Leon felt the hair at the back of his neck rise.
As each second ticked by, his breathing became more labored, and his legs and hands began to twitch.
A deep sense of anxiety started to gawn in his gut.
It felt suffocating.
Paralyzing.
And yet…
‘He said that everything will be alright, but is he really taking me seriously?’
Leon shifted his attention toward Julien as he sat next to him, his expression calm while he looked ahead and listened to the conversation that the Emperor was having with one of the reporters.
Everything on the surface appeared calm.
Everyone was focused on the conversation, with seemingly no worries.
No, in fact. A few people appeared restless. In particular, when seeing the Emperor display several images of a blue sky.
Leon noticed that several people grew more interested in the situation, with a wave of murmurs sweeping the hall.
‘Could this be true?’
‘…Did he say that he was capable of turning the sky like that in the Eastern Kasha?’
‘But how is that possible?’
Leon knew all about what the Emperor was talking about. After all, he had been there to witness it all.
And yet, Leon only felt his back sweat more and more with each passing second. The only reason he was able to remain seated was because Julien seemed to be aware of what was going on.
He was aware and also calm.
…But how could he remain so calm? Considering everything that Julien had shared, the situation was serious.
“Hoo.”
Leon took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
The restless feeling was starting to become extremely discomforting. As he grew stronger, so did his ‘intuition’ skill. In fact, he could use the skill at will now.
Of course, there were still occasions where his skill didn’t work or detect anything suspicious, but that was mainly because his strength was still lacking.
The stronger he became, the less likely such variables would appear.
He hadn’t reached the point where the skill would activate automatically, but in moments of true danger, it would trigger on its own.
And right now, Leon felt it scream more than any time in the past.
‘Just how long do I have to wait for?’
Opening his eyes, Leon turned his attention towards the nearby clock and checked the time.
It was 9:10 P.M
Ba… Thump! Ba… Thump!
Leon felt the beat of his own heart drum loudly within his mind as his breathing grew even more labored.
‘It’s coming soon. Really soon.’
The reaction was even more intense than before and when he turned his head, he saw that Julien’s back had straightened and he was looking in a certain direction with unnatural sharpness and attention.
Following Julien’s line of sight, Leon saw him looking in the direction of those from the Oracleus church.
Why was he…?
And then it happened,
Right when the clock struck at 9:11 P.M., a change occurred to the hall.
Swoosh! Swoosh—
As if automatically programmed to act at that specific moment, Leon saw the Templars from the Church of Oracleus suddenly dash in the direction of the Emperor.
Their movements were fast, appearing before the Emperor in a split second.
“…..!?”
Swoosh!
Almost at the same time they moved, Julien stood up from his seat, pointing in the direction of the Emperor.
“The Emperor is under attack!!”
His voice echoed through the hall, and as it filled the minds of everyone present, all attention shifted to the men standing before the Emperor as they focused their attention on the audience, seemingly waiting for something.
But there was only one problem.
Whatever they were expecting… It never occurred. As a result, they appeared in front of the Emperor with their weapons drawn.
All the Templars could see were thousands of eyes fixed on them from the direction of those in attendance.
And then,
Boom!
The hall erupted in chaos.
“The Emperor is under attack! Quick!”
“Quickly, somebody stop them—!”
The guards positioned throughout the area sprang into action, their movements swift and precise as they charged and surrounded the Templars who had advanced before the Emperor.
A series of spells shot in the direction of the Templars as they had no choice but to raise their shields in order to protect themselves.
Bang!
The palace trembled as a wave of pressurized wind swept through the hall, forcing a few people back.
As the residual mana from the series of attacks faded, the entire scene shifted as the Templars were surrounded from all sides, their expression filled with shock and confusion as they turned to look in the direction of Jackal, who looked equally stunned.
Everything had happened so quickly that hardly anyone was able to react in time.
But soon, as if understanding what had happened, Jackal’s face twisted.
However, he was quick to recover as he shouted.
“What is the meaning of this!?”
His voice boomed loudly, his attention directed towards the Templars. It was his loud voice that cut through the chaos that was within the hall, and brought a moment of silence.
“How dare you try to act against the Emperor?”
There was something about his voice that felt domineering and powerful.
It was enough to attract the attention of several as they turned to look in his direction.
‘Who is he?’
‘…What is he doing?’
As if realizing the plan had failed, the Templar’s eyes suddenly grew hazy. Before any of the guards or bystanders could approach, their faces turned purple, veins bulging from their heads, and soon…
Thump! Thump!
They all fell to the floor.
Dead.
“What!?”
“…No!”
Several screams echoed throughout, but there weren’t many.
It was mainly the reporters or the weak-minded people who had been invited as extras.
A lot of the individuals present were used to such situations, and as such, weren’t surprised by what had happened. What was most alarming was the fact that they killed themselves so decisively.
Especially in front of so many powerful figures.
Nonetheless, all attention soon fell on those from the Church of Oracleus.
In particular, the Cardinal. With him being the highest one in position, it was only natural that he would get all of the attention.
However, it was an unexpected figure who spoke up.
Of all the delegates he appeared to be the calmest one.
With a sigh, he was the first to approach the Emperor.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I don’t understand how something like this could’ve happened. Although the Templars aren’t directly under my jurisdiction, it is also true that they were with me. Considering how they did something like this, I’ll take full responsibility for the events. If you wish to detain someone, please take me in.”
Following the death of the Templars, a little bit of order had been re-established in the hall. As everyone processed Jackal’s words, a wave of murmurs and whispers echoed.
‘Why is it him again?’
‘…Shouldn’t the responsibility fall on the Cardinal?’
‘Why is he speaking on behalf of the church? Is the Church of Oracleus going to use him as a sacrificial lamb for this failure?’
The hall fell silent the moment the Emperor raised his hand.
In spite of what had happened, he looked fully composed as he walked up towards Jackal, his gaze scanning the young boy.
Eventually, his lips parted, and he asked,
“I respect your willingness to put yourself forth and take responsibility, but that responsibility shouldn’t fall on you.”
The Emperor’s gaze eventually fell on the Cardinal.
“…It should fall on him.”
As the Emperor fixed his gaze on the Cardinal, the Cardinal stepped forward, only to be halted by Jackal, who remained calm and composed.
“That would certainly be the case under normal circumstances, but with a clear conscience, I cannot let the Cardinal bear the blame for this. As the next Saint of the Church of Oracleus, I believe the responsibility should fall on me instead.”
‘The next Saint?’
‘Saint?’
Immediately, the hall erupted once again in a series of whispers.
Even Leon was surprised.
How could he not be?
The Church had several important positions, with the Pope holding the highest rank. Below the Pope, the Cardinal position was considered the second most prestigious. At least, on the surface.
However, there was in fact one position higher than the Cardinal’s.
The Saint position was granted to those chosen to inherit the Church’s legacy, as well as to serve as the next Pope.
In the absence of the Pope, the highest-ranking delegate was not a Cardinal, but rather the Saint.
As a result, Jackal’s words did hold weight.
“You’re the Saint?”
Even the Emperor looked surprised by the sudden piece of news.
Clearly, this wasn’t something that anyone knew.
“Indeed, I am the current Saint.”
Jackal lowered his head in respect.
“It is unfortunate that I introduce myself like this, but given my current position and status, I have no choice but to step up and take responsibility for this mess.”
“…..”
A strange silence filled the surroundings following his words as the Emperor eyed the Saint. Nobody could tell what the Emperor’s thoughts were as his eyes remained empty, but soon enough, his lips parted.
“I understood.”
With a gentle nod, he directed his attention towards the nearby guards.
“Detain him.”
The guards swiftly moved toward the Saint as he raised both hands in surrender. The entire time, the Saint remained calm as he followed every little instruction from the guards and accepted the results without any complaints.
His quick and decisive actions earned the admiration of those in attendance as he was soon brought away.
Following his departure, the Emperor turned his attention back towards the audience.
“Well, that was unexpected.”
He smiled.
“I would normally continue with the Q&A, but considering what has just happened, it would be best if we stop here for now. I do apologize for what has happened, and wish all of you the best.”
The Emperor retreated shortly after that as noise returned to the hall.
As Leon sat in his seat, he slowly turned his head to look at Julien.
Or at least, tried to.
“Eh?”
When he turned his head, he realized something.
Julien…
He was missing.
“Ah, shit.”
Leon leaned his back against the chair and cursed.
“Not again.”
