On the surface, Halfnon followed his family’s wishes but never forced anything upon Raina.
Raina was his only sister, and he wanted to help her achieve whatever she desired. Understanding the reason behind her martyrdom vow, he decided to reveal everything to Zion and seek his understanding.
“…What does Marquis Frandique think about this?”
“He does not see the Lychness Knights in a bad light, but he is very concerned about the danger.”
“Is Raina staying at the cathedral?”
“Yes, she has moved her residence there.”
“Yet you came here together?”
“Sigh… It happened last night, so no one knows yet. Marquis Frandique asked me to hear Zion’s opinion, so we scheduled this meeting urgently.”
“Last night? Oh dear…”
Zion sighed, showing a sympathetic look.
If it happened last night, there would be several days of struggle to manage the aftermath.
Despite this, Marquis Frandique sent Halfnon and Raina to Duke Adelaira’s residence.
“If I’m right, Marquis Frandique will eventually give in. Then we can persuade Duke Adelaira and Marquis Laird, don’t you think?”
“Both would welcome a Cardinal. However, with the current controversy, it’s uncertain what their response will be.”
Robbenz and Freed valued the family’s reputation highly.
They would demand significant sacrifices from their families for the family’s sake, and even forsake their own safety.
If Raina used a martyrdom vow to refuse a political marriage, they might be somewhat displeased.
“I can persuade them. Duke Adelaira has long-standing ties with Marquis Frandique. In Marquis Laird’s household, there are my friends and my mentee.”
“……”
Zion swallowed his silence, understanding the implication.
Halfnon was willing to use his connections with Zion and his siblings to persuade Freed.
He likely planned to use the relationship between Marquis Frandique and Robbenz to gain approval.
“Of course, I will help as well. I was the one who brought up the idea of joining the knights, so I am partly to blame.”
“I do not blame you, Zion. Raina has always been interested in the outside world. She would have caused a stir eventually.”
Halfnon was conflicted but also relieved.
Though they would distance themselves from Marquis Frandique, they could live as they wished.
They would no longer be swayed by the family, and as a Cardinal, Raina would at least have a secure life.
He just hoped she wouldn’t get hurt after joining the Lychness Knights.
“…Let me ask once more. Do you intend to join the Lychness Knights, Halfnon?”
“I do intend to join. However, I will not join alone.”
Satisfied with this response, Zion nodded.
It seemed Halfnon intended to stay quiet until the issue with Raina was resolved.
More importantly, he had to protect Raina, so he had no choice but to move together.
“Then we will wait on our end...”
“Zion!”
Hanette entered the reception room, knocking on the door. Raina followed behind her, walking cautiously.
“Sister...”
“Raina took a martyrdom vow to join the knights. What do we do?”
“That is...”
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. Halfnon, you knew, right?”
“Yes, I discussed it with Zion.”
“It happened last night?”
“Yes, it did.”
“Oh, really...”
Hanette frowned, glaring at Raina.
Raina, feeling tense, avoided her gaze.
“Why did you do it? You could have joined the knights later.”
“…There is no later. By then, the church would tell me to leave.”
“Do you realize what you’ve done? We now have to explain this on our side!”
“So I should just agree to a political marriage as the head orders? I have things I want to do too!”
“……”
Hanette fell silent, staring at Raina.
Having been in a similar situation, she could no longer scold her.
While she reached her current position through a political marriage, she couldn’t guarantee the same outcome for Raina.
“How could I meet someone like Zion? People like him aren’t common. I can’t just get engaged and hope for the best. How could I?”
“……”
Zion now found himself in a tense silence, glancing around.
He had always considered himself ordinary.
He just happened to wield Exceed Rain and knew a bit more than others.
“I’d rather not marry at all. I’ll live alone and die alone!”
“……”
“Raina…”
Halfnon sighed deeply, standing up.
Raina trembled with anger before bowing her head.
“I won’t say your thinking is wrong. But you should mind your manners. This is Duke Adelaira’s home. I can forgive you, but others might find it rude.”
Zion and Hanette exchanged glances, trying to read each other’s thoughts.
They weren’t upset by Raina’s words.
They were just quietly observing the unexpected situation.
“…I’m sorry, brother.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. Who should you apologize to?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve caused trouble for you both.”
Raina bowed to Zion and Hanette, expressing her apologies.
Zion watched her indifferently before speaking first.
“It’s alright. I understand how you feel. What about you, sister?”
“Me? I understand too. I get it.”
They tried to handle the situation calmly.
Halfnon finally relaxed, bowing to both of them.
“I apologize. Raina lost her temper for a moment. Please forgive her.”
“I don’t think Raina did anything wrong. She just expressed her feelings, right?”
“Uh… yes? Right. She was just expressing herself.”
Hanette awkwardly smiled, following Zion’s lead.
Though Raina’s actions were troublesome, they weren’t beyond resolution.
However, Robbenz and Freed would need to intervene to clear any misunderstandings, and the Kinesien Holy Order might face some controversy.
‘…Can Zion handle this?’
Hanette thought this might be the best approach.
Zion had stepped in during difficult times before, so she could have some hope.
With the White Apostle and Oz Ternein, they might get some help.
‘If we gather everyone, we can find a solution.’
The capital of Alain Kingdom, an inn in Belgron.
Members of the Lychness Knights and the Sylase Knights gathered in one place.
Though the location was a bit shabby and exposed, it felt comfortable as it was easy to reach.
Furthermore, the Sylase Knights were patrolling the area, so eavesdropping was unlikely.
“Is there no way to break the vow?”
“Yes, no Holy Knight has ever renounced a martyrdom vow.”
“Is there no one who can annul it?”
“Once the vow is taken, not even the Pope can annul it.”
“Not even by royal decree?”
“There have been attempts, but the church did not accept them.”
“……”
Zion, hearing this from Enrite, thought giving up might be the best option.
If even a royal decree couldn’t work, nothing could change the outcome.
The king could try to annul it, but there was no compelling reason.
Moreover, opposing the Kinesien Holy Order would be unwise and unnecessary.
“Since Cardinal Frandique took the vow, she can now use the name of the Kinesien Goddess. Do you know what this means?”
“…She can renounce her family name?”
“Yes, she can. Having pledged her life to the Kinesien Goddess, she gains sacred power by taking her name.”
Enrite explained part of the doctrine, looking troubled.
Even he didn’t know if the Kinesien Goddess truly existed.
It was simply a long-standing belief and truth forming the foundation of the Kinesien Holy Order.
“Why do they believe in such superstition?”
A voice cut into the conversation, and Enrite’s eyes turned cold.
Zion silently watched the scene unfold.
“…Do you want to die here?”
“Can’t I speak?”
“I told you not to speak.”
“Why can’t I talk?”
“Because you speak without thinking.”
“I think a lot.”
“Does having a head even help? Fine, I’ll chop it off for you.”
Enrite summoned El Tesoykve without changing his expression.
Zion and Seran quickly moved to block Enrite.
“Cardinal Serenine, please understand. He doesn’t know much yet.”
“If you do this, only the vice-commander and I will suffer.”
“Trying to kill me just for speaking? This is too much, isn’t it?”
“Think! What is in your head?”
Hanette watched Enrite, feeling a strange sense of difference.
The White Apostle she knew seemed to have changed a lot.
However, since it was true that Reshia had made a mistake, she couldn’t intervene.
‘Scary...’
Oz, feeling scared, subtly moved his chair back.
Among the Magic Sword users present, he was probably the weakest.
Getting caught in this would only lead to him getting hurt, so he prepared to escape.
“If you speak again, I will kill you.”
“……”
Reshia remained silent, glancing between Zion and Seran.
Their expressions and eyes conveyed a clear message to stay out of it.
She must have done something wrong, but not knowing what made it frustrating.
“Sigh… Let’s think about Cardinal Frandique’s matter and discuss it later.”
“…Understood.”
Enrite, not even glancing at Reshia, suppressed his anger.
Seeing someone who looked exactly like him spout foolishness made him furious.
However, as Zion said, she didn’t know much, so he needed to understand a bit.
“Let’s move to the next topic. Princess Yuter plans to establish a knight order and wants to ally with the Lychness Knights. What do you think?”