Arc-7 Ch-34
152
Chapter
At the royal palace
2026
Its location allows it to function as a fortress in times of emergency. It’s built with abundant luxurious materials, intricate construction techniques, and magnificent sculptures.
Constructed without sparing wealth, resources, or manpower, the palace serves as the ideal means of intimidating visitors from foreign nations while projecting the majesty of the royal family to its own citizens.
The palace guards stationed near the main entrance immediately began making preparations the moment they confirmed the visitor’s arrival.
A palace isn’t merely the residence of the royal family. It also serves as the organ of government that administers state affairs and as a diplomatic venue for receiving and entertaining guests.
Not every visitor enters through the main entrance. Ministers, royal guards, and others use their own designated entrances, and everyone undergoes inspection regardless of status.
Judging purely by birth, this visitor wouldn’t even have been permitted to set foot inside the palace. They couldn’t approach the gates, let alone reach the main entrance, and being turned away wouldn’t have given them any grounds for complaint.
Yet nearly all the palace guards waiting to receive this visitor wore solemn expressions. Many among them were of noble birth, but they understood that they had to show this particular guest sincere respect.
Some felt reverence, others fear, and a few harbored faint hostility. Each reacted differently.
The one thing they all shared was the recognition that this person’s power existed on an entirely different scale from their own. Considering the visitor’s identity, such reactions were only natural.
It wasn’t only the palace guards present here. From the king who had ascended the throne a few years earlier down to the criminals in the slums, every citizen of the Holfort Kingdom had been saved by her at least twice.
Nearly twenty years earlier, during the war with the Fanoss Duchy, and then again a few years later in the all-out conflict that decided the nation’s survival, her achievements had been immense.
In the First Fanoss War, she and her comrades defeated the enemy commander, Hertrude Sera Fanoss, the ducal princess, and received the highest praise for their military accomplishments.
In the Second Fanoss War, she used one of the royal family’s treasured Lost Items, a flying ship, to demoralize the enemy forces. She then succeeded in capturing their commander, Heltrauda Sera Fanoss. That act became the decisive trigger that led to the annexation of the Fanoss Duchy into the Holfort Kingdom.
If she hadn’t existed, what would have become of the wars against the Fanoss Duchy?
A Holfort Kingdom that remained on the defensive throughout, plagued by traitors and deserters, would have had no chance of victory.
Every adult male, regardless of status or age, would’ve been turned into a corpse displayed at the execution grounds. Women and children would’ve been stripped of their status and forced to live as slaves.
The royal and noble classes would’ve been executed first. The hatred held by the Fanoss Duchy ran so deep that even the bare minimum needed for survival wouldn’t have been guaranteed, let alone a comfortable life.
No matter how much she was disparaged as a Saint born from commoner stock, the truth remained unchanged. She had saved the kingdom from a merciless enemy nation.
Conversely, do royal and noble houses that must be protected by commoners even have any reason to exist?
Her very presence was widely recognized as that of a hero to the monarchical state of the Holfort Kingdom. At the same time, she was regarded as its most dangerous existence.
A carpet for honored guests had been laid out at the palace’s main entrance. The palace guards stood neatly lined up, maintaining perfect posture while taking care not to make the slightest mistake.
Eventually, the sound of something approaching from the direction of the gate grew steadily louder. The small shadow that entered their field of vision gradually sharpened until its shape became clear.
The shadow was a luxurious carriage adorned with ornate decorations. Compared to the palace it appeared modest, but anyone could tell at a glance that considerable funds had gone into its construction.
When the carriage stopped before the main entrance, a dedicated attendant placed the ceremonial mounting step according to protocol and respectfully withdrew. A young man stepped down from the coachman’s seat, lightly knocked on the carriage door, and informed those inside that they had reached their destination.
The two women who emerged from the opened door wore ceremonial robes. Even to those who lacked much knowledge, their appearance conveyed an unmistakable aura of firm resolve and profound learning.
More renowned than the king himself and the object of universal reverence among the people was the woman known as the Saint, Olivia.
To those unaware of the circumstances, the Saint’s sudden visit to the palace might’ve seemed surprising.
No matter how great the debt the royal family owed Saint Olivia, regulations strictly forbade entry into the palace without an invitation from the king.
That meant the king had summoned her for some definite purpose. Yet no one could guess what that purpose might be.
For the past several years, the Holfort Kingdom had enjoyed calm and peaceful times. There were diplomatic negotiations and power struggles with other nations, but no bloody conflicts had arisen.
Nor was this a milestone year marked by any major celebration or event. Those inside the palace could only tilt their heads in puzzlement.
However, that reaction belonged to people who had little involvement in state affairs. Those holding key positions had been moving busily since before dawn over certain matters.
With only a few hours remaining until the emergency meeting scheduled for after midday, those who had been summoned were surely already beginning their swift behind-the-scenes maneuvering to shape how the meeting would unfold.
“Please wait here, Saintess-sama.”
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me.”
Guided to the guest waiting room, Olivia thanked the servant and sat gracefully on the sofa. The elegance and dignity evident in her every movement made it difficult to believe she had come from commoner origins.
Nearly twenty years had passed since she assumed the position of Saintess. The years she had spent being treated as the kingdom-saving Saintess now far outnumbered those she had lived as an ordinary commoner girl.
No matter how much nobles boasted of their lineage, true character is the product of one’s own disposition and education. No matter how loudly they proclaimed the achievements of their ancestors, it didn’t guarantee that their descendants would be exceptional individuals.
After the war, the Holfort Kingdom had no choice but to admit that its excessive emphasis on bloodline and the overbearing restrictions imposed on feudal nobles had brought the nation to the brink of destruction.
To quickly restore national strength, there was no alternative but to elevate the status of the long-neglected feudal nobles and implement policies that appointed capable individuals regardless of birth.
In addition, about ten years had passed since the establishment of state-run financial institutions and the start of reforms to the military system. Reconciliation with the formerly annexed Fanoss Duchy had also progressed, and the Holfort Kingdom was now enjoying an unprecedented level of prosperity.
However, that didn’t necessarily mean the royal family’s power had increased.
Most of those who remembered the old days acknowledged that the authority of the current royal family had begun to show signs of decline compared with the reign of the previous king.
“Olivia-sama, it seems several nobles are requesting an audience. What should we do?”
“They’re probably trying to feed Olivia-sama information favorable to their own interests before the meeting. They’re hoping she’ll take their side.”
Hearing the reports from her two close aides, the head lady-in-waiting Marie and the secretary Carla, Olivia closed both eyes and let out a sigh.
Such groundwork and maneuvering weren’t unusual in the world of politics. However, their political intentions were far too blatant, and there simply wasn’t enough time to meet with everyone.
Yet choosing whom to meet would only earn resentment from those who were refused. For nearly twenty years since assuming the role of Saintess, she had grown thoroughly weary of these nobles who outwardly claimed to desire friendly relations while making no effort to hide their lust for power.
It wasn’t limited to the court. Many young women who aspired to enter the temple inwardly looked down on her as “the commoner-born Saint,” yet they desperately tried to ingratiate themselves with the most revered woman in the Holfort Kingdom. The atmosphere in the temple felt as though greed had slowly begun to settle and accumulate at its core.
Those seeking connections were not always after Olivia herself. Carla had once been forcibly dragged into wrongdoing, yet the moment she became the Saintess’s close aide, her family, the Waynes, suddenly attempted reconciliation despite having cast her aside so callously in the past.
As for Marie, she had been neglected by her real parents and siblings, denied even a proper noble education, and left behind. Now complete strangers claiming to be distant relatives, people she had never met or even heard of, suddenly began appearing.
It seemed that for these so-called noble and proud lords, “pride” was nothing more than a convenient justification. They fawned over the powerful, groveled before them, and used bloodline and status as shields to behave arrogantly toward the weak.
Among such people, there were, though rarely, commoner girls who knocked on the temple’s doors because they genuinely shared Olivia’s ideals. There were also nobles who sincerely wished to make the kingdom a better place.
For nearly twenty years, she had continued the steady and exhausting task of relentlessly uprooting the sprouts of vice while planting the seeds of goodwill.
Without trustworthy companions, her spirit would have broken long ago. As a result, the corruption within the temple had been almost completely purged.
Investigations into the temple gradually led to the dismissal of corrupt priests and ladies-in-waiting who had engaged in wrongdoing. The high priest, the ringleader of the corruption who viewed the Saintess merely as a source of money, was imprisoned following accusations made at the time of the new king’s ascension.
It had taken more than ten years to reach this stage. However, this wasn’t the finish line. It was only the starting point.
“Let us decline. Please inform them that our preparations aren’t yet complete due to the sudden summons before the meeting.”
“Understood. But those people never learn, do they?”
“They must be that desperate to ensure the survival of their houses. Things aren’t like the days when nobles reveled in prosperity.”
In the old Holfort Kingdom, a person’s entire life had been determined by family lineage. Many feudal nobles and lower-ranking nobles could never approach the center of government no matter how much they desired it.
Conversely, court nobles could involve themselves in politics even if they were incompetent or morally bankrupt, and that situation had reached an extreme. The result was political corruption that continued to eat away at the state until only the path to ruin remained.
One of the few positive outcomes of the wars with the former Fanoss Duchy was that they exposed the rotten nobles for what they truly were.
The vacancies left by those killed in battle and those condemned for corruption were filled by capable and diligent individuals. Thanks to the reformed political system, the Holfort Kingdom somehow managed to recover.
If capable people of low birth continued to be appointed, it was only natural that those who relied solely on lineage would gradually find themselves cornered.
Nobles without exceptional heads of house or heirs began desperately currying favor with those in power in order to survive. There was no pride to be found in such behavior.
She had no desire to look at the faces of nobles who would eagerly lick her boots if she extended her foot. The matters to be discussed at the emergency meeting were already enough to cause her mental strain, so she wanted to reduce her worries as much as possible.
“Shall we ask the maids to bring some light refreshments?”
“Yes, please. Today’s meeting looks like it’ll drag on, so I’d better eat something.”
“Understood. I dislike the palace atmosphere, but at least the food is delicious. That’s one saving grace.”
“Isn’t that just because Marie wants to eat too?”
“No, this is strictly poison tasting.”
“Then let’s have them prepare portions for four. No, make it five.”
She called out to the palace maid waiting outside the door and requested a meal. Before long, dishes far exceeding the level of “light refreshments,” both in quality and quantity, were brought into the room.
This wasn’t harassment. It was simply the heartfelt offering of those who revered the Saint. Refusing would’ve been rude, so the proper courtesy was to finish everything.
The moment a single portion was placed in front of Marie, the head lady-in-waiting, the plate was emptied in a very short time.
After confirming there was no poison, judging from Marie’s composed manner as she rinsed her mouth with water, the other three began eating. Marie also started on her own separate portion aside from the poison-tasting dish.
After finishing a proper meal, the standard practice at palace banquets was to enjoy sweets and tea. However, today they were a little slow in arriving.
Carla stood up with a puzzled expression. A maid entered with an apologetic look and whispered something into her ear.
Carla frowned but maintained her composure and nodded in response. The maid’s expression brightened, and she politely withdrew.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but the elven young man returned to his seat as though nothing had happened.
“Kyle-kun really is a sinful man, isn’t he?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That maid from earlier. She was completely giving you the eye.”
“I’m not interested. If anything, it’s a nuisance.”
“Well, I can understand how being pestered by so many girls would get annoying.”
“It’s not just the palace. The temple’s the same. Every time a new lady-in-waiting or Saintess candidate joins, they swarm around me and I can’t get any work done properly.”
“But it’s the perfect way to weed out frivolous girls who’d let themselves be swayed by a man when entering the temple. Think of it as enduring this for Olivia-sama’s sake.”
“People even whisper behind my back that I’m Olivia-sama’s lover. It’s outrageously disrespectful, and honestly I’m fed up with it.”
At Kyle’s words, the three women couldn’t help bursting into laughter. Even Olivia, who usually wore the gentle smile befitting a Saintess, was no exception.
To them, Kyle was like a much younger brother.
Elves age very differently from humans. Even if he looked like a young man, his real age could easily surpass not only the parents but even the grandparents of the girls pursuing him, and that kind of situation wasn’t rare.
However, Kyle had grown at almost the same rate as a human because of his unusual birth. Even now that he had matured into a strikingly handsome and strong young man, to the Saints he remained the same cheeky boy he had been when he first began serving them.
“Ah~, I’ve heard it too. ‘That flat-chested, short, old-maid spinster is keeping an elven beauty all to herself.’”
“I’ve been suspected multiple times of having a deep relationship with my elven colleague, the gloomy secretary.”
“The current temple is so cut off from the secular world that there’s hardly any entertainment. For young girls, gossip is practically the only way to blow off steam.”
“…And you’re both fine with that?”
“It’s fine. Once you reach a high position, having complete strangers badmouth you is just part of the job.”
“Neither Marie nor I have any intention of leaving the order. Serving Olivia in the temple for the rest of our lives doesn’t sound so bad to me.”
“Well, if there were a man truly worthy of me, I might consider it. What do you say, Kyle-kun? Would you take a thirty-something old lady as your wife?”
“Please don’t joke about that.”
“Aww, look at him blushing!”
Kyle, known as the man closest to the Saint, attracted universal envy and jealousy from those around him because of his appearance and position.
Prejudice against elves, who had once been treated as exclusive servants for nobles, still lingered deeply even after subhumans were officially recognized as citizens of the Holfort Kingdom and granted household registration.
On top of that, he continued to be shunned by his fellow elves because of his origins, and the feelings he once held for his childhood homeland had almost completely faded.
For Kyle, the only things that truly mattered were his loyalty to Olivia, who had saved him when he was just a helpless child, and the lingering regret he felt toward the mother he had left behind in his hometown.
“So, what did that maid come to say?”
“She said those people are on their way here and asked whether you’d receive them.”
“I see. We refuse audiences with the high and mighty, yet the moment old comrades come calling, Saintess-sama suddenly becomes available. I’m sure someone will say something like that.”
“If they have the nerve to say that kind of sarcasm straight to our faces, let them try. I’d like them to finally realize that changing their attitude depending on who they’re talking to only makes them look like untrustworthy cowards.”
“Everyone, that’s a bit harsh. There’s no need to speak so badly of them.”
The Saintess gave a wry smile as she gently admonished her overly sharp-tongued subordinates.
Ever since her student days, the diligent and earnest Olivia had a tendency to judge other people’s goodness according to her own high standards.
That was why the common people praised her as a pure and noble Saint. However, in the world of politics, the ruthless ability to disguise personal gain as public interest was what often passed for justice.
A fallen viscount’s daughter, a girl cast out by her family, and a half-elf youth persecuted by his own kind.
The keen sensitivity to malice that only those who had tasted the bitterness of the world could possess had become indispensable to the kind-hearted Saintess.
Because of that, even while she reproached her subordinates’ harsh words, she found it difficult to stop them completely.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
As they were enjoying tea after their meal, several knocks sounded at the door. It seemed their awaited guests had arrived.
Since permission to enter had already been granted, there was no need for a verbal response. The door opened, revealing four middle-aged men.
Their imposing presence wasn’t diminished in the slightest by their elegant clothing. If anything, the luxurious garments looked like shackles that barely restrained the overwhelming aura threatening to dominate the room.
Any citizen of the Holfort Kingdom would feel either deep respect or trembling fear upon hearing their names and would instinctively try to shrink from their notice.
Each of them had earned widespread fame at a young age through key positions in the kingdom or through remarkable achievements. Among those titles, the most famous was “Heroes Who Saved the Kingdom.”
Vice Commander of the Holfort Kingdom Royal Guard Knights, Chris Fia Arclight.
Director of the Second Division of the Holfort Kingdom Intelligence Agency, Jilk Fia Marmoria.
Captain of the Holfort Kingdom Army Mobile Strike Force, Greg Fou Seberg.
Field Frontier Count Military Commander, Brad Fou Field.
These four great heroes had once fought alongside Saint Olivia to protect the nation, and they were celebrated throughout the kingdom for those deeds.
“What, you’ve already finished eating?”
“If it were Greg-sama, you could enjoy fine meals at the palace or at evening parties anytime.”
“Normally it’s the military mess hall or rations aboard an airship. When good food’s available, I want to eat it.”
“Then you should take an official post at the palace. With your abilities, you could rise as high as you wanted no matter which path you chose.”
“That’s a refusal. I want to live as a soldier and an adventurer.”
“I knew Marmoria-sama and Arclight-sama would be coming here on palace duty, but I never expected even Seberg-sama, the free spirit, and Field-sama to show up.”
“My father happened to have business in the capital. He’s scheduled to attend the emergency meeting that’s about to begin soon, so I’m simply accompanying him.”
“Whenever you show up, the girls around here start making a fuss and it turns into a hassle, so I’d appreciate it if you stayed out of sight.”
“Sorry about that, Marie-kun. This is the crime of being too beautiful.”
“You could just wrap a cloth around that unnecessarily sparkling face of yours.”
“Four people came. Is the Fanoss Duke absent?”
“He won’t be attending the emergency meeting. It was decided suddenly, and he’s probably busy governing his territory.”
“Last time he came here, he was really fired up with work because his long-awaited heir had finally been born.”
“Well, even before that, His Majesty didn’t hold very favorable feelings toward the Fanoss Duke…”
There were five men known as the heroes who saved the kingdom, and at their head stood Julius Rapha Holfort, who once held the first right to the throne.
However, he took responsibility for the problems he himself had caused, renounced his noble status, and now governed the former territory of the enemy nation, the old Fanoss Duchy, as its new duke.
He married Hertrauda Sera Fanoss, the former ducal princess who once ruled the duchy. The purpose was to publicly demonstrate that the Fanoss Duchy had been annexed into the Holfort Kingdom and thereby crush any seeds of rebellion.
With Julius relinquishing his claim to the throne, the vacant position was filled by one of the princes born to the previous king’s concubine.
The abnormal situation in which none of the children born to the legitimate queen from another country ascended the throne inevitably sparked grim political struggles. Behind the scenes were shadowy conflicts that would never be recorded in the history books.
It was only natural that the current king sought the Saintess-sama’s cooperation in order to ascend the throne. After all, the reason his half-brother Julius had no choice but to renounce his status in the first place was because of the scandal involving the Saintess.
Because of that, the current king couldn’t take a hardline stance toward the Saint. At the same time, he harbored feelings of inferiority and resentment toward Julius, who was now a duke, and there were moves to keep him away from national politics.
The Saintess also wished to help their former comrade who was being treated coldly by the current king. However, that didn’t mean they wanted to cause new turmoil in a kingdom that had finally stabilized.
The one saving grace was that Julius himself had accepted the current situation and was devoting himself completely to governing his territory. It was said that, more than ten years after marrying the former ducal princess, he had finally been blessed with a child of his own and was now working himself to the bone for that child’s sake.
“It’s not just Field Frontier Count. Duke Redgrave is also participating in this meeting.”
“As the head of the leading feudal noble house, isn’t it normal for him to attend?”
“The issue isn’t him personally. It’s related to his younger sister and brother-in-law.”
The Redgrave Ducal House had seen the previous head, Vince Rapha Redgrave, retire at the same time the new king ascended the throne. His heir, Gilbert Rapha Redgrave, then smoothly took over as head of the family without any particular problems.
Compared with the royal family, the transition had been remarkably smooth and free of trouble, so it was difficult to imagine the Redgrave Ducal House causing any issues.
However, when the topic turned to Gilbert’s younger sister and her husband, the Saintess and the four heroes subtly twisted their expressions.
The two carried deep ties with them, along with a complicated history.
“Did the Bartfort couple cause some kind of incident?”
“I’m not sure it’s fair to say they caused it… They may have carried it out, but we were the ones who requested their cooperation.”
“We need to grasp the detailed situation before the meeting and take swift action.”
“Here we go again. People will probably make snide remarks about the Saintess sticking her nose into politics together with her lackeys.”
“It can’t be helped. The efforts we’ve poured more than ten years into are about to come to nothing.”
Olivia’s words carried a weight that left no room for argument.
Even while surrounded by these powerful men, she remained completely unbowed. That unshakable courage was precisely why a woman born as a commoner could continue to reign as the Saint who oversaw the temple to this very day.
She still held those idealistic, youthful dreams high, the kind that sensible adults might laugh off. Dreams about making the world a better place drove her forward without hesitation, and that relentless resolve had allowed her to save the kingdom.
“Then let us do what must be done before the meeting begins.”
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Authors Note
┻━━━━━━━━━━┻
It’s been a while since the Saint group and the four heroes last appeared.
This chapter serves as a rough explanation of the current situation of the Holfort Kingdom. In the next chapter, Olivia and the others’ policies will be explained in the capital.
The current king is Julius’s half-brother, but I’ve deliberately avoided specifying exactly who it is. The most likely candidate would be the second prince.
Julius’s current situation has been constructed based on Hertrude + Marie route’s Hertrauda circumstances from the original work.
Gilbert smoothly inherited the title from Vince and became the head of the Redgrave family, so there are no particular issues there.
Vince is soft toward Angie’s child who occasionally comes to visit.
P.S.: At the requester’s request, illustrations were drawn by コタ壺様 and SH339様.
An illustration previously received from 9430様 has also been posted on pixiv.
Thank you very much.
コタ壺様 Pixiv
SH339様 Pixiv（NSFW warning）
9430様 Pixiv
I’d greatly appreciate any opinions or impressions. They would be a tremendous encouragement going forward.
~~~End~~~