Chapter 513: Dark Demon Sniffs at the Rose (4k)
In the dining room of the Duke’s mansion.
Claire elegantly devoured her dinner, observing the conversation between Alvaraite and Dark.
Since he began serving as a temporary professor at Saint Maryann Academy last year, Dark had always brought continuous surprises to her, and this was no different today.
Regarding the two discoveries he mentioned, the first concerning the “Underworld Gate,” they had also noticed something unusual, but they couldn’t tell that it was the work of a small imp.
The second discovery yielded nothing.
“The corpse of the Demon King was stolen right under the Pope’s eyes?” Alvaraite couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
Dark nodded, “Though unbelievable, it is true. But if it’s the Holy Church, they should have methods to trace the culprit, right?”
Alvaraite took a deep breath and said, “Perhaps. But the person who stole the Demon King’s corpse wouldn’t be easy to catch.”
“It seems things have become complicated,” Claire licked the sauce from her lips with a playful smile. “But no matter how you look at it, this is clearly a mistake by the Holy Church.”
“Regardless of whose mistake it is,” Alvaraite shook her head, “I thought things would calm down after today, but now there’s another wave of trouble. Added to the potential impact of the brief connection between the underworld and the current world, we might be busier than before.”
With that, she looked apologetically at Dark, much like a parent who couldn’t take their child to the amusement park due to overtime.
Fortunately, Dark wasn’t a child whining about going to the amusement park.
He pondered, “Actually, there’s no need to rush. As Aunt Claire said, the theft of the Demon King’s corpse is the Holy Church’s responsibility. Since it’s their problem, they should bear all the consequences. From our perspective, we can offer assistance, but it’s not advisable to interfere too much. It’s clearly a thankless task.”
Alvaraite was taken aback for a moment, then sighed, “That’s true.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard,” Claire smiled. “Besides, even if someone with ill intentions stole the Demon King’s corpse and used it, could they really cause much trouble? Extracting bloodlines from the Demon King’s corpse isn’t easy, and creating more demons afterward is even harder. The Demon King could rapidly breed new demons because he is the Demon King. But we know that the true Demon King might still be contemplating—who am I?”
“Indeed…”
Alvaraite involuntarily patted her cheek to relax herself.
“Let’s see how the Holy Church reacts before making any decisions.”
…
“That’s right, isn’t it? Why not sit down and enjoy some watermelon?” Dark said casually.
Alvaraite always tended to shoulder burdens on her own.
This time, the “Demon King Execution Ritual” was no exception.
Since the “Demon King Execution Ritual” was initiated by the Holy Church, the chaos caused by people flooding into the capital city should have been handled by the Holy Church.
However, the entire order of the capital was managed by Alvaraite.
The Holy Church didn’t even inform the church staff about the ritual, let alone send anyone to maintain order.
Normally, both parties should have contributed equally.
Dark continued, “Now that the major issues have been addressed, let’s talk about minor matters. Do you remember the Knowledge God Cult?”
“Of course,” Alvaraite replied, “We even captured six of their elders yesterday.”
Dark asked curiously, “How long do you plan to keep them imprisoned?”
Alvaraite smiled, “I know Aaron Riedes and Aviva Julius approached you. But they didn’t commit any major crimes. According to our initial plan, they will be released after today.”
Dark was surprised, “So soon?”
Claire interjected, “They weren’t worshipping an evil god or demon; they were merely venerating great scholars. Honestly, I prefer this kind of veneration over any religious faith.”
Alvaraite nodded, “If it weren’t for the special timing, we wouldn’t have arrested them. You know, the Holy Church summoned the Underworld Gate today. We just wanted to avoid any possible repercussions.”
Dark couldn’t help but click his tongue. If Aaron Riedes and Aviva Julius knew what they were seeking, they might not have needed to do so. He wondered what their reaction would be.
“However, we should pay attention to the person who reported them,” Alvaraite mused.
Dark said, “Aaron Riedes and Aviva Julius mentioned that the one reporting them might be the thirteenth elder of the Knowledge God Cult!”
“Internal strife?” Alvaraite frowned. “But the informant is just a local wanderer, likely hired to do the job.”
Claire added, “Anyway, that person probably knew in advance that the Holy Church would summon the Underworld Gate today. This isn’t information that just anyone could deduce.”
Alvaraite said, “Let Chris investigate further. Is there anything else?”
Dark thought for a moment and smiled, “Nothing for now.”
“Then go get some rest,” Alvaraite said kindly. “Don’t worry too much. Me and Aunt Claire will handle everything.”
Dark: “Okay!”
…
Before finishing their dinner, Dark left the dining room and wandered in the hallway for a bit before returning to his bedroom.
But as soon as he entered, he found Eve and Irina waiting inside.
“Good evening, Master,” Eve said, placing her hand over her chest.
Irina bowed slightly behind her.
Dark looked at Irina and asked, “Good evening, both of you. What part of the report are you referring to?”
Irina handed him the documents she was holding, saying, “These are about Mrs. Hefestus Dragone.”
“Alright.” Dark took the documents, placed them on the table, and smiled. “You must be tired after today. By the way, did you find any news about the people tracking Aaron Riedes and Aviva Julius?”
Eve blinked and said, “Those two elders locked themselves in their rooms after returning. They slept for a while and then started studying the problems you gave them.”
Dark asked, “Did anyone bother them?”
Eve shook her head, “No.”
“Hmm…”
Dark couldn’t help but think.
The thirteenth elder of the Knowledge God Cult was indeed suspicious, but his actions were considered “correct behavior” in theory, so there was no ground to pursue him.
Thinking about it made his head hurt.
Most things in this world weren’t black and white.
It was nearly impossible to make simple judgments.
…
After Eve and Irina left, he picked up the documents about Pandora’s mother and started reading.
The Duke’s mansion had strong intelligence-gathering capabilities, and these documents provided a clear understanding of Hefestus Dragone.
Hefestus Dragone was a pure-blood white dragon.
A “white dragon” simply referred to a dragon with the light attribute.
Pure-blood dragons differed from most non-human species in that they possessed human-level intelligence and a high affinity for magic.
Most pure-blood dragons mastered advanced transformation magic before adulthood.
This not only allowed them to shrink their massive bodies but also transform into humans!
Being able to “transform into a human” was the key point for pure-blood dragons to interact with humans.
Hefestus Dragone was once a dragon serving the Holy Church.
This “service” was not slavery or loyalty, but rather “doing the job for money.”
Dragons loved gold and gems, and the Holy Church was wealthy.
During the later stages of the war, dragons and demons became completely opposed, and joining the human army became inevitable.
However, acquiring a dragon as a mount wasn’t an easy task.
The pride of pure-blood dragons, similar to their greed for gold, was deeply ingrained in their bones and blood.
Only the most handsome, noble, and powerful humans were allowed to become their knights.
Therefore, pure-blood dragon knights usually had noble bloodlines, handsome or beautiful appearances, and were among the strongest in human society—more selective than choosing national idols.
Such people existed in the Holy Church.
But Hefestus Dragone was a white dragon.
As a dragon with the light attribute, she was immensely popular within the Holy Church compared to other attributes.
To become her dragon knight, besides being handsome, noble, and powerful, one must also have a strong affinity with the light attribute.
Few people met the first three conditions.
Adding the fourth condition…
Generally, anyone meeting these criteria would be labeled as a “Saint Son.”
In other words, Hefestus Dragone’s knight was a Saint Son.
Saint Son + Pure-blood white dragon = Holy Dragon Knight;
The name Roland Patricias, a Holy Dragon Knight, once echoed across the battlefield, becoming a hero of the Holy Church, second only to “Saint Maiden Joan of Arc.”
Until the dragon and knight conceived secretly.
“Oh dear…”
Reaching this part, Dark could almost imagine the Pope’s expression.
The Holy Church was staunchly in favor of human purity.
They opposed all outsiders and half-breeds, with deep-rooted discrimination against sub-humans, considering them inferior beings fit only to serve humans.
Roland Patricias’ actions were akin to stabbing the Holy Church in the back.
During wartime, the Pope endured for the greater good and did not immediately punish him.
But after Hefestus Dragone’s strength greatly diminished during pregnancy and she could no longer fight on the battlefield when giving birth, the “Holy Dragon Knight” ceased to exist.
Without the dragon, Roland Patricias, the Holy Dragon Knight, ultimately fell under the concentrated fire of the demons who hated him.
And with the knight dead, there was no need to tolerate the mount anymore.
Moreover, the tide of war had already turned in favor of humanity, making a white dragon’s combat power less scarce.
Thus, according to doctrine, Hefestus was sent to Bustedia Prison.
Her child with the Saint Son Roland was abandoned in the Exile Forest.
…
After reading through the entire document, Dark felt drained, as if he had watched a melodramatic family drama at eight o’clock.
“Should we blame the cold-hearted Holy Church or Saint Son Roland for not controlling Dio?”
Dark carefully organized the documents and decided to temporarily seal away this memory.
He didn’t think Pandora would refrain from asking about her origins after reuniting with Hefestus.
But during the “Demon King Execution Ritual,” he hadn’t seen Pandora and Hefestus glaring at the Pope.
Speculating a little:
Perhaps it was because Saint Son Roland died honorably in battle, not because of the Holy Church’s treachery.
Or perhaps Hefestus did not suffer in Bustedia Prison.
Like Blood Princess Ophelia Brad, she was among those treated well in Bustedia Prison.
Apart from losing her freedom, the jailers satisfied most of her requests.
Alternatively, Pandora might be more open-minded and thoroughly researched the future.
In any case, these were their family matters.
Since Hefestus Dragone wasn’t considered dangerous, Dark decided not to continue monitoring her.
The only question was why the Patricias surname sounded so familiar?
Dark’s face froze as he held the documents, his hand trembling.
Patricias… wasn’t that the current Pope’s surname?
…
Certainly, Pope His Holiness Sis Saint Patricias was a young adult in his thirties fifteen years ago and couldn’t have had a son in his twenties.
Only the Patricias surname was sufficiently noble.
Pandora might pull out a long list of relatives if she wished.
But she wouldn’t want to.
And a strictly orthodox theocratic family would never accept a half-breed.
This was evident from how Pandora was left in the Exile Forest without anyone caring.
“Fortunately, in the Diemon family, I follow the doctrines.”
Dark shook his head slightly, then put away the documents and collected the scattered golems, putting them back on the bed.
He then went to sleep, quickly welcoming the next day.
…
The day after the “Demon King Execution Ritual,” Alvaraite and Claire returned to normal at breakfast.
Among the tables in the dining room, the golems seemed uneasy as they handled their food, like examinees awaiting execution.
At another table, the two guests of the Duke’s mansion dined with the host for the first time.
Pandora appeared unusually reserved.
She wore a new dress bought in town the previous day, her bangs neatly combed and her long black hair tied with ribbons on either side of her ears.
This rare attire made her appear younger.
Her eyebrows and lips were adorned with makeup by the maid.
When Dark saw her, he was surprised and asked if she was attending a princess’s banquet, but she said she was heading to the battlefield.
Aurora, who happened to overhear, quickly returned to her room to change out of her house clothes.
The Duke’s mansion was filled with the scent of smoke from dawn onwards.
