episode_0071

Endimian of Alcrea.

Although he was the eldest son in line to the throne at 23 years old and had a bright future ahead of him, he was always ranked second.

The eldest son. The first queen’s legitimate son. He has outstanding height and a handsome appearance. He has a generous personality and the ability to lead people well.

Many people questioned why he, who had all these abilities, remained second in line for the throne.

Some might say that it was because he had no interest in marriage.

And, the ability and charm to lead people clearly existed, but the method of sharing it was immature.

The next closest candidate for the throne, the First Princess, had been preparing long beforehand. First of all, she had a fiance. He was the second son of the Persina family, a count who ruled the largest area among the nobles of the southern part of the continent. The eldest son had already been married for a long time, so it was a very appropriate choice.

At the same time, Princess Josefina did not stop there and displayed her talents. Using the political sense inherited from her father, she succeeded in capturing the Count of Persina and all of his noble power.

However, the First Prince was different. He was originally generous and charming, and he was great at captivating people. However, he did not properly have any advisors or staff members, except for those who were closest to him. Most of the people who gathered around him were people who had shared joys and sorrows with the First Prince and devoted themselves to developing the Central Continent.

That is, there were many among the nobles who favored him. However, it was certain that if someone ascended to the throne, the number of those who supported the First Prince would decrease significantly.

Crucially, the prince had no interest in marriage. As a child, he had been so absorbed in swordsmanship, training, and horseback riding that he had never paid any attention to the opposite sex.

And then, as an adult, something else happened that overcame his interest in marriage.

To be exact, it was definitely the time when the first prince’s coming of age ceremony was held grandly.

‘I can’t believe it. This, this is a being that came from human blood?’

Coming of age ceremony.

As he was a member of the royal family and the first prince, many nobles and people from all walks of life attended to congratulate him and bow their heads.

The prince, who had been receiving and responding to the greetings of so many people without much emotion, saw a sight in which his pupils dilated and his heart pounded.

The Church of Air Grants. It was once the state religion of the kingdom, but after a reform, its intervention in politics was greatly reduced, and its influence was also greatly reduced. However, there were still many nobles who poured out affection for the church, and in particular, the priests who knew how to use divine power, including the bishop, were of great help to the kingdom in the long conflict with the demons.

And the first prince witnessed it with his own two eyes. He took in the sight he would never forget.

A symbolic being of the Airgrants religion. One of the warriors. A noble person who defeated the Demon King. Saint Milicia Airgrants came to bless his coming of age ceremony.

‘I hope you are well. It is nice to meet you, Lady Endimian di Alcrae. I am Milicia Airgrants, a saint who carries out her duties in the Airgrants Church despite her shortcomings. Today, I have come to bless you on your ascension to sainthood.’

And then, naturally, his hand rose above Endymian’s head. Although Endymian was much taller, he was able to do so because he knelt down and sat in front of the saint according to the blessing etiquette of the Airgrants Church.

The warmth that comes from that contact, and the incredibly beautiful voice.

Endymian completely stole my heart upon our first meeting.

Seeing once is believing. This is a reenactment of an old story.

‘She was not just a symbol, but a true saint…’

I had heard all about the incredible feats of the warriors, but I had hardly ever seen the real thing, so I was half-distrustful. Rather, I believed that the blood and sweat of countless soldiers from the Northern and Southern Kingdoms had contributed the most to the victory in the war against the Demons.

And, Endimian, who returned to his room, decided to shatter all his views. He decided to touch on areas he had no interest in until now. And he released people. He secretly collected information.

What kind of being is the saint? Does the doctrine of the Church of Airgrants prevent the love of such a noble and symbolic being? Finally, is there anyone close to the saint, someone who could possibly be arranged for marriage?

The first assumption was more likely. Originally, followers of the Church of Airgrants, such as the Saints, often remained celibate until death. However, there were exceptions. There had been a few cases of marriages with royal families of the Southern Kingdom over the past several hundred years.

The first prince, who discovered that one family could become a reality, was overcome with happiness, but soon became frustrated when he encountered a huge wall.

A warrior. A man who is slightly younger than you, but has outstanding skills.

A symbol and a symbol of hope for the Southern Kingdom, summoned from a distant world. One of his party members, a saintess, has acquired information that she is quite close to the hero.

Even when the consistent testimonies of those who had seen the party of warriors were included, Endymian felt frustrated.

‘In a first love that came suddenly, is there no hope?’

However, humans are creatures that do not know how to give up. Even after that, Endimian could not forget Milicia Airgrants. Even in his dreams, he often imagined holding her hand.

Even though she was just carrying out her duties as a prince, her face would always flicker whenever she encountered the symbol and followers of the Airgrants Church.

He was a perfect boss.

And then someone hit the nail on the head.

‘Looking at you, I feel I must give you a word of advice.’

‘Mateus…’

He was a tall man with a noble appearance and a dignified attire as a member of the Northern Kingdom’s royal family. At the man’s birthday banquet, Endymian was able to hear some hopeful words.

‘I’ll give you some good information. Until now, we thought that there was no room between the warrior and the saintess because of their close relationship. However, since the warrior visited our kingdom last time, at least the high-ranking children of the Northern Kingdom have changed their minds.’

‘What did you do?’

The hero. The man who is the worst obstacle that prevents Endymian from achieving his wish, and also the nobleman who saved the world. While he was by the saint’s side, Endymian often felt frustrated as he concluded that his wish had been miserably shattered.

‘The hero, Andy, was not the kind of man who would want to spread his seed to only one woman. Do you know what the first thing he did when he visited the Northern Kingdom was? He raided a slave trade and stole the princess of the water tribe. And he made her his slave. Amazingly, the water tribe princess chose to stay with the hero even though he offered her the option of returning home. Again, as a slave. I hope you understand what I mean by that.’

‘Ah, no… isn’t it difficult to conclude based on that alone?’

‘Well, that’s true. You could say it’s hasty. However, if you hear that he visited the mansions and villas of many nobles in the Northern Kingdom and enjoyed secret meetings with them, wouldn’t you think differently?’

‘That, that guy…’

then…

With the information he had acquired about the saint, Endymian could easily guess what consequences this warrior’s actions would bring about.

The saint will feel betrayed. The one who protected her and was by her side is now lost in another woman’s eyes.

Of course, there were plenty of other women in the group, one of whom was Endymian’s younger sister. However, there were no rumors or evidence that they flirted with each other as openly as they do now, or engaged in physical conversations.

Endymian was certain of this, having asked his younger sister several times about her time in the Heroes’ Party.

‘But, you… why are you telling me this?’

‘Hmph… The saint is a noble person… If it is not impossible to win the heart of such a person, then it would be advisable to challenge it. Sadly, the physical distance between me and the saint is so great that the possibility of this feeling being connected is slim. Therefore, as a close friend, and knowing that you also have feelings for her, I am giving you advice. If you do not seize the opportunity when it comes… you will regret it for the rest of your life.’

After hearing those words, Endymian took active action. He tried to meet the saint whenever he had the time and opportunity.

Using a bit of a change of perspective, he even subtly suggested to the saintess that she volunteer for the central continent development project, and then chose her under the pretext of supporting the Airgrants Church.

However, the saintess herself had refused, and even within the kingdom, there was reluctance to send the symbol of the Airgrants religion outside the kingdom. In the end, with regret, Endymian swallowed the bitter taste and led his horse to the central continent.

And for several months, he had been busy developing the central region, gathering countless news and burning his heart. When the Bronkhorst family tried to take the saintess, he had a strong urge to throw them all away and return to the kingdom.

Eventually, when word came out that the saintess was appointing knights as escorts and traveling around the continent, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

At this point, Endymian had a bit of positive imagination. I don’t know how he resolved his conflict with Bronkhorst, but it was clear that a powerful rival had fallen. In other words, another opportunity had come to him.

In the palace where he had visited after a long time, Endimian witnessed a scene in the audience room where his hopes were shattered. Next to Milicia, a shabby kid stood, even compared to the rivals he had seen so far. He looked like a man with nothing to show for him, except for his neat clothes, so much so that it wouldn’t be strange to mistake him for an attendant.

However, Endymian felt despair take over his entire body when he saw the gaze of Milicia Airgrants looking at such a pitiful Glen. He swears that even a warrior has never received such a gaze.

It was clearly a look of love.

It was a feeling he had never felt before, even after years of courting.

When I saw the two people holding hands under the table at the banquet, I could barely suppress the urge to draw my knife.

In the end, the first prince, who had once again suffered a heartbreak that was not a heartbreak, returned to the central continent as if he was running away.

After that, only Dokji remained. He collected information and calculated it to predict the path of the saint’s party. Fortunately, he had to pass through the residence where Endymian was staying halfway through the journey.

And Endymian intuitively felt that now he had only one last chance left.

I had to take the saint away from here, no matter what it took.

Do whatever it takes.

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“Excuse me, is there anyone coming near…by any chance…”

“That, that’s right. The person riding the horse… that woman waving her hand…”

“Wow, it’s certain. It’s the saint. The saint has come to our fortress!”

“Ma, Hurray. Hurray!”

The commotion of the guards standing on the fortress fence quickly spread inside the small fortress. Soon, many people staying in the residence called the fortress, regardless of age or gender, gathered toward the south gate of the fortress.

And with resilience, they gave a warm welcome to the visiting party.

“Wow, waaah!”

“Oh, welcome, my lady!”

“Saint, bless me!”

“Saint, please look this way too!”

“Hey, don’t show your dirty face. You bastard!”

“You’re no slouch either, you punk!”

The large crowd warmly welcomed the saint.

And the noble saint of the Airgrants doctrine, Milicia Airgrants, responded with a gentle smile and a wave of her hand, accompanied by attendants on both sides.

Then, there was a more enthusiastic response. And so, until the gates of the fortress opened, only the crowd gathered near the wooden building and the communion between the saint and the saint existed.

Soon, the fortress gate began to open with a loud noise. And then, with strides, someone’s feet emerged from inside the fortress.

“Oh, Prince. You are too hasty…”

“An important guest has arrived in this fortress. Shouldn’t I go out to greet him? Don’t stop me.”

Prince Endymian, refusing the persuasion of his entourage in an excited voice, appeared completely outside the fortress.

Unlike the flashy armor of the past, this was a more practical outfit with some added details here and there. It was an outfit that proved that it was not an exaggeration to say that it had been used in actual combat.

And he walked forward slowly, barely holding back his heart that was pounding with joy, while maintaining his composure as much as possible.

To be exact, he approached the saint. Prince Endymian could not hide his joy at how things worked out as he had expected.

At first, as soon as I heard the watchtower report that she was passing by this residence, I dispatched a man. I told him to try my best to persuade her to visit the residence, but if she refused, I told her to report to me immediately. If she refused, I would personally go out and bring the saintess to the residence.

However, more than expected, the saint accepted the offer and headed back to her residence. Endymian was quite surprised but also delighted. So, he quickly left the office where he was staying and arrived outside the castle gates.

What he saw were several of the messengers he had personally dispatched, the saint, and several people accompanying the saint. Endymian, who was taking in the beautiful appearance of the saint once more, soon caught sight of an entity that made him frown.

‘As expected, it was there.’

Yes. Next to the saint, there was a man who clung to her as if he were a leech. He was short and his clothes were even more shabby than before.

“…”

A man who quietly guards the saint’s side with his mouth tightly shut.

As of now, Endymian’s greatest rival was a high-level adventurer named Glenn, and the only man appointed as the saint’s escort knight.

“Welcome to our fortress, saintess. Your visit, as the leader of this fortress, is warmly welcomed. Come in slowly. I will make arrangements to allow you to rest long enough to recover.”

First, after trying hard to avoid the hostile gaze, Prince Endymian spoke to the saintess. The saintess, with a gentle smile on her lips, slowly bowed her head to the prince and responded as if accepting his greeting.

“I hope you are well. It has been a while since I have seen you, Prince Endimian. I am truly grateful for your warm welcome, both as a member of the Airgrants Church and as a pilgrim traveler. However, I regret to inform you that I must leave you with only a brief blessing for Prince Endimian and everyone in the fortress.”