A Saint Who Was Adopted by the Grand Duke

Chapter 110. A Saint who was Adopted by the Grand Duke

As soon as the Emperor came to a decision, he convened an emergency conference, its main purpose being to reduce the amount of Temples positioned throughout the Empire.

According to the existing procedures, major aristocrats had a right to attend and approve Royal verdicts. However, all were omitted from this meeting.

This was because most nobles would be conscious of the Temple, and with that in mind, they would backlash against him fiercely.

Therefore, the Emperor ordered cessation of the Temple, using his final-order power that was meant to be activated only in case of emergency situations.

It was decided overnight which temples would be shut down by the opinions of the scholars residing in the Imperial Palace, and the Emperor.

“That will be the final decision.”

The Emperor stamped a total of 20 documents, an obstinate expression on his face. He even sealed the papers so that they would not be opened recklessly.

“I've been waiting for this day to come. How inadequate has the Temple become? We must convert things to how they’ve previously been.”

The scholars who also stayed up all night and assisted with the selections bowed their heads, impressed by their Emperor’s actions.

In the meantime, he was impressed to see how ugly and deteriorated the Temple had come while using the Saint at the forefront.

“It's a pity that we didn't include the large estates, but this will be enough.”

Most of the temples to which the documents were to be sent are medium-sized and small estates. The expected backlash was too great to immediately finish off the large temple.

The closure of the small temples was more like a declaration of war to the Temple.

The Emperor distributed the completed documents to the waiting attendants.

“Everyone should arrive at their destination as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As soon as the order was given, the attendants previously held the documents and set out for their respective territories.

“Phew, I don't know how long it has been since I've been so absorbed.”

After sending out all scholars and attendants from the conference room, the Emperor buried himself deep into the chair, overwhelmed with exhaustion.

***

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Noah gathered the documents scattered across the conference room table and spoke politely.

It had been a day since the discussion of the Temple.

Noah stopped organizing the documents and lifted a blank sheet.

Then he scribbled in the same content that the attendants had previously taken with them.

He picked up the document ordering the closure of a temple and trudged before the Emperor.

“Father, please allow me to send you the paper here as well.”

The Emperor, who had been resting for a while, stood up puzzledly from his chair.

“I've already sent away all the documents. Where are you talking about?”

“Tersia.”

For a brief moment, the Emperor's pupils dilated. Tersia's Temple was significantly different from the small Temples that had been selected overnight.

“That would be no good. It is too early to remove the Temples of Tercia.”

Considering Tercia was one of the largest territories throughout the Empire, the Temple located there was also sizable.

No matter how disagreeable the relationship between Darwin and the temple was, the risk was high to touch a substantial place as of right now.

Seeing the Emperor shaking his head and warning him to be careful, Noah continued to speak more seriously.

“Tersia is the only Grand Duke family among the four great families. If they get rid of their Temple, other territories would follow much more swiftly.”

Of course, the Emperor knew that well. If Tersia set an example, there would be much more support.

However, he was worried whether Darwin would work with them or not.

“I've been observing him for a long time, but Grand Duke Darwin is not an easy man. I can never figure him out. I can't guarantee that he’ll be on our side on this matter.”

The Emperor's eyes deepened as if telling him not to cross the line. But Noah did not avoid his warning and grew more determined.

“Grand Duke Darwin will stand by our side. No, even if he is not on our side, the Duke will agree to remove the Temple.”

“…Do you know something?”

The Emperor’s firm thoughts eased a bit as he saw Noah’s confidence in persuading Darwin.

“Yes. I am sure that the Duke will agree with this case. I will let you know the details after I return from Tersia. Please trust me on this matter.”

Noah seemed determined. He possessed the same eyes as when he returned and suddenly wanted to become the Crown Prince.

The Emperor decided to trust Noah once more.

He also thought it to be an opportunity to witness how Noah would solve this problem and test whether he has the qualification to be a Crown Prince.

“Alright. I thought it was strange when you said to have resided in Tersia… Does this have anything to do with that?”

“It’s not like that.”

“I thought you buried a honey jar there since you kept going to Tersia.”

“There is something better than that.”

When the Emperor saw Noah's expression changing playfully, he rested his chin on his hand while musing, ‘Look at him’.

“I see. Have a safe trip. The matter is urgent, so I'll listen to the details when you return.”

“Then I will go.”

Noah’s face shined brighter than it ever had as he left the conference room.

“From now on, Palen, we will be heading to Tersia.”

“Pardon? Is that possible?”

“Why are you so surprised? We will be heading due to a public purpose.”

Noah patted the startled Palen on the shoulder. In an instant, several escorts followed behind.

Seeing Noah’s face in full bloom after a long time, Palen also grinned along.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so happy. You must be excited to go to Tersia.”

“That's right.”

Noah's bright smile was reflected refreshingly against the setting sun.

“To be precise, I’m excited to see Esther.”

Then, as Noah headed to his room to pack simple necessities, he stopped at a sudden thought.

‘Grand Duke Darwin… he won’t be pleased.’

Noah considered lifting his wariness first, looking at how Darwin asked Esther not to meet him.

“Palen, if you were a parent with a daughter, what gift would you like the best?”

“I don't think I'd like anything.”

“…You can’t help with anything.”

Noah glared at Palen and then pondered what to bring.

Still, now that his restraining order had been lifted and he was selected as the Crown Prince, the situation differed from before.

“I hope you'll welcome me a little.”

Above all, the temple closure document Noah was carrying would be the greatest gift for Darwin, who loves and cares about Esther.

He smiled while continuing his way. Maybe he should bring a basket filled with fruits.

***

Rabienne, the newly ordained Saint, was required to perform various tasks a day.

The reason why the Saint’s prestige was high was not only because of her outstanding abilities, but also due to the work she carried out.

Since Cespia had been ill for the longest time, there existed a high pile of paperwork that required Rabienne’s use of holy power.

“…There's no end to it, seriously. I can't believe I have to do this every day.”

Rabienne, who was purifying the torch in the greenhouse of the Holy Mother's Palace, murmured to herself with her molar clenched tightly.

Rabienne clenched her molars tightly as she focused on purifying the sacred torches amidst the greenhouse of the Saint’s Palace.

Since the sacred torches, which were cultivated only in the central Temple, accumulated poison one day after the other, she had to purify them on a daily basis.

While Cespia was sick, the ministers took charge of them, but it was now up to the new Saint, Rabienne.

In fact, purifying the torch was a matter of high ability and mana.

Since Rabienne possessed the highest divine power among the remaining candidates, she was able to barely force out the poison.

Rabienne finished the purification process of the accumulated poisoning of the torch for the day. She left the greenhouse while patting her stiff shoulders.

“Saint, you’ve worked hard. Here's a glass of water.”

The maid who was waiting outside rushed over and handed water to Rabienne.

“Thank you.”

Rabienne hid her tired expression and smiled while acting casually. Her smile was as gentle as ever.

She then led her weary body towards the office when a priest, who stood in wait for Rabianne, hurriedly caught her.

“Saint! I was waiting for you to finish completing the torch task.”

“What's the matter?”

“Yes. Prince Damon has visited… He is waiting in the reception room.”

“Prince Damon?”

For a brief moment, all of Rabienne's features flinched. She wanted to frown, but scarcely managed to force a smile.

‘I'm so tired that I’m going to die. What's going on now?’

She wanted to refuse, but unfortunately couldn’t send back the waiting Prince. Eventually, she headed towards the reception room.

Damon, who had been pacing impatiently across the carpet, rushed towards Rabienne as she entered.

“Saint, what are you going to do now that everything has gone wrong?”

Rabienne’s face hardened as Damon went straight to the point.

“Prince, no matter how urgent the matter is, you must contact me before coming. If you appear like this, I will not be able to meet you.”

Now that she had become a Saint, Rabienne’s status was much higher than Damon’s, a mere Prince.

“...I'm sorry. I was in such a hurry. Noah became a Prince, and not me. How can that be?”

Damon was submerged with anger. It was obvious how much he must have inconvenienced the Priests during the time he waited for her.

“We put in our effort to raise the Prince as our agent.”

When Rabienne treated him coldly, Damon stepped back and retorted as servilely as he could.

“I know that, but I'm asking you to put in a little more effort.”

Then his eyes became fierce.

“Is there any poison that will leave no trace of scent or smell?”

“Poison? Do you even plan to kill Prince Noah?”

“Noah was always weak. If he were to be the crown prince, I’d have to destroy him.”

Damon’s grave expression added to Rabienne’s large headache.

“That's impossible.”

She flatly rejected Damon’s proposal to keep him from any other thoughts.

“I'll find a way. It's dangerous for us to use poison recklessly.”

“I can't wait any longer. If my father dies suddenly, Noah will…”

“Do not worry. I will contact you then.”

Having finally managed to appease Damon and send him back, Rabienne pressed her forehead with the palm of her hand.

“He can’t be the one. I'll have to somehow make Noah mine again.”

She had no interest in Damon, he had already long lost his ground. She was going to cut off his tail little by little whilst pretending to keep their relationship going.