Several days later, a shocking report arrived from a knight patrolling the capital: A woman claiming to be the saint was making a scene in the central square.
That day, hell itself descended upon the Grand Basilica. The high priest’s eyes had gone dark and dull, and a large number of priests surrounded him, muttering nonstop. Before them was Mary, tied to a pillar with rope. Between her and the priests stood Alex, protecting her.
Igna and Oz could only watch as the two sides glowered at each other.
The first to break the heavy tension was the high priest. “We shall execute Mary Safka.”
In an instant, Mary’s vocal cords went from vibrating with angry shrieks to complete silence. Alex was frantic as he tried to shield her from the high priest’s wrath, but his legs were quivering with fear.
“W-Wait! Don’t...!” he pleaded.
“Beg as you will, Clown Prick. This is a done deed. That woman falsely claimed to be the saint and must pay for her sins.”
The head priest was right. Impersonating the saint was a severe offense. Moreover, Mary had deliberately dressed up her family’s servants as priests and taken them along for a sham performance in the square. Such criminal behavior was unforgivable.
Igna and Alex, who had been searching for Evelyn at the time, had witnessed the scene. Alex had been so shocked he’d lost his ability to speak for a time. Now, Mary was shamelessly wailing and clinging to the frozen prince.
“Waaah! Aleeex!”
“Do not ‘waaah,’ girl. You’re eighteen years old. Act like it,” the high priest spat out curtly.
Mary’s body trembled. “Boo-hoo-hoo...”
“Do not ‘boo-hoo-hoo’ either. Die now, girl. You may cry and beg for St. Evelyn’s forgiveness in hell!”
The high priest’s cruel, merciless words had Mary shaking like a leaf. Unable to watch any longer, Oz stepped between Mary and the high priest.
“This is not the time for this!” he snapped.
Mary went from desperate to delighted. “You’re protecting me from that deranged old man! I see! You’re taken with me, aren’t you?!”
Ugh! Oz thought. He wanted to protest against the humiliation but managed to bite his lip and hold his tongue.
“Is that true, Oz?!” Alex demanded. “You never told me anything about this!”
“Oh, my prince, are you jealous? Ah, what a beguiling woman I am, quarreled over by two princes!”
Snapping sounds that human lips should not have been capable of making echoed repeatedly through the hall. With each snap, blood oozed from Oz’s lips. The murder in his eyes was such that even the head priest recoiled.
“This woman can be executed anytime!” he declared. “But who knows what terrors St. Evelyn might be facing right now! She could be alone, cold, in tears, with no roof over her head!”
The high priest’s eyes widened.
“Our adorable saint, so small, so innocent, so graceful, so lovable, might be wiping at her eyes while murmuring, ‘Oh, grandpa, won’t you please come find me?’!”
“N-Ngaaaaaaah!”
Perhaps having imagined the scene, the high priest grew tearful. The surrounding priests, too, shed manly tears while roaring in agony.
Eventually, the crying quieted down. Having regained some of his composure, a more levelheaded high priest turned to Oz.
“So, once St. Evelyn is found safe and sound, may we sacrifice this woman and her idiot parents?”
“Of course,” Oz replied. “In fact, that would be ideal.”
“’Kay!” the high priest chirped.
“Wait, wait, wait! What?!” Mary blurted out, finally realizing what Oz was trying to do.
Oz ignored her and offered Alex a smile. “You know, Clown Prick, you’re really something. I can hardly believe you’ve put up with this woman all these years. You might just be the most patient man alive.”
“Aw, shucks, really? All this praise is gonna make me blush,” Alex said.
“That was not praise. Goodbye, now.”
Oz turned his back on Alex. If he continued conversing with these people a moment longer, his gentle demeanor might fail him.
“Prince Oz!” one of his royal guards shouted, hurrying down the corridor. “I have a report, Your Highness!”
Normally, knights were not permitted in the Grand Basilica, but a special exception had been granted due to the current emergency.
“An envoy from Khattar has arrived at the royal palace and is requesting an audience with St. Evelyn!”
“What...?”
Before Oz could process those words, the knight continued, “And not just Khattar! Other countries too! Dominim, Rinma, Auracuna, and even as far as Tarinyan!”
“You can’t be serious,” Oz groaned. He clicked his tongue. “Now, of all times?!”
The search for Evelyn was urgent enough—now this? When it rained, it poured.
And to top it off, Igna, after receiving a hushed report from one of his own guards, approached Oz with an apologetic expression. “My apologies, Oz. I’ll be away from the capital for a spell. I will have to leave the foreign envoys to you.”
“What? So suddenly? Why?” Oz asked.
“Europa is coming here,” Igna replied.
“Lady Europa...?”
“She is scheduled to pass through Semme with her entourage as per usual, so I’d like to go meet up with her.”
Europa, the daughter of a duke, was Igna’s fiancée. House Manilas, which ruled over the town of Semme, had long-standing ties with House Caté—Europa’s family. Oz had heard from Igna previously that Europa sojourned in Semme whenever she visited the capital. But Semme was only an hour away from the capital by carriage and had good security in place. It wasn’t particularly necessary for a prince to personally go meet with her, but...Oz had enough tact to not interfere.
My brother is an obstinate blockhead, and Lady Europa is just about the only person he actually shows proper interest in...
That being said...
I might die from stress soon...
Oz felt as though a crater were about to open up in his stomach.