Exposure (2)

[A Chain of ‘Exposures’… Where Does It Begin and End?]

(Inside Polaris Academy, the image of Third Prince Oscar von Valentine conducting a press conference. He strongly claimed that the Holy Nation is responsible for this situation.)

The one who started the chain of exposures was Valentine Imperial Family’s Third Prince Oscar von Valentine.

He claimed that he had successfully secured the person of a pawn secretly sent by the Holy Nation, and exposed the fact that it was none other than the Solaion Holy Nation that conducted the Magical Beast transformation experiment on Cornelio.

Prince Oscar single-handedly succeeded in the autopsy of Cornelio’s corpse remains, which had made little progress in the joint investigation between the three countries, and confirmed that numerous Holy Nation-specific formula reactions were detected in the corpse.

The Prince said that his achievement was only possible because of information obtained from the pawn.

However, he showed a seemingly intentional dismissive response to questions about the current status of the Holy Nation’s ‘pawn,’ and to questions about whether he intended to disclose the prisoner’s person, he dismissed all similar questions with a brief answer: ‘It’s premature.’

Moreover, some public opinion suggested that all this was the Prince’s own fabrication, raising conspiracy theories that the Holy Nation’s pawn might not actually exist, but this hypothesis was quickly refuted.

This was because the one who responded most quickly to his claims was none other than the Holy Nation’s Senate.

(The scene of the Senate’s press conference. Many moments of an elder wiping tears were captured, but the public’s reaction remains cold.)

The Senate strongly claimed that all responsibility lies with the Saint, saying that the Saint had previously engaged in reckless behavior such as meaninglessly opposing the Senate’s decisions or ignoring the Senate’s opinions.

The Senate’s unusually strong response to this situation seems to emphasize that they bear no responsibility for this incident.

However, on the other hand, the Senate essentially admitted and did not deny the charges that they deliberately protected Cornelio from the Kingdom, and conducted biological experiments on him, and criticism of this continues.

Also, given that no fact-checking has been done on whether all of the Senate’s claims are true, international criticism of the Holy Nation as a whole, including the Senate, is unlikely to subside easily.

Meanwhile, there has been no special reaction from the Saint’s side to the Senate’s response.

The Saint’s residence within the academy is currently surrounded by academy personnel, including instructors from the knight department, and it has been confirmed that a confrontation continues with the Saint’s private soldiers, including the Holy Knights.

It’s also noteworthy that while the Kingdom strongly advocates for the immediate arrest of the Saint, third countries, including the Empire and the Republic, are taking a more neutral stance.

In this situation, attention is focused on what reaction the Saint’s side will show.

[Protests Follow the Holy Nation Senate’s ‘Exposure’… ‘Senate Judgment’ Opinion Emerges]

In response to the series of ‘exposures’ that began with Prince Oscar’s revelations, protests by citizens criticizing the Senate continue both inside and outside the Holy Nation.

After the Holy Nation was pointed out as being behind the situation at Prince Oscar’s press conference, the Senate issued a statement that transferred all responsibility to the Saint’s side to avoid responsibility.

However, the reaction of the Holy Nation’s citizens to this has been revealed to be extremely negative.

The protesters criticized it as ‘blasphemy against the Saint, who is no different from God’s incarnation,’ and claimed that what is truly reckless is not the Saint but the corrupt Senate.

Also, some protesters with extremist tendencies held pickets with messages stating that the Holy Nation should return to the state before the ‘4th Saint’s reform.’

Here, the ‘4th Saint’s reform’ refers to the political reform of the 4th Saint, Carl Dandelion, which reformed the Holy Nation’s national operating system from a dictatorial system of Saints to an oligarchic political system led by the ‘Senate.’

Such claims by the protesters suggest that the Holy Nation’s Saint is not simply a position of head of state.

A renowned theologian from the Delmaria Republic pointed out that the Holy Nation’s Senate ‘forgot their essence’ regarding this situation.

The position of a Saint in the Holy Nation is not simply a representative of the country but a pillar and spiritual leader of the country, and the Senate’s recent ‘exposure war’ was an act no different from stabbing their own feet.

Meanwhile, some criticism has also arisen that, apart from the responsibility of both the Senate and the Saint, the Holy Nation as a whole should deeply reflect on this situation itself.

A Holy Nation cleric who wished to remain anonymous pointed out that this situation is no different from a kind of ‘prescription’ that starkly reveals how corrupt the Holy Nation as a whole has been, and strongly criticized that if the Holy Nation does not come to its senses despite such ‘shock therapy,’ even a powerful religious state with hundreds of years of history cannot avoid decline.

-Thud.

Putting down the crumpled newspaper with a sound, Evangeline asked Oscar,

“What on earth were you thinking?”

“…”

“Did you really have to go this far?”

Instead of answering, Oscar silently looked at her.

“Answer me, you bastard.”

“P-Princess!”

“Do you feel satisfied now, making such a mess without a single word of consultation with me, the person directly involved?”

Completely ignoring the shocked Delphina, Evangeline fixed her gaze on Oscar and asked.

Only then did Oscar open his mouth.

“Would it have helped?”

“What?”

“If I had consulted with Princess Evangeline, would the situation have improved?”

At Oscar’s quiet response, Evangeline momentarily seemed to lose her words and stared at him blankly.

Toward her who had closed her mouth, Oscar opened his again.

“It began with Miss Delphina’s request.”

Glancing at Delphina, who was sitting with her shoulders tensed, Oscar said,

“From Miss Delphina, I heard that the Princess was hiding something. Wondering what it could be, I dug deeper and all sorts of things came out. The existence of ‘pawns’ sent by the Holy Nation to obstruct the joint investigation, so-called ‘Cuckoos.’ The Saint’s thoughts, the Senate’s thoughts, the internal political dynamics of the Holy Nation… everything, even things I didn’t want to know.”

At his continued words, Delphina’s expression turned pale. Oscar silently patted her shoulder and turned his head back toward Evangeline.

“I’m not particularly blaming Miss Delphina. They were facts I might not have known if it weren’t for her.”

“…Then why.”

“Why did you try to hide it?”

Oscar said quietly.

“After predicting everything… no, being certain, why did you try to shoulder it alone?”

“…”

“Answer me, Evangeline. Why?”

At Oscar’s words, Evangeline flinched and shook her head.

“Were the people around you so untrustworthy? Delphina, me… were we so unreliable?”

“That’s not it.”

Evangeline suddenly opened her mouth. Through parched lips, a weak voice leaked out.

“…I was afraid.”

Evangeline said in a cracked voice.

“It wasn’t that you were untrustworthy or unreliable… It was the opposite. Because you were people more precious than anyone else… so, at the thought that I could lose you because of one irresponsible word from me…”

“…So, you hid it?”

Evangeline nodded.

“Because if I just kept my mouth shut, we could have just moved on…”

“Do you really think so?”

Toward Evangeline, who was about to raise her head and voice, Oscar said,

“Could you have said the same thing if Delphina had died at Cornelio’s hands?”

Evangeline’s voice was cut off.

Evangeline slowly bowed her head. Delphina reached out and carefully embraced her shoulders, which had begun to tremble.

“Princess.”

Toward Evangeline, who was sobbing silently, Delphina whispered softly.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to cry. We’re not blaming you for being bad.”

Delphina’s sleeve, embracing Evangeline, became damp.

“But from now on… please trust us a little more.”

Patting Evangeline, who nodded silently, Delphina whispered,

“We’re not as weak as you think, Princess.”

“…She’s fallen asleep.”

Looking down at Evangeline, who was curled up on the sofa, Delphina whispered softly.

“My mouth tastes bitter.”

Toward Oscar, who was shaking his head with an uncomfortable expression, Delphina answered with a smile.

“Thank you for taking on the uncomfortable role.”

“…It was necessary.”

Oscar muttered, tilting his head slightly and lowering his gaze.

“For what’s to come… and for Evangeline herself.”

“…What will happen now?”

“Perhaps, as Evangeline predicted, there’s a possibility of military conflict.”

Delphina’s expression darkened.

“But, we’ve all prepared for it, haven’t we?”

“…Yes.”

At Oscar’s words, Delphina nodded.

“Please take good care of the Princess.”

“Take good care of my fiancée.”

The two who muttered softly at the same time soon burst into silent laughter.

“…Saint.”

Outside the firmly closed door, a cautious voice echoed.

“……What is it.”

Only after a long delay, as if doing a favor, a cracked voice leaked out.

“Someone who wishes to see the Saint has arrived.”

“…Ha.”

The Saint let out a hollow laugh and muttered.

“You’re talking nonsense. To think that someone would seek me out in this situation.”

Looking around the messy room, the Saint muttered in a hollow voice.

Downfall.

The Senate had abandoned the Saint.

A terrible sense of loss, as if she had lost virtually everything, enveloped her.

She was now too tired even to utter curses like ‘damn bastards.’

How long would it take for the Holy Knights and private soldiers standing outside the door to kneel?

A month?

A week?

No, wouldn’t it be considered a long time if they held out that long?

‘Oscar, Delphina… those bastards are the problem.’

The Saint blankly muttered to herself.

‘They clouded the hero’s eyes. They weakened her human strength.’

But not even hatred could boil up.

The Saint suddenly stared blankly at the white color filling the room.

Is the color of ashes that remain after burning white?

“…Um, Saint? The guest is waiting.”

The tactless Holy Knight carefully addressed her again.

The Saint clicked her tongue audibly and retorted.

“Who is it?”

To the Saint’s weakened question, the Holy Knight beyond the door carefully answered.

“Well, it’s… the Empire’s Second Prince.”

“…Who did you say?”

For a moment, the Saint doubted her ears.

But as if to confirm that she hadn’t misheard, the Holy Knight repeated,

“Prince Cardinando von Valentine wishes to see you, Saint.”