There is not much known about the ‘Bloodline Script.’
It is an ancient, mysterious legacy, and the only publicly available information is that the Imperial Court is the only entity that can bestow that script. Moreover, the principles and deductions of it remain unknown.
It is a power that allows one to use powerful magic simply by receiving it. The Imperial Court manages related information strictly, and thus, the number of those who possess the Bloodline Script is also limited.
While all members of the royal family are collectively referred to as ‘belonging to the Imperial Court’, strictly speaking, only the Emperor holds the supreme power of the Imperial Court.
No other power holders exist; all countless organizations of the Imperial Court operate under this reality.
Power is like roots that extend from the Emperor. The hierarchy of power is determined in proximity to him, and if the Emperor so wishes, he can confiscate that power at any time.
Such meticulous management necessitates a complex surveillance system.
Even the spies affiliated with the Imperial Court do not know its organizational structure. Naturally, it is also confidential who belongs to which organization. This leads to a few inevitable problems.
Politics is like a form of life, encompassing numerous variables and rapidly changing circumstances. The organizations managing the Imperial Court also need to respond closely to these dynamics.
Thus, the ‘Bloodline Script’ is bestowed.
The number of those who possess the Bloodline Script is not even known. However, one certain fact remains: those who are given the Bloodline Script are fundamentally close to the Emperor.
The Emperor’s children, referred to as ‘royals’, and all members of the royal court enjoy power, but this is merely borrowed from the Emperor’s authority.
No entity in the court can ignore the Emperor. Naturally, no one can disregard the owners of the Bloodline Script.
The Bloodline Script serves as a symbol of the Imperial Court and the Emperor’s prestige.
It is said that the mysterious magic that activates even without mana is the trace of dragons that disappeared long ago. For the Imperial Court, which claims to be the descendants of dragons, the Bloodline Script is one of the pieces of evidence.
This is also why every organization belonging to the Imperial Court is subservient to the owners of the Bloodline Script.
Even the First Imperial Prince or the Second Imperial Princess, who are strong contenders for the throne, are in the same boat. Even the heads of the five noble families bow their heads before those who possess the Bloodline Script, and they would never dare to offend them.
Their power is merely a result of the possibility of becoming emperor. It is indeed impossible to surpass the Emperor’s authority.
In such circumstances, the Fifth Imperial Princess, who was far behind in the succession order, dared to provoke me.
As a saintess, it would be laughable. She likely thought I had no idea that I was the owner of the Bloodline Script and thus did not even offer me a small word of comfort.
If the Bloodline Script were revealed, it would all be over.
She was one of the two people who had seen ‘me’ using the Bloodline Script. It was said that I used it when I subdued both her and Yulen at the same time, and even her strong competitive spirit had no choice but to fall silent in the face of the Bloodline Script.
It was a memory I had forgotten for a while. The ‘me’ from that time was not truly myself, so it couldn’t be helped.
The saintess scoffed as if recalling it now. She continued with her jabs.
“No matter the organization’s matters, isn’t this too much? You could at least reveal your status, right? Just imagine how surprised the princess would be if she knew your identity…”
I couldn’t show any reaction to the saintess’s chattering voice.
Yes, it was true that having the Bloodline Script could solve every situation.
However, there remained a decisive problem for me: I did not know how to use the Bloodline Script.
It seemed that I had been bestowed with it, but since I didn’t know how to use it, I couldn’t utilize it.
It was troublesome. According to what is known to the public, the only way to prove one holds the Bloodline Script is to show the Bloodline Script itself.
At this rate, I would have to endure despite having a powerful weapon. I groaned and sifted through fragments of unconsciousness for a long time.
Of course, doing so did not yield any clues about how to use the Bloodline Script. I could only mutter frustrations inwardly.
If I was going to make a fuss, shouldn’t they provide me with more practical information?
For example, the method of using the Bloodline Script.
Yet, all I was left with was some incomprehensible phrase like, “The one with the dragon’s eye knows not the hearts of humans.” Such inflexible actions were frustrating.
Just then, while I was lost in thoughts about the ‘me’ of the future.
The saintess, who had been talking to herself, suddenly coughed. It seemed she had been speaking too much.
I was still lost in deep thought, holding the waterskin, so I did not respond properly when she whimsically started to drink from it.
“Ah, I’m thirsty… Can I have a little? It’s just water, and I can refill it anywhere.”
Go ahead, I thought, and just as I was indifferently looking at the saintess, I stopped short.
A sudden memory flashed through my mind.
Wait, didn’t I refill my waterskin this morning?
I was sure I had put something else in there; only then did I hurriedly try to stop the saintess.
“No, wait…!”
But it was already too late.
The saintess, who had been gulping down the liquid from the waterskin, widened her eyes in shock. And then, with a loud “Puhh,” she spat the water out.
I placed my hand on my face with a slap. The liquid in the waterskin was not water, but alcohol.
I had put it in that morning because I was overly agitated.
Cough, the saintess made a choking sound and started pounding her chest. It must be around her esophagus. She was likely experiencing a burning pain by now.
With tears forming in her eyes, the saintess pleaded with me.
“W-Water! Please give me some water!”
“I don’t have any; just endure it.”
Her face fell at my sigh-laden response, but there was nothing I could do.
While Yulen could bring her some water, it’d be more efficient to wait without doing anything during that time.
Either way, the calming would likely be the same.
Indeed, just as I expected, the saintess soon stopped coughing. She looked exhausted, her eyes dulled as if she was bereft of spirit.
“Ugh, the taste is weird…”
“Is this your first time drinking alcohol?”
“What kind of saintess drinks?”
With a glare full of resentment, the saintess answered. I had no choice but to shrug my shoulders.
Who told her to drink from my waterskin anyway? It wasn’t my fault.
But accidents always tend to lead to unexpected results.
The saintess, who had been glancing at me for a moment, began to show a faint blush on her cheeks.
Her pupils relaxed slightly, and through her sighing breath, warmth could be felt. It was a warning sign that felt all too familiar, causing me to widen my eyes.
Could it be she was getting drunk?
She had only taken one or two sips. If that was enough to make her tipsy, then the alcohol must be quite weak.
A vivid future began to form in my mind.
The saintess, drunk, stepping out from the monastery, stumbling as she strolls through the temple. The devotees would gossip as they saw her, saying the saintess had been drinking inside the temple.
Cold sweat began to flow from my forehead. After all, the saintess was someone who took her reputation very seriously.
If her image were to be tarnished because of such a mistake, I couldn’t begin to imagine how disheartened she would be. In the end, I quickly snatched the waterskin out of the saintess’s hand. I feared she might drink more alcohol in her tipsy state.
I opened the door of the prayer room and spoke to Yulen, who was waiting outside.
“Yulen, bring some water.”
“…What?”
He looked at me as if to ask what was happening since this request was unexpected, but once he caught a whiff of the scent coming from the waterskin in my hand, he immediately frowned.
He was always quick to pick up on things, and today was no different.
Yulen quickly started walking. I closed the door to the prayer room with a thud and approached the saintess.
She had a dazed look in her eyes. Her slightly heated skin gave off an alluring atmosphere.
Her pastel pink pupils, softened by the alcohol, were directed at me.
“…I-an?”
“Yes, Lady Virgin Saint. I am right here.”
I replied willingly, thinking that there might be an unexpected situation.
I had to hold on until she drank cold water and regained her senses. The moment she heard my answer, she broke into a giggle.
Her delicate fingers poked my cheek.
The disheveled appearance of the saintess was breathtakingly beautiful. The sweet fragrance of her body mingled with the scent of alcohol, teasing my nostrils.
With an innocent smile, the saintess whispered in my ear.
“…You silly.”
“Yes, I’m a fool indeed.”
“You idiot.”
“And I am also an idiot.”
We had only exchanged a few words, yet the saintess laughed heartily, finding joy in it.
Soon, she leaned her face against my chest. I was worried that my racing heartbeat might be audible.
“I’ve never seen someone like you who just takes losses.”
“…I don’t live solely on losses.”
I reflexively made an excuse, but the saintess only chuckled as if it didn’t matter to her.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and drew closer. Her lips were near my ear. Her elastic breasts pressed gently against my chest.
It felt delightful. I couldn’t help but think that touching them would surely feel even better.
The sensation of her breath was so sweet that I couldn’t help but feel that way.
And in the next moment, the voice whispered in my ear:
“That’s why I like you, I-an. You’re different from others; you’re special.”
I was momentarily silent.
Those words could be mistaken for a confession if someone heard them. When my frozen gaze returned to the saintess, her body had fallen pliantly against me.
She had fallen asleep. Just from two sips of alcohol.
I thought that this might be for the best, chuckling bitterly as I laid her down on the spot. Her sleeping face was like that of an angel.
While I leaned against the wall of the prayer room waiting for Yulen, I turned to the saintess, just in case.
“Lady Virgin Saint, do you know how to use the Bloodline Script?”
Of course, there was no answer. I smirked and looked at the sleeping saintess for a while before slowly rising from my position.
I sensed a presence from outside the door. Yulen seemed to be back.
Just as I was about to turn my footstep.
“…Eyes.”
At that small utterance, my body came to a halt.
I glanced back, and the saintess was still lost in dreamland.
“Eyes, h-aaam… You have to see it with your eyes… All, the magic’s notation…”
With those words, the saintess fell back into slumber once more. Maybe she had never awakened in the first place.
I found her adorable like that, staring blankly at her before shaking my head and moving.
What kind of saintess am I?
And above all, I still had things to do. Until that was done, I couldn’t even dream of romance.
I fiddled with the letter in my pocket.
I would have to save the world to save my future fiancé as well.
Now it was time to meet Senior Delphine.
I entered the desolate research building.
It was a place whose purpose for being left unattended was unknowable. Despite that, it seemed to be kept clean and cozy.
Under normal circumstances, I should have gone to Idalos Lodge by now.
However, given the unfavorable circumstances surrounding me lately, Senior Delphine had sent me a note in advance.
This was why the place she summoned me to was this sparsely populated research building.
As I walked around, looking around, I soon found myself in front of the promised laboratory. I carefully pulled the doorknob.
Senior Delphine was there.
With her bright golden hair, blood-red eyes, and fair white skin, the Northern beauty smiled sweetly as soon as she saw me.
She rose from the chair she had been sitting on, then knelt down and bowed her head with a respectful tone.
“…You’ve come, my master?”
Honestly, I hoped she wouldn’t.
