25-282

EP.282. [What the Goddess Planted in the Imperial Family.] 

‘What kind of person was my mother?’ 

Victoria appeared perfect in every way, but she too had an unhealed void: curiosity about her mother. Her mother died after a year of illness following Victoria’s birth, and Victoria missed her deeply. 

‘I can’t ask Father.’ 

The person who could best answer her questions was her father, Konstantin von Bayern. But Victoria couldn’t satisfy her longing through him. As a child, traveling with her father, she sensed how deeply wounded and scarred he was. Like Eugene Schneider, Victoria chose not to touch her father’s pain, suppressing her own curiosity. 

“Do I really resemble my mother’s personality that much?” 

Unexpectedly, someone appeared to answer her question. 

“Sometimes, you resemble her so much it startles me, Saber Victoria.” 

It was her superior, the Imperial Knights’ leader, Kaiser Antoine de Sel Oblaing. 

During her year as a knight apprentice, Victoria had almost no personal interaction with Antoine. Only after her appointment as Saber did he take charge of her training, and personal conversations began most often about her mother, Adrienne von Bayern. 

“Hmm… The portraits left behind show her as gentle and warm, unlike me…” 

Victoria, usually stoic, found these conversations deeply meaningful. The image Antoine painted of Adrienne was different from the gentle noblewoman Victoria had imagined from family records. 

“Of course, Adrienne was a wonderful wife and mother after marrying your father. But what I remember most is the young swordswoman Adrienne training with me, teaching me the sword, and aspiring to be a swordmaster.” 

Only Antoine could share this different side of Adrienne with Victoria. To the world, Adrienne was remembered only as the wife of the Holy See’s head crusader, Konstantin von Bayern. 

“You must have been very close to my mother.” 

Antoine’s eyes and voice were gentle and nostalgic when he spoke of Adrienne. Though they were cousins, the warmth in his words was surprising to Victoria, given his usual image. 

“I told you your mother was both my sister and my teacher. She was the greatest influence on my becoming a swordmaster and reaching this position.” 

He smiled deeply, making it clear how much he cherished Adrienne. 

[Antoine wants to resurrect your mother Adrienne. For that, he corrupted and killed Ulysses, entered the Demon Eclipse, awakened the Demon God’s Eye, and is trying to summon the Demon King blessed by the Demon God into this world.] 

Victoria had always thought Antoine’s affection for Adrienne was pure and wistful. But Raonjena revealed that his obsession was as twisted as her own for Ulysses. 

“What kind of madness is this? Duke Antoine wants to bring my mother back to life?!” 

The idea that Antoine opened the Demon God’s Eye and sought to summon the Demon King for this purpose was beyond belief. But the ultimate goal to resurrect her mother Adrienne, who died twenty years ago left Victoria more shaken than ever. 

[You may not believe it, but I heard it directly from Antoine. When he thought I was following the same path as him, he told me one day. At the time, I thought my manipulation was working, but now I realize he wanted me to pass this on to you. Antoine always intended to use me as a pawn to reveal the truth to you.] 

Raonjena, now broken, explained how Antoine’s meticulous planning had manipulated her into telling Victoria the truth. She thought she’d been maneuvering against Antoine, but in reality, she’d been used all along. 

‘I thought it was just the result of the Kaiser’s careful preparation as Ulysses’s friend. But he was the main player all along, and his ongoing involvement explains why he gave me such a detailed quest roadmap…!’ 

Victoria’s mind raced as the puzzle pieces fell into place. Antoine had always pushed her to focus on career advancement rather than the Sophist order. When things became urgent, he gave her a quest she was sure to succeed in, almost as if he’d been waiting for this moment. She’d always attributed it to his friendship with Ulysses, but after her experience in Enklema and hearing Raonjena’s story, her perspective changed completely. 

[He never told me exactly why he wanted to resurrect Adrienne. But I couldn’t see it as positive. The method was too dirty. He forced his way through the wall between Sword Seeker and Swordmaster, resonated with the Demon God’s Eye, and destroyed Ulysses to achieve it.] 

Raonjena, now a wreck, exposed the deadly truth: Antoine’s secret travels, his research into demonic herbs, and his betrayal of Ulysses were all tied to his life’s purpose becoming a swordmaster and betraying Ulysses Schneider. 

[And by now, Victoria, haven’t you noticed something odd? The twin sword experts who came with you despite you and your companions being trapped here for some time, there’s been no reaction from them.] 

Raonjena added more evidence: the twin sword experts who split off from Victoria’s group were actually Antoine’s personal bodyguards, assigned to manipulate events and keep Victoria isolated. 

“What exactly is Duke Antoine doing outside right now, Raonjena?” 

Victoria, her composure shattered, realized Raonjena’s claims about the twins must be true. Her thoughts turned to why Antoine wanted her isolated and what he was planning to do next. 

[He opened the Demon God’s Eye, gradually filling Gaia with demonic energy and creating the conditions for the Demon King’s descent.] 

Raonjena answered directly. 

[But at the end of the ancient era, the goddess gave humanity a way to prevent the Demon King’s descent a secret known only to a few in the Radiant Goddess Church.] 

Antoine’s actions were all aimed at summoning the Demon King blessed by the Demon God. 

[That safeguard is the existence of the one who inherits the goddess’s crest. And that person is always the firstborn of the Elysium imperial family.] 

His sword was now aimed at the current emperor, Louis XV. 

“That the imperial family and my father are in such a tense state…” 

Charlotte was pale after hearing from her beloved brother Eugene that the imperial family felt threatened by Antoine. 

“Mother said it’s not entirely impossible, but don’t worry, sis. It’s Duke Antoine, after all. There must be a reason for such rumors.” 

Eugene tried to reassure Charlotte as they headed to Marianne’s quarters, at her request. 

“Yes, Eugene. But we’ll need to act, too. We can’t know how the imperial family will respond.” 

Seeing her brother’s maturity, Charlotte regained her composure. If Vivian’s information was credible, the Oblaing family would need to prepare a real response. 

“We should return to Pangaea, right?” 

If the imperial family struck first, they might target the Oblaing main house in Pangaea meaning Jeanne was most at risk. 

But Marianne’s plan was unusual. 

“I’ve already sent urgent letters to Jeanne and Elizabeth. We’ll meet between Pangaea and Bahad, and everyone will hide here in Bahad.” 

Though conventional wisdom said the safest place was Heitenberg, where the Imperial Knights were, Marianne decided to move everyone to Bahad.