The Prince from Another World Wants to Save the World

Chapter 11: Chain Reaction (2)

“Your Highness. Please proceed to the Imperial Hall.”

An aide entered the office, reporting in an anxious voice.

“All the ministers have already gathered, and I’ve just received word that the High Priest and his entourage have also arrived.”

“…….”

Jess merely waved a hand, his back turned to the aide.

“I’ll be there shortly. Inform them I will enter soon.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

The aide sighed in relief before quickly exiting the office.

In the meantime, Jess clenched his fists, pounding his thigh in frustration as he ground his teeth.

“The High Priest? I didn’t even summon that old man. Why did he come?”

“Isn’t he here to hear about Prince Claude?” Firen, standing guard, answered indifferently.

“There’s a rumor that he resurrected the long-lost holy magic to annihilate the undead army in one fell swoop.”

Jess fell silent, recalling the face of the High Priest, who had already been an old man during Jess’ childhood.

Essex.

The current High Priest and the only living Archpriest. His authority was so great that even the emperor couldn’t ignore him.

If Essex were to side with Claude…

“Argh…!”

Jess clutched his face with both hands as if he wanted to tear it apart.

Why?

Why had it come to this?

He had deliberately sent Claude to face a formidable enemy with an underwhelming army, even removing the dispatched priests from the battalion under the pretext of urgency.

According to the plan, Claude should have died in the battle against the undead.

Even if he had miraculously survived and returned, he would have been weighed down by the shame of defeat, and the entire empire would have blamed him.

But he had won.

Not only that, but rumors claimed he had wiped out the enemy in an instant, without any help from the knights or soldiers, using only his power.

“Turn Undead? Why did it have to happen at that moment…?”

Jess had always thought of ultimate holy magic as little more than a legend conjured by priests.

But why had such a miracle occurred for Claude, who had been on the verge of death from poison?

Could it have been Jess himself who awakened Claude’s power? Perhaps the poison had triggered his hidden abilities?

Or had this been destined to happen, regardless of his actions?

“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have sent him to war against the undead….”

“Your Highness, you should hurry to the Imperial Hall. The longer you delay, the more suspicious the ministers will become.”

Pyren offered his advice. Jess clenched his eyes shut and then responded.

“Yes. I should go greet the triumphant Claude and bestow his reward. But the thought of rewarding the man I sent to take on the blame for the entire empire’s failures makes my blood boil!”

It felt as if his heart was being crushed. But if he didn’t praise Claude’s achievements and grant him rewards, the public’s opinion of Jess would plummet, and that was undeniable.

“No, no… Holy magic or not… That man’s mind is already broken. Even if he somehow managed to use high-level magic once, there’s no way he can continue doing so properly.”

Jess clung to a delusion, attempting to salvage his shattered pride.

“Yes. He’s more likely to cause trouble, drunk on his newfound power. It would be better to shower him with praise and let arrogance get the better of him. Hah….”

After taking several deep breaths, Jess returned to his usual cold demeanor and rose from his seat.

“I’ll head to the Imperial Hall now. For the sake of the future, I’ll endure the humiliation today.”

—

Was it because I had used too much holy magic back at the fortress village?

I ended up unconscious for nearly half a day. Well, what could I do? I had to save people first.

Although I woke up a little later than planned, I quickly spun a convincing tale to the knights around me as soon as I regained consciousness.

-When I saw the dying people and the advancing undead army, a surge of light filled my body before I realized it.

-Only then did I understand that I could wield the power of light. Since I can use healing magic, it must be some form of holy magic as well.

-I had no idea. Is there really a spell that can kill undead in a single blow?

Once such statements spread to the capital, it was inevitable that the priests would start clamoring about a miracle, even if others didn’t.

Why?

Because “Turn Undead” isn’t something you can normally acquire through training. How could any human spend 60 years mastering a single spell? They’d die of old age before they succeeded.

The priests would interpret it as a miracle bestowed upon me by the gods to save humanity in a time of chaos.

I had even read in an ancient manuscript that receiving such a miracle would lead to a change in title, perhaps even being called a “Saint.”

Naturally, my reputation would transform from “Claude the Rogue Prince” to “Claude, the Prince Blessed by the Gods.” Plus, I’d squeeze plenty of rewards out of Jess.

As soon as I stepped into the Imperial Hall after returning to the palace, I knew all my predictions were coming true.

“Oh! Prince Claude! You’ve finally returned. On behalf of the temple of the Five Gods, I offer my congratulations to the prince who has vanquished the evil undead army!”

The High Priest Essex, accompanied by other priests, stood waiting for me in the Imperial Hall.

Essex himself?

That was unexpected. Everyone knew the High Priest rarely left the temple due to his advanced age.

“Congratulations!”

The nine other priests bowed as well, and even the ministers gathered on either side of the hall awkwardly inclined their heads toward me.

Hmm, not bad. The atmosphere was completely different from when I had left.

Meanwhile, Jess sat on the regent’s throne with his usual cold expression…

I didn’t even need to see him up close to know he was probably seething with anger.

Everything proceeded smoothly, just as expected.

They heaped praises on my victory with flowery language, asked for brief opinions from a few ministers, and even complimented Durron, the captain of the Royal Guard, who wasn’t present.

Finally, as Jess was about to bestow my reward, High Priest Essex cautiously interrupted.

“Before we proceed, Your Highness, I would like to ask, as I mentioned beforehand, for your permission to verify Prince Claude’s ‘qualification.'”

“…Hmm?”

Jess’ face twisted momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.

“Do as you wish. But don’t take too long. We have other matters to attend to.”

“It will be quick. Then, if I may….”

Essex approached me with a smile.

“Prince Claude, what happened to you in Dalton Village is nothing short of a historic miracle. In the thousand-year history of the Grand Temple, only two other miracles can compare.”

“No, I mean… I just saw the undead slaughtering people, and I lost control….”

Given that Jess was watching, I deliberately acted a little dazed. Essex nodded approvingly, clearly pleased.

“That genuine compassion for your people is what sparked the miracle. Our temple wishes to bestow upon you the title of Saint, Prince Claude. So, if I may be so bold, would you demonstrate your power here once more?”

“Uh… Here? You mean to use Turn Undead again?”

If that’s what he wanted, I could do it. But wasn’t the title of Saint something that came with casting Turn Undead as a bonus?

“No. There are no undead here, so casting Turn Undead would not yield any results.”

Essex looked around the hall briefly, then smiled and extended his hand to me.

“Since Your Highness had no formal training in holy magic, any demonstration will suffice. Simply cast any holy magic on me.”

“Really? In that case….”

Without much thought, I cast a healing spell on Essex’s outstretched hand.

“Oh… Ohhh… as expected….”

Essex nodded with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“The miracle has been proven.”

“Ohhhh….”

Even the other priests who had been standing farther back let out gasps of awe. Essex reached for my head, speaking cautiously.

“Forgive me for asking, but may I place my hand on your head, Your Highness?”

“Um? Uh, sure….”

“Then, please excuse me.”

Essex placed his hand on my head and, with a voice loud enough for everyone in the Imperial Hall to hear, declared:

“As the High Priest of the Temple of the Five Gods, I, Essex, hereby bestow upon Prince Claude, the Sixth Prince of the Faywood Empire, the title of Saint, witness to the miracle of the gods.”

Huh…

That’s it?

It didn’t feel like anything special had happened, so I figured it was just a title attached to Turn Undead after all.

Still, now that I had the title, it should be easier to get support from the temple. Maybe even more than I originally expected?

“…Your Highness.”

At that moment, the High Priest leaned in closer and whispered softly.

“With so many eyes on us, I imagine you must feel somewhat constrained here.”

“Huh? What?”

“I would like to continue this conversation at the Grand Temple. I hope you can visit tonight.”

Then, with a calm smile, he stepped back as if nothing had happened.

Hmm? Does this old man have something up his sleeve?

In that case, I’ll play along. I merely smiled with a vacant expression, pretending to be pleased with the title.

But just now, when the High Priest mentioned “eyes watching” behind him… wasn’t it just Jess?

Could it be that Essex had already figured out who Jess really

was? If so, this wasn’t something to brush off lightly.

After nine regressions, I was confident I understood everything important about the High Priest.

He was certainly a key figure, but not someone prone to sudden changes.

The critical point was that this old man was not a traitor, and he wielded overwhelming influence over the priests of the Five Gods across not only the empire but the entire continent.

Yet I had never once suspected that he knew Jess’ true identity… Was I overthinking things, or was there a hidden secret I had missed about the High Priest?

“Hmm, now that the Grand Temple’s ceremony is concluded….”

Jess stood, ready to resume the interrupted award ceremony.

“As Regent of the Empire, in place of His Imperial Majesty, I bestow upon the Sixth Prince, Claude, the reward he is due for subjugating the undead army. First, as per tradition, 3,000 imperial gold coins will be granted, and additionally, half of the land of Berit, currently managed by a temporary lord, will be awarded as his fief.”

“Half of Berit!”

Suddenly, the previously quiet nobles began murmuring amongst themselves.

“That wastrel is getting such a large territory…?”

“Shh, quiet. He’s a victorious general now, isn’t he?”

“Still, isn’t that reward too much? Do you know how vast Berit is?”

“Sure, it’s big, but it’s not exactly prime land. Most of the inhabitants are refugees….”

Indeed, Berit wasn’t exactly the best land.

It’s only redeeming feature was that it was close to the Lunembreth Estate… but accepting this reward now would complicate the plans I had for the future.

“Everyone, be silent! The decision has already been made. The location and specifics of the fief will be detailed in an official document in the coming days….”

“B-brother, I don’t need the fief.”

I interrupted Jess’ speech with a trembling voice, pretending to be overwhelmed.

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