I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

041. The Name of the Morning Star (2)

A suffocating tension enveloped Historia’s entire body.

Berheim was cold.

As if nothing had happened, or as if it didn’t matter.

But anyone who wasn’t a fool could tell.

“Shall we have a little chat?”

That he wasn’t completely unaware.

Historia feigned composure.

“Yes.”

“Follow me.”

Thus, they followed Verheim.

* * *

The place they arrived at was a chapel.

Until they reached there, the two did not exchange any words.

Historia looked at Verheim’s back as he stopped in front of the podium.

Perhaps it was a relief that she couldn’t see his expression.

While she was thinking, he spoke.

“Where have you been?”

“Just a little walk. I had a lot to think about.”

“It seems you have worries. You said you didn’t before.”

“How can one live without worries? It’s nothing major.”

A mundane conversation passed between them.

It was a peace as if walking on frost.

Anxiety welled up inside Historia.

It was at that moment.

“Being like this reminds me of the old days.”

“…What?”

“When I was still not even five years old.”

“Ah…”

Historia’s eyes flickered.

Soon, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“…When I was seven. Yes. It was like this back then too.”

Saints and saintesses grow up in the Papal Palace.

At that time, it hadn’t been long since she was designated as a saintess, and Verheim had just received his blessing.

Both were clumsy in those days.

Everything was new and enjoyable for Historia during that period.

But not for Verheim.

-Whimper…

The young boy couldn’t adapt to the sudden change in environment.

There were times when he cried, scared of the reverent gazes of others.

On such days, Historia would secretly bring Verheim here late at night.

They shared many stories, and this escapade would end with Verheim’s bashful smile.

The memory of that moment soaked Historia’s heart.

“You said you wanted to become an adventurer.”

“That was when we were young.”

“You said you would uncover the mysteries of the Apocrypha and become a hero. Do you remember?”

“I remember. I still have curiosity about the Apocrypha.”

“I supported you in that.”

“Yes, you told me to leave the Papal Palace to you. That fate would help me.”

“Yes.”

But why you…

The words caught in her throat.

The sense of alienation soon turned into sorrow.

“…A lot has changed. You too. And me.”

The child who once gently smiled and longed for mystery was no longer there.

What could be felt from that back was only a gloomy shadow.

No, perhaps it was better that only a shadow could be seen from behind.

The moment he turned his head, Historia felt a pang in her chest.

“Is that the reason?”

Berheim’s face was twisted with anger.

“Is that the reason you consorted with the crown prince?”

The words, resembling the growl of a beast, pierced her eardrums.

“What did he say? That I am mad? That I am committing vile deeds? Ria, do you believe those words?”

That was certainty.

Historia tried not to be surprised anew.

Of course. Just as she had investigated Berheim, he must have investigated her as well.

Understanding it in that context made it easy to accept.

‘I should have been more careful.’

…No, even if she had, she wouldn’t have been able to escape Berheim’s eyes.

The Papal Court was already in his grasp.

“Ber.”

Historia spoke in a pleading tone.

“How did it come to this?”

It was sorrowful.

Just sorrowful and sorrowful again.

The rising guilt soon turned into regret.

I should have watched over more carefully.

That child might have still needed someone’s touch.

But it seemed the heart did not reach.

“Answer me. What did you talk about?”

Historia clenched her fist.

The appeal in her voice grew stronger.

“Ber, please come to your senses.”

Historia wanted to believe.

If he still remembered the events of his childhood, there was a possibility.

That he could pull himself out of the abyss.

“You are possessed by a demon. Rebecca is a demon.”

Historia took a step forward.

She tried to reach out her hand.

She didn’t want to let go of the slightest hope.

But,

“I know.”

It faded away.

Historia’s breath stopped.

Her eyes widened as if they were about to tear apart, in disbelief.

Words filled with bewilderment slipped out.

“…What?”

“I said I know. That she’s a demon. What do you take me for? I’m an apostle of fate. I am a human blessed by the gods.”

He was calm.

That calmness was so chilling.

Her expression twisted.

Berheim spoke.

“That’s why I needed the forbidden book. Does this answer your question?”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Lia, you said you hoped I would get along with her.”

Berheim’s gloom deepened.

“Then help me. I intend to ‘heal’ that child.”

Historia swallowed a bitter laugh.

But the words that followed made even that difficult.

“I am conducting research on species mutation. If the problem is that the child is a demon, then… can’t we just make him not a demon? I can do it. If the results of the forbidden book and the blessing of my destiny combine, surely…”

“Ver.”

“…Just a little more. It’s almost complete. Only the tuning remains.”

“Please…”

Eyes tightly shut.

At that moment, Historia realized.

What had gone wrong, and what he was misunderstanding.

It was so horrifying.

The transformation of a demon was indeed a force that twisted something fundamental and ruined a person.

Historia felt her insides rot as she asked.

“…Ver, do you really think that’s possible? Truly?”

“Why do you think it’s not possible?”

Why does he think it is possible?

A demon is not a species but a mental entity.

They are not a phenomenon of infection, so healing is impossible.

It was so obvious, how could he believe it was possible?

The moment she realized that, Historia knew.

“…Ah, you are beyond redemption.”

Her expression twisted with sorrow.

She looked at him.

Regret once again engulfed Historia.

“You have no intention of stopping, do you?”

“Are you not going to help? You.”

“I can’t help. Because I know it’s not right.”

“Then are you going to stand in my way? You against me?”

“Yes, I will.”

She picked up the communicator.

Berheim’s eyes twisted.

But, Historia’s hand did not stop.

Beep—

The communicator emitted a wave made of mana, and it quickly left the chapel.

“The king and the young lord of Pharos will come here. You can’t do anything anymore.”

She didn’t have the foolish thought of solving it alone.

Historia always saw things brightly, but she wasn’t someone who couldn’t discern right from wrong.

Berheim sighed lowly.

As if all this situation was of no importance.

“Then I should just take the research results and leave. Rebecca seems to be out of the capital, so I should find her.”

“You can’t go.”

“I can go.”

“No, I won’t let you.”

She would buy time.

At least until Yuren and Kallios arrived.

To that, Berheim responded.

“Ria, I never wanted to hurt you.”

He formed a seal with his hands.

From him, not divinity, but some other aura began to emanate.

Historia stared blankly at the dark purple magic.

“Bloom.”

Fwoosh―!

The aura engulfed Historia.

But,

“······.”

Nothing happened.

Berheim’s eyebrows raised.

Historia took a deep breath and spoke.

“The tea you made for me. I knew it was a trap.”

Her voice sank with regret.

“Why do you think I let it happen? Because I have the ability to block it. And, I hoped you wouldn’t use that many.”

The moment she drank the tea, she realized something was wrong.

She gathered the divinity within her and sealed the aura inside her body.

Therefore, it is a trap that does not reach her.

However, even so, Historia could not muster a smile.

“So, you’ve come this far, Berheim.”

Sssss―

Golden divinity wrapped around Historia’s body.

It was a faint but indomitable divinity of hope.

Berheim looked annoyed.

“You make me use my hand.”

He tried to exert his power.

But even that could not intimidate Historia.

Historia extended her arm.

Piiing―!

Holy Law No. 7, Divine Spear.

A golden flash grazed Berheim’s cheek in a straight trajectory.

His eyes widened.

Historia spoke.

“Why? Surprised? Because the blessing didn’t protect you? Berheim, how long will you remain deluded?”

Wasn’t it too obvious?

Berheim had forgotten even that.

Historia felt pity for him.

“When was the last time you used divine protection?”

“···!”

The gods do not bestow divine protection upon those who do not believe in them.

Divine protection is a power borrowed from the gods, and it can be taken away at any time.

For the first time, Verheim showed blatant emotion.

“···Damn woman.”

It was anger.

Boom―!

Red divinity enveloped Verheim’s body.

The ground he stepped on began to crack.

The intensity of that power was suffocating.

“No divine protection? It doesn’t matter. The divinity remains. This cannot be taken away by fate.”

“I know. It’s innate.”

“So, Ria, you can never defeat me. Hope has always been a mirage before fate.”

He knew it too.

That was the reason why the structure of fate and hope had not changed for the past thousand years.

A real god and an ambiguous god.

The superiority was clear.

But there was something Verheim did not know.

She sighed at the irreversibility and unleashed her power.

The radiance gradually grew.

Beyond her surroundings, to the entire space.

Once again, beyond the space, to the entire Papal Palace.

At the immense divinity, Verheim’s expression hardened.

Historia glared at him.

“Verheim, remember this.”

What is hope?

From the moment she found the answer to that fundamental question, hope was no longer a mirage for Historia.

“Hope shines the brightest when fate is harsh.”

Her hair turned a brilliant gold.

Her pupils disappeared from her eyes.

A sacred halo rose behind her.

A power close to authority swept through the space.

And then,

Thwack—!

Piercing through the chapel’s ceiling, a golden judgment fell from the sky.

Dust scattered like a storm, and what remained after it cleared was Verheim within a red veil.

He frowned.

“Divinity is not the end. Are you planning to burn your life?”

“If it can stop you.”

It was a sin he had not foreseen.

It was undoubtedly his own sin that he couldn’t stop it, even though he was the closest.

So, he must bear the responsibility himself.

Because that would be the only atonement.

Tears streamed down Historia’s cheeks.

She spoke with a sad smile.

“Let’s die together, Verheim.”

Once again, divinity surged.

* * *

The communication signal rang just as he lay down on the bed to sleep.

He felt bewildered first, as it shouldn’t have rung yet.

‘Why?’

It couldn’t have been a mistake.

This was something that couldn’t be activated by mistake.

Then, an anomaly?

Was the secret meeting discovered?

Or did Historia act impulsively?

There was no time to ponder.

– Light, it’s light…!

The commotion of the mansion reached my ears, and shortly after, a golden flash flickered through the gap in the curtains.

I immediately drew the curtains.

What I saw was a single beam of light falling from the sky like a bolt of lightning.

The direction was…

‘…the Papal Palace.’

The moment I realized that.

Bang!

Without even thinking about it any further, I dashed towards the Papal Palace.

My heart raced with anxiety.

*This is a revised chapter. If you have already read this chapter, please refer to the notice.*