Children of the Holy Emperor

Sisle’s declaration sent shockwaves through the Empire.

So much so that it overshadowed the main birthday banquet.

The elders of the Orthodox Church debated through the night, and an emergency council was even convened at dawn.

“What’s all the fuss about? Can’t they just relax a bit after the birthday banquet?”

Seongjin asked Logan, who had rushed to the Pearl Palace from the morning. Unlike the drowsy Seongjin, the guy was already impeccably dressed in his uniform for the ceremonial event.

“Well, since you have no interest in theology, you probably don’t realize how big of a deal this situation is.”

Logan began with a serious expression.

“Originally, the concept of reincarnation isn’t clearly presented in the scriptures. I mentioned it to you before, right?”

On the night Logan revealed his secret, he had explained it to Seongjin like this.

He had never heard of anyone else being reincarnated and didn’t know why it happened only to him.

“Come to think of it, you did. Why didn’t you look into the Saintess back then? It could have been a clue to your condition.”

When Seongjin asked with a puzzled look, a hint of exasperation flashed across Logan’s face.

“Because there was a lot of controversy over whether Gracia truly reincarnated. Don’t you think investigating the Saintess would have been the first thing I did?”

For the past few centuries, women had been steadily appointed as Saintess by the Orthodox Church.

However, apart from the stigmata appearing on their bodies, there was no other way to prove that they were really the reincarnation of Saintess Gracia. None of them retained any memories of Gracia’s life.

The same was true for Sisle. That’s why Logan personally had doubts about the Saintess’s reincarnation.

In fact, they now knew that there was no such thing as Gracia’s reincarnation. It was all just Cardmoss’s mischief.

“When a woman bearing Gracia’s mark was first recognized as Saintess, the Empire’s political situation was quite complex.”

The first instance of a Saintess being acknowledged as reincarnated was during the reign of the 4th Holy Emperor, Constantine.

He was a rather moderate monarch who implemented conciliatory policies toward the various nations subjugated by Remus, the Bloody Emperor.

One day, the mark of Cardmoss appeared on the body of a sickly noble maiden in Ortona. Recognizing it as God’s emblem, they consulted Delcross, and Constantine agreed to appoint her as Saintess.

The meaning behind that gesture was clear.

-Delcross’s great saint reincarnates like this, regardless of country. Does this not signify that all nations on the continent belong to God’s kingdom?

And that poor maiden, far from her destiny, engaged in service activities and ended her life in solitude.

“Moreover, the current scriptures have undergone a major compilation. In fact, the prevailing opinion among theologians is that many parts have been edited.”

The scriptures were also extensively organized and compiled during the reign of the 4th Holy Emperor. This is precisely the point where the Dark Cult conversely accuses the Orthodox Church of being heretical.

For example, the problematic statement known as Gracia’s last words.

-Whenever danger approaches this blessed Delcross, I will be reborn again and again to serve for God’s sake.

There was much debate over whether this was true or not. The concept of reincarnation itself didn’t exist before then.

In reality, Gracia simply served and died quietly in the countryside, so who knows what she said on her deathbed?

Furthermore, the scriptures specify that God will surely guide good souls to heaven to enjoy eternal happiness.

But if those noble souls appointed as Saints and holy figures claim to be reborn instead of entering God’s heaven, it creates a huge contradiction in the scriptures.

“The first to theoretically support the Saintess’s reincarnation was a famous theologian named Granius.”

He was an outstanding theologian who was active during the reign of the 5th Holy Emperor and also laid the foundation for holy barriers.

At the time, Granius alone advocated the three-soul theory among theologians where the two-soul theory was mainstream.

He said that the soul consists of Aeon, Dakion, and Bion, and when a person dies, the three elements separate, with only the Aeon entering heaven.

And he explained Saintess Gracia’s condition as follows.

-The essence of Gracia’s soul, the Aeon, has already been embraced by heaven, and the Bion has returned to the earth as a handful of dust along with her body. But only the Dakion, which inherited her noble will, remains in this world and is reborn with another Aeon.

Seongjin furrowed his brows.

Why so complicated? Who cares if the soul is in 2 or 3 parts?

“Until now, the Orthodox Church had been tacitly condoning the Saint’s condition for various political reasons. In the first place, since souls are invisible, there was no way to prove whether there were 2 or 3. But the situation has greatly changed due to what Sisle said yesterday.”

The submerged conflict between the two-soul theory and the three-soul theory had surfaced.

Logan rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and continued.

“To make matters worse, Sisle publicly declared herself to be the reincarnation of Saint Marcias, not Saintess Gracia. According to her claim, one soul can have two Dakions. Then couldn’t there also be states with three or four Dakions?”

How is that any different from demons known to absorb and use multiple souls? You’d have no excuse if dragged to the Heresy Tribunal right away.

“And if her claim is accepted even once, won’t there be a sudden surge of people claiming to be the reincarnation of other saints? Like the popular ones such as Saint Bastian or Saint Aurelion. So won’t the Orthodox Church be eager to scrutinize her?”

Upon hearing that explanation, Seongjin, finally grasping the gravity of the situation, felt his mind go blank.

Hey, kiddo. What the hell have you done!?

“So, where is Sisle now?”

When Seongjin asked in a panic, Logan replied with a deep sigh.

“She was summoned by His Majesty this morning.”

“Oh…”

Seongjin blinked.

Somehow, an unfounded sense of relief washed over him.

***

“I apologize for not informing you in advance, Your Majesty.”

Standing before the Holy Emperor, Sisle blushed and apologized.

It was a shoddy plan prepared in a day, but Sisle had no choice. She was absolutely short on time.

According to the Chronicle, Cardinals Benitus and Cesare would begin attacking her within a few months. It was too pressing to wait for next year’s birthday banquet.

After gazing at the girl with subdued eyes for a moment, the Holy Emperor asked,

“If you wanted to join the Holy Knights that badly, why didn’t you tell me first?”

There must have been a better way.

A more moderate method that wouldn’t stir up the Orthodox Church and the Holy Council.

“But I don’t have much time, Your Majesty. I needed an excuse to immediately step down as Saint while simultaneously gaining entry into the Holy Knights.”

Sisle protested.

There were some calculations in that little head of hers. No matter how fierce the criticism, the Holy Council would ultimately conclude their interrogation of Sisle in a way that wouldn’t tarnish the Empire’s reputation.

“Time…”

After pondering for a moment with his chin resting on his hand, the Holy Emperor asked in a calm voice,

“Sisle. What is it that you truly want to do? If you don’t tell me, I cannot help you.”

To which his daughter replied, her clear eyes shining,

“Yes, Your Majesty. I desire the authority I can immediately grasp!”

“Auth…”

“Yes. Big brother Morres said that after living a while, wielding authority is the best…”

“…”

Facing the Holy Emperor, who slowly raised his hand to his face, Sisle earnestly continued,

“Your Majesty. You know well that a Saintess cannot step down voluntarily unless she loses her qualifications and is expelled, right? Besides, I’m not a genius like big brother Logan, and I don’t have the time to start from the bottom as a novice knight like others!”

There was a reason she specifically chose Saint Marcias.

Of course, the fact that the order didn’t use swords was a big factor. But more importantly, unlike saints like Gracia or Bastian who merely devoted themselves to others, she wasn’t that type of saint.

Marcias and Terbacchia, in particular, were saints who had actually served as Holy Knights and even held the position of Grand Master of their orders.

So she wanted to gain some prestige from her status during her lifetime, Sisle added.

Carefully examining his daughter’s face, which seemed unusually unfamiliar today, the Holy Emperor asked,

“With the power you gain, what do you want to do?”

The answer to this was unwavering.

“I want to protect myself.”

Facing those clear eyes filled with conviction, the Holy Emperor’s gaze wavered slightly.

From what? What has this child been so terrified of all this time?

“…Alright.”

In the end, he could only answer with a soft sigh.

Just as he couldn’t stop the child when she insisted on becoming a Saintess, he had no choice but to grant whatever his child truly desired.

“Listen well, Sisle. Perhaps just before the ceremonial event, the Holy Council will summon you to inquire about a few matters.”

“Yes.”

Sisle nodded solemnly. She was prepared for it.

“If they ask about the two-soul theory or the three-soul theory, ignore it completely. Even if they ask whether what you were protecting was Saint Gracia’s Dakion, don’t answer.”

“Huh? Shouldn’t I explain it properly?”

When Sisle tilted her head, the Holy Emperor shook his head resolutely.

“Unnecessary explanations only provide grounds for rebuttal. What they want to know through you is not the truth, but whether there’s room to nitpick. The moment you mention the separation of souls in any way, they may instantly denounce you as a demon worshipper.”

“Yes…”

In response to Sisle’s dejected reply, the Holy Emperor emphasized once more.

“Understood? You just need to maintain the stance that there is only one soul bestowed by God. Of course, you don’t need to explain that verbally either. Just confidently state that you have been protecting Gracia until now. Keep in mind that any question about how souls are divided is a leading one. They may even subtly interchange ‘soul’ and ‘Dakion’ to induce a mistake.”

“Yes.”

“The same goes for your claim of being the reincarnation of Saint Marcias. Acknowledge that you received a revelation from God, but if they ask which part of his soul you received, keep your mouth shut.”

“Yes!”

Sisle nodded in understanding. So the plan was to gloss over the controversial parts.

“And let me slap you once.”

“Yes… What?”

Before Sisle could even register the oddity, the Holy Emperor’s hand approached her face.

Smack!

“Ack!”

Forgetting her dignity as a Saintess, Sisle plopped down on the floor, clutching her forehead.

Oww! It hurts! It hurts so much!

Glancing at Sisle, who was rolling on the floor with tears welling up, the Holy Emperor rose from his seat and added,

“Hold your tongue like that, and leave the rest to me.”

Through her tear-blurred vision, Sisle suddenly thought that his figure, striding out of the office, seemed unusually large that day.

***

The emergency council ended precariously just before the ceremonial event.

Waiting anxiously outside the grand conference hall, Seongjin and Logan were greeted by an exhausted Amelia and an overly excited Sisle.

Judging by the sight of the high priests filing out looking worn out, it seemed things had gone well.

“How did it go, Sister?”

Amelia, who had attended the emergency council as Sisle’s guardian, answered Logan’s question in a feeble voice.

“Yeah. It all worked out. For now, it’s settled that Sisle has inherited Saint Marcias’s will to some extent, and she’ll be joining the Holy Knights not as a novice but with the position of [Apostle].”

“Apostle?”

“It’s a new title given to a Saint who joins a knightly order. They say it’s equivalent to a deputy commander in the chain of command, but who knows how it’ll actually be.”

Seongjin and Logan exchanged glances.

What? Didn’t they just hand Sisle the maximum possible authority on a silver platter?

How is this possible?

“Wow! Big brother Morres! You should have seen it!”

Sisle, who followed, looked greatly impressed. With her fair cheeks flushed, the girl whispered to Seongjin,

“I didn’t know he could defeat those stubborn old geezers in a verbal battle. Today, I witnessed a new horizon of incitement and fabrication. Father is truly amazing!”

“…”

It seemed the Holy Emperor’s performance at the council was quite remarkable. The kid, who rarely showed any change in expression, was so excited.

But you know what?

‘A father respected by his young daughter as a swindler…’

At this point, Seongjin couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt toward that poor man.