Forsaken Priest of the Hero's Party-Chapter 69: Reunited

Indeed, there was no time to waste.

Rumors of His Majesty’s imminent death spread everywhere. It was no longer a secret; people whispered in the marketplaces during the day, and at night, the talk could be heard in every inn.

Some even made bets over drinks on who would be the next emperor. From what I could tell, the bookmakers were the only ones genuinely making money.

“Of course, Prince Edmund will take the throne next.”

“Everyone’s betting on Edmund. You want to challenge that with such low odds?”

“Low profit means it’s safer. Honestly, who else could take the throne?”

A pot-bellied man slammed his beer mug down, shouting, indifferent to the beer soaking his front.

“Even if you put money in the bank, those misers charge storage fees and might as well invest here, where you might see it grow.”

The princess, however, was too distracted to listen to such talk. She seemed to be focused solely on how to force-feed hay to the horse to restore its strength.

It was understandable. We had ridden day and night, using divine power to keep the horse going, yet the capital was still far off. This was only possible because the horse was a legendary steed capable of covering vast distances across land and forest.

An ordinary horse would never have made such a journey in just a few days.

“We’re not too late, are we...? Please tell me we’re not too late. If we don’t make it in time... then...”

Seeing her worried face, I could only nod.

“Once the horse regains its strength, let’s depart right away. This time, we can go straight to the capital without rest.”

“I am the most unfilial child in the world.”

Thunk!

The princess banged her head against a beam. I quickly stepped in to prevent the beam from collapsing and the roof from falling on us.

“Um... I’ll go wash up for a bit.”

Roka, who usually liked to stay close to me, hadn’t been as clingy lately, especially after hearing that the princess’s father was on his deathbed. She hadn’t complained once, even as we pushed forward, using divine power to stave off sleep.

Occasionally, she’d look at the princess with sympathetic eyes, eyes that seemed to understand her pain.

I never asked about Roka’s parents or their fate; she never mentioned them either. But it didn’t seem like they had a bad relationship.

Every time the word “father” came up, longing would fill Roka’s eyes, a longing for people she could no longer see.

Before the princess came looking for me, I had asked Roka if she wanted to visit her hometown. I could guess what had happened from her adverse reaction—her hometown was likely no more.

Roka must have lost everything she could rely on at a young age, just like I did. That’s why I connected to her— I was the same.

When the man-eating monster Manticore trampled my hometown, I lost my parents. But the Lord found me, while for Roka, that never happened. That was why I looked after her in place of the Lord.

“Now that I think about it, I never gave Father a real gift. The only gifts I gave on his birthdays were just formalities. And yet, I resented him! I threw tantrums about why my brother was made Crown Prince instead of me.”

I understood that feeling. She left my side too quickly before I could do anything for her. But it was too early to offer comfort. Nothing was decided yet, and it wasn’t too late to consider the worst-case scenario once it happened. Surely, the princess could reach His Majesty before he passed. For now, I would believe that.

“Saint, once again... you have guided this foolish girl... If you hadn’t sent word to the capital through Viscount Layton, I would have arrived without knowing my father was ill, just touring the country. Even if I had heard about his illness, it would have been too late.”

“I’ll accept your thanks if we succeed in postponing His Majesty’s death.”

Since the horse needed time to regain strength anyway, I urged the princess to wash up and eat something to restore her energy. Then, I handed her an unremarkable jar.

“I know nothing about imperial protocols, but Roka and I likely cannot go directly to where His Majesty lies. That right probably belongs only to you, Princess.”

The jar contained supplies—one sacred beacon of the sanctuary, one baptismal water bottle, and one Firefly Crystal fruit. I also included my other power, the salt-grinding millstone. Not knowing what would be effective, I offered everything I could.

I knew that if all four things—the beacon, holy water, fruit, and millstone—didn’t help, it meant nothing would change, even if I examined His Majesty myself.

If His Majesty’s time had come, there was nothing I could do to prevent it, and I shouldn’t try to. I could only hope that wasn’t the case. Unfortunately, this wasn’t something I or the princess could control, so all we could do was feel helpless.

“You must see him directly! I’ll handle the procedures and protocols...”

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“There’s no time for that, Princess. Listen carefully. Once you reach His Majesty’s side, you must first do...”

*****Remembering Kyle’s words, Ardein reached into the jar.

The first thing she took out was the beacon of sanctuary.

These wolves had bitten her—the detestable Archbishop Armata and Grand Duke Valder, who had changed his attitude the moment she fell ill despite acting friendly with a smile. They were irritating opponents to her.

But she didn’t care anymore. There was no time to waste on such people!

“Stop. You need to prove you are truly Ardein.”

While the princess had no interest in the archbishops, Archbishop Armata was different.

The archbishop quickly blocked her path and shouted.

“If you’re the princess, you shouldn’t have come here. Have you come to bring more impurity to one already punished by the divine? But that’s impossible. Someone with leprosy can’t recover and return!”

The archbishop had seen Ardein’s draconic aura, but being in his position, he had heard many things. One was that the demon king Harmael’s dragon energy looked similar to the imperial family’s dragon-form energy.

A master like Harmael could easily alter the color of her magic to deceive others. It made sense to suspect that the Ardein who appeared now might be Harmael in disguise, at least from the archbishop’s perspective.

“Archbishop! What did you tell me when I collapsed from illness? You cursed me, a patient. You said I’d have no land to be buried in, that my corpse should be burned, and my ashes couldn’t even be offered to the temple. You claimed I would wander the nine hells forever!”

The princess was furious at the archbishop blocking her path while her father was dying. She would have drawn her sword if her father had not been so close.

Instead, she pulled out a glowing ball from the unremarkable jar.

Everyone was tense when they saw the beacon. Archbishop Armata instinctively covered his face, thinking the princess would throw it at him.

Whoosh!

With the sound of the wind, a figure descended from the air beside the emperor, blocking the princess and taking a protective stance. To everyone’s surprise, the old man had already become a master.

The nobles watching broke out in cold sweat, shocked by the figure’s appearance. They whispered among themselves.

“Who is that...?”

“Is there an unannounced master on the continent?”

Even a fallen house can last three generations. While the imperial family’s hidden strengths weren’t enough to turn the declining country into a superpower again, they still could surprise everyone.

Though the old man didn’t want to reveal himself, he chose to do so. He had to consider the possibility that the princess, now a master, might attack the Emperor.

Suddenly, a bright light burst from the beacon of sanctuary. The light was blindingly bright, yet no one needed to squint or close their eyes. It illuminated everything around but didn’t blind anyone.

“It wasn’t just you who threw stones at me back then, so I won’t hold a grudge. But I can’t forgive you for blocking me from seeing Father. Only those who didn’t throw stones at me should stand in my way. Let’s see who among you has the right to stop me!”

The beacon of the sanctuary wasn’t just a power but a Miracle.

A divine light from God shone like the midday sun, dispelling the darkness and spreading mercy to all it touched.

The elderly stood straighter, and even Grand Duke Valder’s indigestion was instantly cured.

Archbishop Armata, stunned by the miracle, tried to block the light with his holy barrier, but the light passed through quickly and reached him. It completely ignored Hillai’s divine power and seeped into his body.

His mind cleared, and the wrinkles on his forehead smoothed. He tried to speak but only moved his lips.

“T-this is...”

“Sister, what are you doing right now?”

The third Prince Edmund cried out, his voice full of anger. There was a reason for his anger.

“What if Father receives a shock? Why are you staging this light show, now? Don’t you think this light is too strong for His Majesty to handle?”

Edmund’s voice raised, but it was clear his concern was more for show.

How could he not know whether this was good for the body when he could feel the power of the beacon of sanctuary himself? But before the princess could respond, an old, feeble voice stopped her. No, it stopped everyone.

“That’s enough.”

The most important person in the room had spoken.

The emperor had opened his eyes, sitting against the bed’s headboard.

Everyone had gathered, thinking they were about to see the emperor close his eyes forever. But when they saw him open them, they were speechless. Even Archbishop Armata stood stunned, eyes wide in disbelief.

The emperor opened his eyes when the beacon of the sanctuary beam touched him, but he observed the situation quietly.

He had noticed everything — Grand Duke Valder, his children, the nobles in the hall. He had seen all their expressions and inwardly sighed.

No one knew he was awake until he spoke. Until then, everyone ignored him, seeing him only as an old man nearing death.

Only the empress had noticed, crying in his arms. At least one good thing had come from his difficult life.

His gaze moved slowly before landing on the princess.

Only then did his eyes soften. A warm smile spread across his face as he opened his arms.

“Ardein. My daughter. Come here.”

“Your Majesty... I finally returned.”

Ardein collapsed to her knees, crawling toward the Emperor.

He instinctively raised a hand to stop the two Masters who stepped forward to protect him. Then, glancing around the room, he addressed everyone present.

“May I ask for one favor from those gathered here?”

A fit of coughing interrupted his words. His illness, a result of his time running out, couldn’t be fully cured, not even by the sacred beam.

“We congratulate Your Majesty on your recovery! Please, command us as you wish.”

Grand Duke Valder declared, kneeling immediately. His sudden shift in attitude startled even Third Prince Edmund.

The Seventh Prince, who had been bowing and weeping earlier, looked stunned as the Emperor rose. Experience and adaptability indeed were powerful.

“My daughter has returned to me; the Goddesses have lifted her illness and granted me this brief moment to see her. I would like to speak with her alone for a while. Please, everyone, leave us.”

In the silence, everyone exchanged glances, their thoughts unspoken but clear.

Was His Majesty planning to make Ardein his successor?

Third Prince Edmund’s face twitched uncontrollably, his frustration barely contained.

Why? How could my father show such favoritism to my sister?

“Your Majesty!”

“Edmund. It’s not what you think.”

The Emperor turned to his son, his gaze neither warm nor cold. It was a complicated look, as if he wasn’t sure of his feelings.

“I have no intention of giving the position of Crown Prince to either you or your sister.”

Edmund flinched when their eyes met and again when he fully processed his words.

What more could be done? Defy the Emperor’s decree? Stage a rebellion here and now? That would be madness. This was the Imperial Palace, the heart of imperial power.

The Emperor’s loyal forces obeyed his every word as long as he lived. Within these walls, his authority was absolute.

If imperial power had sunk so low that a prince could overthrow his father by conspiring with Grand Duke Valder, why covet the throne? The answer was simple, the throne still held immense power, and that was why it remained desirable.

“Father, I will obey your command.”

Only then did Edmund bow his head and leave. Once the great hall was empty, Ardein collapsed, trembling on her knees. The Emperor sighed, instructing the guards to retreat. Everyone obeyed, save for one exception—an old man.

The old man stayed by the Emperor’s side as if he hadn’t heard.

The Emperor didn’t issue a command but instead made a request.

“Mr. Madlen, you’ve worked hard to protect an old man at the end of his days. You should rest for a while. I wish to speak with my daughter as father and daughter, not as ruler and subject.”

“Your Majesty, I have to ensure your safety.”

“Would you step out for just a moment?”

The Emperor smiled warmly and urged him again. After hesitating, Mr. Madlen met his gaze and shook his head as though reluctantly agreeing.

Without a word, he quietly left the hall as The Beacon of Sanctuary cast its light favorably upon a prodigal daughter and her father.