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The pope’s statement rendered me a puzzled man: “Holy hoary emblem? The Valkyries couldn’t have forgotten something. The emblem wasn’t on him, and it shouldn’t have dropped into the water. He died by the bank, not in the water, so…”
“So it was taken!!” The pope gave me a fright when he suddenly jumped to his feet and shouted. He spun his head around and belted in my face: “It was taken! Your Majesty, it is our church’s totem. It is our emblem, our holy item. It is what we give to our most trusted followers, which is why it is rare. It represents the existence of our church, but it has been taken! It has been taken!”
I immediately understood what he meant by that. It was the emblem that represented the old church and was their coat of arms. There was nothing missing from the official. Only the emblem was taken; therefore, we basically knew who the culprit was. This assassination was a result of religious problems. It was the work of the new church. Not only did they show total disregard for the Royal Palace, but most importantly, they waged a war against the old church.
“Your Majesty, you understand now, do you not? You now understand what sort of religion the new church is after doing this, do you not?!” The pope balled his hands into fists. He gritted his teeth. The pent up rage saw his young body shake. He bellowed, “We did not do anything wrong. There is no need to kill just because we share different beliefs, is there? Why did they do that? Why did they kill him? Why did they have to commit this violent act that God forbids? We merely shared different views on religion. Why did they have to be so ruthless? Your Majesty, do you understand now? Do you understand how crazy the new church is?! Do you understand how much danger we are in?!”
“Wait, calm down…”
“Your Majesty! Is there still a need to calm down? Is there still a need to think? Is there still a need for me to explain anything? Someone was killed right in front of you. Is there still a need for you to consider things?! This is murder! What exactly are you still hesitant about?! Your Majesty, Your Majesty, we are not trying to get revenge against the new church but retribution for murder!”
An intense flame burned in the pope’s young eyes. The intensity of the flame was virtually enough to burn the entire Royal Palace. Despite being used to seeing death, I still took a step back from his enraged gaze.
“My son is right. You need to calm down with regards to this matter.” Suddenly, Mom’s voice came from behind the Pope.
The terrified pope turned his head. He respectfully bowed to Mom. In an anxious tone, he responded, “Your Majesty, I… I…”
“Uhm.” Mom came over to my side with several Valkyries. She didn’t ask me why I was here or tell me that I shouldn’t be here. Instead, she looked at me with a smile and asked, “Son, what do you think about the new church and old church?”
“I think… this probably isn’t the work of the new church…” I shook my head. Before the pope dared to speak, I elaborated, “If the new church wanted to do something, they wouldn’t kill someone in the Royal Palace. The new church isn’t trying to destroy your old church but to replace your old church. Do you understand what ‘replace’ means? It means that they want the support of the royal family. That being the case, would the new church take the initiative to do something so blatant in the Royal Palace?”
Content, Mom nodded. She then told the pope, “I understand you can’t accept this sensitive incident happening at this time. Nevertheless, you must understand that you can’t be impulsive. If you cause chaos in my Hilles City to vent, I won’t hesitate to subdue you. I’m not responsible for your matters, but I do not want any chaos in my Hilles City, am I clear?”
The pope’s bravado instantly vanished before Mom; instead, he whimpered. His imposing aura that his rage augmented turned to sobs before her: “Your Majesty… Your Majesty… Please…”
“We will investigate this.”
Mom didn’t seem to want to continue wrestling with the pope, so she waved her hand to give the Valkyries their order. They came over and helped him up then gave him a firm push to signal for him to leave. Mom was no longer willing to say anything. She maintained her smile, but I was certain it was forced.
Mom grew up in the Royal Palace. Last time, she witnessed her father’s death here. It had been a long time since she suffered that sort of insult. Mom must’ve been blistering with rage.
“I will punish those who deserve to be punished; however, you have now trespassed into my flower courtyard in my backyard. Before my fuse completely burns, get lost.” Mom waved her hand.
The pope hesitated for a moment. He probably noticed the intense murderous intent in Mom’s eyes, therefore shut up and left.
“Damn it!”
Once the pope left, Mom shoved a Valkyrie into the water. I looked at the unlucky Valkyrie. She struggled to regain her posture. She shivered in the water but didn’t dare to come up. I sighed and pulled her up.
“Thank you… Thank you, Your Majesty…”
Before I could say anything, the few Valkyries around me thrust their swords into their own hearts in unison. Their hot blood littered the area. The smell of greenery was replaced with the overwhelming smell of blood. I watched Valkyries dropped to the ground in astonishment.
Mom turned her head around in the mist of blood. She swept her aggressive gaze over everything and everyone around. She screamed at the heavens as if she’d gone mad: “I gave them time, yet they were unable to find the culprit within the time limit set. I am the Empress of Rosvenor. This is my nest. This is my Royal Palace. How dare they kill my official in my palace?! This is an insult! Must I experience that sort of humiliation a second time?! Nobody is allowed to die in my Royal Palace. This is an insult! I can’t tolerate it!!”
Mom saw her father killed in the palace and drank wine from her father’s skull in the Royal Palace. The vast empire was also a protective wall from her perspective. She used the palace and all the things around her to barricade her wounded heart. As somebody was killed in her Royal Palace, insecurity invaded her heart, putting her on edge.
“I will handle this case. I will handle it, Mom. Calm down. Calm down. Don’t let any more innocent people die in the Royal Palace, especially Valkyries. Let me investigate this case now.”