The Emperor Is My Brother's Best Friend

The High Priestess stood in place, not leaving until her carriage was but a dot on the horizon.

"Haa... The empire becomes engulfed in a sea of ??fire. I have nothing to say. I don't know what God is thinking."

She let out another long sigh as she remembered Kate's words.

"God did command me. He said that I should do nothing and say nothing until the roses bloom."

She frowned.

"Until the roses bloom? Hmm... Didn't Kate originally intend to go to the capital in May? I wonder, does that mean something will be resolved in May?"

The High Priestess shook her head and turned with an abrupt spin, her hands behind her back.

"I, a humble servant of His Lord, am still not enough to fathom His will. I just... I guess I'll have to pray that nothing big happens to this empire."

She entered the temple lethargically.

Alighting from the carriage, she immediately recognized the duke who was well known in the empire due to his title, and bowed her head.

"I am Priestess Kate from Gloria's temple."

"I thought the High Priestess would accompany you."

"It is my specialty to do things that others aren't capable of doing, and I want to let you know that I am no ordinary priestess."

"Alright, then we will talk about the details on our way."

Kate nodded once to show her acknowledgment and met his eyes.

Red eyes bathed in sunlight shine so bright.

This is not the rose. From what I understand, the rose God spoke of is a human being, but not him.

Though she guessed that he was a person who garnered God's attention, he was by no means ordinary.

I thought I could meet you when I came to the Imperial Palace. The rose is soon to bloom.

Wells led the way, and Kate followed.

On the way to the break room, Wells briefed Kate on the murder incident.

When he finished talking, Kate's humor faded into a serious expression.

"Certainly, the murders do not sound like the work of a human. I will need to take a look at the bodies to make a verdict."

"The body cannot be moved, so it is sitting in the break room."

"Can't you move it? Will they be alright just sitting there in the open?"

"Ahh?! About that, we were going to move it to the basement to check the cause of death, but it broke into ashes as soon as the knight touched it."

Kate increased her pace.

When I read in the letter that the murders didn't seem to have been committed by a human, I presumed they were the result of some wild animal that snuck in.

Now, it's more than likely related to the big event that will soon take place in our Empire's near future.

Reaching their destination, they came across knights who stood guard in front of the break room.

As Kate walked through the door the knights opened, she followed Wells as he pointed in the direction of the bodies.

"It's over there."

Two pieces of cloth were covering something close to the wall, not that it was difficult to guess what lay under. A single glance was all it took to guess that there was a body underneath.

Kate approached the body.

"I'll check in a moment."

After a short, silent bow while asking for forgiveness, Kate boldly lifted the cloth.

Dark red, dry skin.

Kate's eyes sharpened as she noticed the strange appearance of skeletal remains with skin on it.

Well, this has me in a bad mood. It's my first time seeing such a body. Where did this come from?

As she thought of any possible methods, a slight breeze made its way into the room. It ran through her green hair as if to convey a message to Kate.

Kate closed her eyes and listened to the wind.

God gave her a clue.

Right. This energy is the cause that will bring a sea of fire to Tristan later.

Kate left Wells to wait on standby, listening to her God, who commanded her not to speak a word of her findings to Wells.

Alas, the duke easily noticed Kate's true reason for silence.

"Do you know what caused this?"

"That--- In fact, this is the first time I've seen such energy. However, judging from the power of this dark energy, it is certain that the suspect was not human." 𝙗𝙚𝙙𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝒎

"A little clue would be nice."

"I deeply apologize. If you don't mind, may I return this body to its original state?"

Wells' face flashed with surprise.

"Is that possible?"

"Yes, it's impossible to fully revive them, but... If I purify the dark energy inside the corpse, I will be able to return to their pre-death appearance even just a little bit. If that's the case, it won't break even if you touch it."

"That would be great, but I can't make a decision on my own. I'll ask His Majesty and report back with your answer."

"Alright."

Wells left with hurried steps.

Kate was left with the knights, who stood guard inside the break room, and chose to look around as she waited.

The dark aura emitting from the corpse was nowhere to be felt other than in the immediate area of the corpse.

"I wonder how this is related to that rampage in the capital and the creation of the sea of ??fire?"

Muttering while rubbing her chin, Kate felt the bustle outside the break room.

Hearing the words 'Your Majesty' from outside the door, she guessed that Wells came back with the Emperor.

It was the first time she would meet the emperor.

You shouldn't act like you would treat the high priest.

Kate's body stiffened with tension.

She heard the door open.

The first to appear was the emperor.

Kate felt the wind blow in his direction.

She could feel the spirit of God in the wind.

God is agitated. Is that the rose God is interested in?

Somehow the emperor didn't go well with roses, but Kate put her curiosity behind her and bowed down.

"I greet the Sun of Tristan."

"Rise. I've come directly to talk about whether that corpse can be returned to its former form. If possible, do it right now. I want their souls to rest in peace."

"As you command."

With Russell's permission, Kate completely removed the cloth from the body.

She then kneeled down beside them and placidly placed her hands on its stomach. A moment later, light flowed from Kate's hands.

Just looking at that bright light that overflowed with sacredness, several knights let out a small exclamation involuntarily.

Light enveloped the body as something miraculous happened.

The dark red aura that could not be seen except on human skin gradually faded.

As it faded, the skin that clung to the bones of the corpse swelled up.

Although not completely, the corpses were beginning to assume their original human form, and Kate used the same method to restore the other body to its original form.

Lastly, she prayed silently for the two corpses and the corpse that had turned to ash.

Rising to her feet, Kate faced Russell.

"Your Majesty, it is not the work of man that made them this way. If you hold on like this, no clues will come to light no matter how thoroughly you investigate, so please let them leave in peace."

"I understand. Their funeral arrangements will be taken care of by the Imperial Family."

When Russell gestured to the knights, the waiting knights moved forward, carrying a stretcher to move the bodies.

Even with their cautious actions, the bodies did not break away, so they carried out their jobs quickly.

A short silence fell in the break room before Russell spoke first.

"It took a lot of work to come from Gloria's temple. You can stay comfortably in the Imperial Palace until you leave. The Duke of Honeywell will arrange a place for you."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, but I will return to the temple immediately. I have to inform the High Priest of this situation, and they need my help to welcome the upcoming candidates for the Gloria of Tristan."

Kate shamelessly and boldly lied to the emperor.

Whether the emperor saw through her lies or not, Russell didn't say.

"Alright. Applications are coming in from various families, so please tell the High Priest to take care of them this time as well."

"Yes, as you command."

Russell left the break room with Wells and the knights trailing behind him.

Before long, the ladies-in-waiting came in and began tidying up, and Kate carefully left the break room so as not to disturb them.

Guided by the knight, she was led out of the Imperial Palace and to where she boarded her carriage.

The coachman urged on the horse, and they left without further delay... That is, until Kate asked him to stop when they reached the plaza.

Sniff.

She opened the carriage door before the coachman could and jumped off, then looked up at the coachman, who had yet to be able to react to her sudden actions.

"Let's stop here."

"Yes, but may I ask why you came to the capital early this time?"

A coachman who knew that Kate earned her pocket money by fortune-telling in the capital questioned her early arrival.

She smiled at the man.

"I came because I was urged from both sides. Well then, proceed carefully!"

She raised her hand and waved goodbye, then quickly turned around before the coachman could leave.

Facing the lively energy of the capital, Kate headed to the inn.

She had a lot to prepare for, and time was ticking.

A place to stay before leaving the capital, a tent rental for receiving guests, the price of the place to set it up, and so on. Her list was endless.

The inn Kate visited without hesitation was where she stayed every year when she came to the capital.

The owner recognized Kate and pretended to be more familiar with her. The owner was also one of the few people who knew that Kate was the fortune teller, K.

"Ah? You came early this time?"

"Yes, I came to the capital because I have work, but I want to start a business while I am here."

"Yes? It is clear that the people of the capital are already talking about K. Here's the key. It's the same room, as usual, the one on the top floor."

"Thank you. I'll take a look around later."

Kate took the key from the owner and climbed the familiar steps.

The room she was shown was the room she used every year; rather than being unfamiliar, it was rather a friendly accommodation.

Kate put her bag on the bed and unfolded it.

Several cloaks she wore to disguise herself as a fortune teller rested neatly alongside a crystal ball that she would use for her other sight.

"Hmm..."

Kate hummed and placed her cloaks on hangers.

"Hmm... Hmm, hmm... But didn't His Majesty and Rose about to bloom go too well together?"

Kate threw a question into the air.

It was a question to God, yet Kate received no reply.

As always, she never received a reply to her randomly asked questions. She ignored it as she carried on with her unpacking.

"Alright, alright, but God, may I ask what would look like a rose? It must be to his taste, matching with a rose, but I have to respect his choice. But His Majesty is more beautiful than I thought. Isn't that right?"

Haa...

After unpacking, Kate slammed the bag shut.

Her expression turned serious.

"But when it comes to roses, that duke suits them better. Ugh! Both of you are beautiful! It's more confusing."

Sitting on the bed, Kate placed the crystal ball on her lap.

She lightly caressed it with a soft hand. The crystal ball did not react.

Seeing the lack of response, Kate pouted.

"When other people raise their hands and ask for their desires, I usually show them what they want to see, and now, here I am, with no response."

Kate stared unhappily into the foggy crystal ball.

"...This is how the best fortune teller, K, will cry."

Chet.

Kate clicked her tongue lightly and set the crystal ball down by her bedside.

She lazily walked to the window and opened it wide.

A still, chilly wind swept over Kate.

Closing her eyes at the tender touch, she felt it was like the touch of God.

Kate closed her eyes for a while before being hit by the wind and opening them again.

She looked around the busy plaza and smiled.

"I wonder which young ladies will be nominated for Gloria of Tristan this year."

Kate did not hide her excitement.

It seems that the wind has blown again, telling us that we can look forward to this year's Tristan's Gloria.