Chapter 6

That was a rather tempting thought.

The Holy Knights were the power and foundation of Veligream itself.

Transcendent beings who had surpassed ordinary humans.

At the age of fifteen, they awakened the blessings of the gods and gained the ability to wield supernatural powers freely.

Naturally, Holy Knights were born from the bloodline of Holy Ones.

When a Holy One gave birth, only a single child would be born, but regardless of gender, that child would possess an exceptionally powerful blessing.

Though she had passed away long ago, Lahik’s own mother had also been a Holy One.

However, the value of a Holy One did not lie solely in her womb.

Holy Ones were indispensable to the survival of Holy Knights.

Without forming a bond with a Holy One, Holy Knights gradually descended into madness the more they used their blessed powers.

Yet when a Holy One soothed that madness, they quickly regained stability.

In the end, the conclusion is simple.

I must form a bond with Legria as soon as possible.

A mate was an extraordinarily special existence to a Holy Knight.

Merely staying near one’s mate or sharing minor physical contact could fill a Holy Knight with overwhelming joy.

And if they went further and joined their bodies together, the bliss was said to surpass comparison with anything else in existence.

If their mate ordered them to die, they would die.

If told to live, they would live.

Many found the idea of someone having such power over them irritating and would remove it if they could.

But they could not.

What mammal could rip out its own heart and continue beating by sheer will?

Some things could not be overcome through determination alone.

Being drawn to a Holy One was the destiny of every Holy Knight.

And ultimately becoming ruled by that Holy One, worshipping their weakness and kneeling before them, was equally inevitable.

Lahik had grown up watching Holy Knights lose their minds because they lacked a Holy One destined for them.

He had seen men spiral into frenzy after the Holy One they loved refused to become their mate.

He had watched others walk willingly toward ruin after the death of their Holy One.

One of those men had been the person called his father.

That was why Lahik had no intention of repeating the same mistakes.

I will tame her completely.

His golden eyes flashed.

He could not live without Legria.

Yet neither did he intend to tolerate Legria sitting above him and controlling him.

The official ritual to summon a Holy One could be performed only once per generation.

Out of seven vessels, only one would be chosen.

Only Legria was qualified to become the future Crown Princess.

That tradition had existed for seven hundred years.

After a Holy One descended into a vessel’s body, they were fed the food and water of this world for at least seven days.

During that time, they were never allowed to see a mirror.

Anything capable of reflecting their appearance, including glass and polished ceramics, was forbidden.

The Holy One must not see their altered body and fall into panic.

The Holy Spring Ceremony was the final process through which the carefully protected soul of a Holy One fully settled into its new body.

Once completed, the Holy One gained the ability to sense and suppress a Holy Knight’s impending loss of control.

And yet even now my throat burns with thirst.

A wave of longing surged through him.

His Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.

On the day she had first been summoned, Lahik had realized something.

That single kiss alone had stabilized the violent, thorn-covered energy raging inside him.

Their lips had merely touched.

Yet it had felt like the union of souls.

Knowledge.

Culture.

Understanding.

All intellectual thought seemed to evaporate instantly, leaving behind only the sensation of standing naked and completely exposed.

A low groan escaped through his teeth.

His female hesitated and stepped back.

Even that tiny rejection ignited a wildfire of rage within him.

For a moment, he nearly grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back.

Yet paradoxically, the very same rejection prevented him from doing so.

The brief fear he sensed from her.

That fear stopped him.

The education he had received throughout his life as Crown Prince played a role.

As did the words his father had repeated countless times.

“You must coax and comfort her. I failed to do that.”

“That is why the relationship between your mother and me was completely ruined.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“The war with Aritum is near. You must obtain your mate before the war begins.”

“The full blossoming of a blessing can only be achieved through the power of one’s mate.”

He would have to act flawlessly.

Suppress his selfish desires.

Pretend to be selfless.

Hide his vicious nature.

Become her shelter.

The priority was to make her dependent on him.

To make her feel as though she would die if she left his side.

No matter how thoroughly one clipped a bird’s wings or broke its legs, no chain was stronger than a cage entered willingly.

From everything he had observed so far, Lahik was confident that taming Legria would not be difficult.

“Your Highness. Forgive my rudeness, but there is one final matter I wish to ask about. The barbarian you threw into the basement…”

It was time to return to the Imperial Palace.

The Archbishop’s voice stopped him.

Unhappy at being interrupted, Lahik narrowed his eyes.

The Archbishop flinched and hurriedly continued.

“He refuses to eat anything at all. If he dies, what should we do…?”

“Barbarians are difficult to kill. Even if he has to chew on insects crawling along the walls, he’ll survive through sheer stubbornness. If you have time to worry about him, perhaps you should devote more attention to preparing the ceremony.”

“Y-Yes, of course! Naturally!”

With that, Lahik left the Holy Imperial Court.

He had many things to do besides raising a pet.

Perhaps I’ll start by teaching her how to wait.

And if she waited obediently for him…

Then she deserved a reward.

Wouldn’t it be a fine sight to place matching bracelets of rare red diamonds and platinum on both wrists?

And another around her neck?

How delightful.

A smile briefly appeared on his lips as he mounted his horse before fading away.

The effort required to carefully control another person’s life was proving even more enjoyable than he had expected.

The Great Empire of Veligream was a theocratic nation devoted to a single god.

The person who served the deity most closely was the Pope.

And the Pope was also the Emperor.

However, ruling an empire while overseeing every temple throughout the land was no easy task.

Thus, near the capital, in the sacred region known as Utgard, where the First Holy One was said to have appeared, the Holy Imperial Court had been established.

The Holy Imperial Court was meant to remain silent at all times.

During work hours, no one dared speak loudly.

But that restraint did not necessarily continue into the dormitories at night.

Selin proudly boasted in front of several apprentice priestesses who openly envied her.

“H-Her eyes were so gentle. I’ve heard some Holy Ones rampage around like barbarians, b-but she was nothing like that. Her gaze was filled with wisdom and grace!”

“Wow. The Roermel family must be thrilled. They offered up a useless daughter, and someone like that descended into her body.”

“Exactly! Oh, and I massaged her arm, right? S-So she thanked me with her eyes! Maybe she’ll even choose me as her personal attendant priestess.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re still a long way from becoming a priest!”

Laughter echoed throughout the apprentice dormitory.

If the supervising priest discovered them, they would certainly be scolded.

But it couldn’t be helped.

They were girls between fifteen and eighteen years old.

At that age, even leaves blowing in the wind could seem funny.

Once one person started laughing, everyone else followed.

Since they couldn’t laugh freely within the Holy Imperial Court itself, they enjoyed their freedom here instead.

“Still… becoming the future Crown Princess. I’m jealous.”

After a while, the first girl to stop laughing pouted.

She had laughed along with everyone else.

But the truth was that she was envious.

Who would have thought that the mate of the magnificent Crown Prince would turn out to be that infamous “mad dog”?

There had been six other bodies available.

Why had it chosen that one?

“The poisonous weed of Roermel has become a flower.”

“Seriously. We’ll spend our entire lives struggling just to maybe become priests someday. Yet Holy Ones arrive and immediately hold a status equal to saints. I’m jealous too.”

The girls’ genuine feelings spilled out one after another.

Then someone spoke.

“I don’t understand it.”

The speaker was Anita, a promising apprentice expected to become a priest very soon.

The moment she spoke, the favorable atmosphere Selin had carefully created vanished like a receding tide.

Apprentice priestesses occupied the lowest rank within the Holy Imperial Court.

They handled exhausting and unpleasant tasks while desperately hoping to rise through the ranks and become official priests.

Yet Holy Ones completely skipped that hierarchy and instantly became people of higher status than priests.

Anyone who claimed not to feel jealous would be lying.

“That woman barely touches the food prepared for her. Yet the kitchen keeps sprinkling precious Mormala powder over every meal every single day.”

Mormala was a special herb that grew only within the Sacred Forest, a region that spread outward from the Holy Imperial Court.