Nora and Roel exchanged shocked gazes with one another. A heretic and an evil cultist might sound similar to one another, but there were some differences between the two. Most heretics had abilities that brought convenience to the populace, so the Genesis Goddess Church generally turned a blind eye to them. Evil cultists, on the other hand, sought to unleash destruction upon the world and overthrow the current order.
If what Klaude said about Prince Wade not being an evil cultist was true, it would mean that the history Roel knew of was riddled with flaws. A flash of insight crossed Roel’s mind as he suddenly realized something.
He first stopped Nora, who appeared to be on the verge of saying something, before he turned to Klaude and spoke with a grim tone.
“Klaude, can you elaborate in more detail about the cause of this conflict?”
“Of course!” replied Klaude with a nod, before heaving a deep sigh. “This will have to start from the mother of the two royal highnesses.”