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How to live as a tyrant’s spoiled brat, episode 56
(56)
Wyvern, body length 15m, wingspan 20m.
This heavenly monster, which snatches away both the ox and the farmer while they are plowing the field, is a social animal.
“Sometimes we share food with family, friends, or lovers.”
“please.”
“If one bites your arm, another one will bite the other arm, and if that thick neck moves once, your limbs will break off?”
I was with the sinners in the hallway below the Wyvern Pit, that is, the one that connects to the Colosseum where the Wyverns live.
Beyond the thick lattice bars, huge beasts breathed hotly within arm’s reach.
“Please save me! Please save me!”
The criminals included those accused of insulting the emperor, plotters to assassinate nobles, drug dealers, murderers, arsonists, smugglers, and corrupt officials.
“Row 1. Let’s take a look.”
The soldiers sent in a group of prisoners, spears in front of them.
As soon as the latticework opened, huge, scaly maws gaped open.
As blood spurted, bones broke, and even the screams died down, a prisoner in the second row raised his hand.
“If you spare my life, I will offer all my wealth to Your Majesty the Emperor.”
I nodded to the prisoner.
“What were you doing?”
“I was engaged in trading.”
“How did you get dragged here?”
“I smuggled spices.”
“Do you have any assets left?”
“I have five hundred gold coins set aside as slush funds.”
I smiled with satisfaction and said to the soldier holding the key.
“It is a light crime to die for. Let him go.”
“thank you!”
Hands immediately went up from all over.
“Me, me too!”
“I will also donate my wealth!”
I said with a grin.
“Gather them all before me. Let me hear how much they are willing to give.”
In the first place, they were not criminals deserving of death, and it was an open secret in Wyvernpit that they had been mixed with criminals and presented this spectacle on purpose in order to receive donations of their hidden wealth.
In short, it’s extorting money through threats.
It wasn’t a fair fight, but they needed a lot of gold to prepare for the great war that might come in the future.
I knew one more way to collect it, so I had to do it.
Before long, a pile of gold coins was in front of me.
“You should have a dinner with your subordinates.”
“thank you.”
First, I gave a handful of gold coins to the White Captain of Wyvernpit.
“You worked hard today too. After work, why don’t you buy some meat and take it home?”
“Loyalty!”
He also gave a silver coin to each soldier he met on the road.
“I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”
“No. Isn’t it the duty of our police chiefs to properly follow the will of their superiors?”
I also gave a handful of gold coins to the magistrates who had taken away my discretion in dealing with the prisoners.
“Your Majesty. Here is today’s collection amount.”
And he gave fifteen sacks of gold coins to Jaylilith.
“Your notoriety pierces the heavens.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t tell you to laugh, so how can you laugh?”
“If the tower built of gold pierces the sky, doesn’t that mean my fame has reached the heavens?”
“No.”
Finally, all I had to do was send a sack of gold coins to my palace.
“No drinking tonight.”
“Huh? Ah!”
“Tomorrow you must go to church with your luggage.”
* * *
“Villa Palace,” Rudy shouted, smiling brightly.
“Your Majesty is finally going to the Gwangmyeong Church. I want to go with you. I think it would be an honor to be able to pray with Your Majesty and Valen.”
Sir Tentia said with a look of regret.
“They say that citizens’ access to the cathedral will be restricted tomorrow due to security guards. It’s unfortunate, but let’s aim for next time.”
I said, holding my right hand, which was naturally reaching for the bottle of wine, with my left.
That’s why the church says that the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing.
“Can my sister and I take you in?”
Sereraji, who had come to hand over the matan, glared at him.
“Why do I go to church? Aren’t they crazy people who test their faith and burn wizards whenever they see one?”
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Tentia and Rudy spoke at the same time.
“I think your words are harsh.”
“Your Highness the Grand Duke of Sereraji! You have deeply misunderstood.”
“What am I misunderstanding?”
Sir Tentia coughed and opened his mouth proudly.
“The Gwangmyeong Church is already a religion that has spread widely throughout the continent, and it is also very tolerant, acknowledging gods of good or neutral forces, such as the Goddess of Justice and the Goddess of Earth.”
On the contrary, he strongly rejects the old things that have evil or chaotic tendencies, so he was a strong companion even in his previous life when it came to the problem of eroders.
But Sereraji laughed at him as if telling him not to talk nonsense.
“But why is the wizard trying to burn it?”
“With the doctrine that all men are equal before the light, we prevent the cruel exploitation of the lords, and at the same time, we bless His Majesty and the knights in the name of God.”
“But why do wizards always get left out of that equality?”
“To purify disease and pollution, to bless the land, to transmit knowledge and study through monasteries, to administer local government, and to carry out public works. All over the continent.”
“Local administration? You mean where they come looking for you with torches wherever you hide and try to study?”
I got between them and consoled them both.
“Tentia Lord. Stop there. I’m sure you’ll agree that the power of the Gwangmyeong Church is great. Don’t say anything too much, sister. You know that you’ll be baptized, born, and buried in the church cemetery, right?”
The church is strong.
As Lord Tentia said, the church is in fact a pan-national administrative organization.
As its influence spread across the continent, it was clear that the most powerful group on the continent was not the Empire, but the Church.
And today was the first day that Jaylilith went to the church since her enthronement.
“Control traffic and disperse the citizens! Launch the wyverns and have the court wizards stand by! Arrest any suspicious individuals and throw them into the canal!”
“Your Highness! Step back! Your Majesty is trying to clear his name of being a traitor and a usurper, but you cannot afford to belittle the people’s hearts here!”
Originally, I had to ride a horse and run in front of the carriage.
But the administrative officials were worried that if they let me go ahead, the imperial prestige would fall into the abyss.
“It may seem to you that His Majesty the Emperor is invading the Church.”
“Then shall we send it to the back of the carriage?”
“The fact that he stands out is the problem.”
“Let’s mobilize another carriage.”
“If that continues, rumors of a serious feud between the two of you could spread. The person who just finished the Great Purge should not be put in a situation where he has to kill twins again.”
“How about we ride in the same carriage?”
“!”
Jaylilith laughed languidly in the draped carriage.
She was fiddling with her go-out bag with her ring-clad hand, her golden eyes curved pleasantly, and a faint smile on her lips.
“So that’s why the Archduke ended up riding next to Jim?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I straightened my back like a new soldier before a general, placed my fists on my knees, and looked straight at the coachman’s back.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been here alone.”
Long time no see?
At this point, if you say it’s been a long time, you might be referring to the time before the coronation.
That was a story from over 40 years ago by my standards.
But the memory was still vivid in my mind.
“Why are you making such a face? It’s funny.”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Do you feel nervous about going to church? Well, it’s been a long time. Maybe the light will strike down lightning from the clear sky and tell you not to live like that.”
In this world, God is not something to be believed in, but something to be known.
“What would you do if that really happened?”
“Do you think I would blink at a lightning strike? If you want to save the saint you created, you must immediately demand that he bless you and the empire.”
No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem like a joke, so I said, “Haha,” laughing.
“Leave that to me. It may be too blasphemous, but I wanted to try to pressure God just once.”
“Yes. The expert in urging is with you. I will hold the saint and place him on the altar, and you will pray.”
“I will prepare a burnt offering and tell you to bless the empire.”
“Burnt offering? A saintly burnt offering? As expected, it’s my brother.”
Jaylilith laughed brightly.
That smile looked so happy that I turned around and spoke without realizing it.
At that moment, a rustling sound was heard and the carriage stopped.
“I think we’ve reached the cathedral. Please wait a moment.”
But even though it felt like the time for a cup of tea was over, the carriage door did not open.
I could hear some administrative officials chattering outside.
Jaylilith sighed and muttered.
“It looks like there’s a problem with the luggage. You decide whether to drop a meteorite or a lightning bolt.”
I opened the carriage door and got out, sweating profusely.
“Your Majesty. I will look into the situation and come back. Please wait a moment.”
Fortunately, Jaylilith nodded.
* * *
The autumn sky was exceptionally clear, and the seven spires of the cathedral stretched out as if they wanted to touch the sky.
The cathedral had several large outbuildings scattered behind the seven-spire main hall, and the area around it was surrounded by a wall like an imperial palace.
The imperial procession stopped on the road in front of the main hall.
As soon as Valencian got out of the carriage, he headed towards the main gate.
There, the knights of the Black Iron Order, the administrators, and the priests stood facing each other with eyes that looked as if they were about to draw their swords at any moment.
“No one may enter the cathedral until Bishop Hong finishes praying!”
“This is inconvenient. Didn’t you schedule it to coincide with the end of the morning service?”
“Would we have thought that a revelation would come down to Bishop Hong now? What can’t be done can’t be done.”
“I cannot keep His Majesty the Emperor waiting.”
“Even if we all die, we cannot go against God’s will.”
Voices grew louder and louder, and bewildered expressions spread among the courtiers and the ranks of citizens who had gathered to worship with the Emperor.
“Why doesn’t Your Majesty come down?”
“They say Bishop Hong heard the word of God. Can’t you see the divine power rippling through that window?”
“Then, Your Majesty, will you continue to wait?”
“Even if you are the Emperor, how can you put your will above God’s? I killed my father and all my brothers and sisters and came here to ask God for forgiveness, so of course I should wait.”
“I see. Even the most tyrannical person would think that this wouldn’t do.”
Valencian frowned involuntarily.
The atmosphere was flowing badly, as if something had gone wrong.
He asked the paladin who was confronting the Black Iron Knight.
“What is the name of Bishop Hong, who is listening to you now?”
He had to answer by saying his name, not his last name, but the paladin had difficulty opening his mouth.
Valencianus, because the yellow eyes of the scoundrel who had brought the encroachers to the cathedral a while ago were shining with an inhuman heat.
“If you do not answer the royal family’s words, I will charge you with blasphemy and cut off your head!”
The opponent was only seventeen, and it was a childish threat that could be laughed off.
However, the hand of the young Duke, who was growing into a man, was in a position where he could draw his sword at any time.
He was a great scoundrel, someone who could really make a splash in this place where the eyes of the nobles and citizens were pouring in.
Will I lose if I fight?
If it was the Grand Duke, it would be possible to deal with him somehow, but the red-haired platinum knight standing behind him was simply impossible.
The knight shook off his feeling of being overwhelmed and answered.
“The first servant of the Lord. Bishop Paul An Hong.”
Valencian frowned as soon as he heard that answer.
Paul An, Bishop Hong, was a man who tried to control the imperial family in his previous life.
In a war that had already been won, they suddenly tried to arrange reconciliation in the name of the church, incited the great lords to start a war, and even sent saints who were trying to cooperate with the imperial family to serve in places that had nothing to do with the old times.
Soon he looked around as if speaking eloquently.
He shouted so that the Emperor, who was pondering in his carriage whether or not to drop a meteorite on this spot, the nobles of the court who had come to see the Emperor’s service, and the citizens could all hear.
“Bishop Paul An Hong is listening to the words of light and is waiting for His Majesty the Emperor?”
Valencianus checked that enough attention was being drawn and continued speaking.
“Do not lie, you wicked one! Why would the Light choose a saint and then speak to a bishop?”
He didn’t know if this was true or not, but he had to let Jaylilith in.
To do that, I had to make the lie into truth, and now it was like breathing.
“!”
Tentia opened her mouth wide, and the paladin clenched his teeth.
A commotion spread here and there.
“That sounds right?”
“There is a saint.”
The knight protested, feeling as if he wanted to eat him.
“Archduke Valencian! So you’re saying Bishop Hong is lying right now?”
“!”
Everyone’s attention was turned to him again.
Valencian spoke to Tentia in a voice so small that no one could hear.
“Can you protect me?”
Tentia answered, overcoming the tingling tension.
“If it is your order.”
Soon he shouted at the paladin.
“Shut up! You wicked bastard! How dare you sell the name of Bishop Hong to block His Majesty the Emperor’s procession?”
Before anyone could say anything, Valencian threw a punch.
Mana wrapped around each muscle fiber and assisted the strike.
puck!
A clean curved blow landed on the paladin’s chin.
“Oh my, you piece of shit-.”
thud!
The paladin, who had never expected even Valencian to throw a punch in front of this crowd, fell down like a piece of wood.
“Black Iron Knights and Magistrates, follow me. Open the way for His Majesty the Emperor to enter!”
No one tacitly chose black.
But the knights, already overwhelmed by the momentum, opened the main gate of the cathedral and said.
Jaylilith smiled contentedly at Valencianus outside the carriage.
“Your Majesty, I have protected the cathedral from your wrath.”
“Shut up.”
He was a scoundrel, but he was her scoundrel.