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I took a deep breath and loosened my tightly-wound bow tie, stuffing it into my pocket. It was an inappropriate action, but since there was no one to point out my lack of decorum for being here as a witness when I didn’t have to, I didn’t care.

“Shushu. This is only an invitation to attend, not a mandatory presence. We already agreed during the Hunting Tournament that I wouldn’t interrogate you. If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to.”

Caesar said this, possibly worried that I might feel burdened, but I shook my head firmly and insisted on attending.

“No matter how much I go to war, I can’t finish it alone. The troops must also be prepared.”

For this, the Empire needs to be vigilant about the North. Therefore, I needed to reveal that the culprit behind the great monster incident at the Hunting Tournament was from the North.

“And the high-ups need to be aware of my existence as well.”

I scanned the hall, and while I felt my hair stand on end from the gazes directed at me, I put on a bold front.

I wasn’t sociable.

I wasn’t the type to initiate conversation, nor was I cute enough that people would want to talk to me.

But I had to get used to stepping in front of people. I couldn’t retreat just because I disliked it.

“Yet I have a weapon of my own.”

I stood up and walked toward the witness stand, releasing a faint pulse of mana with each step. I could feel the gazes intensifying as they poured over me.

Sword Masters or Great Magicians, who used mana to its extreme, had a natural magnetic pull over anything born from nature.

It was something similar to charm but more intense, akin to charisma yet more elemental.

An atmosphere that grabs hold of a person’s gaze, making it impossible to look away.

“I, Kashmir Dorema of the Caesar Crisis, am present as a witness.”

I smiled confidently before the pillars of the Empire.

“Come to think of it, it’s the first time the three official Sword Masters of the Empire have gathered like this.”

The Red Sword Demon, the Golden Justice, and the Black Ash. The three official Sword Masters of the Empire were all in one place.

I stifled the strange excitement that flared up within me due to the presence of the two other Sword Masters.

If any one of us had lost control of our presence, no one else here would dare raise their heads except for El.

“But Noah likely sensed my aura to some extent.”

Kin recognize kin. He probably felt something unusual when I initially used my mana.

When I slyly glanced at Noah, as expected, his golden eyes were sparkling with a mix of caution and curiosity as he stared at me. His gaze was almost identical to Reiner’s, always soft and warm, yet the depth of experience and emotions contained therein was entirely different.

“Noah has been watching me since the Hunting Tournament.”

I still remembered the look in his eyes when I showed up with an astonishing amount of game that day. I felt that Noah would catch on to me being Mir before I even revealed it.

“But even if he figured it out, he wouldn’t make a fuss about it. At this point, if I shout that the Princess of Crisis is Mir, they’d just think I’ve lost my mind.”

I knew Noah was cautious and had a heavy tongue. I wasn’t too worried.

“It’s time to proceed with the witness’s oath.”

Helios started speaking, signaling the attendant waiting next to the witness stand. The attendant bowed deeply to the crowd before approaching me.

In the Empire’s court, before giving testimony, one had to take an oath of truth before a priest. By invoking the priest’s divine power, one would face immediate rejection if lying, thus ensuring the truth’s verification.

“If I lie, I will be momentarily paralyzed, right?”

“I will execute the oath.”

An older attendant who looked quite seasoned stood before me and gestured for my understanding. As I rolled up my sleeves, just when the attendant was about to touch my wrist—

“Wait.”

A smooth and clear voice resonated through the hall, like morning dew settled on leaves. With a single word, it captured everyone’s attention.

I turned my gaze towards the owner of the voice.

Lips glistening like red wine reflected the light from the chandelier, shining like pomegranate seeds. Long pastel blue hair, deemed the most holy and noble, flowed like a stream over the white ivory armrest. Her silvery eyes sparkled as if they contained the very light itself.

The one sitting most comfortably in this solemn space. The master of this place.

“I will conduct the oath myself.”

Eliora, with wine still on her lips, fixed her gaze directly on me.

If Zigmund exuded a decadent aura in clear darkness, Eli was certainly on the edge of light, maintaining an alluring and sensual grace. No matter how angelic her smile was, meeting her eyes left me feeling like I might be devoured at any moment.

“…Pope. Is this alright?”

Helios, who had been surprised by Eli stepping forward, cautiously asked her.

“Helios speaking politely? Even cautiously?”

I felt I had seen something I shouldn’t have. My astonishment couldn’t be contained.

A polite Helios.

It didn’t seem to fit. I knew it was correct for the Pope and Emperor, being of the same rank, to speak to one another with respect, yet witnessing it in person felt like I was witnessing something off balance in the world.

“Eli, the Pope.”

Having been friends for so long, I had almost forgotten and was suddenly reminded that my friend Eli was the master of the Sun Temple, who would hold nothing above him but the Divine.

Religion captures people’s hearts, and in the case of the Sun God faith, the Pope is the divine messenger. While it may be the Emperor who governs politics, it is the Pope who holds the hearts of the Empire’s citizens.

“In fact, the Emperor running the High Noble Assembly instead of the Pope isn’t because the Pope has lesser power, but because the gravity of what the Pope says is too heavy.”

The Pope is the messenger of the Divine. The Pope’s words convey the Divine’s messages.

It’s not that they lack the qualification to conduct matters, but it’s simply that the great assembly of nobles is not viewed as something that requires the Pope to preside over.

“Yes. I shall do it.”

Eli stood up. He didn’t seem drunk, but as he got closer, the captivating smell of wine grew stronger.

“Y-Your Highness…”

As Eli stood tall before me, the old attendant by my side stood frozen, mouth agape. Almost on the verge of fainting, he looked pale, as if he had encountered a demon on the street.

“Your Highness, there’s no need for you to…”

“I already said I would do it.”

Interrupting the trembling attendant’s words without hesitation, Eli leaned down and spoke gently. An angelic smile rested on his lips.

“…Were you not angry?”

I tilted my head in confusion at his usually lighthearted smile, while the attendant beside me took in a sharp breath. The attendant looked aghast, as if he had seen a herbivorous lion.

“There’s no need for Your Highness to take such pains. You’re too kind.”

Although I had no idea why he turned so pale, I replied in a friendly tone. The attendant’s eyes, which had been wide with horror, grew even larger as if he were about to collapse.

“…Is Kashmir planning to swear to someone other than me?”

Eli’s expression faltered slightly at my words. His silver eyes sank deeply, and his already gentle gaze became more droopy. He appeared somewhat dejected.

“No. It’s not that; I just thought it might burden Your Highness. It’s not your responsibility.”

I shook my head and hastily explained. Eli lifted his head abruptly, looking at me with a glint in his eye.

“You don’t dislike me, do you?”

That statement brought back memories of when I had kept my guard up around Eli, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“How could that be?”

“Okay then… You mind moving aside?”

Eli smiled at the attendant. It was a laugh as beautiful as a fully bloomed lily.

“Y-Yes, yes!”

The attendant, who had turned pale as a ghost upon seeing that smile, nodded repeatedly and fled in a hurry.

“Well then, shall we proceed with the oath?”

With a gentle flick of his gaze, Eli looked around the hall. Following his lead, I turned my eyes toward the people, realizing that everyone was looking at me and Eli with wide eyes. Even Helios seemed to be alternating his gaze between us, his expression one of disbelief.

“I thought the only expressions one could make would be those expressing a desire for someone to suffer or ‘go die.’”

Helios’s faint muttering slipped into my ears. It was barely loud enough to be called a whisper, yet I could clearly hear it.

“Kashmir. Hand.”

Before I could continue my thoughts, Eli extended his hand towards me. I quickly reached out to him. Eli’s warm hand gently grasped my wrist.

“…Shushu. Shall I handle it for you?”

Suddenly, a message echoed in my mind, and I looked up. Caesar was watching this place, eyes lit as if ready to unleash an aura. I tilted my head in confusion.

“No. It’s alright…”

“Shushu. Focus.”

As I diverted my gaze, Eli whispered. Once I refocused on him, his satisfied smile was followed by the words.

“May you be free under the truth.”

A silver circle whirled around my wrist and seeped into my skin.

‘…What is this?’

A soft feeling rising through my body.

I frowned as Eli continued speaking.

“Even if it may lead to death, remain truthful.”

Eli’s silvery eyes locked onto mine as he inclined his gaze.

“The truth beneath the sun shall never fade.”

A light burst forth from Eli’s hand, then quickly dimmed. Even though it was clear that the ceremony had ended, I looked at Eli with a strange expression while slightly moving my hand to write characters on his palm.

[This isn’t an oath, right?]

Though I lacked divine power, having been healed by Eli multiple times and gone through the process of swearing oaths had given me some discernment.

‘What Eli just did was not an oath but a healing.’

An oath has a distinct tightening sensation, but just now, all I felt was divine power softly enveloping me, healing me.

Looking up at Eli with eyes asking for clarification, he chuckled softly and playfully moved his fingers.

[How could I administer an oath that harms you?]

A slight heat rose to my palm where his fingers had brushed. As I blinked at Eli, he whispered.

“Stay behind after the meeting in the temple. I want to be with you. You’ve worried me for a long time, so I think I can do this much.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement filled with certainty. In the depths of those silver eyes gazing at me, I unconsciously nodded my head, and Eli smiled satisfactorily as he released my wrist.

“Now then. Shall we hear the testimony?”

With an airy step, Eli crossed the hall, sitting down comfortably again as gazes poured in upon him.

He leaned back, smiling with his chin propped up, his gaze deeply and intensely fixated on me.

 

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