CHAPTER 47
Even one would be surprising, but with two happening at the same time, I couldn't help but be shocked.
Prove my bloodline?
Ares said she was doing something, so it seemed this was it, but it was already revealed that I was adopted, so what was the point of proving my bloodline?

"Ares initially suspected that your origins might be a hidden branch family of the Whiperions."

When I made a puzzled expression, Hames, guessing what I was thinking, explained.

"To consider you a complete stranger, you share too many traits consistent with the Whiperion family. So Ares said you might be a descendant of a clan member who left the family a long time ago. The escort knight next to her spoke with absolute certainty."

If it's the escort knight, Niobe?
Ah, come to think of it, she thought I was the Holy King of the Whiperion royal family.
In fact, I do have the Divine Power that the Death Knights said was proof of the Holy King.
Then is this speculation not just a delusional wish, but actually true?

"...If that's really the case, Nemeth's claim to the heir position will become completely useless."
"Exactly. If they adopted a collateral branch member rather than a complete stranger to the direct line, it's treated practically the same as the direct line."

I wondered what they were doing at home, and they were plotting this? This was definitely a trump card that would render everything the opponent claimed meaningless.

"But how do you know about this?"

I was grateful she brought good news, but I couldn't figure out why Hames was the one delivering it.
Ares and Niobe weren't exactly close to her.

"They didn't tell me; they notified the Temple."

Hames explained.
Since Hairel, the High Priest, was backing Nemeth, the cause of the problem, Ares's side had contacted the Temple.

"Your mother seems to be very angry. She interrogated the Temple, asking what they were thinking interfering in another family's affairs. She said she wouldn't sit still either, and would show that there are no issues with your bloodline."
"Is that so?"
"Because of that, the Temple is in an uproar right now. Not only did they meddle in the affairs of one of the top three families in the Empire, but the victim happens to be you, whom they just decided to appoint as a Saint."

As if finding the way the situation was turning out funny, Hames added with a slight smirk that Hairel's path to success was now completely blocked.

"With the situation like this, our Temple decided to use the Temple's authority to definitively prove your bloodline. By recognizing you as a Saint at the same time, they're trying to appease you and Ares."
"And what if it turns out I'm not from a branch family?"
"Don't worry. They were ready to say you were even if you weren't."

Hames glanced at Viol as she spoke.
I see.
They wanted to get on my good side since I'm from a powerful family, a Saint, and also receive the Emperor's favor.

"...Then the Temple must have sent you to put in a good word with me."

Since we were close, I thought it was a natural action, but Hames shook her head.

"No, I came because I was worried about you. I just happened to lose Red, whom I was chasing, too."
"You lost her again?"
"She's amazingly good at running away. I hurried back thinking she might have gone to target you again, and that's when I heard this news."

Hearing that I was adopted and was at the Imperial Palace because of it, she volunteered to be the messenger as an excuse to come see me.
Finally understanding why Hames came, I nodded and asked.

"Then when do I need to go to the Capital Temple?"
"In 3 hours."

Not 3 days, but a mere three hours? It was so rushed that I was surprised, and the people listening around me were surprised too.

"Why so fast?"
"It's too urgent."
"Suspiciously so."

As Viol, Alios, and Sibylius spoke in turn, Hames also made a dubious expression.

"I find it strange too, but they said this was requested by Ares's side in the first place."
"Mother did?"
"She probably thought the faster it's handled, the better it would be for you."
"I guess that makes sense."

It wasn't like I had anything to spend time preparing anyway.
I agreed with Hames's words and waited the 3 hours.
And then.

"Let's go."

I headed to the Capital Temple, taking not only Hames, who was the guide, but also the three people who would follow me even if I told them not to, and the Death Knights.

The Capital Temple.
As we approached the large and magnificent Temple, fitting for its location in the capital, I saw a familiar face.

"Niobe."
"My Lord!"

When I greeted the face I hadn't seen in a while, she ran to me in a single stride and knelt on one knee.

"Have you been well during this time?"

"If by 'anything happening' you mean getting hurt, then no."

I didn't have any physical injuries, true. Even though I went through a lot of emotional suffering otherwise.

"Besides, it was inside the Imperial Palace, and you left your subordinates behind with me."

"That is a relief, but I was still worried that something might have happened to my liege."

"I'm more worried about you. Are you sure you can stay here?"

Since a Death Knight was standing right in front of the temple, I asked out of concern. Niobe quietly replied with a stiff face.

"Actually, because of that, Count Ares said it would be best for us to wait here. I will have my subordinates stand by at my side, so you won't face any trouble because of us."

Fortunately, it seemed she had no intention of stubbornly forcing her way inside the temple.

But wait.

"Sibylius, aren't you barred from entering the temple too?"

There was one more person here who shouldn't enter the temple.

"You're a half-demon."

"I am half-human, though?"

"I doubt the priests care about that distinction."

When I pointed it out bluntly, Hames frowned, just as I expected.

"I'm sorry, but you must stay behind. If you enter, the anti-demon barrier installed in the temple will react."

"What barrier? This isn't the Papacy. The barrier at the capital's temple is at a level that even a slightly strong demon could easily fool, let alone me."

"I highly recommend you don't enter. If you insist on following Ceres, it might end up being a nuisance to him."

"...Tch."

Hames managed to make Sibylius give up by bringing me into it.

"Hero Alios, you stay behind as well. Emperor Viol, you cannot enter either."

When she told the remaining two to stay behind, both of them put on dumbfounded expressions.

"I'm not a demon, though?"

"But you are from another family. A Gravius, the long-time political rival of Whiperion."

She was basically telling her not to meddle in another family's affairs.

"Emperor, the same goes for you. Both the temple and Count Ares want to handle this matter quietly. But if you, the Emperor, get involved, that will be impossible."

"Who are you to decide that?"

"Then do you want to see the unsavory rumor that Ceres is adopted spread because your interference caused a massive scene?"

"I'm sure you don't want that either."

Hames said this was requested by Ares's side.

Was she worried that Viol's involvement would cause rumors to spread?

"Well, nothing we can do. Both of you stay."

If Ares's side didn't want it, there was really nothing to be done. Plus, I didn't want to enter the temple dragging a whole entourage behind me anyway.

Except for Hames, I left the rest of the party outside the temple.

I was guided to a guest room inside the temple.

"I will call for you when everything is ready, so wait in here for now. It will go smoothly, so don't worry."

"Ah, it's fine."

Hames, seemingly anxious about leaving me alone, fussed over me continuously before heading off somewhere.

A little while later, the door creaked open, and two eyesores walked in.

"Oh my, it's been a while, Lord Ceres."

One of them was Airan. The guy smirked, mocking me as he spoke.

"Have you been well all this time?"

"...Why did you come to see me?"

"Ah, it's not that I have business with you. This person here said he wanted to meet Lord Ceres."

Airan answered, pointing to Nemeth behind him.

"I'm really not supposed to do this, but he wanted to see you so badly, so I made a special exception and arranged this meeting. Please don't think too badly of it."

It seemed he brought Nemeth along in his own petty attempt to screw with me.

"You fake!"

It was a mistake. When Nemeth marched up and grabbed me by the collar right away, Airan was startled.

"Wait a minute, if you suddenly do this...!"

"Everything you're enjoying was originally supposed to be mine!!"

Nemeth didn't listen to Airan's attempts to stop him. He kept his grip on my collar and raged.

"A rolling stone from god-knows-where, how dare you..."

"This bastard is crossing the line."

I grabbed Nemeth's neck with one hand and squeezed.

"Gah!"

As I choked him, the hand holding my collar naturally went slack.

But I kept my grip on his throat and slammed him into the wall.

"You little shit, did you think I stayed quiet because I was scared of someone like you?"

Back when Nemeth first showed up, my present-life memories had suddenly resurfaced, and I couldn't act because I was confused.

"You still don't seem to understand the situation. If I wanted to, I could rip your limbs off and turn you into a cripple. And then all I'd have to do is heal you."

"W-Wait a minute. This is the temple...."

"Shut up, you want me to choke you too?!"

I yelled at Airan, who had brought him here and was only now trying to stop things after realizing they were going south.

Annoyed, I threw Nemeth at him.

"If you don't want to clean up a corpse in the temple, take this bastard you brought and get the hell out of here right now!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Not expecting me to act like this, both of them looked at me with eyes full of terror. Completely terrified, Airan grabbed Nemeth and quickly disappeared.

A moment later.

"Lord Ceres, did something happen?"

Someone arrived, perhaps having heard the commotion.

Who was it? They seemed familiar.

I dug up the person's name from my present-life memories that were slowly coming back to life.

"Haas-nim?"